O P I N I O N S

EDITORIALS

Shaming unruly MPs
Parties should ensure discipline
The present Lok Sabha is set to earn the distinction of being the least productive. It may end up passing the fewest Bills in independent India’s history. The Opposition in a democracy has a right to protest.

Rural health care
Abandoned by govt and doctors
Rural health care is nobody’s baby in India. Therefore, for hundreds of young doctors protesting in Delhi against the mandatory one-year rural posting as well as for the government that has imposed this rule without much thought, a few facts need to be underlined.

Lessons from a mishap
String of lapses, yet no one at fault!
The falling of a bus into a canal near Fatehgarh Sahib last week — that is feared to have killed at least 25 persons — was a huge tragedy. The tragedy, however, would be compounded if we failed to learn the lessons it has to offer.

• Thought for the Day

ARTICLE

Strike Corps for mountains
Adding to deterrence capability against China
by Gurmeet Kanwal
On July 17, 2013, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) finally approved the Army's proposal for raising a Strike Corps for the mountains. Though the approval came after considerable delay, it is a pragmatic move that will send an appropriate message across the Himalayas.

MIDDLE

A good Samaritan
by Sukhdarshan Likhi
It was a hot sultry afternoon. Close to the lunch time we had just finished our meagre shopping in Chandigarh's sector-22 market. As I turned the ignition key in my nine-year-old Maruti, the self would not pick up and the engine refused to rev up.

OPED REVIEW

Bumpy ride on a familiar track
Nonika Singh
Love, action and laughs (not necessarily in this order)… these three words define the ride aboard Chennai Express. Of course, before getting on to this big ticket (so huge is the buzz around this film that no other movie, not even a Hollywood flick, has dared to lock horns with it) journey you don't really have great expectations.

Movies to be released

Movies on tv

EDITORIALS

Shaming unruly MPs 
Parties should ensure discipline

The present Lok Sabha is set to earn the distinction of being the least productive. It may end up passing the fewest Bills in independent India’s history. The Opposition in a democracy has a right to protest. Thanks to scams and acts of omission and commission, the UPA government has provided enough reasons for the BJP and other opposition parties to protest. But there are non-disruptive ways of protest available too. Those who reduce democracy to a farce should be identified and dealt with strictly. Senior and saner leaders of parties should cooperate with the presiding officers for the smooth conduct of the two Houses.

By persistently blocking Parliament's functioning, the BJP has lost a chance to take political advantage of the failures of the UPA regime. An Opposition is as much judged as a government for its performance. After the dismal record of Parliament in the last few sessions one thought the monsoon session would at least try to clear part of the legislative backlog. However, in the first four days Parliament passed just one Bill and 110 more are pending. Initially, the BJP was cooperative in the Lok Sabha and Congress MPs, agitated over Telangana, created a ruckus. By failing to discipline them, the Congress has lost the moral high ground it once claimed. All the squabbling MPs unite when their own interests are at stake.

Rajya Sabha chairperson Hamid Ansari's attempt to shame such members as indulge in disorderly conduct by publishing their names in a daily bulletin on the proceedings could have succeeded had the Lok Sabha Speaker too started the practice simultaneously and named the agitating Congress MPs too. Singling out the BJP and Telugu Desam MPs for the “honour” was unfair. Secondly, pictures of unruly MPs should be frequently displayed on TV channels, at least those run by the government, so that voters can identify and punish them during elections for wasting public money. Any good company would get rid of employees who are undisciplined, unproductive and have criminal cases filed against them. In Parliament they are given perks and pensions.

Rural health care
Abandoned by govt and doctors

Rural health care is nobody’s baby in India. Therefore, for hundreds of young doctors protesting in Delhi against the mandatory one-year rural posting as well as for the government that has imposed this rule without much thought, a few facts need to be underlined. Close to 75 per cent of health infrastructure and doctors are made available for 27 per cent of the population that lives in urban India. No wonder, most doctors come from this background and their anxiety to get specialisation and super-specialisation is a need the government should not ignore. As professionals, they have all the right to think of post-graduation as a need to enhance their career.

Since medical education in government colleges is highly subsidised, a few facts about medical infrastructure should be appreciated. The 716-million strong rural population of India lives with an acute lack of medical facilities. Sixtysix per cent of the rural population lacks access to preventive medicines, 31 per cent has to travel over 30 km to reach a Primary Health Centre (PHC), 3,660 PHCs in rural areas lack either an operation theatre or a lab or both. Fifty per cent of the posts for obstetricians, paediatricians, and gynaecologists in PHCs or CHCs (community health centres) are vacant and there is a 70.2 per cent shortfall of medical specialists in CHCs.

The protesting doctors have a legitimate demand — the number of seats at the PG level should equal seats available at the undergraduate level. Presently, only less than 50 per cent graduates can get a seat at the PG level. But the doctors should also propose to work for a rural posting with honesty, once they are ensured admission at the PG level. Most doctors avail leave, female doctors plan maternity leave during rural posting. The government’s commitment to provide more doctors in the rural areas is appreciable, it should also look at the basic health infrastructure: labs, assisting staff, clean water and electricity apart from medicines to make rural posting an enriching experience for young doctors. 

Lessons from a mishap
String of lapses, yet no one at fault!

The falling of a bus into a canal near Fatehgarh Sahib last week — that is feared to have killed at least 25 persons — was a huge tragedy. The tragedy, however, would be compounded if we failed to learn the lessons it has to offer. Continuing investigation of the incident and the circumstances leading to it is revealing lapses at several levels of policy as well as execution. The two broad issues that need to be visited are road engineering for safety and work conditions of professional drivers. Besides lapses in implementing the existing rules regarding these issues, the Fatehgarh Sahib accident also exposes a sense of irresponsibility in Punjab's public transport policy.

Punbus, a state-owned entity, has outsourced its operations such as arranging drivers and conductors apparently to the lowest bidder. This may make good business sense. But the primary purpose of public-sector enterprises is not to earn profit, but provide reliable services at reasonable rates, especially in areas where private players may not be prepared to provide a particular service. Good service in buses would include passenger safety, and hiring low-paid drivers and incentivising them to work overtime is definitely not a way to ensure safety. Drivers of all public transport carrying people need to be hired after thorough testing, and also be monitored for behaviour patterns. Unstable minds cannot be put in charge of lives.

Amidst demands from victims’ families that the road building contractor should pay compensation for the loss of life, no authority is prepared to hold anyone specific responsible for failing to ensure that the bridge — over which the accident took place — was motorable. The reason is our law does not fix liability in most public safety matters. However, it is part of the administrative set-up's responsibility to take note of any particularly hazardous situation, and also take action. The busload of people going under water in the dead of the night was only a culmination of a chain of lapses and wrong decisions — some from oversight, some deliberate.

Thought for the Day

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. —Henry David Thoreau

ARTICLE

Strike Corps for mountains
Adding to deterrence capability against China
by Gurmeet Kanwal

On July 17, 2013, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) finally approved the Army's proposal for raising a Strike Corps for the mountains. Though the approval came after considerable delay, it is a pragmatic move that will send an appropriate message across the Himalayas. It will help India upgrade its military strategy against China from dissuasion to genuine deterrence as the Strike Corps, in conjunction with the Indian Air Force (IAF), will provide the capability to launch offensive operations across the Himalayas so as to take the next war into Chinese territory.

The new Strike Corps will comprise two infantry divisions and will be supported by three independent armoured brigades, three artillery brigades to provide potent firepower, an engineer and air defence brigade each, an aviation brigade and units providing logistics services. The Corps will cost Rs 64,000 crore to raise and equip over a period of five to seven years. Approximately 90,000 new personnel will be added to the Army's manpower strength, including those in ancillary support and logistics units. The Army has already raised 56 and 71 Mountain Divisions and deployed them in Arunachal Pradesh to fill the existing gaps in defence. Some elements of these divisions will act as readily available reserves for the new Strike Corps to add weight along the axis of attack and exploit success. These divisions will also be employed to secure launch pads for offensive operations across the Himalayas. Hence, these must be seen as playing a significant supporting role for the Strike Corps.

Despite the ongoing border talks between India and China to resolve the territorial and boundary dispute, often punctuated by ugly incidents like the PLA incursion in the Daulat Beg Oldie sector in April-May 2013 and repeated incursions into Chumar since then, a limited India-China border conflict cannot be completely ruled out. As the territorial dispute with Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir is also in the mountains, there is a very high probability that the next conventional conflict involving India will again break out in the mountains. Since the war will be fought under a nuclear overhang, particularly with Pakistan, there is a fair possibility that it will remain confined to the mountains so that it does not escalate out of control to nuclear exchanges. Hence, it was time for India to pivot to the mountains in its quest for building military capacities and it is creditable that the government has given the go ahead to raise a new Strike Corps.

In any future war that the armed forces are called upon to fight in the mountains, gaining, occupying and holding territory and evicting the enemy from Indian territory will continue to remain important military aims. While these will be infantry predominant operations, no war plan will succeed without achieving massive asymmetries in the application of firepower to destroy the enemy's combat potential and infrastructure. Therefore, Army-IAF operational plans must be fully integrated. These must be jointly evolved, meticulously coordinated and flexible enough to be fine-tuned to exploit fleeting opportunities and to take advantage of the enemy's reactions during execution. This is especially so in the mountains where the military aims and objectives are limited in scope because of the terrain. Both the Services must work together to create the capabilities that are necessary to take the battle into enemy territory during the next war in the mountains.

As artillery batteries and regiments cannot be moved and re-deployed easily, operations in the mountains place a premium on battlefield air support. Operational mastery over air-to-ground strikes can influence the outcome of tactical battles in the mountains extremely favourably. Firepower ratios can be enhanced to levels necessary for achieving overwhelming superiority only through a major upgrade in the availability of artillery guns, rocket launchers and missiles and offensive air support. A contract for the acquisition of 144 Howitzers of 155 mm caliber has been hanging fire for long and needs to be expedited. The new artillery units that will be raised must be equipped with short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) that can engage targets deep inside Tibet from deployment areas in the plains. Precision-guided munitions (PGMs) need to be acquired in large numbers both by the artillery and the IAF to accurately destroy important targets such as communications centres. The government must also hasten the acquisition of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment.

The peculiarities of terrain and the lack of sufficient road communications, particularly lateral roads that connect the road axes leading to the border, will place heavier demands on helicopter lift for the movement of reserves within divisional and brigade sectors. At the operational level, only an “air assault” formation can turn the tide through vertical envelopment and enable deep offensive operations to be carried out when employed in conjunction with special forces. An air assault brigade group inducted across the LoC or LAC by helicopters after the IAF has achieved a favourable air situation can seize an objective in depth. Ideally, each of the infantry divisions of the strike Corps must have one air assault brigade with the requisite air lift. In addition to attack helicopters, which will provide sustained firepower support, a large number of utility helicopters will be required to support offensive operations across the Himalayas, including medium- and heavy-lift helicopters.

The successful launching of Strike Corps operations will depend on the availability of good infrastructure, including double-lane roads with all-weather capability and suitably placed logistics nodes. India's plans to upgrade infrastructure in the states bordering China have not been making adequate progress. In fact, there have been inordinate delays due to the lack of environmental clearances and other reasons. While the new Strike Corps is being raised, equipped and trained, the government must make vigorous efforts to speed up the completion of infrastructure projects. Otherwise, the Army will have a new Strike Corps and not be able to launch it effectively.

The writer is a Delhi-based strategic analyst.

MIDDLE

A good Samaritan
by Sukhdarshan Likhi

It was a hot sultry afternoon. Close to the lunch time we had just finished our meagre shopping in Chandigarh's sector-22 market. As I turned the ignition key in my nine-year-old Maruti, the self would not pick up and the engine refused to rev up. A typical distressing situation, with no repair workshop in the vicinity of the market! Two senior citizens, husband and wife, caught up in an awkward situation! What to do and whom to turn for help? A policeman appeared on the scene but he politely declined to do anything beyond arranging an auto to drop us back home at Mohali.

In the meantime a 25-26 years old dark complexioned young man with a solemn expression of concern on his face, came forward to help. He tried his hand on the self but to no avail. He said he would go to the Aroma Hotel area to find a mechanic. He was offered money to engage an auto but he declined, saying he would borrow a friend's bicycle and would be back in about 20 minutes time. To our relief, he returned with a junior mechanic who located the fault in the vehicle, telling us that its timer belt was gone.

He said only a senior mechanic would do the job and the car would have to be towed to the workshop. Both the mechanic and the young Samaritan quickly left the place. After an agonising wait of close to half an hour a senior mechanic emerged on the scene carrying his bag of tools. He set himself on the job without any delay. The young Samaritan, however, got busy locating a chair for me and subsequently made me sit comfortably under the shade of a tree.

After this he stopped an auto, argued with the driver over the correct fare for journey to Mohali, put all the bags in the auto and saw off my wife. Later, he ran to a nearby booth and brought a chilled Bisleri water bottle for me to drink. While the mechanic was on the job of fixing things up, he got a call on his mobile and he implored to take leave. He politely declined to accept any money for the services he had rendered. He told me that his name was Ganesh and he was working as a driver in the transport section of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh.

I said, “Before you go, let me see if I have enough money in my purse to pay the mechanic”. He said, “Don’t you worry. You give him the balance when you come this side tomorrow or even later”. On knowing from him that there was an HDFC ATM booth nearby, I went there and drew the money I needed.

After I had checked the vehicle, paid the mechanic and was about to drive back, Ganesh suddenly disappeared from the place, leaving me completely humbled and burdened with a heavy debt of gratitude to him. It looked as if Ganesh had appeared on the scene on some divine intervention. I had no words to thank him, much less to repay him. His memory still lingers in my mind. Often thinking of him, I am reminded of the sagacious words of French physician Albert Schweitzer, “I do not know what your destiny will be but one thing I do know. The only one among you who will be happy are those who have sought and found how to serve”.

OPED REVIEW

Bumpy ride on a familiar track
Nonika Singh

Sugar & Spice: Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone

Love, action and laughs (not necessarily in this order)… these three words define the ride aboard Chennai Express. Of course, before getting on to this big ticket (so huge is the buzz around this film that no other movie, not even a Hollywood flick, has dared to lock horns with it) journey you don't really have great expectations. The film as with all Rohit Shetty (remember Golmaal series and Bol Bachchan) flicks can at best be entertaining.

So is it…? Well, yes and no. To be fair the film begins well on a fast pace and an amusing note where the death of almost 100-year-old dadaji too is depicted in a lighter vein. And so is the predicament of Rahul. Now who else but the king Khan has the copyright over this name? No wonder, pun intended, he says with a flourish, Rahul, naam to suna hoga. Only this time dear Rahul has grown up. Or has he really? For a 40 year old (not his real age silly but in the film) he continues to behave like a bumbling juvenile if not an outright idiot.

And in his fumbling ways lies the mirthful quotient of the film. Aided with some smart punch-lines which he by and large delivers well in his trademark charming ishtyle, the film, as expected in any riding on a superstar's shoulders, hovers on and around him. Of course, keeping him company is lovely lass Deepika Padukone. With a mouthful name Meenaamma and grammatically incorrect Hindi she cuts a pretty and competent picture of a Tamilian girl on the run to evade her impending marriage with a match arranged by her don father. Attired in sarees with deep back cut blouses she looks as stunning as she does in her glamour puss avatar. As for her aati jaati gender challenged Hindi, it sure is endearing initially but gets jarring after a while. The same could be said for the film as a whole. With an overdose of dialogues in Tamil that go over the head of north Indians like a bouncer (dear Mr Shetty there is something called subtitles) and more of the same (like the antakshri bit) after a while the plot does begin to test your patience.

Walking as it is on a skeletal storyline the director's attempt to infuse humour does not spurt forth like a torrent and delights only intermittently. Some of the interjections like Rahul's interaction with a midget for one make you quiz—now what was this fuss all about. In contrast the puns between the lead pair, especially the dig on SRK's age and the halwai bit work far better. Oh, did we forget to tell you Shah Rukh plays a halwai here, part of the reason behind his boredom with his life and to get hitched to Chennai Express. While he doesn't know where it will take him… you know where the Express train is headed. To be honest even stations enroute — naach gaana, some romance, some emotions (here a heartfelt unwanted speech by SRK on the sensitive issue of women's rights too is in order) are on the expected lines. Only difference the King Khan dares to laugh at himself often enough. At times you laugh with him and at others you don't.

Needless to say if you are a diehard SRK fan (and the extra half star is for his aficionados) you wouldn't like to get down before the journey winds its way to logical albeit predictable conclusion. However, if you are not, you may find the trek into the otherwise magnificent South a bit laborious, despite the feel good factor that pervades the film all through.

For life and film too isn't just about a cheesy smile. Give us some more laughs, more drama and some riveting storyline too. And please SRK, however, much we may love you, time for you to turn a new leaf. Not just by playing a 40 year old…. act like one.

Movies to be released
Nonika Singh

Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobara is an upcoming Indian gangster film directed by Milan Luthria and produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor. A sequel to the 2010 film Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, the film will feature Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan in leading roles and Sonali Bendre in a supporting role. The movie takes off from where the previous film ended with Shoaib Khan (Akshay Kumar) being the reigning don after assassinating his mentor, Sultan Mirza (Ajay Devgn). 

Madras Cafe is an upcoming Indian political spy thriller film directed by Shoojit Sircar. The main role of an Indian intelligence agent in the film is played by John Abraham, while Nargis Fakhri, who is the female lead plays an international reporter.

The film also deals with the subject of terrorism, and will be shot in India and Sri Lanka. The film was earlier titled Jaffna named after the Sri Lankan town. It is set to release on August 23. The trailer was released with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag on July 12, 2013.

Satyagraha is an upcoming Bollywood political thriller film directed by Prakash Jha starring Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpai, Amrita Rao and Vipin Sharma in the lead roles. Kareena Kapoor will play the role of an international journalist. Current situations inspired Jha to make Satyagraha. The first look of the film was released on September 10, 2012. Satyagraha is expected to release on August 30, 2013. The teaser was released online on May 30,2013 and was attached with Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. 

Movies on tv

Saturday august 10
Cheeni Kum
india talkies 4:30pm
Cheeni Kum is a Bollywood romance film directed by R. Balki, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, Paresh Rawal, Zohra Sehgal and Swini Khara. It was inspired by a 1986 film Anokha Rishta.

ZEE CINEMA
6:52AM Lal Baadshah 10:06AM Aarzoo 1:28PM Laawaris 5:23PM Seeta Aur Geeta

INDIA TALKIES
6:00AM Rangeela 9:30AM Om Shanti Om 1:00PM Yes Boss 4:30PM Cheeni Kum 8:00PM Khoon bhari maang

ZEE STUDIO
8:00AM A Low Down Dirty Shame 10:10AM Starship Troopers 3: Marauder 1:00PM Back to the Future 3:30PM Vicky Cristina Barcelona 5:30PM Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides 8:00PM The Sorcerer's Apprentice 10:30PM The Break-up

STAR MOVIES
6:55AM X-Men 9:03AM The Front Row with Anupama Chopra 9:33AM Jingle All the Way 11:41AM The Lost World: Jurassic Park 1:53PM The Jewel of the Nile 4:04PM The Hulk 6:39PM Hellboy II: The Golden Army 9:00PM The Package

MOVIES OK
9:00AM Farishtay 12:00PM Hello Brother 2:50PM Ajnabee 5:35PM Bhagam Bhag 9:00PM Hera Pheri

STAR GOLD
8:15AM Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya 11:40AM Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? 2:55PM Partner 5:40PM Garv: Pride and Honour 9:00PM Dabangg 2 11:40PM Ek Aur Qayamat

FILMY
9:00AM Dor 12:00PM Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... 3:00PM Sandwich 6:00PM Gair 9:00PM Patthar Aur Payal

ZEE ACTION
7:00AM Naam Gum Jaayega 10:30AM Mitti Aur Sona 1:30PM Jallaad 5:30PM Police Aur Mujrim 8:30PM Khilona Bana Khalnayak

SONY PIX
8:05AM Shrek Forever After 10:02AM What to Expect When You're Expecting 12:07PM Rocky 2:07PM Gridiron Gang 4:38PM Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning 6:55PM Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London 9:00PM The Spy Next Door 11:00PM Resident Evil: Retribution

Sunday august 11
John Carter
star movies 4:28PM
John Carter is an American science fiction adventure film directed by Andrew Stanton and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on A Princess of Mars, the first book in the Barsoom series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The film chronicles the first interplanetary adventure of John Carter, portrayed by actor Taylor Kitsch. The motion picture marks the centennial of the character's first appearance.

ZEE CINEMA
7:33AM Ek Vardaan Nagina 10:49AM Journey Bombay to Goa 2:03PM God Tussi Great Ho 4:59PM Mard 8:30PM Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...!

INDIA TALKIES
6:00AM Cheeni Kum 9:30AM Khoon bhari maang 1:00PM Yuvvraaj 4:30PM Anjaana Anjaani 8:00PM No Problem

ZEE STUDIO
8:00AM The Net 2.0 10:05AM The Sorcerer's Apprentice 1:00PM Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides 4:00PM Back to the Future 6:30PM The Break-up 8:45PM Uninhabited 10:30PM Last Night

STAR MOVIES
8:21AM The Jewel of the Nile 10:33AM Land of the Lost 12:47PM Salt 2:24PM The Package 4:28PM John Carter 7:01PM Evan Almighty 9:00PM Terminator 2: Judgment Day 11:39PM Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

MOVIES OK
9:25AM Jajantaram Mamantaram 12:05PM Golmaal 3 3:10PM Jigar Kaleja 6:00PM Nagin 9:00PM Meri Taqat Mera Faisla

STAR GOLD
9:35AM Bal Ganesh 12:00PM Wanted 3:20PM Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaye 6:35PM Yeh Hai Jalwa 9:00PM Ready

FILMY
9:00AM Mere Jeevan Saathi 12:00PM Malamaal Weekly 3:00PM Awaargi 6:00PM Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 9:00PM Ghar Mein Ram Gali Mein Shyam

ZEE ACTION
7:00AM Meri Izzat 10:30AM Raat 1:30PM Loha: The Ironman 5:30PM Pratibandh 8:30PM Main Hoon Durga