WHO ELSE NEEDS TO BE HANGED TO SATIFY THE COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE?

WHO ELSE NEEDS TO BE HANGED TO SATIFY THE COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE?

The Supreme Court judgment awarding death sentence to Mohammad Afzal says, ‘The incident, which resulted in heavy casualities, has shaken the entire nation and the collective conscience of the society will be satisfied if the capital punishment is awarded to the offender. The challenge to the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India by these acts of terrorist and conspirators can only be compensated by giving the maximum punishment to the person who is proved to be a conspirator in this treacherous act. The appellant, who is a surrendered militant and who was bent upon repeating the acts of treason against the nation, is a menace to the society should become extinct.’ The Supreme Court states that there is no evidence to show that Mohammad Afzal is a member of any banned organization. In fact, the Court acquitted Afzal of the charges under POTA. It further adds that even going by the confessional statement (which could possibly be the only basis to take any action against him) it is doubtful whether the membership of a terrorist gang or organization is established. None of the 80 prosecution witnesses alleged that Afzal was in anyway associated with any terrorist organization. Hence the grounds for awarding death sentence to Mohammad Afzal are really very very flimsy. Yet, most of the conscientious citizens of India seem to have made up their mind that Afzal should be hanged.

If Afzal is going to be hanged merely to satisfy the collective conscience of the society then there are a number of other cases where people will have to be hanged. Who will be held responsible for the farmers who have committed suicides and poor people who have died of starvation? The flawed policies of the State and the siphoning off of the resources meant for the poor have led to these deaths. People may not have died with a ‘bang’, but people nevertheless died! They died a slow, painful and humiliating death. It is a shame for the society that people who do hard labour to feed us have to commit suicides and die of starvation, inspite of no shortage of foodgrains. Who must face the death gallows for these heavy casualities which have also shaken the entire nation – the concerned District Magistrates, Chief Secretaries, Chief Ministers, Cabinet Secretary or the Prime Minister himself?

Then who will be held responsible for the various scams, especially those related to Defence, where the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India is compromised in no less harmful a way than was done by the conspirators who carried out the attack on the Parliament? Some of the people involved in these scams sit inside the very same Parliament. If one were to conduct a referendum, the people of this country will be of the opinion that their collective conscience will be satisfied the most when all the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats will be hanged together. Which court will translate this popular public opinion into a death sentence for some of the responsible, like in the case of Afzal? In fact, any case of corruption should be treated as an anti-national activity. How many people in this country have even been jailed for being involved in corruption, what to talk of being hanged? The unaccountable legislature and executive awards itself with hike in emoluments, whereas common people are being looted of their resources and pushed into more severe state of deprivation and poverty. Can this be considered anything less than treachery? The masters of democracy are being cheated in broad daylight by their servants and representatives. What would be the mechanism to hang some of these anti-democratic people involved in treason against the nation and its people? Who would not agree with the opinion that Members of Parliament exposed for accepting bribes for asking questions should be served the harshest sentence? Will not the collective conscience of society be satisfied if this was actually done?

The politicians and bureaucracy, in the era of new economic policy, are selling the assets created with public money at throw away prices to the private companies in the name of reforms and allowing multinational corporations to take over invaluable natural resources of this country, like the water, land and forests. This is obviously at the cost of the common population. The influential ruling class, for its own vested interest, is clearly hand in gloves with these private and foreign parties, whose only motive is profit. In less than 60 years, it seems, we’ve even forgotten that we have freed ourselves with great difficulty from an imperial force. We do not seem to mind being subject to such powers once again. None of the major economic decisions are being taken inside the Parliament of our country. They are being dictated by international monetary agencies, the US Government or the multinational corporations. We do not continue to enjoy the same sovereignty as we used to before these economic policies were implemented. It would be a matter of interesting debate whether a physical damage to the Parliament by a bomb from outside is more damaging than the subversion from within by our so called leaders? Who deserves a harsher punishment? The physical damage could be repaired but who’ll perform the more difficult task of resurrecting the autonomy of our supreme decision making body?

There are feudal, casteist and communal elements, who in collusion with the ruling class, subvert law, scuttle democracy and oppress poor people. They commit most heinous crimes and influence the police and judiciary so that no action is taken against them. They are responsible for the most gross human rights violations. For them the Constitution of this country has no meaning. They have evolved their own systems of operation, in which contractors-criminals-mafia nexus is at the centre. We see a plethora of them dominating and sometimes actually running our system. Who will hang these people who bring the Constitution into disrepute everyday?

It is unfortunate that only explosion of a bomb is considered a terrorist activity whereas a whole range of people are bent upon damaging our democracy and Constitution on an everyday basis, sometimes in ways more detrimental than a physical attack, and yet we choose not to consider them anti-national. On the other hand, the people at the receiving end of the slow bleeding of our system – the agricultural labourers who do not receive their due minimum wages, mostly dalits and tribals, most artisans who have to labour hard to make both ends meet, child labourers, women pushed into prostitution or who are open to exploitation because they have no other means to earn a livelihood, people who live in slums continuously facing the uncertainty of demolition, people displaced by wonderful projects of modernization, most citizens of Northeast and Kashmir - who do not share the same passionate but hollow version of nationalism with the minority mainstream educated elite of this country, do not feel quite agitated about the attack on the Parliament because they face such attacks everyday on their lives and livelihood.
Dr Sandeep Pandey

(About the author: Dr Pandey was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership (2002), did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, U.C., Berkeley, 1992 before heading back to India to become a social activist. Took out a 1500 km Global Peace March for nuclear disarmament from the Indian nuclear testing site Pokaran to Sarnath, a place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, beginning 11th May and ending on 6th August, 1999. Presently with Program on Science & Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University for 5 weeks. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com)

WHO ELSE NEEDS TO BE HANGED TO SATIFY THE COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE?

WHO ELSE NEEDS TO BE HANGED TO SATIFY THE COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE?

The Supreme Court judgment awarding death sentence to Mohammad Afzal says, ‘The incident, which resulted in heavy casualities, has shaken the entire nation and the collective conscience of the society will be satisfied if the capital punishment is awarded to the offender. The challenge to the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India by these acts of terrorist and conspirators can only be compensated by giving the maximum punishment to the person who is proved to be a conspirator in this treacherous act. The appellant, who is a surrendered militant and who was bent upon repeating the acts of treason against the nation, is a menace to the society should become extinct.’ The Supreme Court states that there is no evidence to show that Mohammad Afzal is a member of any banned organization. In fact, the Court acquitted Afzal of the charges under POTA. It further adds that even going by the confessional statement (which could possibly be the only basis to take any action against him) it is doubtful whether the membership of a terrorist gang or organization is established. None of the 80 prosecution witnesses alleged that Afzal was in anyway associated with any terrorist organization. Hence the grounds for awarding death sentence to Mohammad Afzal are really very very flimsy. Yet, most of the conscientious citizens of India seem to have made up their mind that Afzal should be hanged.

If Afzal is going to be hanged merely to satisfy the collective conscience of the society then there are a number of other cases where people will have to be hanged. Who will be held responsible for the farmers who have committed suicides and poor people who have died of starvation? The flawed policies of the State and the siphoning off of the resources meant for the poor have led to these deaths. People may not have died with a ‘bang’, but people nevertheless died! They died a slow, painful and humiliating death. It is a shame for the society that people who do hard labour to feed us have to commit suicides and die of starvation, inspite of no shortage of foodgrains. Who must face the death gallows for these heavy casualities which have also shaken the entire nation – the concerned District Magistrates, Chief Secretaries, Chief Ministers, Cabinet Secretary or the Prime Minister himself?

Then who will be held responsible for the various scams, especially those related to Defence, where the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India is compromised in no less harmful a way than was done by the conspirators who carried out the attack on the Parliament? Some of the people involved in these scams sit inside the very same Parliament. If one were to conduct a referendum, the people of this country will be of the opinion that their collective conscience will be satisfied the most when all the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats will be hanged together. Which court will translate this popular public opinion into a death sentence for some of the responsible, like in the case of Afzal? In fact, any case of corruption should be treated as an anti-national activity. How many people in this country have even been jailed for being involved in corruption, what to talk of being hanged? The unaccountable legislature and executive awards itself with hike in emoluments, whereas common people are being looted of their resources and pushed into more severe state of deprivation and poverty. Can this be considered anything less than treachery? The masters of democracy are being cheated in broad daylight by their servants and representatives. What would be the mechanism to hang some of these anti-democratic people involved in treason against the nation and its people? Who would not agree with the opinion that Members of Parliament exposed for accepting bribes for asking questions should be served the harshest sentence? Will not the collective conscience of society be satisfied if this was actually done?

The politicians and bureaucracy, in the era of new economic policy, are selling the assets created with public money at throw away prices to the private companies in the name of reforms and allowing multinational corporations to take over invaluable natural resources of this country, like the water, land and forests. This is obviously at the cost of the common population. The influential ruling class, for its own vested interest, is clearly hand in gloves with these private and foreign parties, whose only motive is profit. In less than 60 years, it seems, we’ve even forgotten that we have freed ourselves with great difficulty from an imperial force. We do not seem to mind being subject to such powers once again. None of the major economic decisions are being taken inside the Parliament of our country. They are being dictated by international monetary agencies, the US Government or the multinational corporations. We do not continue to enjoy the same sovereignty as we used to before these economic policies were implemented. It would be a matter of interesting debate whether a physical damage to the Parliament by a bomb from outside is more damaging than the subversion from within by our so called leaders? Who deserves a harsher punishment? The physical damage could be repaired but who’ll perform the more difficult task of resurrecting the autonomy of our supreme decision making body?

There are feudal, casteist and communal elements, who in collusion with the ruling class, subvert law, scuttle democracy and oppress poor people. They commit most heinous crimes and influence the police and judiciary so that no action is taken against them. They are responsible for the most gross human rights violations. For them the Constitution of this country has no meaning. They have evolved their own systems of operation, in which contractors-criminals-mafia nexus is at the centre. We see a plethora of them dominating and sometimes actually running our system. Who will hang these people who bring the Constitution into disrepute everyday?

It is unfortunate that only explosion of a bomb is considered a terrorist activity whereas a whole range of people are bent upon damaging our democracy and Constitution on an everyday basis, sometimes in ways more detrimental than a physical attack, and yet we choose not to consider them anti-national. On the other hand, the people at the receiving end of the slow bleeding of our system – the agricultural labourers who do not receive their due minimum wages, mostly dalits and tribals, most artisans who have to labour hard to make both ends meet, child labourers, women pushed into prostitution or who are open to exploitation because they have no other means to earn a livelihood, people who live in slums continuously facing the uncertainty of demolition, people displaced by wonderful projects of modernization, most citizens of Northeast and Kashmir - who do not share the same passionate but hollow version of nationalism with the minority mainstream educated elite of this country, do not feel quite agitated about the attack on the Parliament because they face such attacks everyday on their lives and livelihood.
Dr Sandeep Pandey

(About the author: Dr Pandey was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership (2002), did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, U.C., Berkeley, 1992 before heading back to India to become a social activist. Took out a 1500 km Global Peace March for nuclear disarmament from the Indian nuclear testing site Pokaran to Sarnath, a place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, beginning 11th May and ending on 6th August, 1999. Presently with Program on Science & Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University for 5 weeks. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com)

ARE WE PREPARING FOR A SCENARIO OF THIRST DEATHS?

ARE WE PREPARING FOR A SCENARIO OF THIRST DEATHS?

Hunger deaths and farmer suicides are now becoming a common phenomena in this country. Initially, when we would hear of a hunger related death in Kalahandi or Baran in Rajasthan, it would prick our conscience. As economic globalization, privatization and liberalization proceeded and we were made to believe that India was shining, reports of more people succumbing to poverty and hunger started pouring in. It was not the case that there was a shortage of food grains. The FCI godowns, we are told, had enough. But the food grains were not reaching the people who needed it because of massive siphoning off in PDS. The worst is, probably, yet to come.

Water has now become a commodity. Bottled water is a thriving business in this country. Rivers are getting sold and MNCs are eyeing the water supply in big cities. Mahatma Gandhi had said that there is enough in this earth to take care of everybody’s need but not enough to fulfill anybody’s greed. The relationship between human beings and water was based on fulfillment of human needs before the companies in water business came into existence. The human being would take as much water from nature as was required to fulfill her drinking and irrigation needs. However, the companies were interested in making profits by selling water, even though they had no role in its creation or conservation. They were not ashamed of taking a raw material free of cost, packaging it and selling it at exorbitant prices – more than that of the milk! We have to give credit to our ancestors for whatever water we find today in earth, as they did not treat it as a saleable commodity. With our relationship with water undergoing a change, now there is a threat to water. Companies like Coca Cola and Pepsico are amassing so much profit from this business that they were the fifth and fourth largest contributors, respectively, to Geroge Bush’s election campaign during the last US elections. Like petroleum now there is race to make as much profit over water in the quickest possible time. Corporations are competing with each other fiercely in emptying the earth of two of the most precious resources – one without which we may be able to live but the other without which we’ll be doomed.

The Coca Cola plant in Mehdiganj, Varanasi, for example, has caused the water table in wells to fall 18 feet during the last decade compared to 1.6 feet in the decade previous to that, as revealed by a study conducted earlier this year by V. Chandrika of all water sources falling within 3 kms. of the plant site. The plant has been responsible for sucking most of the wells, hand pumps and tube wells dry or causing them to go out of order. About 90% of wells in the region have been affected. 25% wells have completely dried, 14% wells are in the process of drying and 50% have witnessed a fall in water table. Out of 73 bore wells in the area, 10 have dried up which includes 4 which have dried up after the Coca Cola plant started operations. As the traditional source of water, the wells, started drying up people resorted to hand pumps. 220 hand pumps have been installed since the Coca Cola plant was set up as opposed to 45 which were installed in the decade previous to that. But 43% of the hand pumps are already adversely affected. 11% have completely dried and 32% work intermittently. Coca Cola alleges that drought and excessive use of water by farmers is responsible for dangerous fall in water table. The reality is, however, that the situation of drought was about the same during the last decade as it was in the decade previous to that. The region saw droughts in 1991-93, 2002 and 2004. The number of bore wells installed in 1990-2000 was 15 and after the Coke plant started functioning some 12 new bore wells have been installed. Hence the number of bore wells cannot be the sole reason for dangerous fall in water table. Another independent survey shows that the state of affairs of ponds is equally dismal. Out of 18 ponds falling in a radius of 4 kms. from the plant site, 1 has dried completely, 14 are seasonal and the remaining 3 retain too little water.

The farmer of Mehdiganj says that she is not going to survive by drinking Coke. If the water table falls so much that they will not be able to grow their crops then what will they eat? In spite of whatever the GDP may be and however much the credit available might be, we’ll need food grains to eat to survive. Our planners must realize this simple fact. If the privatization of water is not stopped soon, it is not difficult to imagine a scenario where all the water sources will be controlled by private water lords, the interlinked river network will be controlled by one of the big MNCs, and water will be available at a price in bottles which will be beyond the purchasing capacity of most of the common citizens of this country. Thirst related deaths cannot be completely ruled out in the next 50-100 years.


Dr Sandeep Pandey

(About the author: Dr Pandey was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership (2002), did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, U.C., Berkeley, 1992 before heading back to India to become a social activist. Took out a 1500 km Global Peace March for nuclear disarmament from the Indian nuclear testing site Pokaran to Sarnath, a place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, beginning 11th May and ending on 6th August, 1999. Presently with Program on Science & Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University for 5 weeks. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com)

HOW EFFECTIVE CAN A SOCIAL AUDIT ON GOVERNMENT’S INITIATIVE BE?

HOW EFFECTIVE CAN A SOCIAL AUDIT ON GOVERNMENT’S INITIATIVE BE?

The Rural Development Department of the Andhra Pradesh Government is conducting Social Audit of the Andhra Pradesh Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme being implemented under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act which came into force from Februray 2, 2006. Andhra Pradesh is probably the first state in the country where such a process has begun and the credit for this goes entirely to the Principal Secretary of the Rural Development Department here, K. Raju. It is normally unheard of that any government department would subject its performance to public scrutiny, especially a department dealing with development works where huge siphoning off of resources has become the norm rather than exception. Fake muster rolls are one of the biggest sources of corruption in this country. By mentioning fictitious names, names of upper caste people who never perform manual labour, names of people who have migrated to cities long time back, names of people who are too old to work or exaggerating the number of days of work for labourers who have performed work, it is a common practice to withdraw huge sums of money from the government exchequer. In addition to the abovementioned discrepancies, it might also be the case that the work being shown on paper was never actually performed. In Hardoi District of U.P., recently is was discovered that a canal was being desilted on paper in 2004-05 by using the funds of Bharawan Block Panchayat whereas the Irrigation Department had taken a decision five years back not to release water in this canal. Over Rs. 3 lakhs were embezzled in this instance.

Social Audit is a process where in an open meeting of the village physical verification of the records is done with the help of officials, people’s representatives and the people. In fact, the citizens of the Gram Sabha are supposed to perform this audit. In addition to the verification of financial details it is also ensured that other provisions of the NREGA are being followed. It is an opportunity for the people to evaluate the entire scheme and also determine the quality of development works in their village. In a new democratic culture building up in the country since the Right to Information Act has been implemented, it is a chance for citizens to intervene and check the rampant prevalent corruption and irregularities in the system.

The advantage of Government itself facilitating such a social audit process is that the government documents become easily accessible to the people, a right for which the country had to wait for 58 years since independence. Since most of the corruption takes place by fudging figures on paper, once documents start becoming public there will be a natural check on corruption. As these papers get into the hands of common people, they also discover ways and manners in which irregularities are committed. It is a real feeling of empowerment to be actually checking whether everybody has received the wages that have been mentioned on the muster rolls and whether the measurements of the work are according to what is mentioned in the measurement books.

Considerable enthusiasm is seen among the people in these social audit exercises. The entire atmosphere of transparency forces the officials to take corrective action whenever a discrepancy is discovered. For example, if a person had not been paid what is shown on the muster roll or pay order then she is paid the full amount due to her. There have been instances where the Post Office incharge, who disburses the payments, deducts a portion of the wages before making payments to the villagers. Sometimes, the measurements of the work are exaggerated. In Andhra Pradesh, where the administration is proactively involved in social audit it is also making sure that such discrepancies are removed as soon as they are discovered. Because there is a will at the top, the errant officials or functionaries are punished or fall in line. Moveover, the officials and functionaries performing their duties diligently get recognition. For example, a Field Assistant paid one day’s wage from her pocket when she discovered that for a woman labourer one day less was mentioned by mistake on the muster roll. She also watered the plants, planted as part of the works under APREGS, when they were going dry by carrying a water can on her bicycle. A Post Office incharge went to 3 villages to distribute the wages himself to ensure that no middlemen took away any commissions. This Field Assistant and Post Office Incharge were recently honoured at a meeting held a Mulugu Mandal Office. Otherwise, the norm is that such honest and diligent employees are marginalized in a system where the corrupt receive patronage from the higher ups. The present set up of Rural Development department of the A.P. is a welcome exception to this norm.

However, if the initiative of social audit remains in the hands of the government or administration, there is a danger that ultimately it’ll be subverted. How many cases of corruption do we know where an enquiry was set up and because the individuals who were conducting the investigation were from the same class of people as they were investigating, the results of such exercises did not yield the desired result and the matters were covered up? We would not like to see the social audit process currently being undertaken in A.P. to degenerate to a state where the social auditors develop vested interests shared with the people responsible for implementing the APREGS. Hence it is very important that the initiative of the social audit process remains in the hands of common people. The Gram Sabha is the appropriate body to conduct this exercise and not some externally chosen professionals. Hence the Gram Sabhas or some people’s organizations (not NGOs who normally do not represent the interests of the community and whose agenda is driven by funding agencies) should be entrusted with this task. If the department of Rural Development can ensure this and can keep the intervention of the officials minimal in the process of social audit then this exercise will bear fruits. The government department’s role should be limited to creating public awareness and facilitating the social audits where there are some obstacles. An empowered citizenry is the only key to ensuring transparency and accountability in the system.

Dr Sandeep Pandey

(About the author: Dr Pandey was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership (2002), did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, U.C., Berkeley, 1992 before heading back to India to become a social activist. Took out a 1500 km Global Peace March for nuclear disarmament from the Indian nuclear testing site Pokaran to Sarnath, a place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, beginning 11th May and ending on 6th August, 1999. Presently with Program on Science & Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University for 5 weeks. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com)

HOW EFFECTIVE CAN A SOCIAL AUDIT ON GOVERNMENT’S INITIATIVE BE?

HOW EFFECTIVE CAN A SOCIAL AUDIT ON GOVERNMENT’S INITIATIVE BE?

The Rural Development Department of the Andhra Pradesh Government is conducting Social Audit of the Andhra Pradesh Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme being implemented under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act which came into force from Februray 2, 2006. Andhra Pradesh is probably the first state in the country where such a process has begun and the credit for this goes entirely to the Principal Secretary of the Rural Development Department here, K. Raju. It is normally unheard of that any government department would subject its performance to public scrutiny, especially a department dealing with development works where huge siphoning off of resources has become the norm rather than exception. Fake muster rolls are one of the biggest sources of corruption in this country. By mentioning fictitious names, names of upper caste people who never perform manual labour, names of people who have migrated to cities long time back, names of people who are too old to work or exaggerating the number of days of work for labourers who have performed work, it is a common practice to withdraw huge sums of money from the government exchequer. In addition to the abovementioned discrepancies, it might also be the case that the work being shown on paper was never actually performed. In Hardoi District of U.P., recently is was discovered that a canal was being desilted on paper in 2004-05 by using the funds of Bharawan Block Panchayat whereas the Irrigation Department had taken a decision five years back not to release water in this canal. Over Rs. 3 lakhs were embezzled in this instance.

Social Audit is a process where in an open meeting of the village physical verification of the records is done with the help of officials, people’s representatives and the people. In fact, the citizens of the Gram Sabha are supposed to perform this audit. In addition to the verification of financial details it is also ensured that other provisions of the NREGA are being followed. It is an opportunity for the people to evaluate the entire scheme and also determine the quality of development works in their village. In a new democratic culture building up in the country since the Right to Information Act has been implemented, it is a chance for citizens to intervene and check the rampant prevalent corruption and irregularities in the system.

The advantage of Government itself facilitating such a social audit process is that the government documents become easily accessible to the people, a right for which the country had to wait for 58 years since independence. Since most of the corruption takes place by fudging figures on paper, once documents start becoming public there will be a natural check on corruption. As these papers get into the hands of common people, they also discover ways and manners in which irregularities are committed. It is a real feeling of empowerment to be actually checking whether everybody has received the wages that have been mentioned on the muster rolls and whether the measurements of the work are according to what is mentioned in the measurement books.

Considerable enthusiasm is seen among the people in these social audit exercises. The entire atmosphere of transparency forces the officials to take corrective action whenever a discrepancy is discovered. For example, if a person had not been paid what is shown on the muster roll or pay order then she is paid the full amount due to her. There have been instances where the Post Office incharge, who disburses the payments, deducts a portion of the wages before making payments to the villagers. Sometimes, the measurements of the work are exaggerated. In Andhra Pradesh, where the administration is proactively involved in social audit it is also making sure that such discrepancies are removed as soon as they are discovered. Because there is a will at the top, the errant officials or functionaries are punished or fall in line. Moveover, the officials and functionaries performing their duties diligently get recognition. For example, a Field Assistant paid one day’s wage from her pocket when she discovered that for a woman labourer one day less was mentioned by mistake on the muster roll. She also watered the plants, planted as part of the works under APREGS, when they were going dry by carrying a water can on her bicycle. A Post Office incharge went to 3 villages to distribute the wages himself to ensure that no middlemen took away any commissions. This Field Assistant and Post Office Incharge were recently honoured at a meeting held a Mulugu Mandal Office. Otherwise, the norm is that such honest and diligent employees are marginalized in a system where the corrupt receive patronage from the higher ups. The present set up of Rural Development department of the A.P. is a welcome exception to this norm.

However, if the initiative of social audit remains in the hands of the government or administration, there is a danger that ultimately it’ll be subverted. How many cases of corruption do we know where an enquiry was set up and because the individuals who were conducting the investigation were from the same class of people as they were investigating, the results of such exercises did not yield the desired result and the matters were covered up? We would not like to see the social audit process currently being undertaken in A.P. to degenerate to a state where the social auditors develop vested interests shared with the people responsible for implementing the APREGS. Hence it is very important that the initiative of the social audit process remains in the hands of common people. The Gram Sabha is the appropriate body to conduct this exercise and not some externally chosen professionals. Hence the Gram Sabhas or some people’s organizations (not NGOs who normally do not represent the interests of the community and whose agenda is driven by funding agencies) should be entrusted with this task. If the department of Rural Development can ensure this and can keep the intervention of the officials minimal in the process of social audit then this exercise will bear fruits. The government department’s role should be limited to creating public awareness and facilitating the social audits where there are some obstacles. An empowered citizenry is the only key to ensuring transparency and accountability in the system.

Dr Sandeep Pandey

(About the author: Dr Pandey was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership (2002), did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, U.C., Berkeley, 1992 before heading back to India to become a social activist. Took out a 1500 km Global Peace March for nuclear disarmament from the Indian nuclear testing site Pokaran to Sarnath, a place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, beginning 11th May and ending on 6th August, 1999. Presently with Program on Science & Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University for 5 weeks. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com)

ARE WE PREPARING FOR A SCENARIO OF THIRST DEATHS?

ARE WE PREPARING FOR A SCENARIO OF THIRST DEATHS?

Hunger deaths and farmer suicides are now becoming a common phenomena in this country. Initially, when we would hear of a hunger related death in Kalahandi or Baran in Rajasthan, it would prick our conscience. As economic globalization, privatization and liberalization proceeded and we were made to believe that India was shining, reports of more people succumbing to poverty and hunger started pouring in. It was not the case that there was a shortage of food grains. The FCI godowns, we are told, had enough. But the food grains were not reaching the people who needed it because of massive siphoning off in PDS. The worst is, probably, yet to come.

Water has now become a commodity. Bottled water is a thriving business in this country. Rivers are getting sold and MNCs are eyeing the water supply in big cities. Mahatma Gandhi had said that there is enough in this earth to take care of everybody’s need but not enough to fulfill anybody’s greed. The relationship between human beings and water was based on fulfillment of human needs before the companies in water business came into existence. The human being would take as much water from nature as was required to fulfill her drinking and irrigation needs. However, the companies were interested in making profits by selling water, even though they had no role in its creation or conservation. They were not ashamed of taking a raw material free of cost, packaging it and selling it at exorbitant prices – more than that of the milk! We have to give credit to our ancestors for whatever water we find today in earth, as they did not treat it as a saleable commodity. With our relationship with water undergoing a change, now there is a threat to water. Companies like Coca Cola and Pepsico are amassing so much profit from this business that they were the fifth and fourth largest contributors, respectively, to Geroge Bush’s election campaign during the last US elections. Like petroleum now there is race to make as much profit over water in the quickest possible time. Corporations are competing with each other fiercely in emptying the earth of two of the most precious resources – one without which we may be able to live but the other without which we’ll be doomed.

The Coca Cola plant in Mehdiganj, Varanasi, for example, has caused the water table in wells to fall 18 feet during the last decade compared to 1.6 feet in the decade previous to that, as revealed by a study conducted earlier this year by V. Chandrika of all water sources falling within 3 kms. of the plant site. The plant has been responsible for sucking most of the wells, hand pumps and tube wells dry or causing them to go out of order. About 90% of wells in the region have been affected. 25% wells have completely dried, 14% wells are in the process of drying and 50% have witnessed a fall in water table. Out of 73 bore wells in the area, 10 have dried up which includes 4 which have dried up after the Coca Cola plant started operations. As the traditional source of water, the wells, started drying up people resorted to hand pumps. 220 hand pumps have been installed since the Coca Cola plant was set up as opposed to 45 which were installed in the decade previous to that. But 43% of the hand pumps are already adversely affected. 11% have completely dried and 32% work intermittently. Coca Cola alleges that drought and excessive use of water by farmers is responsible for dangerous fall in water table. The reality is, however, that the situation of drought was about the same during the last decade as it was in the decade previous to that. The region saw droughts in 1991-93, 2002 and 2004. The number of bore wells installed in 1990-2000 was 15 and after the Coke plant started functioning some 12 new bore wells have been installed. Hence the number of bore wells cannot be the sole reason for dangerous fall in water table. Another independent survey shows that the state of affairs of ponds is equally dismal. Out of 18 ponds falling in a radius of 4 kms. from the plant site, 1 has dried completely, 14 are seasonal and the remaining 3 retain too little water.

The farmer of Mehdiganj says that she is not going to survive by drinking Coke. If the water table falls so much that they will not be able to grow their crops then what will they eat? In spite of whatever the GDP may be and however much the credit available might be, we’ll need food grains to eat to survive. Our planners must realize this simple fact. If the privatization of water is not stopped soon, it is not difficult to imagine a scenario where all the water sources will be controlled by private water lords, the interlinked river network will be controlled by one of the big MNCs, and water will be available at a price in bottles which will be beyond the purchasing capacity of most of the common citizens of this country. Thirst related deaths cannot be completely ruled out in the next 50-100 years.


Dr Sandeep Pandey

(About the author: Dr Pandey was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership (2002), did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, U.C., Berkeley, 1992 before heading back to India to become a social activist. Took out a 1500 km Global Peace March for nuclear disarmament from the Indian nuclear testing site Pokaran to Sarnath, a place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, beginning 11th May and ending on 6th August, 1999. Presently with Program on Science & Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University for 5 weeks. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com)

FINALLY THE CRIMINAL STUDENT LEADERS FIND THEIR MATCH

FINALLY THE CRIMINAL STUDENT LEADERS FIND THEIR MATCH

The Vice Chancellor of the Lucknow University Professor Ram Prakash Singh has shown rare courage in holding the bull of campus hooliganism by its horns. The LU, like most of the campuses in north India was taken over by criminals in the garb of students who were patronized by opportunist national political parties. These so called student leaders, who are neither students nor leaders, hope to catch the attention of one of the parties so that they may use campus politics as a stepping stone into the state or national level politics. If one gets elected to one of the three important posts of any student union of a major university, then sooner or later one is ensured of a ticket from one of the major political parties to contest the assembly or parliamentary elections.

I, as a student with a rosy picture of politics as an instrument to bring about social change, had contested the position of representative of Institute of Technology to the Banaras Hindu University Students’ Union in 1985. It was a shocking experience even at that time and at such a level as university politics that I found the candidates for the big three posts, President, Vice President and General Secretary, asking me to align with them on the basis of a common caste and offering me free unlimited viewing of cinema in the Halls in city and liquor if needed for students who could pledge their votes in exchange. After having won the election for the representative’s post, attendance at the first few meetings of the Students’ Union was sufficient to disillusion me of the Indian electoral politics for life. The students who won or ran for the top three posts did very well in their political career subsequently. The Vice President at that time Rajesh Mishra is the Congress MP from Varanasi presently. The General Secretray O. P. Singh, was a minister in the last BJP Government in UP. A former President of the Union Manoj Sinha also became a MP for BJP from Ghazipur. Satya Prakash Sonkar, who ran for a post in that election but did not win, also became a MLA later.

While it may be a good opportunity for these student leaders to maintain their student status and indulge in campus politics so long as they have not won an election or become sufficiently important (read notorious) so that they cannot be ignored by the mainstream political parties, the university suffers in general because of them. They contribute to deteriorating law and order situation on campus, often forcing the VCs to close the universities sine die. The academic activity takes a back seat so long as the political heat is on. The sessions are delayed and sincere students are losers. It is virtually impossible under these circumstances that professors or researchers would engage in any serious research activity. Instead of enhancing the standards of these seats of learning the faculty members have to bother about how to just keep the normal affairs going.

I can perfectly understand the predicament of Professor R.P. Singh, as I had to myself face the hooliganism of these student leaders. The occasion was a programme organized in the honour of 40 visiting Pakistani guests in August 2005 at the prestigious Malviya Bhavan of LU. Since the programme was being held at LU we also decided to invite the then LUSU President Rajpal Kashyap as a representative of the student community to share the dais along with other dignitaries. The other student leaders present there also wanted to sit on the stage without realizing the seriousness of the programme or being considerate of the guests from across the border. We put our foot down and told the student leaders that there was no scope for any other student leader to join the dais. A melee followed and there was attempt by these so called student leaders to compete with each other in making their presence felt. Each one of them appeared more threatening than the other and they continued to hover around the stage while the programme was in progress. Some of them also said some abusive things about the organizers, especially the ladies.

Much to our embarrassment, with Pakistani guests as witness, we decided to protest against the unruly behaviour of the LU students by boycotting the snacks which were organized by the Union for the Pakistani guests. The Pakistani guests not knowing what to do just walked out along with us. Before making the exit I had announced that I would never organize any further event in LU.

Frankly, I think the LU needs an overhaul. It must be rid of all its goonda elements. Having observed the student politics at BHU and now at LU, I had never thought that it was possible. When Professor R.P. Singh had taken over as V.C. of LU and used to talk about making an IIT out of LU, we had thought that he would get disillusioned soon. But he has demonstrated the guts and can take on not only the university goondas but also state level politicians. While Mulayam Singh Yadav shamelessly patronizes the goonda elements of campus and other political parties support him or keep silent on the issue, Prof. Singh has stuck to his guns. He needs all our support to take on Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brand of politicians. He deserves kudos for not having buckled under the political pressure and attempts to isolate him and threaten him. Without caring about the danger that he has invited to his personal security he has shown the determination to convert the LU into an academic institution from the hopelessly messy situation to which it had degenerated. If the political parties think that they can ride roughshod over the VC by supporting the kind of rowdyism which has become the hallmark of Indian politics they are mistaken. People are tolerating this brand of politics because they have no option. As soon as they’ll have a cleaner and healthier alternative they’ll reject the dirtier and murkier characters.

Dr Sandeep Pandey

(About the author: Dr Pandey was awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership (2002), did his PhD in Mechanical Engineering, U.C., Berkeley, 1992 before heading back to India to become a social activist. Took out a 1500 km Global Peace March for nuclear disarmament from the Indian nuclear testing site Pokaran to Sarnath, a place where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, beginning 11th May and ending on 6th August, 1999. Presently with Program on Science & Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University for 5 weeks. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com)