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Can’t intervene in Lokayukta phone-tapping issue: Bhardwaj
Green watchdog on anvil
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Draft of new Bill on land acquisition ready
Noida-Extension Projects
Cash-for-vote scam
Telangana leaders may re-submit resignations
JANTAR MANTAR
Centrestage
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Can’t intervene in Lokayukta phone-tapping issue: Bhardwaj
Bangalore, July 24 An embattled Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa is expected to return here tomorrow from a week-long Mauritius holiday with family amid debate in the party on his future in the wake of the Hegde report that has indicted him and his ministers. Talking to reporters, Governor Bhardwaj said the phone-tapping was a matter between the “aggrieved party” (Hegde) and the people against whom grievances have been made. “They are very responsible people who tried to influence him or tried to tap his telephone. Telephone tapping cannot be done by you and me. So I have no role in this matter,” he said. The Karnataka Government has asserted it had not ordered tapping of telephone of the Lokayukta, who yesterday hinted at the possible involvement of a political party behind it. On mining report, the Governor said: “Let it come on record. Then I can express my opinion to the President,” he said. The Lokayukta report, leaked last week, has put the loss to state exchequer because of illegal mining for 14 months from March 2009 at more than Rs 1,800
crore. The report findings have embarrassed the ruling BJP, whose Central leadership has promised to take “appropriate action” once the report is submitted by
Hegde. The Lokayukta is expected to submit the much-awaited report by Wednesday. Lokayukta sources said Hegde would give the report only to the government because the mining probe was referred by it, and not the Governor. There is an intense debate in the BJP on the political fallout once the Lokayukta submits its report. Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Jagadish Shettar today met senior BJP leader HN Ananth Kumar — who is widely seen as a member of anti-Yeddyurappa camp — and held discussions, fuelling speculation in political circles. Upping the ante, a Congress delegation also met the Governor and urged him to initiate appropriate action against Yeddyurappa for "phone-tapping", leakage of Lokayukta report, and alleged attempt to influence Hegde through three others. Meanwhile, an important hearing is also scheduled to take place in the High Court tomorrow on Yeddyurappa’s petition challenging the Governor’s decision to accord sanction for his prosecution against a recommendation made to the Governor by the Cabinet. A single judge had requested the Chief Justice JS Khehar to constitute a larger bench for taking up the case. Khehar has constituted a Division Bench consisting of Justice Ajit J Gunjal and Justice (Ms) B V Nagarathna for hearing the case. The two judges will hold their first sitting tomorrow. Yeddyurappa will fervently hope that the HC stays the proceedings initiated against him by the lower court.
(With PTI inputs) Yeddyurappa may keep BJP bosses waiting New Delhi: Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa may not come to meet the BJP high command in New Delhi till the report of Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde on the mining scam is out and the nature and gravity of his indictment and that of his ministers is official. BJP sources said Yeddyurappa would return straight to Bangalore from Mauritius after his vacation there. About Delhi, the source said, there was really no point in meeting the party high command till the report was submitted and studied. “Till now, legally there is nothing against Yeddyurappa. He is following the mining policy of his predecessor chief ministers,” said a BJP insider. — TNS
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Green watchdog on anvil
New Delhi, July 24 Speaking at a seminar on “Global Environment and Disaster Management: Law and Society” in the capital, the PM said the government would soon set up an independent regulator to clear the environment projects and streamline and restructure the process of grant of clearances for such projects. “We hope to establish an independent regulator, the National Environment Appraisal and Monitoring Authority, soon. This authority could lead to a complete change in the process of granting environmental clearances. Staffed by dedicated professionals, it will work on a full-time basis to evolve better and more objective standards of scrutiny,” Singh said. Several ministries had run into trouble over clearances during the tenure of former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. Industrial and mining projects in several states had hit a roadblock, with Ramesh denying permissions. The proposed institution will ensure prompt clearances for projects within the ambit of permitted regulations. The PM was in fact candid in admitting that the major challenge was to put in place a legal and regulatory framework effective in protecting the environment without bringing back the hated licence permit raj of the pre-1991 period.
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Draft of new Bill on land acquisition ready
New Delhi, July 24 The new draft Acquisition Bill, which is expected to be unveiled in the next few days, includes recommendations of Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) and goes even a step further. “In many ways it is an improvement of what the NAC has said,” NC Saxena, a prominent member in the panel, said after
a discussion on the draft Bill chaired by Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh
here today. “It has improved upon the NAC's recommendation because we had suggested 70 per cent and they (Rural Development Ministry) are now saying 80 per cent (land owners) should say yes to the acquisition,” Saxena said. Asked whether the ministry has approved the NAC’s recommendation that the government must acquire 100 per cent land, Saxena said NAC had never recommended that. “The NAC’s recommendation was enabling up to 100 per cent (land acquisition). It didn't say that you have to (acquire) 100 per cent (land),” he said. Further clarifying that the proposed legislation is not a “compelling law,” Saxena said: “This is enabling law, which means depending upon the project, depending upon the state government’s viewpoint, the state government may acquire zero per cent or 100 per cent or any amount in between". There is a raging controversy over land acquisition in Greater Noida where farmers have been staging protests demanding higher compensation, prompting the government to speed up efforts to bring in a land Bill. The ministry also agreed to NAC’s another recommendation to integrate in one Bill provisions for both land acquisition and rehabilitation. “There will be one bill which will cover both acquisition for government purposes as well as for private companies but (when) land is to be given to private companies, then 80 per cent people must say yes and we increase the compensation to six times the registered value,” Saxena said. The NAC member said the “landless”— those who depend on the acquired land for their livelihood — will also be benefited. "They will get Rs 2,000 per month for 20 years," Saxena said. He said the Bill will have an “emergency clause” for acquiring land for security purposes. “Only when the security of the people is involved, then we will cover it under the emergency clause. And we decided that whenever more than 100 acres of land are acquired, 26 amenities would be given including roads, power, housing, playground etc,” he said. The committee has also recommended that those who have been displaced because of land acquisition should be given Rs 3,000 per month for at least a year, he said. Saxena said there would be a “special provision”
in the Bill for Scheduled Tribes whose land would be acquired for the project. The draft Bill is expected to be placed in public domain this week after another round of consultations.
— PTI Know the Bill
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Noida-Extension Projects
The prolonged agitation by farmers has already resulted in quashing of the entire land acquisition by the government. The fate of these residential projects is in the hands of the judiciary. Hefty loan installments are adding to the misery of the buyers. Rajesh Srivastav, a Central government employee, purchased a three-bedroom flat in Panchsheel Greens for Rs 28 lakh in Noida-Exention. He has already paid 40 per cent of the total amount to the builder. “I have a loan of Rs 22 lakh pending and I am paying a monthly installment of Rs 8,000. Now, with all these delays, I have to pay extra interest to the bank,” rues Srivastav. Though some builders have proposed to shift their projects to new locations, the buyers are skeptical. “The home loans can be transferred. But then the builder needs to locate a new property and match the prices,” says Titisksha Kaur and Vishal Chawala, who booked a two bed-room flat with Supertech for Rs 21 lakh. “I booked the flat because it suited me. The other location might not be of my choice," adds Kaur. However, some builders have agreed to refund the money paid by the buyers. However, the interest they have already paid to the bank will not be refunded. “No body warned us about these projects. The banks will now definitely call us defaulters if we fail to repay our loans. They have the right to recover their amount,” complains Sanjeev Jain, who has also booked a three-bedroom flat with Amrapali for Rs 27 lakh.
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Cash-for-vote scam
“It is an injustice and I will help Amar Singh tide over the crisis,” the SP chief said today when asked what he thought of the interrogation of his estranged colleague by the Delhi Police. Yadav described the move as a conspiracy to trouble Amar Singh, who was expelled from the SP on February 2, 2010, on charges of “anti-party activities”. MP Jaya Prada was expelled along with and so were four MLAs, all Amar Singh loyalists. This is the first time since Amar Singh’s expulsion that Mulayam Singh Yadav has openly backed him. At a press conference in the capital today, Yadav said, “It is a conspiracy to trouble him.” Tomorrow, another of tall SP leaders — Reoti Raman Singh — would be interrogated in the scam.
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Telangana leaders may re-submit resignations
Hyderabad, July 24 The mass resignations were meant to mount pressure on the UPA government to grant statehood to Telangana. As many as 101 MLAs from the ruling Congress, main Opposition TDP, BJP and CPI, out of the total 119 in the region, had put in their papers earlier this month. They included 12 ministers. Taking political circles by surprise, the Speaker summarily rejected them, saying that the resignations given in an emotionally-charged atmosphere were not acceptable. The Speaker timed his move just before his departure for London on a 16-day tour. His decision was relayed through a media release late last night.
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JANTAR MANTAR
Hillary & leading ladies
Mamata aides on tenterhooks
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Centrestage A year after death and destruction devastated Ladakh, The Tribune team went back to Leh this month to find a far more pleasant picture. The cloudburst on August 6 last year, which claimed 257 lives, continues to haunt people. But smiles have returned, reports JUPINDERJIT SINGH. Photographs by ANAND SHARMA The bazaars of Leh are buzzing with activity. Trekkers seem to be in high spirits and revelry common. The roads reverberate with roars of motorcycles. Tourists have returned to soak in the splendour of the cold desert and local residents are clearly happy to be busy once again, cooking, guiding, driving and helping the visitors in various other ways. Rain is rare in the cold desert. But last year was an exception, it would seem. Pouring rain and a sudden cloudburst led to a mountain of mud slide down, taking everything before it. People were swept away. Houses in the way either crumbled or were invaded by the stream of mud. It took days to remove the several feet of mud that settled on roads. The horror led to cancellation of flights and kept away the tourists. Residents mourned both loss of lives and loss of business. A year later, thanks to the massive aid that poured in and the reconstruction, supervised by the PMO, Leh has moved on. Not everything has been restored and scars remain. But Leh has finally got over the nightmare. Residents are understandably reluctant to recall the nightmare. Psychologically scarred, victims relive the trauma daily. Feeling acutely insecure, people who lost relatives cling to surviving ones. Those who have moved into new houses worry over how to secure their future and educating their children. Many children continue to look for sponsors. One such case is of 12-year-old Tashi. He was one of the 21 children taken away by a Jammu-based NGO for education. Living conditions were poor there and they were eventually rescued following reports in the media. But Tashi is back to square one with no resources for his education. His mother is looking for sponsors. At the ‘Rancho’ school last year, Principal Prasad Eledath stood knee-deep in mud, clearing the compound with volunteers. This month, he can be seen playing with the children at the same spot. Two floors of the Sonam Narboo Memorial hospital were filled with mud and some children had to be delivered on the staircase. The Emergency unit was hit badly and beds, some damaged beyond repair, were put out on the lawn. Now, new blocks are coming up and construction is on. Choglamsar was all mud and debris. One could not make out where the hill slope ended and shops started. Today, it is a vibrant market once again. Little Angmo, who lost her elder sister and whose house was washed away, faced an uncertain future last year and cowered in a tent last year. Now she lives in a newly constructed house and has regained her smile. Roads, which had disappeared, have been relaid. New houses have come up. But certain things have not changed. Phone connectivity remains as bad as ever, internet connectivity and power supply are erratic. Pollution caused by diesel vehicles remains unchecked. Leh has risen from the rubble but it still has to do a lot of fine tuning, beautification, clean up roads and rivulets, besides plantation on a war-footing to ensure tourists keep coming and the economy grows.
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Telangana leaders may quit again Kalmadi suffers from dementia
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New Delhi, July 24
New Delhi, July 24
As the demand for a separate Telangana state gathers momentum once again, Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy finds himself wedged between the proverbial deep sea and a hard rock. While MPs from the region have submitted their resignations to press for an early decision on this lingering issue, Reddy’s decision not to follow suit has rendered him persona non grata in his constituency Chevella. Frowned upon as being “anti-Telangana”, Reddy has not been able to visit his constituency or even Hyderabad for the past several weeks now for fear of being attacked. In fact, he had to face the wrath of his voters in April who threw eggs and tomatoes at him for his silence on Telangana. And yet, back in Delhi, he is perceived to be a staunch “pro-Telangana” supporter by the Congress leadership, which has kept him totally out of the loop for precisely for this reason as it grapples to find a solution to the growing statehood demand.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit to India was not just about Indo-Pak, AfPak and terrorism but it was also quite literally a “ladies’ day out. ” She was greeted at the airport by Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and India’s Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar. Photographs of the three women in the next day’s newspapers undoubtedly made an impressive picture. That’s not all. The next day, Clinton held separate meetings with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj. In Chennai, Hillary came face-to- face with yet another gritty woman politician when she called on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. It’s a pity she missed out on the Delhi, West Bengal and UP Chief Ministers. That would have been quite an education for the visiting dignitary, who herself is rated among the most powerful leaders in her country.
Ever since Mamata Banerjee left Delhi to take over as West Bengal Chief Minister, her personal staff at the Rail Bhawan has been on tenterhooks. Members of Mamata’s coterie, as they are often called, are keen on staying in Delhi and are hoping to be rehabilitated by the new Rail Minister Dinesh Trivedi. Whether it is her additional PS Tapan Roy, OSD Gautam Sanyal, Director Chandralekha Mukherjee or media advisor Tahseem Munawar, they are all waiting to see whether they will be accommodated in the new minister’s secretariat. The only snag is that Trivedi has hardly been in Delhi after he took over his new portfolio. Like his leader, he has spent most of the past two weeks in his home state, even missing his first Cabinet
meeting.
