M A I N   N E W S

PM talks tough with ministers
T. R. Ramachandran
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 5
In an effort to speed up the second stage of economic reforms, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee did some tough talking with his colleagues handling key economic ministries directing them to pull up their socks and expedite the expenditure on creating direly needed infrastructure facilities.

Buoyed by the wide-ranging reshuffle-cum-expansion of his Council of Ministers, Mr Vajpayee felt highly perturbed that when the fundamentals in the economy were strong coupled with a comfortable foodstocks situation and reasonably good foreign exchange reserves, the country was facing an economic slowdown. What he found extremely agonising was the fact that the poor and the underprivileged were not being fed properly.

When Mr Vajpayee chaired the high-powered meeting at his Race Course road residence last night, the ministers had not expected that the Prime Minister was going to undertake a minute stock-taking and seek ready answers for the tardiness in the implementation of various projects.

The Prime Minister focussed on the critical National Highway project which he announced with much fanfare, urgently needed labour reforms, checking burgeoning fiscal deficit, irrigation projects suffering inordinate delays as well as a host of other issues.

Caught unawares and on a sticky wicket, some ministers managed some breathing space by assuring the Prime Minister that they would make a full presentation to keep him abreast with the developments and the bottlenecks, if any. Minister of State holding independent charge of Road Transport B.C. Khanduri made a presentation to Mr Vajpayee this evening about the prevailing scenario pertaining to the National Highway project at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 70,000 crore.

Mr Vajpayee also sought a separate briefing from Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha on the fiscal deficit front which had been causing concern. In the Ninth Plan fiscal deficit is to be reigned in at 5 per cent of the GDP while current estimates showed that it will be upwards of 6 per cent for 2001-2002. In the Tenth Plan period, the Union Government aims to bring down fiscal deficit to 2.6 per cent of the GDP. The fiscal situation of the Union Government has deteriorated continuously in the 1990s and especially during the Ninth Plan.

Turning to irrigation schemes, the Prime Minister took strong exception to the projects started during the Fifth Five Year Plan continuing to hang fire. Mr Vajpayee sought for detailed and up-to-date briefing on the irrigation front.

He did not hedge words in underlining the need for expeditious labour reforms despite the new minister Sharad Yadav suggesting that there was a need for consensus in this sphere. Mr Vajpayee was emphatic that Cabinet decisions must be implemented and carried forward without attendant delays and interference from other quarters.

Tool bits from Pak seized
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 5
Even as the senior customs officials are tight-lipped about the smuggling of eight quintal of iron tool bits through the “Samjhauta Express”, sources said the department has ordered only an internal vigilance probe in this regard.

Confirmed sources revealed that Manzoor Ahmed, a Pakistan national had brought eight quintals of tool bits in excess of quantity allowed by the customs in the Samjhauta Express on March 5. The consignment was illegally taken to Delhi which was stopped at the Ambala barrier on August 27 loaded in a Sumo vehicle.

Sources said with the alleged connivance of junior level customs officials and a coolie, Manzoor Ahmed took the consignment to New Delhi. The consignment was earlier got released illegally from the store as it was seized at the Attari Railway station, Manzoor Ahmed had filed an appeal with the Commissioner (Appeals) who had allowed the tool bits to be taken back to Pakistan by charging some penalty. However, instead of taking it back to Pakistan, Manzoor Ahmed tried to take the consignment to its destination.

However, Mr Vinit Ohri, Commissioner, Customs Department, refused to give any detail in this regard, “I don’t remember this case as I do receive a number of cases every day. Please wait for yet another day,” he said.

While the coolie who took the iron tool bits to Sumo vehicle is at large, the store keeper has gone on one-month leave for obvious reasons. It was some officials of the preventive section of the Customs Department who leaked the information to the higher officials of the Directive, Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

Sources said though the nexus of custom department and other agencies came to the light after the recovery of the smuggled goods, yet the department may try to “hush up” the matter which is just a tip of the ice-berg. Instead of allowing the DRI to take the matter to the court, it is being investigated at the departmental level only.

As per rules, the person who brings goods in excess quantity could either take them back to Pakistan by paying fine or these could be confiscated.

Some other senior officials of the Customs Department, contacted by TNS also refused to reveal the names of the officials, responsible for the ‘smuggling’ of tool bits on the plea that it could hamper the investigations.