Tiny-tots in dhotis, chaniyas cholis Monday, October 22, 2001
BY JAHNAVI CONTRACTOR, TIMES NEWS NETWORK
VADODARA: They can barely walk, but their tiny feet are dancing in tandem with the melodious tunes of 'garba'. The dancers are pre-schoolers aged between 2-and-half to 5 years. Keeping them company are school-going children between 6 and 14 years. Their proud parents in the audience look on.
Be it parents or grandparents, they are all delighted to see their children, who just a few months or years ago could barely stand, now suddenly dancing in perfect synchrony with the music. Not only parents but even day-care centre, nursery school and primary school principals seem to favour their students dancing during Navratri.
In many day-care and kindergarten schools teachers have organised special Navratri programmes and even taught toddlers different 'garba' steps. Parents too favour children's 'garba', while shopkeepers selling traditional clothes for children have reported increased sales, thanks to the large number of children's 'garba' being organised in different parts of the city.
"It's a great feeling to see my three-year-old Shweta dance. And even more exciting was seeing her in traditional 'chaniya choli' and 'chundadi' with anklets on her feet. This is her first Navratri," says Rekha Salunke, her mother who has made it a point to take Shweta daily to the United Arki 'garba' ground.
"The day-care centre where our three-year-old son Anil goes had organised a special day for Navratri on Wednesday and all parents were asked to send their children dressed in traditional attire. We bought a small 'kedia' and a 'dhoti' for Anil. He and his friends were taught 'garba' at the day-care centre and Anil has picked it up so well. It's a pleasure to see him dance," said Prakash Pandit, a proud parent.
There are many grandparents like H D Patel who accompanies his grandchildren to the 'garba' ground daily. "I love watching them. They dance with an innocence that is lacking in adults. They are carefree, they dance for their own pleasure, it comes from within. Besides all of them look so beautiful. The little boys in tiny 'pagdis' and 'dhotis' and the girls with 'chaniyas cholis' and anklets. It's a sight I would not miss for anything," he says.
For parents, especially those who have very young children, the festival of Navratri can be a blessing. "As it is we have to contend with late nights on all days as our three-and-half year old Radhika does not sleep early. She prefers to play and would sleep only after she is sufficiently tired. Taking her to the children's 'garba' not only gives her an opportunity to 'socialise' and 'party' with her friends but at the same time it also tires her out for a good night's sleep. We too enjoy watching her and dressing her up," said another parent.
Parents of older children of primary schools also find children's 'garba' a welcome break. "On these nine days the children go daily to the children's 'garba' and their television watching comes down. This gives them the much-needed exercise and at the same time initiates them not only to the Gujarati tradition of 'garbas' but also to the music and dance. It is a wholesome learning experience for them," said Aditi Rao, the mother of a six and a nine-year-old daughter.
Many schools too have distributed children's 'garba' passes to their students and many parents were brought to the 'garba' grounds by the children. "He received this pass at the Jeevan Mangalaya School and insisted that I take him to dance. I enjoy dressing him up in traditional attire and seeing him interact with other children too is fun so I have brought him here," said Anita Joshi, a resident of Dandiya bazaar.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
Staring down the gun barrel Monday, October 22, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Guess what is exercising the minds of IAS officers these days? Well, the fear that they may be transferred. Many officials feel that the Damocles' sword is hanging over their head, and this has brought government work to a standstill.
It is common to find IAS officers huddled together sitting and chatting over a cups of tea trying to find out who may be next on the firing line. This is not surprising because the three earlier official orders which reshuffled 40-odd officials came very suddenly. One official in the Sachivalay said he has created a special corner in his office to keep his personal files.
"If I hear of my transfer, I won't even have to go to office. I will just ask my assistant to send all those files to my house," he said. Officers working as collectors or enjoying different positions in government corporations pour into Gandhinagar in droves these days to inquire about their fate. "Files are just not being pushed. Files are lying in several officials' chambers," commented a bureaucrat. "Who knows what's in store. Several more lists are believed to have been prepared, but nothing is final."
No transfers, get back to work
But the new CM is making frantic efforts to convey that he would not effect a major transfer any more. His aides are quick to point out that the first three rounds of transfers were just meant to be a "shock therapy" to shake up a lethargic administration into action. It is being suggested that the CM is now not interested in transfers, but in getting work done.
Only few major posts remain to be filled _ CEO of the Gujarat Informatics, MD of the Gujarat Industrial Investment Corporation and revenue inspection commissioner and youth and culture secretary. Except the first one, the three others are considered "punishment postings". The GIIC can make do with additional charge. There is no work there, said a bureaucrat. The loss-making unit might be closed down.
The Saparia surprise
Everyone is surprised that Chimanlal Saparia, the man who led the short-lived rebellion against Narendra Modi's imposition as Gujarat CM, has not only been taken back in the new ministry but given one of the most lucrative departments _ roads and buildings. Well-known for his support for Keshubhai Patel, Saparia even appeared on TV protesting against his mentor's ouster. He also went to the airport to receive a vanquished Keshubhai. Ironically, even Saparia, a Saurashtra Patel, is surprised. "I never expected to be back with such a bang. I must thank my stars, Keshubhai, Modiji and BJP president Rajendrasinh Rana for giving me an important department. It was beyond my expectation." Not everyone was so lucky. The worst to suffer was Saurabh Patel. A business management graduate with a foreign degree, he followed Saparia. He also gave TV interviews in support of Keshubhai. But he got nothing!
The new patron of Bengalis
Guess who is the most sought-after man by Bengalis of Ahmedabad this 'puja'? The Governor of Gujarat, Sundar Singh Bhandari. This Tuesday, he is going to inaugurate as many as five 'pujas' in the city (including Gandhinagar). The interesting thing is that all of them will be within the span of two hours. Last year, Bhandari had thrown open two 'pujas', but this season more 'puja' committees made a beeline for the governor who readily agreed to oblige. It seems that the only governor who is going to outdo Bhandari is West Bengal Governor Viren Shah. He is going to inaugurate some thirty 'pujas'. But then Kolkata has many more 'pujas' than Ahmedabad.
Nagpur better bet than Delhi
The faithfuls of the former chief minister are searching for new godfathers. Some officials have even been to New Delhi to identify people who could convey it to Narendra Modi that they can indeed deliver the goods. The more intelligent ones, however, are those who do not think visits to New Delhi can be of much help. Nagpur is, after all, a better bet. One case is that of Non-Resident Gujarati Foundation chairman Hari Desai. Desai was heard proudly telling someone that he had been to Nagpur, the RSS headquarters, to get blessings. "I was NRG Foundation chairman and I will remain one," he declared even before he went to the place which directs all Sangh Parivar activities in India.
Staying put in Gujarat
Former chief minister Keshubhai Patel has been quick to abandon his plans to go out of Gujarat for health recuperation. He had earlier declared he would visit a naturopathy clinic near Bangalore for 45 days to reduce weight. But he has now found a better option within the state _ in Vadodara. Run by a veteran Congressman, a health centre has offered the ex-CM, now 73 years old, several courses. But he has decided to take the shorter one of two weeks. He is inimical to the idea of governorship offered to him. "I have to decide. I will just not go," he insists. His well-wishers, however, say, by remaining in Gandhinagar, he would never forget the humiliation suffered at the hands of the BJP high command. They say it would be better for him to live a quiet life as governor in Rajasthan, instead. But Keshubhai is convinced it is not the end of his political career, and by staying put in Gujarat he would be able to keep his flock together. It is now up to Modi to exert more pressure on the leadership to convince the former CM that the party does not really want him in Gujarat.
No downsizing the CMO
Indications have emerged that the CM's office would follow the foot-steps of the jumbo Modi ministry. The principle of 'small is beautiful' may be abandoned in the case of the CMO too. Plans to downsize the CMO are being reconsidered. Additional Principal Secretary Anil Mukim, with the charge of information secretary, was asked to occupy to a place in the CMO which was earlier planned to be demolished. And, he has just shifted to the air-conditioned wooden structure built under the ex-CM's directions in the corridors of the fifth floor, Block 1, Secretariat. A new official is expected to occupy the chamber of C J Thakkar, the man who used to look after sensitive files, many of them with political strings attached. There is rumour that only one CM adviser, S K Shelat, is not enough. At least one more, particularly among the retired bureaucrats, may join in. If this happens, the CMO strength would remain the same as the one earlier headed by Keshubhai.
Holding sway over bureaucracy
With the central government's department of personnel having ordered that he be taken back, senior IAS officer A M Bharadwaj, now freed from suspension for his alleged involvement in a civil supplies case of 1997, waits for a reinstatement. But guess who he met to request for a new posting. A man called Harsh Brahmbhatt, a class I officer several ranks junior to him, who now serves as official on special duty in the CMO and is considered crucial in transfer and posting matters. Bharadwaj, of course, met the new CM, too, who promised him a posting by October 24. He also met the CS and the ACS, GAD. "All that was just a formality," said an official. Because the CM will go by Brahmbhatt's advise.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
Rights groups oppose POTO Monday, October 22, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
AHMEDABAD: A large number of human rights and voluntary organisations from all over the state have opposed the decision of the Central Cabinet to promulgate the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO), replacing the Terrorist & Disruptive Activities Act (TADA).
A joint statement issued on Sunday, by the People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), National Alliance of People's Movement, All India Democratic Students' Association and others condemned the decision.
" ... (the decision) reflects the high-handed attitude of the Indian government to tackle the problems without going to the root cause of the problems, and paying scant concern to the misuse of such draconian acts in the past in various states of India," it stated.
The activists said that even before the September 11 attacks on the US and the suicide attacks on the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly in Srinagar, Union home minister L K Advani had stated that "suitable changes would be made in the law to protect the security personnel acting against terrorist elements from being hounded for extraneous reasons".
Representatives of different organisations then pointed out that there had been an 800 per cent rise in reported cases of rights' violation by armed and paramilitary forces in the last one year, from 61 in the previous year to 452 in the following year.
They alleged that the recent attacks on the US and Kashmir has given the government an opportunity to push the measures that would curb the democratic rights of the citizens without formally declaring an emergency, and though terrorism is not eliminated but people are terrorised by enacting such laws.
Indicating that the TADA has been misused, they said the state with the most TADA arrests is not Punjab, but Gujarat, a state with no track record of terrorism. Nearly five years after TADA was done away with, trials are yet to be completed in 4,958 cases out of which 1,384 cases are still under investigation.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
AMC, France, HUDCO to sign pact in Nov Sunday, October 21, 2001
BY SOURAV MUKHERJEE, TIMES NEWS NETWORK
AHMEDABAD: Come November and heritage conservation in the Walled City here will never be the same again. The French government, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Housing & Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) will sign a tripartite agreement which will see to it that the old Ahmedabad city retains its old-world charm for generations to come.
Those delicately carved facades, quaint yet earthquake-resistant architecture and spacious houses will be literally preserved in time for future Amdavadis and tourists alike.
French heritage conservationists and architects along with AMC will provide the know-how on the preservation of such buildings and temples, many of which are over 150 years old, while HUDCO will provide financial assistance through low-interest loans. It's a fresh lease of life that the Walled City is looking at.
This is also the first time ever that a financial institution like HUDCO has agreed to extend loans for repair and purchase of centuries' old buildings. "This is a significant change in the approach towards privately-owned heritage structures. With loans for years' old buildings their valuation, mortgage and ascertaining cost would be possible once the tripartite agreement is signed during the workshop slated for November 28, 29 and 30 in Ahmedabad," informed Debashis Nayak, who is looking after the heritage cell of AMC.
The three-day workshop will be attended by members of the French Embassy and technicians from France, senior officials of HUDCO and AMC. HUDCO, said sources, has volunteered to co-ordinate financial assistance to all applicants from heritage homes of Ahmedabad.
Other than generating academic interest, the workshop is being waited for by the 22 heritage building-owners of the Walled City who hope to get loans to rebuild and maintain their heirlooms for decades together.
Arvind Kumar Mehta, who owns a 100-year-old house in the Mota Sutharwada ni Pol in Khadia, is one such aspirant. "My house is now is dire need of repairs and upgradation, especially since the quake. It seemed impossible to reconstruct the house where I have lived my life because neither any NGO nor the banks were prepared to spare a thought for these heritage structures," Mehta told TNN.
But, his dreams may soon be realised with his name figuring atop the list of eligibles for getting financial assistance from HUDCO as well as the state heritage department. Mehta and his two sons, who wish to buy a house adjoining their 100-year-old house, are also readying papers for the first-ever loan from HUDCO for heritage structure purchase.
"Once the first loan for repair-maintenance of a century-old structure comes through, heritage conservation not only in Ahmedabad but in the whole country could go through a sea-change. This unique system that we are striving to set up could well be the prototype for other states to follow," said Nayak.
The unique system pointed out by Nayak consists of three components: free technical assistance from French experts, training local architects on the job of repairing and upgrading centuries' old buildings while retaining the old-world charm and low-interest financial assistance to convince owners into preserving the heritage of Ahmedabad.
This seemingly dream-come-true for heritage conservationists was however hanging fire with the French calling for modification of a rule under the BPMC Act. A draft of the proposed change in this rule has already been prepared by AMC and will now be sent for the state government's perusal and approval.
Once this change in BPMC Act is through, residents of the Walled City will have to take AMC's approval before demolishing any building and will be encouraged to retain the old city's character.
"Now that the ball has been set rolling, the tripartite agreement will herald in the second phase of AMC-French collaboration (the agreement between France and AMC had begun in 2000) on heritage conservation. With HUDCO joining forces with us the Walled City of Ahmedabad is indeed safe from land grabbers," said Nayak.
With technical expertise, trained artisans and architects along with loans from financial institutions and government grants, staying in heritage homes might yet become a fad in Ahmedabad.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
Modi's CMO usurps quake relief from GSDMA Sunday, October 21, 2001
BY BHARAT DESAI, TIMES NEWS NETWORK
AHMEDABAD: Strangely enough, while the handling of earthquake relief and rehabilitation in Gujarat under chief minister Keshubhai Patel was blamed for the ruling party's growing unpopularity in the state, his successor Narendra Modi has a rather lofty notion about the exemplary manner in which the government gave an account of itself after the January 26 catastrophe.
Don't believe just Modi's statement when he says that after the WTC attack on September 11, even the West had realised why Gujarat took such a long time in removing the debris of the earthquake and started appreciating the relief and rescue measures taken in Kutch. It is indeed significant that the officials chosen by the chief minister while re-constituting the CMO has officials with a proven record in earthquake relief and rehabilitation.
Modi , who is currently touring Kutch district for two days to see for himself the progress of rehabilitation, appointed P K Mishra, the CEO of the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) as his principal secretary. Anil Mukim, who served as collector of Kutch during those difficult months before he was promoted and shifted to Gandhinagar, has become the additional principal secretary in the CMO. Mukim continues to be the chairman of the Bhuj Development Authority. And Arvind Sharma, who is the chairman of the Rapar Development Authority, has also joined the CMO as secretary.
Bureaucrats said the hand-picking of officials with experience in earthquake rehabilitation shows the attention that Modi would like to pay to the issue, apart from it being a recognition of the appreciation that he has for the previous regime's record in this area. Mishra has in fact been allowed to retain his position as CEO of GSDMA. "It will effectively mean that decisions at the authority level will be speedily cleared by the CMO and the policy of the CMO will be effectively executed by the GSDMA," said another official.
However, there is also criticism that Modi had disturbed the GSDMA which had emerged as a powerful co-ordinating body for earthquake relief and rehabilitation after the initial period of confusion. Only M Sahu, the additional CEO of GSDMA, remains in the authority at the senior level because it is felt that Mishra's time would be occupied more by the CMO.
P Pannervel, the other additional CEO in the GSDMA who was also serving as relief commissioner, has now been moved to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation as commissioner. Pannervel was handling the crucial job of housing reconstruction in the affected areas and the speed of reconstruction had even surprised the World Bank and Asian Development Bank who are the main funding agencies for the job. Modi, of course, has also replaced Sanjay Gupta, who was chairman of the Anjar Development Authority, with P N Roychoudhary. This is one of the many posts that Gupta had to lose after the new dispensation took over.
Currently, a battery of senior officials led by chief secretary G Subba Rao and chief co-ordinator L Mansingh, are touring Kutch along with the chief minister. Mansingh's continuance is crucial for industries minister Suresh Mehta, who also hails from Kutch and who has excellent rapport with Mansingh, also the secretary of the industries department. During the Keshubhai regime, Mehta had the grudge that the chief minister used to give more importance to the speaker of the Vidhan Sabha, Dhirubhai Shah, also a Kutchi strongman, whose political interests often clash with that of Mehta.
Officials say Modi's two-day visit to Kutch, which will end on Saturday, may shape the changes, if any, he plans to bring about in the elaborate administrative structure of the government's earthquake rehabilitation machinery.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
