Balwant Singh posted as MD of beleagured GSFC Tuesday, September 11, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
GANDHINAGAR: It took two-and-a-half months for the state government to appoint a new managing-director for a state public sector undertaking Gujarat State Fertilisers and Chemicals, Vadodara. In an order issued on Monday, it made Balwant Singh fill the post, considered so far one of the most lucrative that a bureaucrat would desire in a government corporation or board.
Formerly chief electoral officer, Singh, belonging to the 1975 IAS batch, was lately serving as port secretary for the past one year. Reputed to be one of the most upright officials, many wonder how would he solve the problems piled up with the GSFC. Its latest balance sheet has shown a loss of Rs 224 crore, though insiders place other hidden losses to the tune of Rs 150 crore.
Considered till GSFC losses came to light in June as a 'crorepati' posting, the GSFC MD's appointment is now being compared by top bureaucrats here as equal to that of the captain of the legendary Titanic which sunk. The post was vacant after K P Das retired on June 30. A D Desai, MD, Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertiliser Corporation, was holding additional charge of the post.
Balwant Singh's place would be taken over by A K Pradhan of the 1966 batch, as additional chief secretary, ports. Pradhan till now served as planning secretary, a post that has gone to Anuradha Mansingh of the 1970 batch. Mansingh is just back from long leave, an official communique said.
Officials said, this is the first round of a number of transfers expected 'soon'. Rumours are afloat that 20 IAS officers might be shifted sooner rather than later. One such crucial posting is that of MD, Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation, lying vacant after the retirement of T C A Rangadurai last month. The post is being temporarily held by industries commissioner K N Shelat.
Currently down thanks to the government of India's policy of stopping fertiliser subsidies, the new GSFC MD 'would have to ensure how to sell fertilisers and industrial chemicals produced by the corporation's numerous plants in a competitive market', said an ex-bureaucrat. With administrative expenses, particularly wasteful expenditure by the staff, eating into the GSFC finances, it would be 'miracle if Singh is able to overcome the subsidy problem with the Centre'.
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Spurred by BJP, guardians threaten to counter stirs Tuesday, September 11, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
AHMEDABAD: Higher and technical education minister Bharat Barot announced on Monday that public opinion was against the strike and 'vali mandals' were being activated and channelled.
The activation by the BJP to put pressure on the teaching fraternity through parents seems to be finally working what with at least two 'vali mandals' suddenly waking from their slumber and holding public meetings on Monday to condemn the teachers for striking and holding education to ransom. What's interesting is that all of them are speaking the government's language, too!
"How can we let the teachers, who are striking for their own motives, take the career of our children for a ride? The state government has accepted most of their demands and still they are greedy. How justified is the strike then," says president of the Ahmedabad Purva Vali Mandal Association, Dinesh Togadia.
"Thus far, we were hopeful that the strike will end; so we remained silent. But now, it is high time that both the state government and teachers laid aside their ego problems and broke the deadlock at the earliest. If this does not happen, we will be compelled to start an intense counter-agitation", Togadia threatened.
The Vali Vidyarthi Hitrakshak Samiti on Monday also held a protest meeting outside Dariapur Darwaja and condemned the teachers' strike.
"Our children lost almost four months of education because of the earthquake, and, now, further damage is being inflicted by the teachers who are greedy for more allowances. The teachers have been looting parents for long by extracting hefty tuition fees. They should not be sympathised with. If the strike is not withdrawn, the parent and student bodies will be forced to hold surprise protest programmes," warned Samiti convenor Gautam Shah.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat Rajya Shaikhanik Sankalan Samiti president Keshubhai alleged that the state government was mobilising fake Vali mandals to break the sustained agitation by teachers.
"The government is trying all sorts of techniques to mobilise an anti-teachers' strike wave. But we are confident that it will not impact on our agitation," Patel said.
The Samiti announced on Tuesday that teachers will take out a scooter rally from Town Hall to press for their demands.
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PALANPUR :: Police told to act against pathology labs Tuesday, September 11, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
PALANPUR: Chief judicial magistrate Mehta has directed the city police to take action against 16 pathological laboratories functioning without any authenticity. The court has directed the police to submit detailed information regarding the validity and propriety of medical practitioners who are believed to be hands in glove with the erring pathologists and refer to them cases regularly.
Under the Gujarat Medical Practitioners' Act no one is entitled to use name of the profession or keep the board and printed matter displaying the profession without MLT certificate from a competent authority. Breach of the provisions is cognisible offence and attracts the provision of 465, 468 and 420 of IPC.
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MSU calls special syndicate meeting Tuesday, September 11, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
VADODARA: MS University has called a special syndicate meeting on Tuesday. The meeting has been called in the wake of Baroda University Staff Association's (BUSA) call for an indefinite strike beginning September 13, the day of students' union election.
MSU officials said BUSA's strike call coinciding with students' union election might complicate matters on campus. Tuesday's meeting, said officials, will precisely look at consequences of the strike call and its likely effect on the conduction of students' union polls.
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Sabarkantha :: CM hits campaign trail in Sabarkantha Tuesday, September 11, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
AHMEDABAD: Launching the BJP campaign for candidate in Sabarkantha, Upendra Trivedi, Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel said people would reject the Congress which was out to grab power on the basis of blatant lies.
Addressing well-attended election meetings at Hadiyol, Raigadh, Modasa and Dhansura, Patel described the statement of Congress president Sonia Gandhi at Dharampur regarding starvation deaths in the state as false and far from truth. No such death has been reported from any part of Gujarat where 33 lakh below poverty line families were taken care of by the government.
Lambasting the Congress, Patel said the GPCC leaders had failed to prove any of the charges they had levelled against the state government. In fact, the government had to its credit several achievements like drinking water pipeline to Saurashtra, which the Congress had only been promising for several years.
Patel said things would be difficult for the Congress which had been thrown out from New Delhi and Gandhinagar on account of its misdeeds.
Meanwhile, former chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela is camping in Himmatnagar canvassing for Congress nominee Madhusudhan Mistry, who has quite some following among Adivasis.
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