Potato Woes
By Insaf
Punjab and Haryana farmers are at a loss. They simply don’t know what to do with the glut of potato harvest, which has triggered a major slump in its prices. Burn the crop, swamp it on the road or offer it free, are the options being contemplated. One has already been chosen by the Punjab farmers. On Thursday last, they dumped their potatoes crop on the road in Jalandhar district and other parts of the State. The farmers had earlier met under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) to work out a strategy which would help get them relief. More so, as the two State governments appear to be turning a blind eye to their woes, making matters worse. The farmers are particularly angry over the fact that while they are being forced to sell potatoes for Rs 1.50 per kg, the same is being bought in the market for Rs 15 to Rs 12 per! Thus, while the aam admi has got some relief and the middlemen and traders making a buck, the poor farmers are unable to meet even the input costs. In addition, there are very few buyers from other States and the Centre they claim has no policy to export the crop in the event of a bumper harvest. Who will bail them out and how fast, is what is weighing on their mind.
Delhi’s Moratorium
The nation’s capital, Delhi will have to live with its illegal commercial outlets and unauthorised structures, for at least another three years! It has no choice, thanks to the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Bill, which was passed by Parliament on Wednesday last. Accordingly, no punitive action will be taken in terms of sealing or demolition of such structures, until such time Delhi’s Master Plan- 2021 is revised. The three-year moratorium, according to Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath is primarily to prepare “a clear, realistic, user-friendly” Master Plan. It will specifically look at the future, instead of trying to correct mistakes of the past. What this really means is that the present Plan has been unrealistic. It has sadly not been able to cope with the growth momentum of the Capital, which has witnessed mushrooming of slums, unauthorised colonies and commercial outlets in residential areas. The Bill thus proposes to set up a Delhi Urban Regulatory and Appellate Authority which will recommend the changes in the master Plan. The end result will be keenly watched not just by Delhiites but other big cities too
Illegal Mining In MP
Madhya Pradesh appears to be following in the footsteps of Karnataka. Alleging widespread illegal mining in the BJP-ruled State, the opposition Congress shall approach the Centre for a CBI probe. It has accused the Shivraj Singh Chouhan Government of bringing nearly one-third of the entire geographical area of the State under mining plan with exploration permits issued to 93 companies! Of the total 3,08,000 sq km geographical area, 95,000 Sq kms is under forest cover and the Congress claims the said permits cover an area of 1,09,208 sq kms. While making a note of the Opposition’s belligerent mood, Chouhan is giving more credence to the charges in the backdrop of the illegal mining issue playing havoc with the ruling BJP in Karnataka. Therefore, he has ordered the State officials to undertake an intensive month-long campaign to identify and curb these illegal mining activities. Impose maximum fine in such cases, is his order. Will this suffice?
West Bengal Tragedies
Nothing seems to be going right for West Bengal and its Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Its administration needs to be tightened. Days after the fire at AMRI Hospital in Kolkata claimed over 90 lives and month after over 20 infants died in Malda district hospital, tragedy struck the State again. Over 100 people have died since Wednesday last after consuming spurious liquor in South 24 Parganas district and another 50 are battling for their lives. Most of the casualties reported were poor labourers, rickshaw-pullers and hawkers. Worse, it is alleged the local police was aware of the illicit business but took no action. While ordering an inquiry and promising stern action against those manufacturing and selling illegal country liquor, Mamata also announced a compensation of Rs two lakh each to the families of the deceased. Earlier, the State government had announced Rs 3 lakh compensation for the next of kin of those died in the AMRI fire. However, Mamata should realise that compensation for lost lives is no solace and more importantly no answer to good governance.
Gujarat In Bad Taste
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has stumped many an adversary. Was he turning a new leaf? On Wednesday last, he described hoardings put up by his own BJP unit ridiculing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, as “inappropriate and unfortunate”. His reason on Facebook read: “In democracy, we must avoid such acts and respect each other.” As a result the hoardings were promptly removed from major junctions in the city, which shall play host to Modi’s Sadbhavna rally on Sunday. A sample: Rahul Gandhi was shown telling Sonia “Mummy, Walmart fellow is my friend’s uncle. Please allow him to invest in India.” Sonia is shown replying: “I am instructing Manmohan uncle to allow FDI in retail, let small people of India be ruined by it…” While Modi can claim some damage control and use the incident to his benefit the big question is who ordered and approved these hoardings. Will any action be taken?
Prayer In Andhra Temple
The fall of the rupee viz the US dollar has evoked a unique response in Andhra Pradesh. About 45 km away from the Capital, Hyderabad, the Chilkur Balaji temple, known popularly as the visa temple, launched a special prayer on Wednesday last to help the dollar crunch ease. It is learnt that a large number of people who look forward to going abroad throng this temple to seek the Lord’s intervention in getting their visa. But with the dollar rising against the rupee, it has cast a shadow on their overseas journey. The daylong prayer to Narasimha, the Lion God, explained the head priest was not only to help the dollar crunch ease but also for speedy recovery of money from defaulters. Well, only god knows whether the prayer was successful. —