SMC cleanliness drive Friday, October 19, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
SURAT: Health officials of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) swooped down heavily last week on those responsible for throwing rubbish and garbage on the roads in Katargram zone. People working in paan shops, hotels and other shops in the vicinity were made to clean up the area, said a press note.
Fishmongers sitting opposite the crematorium were also removed. Administrative charges amounting to Rs 1,550 were collected during the entire exercise, the press note added.
Townships celebrate in 'small is beautiful' style Friday, October 19, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
VADODARA: They are small in scale yet elegant. They combine class with a homely atmosphere. They all generate oodles of gaiety and fervour. They are the 'township garbas' of the city and its surroundings as PSUs and private companies host their own garbas during Navratri.
Be it the oil giants like ONGC, IOC and IPCL or the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) or private companies like Alembic, the motto seems to be "small is beautiful" as officers and their families bring their best dresses out and get ready to put their best foot forward.
Being performed for over half-a-century now, the garba organised by the Alembic group, begun by late Dhirajben Amin to ensure unity, has grown from an informal affair where the performers both sang and danced to a professional one now. While about a 100 people participated and saw the garba in the 50s, the garba in the Alembic ground now attracts about 8,000 people with music by professional singers belonging to the Shruti group.
At the Gujarati Medium School ground, Gujarat Sanskar Samaj of Indian Oil Corporation's Gujarat Refinery began the Navratri Mahotsava from Wednesday as thousands poured in to join the garba and watch the proceedings as singing group from city Shreeji Garba Vrinda belt out the songs.
The lush green lawns of the Tapovan Temple Complex is playing host to the children of the IPCL township for nine nights as the Petrochemical Township Devasthan Trust organises the Shishu Garba Mahotsav. Though this garba gets over at 10 pm, the music and songs by Harmony group is providing nights of pure fun.
The township's garba ground is also attracting thousands of people with music by city-based music group Swar Nad and every participant putting in their best performance to emerge the best dancer in three different groups.
The competitive spirit is also mixed with the fun and frolic at the ONGC stadium where people are also putting in their best performances. "Every night, about 3,000 to 4,000 play the garba to the tune of the city-based Swar Archana group. Best dancer awards will be provided in three categories," says ONGC Employees' Welfare Committee vice-president Rajiv Kumar.
In nearby Anand, the Garba Lawns of the NDDB begins to fill up as every night. The milk capital is reverberating with the sound of garba as about 1,500 to 2,000 people gather every night to join the revelry.
"Not just the NDDB employees and their children, we have also invited students from Anand schools, students from Vidyanagar University girls' hostel and medical students from Karamsad Hospital for a one-night performance," says Manoj Inayat, cultural secretary of Boho Club that organises the NDDB garba.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
Give me time before passing judgement: Narendra Modi Thursday, October 18, 2001
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who pulled of a coup of sorts with his appointment, has said his ministry should be given more time before any judgment is passed on its performance. The RSS sanghpracharak-turned-Chief Minister was speaking to the India Today Group Editorial Director, Prabhu Chawla, in an exclusive interview to Aaj Tak.
Modi chose to be more or less nebulous on most of the issues confronting the state, emphasising at the same time that his predecessor, Keshubhai Patel, did not step down for non-performance but opted out in favour of new leadership in the state.
Modi said “ I did not even know that I was tipped to be the Chief Minister. BJP president Jana Krishnamurthy asked me to reach Gujarat and meet the state BJP president. I was then asked by him to attend the party’s legislature party meet where my name was proposed by Keshubhaiji and seconded by all the legislators.”
Modi, whose decade-and-a-half long political career has been no stranger to controversy, claimed that he faces no opposition from the state unit of the party over his appointment as Chief Minister.
However, Modi accepted that senior leaders in the party like Naresh Mehta were opposed to his appointment, saying: “Nareshji is my senior and I have to accept it. I cannot shy away from reality but what we should ideally talk about is results and not controversies.”
On being asked if elevation to the Chief Minister's post resembled the usual Congress procedure, Modi said: “I do not know how such issues are handled in the Congress." He added: “There is a lot of difference between the Congress and the BJP. As far as I know, Chief Minister’s in the Congress are nominated by the party high command and not by the concerned legislature party. After my nomination, I was received well and given a warm welcome in the party fold.”
He also said that all the 117 party MLAs in the state support him, maintaining it is the tradition and culture of the BJP to honour the legislative party’s choice.
One being repeatedly asked if Keshubhai Patel was removed, Modi said: “ I would not like to use the word removed. He is a very respected and senior party leader and I have always stated that I am just a gear in the vehicle and Keshubhai will drive the vehicle.” On being reminded that someone changing gears while another drives could lead to an accident, Modi said: “ All accidents are not bad.”
Regarding the poor rehabilitation for the Gujarat earthquake victims, which apparently led to Keshubhai's ouster, Modi said: “ A World Bank team recently visited Gujarat and complimented the Patel government for carrying out the relief and rehabilitation in such an orderly manner.”
That still leaves the question of why Patel was removed unanswered. However, Patel seems to have been given a parting gift with Modi retaining five of the nine Patels in the Cabinet.
Modi, in his inimitable style, went on to deny alleged vandalism and the burning of religious places of a particular community by BJP workers. Modi said: “None of the reports and inquiries have shown that any BJP worker was involved and those who are doing so are doing to malign to image of the party.” He also added that all those who are playing these dirty tricks are not only maligning the BJP but the nation as a whole.
On being asked whether he is a pracharak or a BJP party leader, Modi said: “The Sangh is my inspiration and has given a sense of mission to me. It has given me values to protect the Indian tricolour.”
Source - TheNewsPaperToday.com
One-third of BJP MLAs made ministers Thursday, October 18, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
GANDHINAGAR: Twenty-nine new ministers, including Ashok Bhatt and Babubhai Bokhiria of Cabinet rank, were sworn in at the Town Hall lawns here on Wednesday, taking the total strength of the Narendra Modi ministry to 39. This is the same strength the unwieldy Keshubhai Patel ministry had.
The ministry has 12 new-comers in the Modi ministry now. Many of the new faces are virtually unheard of MLAs. Considering the fact that the BJP has only 116 MLAs in the Assembly, the strength of the ministry is quite huge, and the pressure from Modi's predecessor is written all over the new team.
Modi has, however, restricted his team to a two-tier ministry, with 11 ministers of Cabinet rank and the rest ministers of state. But falling a victim to caste and regional pressures apart from political necessities, Modi failed to cut down the size of the ministry as was earlier expected. Nor was the ministry-making without hitches.
The most surprising entry into the Cabinet is that of Bokhiria who was a minister of state under Keshubhai. Ashok Bhatt, a Brahmin, could not get the Cabinet berth so easily then, and was taken in only after immense pressure from the high command at the last moment. Bhatt had to resign from the Keshubhai ministry last year following framing of charges in a 15-year murder case. However, with co-accused Harin Pathak being inducted into the Vajpayee ministry on Monday, Bhatt made a public statement in Delhi a couple of days ago talking of his re-induction in the Cabinet.
Party sources close to Bhatt said he was informed by Modi about his entry into the Cabinet only 90 minutes before the swearing-in, at noon. Apparently, Modi had decided to drop Bhatt from the list, but Bhatt outsmarted him by getting some big-wigs in Delhi to exert pressure. The decision to take Bhatt was reached in the dead of the night, at about 3.30 a.m.
Of the 29 new ministers, 17 were in the ministry under Keshubhai. Twelve have become ministers for the first time. Haren Pandya, who has been taken in as the senior-most minister of state, was expected by many to get Cabinet rank. Next in seniority as minister of state is BJP general secretary Gordhan Zadaphia, a new entrant and perceived as a Keshubhai loyalist.
Nearly 13 ministers who worked under Keshubhai failed to make entry into the Modi ministry. The main among them are Vajubhai Vala, Jay Narayan Vyas, Jaspal Singh (all of them enjoyed Cabinet rank), Mahendra Trivedi, Parmanand Khattar and Ramanlal Vora. Trivedi, a supporter of liberal leader Suresh Mehta, failed to return to the ministry because of his rivalry in Bhavnagar with state BJP president Rajendrasinh Rana. Jaspal was denied a place in the Modi ministry on grounds of indiscipline, while Vyas, who had resigned from the earlier ministry after calling Keshubhai a 'liar', has been kept out because of opposition from the former CM.
Those who could make a re-entry despite rumours that they might be dropped included Bharat Barot and Chimanbhai Saparia, both strong Keshubhai allies, and Purshottam Solanki, a deputy minister under Keshubhai who is accused of involvement in Mumbai communal riots in 1992-93. Others who made a re-entry are Liladhar Vaghela, Narayanbhai Patel, Mangubhai Patel, Prabhatsinh Chauhan, Bhupendra Lakhawala, Mulubhai Bera, Karsanbhai Patel, Ranjitsinh Chavda, Hemant Chapatwala, Harjivanbhai Patel and Jaswantsinh Babhor.
The new faces who made it into the ministry are Gordhan Zadaphia, Bavku Ugad, Devanand Solanki, Dilip Thakore, Daulat Desai, Rajchhod Rabari, Rajnikant Rajwadi, Ishwar Makwana, Vadibhai Patel, Muhan Kundaria, Jasumatiben Korat and Sundarsinh Chauhan. There are a dozen OBCs in the new Modi Cabinet, and as many Patels.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
Kailashnathan talks of downsizing in AMC Thursday, October 18, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
AHMEDABAD: Outgoing Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation commissioner K Kailashnathan has stressed on the need to cut down on excess staff in AMC to minimise unnecessary expenditure.
"It is the right of the Amdavadis to demand that they get the best services at the cheapest possible rates. Growing administrative costs and expenditures incurred by the AMC dictates that the staff strength be optimised and a good deal of accountability be inducted into each civic employee's responsibilities," he said.
The outgoing municipal commissioner told newsmen, on the eve of relinquishing office, that private participation in areas like AMTS, parks and gardens and even water supply, "may prove fruitful as people would have better facilities at cheaper rates, while the corporation would have lesser burden and be able to focus on providing quality civic amenities."
Talking about the long-term changes that he has been able to make ever since he took over as municipal commissioner in 1999, Kailashnathan spoke about the path-breaking property tax formula introduced earlier this year.
"This formula may initially bring down the regular income from collection of taxes but is already resulting in more number of tax payers. Since this formula ensures a fair amount of transparency in tax calculation and cuts down on any scope of disputes, that had, till date, become the order of the day in tax recovery resulting in accumulation of dues worth crores," he said.
The other achievements of Kailashnathan has been construction of Raska weir "that has solved Ahmedabad's water scarcity for at least 10 years" and adept handling of rescue and rehabilitation work after the city witnessed its worst-ever disaster in decades on January 26. In the pipeline is e-governance.
"E-governance through computerisation of many of our departments will ultimately mean a better response-time to people's grievances, strict monitoring at all levels of the corporation and thereby a better AMC," promised Kailashnathan.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
