HAPPY NEW YEAR-2011

Food for thought

"What struck me most was that my community still continues to accept a position of humiliation only because caste Hindus persist in dominating over them. You must rely on your own strength, shake off the notion that you are in any way inferior to any community".Babasaheb Dr.B.R.Ambedkar

 Let us make the following as our New Year-2011 Resolution

We the SC/STs employees welfare Association of State ,central Government and public sector undertaking working  for the welfare of employees take the following resolution for this New year-2011.

1. Adopt each Association one district to promote the interest of SC/ST student studying in the villages by conducting tuition with experienced persons available in the village and donate one computer for each village to educate the students in their academic and our social history.

2.Adopt each Association one district and maintain the SC/ST students hostels by providing our social magazines, literature ,newspaper, TV and computer with broadband connection and keep the hostel neat and tidy with the help of  Adi dravida welfare Department.

3. The Association energy, times and money will be diverted to educate our brothers and sisters living in the villages about their rights and to create awareness against atrocities committed by Hindu fundamentalists.

4.The Association main role will be on direct recruitment which would benefit the rural unemployed youth ,this can be ensured by constantly monitoring the maintenance  the reservation rosters by various ministry and department of Government organization. Take action to eliminate bogus community certificate.

5.The Association will take up the issues such as provision of reservation   in those sector areas where aids and concession of Government availed by these sectors, especially in private sector and outsourcing of works of department and ministry of state and central Government etc.

6.The Association will divert its attention to the education institution to fulfill the reservation in each and every department the adequate percentage maintained right from school to professional college by getting information /inspecting records through RTI Act.

7.The Association will make the central and state government to bear the entire tuition fees of profession college from the funds SC/ST sub plans and be vigilant the same is not diverted to other schemes by asking the information though RTI Act.

8. The Association prime duty will be a watch dog of welfare measure extended to SC/STs . The working of Thadco in each district may be monitored by constantly inspecting the documents and records maintained by it through RTI Act.

9. The Association should be instrumental in bringing the facts and figures of welfare measure b y extensively using RTIAct in Police department and ministry of state and central Government against the violation unleashed on SC/STs by the Hindu fundamentalists.

10.Sponsoring of Dalit literature and made it compulsory to buy the dalit magazines by each member of Welfare Association.

A classical example of social inequality in India, The land of discrimination

"On the 26th January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognising the principle of one man one vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life, we shall by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one man one value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life? If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in peril. We must remove this contradiction at the earliest possible moment else those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of democracy which this Constituent Assembly has so laboriously built up".

Babasaheb Dr.B.R.Ambedkar 

 In Politics all are equal and in social and economic there is no equality.  In India the atrocities are  committed against SC/STs daily in every parts of the country, This were reported daily by the caste media ,In every State  SC/STs are raped ,murdered ,,humiliated.  No media has given importance to the sufferings of Dalits ,Whereas the caste media namely, Times of India has given coverage of news item continuously for more than 3 years to 5 years in the following cases.  Rape and suside of Ruchika case, murder of Aarushi case and murder of Jessica lal case.  What  Babasaheb Dr.B.R.Ambedkar  told while adopting the constitution in the parliament ,the situation is still continues  after 63 years of Independence.   

Jessica lal case starts from 2006 and continues  till date

Sharmas paid key witness Rs 25 lakh in Jessica case

Tehelka Sting Shows How Money, Muscle Changed Testimonies
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: There were three key witnesses to the murder of Jessica Lall in April 1999 — aspiring actor Shayan Munshi, electrician Shiv Das, and Karan Rajput, the uncle of a waiter in Tamarind Court where Jessica was allegedly shot by Manu Sharma, the son of a powerful Haryana politician.

Seven years have gone by and no one has been convicted. Here is why — a three-month sting operation by Tehelka has revealed that the three witnesses backed down from giving evidence that could have nailed Manu either because they were paid off by the Sharmas, or because enormous pressure was brought to bear on them.

Here is a sample of what the witnesses or their relatives said in front of a spycam. Shayan Munshi, who pleaded ignorance of Hindi and hence his inability to comprehend his earlier testimony before the police, showed off his prowess in the language in front of the sting team posing as an Indo-British film production team. Shyan said he not only knew Hindi but its various dialects.

Karan Rajput, another witness who backed off at the last minute and refused to identify the accused in the case, died last year. But his nephew, Jitender Raj, who worked in Tamarind Court as a waiter, friend Surinder and landlord Rajbir Singh are there, vouching for the fact that Karan got handsome money, to the tune of Rs 25 lakh, from the Sharmas, Tehelka’s Harinder Baweja told TOI.

The third witness, Shiv Das, who too refused to testify at the last minute, used to work as an electrician at Tamarind Court. He is also there on tape, admitting he was “majboor” as he had no option but to change his version in court.

The tapes are certain to give the Jessica case a new twist. At one level, they tell the story of how the powerful bought their way out of justice. At another level, they provide new ammunition to the new team of officials probing the case that is now before the Delhi High Court after a sessions court acquitted Manu Sharma and eight other accused on February 21, 2006.

After Jessica was gunned down at the crowded Tamarind Cafe for refusing Manu and his friends a drink when the bar had closed, all three had told investigators that Manu fired two shots, one in the air and the other at Jessica’s temple, that night. All three also signed on Manu’s photograph to identify him.

In court, however, they turned hostile, refusing to identify Manu as Jessica’s killer. Additional sessions judge SL Bhayana blamed a shoddy investigation for letting them off — which is possibly true as a subsequent probe has shown that the investigators did botch it up. In any case, it is now certain that they failed to guard their witnesses against allurement and threats.

Karan Rajput ran up bills of nearly Rs 80,000 which were paid off. Rajput was given Rs 25,000 by Jessica’s sister, Sabrina, on compassionate grounds. Rajput ’s nephew, Jitender Raj, friend Surinder and landlord Rajbir Singh are now on tape, admitting that Karan made “about Rs 25 lakh’’ from the Sharmas. “He never worked after the murder,’’ Jitender told Tehelka’s reporters. “Who paid for all the bills?’’ he asked.
Money was paid by cheque, claim trio

Mumbai: All three witnesses to Jessica Lall’s murder — aspiring actor Shayan Munshi, electrician Shiv Das, and Karan Rajput — said they had accompanied Karan to Manu Sharma properties in Delhi (at Okhla), Chandigarh and Manali. Money was also paid through cheque, in the name of one Arjun Rajput, they told the reporters on spycam.

Sabrina Lall, Jessica’s sister, told the reporters that Karan told her he was under “pressure’’ from the Sharmas but would still speak the truth in court. When he finally said he was not even in Delhi the night Jessica was killed, he told Sabrina: “Unhone meri maa ko agwa kiya tha.’’

Interestingly, Shiv Das, who had a monthly pay of Rs 3,000, has now set up his own general provisions store. Tehelka called him up, with the caller identifying herself as Sabrina. “Madam, main bahut majboor hoon, aapse hamdardi hain par aapka madat nahin kar sakta,”

“Pehli statement sach thi,’’ he admitted.

And the special investigation team, now probing the case, may also be working on the same track. A waiter at Tamarind, Madan, has told Tehelka that he was beaten up by the police to “admit’’ Bina Ramani asked him to destroy evidence.
Source : The Times of India dated 27.09.2006

Ruchika case started from Dec 2009 and continues till date 
 Ruchika case: 2nd witness questions CBI report
Rajinder Nagarkoti
TNN

Panchkula: The molestation case involving disgraced former top cop SPS Rathore took yet another interesting turn on Wednesday — the 17th death anniversary of Ruchika Girhotra. A second CBI witness leveled serious allegations against the agency, claiming it had filed the closure report ignoring his statements that Ruchika’s brother had been tortured at the behest of the ex-DGP.


The CBI witness, Dr Naresh Mittal, said Ruchika’s brother Ashu Girhotra had been so brutally tortured that he was unable to walk properly. He said he, along with other witnesses, had given similar statements before the probe agency. “But the agency ignored them and recently filed a closure report, favouring Rathore,” he said.


Mittal is the second witness to have raised questions on CBI’s credibility. Another witness, Vijay Dheer, had recently claimed that the CBI was lying, and that it had distorted his statement giving benefit to Rathore.


Mittal, a resident of Sector 6, Panchkula, said those who stood by Ruchika’s family were harassed by Rathore. “Their shops and residential premises were raided by power board officials and heavy fines running into lakhs of rupees slapped on them,” he said.


Many residents had met then Haryana power minister Shamsher Singh Surjewala. The minister had marked an inquiry and finally these excessive bills were withdrawn. During 1992-93, Rathore was director vigilance of Haryana State Electricity Board department. After complaints against him, he was transferred, Mittal claimed.
Source: The Times of India dated 30-12.2010

Aaruchi case started from  May -2008 to till date

CBI on weapons’ trail in Aarushi case

Pervez Iqbal Siddiqui
TNN

Lucknow: The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) on Monday traced a metal strip from the drain in Sector 25 of Noida which was sent for forensic examination. Much imp o r t a n c e was being attached to the recovery as it came after Krishna himself reached the spot with joint director (JD) CBI Arun Kumar in car to identify the spot from where the recovery was made. The fact that the search by the CBI was called off after the seizure added to the mystery behind the importance of the metal piece. Though details of this metal piece seized from the drain were not known, eyewitnesses described it as a foot long strip or a rod of metal. Sources in the CBI said that the seized metal strip, if at all used in the crime, could have been used to inflict the injuries found on the head of the two victims.

According to forensic experts, the injuries found on the heads of Aarushi and Hemraj were believed to have been inflicted by a blunt object. The force with which the object had hit the skulls, caused multiple fractures. This, according to forensic experts, suggests that the weapon offered a good grip and this was possible with a long weapon. The sleuths were now waiting for the forensic reports to establish if the metal piece recovered has anything to do with the double murder.

CBI is banking on the detailed report from central forensic science lab (CFSL) Andhra Pradesh regarding the digital camera that Talwars gifted Aarushi the day she was murdered. The interim report, CBI sources said, received on Monday does confirm tampering of the equipment.

Apart from searching the house of Dr Talwar and visiting Duranis, CBI questioned Raj Kumar and Vijay Mandal. Vijay, domestic help of a neighbour of Talwars, is a friend of Krishna and Rajkumar. CBI had learnt that Krishna was spotted talking to Vijay on the day Aarushi was murdered.
UP police botched up probe, says CBI:
In an indictment of Uttar Pradesh police, CBI on Monday said the crime scene of the Noida twin murder was not examined properly despite several vital clues for cracking the mystery being available for many days. “The fact is that the crime scene was not inspected properly,” CBI special director M L Sharma said in Ghaziabad. TNN 
 Source : The Times of India Feb-22-2006

Team studying facilities in Adi-Dravidar hostels

As of now, the team has covered 11 hostels, including the M.C. Raja hostel
In a week, it will complete the study and submit its findings to the government

Days after inmates of the M.C. Raja Adi-Dravidar Students Hostel in Saidapet organised a protest on Anna Salai here on December 20, blocking vehicular traffic for several hours, a six-member team of officials is making a study of the status of facilities in 21 hostels of Adi-Dravidar students.


As of now, the team has covered 11 hostels, including the M.C. Raja hostel. In a week, it will complete the study and submit its findings to the government, according to Vishwanath A. Shegaonkar, Principal Secretary (Adi-Dravidar and Tribal Welfare). Of the 21 hostels, eight are meant for women, and all of these have been covered. The sanctioned strength of inmates of these hostels is about 2,500.
[The inmates of the M.C. Raja Hostel had protested against, what they claimed, indifference of officials to their plea for improvement of the facilities].

The team, comprising a joint director of the Adi-Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department and engineers of the Tamil Nadu Adi-Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO), is assessing the requirements of the hostels.

The Principal Secretary says the government, which is keen on upgrading the conditions of the hostels, is receptive to the idea of setting apart more funds. Already, the government has sanctioned Rs. 61 lakh for the construction of a women's hostel in Vepery.

Totally, there are 1,229 hostels for Adi-Dravidar students, numbering 90,000. Of these, 185 hostels are accommodated in private properties. The government has sanctioned Rs. 12.5 crore for constructing buildings that will accommodate 25 hostels. The TAHDCO will shortly float bids.
This year, a sum of Rs. 4 crore has been earmarked for carrying out maintenance works.

Sources in the department admit that the problem of overstaying students is more rampant in the hostels of Adi-Dravidar students than in those of Backward Classes or Most Backward Classes. In the hostels of Adi-Dravidar students, the problem is more present among boys. A number of factors, including homogenous character of the community and predominantly rural background of students with no persons in Chennai to fall back, have contributed to the problem.
Source: The Hindu Dated 30.12.2010.

     

The Dravidian parties are never bothering about the living condition of SC/ST students in government Hostel.   The funds allotted under Schedule caste sub plan and Schedule tribal sub plan are being diverted to popular schemes such as free TV ,Gas,free dhoties ,sarees  and construction of concrete houses  or utilized for the purpose of constructing college building with this fund.  The students’ hostels neglected by minister and bureaucrats, The caste media are afraid of visiting hostel because of its worst condition.  The Dravidian parties are vying each other to construct and maintain memorials for farmer leaders of DMK and AIADMK they never have any heart and soul over the conditions of living SC/STs students.  The conditions of hostels are never fit for living.  The following pictures will show the sorry state of SC/ST hostels in Chennai City.

Bathroom and Toilet

Bath room and toilet

Verandah

Entrance leading to bathroom and Toilet

Entrance to the Hostel Rooms

Garbage near the bath room

Dinning Hall without table and chair

Main entrance to the Hostel

The United Kingdom Become first victim of Hindu Religious disease 'caste'.

The Virus carriers ‘The Hindu Forum of Briton' Opposing the UK Government Move to declare caste prejudice unlawful under its race laws

Britain could soon become the first western country to declare caste discrimination unlawful by recognising it as a form of racial prejudice if the government accepts the recommendations of a study it commissioned to help it take a decision.

In its long-awaited report, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, a respected independent research body, found “evidence'' of significant “discrimination and harassment'' faced by Britian's nearly 200,000-strong Dalit community.
 “The caste discrimination and harassment identified in this study was by higher castes against the lowest castes,'' it said.



“Relying on the Indian community to take action to reduce caste discrimination and harassment is problematic.''



The study was commissioned to help the government decide whether to exercise its powers under the Equality Act. CasteWatchUK, Britain's oldest Dalit campaign group, hailed the report as “historic''.“It is a great day for us and the Government has no option now but to issue an order declaring caste discrimination unlawful,” its general secretary Davinder Prasad told The Hindu.


According to the report, cases of caste discrimination or harassment related to “bullying'' at work, discrimination in recruitment and promotions.
There were also instances of people being denied access to services because of their caste.
The report stressed that “caste awareness'' was “concentrated amongst people with roots in the Indian sub-continent''.


“It is not religion specific and is subscribed to by [and affects] members of any or no religion. Individuals may reject the notion of caste, but still be regarded by others as having a caste,'' it said.

The issue has divided Britain's Indian diaspora and right-wing groups such as the Hindu Forum of Britain argue that the Government has no right to intervene in what they claim is the community's internal affair.
Source: The Hindu Dated 26.12.2010

Earlier News appeared in the Hindu Dt 04.09.2010
Caste discrimination — U.K. Dalits win the argument, nearly
There's a palpable mood of optimism among Britain's 2,00,000-strong Dalit community as it
waits for the Government to take a decision on its long-standing campaign for caste discrimination to be recognised as racism. The buzz is that, barring a last-minute hiccup, Britain could soon become the first European, indeed Western, country to declare caste prejudice unlawful under its race laws — a move which will not please New Delhi which has consistently opposed caste being clubbed with race.


Britain's new Equality Act already empowers the Government to declare “caste to be an aspect of race” without seeking fresh parliamentary approval.

Clause 9 of the Act says: “The fact that a racial group comprises two or more distinct racial groups does not prevent it from constituting a particular racial group. A Minister of the Crown may by order — (a) amend this section so as to provide for caste to be an aspect of race …”

Much will depend on the findings of a study it has commissioned to determine the extent of caste discrimination. The report of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, a leading independent research body which is conducting the research, is expected in the autumn and campaigners are confident that it will back their own claims about how “widespread” caste prejudice in Britain, really, is.

CasteWatchUK, Britain's oldest Dalit campaign group, says it is no longer a question of “if” but “when” an official announcement is made.

“We have provided enough evidence to researchers and have no doubt in our minds that their report will be positive. Besides, we have full faith in the fairness of the British state. The fact that they have included it in the equality act is half the battle won. It is not a question of ‘if' but ‘when' it happens,” claims its general secretary Davinder Prasad.

There has been widespread cross-party support for the campaign, the “only reluctant voices being those of Asian MPs,” according to Lekh Pall, general secretary of the Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance (ACDA), an umbrella group.

Leads to division


The issue has divided Britain's Indian diaspora and right-wing groups such as the Hindu Forum of Britain have launched a counter-campaign arguing that the Government has no right to intervene in what they claim is the community's internal affair.

Ramesh Kallidai, secretary-general of the Forum, says it is “not right for the U.K. Government to take a position on the rites, beliefs or practices of a particular religion”.

“Social interactions and personal choices are an expression of people's freedom, and any barriers should be removed through education and awareness, not through legislation,” he argues.
In a report, “Caste in the U.K.”, the Forum denied claims of caste discrimination saying its own research had found that it was “not endemic in British society”.
However, a study — “Hidden Apartheid, Voice of the Community, Caste and Caste Discrimination in the U.K.” — by ACDA in collaboration with academics from the universities of Hertfordshire and Manchester and the Manchester Metropolitan University, concluded that there was “clear evidence” of widespread caste-based discrimination.

“There is clear evidence from the survey and the focus groups that the caste system has been imported into the U.K. with the Asian diaspora and that the associated caste discrimination affects citizens in ways beyond personal choices and social interaction. There is a danger that if the U.K. government does not effectively accept and deal with the issue of caste discrimination the problem will grow unchecked,” it said.

The report claimed that “tens of thousands of people in the workplace, the classroom and even the doctor's surgery” suffered discrimination because of their caste. Forty-five per cent of the respondents alleged they had either been treated negatively by co-workers or had comments made about their caste. Nine per cent felt they were been denied promotion, and 10 per cent that they were paid less because of their caste. Some also claimed that they faced “threats”.

One woman, who worked for an Indian-run radio station, complained that she was demoted after her manager discovered her caste background, while an elderly woman alleged that her care worker discriminated against her on caste grounds. One transport company reorganised its duty roster so that a “higher caste” inspector would not have to work with a “lower caste” bus driver. Caste-related name-calling was one of the most commonly-reported complaints.

More often than not, incidents of discrimination go unreported as people are reluctant to talk about them, activists claim with one activist saying that “there is a silent majority out there that we never hear about”.

According to Dr. Gurnam Singh of the department of social and community studies at Coventry University, caste discrimination is a “daily reality” for many. Yet there has been no “systematic” research about the level of caste prejudice in Britain. Anecdotal evidence, however, suggests that it is on the rise, he says.

Meanwhile, even as Dalits are preparing to celebrate what they hope would be a successful outcome of their long struggle there are also fears that the Government could develop “cold feet under pressure from New Delhi”, in the words of an ACDA official. And, if that happens they may take the issue to the European Court of Human Rights.

VCK demands autonomy for States

Food for thought

I am myself a believer in Animas (non-violence). But I make a distinction between Animas and meekness. Meekness is weakness and weakness is voluntarily imposed upon oneself is not a virtue. I am believer in Animas but in the sense defined by the saint Takuma. Takuma has quite rightly said that Animas consisted of two things: (1) love and kindness towards all creatures and (2) destruction of evil doers. The second part of this definition is often lost sight of that the doctrine of Animas becomes so ridiculous. Babasaheb Dr.B.R.Ambedkar

The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) on Sunday demanded that the country be made a confederation of States.

A resolution adopted in the Tamil Sovereign conference here stated that every State should be given autonomy.

Contending that India was an administrative structure created by the British for their exploitation, the resolution said several rights, including linguistic rights and the right to sharing of river water and mines, remained on paper. It wanted the Union government to acknowledge that the country had different nationalities, which should be given due share.

Demanding that States be given 75 per cent share of revenue from Central taxes and additional taxes, the party wanted that the States also be given the right to hoist the flags of State governments along with the national flag in their headquarters.

Tamil Eelam
The conference also vouched its support for creation of Tamil Eelam.
Source: The Hindu Dated 27.12.2010

A quintessential product of Gandhian era

Food for thought

I have never claimed to be a universal leader of suffering humanity. The problem of the untouchables is quite enough for my slender strength. I do not say that other causes are not equally noble. But knowing that life is short, one can only serve one cause and I have never aspired to do more than serve the Untouchables.Babasaheb Dr.B.R.Ambedkar 

Former First and Last Home of Minister of Tamil Nadu From Schedule caste Shri P.Kakkan

When Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi made an unscheduled visit to Thumbaipatti, a nondescript village near Madurai, on Wednesday, it was to pay homage to P. Kakkan (1909-1981), a quintessential product of the Gandhian era of Congress politics which was marked by simplicity and integrity.

Mr. Gandhi's visit came on the eve of 29 {+t} {+h} death anniversary of Kakkan. A few km from Thumbaipatti lies Melur where Rajiv Gandhi, father of the Congress general secretary, unveiled Kakkan's statue in June 1988.

Like many persons of his generation, Kakkan too was drawn to the national movement and was arrested during the Quit India struggle in 1942. He was sentenced to one and a half years imprisonment. His parliamentary innings began with his election to the State Legislative Assembly in 1946. He went on to become a member of the Constituent Assembly. Kakkan also had the distinction of getting elected to the first Lok Sabha in 1952 from the Madurai constituency (Scheduled Castes).

Two years later, he became the first SC person to occupy the post of president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. In 1957, Kakkan found a place in the second Kamaraj Cabinet. Initially, he held the portfolios of Public Works and Harijan Welfare. Later, he was put in charge of other portfolios including Home, Agriculture and Food. In the Bakthavatsalam Cabinet (1963-67), he was Home Minister.

In the 1967 Assembly elections when the Congress was swept out of power, Kakkan also lost. He was defeated by O.P. Raman of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the Melur South (SC) constituency. When he contested in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections as a candidate of the Congress (Organisation) in Sriperumbudur, he again lost.

Gradually, he withdrew from active politics.

In December 1981, he died at the General Hospital here following prolonged illness.

In August 1997, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi unveiled a bronze statue of the Congress leader in Madurai and declared open a memorial at the birth place of Kakkan in February 2001. A postal stamp in honour of the Congress leader was released in 1999 in memory of the Congress leader.
Source: The Hindu dated 25.12.2010

Wall adjoining Dalit colony creates controversy

Food for thought

"It is your claim to equality which hurts them. They want to maintain the status quo. If you continue to accept your lowly status ungrudgingly, continue to remain dirty, filthy, backward, ignorant, poor and disunited, they will allow you to live in peace. The moment you start to raise your level, the conflict starts. Untouchability is not transitory or temporary feature; it is eternal, it is lasting. Frankly it can be said that the struggle between the Hindus and the Untouchables is a never-ending conflict. It is eternal because the religion which assigns you the lowest status in society is itself divine and eternal according to the belief of the so-called high caste Hindus. No change warranted by change of time and circumstances is possible".Babasaheb Dr.B.R.Ambedkar

WALL IN DISPUTE:Dalits at Nagarajapuram on the outskirts of Coimbatore city are upset that a wall has blocked the access from their colony to the main road.

A seven-foot high and one-km long wall built between a colony of Dalits and a new layout is turning into an issue of untouchability here.




Residents of Nagarajapuram, a Dalit colony at the Veerakeralam-Vedapatti border near the city, alleged on Friday that the wall had denied them direct access to a main road. Alleging that the wall was a symbol of discrimination, the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front has taken up the issue with the government and district authorities.



On directions from the State government, District Collector P. Umanath deputed two Tahsildars — Lakshmikanthan (South) and S. Sundararajan (Coimbatore North) — to carry out an inspection on the site. They inquired with the residents in the colony and also inspected the layout being developed by a realtor on the other side of the wall. District Convenor of the Front U.K. Sivagnanam said hundreds of Dalit families had been living in Nagarajapuram since 1976.



The local residents said that the real estate promoter probably feared that the sites may not fetch good price if Dalits had access to the main road through a link road in the upcoming layout. The link road should connect the colony with the main road that stretched from Thadagam Road to Thondamuthur.



The residents claimed they had been told that there was no link road passing through the layout. The area adjacent to the wall was earmarked for a reserved site. A park was to be created on it.



Jyothimani, a resident of the Dalit colony, said that for reaching the main road now, the residents were forced to take a detour for more than a km. The other long route to the main road could not be used by women because of a liquor shop on the way, she said.



After inspection, Mr. Sundararajan said a surveyor had been sent to measure the boundaries and ascertain the exact position of the compound wall. The local body concerned would be asked to check whether the layout was an approved one and whether the roads and reserved sites had been handed over to it. Justice would be rendered, Mr. Sundarrajan added.
Source: The Hindu Dated 25.12.2010

2,000 agitating Adivasis in jail since December 14

Food for thought

"I tell you, religion is for man and not man for religion. If you want to organise, consolidate and be successful in this world, change this religion. The religion that does not recognise you as a human being, or give you water to drink, or allow you to enter in temples is not worthy to be called a religion. The religion that forbids you to receive education and comes in the way of your material advancement is not worthy of the appellation 'religion'. The religion that does not teach its followers to show humanity in dealing with its co-religionists is nothing but a display of a force. The religion that teaches its followers to suffer the touch of animals but not the touch of human beings is not a religion but a mockery. The religion that compels the ignorant to be ignorant and the poor to be poor is not a religion but a visitation!" Babasaheb Dr.B.R.Ambedkar. 

Nearly 2,000 Adivasis and activists demanding forest rights in Nandurbar are under arrest since December 14 in various jails in Maharashtra, but their crime was not that they protested in support of their demands.


“When we asked for some corrections in the written reply to our demands, the Collector objected and said we were not withdrawing our agitation. Finally our demand that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the SIMI [Students Islamic Movement of India] must be banned became the bone of contention,” said Pratima Pardeshi of the Satyashodhak Grameen Kashtakari Sabha, which is leading the protest. The ban on right-wing groups had been a consistent demand of the Sabha, she clarified.

The Nandurbar district administration issued a statement, which was published in local newspapers, saying the Sabha had demanded a ban on right-wing groups such as the VHP in its 29-point charter of demands, among other things, to which it could not respond or take a decision.

However, the demand for a ban on the right-wing groups had nothing to do with the arrests, Collector A.T. Kumbhar told The Hindu. The Adivasis and the activists were on an indefinite protest outside the Collectorate from December 13, and the main demand was the implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

Mr. Kumbhar said he held discussions with Sabha leaders, including Kishore Dhamale, who was arrested later, and they asked for a written record of the meeting. “We did provide them with the record, but they wanted some corrections made, which we accepted,” he said, denying the administration had demanded action against the protesters. “I am not against Adivasis as is being made out to be,” he pointed out.

The VHP angle was false propaganda, these people had violated prohibitory orders and other laws, he said. The government was facing criticism for the arrests, and Mr. Kumbhar backtracked by saying that the matter was being taken out of context and out of proportion. Some 1,962 people are being held in various jails in Dhule, Aurangabad and Nashik, he said.

The main problem here was that claims for forest land were rejected without reason, Ms. Pardeshi pointed out. The people were demanding measurement of land using Global Positioning System, which was not being done. There were 17,000 appeals pending, the Collector confirmed.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Neelkanth Mhaske clarified that those under arrest were given bail on December 14 itself, but most of them refused to leave the jails.

Mr. Mhaske said the agitators got restless when their demands were not replied to in writing and staged a rasta roko. They started entering the Collectorate and cooked food.

“The Collector also gave a report, asking us to take action and the police had no alternative but to register cases. They did violate the rules but we have been very lenient,” Mr. Mhaske added.

They were arrested for violating prohibitory orders, trespassing and using loudspeakers beyond the permitted 10 p.m. deadline, among other things. Of those under arrest, 600 are women.
Sourec: The Hindu Dated 25.12.2010

Untouchability Eradication Front warns of direct action

Food for thought 

"My religious conversion is not inspired by any material motive. This is hardly anything I cannot achieve even while remaining an Untouchable. There is no other feeling than that of a spiritual feeling underlying my religious conversion. Hinduism does not appeal to my conscience. My self-respect cannot assimilate Hinduism. In your case change of religion is imperative for worldly as well as spiritual ends. Do not care for the opinion of those who foolishly ridicule the idea of conversion for material ends. Why should you live under the fold of that religion which has deprived you of honor, money, food and shelter? " Babasaheb Dr.B.R.Ambedkar

The Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), will get into direct action to open the pathway leading to the agricultural lands of Dalits, which was allegedly closed by a caste-Hindu family at Kalkeri village in Denkanikottai taluk, P. Sampath, State President of the Front, said here on Thursday.

Raising voice:P. Sampath, State President, Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, addressing a demonstration demanding action against a caste-Hindu family responsible for closing the pathway to the agricultural lands of the Dalits in Kalkeri village at Denkanikottai on Thursday.

In his address at a demonstration organised by the Front before the Taluk Office in Denkanikottai, he said that in spite of several rounds of peace talks conducted by the revenue authorities, the atrocities on Dalits continued in the village.

Mr. Sampath accused the police of failing to take action against those indulging in the atrocities and those who blocked the pathway.

If the authorities failed to remove the block within a month, the Front will launch direct action.

Temple entry stir

He said due to the temple entry agitation of the CPI (M), the police escorted the Dalits into the temples in the village on January 1, 2009. Angered over this, caste-Hindus blocked the pathway.

Peace talks were conducted by the District Revenue Officer and subsequently by the Sub-Collector, Hosur on June 4 this year after which the pathway was opened in the presence of the Tahsildhar of Denkanikottai the next day. But it was closed again.
Source: The Hindu dated 24.12.10

DMK will fight for SC status to Dalit Christians: Chief Minister

Food for thought
"Some people think that religion is not essential to the society. I do not hold this view. I consider the foundations of religion are essential to the society. At the roots of Hindu social system lies a Dharma as prescribed in the Manusmriti. Such being the case I do not think it is possible to abolish the inequality in the Hindu society unless foundations of the Smriti-religion is removed and a better one laid in its place. I however, despair of Hindu society, being able to reconstruct itself on such a better foundation". Babasaheb Dr.B.R.Ambedkar.

Dalits be aware!!!This is Election Times. Promise and assurance will come from all quarters for Dalits to appease them for getting their votes.





The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam will take up the cause of Dalit Christians in Parliament to grant them constitutional reservation, its president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi announced here on Thursday.




Taking part in the ecumenical get-together organised by Christuva Nallenna Iyakkam (CNI) in which all the dioceses in the State participated, he was categorical that the demand for Scheduled Caste (SC) status for Dalit Christians “is not only just but also indisputable.”



When Dalits who had joined other religions had been given such a constitutional status, why those who had joined Christianity alone should be denied this benefit, he asked. “If necessary we will even lead an agitation,” he added.

Heralding the festival:Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi cutting a Christmas cake at a function in Chennai on Thursday

He was responding to the submission of Archbishop of Mylpore A.M. Chinnappa and also Peter Alphonse, MLA that such a situation, which came into existence through a Constitutional Order in 1950, continued even now despite the efforts of Mr. Karunanidhi.



The Chief Minister also announced that he would concede two other demands of the Christian leaders—educational grant for all schools up to 12 {+t} {+h} which were offering Tamil medium and also Most Backward Class status for various castes among Christians on a par with Hindus.



Mr. Karunanidhi, paying an eloquent tribute to Christian missionaries for their service to Tamil Nadu and Tamil literature, said the house where Caldwell resided at Ilayangudi in Tirunelveli District would be declared a memorial and his statue would be unveiled at a function to be held in that district next month.



Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin also recounted the yeoman service of Christian missionaries with regard to Tamil literature and pointed out that it was Caldwell who contended that Tamil was a classical language. Besides, it was G.U. Pope who had translated a large number of Tamil works into English.



It was these missionaries who were instrumental in bringing out the first dictionary in Tamil and who had translated Thirukkural into Latin.



S. Inigo Irudayaraj, chairman, CNI, welcomed the gathering. Those who spoke included Rev. V. Devasaghayam, Bishop of Chennai Diocese, Rev. Ezra Sargunam, ECI Bishop, D.G.S. Paul Dinakaran, chief of Jesus Calls, D. Mohan, pastor of Pudu Vazhvu –Assembly of God, Rev Charles Binny Jospeh from Forum of Pendegoste units, and Jessinda Quadras, principal, Stella Maris College. Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Minorities Commission Vincent Chinnadurai proposed a vote of thanks.
Source: The Hindu Dated 24.12.2010

The Cetral Information Commission has issued fresh direction for publication of Proactive disclosure with in 120 days from 15.11.2010

Food for thought
"Lost rights are never regained by appeals to the conscience of the usurpers, but by relentless struggle.... Goats are used for sacrificial offerings and not lions". Babasaheb.Dr.B.R.Ambedkar.

Kudos to State and Central Government SC/ST employees District co- ordination committee, Pudukottai for being instrumental in bringing a direction to public authorities by CIC that the mandatory information to be made available all the Government websites. A similar action by various Association of state and central public sector under taking would bring truth against the discrimination of SC/STs by various ministries and department. Such actions required especially in education, employment and welfare matter of SC/STs.



The Association representing nationalized banks should set an example by bringing the truth through RTI that the nationalized and private banking and financial sectors were neglecting the orders issued by government to uplift the SC/STs in giving loans and employment and promotion.


The RTI is a powerful weapon in the hands of SC/ST welfare Associations to get the truth of discrimination unleashed against SC/ST by bureaucrats. The Association office bearers even inspect the rosters maintained by various departments and ministry, to avoid victimization by the bureaucrats against the office bearers of SC/ST Association of particular department and ministry, the association office bearers of different department and ministry can interchange the inspection reservation roster work among themselves.
copy of letter written to CIC.

From: A.Sundararaman,
Dt co-ordinator
State and Central Government SC/ST
Employees Dt co-ordination committee.
Dr.B.R.Ambedkar Illam,
23,Chidambaram Nagar,
Tamilnadu,
Pudukottai-622 001.


TO:- The Chief Information commissioner,
         August Kranti Bhavan,
         Bhikaji Cama Place,New Delhi-110 066.

Sub:-Publishing of Rosters in the Department Website.

Respected Sir,
This is regarding publishing information on reservation rosters in departmental websites. The department of posts maintaining circle and regional level websites for the benefit of general public as well as staff working in the department. The Right to information act is stipulated that all public authority maintaining all its records shall be made available in the websites.

The purpose of publishing this information on the websites that the public have minimum resort to the use of RTI act to obtain information. This Association is observed that reservation roster being a record maintained at various level of the department to monitor the percentage of reservation given to SC/ST/OBC and PH in various cadres appointment and promotion is not published in the websites.

To promote the transparency and accountability in maintaining the rosters ,We request you to consider publishing the reservation rosters maintained by various authorities in the Departmental websites so as to bring the transparency in implementation reservation orders properly and in it is maintained in diligent manner as and when any recruitment made and promotion resorted to.

Since the act came into effect for more than 5 years the department of Posts is yet to publish the reservation rosters in the regional and circle websites. It is bring to your Kind notice that as per the following sections of RTI act-2005,

4(1) (b)(V) “Every public authority shall-Publish with in one hundred and twenty days from the enactment of this act, the rules, regulations ,instructions ,manuals and records, held by it or under its control or used by its employees for discharging its functions”.

4(2) “It shall be a constant Endeavour of every public authority to take steps in accordance with requirements of clause (b) of sub section (1) to provide as much information suo motu to the public at regular intervals through various means of communication, including internet, so that the public have minimum resort to the use of this Act to obtain information.

4( 3) for this purposes of sub section (1) ,every information shall be disseminated widely and in such form and manner which is easily accessible to the public.

We hope that the department will take sincere effort to publish the reservation rosters in all websites maintained by it as per the above RTI act.


Date:2309.2010

Place:Pudukotai                                                                                                       Yours faithfully
                                                                                                                                 Sd….

                                                                                                                                 /A.Sundararaman/



Copy to:- 1.Sri Brahampal ,GS,AIPTSC/ST EWA,New Delhi
2.Sri Kumaravel,CS,AIPTSCSTEWA,Chennai-
3.The National commission for SC
4.The National commission for ST
5.The Secretary ,Departmentof personnel & Training,New Delhi
7.The Secretary Department of Posts,NewDelhi.


Copy Dirction Issued by CIC on 15.11.2009.
CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION
New Delhi
CIC/AT/D/10/000111  Dated 15.11.2010

Implementation of Section 4 of the RTI Act
Direction to Public Authorities u/s 19(8)(a) of RTI Act
Commission has been noting in its decisions that although the RTI Act has now been in place for five years, a key element of the law ― voluntary disclosure by public authorities, enshrined in Section 4 of the Act ― has not been fully implemented in letter and spirit. There are, no-doubt, departments and public authorities, which are more transparent and open than the others, but most do not conform to the matrix of disclosure set-out in Section 4.

2. Transparency has not become such a good idea because of the presence of the RTI Act, but it is good because transparency promotes good governance. Of the records, documents and files held by public authorities, a very large part can be made available for inspection, or be disclosed on request to the citizens, without any detriment to the interest of the public authority. This has not been done, or has still not been systematically addressed, largely because of an intuitive acceptance of secrecy as the general norm of the functioning of public authorities. This mental barrier needs to be crossed, not so much through talks and proclamation of adherence to openness in governance, but through tangible action ― small things, which cumulatively promote an atmosphere of openness.

3. Section 4 of the RTI Act randomly lists out some of these steps / actions.

4. The following aspects need to be noted:-

(i) Secrecy in the functioning of the public authority should be the exception and not the norm, since as stated in the Preamble to the RTI Act, transparency of information is vital to a functioning democracy.
(ii) Oftentimes public authorities are unable to decide on what records and documents to be made public, or what parts of its action to be made open, mostly because of poor record-management-practices, which make it difficult to take focused decisions about what records to be made routinely available to the public.

Therefore, the first step towards promotion of transparency in the functioning of the public authority should be an improvement in the record-management practices. Section 4 lists-out the ingredients of record management in some detail.
(iii) When the record management practices are fully established in the public authority, the next step is to categorize the documents in terms of what can be disclosed voluntarily and what cannot be voluntarily disclosed.

The second category could be some sort of a negative list ― a list of documents which a public authority is not in a position to bring into the open-category straightaway, but would examine its disclosure under RTI Act.
(iv) The record-management practice, as much as possible, should be technologically driven. Technology should be used
for efficient and wide dissemination of information subject to availability of resources and know-how.
This is an additional requirement to the proper record-management practice commended by Section 4.

(v) While Section 4 enjoins public authorities to perform certain tasks for voluntary disclosure of information within 120 days of the commencement of the Act, i.e. on 12th October, 2005, it allows them “reasonable time” for putting in place a good record management practice supported by technology.
(vi) Section 4 also enjoins Public Authorities to update the proactive disclosures every year.

5. The time has come now when the public authorities must start a sustained drive to inform their governance practices with transparency and to take the series of small steps required to put in place a system which promotes it. Section 4 provides only a window to possible actions and, much more will need to be done in order to achieve the type of goals which are envisaged.

6. Therefore, by powers vested in the Commission by Section 19(8)(a)
of the RTI Act, we direct that the obligations set out in Section 4 of the
Act be discharged by the public authorities as per the time-limits set out
against each activity
I. Record Management Obligation:
Section 4(1) states that every public authority shall —
a) maintain all its records duly catalogued and indexed in a manner and the form which facilitates the right to information under this Act and ensure that all records that are appropriate to be computerised are, within a reasonable time and subject to availability of resources, computerised and connected through a network all over the country on different systems so that access to such records is facilitated;
This translates into the following action points:-

1. Catalogue records and index them for easy dissemination and disclosure.
2. Computerize records in a phased manner subject to availability of resources.
Similar obligation is also cast on public authority by Section 4(1)(b)(vi) and Section 4(1)(b)(xiv), which enjoin publishing within one hundred and twenty days from the enactment of this Act,—
(vi) a statement of the categories of documents that are held by it or under its control;
(xiv) details in respect of the information, available to or held by it, reduced in an electronic form;”
It is directed that all public authorities implement the above obligations within 6 months (except for no.2 above).
II. Personnel related details and functions of public authorities:
The relevant portions of Section 4 calls upon public authorities to carry out the following:-
“b) publish within one hundred and twenty days from the enactment of this Act,—
(i) the particulars of its organisation, functions and duties;
(ii) the powers and duties of its officers and employees;
(iii) the procedure followed in the decision making process, including channels of supervision and accountability;
(iv) the norms set by it for the discharge of its functions;
(v) the rules, regulations, instructions, manuals and records, held by it or under its control or used by its employees for discharging its functions;
(vii) the particulars of any arrangement that exists for consultation with, or representation by, the members of the public in relation to the formulation of its policy or implementation thereof;
(viii) a statement of the boards, councils, committees and other bodies consisting of two or more persons constituted as its part or for the purpose of its advice, and as to whether meetings of those boards, councils, committees and other bodies are open to the public, or the minutes of such meetings are accessible for public;
(ix) a directory of its officers and employees;
(x) the monthly remuneration received by each of its officers and employees, including the system of compensation as provided in its regulations;
(xi) the budget allocated to each of its agency, indicating the particulars of all plans, proposed expenditures and reports on disbursements made;
(xii) the manner of execution of subsidy programmes, including the amounts allocated and the details of beneficiaries of such programmes;
(xiii) particulars of recipients of concessions, permits or authorisations granted by it;
(xv) the particulars of facilities available to citizens for obtaining information, including the working hours of a library or reading room, if maintained for public use;
(xvi) the names, designations and other particulars of the Public Information Officers;
(xvii) such other information as may be prescribed; and thereafter update these publications every year;”
7. Public authorities were to have implemented these obligations within 120 days of the coming into force of the RTI Act on 15th June, 2005. In our experience, the action in this regard has been rather tardy. It is time that these directives of the law are fully implemented in a systematic manner through time-bound action. Commission, therefore, directs that these actions as ordained above shall be completed by all public authorities within a period of 120 days from the date of this order.
8. Commission further directs that,
(i) The information in compliance with Section 4 obligation by public authorities shall be uploaded on a portal to be set up exclusively for this purpose by the CIC
(a) to oversee the implementation of the Section 4 obligation by public authorities, and to apprise the top management of its progress.
(b) to be the interface for the CIC regarding the progress of (a).
(c) help promote congenial conditions for positive and timely response to RTI-requests by CPIOs, deemed-CPIOs.
(d) to be a contact point for the public in all RTI-related matters.
(iii) Names of the Transparency Officers shall be communicated to the Commission by public authorities.
9. Commission wishes to emphasise, that as laid-down in Section 4(2) of the RTI Act, it should be the constant endeavour of every public authority to take steps in accordance with the requirements of clause (b) of sub-section (1) to provide as much information suo-motu to the public at regular intervals through various means of communications, including internet, so that the public have minimum resort to the use of this Act to obtain information.

10. Unless the key requirements of Section 4 are fully met by the public authorities ‘suo-motu’, the objectives of this Act as enshrined in
its Preamble and Section 4 itself cannot be realized. Hence this directive.

11. Each Ministry or Department shall forward the directives to Public Authorities under their jurisdiction exercisable under Section 25(2) of RTI Act, 2005.

( A.N. Tiwari )
Chief Information Commissioner
(Annapurna Dixit) (Satyananda Mishra) (M.L. Shjarma)


(Shailesh Gandhi)                               (Sushma Singh)                 (Deepak Sandhu)

Central Information Commissioner Central Information Commissioner Central Information  commissioner



Authenticated By :-

( Aakash Deep Chakravarti )

Joint Secretary(Law) & Additional Registrar

Same issue –Different news coverage by caste media

The Dalit students Road roko  on the issue of lack of basic amenities in SC/ST hostels in Chennai on 21.12.2010 bring traffic to a halt in the busy hours .  The caste media instead of visiting the hostels to cover the plights of SC/ST students differently projected the protest as if a great damage caused to the society .  similar instance of sudden road roko by bus crews and mock security drill at US consulate were given different color.  The caste media coverage on different occasion for the same incidence on the following dates appeared in the media.  The impact on the public , views  and tone of coverage are left to the readers to draw their own inference!!??

The Time of India  DATE: 22.12.2010

How 200 students BROUGHT THE CITY TO    A HALT

COMPLAINING OF POOR FOOD, LIVING CONDITIONS, 200 ADI DRAVIDAR HOSTELITES BLOCK TRAFFIC ON ANNA SALAI

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

   Enraged by poor conditions in an overcrowded government hostel at Saidapet, some 200 students decided to send a message to the authorities on Tuesday, but Chennai commuters ended up paying for it.
   Virtually everyone who tried to use the southern stretch of Anna Salai in the morning rush hour got a taste of the protest by MC Raja Adi Dravidar Hostel residents, which held up traffic for almost five hours.    For most part of the drama, policemen stood watching helpless as higher-ups sought to avoid action that would “aggravate the situation.” Finally, it took a visit by minister for adi dravidar welfare Tamizharasi to pacify the protesters and bring the demonstration to an end.
   The city was heading into the rush hour around 8.40 am when students emerged from the hostel raising slogans against poor food and living conditions and blocking traffic from Saidapet to Nandanam. The road was clogged in no time, with traffic jams extending to lateral roads.
   After beat policemen failed to disperse the protesters, a team led by joint commissioner P Sakthivel arrived at the spot at 10.20 am to discuss the issue and get the students to move aside to clear traffic. But the protesters, now having swollen in number, would have none of it.
   As the agitators remained stubborn, the traffic police began diverting vehicles, but this too resulted in pile-ups on Cenotaph Road, Kotturpuram, T Nagar, Adyar and Pondy Bazaar.
   At one stage, a policeman lost his cool and swung a lathi, injuring an aggressive student. This angered the crowd further. In a conciliatory gesture, Sakthivel then hugged the student. Eventually, the minister and Chennai collector V Shobana arrived at the spot at 12.30 pm, held discussions for over an hour promising to look into the problems immediately, and got the protesters to disperse.
   However, the damage was done. On a day when the 108 ambulance service received 103 calls from the public, an unspecified number of ambulances carrying patients in distress were stuck in the jam. A pregnant woman with her mother was stuck in an autorickshaw in Saidapet. Several others, like E Stephen who missed a flight to Hyderabad, missed flights and trains. M Nandagopal, who could not reach his office in Medavakkam, said, “Why can’t the students go to the chief minister and show their protest?’’    But, the students were unrepentant. “Come and see the food we eat, the filth we live in,’ said R Karthikeyan, a student. Another Syed Faisal said the hostel had a capacity for 400, but it was being used to accommodate over 1,000 students.
   Asked why the police did not forcibly remove the students, a senior officer said: “We were told the minister and the collector will sort out the issue. And that we don’t want a Law College-like situation.” 

PROTEST ROUTE
8.40am Trouble brews as students spill on to Anna Salai and block traffic on both sides of the road
10.20am Joint Commissioner P Sakthivel tries to buy peace with the students and urges them to allow smooth flow of traffic
12.30pm Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Welfare Minister Thamizharasi and Chennai collector V Shobana arrive at the spot to pacify the striking students
1.20pm A group of students break away from Saidapet and move towards the Thevar statue on Anna Salai and try to stage a another protest but are mildly lathicharged and led away
1.40pm The situation eases after the minister assures the students action will be taken on a war footing

The Times of India Dated: 05.10.2010 

DMK Councillor’s Son ‘Assaults’ MTC Bus Driver Triggering A Flash Strike In The City, 4 Arrested

TIMES NEWS NETWORK in second page

Chennai: Commuters had a harrowing time on Monday as drivers of Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses went on a flash strike demanding the arrest of those who assaulted three of their colleagues in Mogappair on Sunday night.
   With over three-fourths of the 3,500 buses off the road, commuters had to depend on overpriced autorickshaws and overcrowded share autorickshaws to reach their destinations during peak hours. Those who chose to travel by train found it difficult to even get tickets as there were long queues at the counters at many stations in the city and the suburbs.
   In many places like Guindy and Ambattur Industrial Estate, a large number of people, including women, were seen walking for several kilometres to reach their workplaces.
   “I didn’t know why there were no buses on the roads. Today my school reopened after quarterly exams, but I returned home after waiting for a bus in vain,’’ said Prakash, a Class 10 student of a private school in Virugambakkam. Manju Priya, an office-goer in Ashok Nagar, said, “I had to walk upto Vadapalani to get to work. While share autorickshaws were running full, autorickshaws were demanding 150 to 200. Having no other go, I chose to walk all the way.’’
   Initially, only drivers and conductors at Anna Nagar West, KK Nagar, Perambur, Ambattur and Avadi depots resorted to strike but by 10 in the morning, almost every depot had joined them. By then, every bus stop and terminus in the city was seen overflowing with crowds.
   At noon, several transport employees’ trade unions announced that they had withdrawn the strike after the police arrested four persons who allegedly assaulted their colleagues.
   “Services resumed only around 3pm. Drivers should think about people’s sufferings when they stage agitations. Police should have taken immediate action to avoid the strike,” said Meenakshi Sundaram, an MTC commuter in Thirumangalam.
   MTC managing director V Babu said that by evening, the transport corporation had taken steps to reduce inconvenience to commuters. As many as 1,800 of the 3,500 buses were plying on Monday, he said.
   Many MTC officials said the issue was difficult to handle because some unions had tried to politicise it in view of the elections scheduled for next month. A DMK councillor’s son was involved in the assault on the driver.
   Thirumangalam police arrested Ambattur councillor Anbu’s son Senthil Suresh and his friends Stalin, Murugan and Udayakumar on charges of damaging public property, causing grievous hurt to public servants on duty and attempt to murder. The four were remanded in judicial custody and their car seized.
   There are two versions of what triggered the quarrel. One is that Senthil Suresh and his friends, while returning home in their Scorpio, tried to overtake an MTC bus (61E, coming from Koyambedu to Keezhkondaiyar) near Avadi for more than half a km and when they finally managed to do so, they assaulted the driver, Dinakaran.
   Another version is that Dinakaran was driving rashly and hit a two-wheeler. Angered, Senthil Suresh overtook the bus and confronted the driver, who allegedly spat in Suresh’s face.
   Police said Suresh and his friends also damaged the windshields of a few other MTC buses in the vicinity. In the attack, Dinakaran and transport employees Kathirvel and Umapathy suffered injuries and were admitted to the government general hospital.

The Times of India DATED: 26.11.2010

after ‘TERRORISTS’ AT US CONSULATE

Commando Drill Brings Traffic To A Halt on Anna Salai

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: It was said to be Roemer’s day out; but it turned out to be a day of rumours—and a lot of inconvenience to the Chennaiite. On a day when US ambassador Timothy Roemer was in the city, the police conducted a security drill resulting in long hours of traffic pile-up and rumours that terrorists had sneaked into the US consulate near Gemini flyover.
   It all started at 3.07pm when the police control room got a call informing that six terrorists had infiltrated the US Consulate on Cathedral Road and a blast was heard. Senior police officials insisted that only the top brass knew it was a drill and that the commandos were reacting as if to a real life situation.
   Traffic was either halted or diverted on roads near the consulate, resulting in snarls along the arterial Anna Salai, Cathedral Road, Nungambakkam High Road and Kodambakkam High Road. Many side roads were also clogged as vehicles tried to avoid the main roads. Later, city police commissioner T Rajendran told reporters that commandoes acted fast, storming the consulate and nabbing the ‘terrorists’ in 45 minutes.
   Things moved much slower outside, as motorists honked and cursed. “The traffic was moving smooth and then suddenly all hell broke loose,” said Gireesh Kumar who was caught in the bumper-to-bumper traffic near Thousand Lights.
   The chaos on the roads continued till 6pm, well past the operation that ended at 4.40pm. “I took an hour and 20 minutes to cover the two-kilometre stretch between Anna Statue and Gemini flyover,” said a motorist on his way to Nandanam from the Madras high court.
   For the commandos, however, it was a thrilling assignment. Under the command of additional commissioner Shakeel Akhter, 50 personnel from the Tamil Nadu commando force were used as a quick reaction team (QRT). A few officers from the local police acted as a quick reaction unit (QRU). “As per the plan, QRT had to go inside and nab the terrorists and detect bombs, while QRU sanitised and cordoned off the entire area around the consulate,”said Shakeel Akhter.
   By 3.50pm the team had set up a command centre at the St George’s Cathedral next to the consulate. Eight commandos scaled the church wall to enter the consulate premises, while a few others took up positions on the Gemini flyover, with their sniper guns aimed at the consulate. “In a stealth operation, the commandos nabbed the ‘terrorists’,” Akhter said.
   Police dogs, three-month-old Ruby and 15-month-old Kukki, sniffed around and detected a bag of explosives. “We used some materials with the smell of explosives and the dogs were supposed to detect it,” said Akhter.
   The US consulate officials were happy with the drill, but the public were not. “I understand the security concerns, but they could have done this on an holiday. Ambulances were also stuck in the traffic jam. Will the police do the same thing when, say, the chief minister is moving on a road?” said L Muneeswaran, an autorickshaw driver.
   Rajendran had a stern reply to this. “In a real life situation where there is a terrorist strike, the public may have to put up with traffic jams that can last over 20 hours. This one took only two hours. Without some hardship nothing can be achieved,” he said.
   In the recent past, Chennai police had carried out drills like Operation Barricade and Operation Hamla. With every operation, senior police officers study the response time and make improvements, Rajendran said.
AN ATTACK THAT WASN’T
At 3.07pm, city police control room got a call informing that six ‘terrorists’ had infiltrated the US consulate
By 3.50pm, a QRT team set up a command centre at St George’s Cathedral next to the consulate
Eight commandos scale the church wall to enter the consulate premises, while a few others took position on the Gemini flyover
By 4.40pm, the ‘terrorists’ were nabbed

CAN WE EXPECT THE FOURTH PILLAR WOULD UPHOLD DEMOCRACY AND WOULD BE A WATCH DOG WITH THE BIASED MEDIA COVERAGE?????