The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Corporal punishment
Need for a strong deterrent against it

A spate of cases of children driven to death by corporal punishment have come to light in recent months which have shocked the conscience of the nation. The case of Kolkata schoolboy Rouvanjit Rawla, who committed suicide after allegedly being “humiliated and caned” at his school La Martiniere for Boys, has understandably stirred a debate on the whole issue of such punishment, which is known to lead to an increased drop-out rate, school avoidance and school phobia, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and even suicide.

That Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has announced in an interview to The Tribune that guidelines will be framed soon to hold schools responsible if a child faces disability or death due to harassment by teachers is a measure of the outrage that has been caused by Rouvanjit’s untimely death. Mr Sibal’s promise to withdraw the protection of IPC Sections 88 and 89 which the school authorities cite when their acts of violence against children lead to serious consequences is as it should be. The sections deal with “good faith” and “child’s benefit” as mitigating factors.

Ever so often, however, the intent is sound but its translation into reality is aborted. Corporal punishment had been banned under the Right to Education Act, but it still continues in actual practice. It is, therefore, vital that Kapil Sibal and the government in general be kept under relentless pressure by well-meaning organizations and individuals to act on the issue. It has been found time and again that mere guidelines do not fulfil the intended purpose and reports of committees (Sibal has promised to set up one) gather dust unless there is sustained move towards implementation.

Indeed, India needs to take a leaf out of the book of most of Europe, Canada, Japan and South Africa, among other countries, where corporal punishment has not only been outlawed but it is also deterred by stringent punishment. If the present law is inadequate in its scope on the issue, new legislation must be brought forth so that proper deterrent is devised.

Bail for a terror suspect
Release of Bhatkal is a blow to the police

THE unexpected release on bail of the prime accused in the German Bakery blast case at Pune not only raises embarrassing questions about the credibility of our investigating agencies and the quality of investigation, but will also continue to cloud other terror trials in the country. After all, the Union Home Minister himself had congratulated the Maharashtra Police last month for arresting the ‘mastermind’ behind the Pune blast in which 17 people, including five foreigners, were killed in February this year. Earlier, Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil announced in the Legislative Council that the police had identified the terrorists and that suspects would be arrested soon. The Anti-Terror Squad ( ATS) of the Maharashtra Police then travelled all the way to Mangalore to pick up Yasin Bhatkal alias Abdul Samad Bhatkal at Bajpe airport when he arrived in a commercial flight from Dubai. He was arrested for allegedly supplying illegal firearms to three persons detained by the Mumbai police in August last year. Yasin Bhatkal, the police also claimed, was a cousin of absconding Indian Mujahideen founder Riyaz Bhatkal, was close to gangster Chhota Shakeel and had plotted the terror strike at the bakery.

And yet, when he was produced before the court, it was found that the police had goofed up and had no evidence against him. Contrary to the claims made earlier to the media, he wasn’t even an accused in the illegal arms-supply case. The court also observed that the three people arrested by the police in that case had already been enlarged on bail. Also, the over-confident police had named Yasin Bhatkal as the prime suspect a month before in April and, therefore, his decision to return in May, only to be lapped up by waiting policemen at the airport, appears inexplicable.

It is not often though that the police admits to mistakes, either here or anywhere for that matter. Nor is it very common for the subordinate judiciary to let off a proclaimed terrorist on bail for want of evidence. Despite the obvious goof up therefore, the candid admission of the Maharashtra DGP, D. Sivanandan, that the investigation was wrong and that the arrest was a mistake needs to be commended. The business-like disposal of the case by the court is also a silver lining and would go a long way to restore people’s faith in the fairness of the judicial process.

Thought for the Day

I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being really good all the time. That would be hypocrisy. — Oscar Wilde

ARTICLE

Changing balance of power
Encouraging signals from US
by Harsh V. Pant

THE US-India Strategic Dialogue ended with a new momentum having being imparted to the flagging US-India ties. The Obama Administration has now made it clear that it will indeed be following the Bush Administration’s approach vis-à-vis India by underlining that the US wants to help India’s rise to great power status. After a year and a half of neglect and daydreaming, the Obama Administration has come to realise that India’s rise after all is good for the US and the world.

Just a few days before the dialogue, the Obama Administration released its National Security Strategy (NSS), and the central part of the new strategy is expanding US engagement with “other key centres of influence - including China, India and Russia, as well as increasingly influential nations such as Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia.” The new NSS describes a world in which emerging powers are beginning to erode some elements of American influence around the globe. It describes an America “hardened by war” and “disciplined by a devastating economic crisis.” It insists that the US “will maintain the military superiority that has secured our country, and underpinned global security, for decades.”

The document’s treatment of China and India is markedly different. Though it welcomes a China “that takes on a responsible leadership role in working with the US and international community,” it makes it clear that the US “will monitor China’s military modernisation program and prepare accordingly to ensure that US interests and allies regionally and globally are not affected.” The treatment of India, meanwhile, is all positive. The NSS says, “the US and India are building a strategic partnership that is underpinned by our shared interests, our shared values as the world’s two largest democracies and close connections among our people.” It also underlines that “India’s responsible advancement serves as a positive example for developing nations.”

The US-India strategic dialogue, therefore, took place in a context where Washington seems to be putting in a lot of effort to impart a new dynamism to its ties with New Delhi. But most of it is at the level of symbols. It is time now to move to the substance. The focus of the dialogue was on strengthening cooperation on energy, climate change, education, trade and agriculture, and strategic issues. Predictably, the “Singh-Obama 21st Century Knowledge Initiative” was prioritised and food security and health partnership between the two got a boost. A global disease detection centre in India is being planned as one of the flagship science and technology ventures between the US and India.

On two crucial issues, terrorism and Afghanistan, the joint statement issued at the end of the dialogue struck all the right notes. The US not only committed itself to bringing the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice but also assured India of its continued support in the ongoing counter-terrorism investigations. India has been given access to David Headley, the Lashkar operative who has confessed to its role in the Mumbai attacks. Welcoming India’s vital contribution to “reconstruction, capacity building and development efforts in Afghanistan,” Washington has also undertaken to regularly consult Delhi on Afghanistan.

The US is coming to terms with its relative decline and limits on its ability to shape the global agenda. The rapidity with which the global balance of power is changing is being reflected in the increasing assertiveness of China, but fantasising about China seems to be over in Washington. The US Secretary of Defence, Robert Gates, has made it clear that the Chinese military is an impediment in the efforts to strengthen Sino-US ties. Gates was about to go to Beijing en route to Singapore in response to an invitation extended by Chinese military leaders who had visited Washington but the invitation was cancelled by China at the last minute. The idea of “Chimerica” was always too good to be true. But the rapidity with which the Sino-US ties have unravelled over the past few months has even surprised those who were cynical about Barack Obama’s overtures to China to begin with. The state of Sino-US ties has been so pitiful in recent months that while the Chinese Commerce Minister was openly warning the US that it would suffer more if it decided to levy punitive tariffs on Chinese imports, Chinese military leaders have been contemplating the possibility of an all-out war with the US to gain the status of global super power.

The West, meanwhile, is souring on China. Gone is the talk of China as a responsible stakeholder in the international system. Instead, Google’s withdrawal from China after a high-profile public spat is being seen as symptomatic of the problems that China’s rise continues to generate for global norms set by the West. China’s undervalued remnibi is no longer the problem solely for the US, but the Chinese behaviour is questioning the very foundations of the global trade regime. China has failed to play a constructive role in finding a solution to the North Korean and Iranian nuclear issues much to the consternation of the West and has, in fact, made it impossible for the international community to resolve these dangerous flashpoints. There is a growing fear that China might soon become the pre-eminent world power without even the patina of democracy with grave consequences for the global order.

Meanwhile, America’s main ally in the Asia-Pacific, Japan, is unlikely to be of much help in emerging as a balancer as it is finding it difficult to manage its internal problems. The Democratic Party has lost its popularity since its election victory last summer. Yukio Hatoyama had to resign after he gave in to the Obama Administration’s demands that the American base, Marine Corps Air Station Futenna, stay on the island, Okinawa. Public opinion turned against Hatoyama for appearing indecisive and causing mistrust with the US, Japan’s security guarantor. Japan’s new Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, will be looking to move beyond the air base issue and has already reaffirmed that his nation’s security alliance with the US remains the cornerstone of Japanese foreign policy. But Tokyo cannot afford to ignore China, given the economic relationship between the two.

In order to manage this changing balance of power in the Asia-Pacific, the onus is clearly on the Obama Administration to demonstrate its commitment to a partnership with India. So, when Under Secretary of State Bill Burns underlined that the Obama Administration remained committed to supporting India’s rise and to building the strongest possible partnership between the US and India, he was not merely assuaging Indian anxieties about China but was also rebalancing US foreign policy that seemed to be tilting towards Beijing to the consternation of American’s partners in the region. The signals emanating from Washington in the aftermath of the Strategic Dialogue with India are that it is ready to put its ties with New Delhi back on track. It is now up to India to make its own assessment as to the direction it wants to take this relationship towards and convert the soaring rhetoric of the Clinton-Krishna joint statement into tangible action.

MIDDLE

Price of nostalgia
by Parbina Rashid

As I looked out of the window, the familiar-looking fields, the vast expanses of water, the thick jungles and the hills far below brought a lump in my throat. It never fails to, though I have been doing it year after year without fail.

Even though the pilot warned us of a troubled landing as Guwahati was experiencing heavy rain, it was not a dampener for me. As the plane touched the ground, my eyes got moist too. Finally, I was home!

The car I was asked to get into was not my father’s weather-beaten Omni. The explanation came from him as I raised my eyebrows: “As our area is under water, I could not take it out of the garage. So, I borrowed this from a friend who lives in an upper area.” I thought nothing of it after that.

The car ride to home was not exactly a joyride but then who cares. Our vehicle was in a serpentine queue that moved at snail’s pace. One half of Guwahati had been swallowed up by water from the first monsoon rain. So the traffic had to be diverted to the existing high roads. Who can fight nature’s fury, I thought a bit philosophically.

As was my wont, I kept marking each noticeable change on the way - a new building here, a new market there and an old tree gone. But the shock came when I saw the river which segregates the commercial area of the city from the residential. It was not the river I remembered from my last visit. It had become much leaner and even the course had been distorted beyond recognition, not by natural means but because of concrete boundary walls.

Was our old “Bahini river” strong enough to carry the volume which came surging from the hills that marked the horizon in front of my house? I had a bad feeling about it.

It didn’t take long to confirm what I had already suspected. My father stopped the car and hailed a rickshaw-puller. The patch of road that led to my home was totally under water. From the people wading through it, I could make out that the level was waist-deep. So close, yet so far!

Patience was running low and we hopped on to one of the waiting rickshaws. The owner was only too happy to oblige us but the price he quoted for his service left my mouth agape — Rs 100 for this short trip.

“Look, you have travelled all the way to be home but what happens if we refuse to get you there? How will you reach there with all your luggage?” asked the wise guy who had noticed the airline tags on my luggage. I conceded. Who would not? After all, nostalgia comes with a price tag!

THE TRIBUNE INTERVIEW

“We want high-end tourism but face major constraints”
— Prem Kumar Dhumal
by Raj Chengappa, Editor-in-Chief

Midway through his second term as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Prem Kumar Dhumal appears to be still firmly in command. Major problems continue to beset the state, including a shortage of financial resources, growing water scarcity and its inability to adequately cash in on its rich tourism potential. In Shimla, Dhumal spoke at length to Editor-in-Chief Raj Chengappa on a range of issues. Excerpts:

Q Himachal has such great attractions for tourism but yet it does not seem to have achieved its full potential. What have you been trying to do to make it boom?

With over 1.14 crore domestic and foreign tourists visiting last year the hill state is not doing badly at all but we are aware of the fact that a lot more needs to be done. A majority of the visitors are religious tourists who come to the "land of gods" for pilgrimage. We are trying to attract high-end tourists but there are some inherent constraints like lack of air services and rail connectivity. We have been impressing upon the Centre to expand the rail network not only to boost tourism but also from the defence point of view in the larger national interest. We must connect the borders properly so that the Army can transport men and material with ease. We have tried to improve infrastructure with our limited resources. A lot is being done to improve the conditions of roads with World Bank assistance and funds available under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojna.

Have you tried any other initiatives?

The response to the recent home-stay initiative to disperse the tourism industry to the interiors has been encouraging and already 246 units have been registered. These units are charged for electricity and water at the domestic rates and not the commercial rates as an incentive. Ex-servicemen, in particular, are being encouraged to create requisite facilities for tourists under the scheme and the tourism department is providing training to manpower in catering, housekeeping and other disciplines to ensure quality services and help manage the home-stay units in a professional manner. The forest rest houses located in secluded but most picturesque settings have been thrown open to tourists to give a boost to eco-tourism for which the state has a vast potential. The focus is also on adventure tourism and activities like skiing, heli-skiing, river rafting, and mountaineering. The AB Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports at Manali is doing a fine job. The man-made reservoirs of Gobind Sagar and Pong Dam are ideal for promoting water sports. The private sector is being invited to fill the gap in air services and process has been initiated to operate heli-taxis to enable people to visit Kinnaur, Lahaul Spiti and other distant areas as tourists are averse to undertaking long, time-consuming and rather arduous journeys by road. The state has been declared the best tourist destination for the past two consecutive years by different organisations associated with the tourism industry.

Somehow the state is short of cash and you are mostly dependent on central funds. What steps are you taking to raise your own resources?

The greatest resource the state has is its vast hydroelectric potential of over 23,000 MW. When I first came to power in 1998 only 2,838 MW was being generated. The government has been trying to harness the potential expeditiously by involving the private sector in a big way, besides getting some major projects executed in the state, central and joint sectors. At present 6,500 MW has been tapped and the figure is likely to touch 12,500 MW by the end of the 10th plan and 15,000 MW by 2017.

The second most important source of revenue is, of course, tourism but the most important emerging area, where a silent economic revolution is taking place, is the agriculture sector. Cultivable land is extremely scarce in the hills and, thus, to get higher returns farmers are being encouraged to diversify to off-season vegetables, floriculture and other high value cash crops. Apple is the main cash crop but most of the orchards are aged with productivity declining to a meagre 5 to 7 tonnes per hectare. Advanced countries like Israel are having a yield of 50 tonnes per hectare. The government has decided to implement a Rs 85-crore scheme to rejuvenate 12,500 hectares of old apple orchards to improve yield. Then herbs are also vanishing due to unscientific and excessive exploitation. With 7.32 percent of the country's biodiversity and varied agro-climatic conditions Himachal can play an important role in the preservation of this vanishing treasure. The government is promoting commercial cultivation of herbs and medical plants on a large scale.

There is a huge shortage of water across the state and it is going to be a major crisis. What are you doing to conserve it?

In my last term a water harvesting scheme was launched on an experimental basis in Hamirpur, one of the most dry districts, under which civic structures like check dams were raised to harness the surface runoff. The results are encouraging as is evident from the fact that while the water table is declining everywhere, it has actually increased by 2 m in Hamirpur and some old water sources have been rejuvenated. Now a Rs 300-crore rainwater harvesting plan is being implemented through panchayats under the rural development department. A water management board has been set up. Himachal is the first state to make a rain-harvesting structure mandatory for every building. A failure to do so could lead to the disconnection of water supply.

Himachal is one of the most environmentally fragile states with issues like melting of glaciers to address. You had convened a meeting of the chief ministers of the Himalayan states for the purpose. What are you trying to do on the ecological front?

We imposed a complete moratorium on green felling as early as 1986, much before the Supreme Court stepped in. Still illicit felling takes place at times. It could be stopped only if the community feels that forests are for its benefit and belong to it. The focus is to create awareness among the people for which we introduced a number of schemes. Under one initiative the plantation of deodar was undertaken in a big way in the state capital keeping in view the fact that the existing stock has almost completed its life span of around 150 years. The entire city was divided into 11 zones and the protection of the saplings has been assigned to many non-government organisations. The catchment area treatment plans are being implemented on a large scale and one eco-battalion consisting of ex-servicemen has done a very good job in the Sutlej basin. A nine-point environment code has been introduced in schools as part of the morning prayers to inculcate green habits among the young ones.

How cooperative is the Centre, given the fact that you come from the opposition party? Do you have any problems?

Personally I have a good equation with the Prime Minister who is very kind and considerate. But we do feel at times that we are not getting our due. For instance, under the Punjab State Reorganisation Act the assets and liabilities were to be transferred to the successor states on the basis of population, and accordingly, Himachal was entitled to 7.19 percent share in the assets. However, we did not get it in the Bhakra Beas Management Board projects till this day. The real shock came when the Government of India recently filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that the issue had been decided finally. We expected protection as it was the responsibility of the Centre to implement the Act.

Shimla used to be one of the best hill stations but you can see so much of construction taking place and it is developing in an unplanned manner. What are you doing to stop this?

Shimla should not become a concrete jungle. We are trying to check haphazard construction to the extent possible under the rules but at times people approach courts and get relief. The hands of the government are bound. The hill station was built for a population 25,000 but today over 1.25 lakh people are living in the city and a large number of tourists add to the burden on the basic amenities. It is the state capital and if it is to be a tourist destination, construction has to be restricted and some offices must be shifted out. We all have to cooperate to preserve the city located on a hillock which could come down any time.