By AMITABH SHANKAR
New Delhi, Oct. 26: Three students claimed that they had a narrow escape from being killed in a fake encounter in Panipat in Haryana.
Three students, including two of Jawaharlal Nehru University, and one photographer were allegedly thrashed in Panipat by garment factory owner and their belongings, including mobile phones and video camera, were snatched while they were shooting outside a factory for a documentary on the working conditions in garment factory in HUDA industrial area on Tuesday.
The students also alleged that the station house of the local police station was also involved in the conspiracy with the local goons and a son of the garment factory owner.
Venkat, a Ph.D. student of Centre for Law and Governance at JNU, told The Asian Age that he along with Veermani, another JNU student, and Palani Chamy of Pondichery University had gone to Panipat to shoot a documentary with a photographer named Madhavan.
After they had shot some scenes of streets and the area, they entered into the premises of a factory called G.S. Exports and interviewed some of the workers for about 10-15 minutes and video-recorded their soundbites. When they came out of the factory, they found that their car was missing from where they had parked. "Some people who claimed to be CBI officers approached us and accused us of being involved in a robbery-cum-murder case and asked us to accompany them to the local police station," alleged Venkat. They then forcibly took us inside the factory and hurled abuses on us and thrashed us, added Venkat. "We were also stripped naked. Meanwhile, they gave a call to the police. Two police officers in civil dress came, one of whom was the SHO of HUDA police station," alleged Venkat.
Venkat also alleged that the factory owners suggested to the SHO that he take them to the Uttar Pradesh border and kill them in an encounter and throw them in the Yamuna river so that no one will come to know of them. The SHO then took them to the police station and again thrashed them there. They were made to sign on papers on which concocted accusations were written against them.
However, the DSP of the area came to their rescue, who was convinced that they were JNU students. He asked them some questions and assured them of strict action against the guilty. However, he too asked them to reach a compromise and made the four sign some papers.
COURTESY: ASIAN AGE
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Police gets insight into LeT’s PoK terror camps
By Amitabh Shankar
New Delhi, Aug. 15: The interrogation of the two Lashkar-e-Tayyaba terrorists arrested on August 10 from the New Delhi Railway Station has given the Delhi police an insight into the training camps being run by the LeT and ISI in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Abu Anas, one of the alleged terrorists, told the police that the focus of the LeT is to indoctrinate young people into terrorism in Pakistan. To carry out their mission, the LeT operatives make frequent trips to madrasas and schools and vilify young minds by telling them concocted stories of atrocities against Muslims in Kashmir and other parts of the world. They spot teenagers and bring them into their fold by giving them training into terrorism in one of the many camps being run by them in PoK, said joint commissioner of police (special cell) Karnal Singh.
"First, the young people are trained in training camps called Daura-e-aam at which they are offered basic training. They are trained to handle various types of weapons. This training programme lasts for 21 days. Not much firing practice is given in this camp. At a Daura-e-aam training camp, a batch generally consists of 300-400 people," said Mr Singh.
After the initial training is complete, the trainees are left to operate under the local commanders of the LeT and their performance is reviewed on a regular basis. Those who are found motivated enough qualify for the second round of training which is more rigorous. This training is given in a Daura-e-khas training camps again operating on the PoK land, Mr Singh added. "The strength of the batch is around 50 and the training lasts for three months. The terrorists are trained on how to operate sophisticated weapons. The terrorists are also trained on how to make explosive substances and operate them. It is here that those with maximum motivation are spotted and provided training to become human bombs," Mr Singh said.
After the training, those indoctrinated are sent on missions to India and are given contacts from where they can get explosives and guidelines for their action. Mr Singh said though Anas had received training at an LeT camp, some Bangladeshi terrorists who were arrested earlier had been trained in ISI training camps.
Courtesy: Asian Age
New Delhi, Aug. 15: The interrogation of the two Lashkar-e-Tayyaba terrorists arrested on August 10 from the New Delhi Railway Station has given the Delhi police an insight into the training camps being run by the LeT and ISI in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Abu Anas, one of the alleged terrorists, told the police that the focus of the LeT is to indoctrinate young people into terrorism in Pakistan. To carry out their mission, the LeT operatives make frequent trips to madrasas and schools and vilify young minds by telling them concocted stories of atrocities against Muslims in Kashmir and other parts of the world. They spot teenagers and bring them into their fold by giving them training into terrorism in one of the many camps being run by them in PoK, said joint commissioner of police (special cell) Karnal Singh.
"First, the young people are trained in training camps called Daura-e-aam at which they are offered basic training. They are trained to handle various types of weapons. This training programme lasts for 21 days. Not much firing practice is given in this camp. At a Daura-e-aam training camp, a batch generally consists of 300-400 people," said Mr Singh.
After the initial training is complete, the trainees are left to operate under the local commanders of the LeT and their performance is reviewed on a regular basis. Those who are found motivated enough qualify for the second round of training which is more rigorous. This training is given in a Daura-e-khas training camps again operating on the PoK land, Mr Singh added. "The strength of the batch is around 50 and the training lasts for three months. The terrorists are trained on how to operate sophisticated weapons. The terrorists are also trained on how to make explosive substances and operate them. It is here that those with maximum motivation are spotted and provided training to become human bombs," Mr Singh said.
After the training, those indoctrinated are sent on missions to India and are given contacts from where they can get explosives and guidelines for their action. Mr Singh said though Anas had received training at an LeT camp, some Bangladeshi terrorists who were arrested earlier had been trained in ISI training camps.
Courtesy: Asian Age
Monday, August 14, 2006
ISI-LeT direct link found
By Amitabh Shankar
New Delhi, Aug. 14: The interrogation of two Laskhar- e-Toiba terrorists arrested last week by the special cell of the Delhi Police has confirmed once again that Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and army have direct links with the terror outfit, strengthening India's case that Islamabad was actively supporting terrorist activities in the country.
One of the arrested militants Abu Anas has revealed that he was the body guard of Lashkar second-in-command Zaki-ur-Rehman and given detailed description about functioning of the terror outfit and the monthly meetings that take place between Pakistan Army officials and LeT leaders.
"Zakir-ur-Rehman and some others of LeT used to meet Pakistani Army's Major Wajahat, Brigadier Riaz and Brigadier Haji every month in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir," Joint
Commissioner of police (Special Cell), Mr Karnal Singh said.
"We have got details about ISI and Pakistan Army's connection with Laskhar-e-Taiba. It is not that LeT's working independently. The monthly meeting discussed terror activities in India and this brings out the linkages among terror groups, Pakistan Army and the ISI," he added.
He has also given details about the command structure of the outfit and names of operatives in charge of various departments. Anas used to take Zaki-ur-Rehman, whom he described as a person in his mid-40s in charge of terrorist operations in India, for meetings with ISI officers in a green Land Cruiser (IDL-5392) in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad, Singh said.
He has told police that one Hafiz Sayeed, a resident of Johar Town in Lahore, was the chief of LeT, while Hazi Ashraf from Faislabad and Yousuf Taabi was in charge of finance and functioning of madrassas.
Abdul Rehman Maki, a resident of Jamia Mahadul Ali, Murdika Lahore, looks after collection of funds from various countries, while the head of operations in Jammu and Kashmir was Abu-al-Kama, a resident of Mandi Bahuddin district in Pakistan.
The command for operations outside Jammu and Kashmir was given to Azam Cheema alias Baba and Muzammil. According to police, they have recovered his Pakistani passport, identity card and some other articles of Anas from the bag he had hidden in a cloak room in Lucknow railway station.
During interrogation, he told police that he was from Faislabad district of Pakistani Punjab and had joined the terror outfit in 2001 after dropping studies. His elder brother is an officer in Pakistan Air Force.
He received training in handling of arms and ammunition, at training camps in Ummal Kura and Sirikot Muzaffarabad alongwith a large number of Pakistanis and Afghan nationals.
They were taught how to handle rocket launchers, grenades, AK 47s, LMGs, mortars and trained in carrying out attacks against security forces, Singh added.
ends
Courtesy: Asian Age
New Delhi, Aug. 14: The interrogation of two Laskhar- e-Toiba terrorists arrested last week by the special cell of the Delhi Police has confirmed once again that Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and army have direct links with the terror outfit, strengthening India's case that Islamabad was actively supporting terrorist activities in the country.
One of the arrested militants Abu Anas has revealed that he was the body guard of Lashkar second-in-command Zaki-ur-Rehman and given detailed description about functioning of the terror outfit and the monthly meetings that take place between Pakistan Army officials and LeT leaders.
"Zakir-ur-Rehman and some others of LeT used to meet Pakistani Army's Major Wajahat, Brigadier Riaz and Brigadier Haji every month in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir," Joint
Commissioner of police (Special Cell), Mr Karnal Singh said.
"We have got details about ISI and Pakistan Army's connection with Laskhar-e-Taiba. It is not that LeT's working independently. The monthly meeting discussed terror activities in India and this brings out the linkages among terror groups, Pakistan Army and the ISI," he added.
He has also given details about the command structure of the outfit and names of operatives in charge of various departments. Anas used to take Zaki-ur-Rehman, whom he described as a person in his mid-40s in charge of terrorist operations in India, for meetings with ISI officers in a green Land Cruiser (IDL-5392) in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad, Singh said.
He has told police that one Hafiz Sayeed, a resident of Johar Town in Lahore, was the chief of LeT, while Hazi Ashraf from Faislabad and Yousuf Taabi was in charge of finance and functioning of madrassas.
Abdul Rehman Maki, a resident of Jamia Mahadul Ali, Murdika Lahore, looks after collection of funds from various countries, while the head of operations in Jammu and Kashmir was Abu-al-Kama, a resident of Mandi Bahuddin district in Pakistan.
The command for operations outside Jammu and Kashmir was given to Azam Cheema alias Baba and Muzammil. According to police, they have recovered his Pakistani passport, identity card and some other articles of Anas from the bag he had hidden in a cloak room in Lucknow railway station.
During interrogation, he told police that he was from Faislabad district of Pakistani Punjab and had joined the terror outfit in 2001 after dropping studies. His elder brother is an officer in Pakistan Air Force.
He received training in handling of arms and ammunition, at training camps in Ummal Kura and Sirikot Muzaffarabad alongwith a large number of Pakistanis and Afghan nationals.
They were taught how to handle rocket launchers, grenades, AK 47s, LMGs, mortars and trained in carrying out attacks against security forces, Singh added.
ends
Courtesy: Asian Age
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
The Bush Vigil
The president of the United States, George W Bush visited the Capital and Hyderabad between 1 March and 3 March with huge paraphernalia of security arrangements. He also made an impromptu halt at Afghanistan, a stay which was not planned and even if it was planned, it was not disclosed to anyone and this is the kind of secrecy that prevails upon the itinerary of the President, more so when he visits a hostile country or where the security threat is very high.
During his stay in the Capital, the Delhi Police was responsible for ensuring the security of the President. But they manned only the outermost ring of the multi-layered security arrangement around the President. The officers of the Delhi Police knew that the security around the President would be unprecedented and the security arrangements of the President was supervised by the officers in the top echelons of the Delhi Police, including the commissioner of the Delhi Police, Dr KK Paul, and officers of the rank of joint commissioner of police personally manning the control room from where the security of the president was being monitored. There are many lessons that Delhi Police can learn from the American security forces, in which they ensure security of the president and yet remain prepared for the worst kind of tragedy, a senior police officer confided.
Bush's movements during foreign trips are choreographed down to the minutest detail by the US Secret Service and other agencies. From the moment a trip is discussed in the White House, secret service agents begin looking at the various security scenarios. Plans are worked and re-worked, taking in changing intelligence information.
Advance teams of agents are then dispatched to the various destinations on the president's itinerary. According to sources, before the president’s visit to the country, more than 45 CIA agents were staying in American Embassy. Before the President actually arrived in the Capital, this number had shot up to 700, most of them being flown in from Singapore.
Along with them came a fleet of eight cars, including three limousines, a military ambulance and a communications van packed with state-of-the art devices. And not to forget the sniffer dogs who were always mired in controversy during their stay in the Capital. They were seventeen in numbers and had arrived the Capital about a week before the President. These dogs are no ordinary dogs, and if anybody called them animals, US officers took umbrage of it. The hotel authorities had initially refused to allow the canines in the hotels claiming they had no provision for animals, but they had to give in after the Indian security agencies too lobbied for the canines. The hotel staff were strictly instructed not to call the dogs animals and call them by their rank, as they too were officers of the security agency. Sergeant Harry and Sergeant Sally were most famous among them, and needless to say, the canines stayed in the five star hotels and enjoyed the luxury.
When the president finally turned up, he did it in style by the most famous and most secure, the Air Force One, a Boeing. However, Air Force One is not the name of the aircraft carrying the President but is the call sign of the US President He arrived with a small air force and a massive entourage, consisting of US officials and US security service agents and journalists. The sources in the airport said that the US secret service agents had requested to get command over the airport when the President’s entourage landed in the Capital but the aviation authorities refused the access.
The President stayed in the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel, because of its strategic location, being equidistant from both the airport and the Parliament. The entire hotel was booked and general public was not allowed in the hotel anywhere except on the ground floor of the hotel. In which suite, the president was staying was known to none, except the core group of US Security agents.
Not only this, even the White House cooks had come along with government political aides. “The US President had come to India with the entire White House from the cars he drives, the water he drinks, the gasoline he uses, the food he eats," quipped a senior police officer of the Delhi Police.
The Cadillac De Ville limousines in which Bush moved in the Capital was a four-ton-beast. The car was plated with a five-inch-thick armour beneath its black paint and the glasses of the car were also five-inch thick armour. The car could accommodate six persons and was equipped with the technology and gadgets which could make Bush feel at office, from where he could negotiate all his office work.
When the Bush’s cavalcade crisscrossed the roads of the Capital, the traffic on the both sides of his routes were restricted, and it was unprecedented in the sense that even on the Prime Minister’s route, the traffic is restricted on only one side of the roads to be taken. At any time, there were at least 20 cars in the cavalcade of the President and at times, it went up to as much as 50. At least 12 cars were in the core group, three being the limousines, one military ambulance and one war wagon and some decoy cars. It was known to none that in which car the President is travelling. All the cars in the cavalcade were magnificent but what attracted the attention most of the security personnel in the Delhi was the war wagon following the president’s cavalcade wherever it went. The sources said that the wagon was fitted with ultra-modern gadgets which could detect if any bomb or landmine was planted within its range. The wagon was also fitted with dish antennas which received and transmitted signals to the satellite in the skies which kept track of the Bush’s movements and his cavalcade throughout his entire journey in the country.
Bush also addressed a public gathering at Purana Quilla, and public appearance of the President makes the US Secret Agents scary, more so after a hand grenade was found within 50 metres of the venue of a public gathering President was to address in Georgia. The security there was unparalleled during the visit of any foreign dignitary in the country, as the public appearance of the President is considered the weakest link in his security. "If the secret service had their way, they would put him in a cement thing and no one would get to see or hear him," another senior police officer said.
And a change was made in the itinerary of the Bush again to take the security agencies by surprise. The national security advisor of the US President, Mr Stephen Hadley declared at the last moment that the President would be leaving for Pakistan in the night of 3 March, instead of 4 March. According to original plans, the President was to stay in India on the night of 3 March.
Even after the entourage of the President left for Pakistan at about 8 p.m. on the night of 3 March, the suites and the hotel in which the president was staying was not vacated by the secret service agents till the next day, to ensure that the President reached his destination safely and everything was in place there. The arrangement was made to ensure that if any emergency arises in the way or at the next destination, the President has at least one place nearby where he could easily be shifted and he finds everything ready.
The secrecy shrouding the security of the President was exemplary and even the officers of the Delhi Police could not cross the outermost ring of the multi layer security of the President. “The Delhi Police can learn many lessons from the Bush visit on keeping vigil and keeping prepared all the time to meet any sort of emergencies,” the police officer admitted.
ends
During his stay in the Capital, the Delhi Police was responsible for ensuring the security of the President. But they manned only the outermost ring of the multi-layered security arrangement around the President. The officers of the Delhi Police knew that the security around the President would be unprecedented and the security arrangements of the President was supervised by the officers in the top echelons of the Delhi Police, including the commissioner of the Delhi Police, Dr KK Paul, and officers of the rank of joint commissioner of police personally manning the control room from where the security of the president was being monitored. There are many lessons that Delhi Police can learn from the American security forces, in which they ensure security of the president and yet remain prepared for the worst kind of tragedy, a senior police officer confided.
Bush's movements during foreign trips are choreographed down to the minutest detail by the US Secret Service and other agencies. From the moment a trip is discussed in the White House, secret service agents begin looking at the various security scenarios. Plans are worked and re-worked, taking in changing intelligence information.
Advance teams of agents are then dispatched to the various destinations on the president's itinerary. According to sources, before the president’s visit to the country, more than 45 CIA agents were staying in American Embassy. Before the President actually arrived in the Capital, this number had shot up to 700, most of them being flown in from Singapore.
Along with them came a fleet of eight cars, including three limousines, a military ambulance and a communications van packed with state-of-the art devices. And not to forget the sniffer dogs who were always mired in controversy during their stay in the Capital. They were seventeen in numbers and had arrived the Capital about a week before the President. These dogs are no ordinary dogs, and if anybody called them animals, US officers took umbrage of it. The hotel authorities had initially refused to allow the canines in the hotels claiming they had no provision for animals, but they had to give in after the Indian security agencies too lobbied for the canines. The hotel staff were strictly instructed not to call the dogs animals and call them by their rank, as they too were officers of the security agency. Sergeant Harry and Sergeant Sally were most famous among them, and needless to say, the canines stayed in the five star hotels and enjoyed the luxury.
When the president finally turned up, he did it in style by the most famous and most secure, the Air Force One, a Boeing. However, Air Force One is not the name of the aircraft carrying the President but is the call sign of the US President He arrived with a small air force and a massive entourage, consisting of US officials and US security service agents and journalists. The sources in the airport said that the US secret service agents had requested to get command over the airport when the President’s entourage landed in the Capital but the aviation authorities refused the access.
The President stayed in the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel, because of its strategic location, being equidistant from both the airport and the Parliament. The entire hotel was booked and general public was not allowed in the hotel anywhere except on the ground floor of the hotel. In which suite, the president was staying was known to none, except the core group of US Security agents.
Not only this, even the White House cooks had come along with government political aides. “The US President had come to India with the entire White House from the cars he drives, the water he drinks, the gasoline he uses, the food he eats," quipped a senior police officer of the Delhi Police.
The Cadillac De Ville limousines in which Bush moved in the Capital was a four-ton-beast. The car was plated with a five-inch-thick armour beneath its black paint and the glasses of the car were also five-inch thick armour. The car could accommodate six persons and was equipped with the technology and gadgets which could make Bush feel at office, from where he could negotiate all his office work.
When the Bush’s cavalcade crisscrossed the roads of the Capital, the traffic on the both sides of his routes were restricted, and it was unprecedented in the sense that even on the Prime Minister’s route, the traffic is restricted on only one side of the roads to be taken. At any time, there were at least 20 cars in the cavalcade of the President and at times, it went up to as much as 50. At least 12 cars were in the core group, three being the limousines, one military ambulance and one war wagon and some decoy cars. It was known to none that in which car the President is travelling. All the cars in the cavalcade were magnificent but what attracted the attention most of the security personnel in the Delhi was the war wagon following the president’s cavalcade wherever it went. The sources said that the wagon was fitted with ultra-modern gadgets which could detect if any bomb or landmine was planted within its range. The wagon was also fitted with dish antennas which received and transmitted signals to the satellite in the skies which kept track of the Bush’s movements and his cavalcade throughout his entire journey in the country.
Bush also addressed a public gathering at Purana Quilla, and public appearance of the President makes the US Secret Agents scary, more so after a hand grenade was found within 50 metres of the venue of a public gathering President was to address in Georgia. The security there was unparalleled during the visit of any foreign dignitary in the country, as the public appearance of the President is considered the weakest link in his security. "If the secret service had their way, they would put him in a cement thing and no one would get to see or hear him," another senior police officer said.
And a change was made in the itinerary of the Bush again to take the security agencies by surprise. The national security advisor of the US President, Mr Stephen Hadley declared at the last moment that the President would be leaving for Pakistan in the night of 3 March, instead of 4 March. According to original plans, the President was to stay in India on the night of 3 March.
Even after the entourage of the President left for Pakistan at about 8 p.m. on the night of 3 March, the suites and the hotel in which the president was staying was not vacated by the secret service agents till the next day, to ensure that the President reached his destination safely and everything was in place there. The arrangement was made to ensure that if any emergency arises in the way or at the next destination, the President has at least one place nearby where he could easily be shifted and he finds everything ready.
The secrecy shrouding the security of the President was exemplary and even the officers of the Delhi Police could not cross the outermost ring of the multi layer security of the President. “The Delhi Police can learn many lessons from the Bush visit on keeping vigil and keeping prepared all the time to meet any sort of emergencies,” the police officer admitted.
ends
matribhoomi: January 2006
matribhoomi: January 2006The Bush Vigil
The president of the United States, George W Bush visited the Capital and Hyderabad between 1 March and 3 March with huge paraphernalia of security arrangements. He also made an impromptu halt at Afghanistan, a stay which was not planned and even if it was planned, it was not disclosed to anyone and this is the kind of secrecy that prevails upon the itinerary of the President, more so when he visits a hostile country or where the security threat is very high.
During his stay in the Capital, the Delhi Police was responsible for ensuring the security of the President. But they manned only the outermost ring of the multi-layered security arrangement around the President. The officers of the Delhi Police knew that the security around the President would be unprecedented and the security arrangements of the President was supervised by the officers in the top echelons of the Delhi Police, including the commissioner of the Delhi Police, Dr KK Paul, and officers of the rank of joint commissioner of police personally manning the control room from where the security of the president was being monitored. There are many lessons that Delhi Police can learn from the American security forces, in which they ensure security of the president and yet remain prepared for the worst kind of tragedy, a senior police officer confided.
Bush's movements during foreign trips are choreographed down to the minutest detail by the US Secret Service and other agencies. From the moment a trip is discussed in the White House, secret service agents begin looking at the various security scenarios. Plans are worked and re-worked, taking in changing intelligence information.
Advance teams of agents are then dispatched to the various destinations on the president's itinerary. According to sources, before the president’s visit to the country, more than 45 CIA agents were staying in American Embassy. Before the President actually arrived in the Capital, this number had shot up to 700, most of them being flown in from Singapore.
Along with them came a fleet of eight cars, including three limousines, a military ambulance and a communications van packed with state-of-the art devices. And not to forget the sniffer dogs who were always mired in controversy during their stay in the Capital. They were seventeen in numbers and had arrived the Capital about a week before the President. These dogs are no ordinary dogs, and if anybody called them animals, US officers took umbrage of it. The hotel authorities had initially refused to allow the canines in the hotels claiming they had no provision for animals, but they had to give in after the Indian security agencies too lobbied for the canines. The hotel staff were strictly instructed not to call the dogs animals and call them by their rank, as they too were officers of the security agency. Sergeant Harry and Sergeant Sally were most famous among them, and needless to say, the canines stayed in the five star hotels and enjoyed the luxury.
When the president finally turned up, he did it in style by the most famous and most secure, the Air Force One, a Boeing. However, Air Force One is not the name of the aircraft carrying the President but is the call sign of the US President He arrived with a small air force and a massive entourage, consisting of US officials and US security service agents and journalists. The sources in the airport said that the US secret service agents had requested to get command over the airport when the President’s entourage landed in the Capital but the aviation authorities refused the access.
The President stayed in the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel, because of its strategic location, being equidistant from both the airport and the Parliament. The entire hotel was booked and general public was not allowed in the hotel anywhere except on the ground floor of the hotel. In which suite, the president was staying was known to none, except the core group of US Security agents.
Not only this, even the White House cooks had come along with government political aides. “The US President had come to India with the entire White House from the cars he drives, the water he drinks, the gasoline he uses, the food he eats," quipped a senior police officer of the Delhi Police.
The Cadillac De Ville limousines in which Bush moved in the Capital was a four-ton-beast. The car was plated with a five-inch-thick armour beneath its black paint and the glasses of the car were also five-inch thick armour. The car could accommodate six persons and was equipped with the technology and gadgets which could make Bush feel at office, from where he could negotiate all his office work.
When the Bush’s cavalcade crisscrossed the roads of the Capital, the traffic on the both sides of his routes were restricted, and it was unprecedented in the sense that even on the Prime Minister’s route, the traffic is restricted on only one side of the roads to be taken. At any time, there were at least 20 cars in the cavalcade of the President and at times, it went up to as much as 50. At least 12 cars were in the core group, three being the limousines, one military ambulance and one war wagon and some decoy cars. It was known to none that in which car the President is travelling. All the cars in the cavalcade were magnificent but what attracted the attention most of the security personnel in the Delhi was the war wagon following the president’s cavalcade wherever it went. The sources said that the wagon was fitted with ultra-modern gadgets which could detect if any bomb or landmine was planted within its range. The wagon was also fitted with dish antennas which received and transmitted signals to the satellite in the skies which kept track of the Bush’s movements and his cavalcade throughout his entire journey in the country.
Bush also addressed a public gathering at Purana Quilla, and public appearance of the President makes the US Secret Agents scary, more so after a hand grenade was found within 50 metres of the venue of a public gathering President was to address in Georgia. The security there was unparalleled during the visit of any foreign dignitary in the country, as the public appearance of the President is considered the weakest link in his security. "If the secret service had their way, they would put him in a cement thing and no one would get to see or hear him," another senior police officer said.
And a change was made in the itinerary of the Bush again to take the security agencies by surprise. The national security advisor of the US President, Mr Stephen Hadley declared at the last moment that the President would be leaving for Pakistan in the night of 3 March, instead of 4 March. According to original plans, the President was to stay in India on the night of 3 March.
Even after the entourage of the President left for Pakistan at about 8 p.m. on the night of 3 March, the suites and the hotel in which the president was staying was not vacated by the secret service agents till the next day, to ensure that the President reached his destination safely and everything was in place there. The arrangement was made to ensure that if any emergency arises in the way or at the next destination, the President has at least one place nearby where he could easily be shifted and he finds everything ready.
The secrecy shrouding the security of the President was exemplary and even the officers of the Delhi Police could not cross the outermost ring of the multi layer security of the President. “The Delhi Police can learn many lessons from the Bush visit on keeping vigil and keeping prepared all the time to meet any sort of emergencies,” the police officer admitted.
ends
The president of the United States, George W Bush visited the Capital and Hyderabad between 1 March and 3 March with huge paraphernalia of security arrangements. He also made an impromptu halt at Afghanistan, a stay which was not planned and even if it was planned, it was not disclosed to anyone and this is the kind of secrecy that prevails upon the itinerary of the President, more so when he visits a hostile country or where the security threat is very high.
During his stay in the Capital, the Delhi Police was responsible for ensuring the security of the President. But they manned only the outermost ring of the multi-layered security arrangement around the President. The officers of the Delhi Police knew that the security around the President would be unprecedented and the security arrangements of the President was supervised by the officers in the top echelons of the Delhi Police, including the commissioner of the Delhi Police, Dr KK Paul, and officers of the rank of joint commissioner of police personally manning the control room from where the security of the president was being monitored. There are many lessons that Delhi Police can learn from the American security forces, in which they ensure security of the president and yet remain prepared for the worst kind of tragedy, a senior police officer confided.
Bush's movements during foreign trips are choreographed down to the minutest detail by the US Secret Service and other agencies. From the moment a trip is discussed in the White House, secret service agents begin looking at the various security scenarios. Plans are worked and re-worked, taking in changing intelligence information.
Advance teams of agents are then dispatched to the various destinations on the president's itinerary. According to sources, before the president’s visit to the country, more than 45 CIA agents were staying in American Embassy. Before the President actually arrived in the Capital, this number had shot up to 700, most of them being flown in from Singapore.
Along with them came a fleet of eight cars, including three limousines, a military ambulance and a communications van packed with state-of-the art devices. And not to forget the sniffer dogs who were always mired in controversy during their stay in the Capital. They were seventeen in numbers and had arrived the Capital about a week before the President. These dogs are no ordinary dogs, and if anybody called them animals, US officers took umbrage of it. The hotel authorities had initially refused to allow the canines in the hotels claiming they had no provision for animals, but they had to give in after the Indian security agencies too lobbied for the canines. The hotel staff were strictly instructed not to call the dogs animals and call them by their rank, as they too were officers of the security agency. Sergeant Harry and Sergeant Sally were most famous among them, and needless to say, the canines stayed in the five star hotels and enjoyed the luxury.
When the president finally turned up, he did it in style by the most famous and most secure, the Air Force One, a Boeing. However, Air Force One is not the name of the aircraft carrying the President but is the call sign of the US President He arrived with a small air force and a massive entourage, consisting of US officials and US security service agents and journalists. The sources in the airport said that the US secret service agents had requested to get command over the airport when the President’s entourage landed in the Capital but the aviation authorities refused the access.
The President stayed in the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel, because of its strategic location, being equidistant from both the airport and the Parliament. The entire hotel was booked and general public was not allowed in the hotel anywhere except on the ground floor of the hotel. In which suite, the president was staying was known to none, except the core group of US Security agents.
Not only this, even the White House cooks had come along with government political aides. “The US President had come to India with the entire White House from the cars he drives, the water he drinks, the gasoline he uses, the food he eats," quipped a senior police officer of the Delhi Police.
The Cadillac De Ville limousines in which Bush moved in the Capital was a four-ton-beast. The car was plated with a five-inch-thick armour beneath its black paint and the glasses of the car were also five-inch thick armour. The car could accommodate six persons and was equipped with the technology and gadgets which could make Bush feel at office, from where he could negotiate all his office work.
When the Bush’s cavalcade crisscrossed the roads of the Capital, the traffic on the both sides of his routes were restricted, and it was unprecedented in the sense that even on the Prime Minister’s route, the traffic is restricted on only one side of the roads to be taken. At any time, there were at least 20 cars in the cavalcade of the President and at times, it went up to as much as 50. At least 12 cars were in the core group, three being the limousines, one military ambulance and one war wagon and some decoy cars. It was known to none that in which car the President is travelling. All the cars in the cavalcade were magnificent but what attracted the attention most of the security personnel in the Delhi was the war wagon following the president’s cavalcade wherever it went. The sources said that the wagon was fitted with ultra-modern gadgets which could detect if any bomb or landmine was planted within its range. The wagon was also fitted with dish antennas which received and transmitted signals to the satellite in the skies which kept track of the Bush’s movements and his cavalcade throughout his entire journey in the country.
Bush also addressed a public gathering at Purana Quilla, and public appearance of the President makes the US Secret Agents scary, more so after a hand grenade was found within 50 metres of the venue of a public gathering President was to address in Georgia. The security there was unparalleled during the visit of any foreign dignitary in the country, as the public appearance of the President is considered the weakest link in his security. "If the secret service had their way, they would put him in a cement thing and no one would get to see or hear him," another senior police officer said.
And a change was made in the itinerary of the Bush again to take the security agencies by surprise. The national security advisor of the US President, Mr Stephen Hadley declared at the last moment that the President would be leaving for Pakistan in the night of 3 March, instead of 4 March. According to original plans, the President was to stay in India on the night of 3 March.
Even after the entourage of the President left for Pakistan at about 8 p.m. on the night of 3 March, the suites and the hotel in which the president was staying was not vacated by the secret service agents till the next day, to ensure that the President reached his destination safely and everything was in place there. The arrangement was made to ensure that if any emergency arises in the way or at the next destination, the President has at least one place nearby where he could easily be shifted and he finds everything ready.
The secrecy shrouding the security of the President was exemplary and even the officers of the Delhi Police could not cross the outermost ring of the multi layer security of the President. “The Delhi Police can learn many lessons from the Bush visit on keeping vigil and keeping prepared all the time to meet any sort of emergencies,” the police officer admitted.
ends
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Agricultural inputs to fast track growth of Jharkhand
Agricultural inputs to fast-track growth of Jharkhand
“Rising sun of Indian horizon, land of hope and prosperity” is how the official web site of Jharkhand government describes the state.
Carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000 with a geographical area of 79.7 lakh hectares, the state has completed four years of its existence, yet the state has failed to meet the aspirations of its people, which consist predominantly of tribals, in the name of welfare of whom, the state was created.
Endowed with vast natural resources like coal, mica, iron ores and other minerals, Jharkhand exemplifies the paradox of being a rich state with poor people. Though the government presents surplus budgets, the only such state in the country, 62 per cent of its people live below poverty line. The state boasts of vast reserves of coal and uranium and many thermal and hydel power projects, yet 55 per cent of its villages have no access to electricity. The state takes pride in large number of students it sends to various medical and engineering colleges all over India, yet the average literacy rate at 52.7 per cent is much below the national average of 65 per cent. The people of Jharkhand are living how secluded a life from the rest of the world can be gauged from the fact that only 42 per cent of the villages are connected by roads.
Jharkhand, as a part of Bihar, had been the industrial face of the state. Despite the fact that 80 per cent of its population living in 32,620 villages are dependant on agriculture and allied activities for its living hood, this is one area which had been largely neglected over the years. Out of a total geographical area of 79.7 lakh hectares, the cultivable land is 38 lakh hectares and the net sown area is just 18.04 lakh hectares. There’s a vast scope of bringing new and virgin land under agriculture. This would generate gainful employment for opportunities for thousands of tribals living in the state. The agricultural practices adopted here are primitive. Farmers, mostly, depend on rain god for irrigation. If monsoon fails, the crop fails. Farmers have little access to high yielding varieties of seeds and the use of fertilizers and pesticides is too low to yield a good crop. Agricultural tools and implements are age-old. Oxen and buffaloes are still used to plough the fields. Though the agriculture in Jharkhand is mainly for subsistence and is labour intensive, yet the perennial problem of Indian farming, the scarcity of markets haunts the farmers of the state. The main crops of Jharkhand are paddy and wheat. The diversification of crops can give a desirable fillip to the economic conditions of the state.
As has been mentioned earlier, the net sown area in Jharkhand is just 18.04 lakh hectares. Out of this, only 1.57 lakh hectares is irrigated which is mere eight per cent of net sown area, despite the fact that many major, medium and minor rivers like Damodar, Suvarnarekha, Garga, Bhedia and others criss-cross the state. Other than monsoon, farmers of Jharkhand depend mainly on wells for irrigation. Vast ground water reserve offers the state a unique opportunity of this water by constructing 8-10 lakh additional wells. Water from personal tube wells, canals, lift irrigation and pond is used for irrigation. If all the sources of irrigation are harnessed efficiently, the state has the potential to emerge as a food basket for the nation.
Institutionalized finance and credit elude the farmers due to poor means of communication, leaving farmers upon the mercy of local landlords and money-lenders who emaciate them further. Self-help groups and co-operatives of farmers should be formed to get them out of the clutches of the money-lenders.
In addition to agriculture, tribal people of the state depend on cattle rearing. Cows and buffaloes are reared to meet the milk requirements of the state. Tribals generally rear goats, pigs and hens which are not only the source of nutritious food but also give them good income. If cattle rearing centres and breeding centres are established at district and block levels and managed efficiently, the state has the potential not only to meet local requirements but can exploit export opportunities too. There is a feed plant in Ranchi which has been in news for all the wrong reasons, for its involvement in fodder scam.
Moreover, 29 per cent of the total land area of the states is covered by forests. Forest products constitute a large part of income of the tribals. Forests in Jharkhand are bestowed with good quality timber which can be used for making furniture. Medicinal and aromatic plants are also in abundance. Scientific exploitation of forest products would give the economy of Jharkhand a major boost without playing havoc with the ecological balance. The cultivation of Tendu leaves, of which bidi is made alone has the potential to generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for several households. Tribal people have drawn their living from forests for ages and they share an emotional association with the forest. If they are trained to exploit forest resources in a sustainable manner while guarding forest from illegal intruders, it can work wonders.
People of Jharkhand have harvested rainwater for ages by building ponds which are used for various domestic purposes. These ponds make the scene conducive fro pisciculture. There are vast possibilities for growing fruits and vegetables in the state. All these potentials make the state a lucrative destination for food processing industries. Thus the potential in the state can be realized to make it a self-sufficient and economically state. Agricultural inputs are required to put the state on fast-track growth rate. How long will it take the state politicians, distant from the ground reality, to shed the industry-centric growth spectacles and make people centric development their prime focus remains to be seen.
Ends
Amitabh Shankar
Mobile no -9868563226
amitabh_shankar2003@yahoo.co.in
Ajit Bhawan
House no 352 D/2
Munirka
New Delhi--- 110067
NREG Act: An opportunity being wasted
NREG Act- An opportunity being wasted
Political freedom has no meaning without economic freedom.
It took our legislators almost 55 years after the framing of the Constitution to awake to the idea of ensuring employment to (We), the people of India.
On December 21 2004, National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill was proposed in the Parliament for approval as a part of the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA government in the Centre The bill proposes to guarantee at least 100 days of employment every year for at least one adult member of every rural household, for doing casual manual labour at the statutory minimum wages.
According to Census estimates, around 35 per cent of the Indian population is living below poverty line and majority of them are living in villages. The primary reason behind this condition is unemployment in rural areas. The scourge of unemployment is compounded by lack of social security mechanisms. The Act envisages to provide a legal guarantee for at least 100 days of employment every year to at least one able-bodied person in every rural household on asset creating public works programmes. The Act will empower poor in the villages to demand work on the strength of legal entitlement.
For the purpose of giving effect to the employment guarantee, the Act states that within six months of enactment of this Act, each state government shall prepare Employment Guarantee Programme for providing employment to all adults residing in rural areas and the summary of the rules of the programme be publicized through regional and local newspapers and other means. The Act also states that only productive works shall be taken up under the programme in rural areas only. The Act thus provides not only guaranteed employment to adults but also aims to strengthen the rural infrastructure which can bring all round development to rural areas.
One of the salient features of this Act is that it provides job on demand and if the person seeking employment is not given work within 15 days of the day from which the work is sought, he is entitled to the payment of unemployment allowance. The payment of wages has to be made on a weekly basis and if it is delayed by more than seven days after the week in which the work was done, the person is entitled to compensation.
Provision has been made to provide medical treatment free of cost to any person who meets an accident and an ex-gratia payment has to be made in case of death in course of the work, employed under the programme. A proportion of wages not exceeding 5 per cent can be deducted as contribution to welfare schemes organized for the welfare schemes organized for the benefit of labourers under the programme. This in a way also provides social security to labourers.
It has been estimated that the Act would benefit at least 400 crore rural household and the expense incurred on the count would be around Rs 40,000 crores. Skepticism has been expressed that from where the huge resources required will generated. The fund required to enact this Act is a meager one per cent of the GDP and it can easily be generated and allocated if the wasteful and ‘unproductive’ expenses of the government are cut and diverted to the Central and State Rural Employment Guarantee Fund created for the purpose. At least, this much is the social responsibility of a government elected on the plank of upliftment of common man.
The benefits of this Act are immense. The Act will help to curtail migration from villages to urban areas, thus reducing the number of slums and JJ clusters and infrastructural burden on the cities.
The works to be undertaken under this programme would vary from region to region. Potential for huge employment exists in the field of environmental protection, watershed programes, rainwater harvesting, land regeneration, prevention of soil erosion, restoration of tanks, protection of forests, wasteland development, and related activities. These works would provide the rural people employment in agricultural lean seasons as well as ensure good harvest in crop seasons.
With starvation deaths and suicide of farmers being reported recently from different parts of the country, it was high time such an Act was introduced but it seems that an opportunity has once again been wasted due to lack of political will power.
The bill is only a diluted version of the draft prepared by National Advisory Council, constituted by the UPA government itself. Had the original draft been proposed, it could have gone a long way in emancipating the poor and vulnerable sections of the rural society.
The biggest flaw of this Act is that it states that: “[The Act] shall come into force immediately in such areas and for such period as may be notified and shall be extended to cover all the rural areas of India after evaluating the implementation in the districts chosen.”
This provision would limit the guarantee to few districts chosen. The Act would benefit some people in some areas whereas deny same benefit to people living in similar conditions in different areas. Further, this would allow the government to postpone the further extension of the guarantee to other areas indefinitely. Even worse, it is being feared that the government may allow to fail this Act in the districts chosen, and treat such failure as a reason to avoid the financial burden involved in further extension.
The second serious flaw is that the Act allows the government to fix wages for employment under the guarantee scheme as low as it wishes, disregarding existing legislation. It’s ironic that the unemployment allowance to be paid to a person in case of not being provided employment can be as low as one-third of the minimum wage. It should be at least half of the wages.
Instead of every willing person, only one person per household has been promised employment in the bill. This would discriminate against women as only the male members of the family would get to work. Employment of women goes a long way in their empowerment and strengthens their position in taking decisions regarding the size of family and education of children etc. The present draft, if implemented, would deprive the youth and women of whatever work they are now getting under food-for-work-programmes. What is needed is a universal employment guarantee and not just for one-in-a-family.
There is no special component for women in the draft Act, like lesser numbers of working hours per day in view of their household responsibilities like cooking and rearing children etc., and selection of projects to be taken up like drinking water schemes, rural lavatories, etc. which are of special significance to women.
The right to work is very much a fundamental democratic demand. In fact, it is being implemented in almost all developing countries. The Indian Constitution refers to the right to work under the Directive Principles of the State Policy.
In its present form, the draft looks like a bundle of half-baked thoughts and ideas. Compounded with lack of political will, this programme risks being yet another failed rural employment guarantee scheme.
The government must return to a strong draft Act which does away with the flaws of present draft and incorporates recommendations made by National Advisory Council and with provisions to extend employment guarantee from 100 days per household to 100 days per person per financial year at some later date.
The draft Act in its present form, can at best, be described as a reluctant small step in right direction and certainly it would not go a long way in benefiting rural families, as Mr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh boasted in Parliament while presenting the budget.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)