Whispers Forum

The National Day Of Green Hills Govardhan Pooja it is called but it celebrates Green Hills. Is there any other country among the member states of the UN which celebrates the Day Of The Green Hills? Perhaps not. Those familiar with the ecology of the Brijpradesh or territory of Brijbhoomi would vouch for its fragility and need for protection, preservation and conservation of the hills. They are the life line of the area, with land quality not the best and forests not dense enough. The Mahabharat serial locations are from some parts of the region. Visitors to Jaipur by road would note the slaughter to which lovely green hills have been subjected out of ignorance. May be, fear of getting branded anti-secular deters even the leaders and civil society members from acknowledging the great value Hindu thinkers had attached to mountains (Kailash Mansarovar, Himalaya, Arunachal, Sabrimala, Samvetshikhar and scores others granted the status of being “sacred”) and hills. Are we not a more environment conscious society?
M L Gupta

There are 3 organs of the State, the judiciary is only one of them. There is well laid down separation of powers and each organ has to ensure the line is not breached by it. The principle of checks and balances ensures that the balance is maintained and checks are in place to deter encroachments. But if one violates the line and acts arbitrary, is there any remedy? Yes, the remedies are there. But applying those checks to maintain balance and lawful exercise of power assigned separately to each organ may be painful and thus needs to be avoided. The parliament is supreme. The judiciary can subject laws passed by the parliament to judicial scrutiny to ensure that the constitutional provisions are not violated. This is how one organ exercises check on the other. Who checks the judiciary if it violates the doctrine of separation of powers and the principle of checks & balances? The parliament has that responsibility to check the judiciary when it acts unconstitutional or arbitrary; violates the constitution relating to separation of powers and the principle of checks & balances. The executive is accountable to the parliament and comes under its authority for separation as well as checks & balances purposes. The judiciary is entitled to scrutinise government decisions when challenged before it and in exceptional cases on its own also. But it can’t behave like the supreme council of ministers. I draw authority for this conclusion from Sir Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer: “The doctrine of independence is not to be raised to the level of a dogma so as to enable the judiciary to function as a kind of super-legislature or super-executive”. Many more legal luminaries have held the same opinion. Even Jawaharlal Nehru, first prime minister of India, held similar views. Quoting them all here would make it a long article, but interested readers ought to study the subject without getting carried away by shallow, superficial, inane and paid opinions in the print and electronic media. The constitution of India has not made any one organ “SUPREME”; they are all EQUAL and are obliged to respect that constitutional mandate. It is disturbing to note that the supreme court of India has been indulging in repeated violations of these principles, ordering the government of India left and right in a highly peremptory tone (complete inquiry in 10 days; file affidavit in 10 days). If the court shows same urgency in cases before it, there would be no pending court cases and the figure of 3.5 crore pending cases will come down drastically, may be, even zero. Judges are wise because they are learned and this has to be reflected in their language, honest, fair and unbiased orders, opinions, views, remarks, observations. Democracy in India will suffer if the judges act as judicial officers of the state and lawyers and journalists at the same time. Let them show restraint in the Rafale deal between France & India. Also, judicial reforms must start right away and completed in the next 3 months. This business of affidavit, notary etc. has stymied even a healthy legislation like the Consumer Protection Act, which was envisaged to be a system free of lawyers, but has turned into a legal complexity dominated by all the ills of a decadent and corrupt justice dispensation system.
M L Gupta

The unveiling Of Statue Of Sardar Patel by Prime Minister on October 31st was such an unusual and spectacular show. It was unlike any other unveiling of statues which proliferate in many states. This was something different apart from its becoming the tallest statue in the world. The use of technology in its unveiling and the sights that followed took one's breath away. Prime minister deserves all the praise in conceiving and conceptulizing this idea. As for Mayawati's criticism of BJP criticising her attempt at statues to her mentor Kashi Ram and Dr. Ambedkar at Noida and elsewhere while themselves going on this big project in Gujarat, my answer is that while her project in Noida swallowed thousands of trees and destroyed the best green belt of the town there was no destruction of any type for Statue of Unity. Instead the whole area around has been developed into beautiful gardens and parks which will please the visitors.
Aarti Khosla

In the budget 2018-19, Govt. of India gave relief to Sr. Citizens that no TDS will be deducted from the interest up to Rs. 50,000/- in a year on FD and Sr. Citizens account in post offices and banks but post offices are deducting TDS even if the interest is Rs. 20,000/ in a year. They do not take any responsibility citing the reason software is not taking care of this aspect. Every post office in its sweet will deducting TDS making the case taxable knowing fully well that the interest in a year is less than Rs. 50,000/. Secretary, Department of Post is fully responsible for getting this directive implemented through centralise software modification. Now TDS has been deducted and Sr. Citizens will fae difficulty to claim it back from Income Tax department. More than six months have passed after budget presentation but the correct action has not been taken. Who is responsible for such lapses? Govt. has to fix such slips in the system otherwise real benefit of the scheme is not passed to the concerned persons. It is appreciated if Secretary, Department of Post make sure that software take care of not deducting TDS from Sr. Citizens if interest rates are less than Rs. 50,000/ in a financial year from FD and Sr. Citizen accounts and modification is done at the earliest so Sr. Citizens are not put to inconvenience. Deducting TDS from the permissible limit give the wrong image of Govt. like getting Rs. 15 lakhs. Wishing for correcting it early.
Naveen

Kudos to Apex court’s interim order on CBI muddle. Let country wait for final verdict . But, the buck cannot stop here, irrespective of whether the two accused get clean chits or not.
The damage done to public morale due to internal war within CBI, is irrevocable, irreversible . It would be premature and inappropriate to comment on the culpabilities of the alleged offenders ,the matter being sub-judice and under court-monitored investigations.
But, it needs to be clearly understood that since both the accused are identified , brazenly supported by different political parties, they stand compromised. Hence, rendered automatically ineligible for re-instatement in CBI. Further still , in order to be just and fair, it would be unethical to give them sensitive assignments in CBI,IB,RAW even after getting clean chits.
The pathetic case of CBI conundrum, is out of the ordinary . Nationwide ramifications impacting peoples’ morale, across the board.
Rahul Gandh’s hypocrisy
Let us probe the dirty role of Congress party. The public was amazed to see the dynast, brazenly leading his protesters for laying the siege around CBI Hq in Delhi. Same drama was enacted by the hired goons outside the CBI regional offices, in States’ capitals across the country. A pre-meditated plan by throwing open the Congis’ dirty-tricks department to create mayhem and paralyse offices. Rahul Gandhi in his youthful , dynastic arrogance led the gherao march to CBI Hq, staging the tamasha of court arrest for sadistic pleasures. Extreme immaturity of a wayward dynast.
Public services offices’s failed to deliver
Officers and staff of Central, States’ governments, their public sector undertakings ,the PSBs, local bodies wasted precious office hours watching the ugly spectacle on TV sets and internets.
After existing vertical split of CBI into two lobbies, position has gone from bad to worse.
Public services offices came to a standstill.
Officers in ministries are gradually losing fear of CBI. A bad signal.
Misplaced confidence in private sector
Executives in private sector and corporate business houses felt more cocky, vainglorious and confident in manipulating government decisions in their favour.
CBI became a punching bag
Officers and Staff of CBI were the worst affected. Utterly de-motivated ,not due to guilt pangs,but due to loss of institutional credibility of CBI.
NSA’s off-the-cuff remark
Worse was yet to follow. National Security Advisor to PM added fuel to fire by adding his political pearls of wisdom : "Weak coalition is bad for country ". Was it a panic reaction ?He behaved more like a Political Advisor to PM than his Advisor on matters of National Security. Strange for a bureaucrat to cross the Lakshman Rekha of Statutary Conduct Rules. Most ill-timed and loaded political statement from a responsible officer at a public platform..
Delhi Police’s faux pas
Detaining four IB’s sleuths caught outside Verma’s home led to their manhandling by Delhi police personnel. Their identifications cards failed to convince the Delhi police.This further reinforced suspicions of distrust between two vertically divided sub-groups within CBI, owing respective loyalties to former Director and Special Director in CBI. Alok Verma was former CP ,Delhi with no exposure to CBI functioning. Asthana had been on deputation to CBI for decades.
CBI, more abused than used
As skeletons keep tumbling out of the cupboards, institutional faith in CBI built over several decades cannot be restored easily .The so-called premier investigative agency has been besieged with several issues starting from (i) political pressures on IOs, (ii) acute shortage of staff and officers,(iii) animosity among the promotee officers, IPS regulars coming on deputation from different States’ cadres and CBI’s home-grown cadres.
Worse, CBI’s home-grown cadre (insiders ) has been getting a raw deal for decades in promotion matters vis-a-vis the deputationists. Squabbling between the Prosecution and Investigative wings,is common. Each wing is more eager in achieving one-up-manship over each other rather than in case solving.
CBI Re-structuring is overdue
All above shortcomings have been detrimental to CBI’s professional efficiency. After vertical split of CBI into two lobbies, position has gone from bad to worse. Time to re-structure the CBI.
Some Questions
• Alleged leakage of information is considered CBI’s enemy No-1
• Is Indian Police Service a divided house. Two vertically divided groups.
• A move is reportedly gaining ground to put an IAS officer as head of organization.
• Clearly demarcated duties and functions. No dual command structure . Plugging all loopholes which were allegedly being misused by the IOs and top officers for leaking critical information to the media and the accused. All officers and staff under IB’s scanner.
Regrettably ,DOP&T, headed by successive Prime Ministers have never bothered to attend to these concerns.
Some corrective steps must be taken immediately to arrest further deterioration of a competent, professional premier investigation agency.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)

According to income tax department data for the first half of financial year 2018-19, while the direct tax collection was 4.9 crore, refunds amounted to as high as Rs 1.1 crore or 22% of the collection. While collections registered a 15% rise, refunds were 31% higher than in the previous year. This shows the futile work that the department is doing in needlessly resorting to indiscriminate tax deduction at source and making citizens file returns just to get back the money forcibly taken from them. There is also the gross injustice to the citizens in that while the department extracts interest @ 1% for every day of delay in tax and advance tax payment from the tax payers, the department does not pay any interest for the first three months of delay on the refund payment. Such unfair extortion is made possible by the arbitrary and citizen-unfriendly law amendments like reducing the threshold limit for TDS on interest income further and further to just Rs 5000 now, abolition of the provision for excluding casual and non-recurring income or even Rs 5000 which was there in the statue earlier. All these steps are not against the big fish but against the small income earners. If the government wants to prove its bona fides to the citizens, they should immediately amend such draconian provisions which are only counter productive and waste of time for the tax payers as well as for the department officials who are only happy because they get paid in wasting their time for such futile work and can also harass the citizens with impunity. Even computerisation has not served to reduce this needless burden on the citizens but has only increased their work in having to file returns unnecessarily for getting back their refunds, while the income tax department is making empty claims about the number of return-filers having increased.
M S Krishnan

It is gratifying to see that the government at last has acted against renegades, who were conspiring against a democratically elected government. The government now needs to crack down on other officers also in senior and sensitive positions, who are leaking information to the opposition, which is clear from various actions of opposition. Nothing short of a purge is required, and action has to be ruthless. There are enough honest, sincere and effective officers available, only they have to be located through internal enquiry,. It is often that if a wrong person is asked, a wrong person is recommended, and we find that indeed this is happening. The bunch of officers who wrote open letter to the PM on selective issues, are also believed to be very much part of those who ensure that wrong people are recommended. Their hope is that if congress returns, they will again be rewarded. Today they are feeling like fish out of water, as they are not getting any patronage.
S Chatterjee

Apropos Whispersinthecorridor’s query on Oct 17,2018 : Will there be an emergency in the country before Lok Sabha polls ?
India needs emergency in the interest of peace and stability.
PM Modi seems mostly focussed on foreign affairs alone. Domestic politics is not in his hands
Administration is left in the hands of bureaucracy and economy under the care of arm-chair Finance minister, a good orator but with zero administrative experience.
Polarisation of politics,Sabrimala face-off and growing violence, Women’s right to pray threatened, Ram temple conundrum, States like West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala - behaving like independent nations within a Republic.
Incessant incursions by China's PLA, Infiltration by Pak's terrorists in J&K on daily basis, the secret club of separatists' and seditionists going strong.
Rahul Gandhi and his chaatukaars have unleashed their dirty tricks department, hell-bent on creating chaos in the country having covert links with proponents of Khalistan, China and Pakistan. Slow or no action by CBI on UPA scamsters.Worsening law &order situation in States which may escalate as we move closer to general elections. More violence is anticipated in the coming days.
Growing insurgency,Congress leaders inciting Police and the Armed forces against the discharge of their duties and normal functioning,
Why not impose national emergency to restore peace and stability in the country?One wonders whether the ruling political dispensation would agree to it, having experienced the rigours of their pre-dawn arrests on June 25,1975 and tortures in jails.
The political correctness or otherwise of the above suggestion should be analysed keeping in view the national security, internal disturbance, insurgency and an undeclared war-like situation on borders.
No restrictions on freedom of Press. But, steps like immediate arrests for indulging in anti-national activities must be enforced.
A K Saxena ( A former civil servant)

In the years 1960s and 1970s,Amritsar citizens had the comfort and luxury of largely availing the hassle-free and affordable local bus service, managed by the Punjab roadways.After the coming into existence of the Municipal Corporation on 29th March,1977,the control of the local bus service, was gradually handed over to it.By the dawn of the early 1980s,the public started feeling the deterioration in the management and consequently service of local bus system.The hue and cry grew exponentially and by the end of the decade ,the service stopped existing.The government through the Municipal Corporation ,once again,made serious effort to start city bus service in the year 2014.A Bangalore company was entrusted the responsibility of operating this service.However,this great facilitation of the locally travelling public,had been officially stopped more than three years back.The buses have not been put to any alternative use or disposed of so far.Before the city bus service was started in the year 2014,Amritsar Bus Rapid Transit system project,on the analogy of Ahmadabad and Istanbul system had been launched on 19 Sept,2013,with the target of completion by Dec,2015.Though most of the project has been completed ,some crucial areas are still to be completed .However the half cooked soup was served to the public near the end of the year 2016,to garner votes in the then ensuing Assembly elections in Feb,2017.The buses are hardly visible on any route in the city.The minister from the city Mr NS Sidhu,is making serious efforts ,for the completion of the project.After the earlier deadlines failed,he has now targeted to complete the project by Dec,2018 .
BRTS is akin to metro rail service,but the corridors made for its operation, are not without barriers..At many places as chowks and essential crossings,the smooth running of bus operations are impeded .The crossing of roads to reach the middle is most dangerous for the weak and the children.The stoppages are not convenient.The other available transport systems are more convenient and cheaply available.The Amritsar citizens have gone through colossal discomfort ,while the project was being completed.The greenery and oxygen has been substantially depleted.And the buses are still not visible on the routes and public is neither enthusiastic about the system ,nor is it hopeful of its success.Mr Sidhu has offered free bus service to the students and for 3 months free service to other persons.People are still sceptical of the success of the project.600 crore rupees have been spent on the project so far..Most of the residents say that the minister was not seeing the reality.They are of the firm view that project should be shunned at the earliest and the roads should be widened.In my opinion, looking at the fate of the past local bus service,the habits of the people and difficult accessibility of the service,the project ,does not have a rosy future.It has to be shunned.Sooner, the better.In certain portions ,trees can be planted,in some jogging ares can be developed.The other corridors should be merged with the roads enhancing their width.Thus,the wealth of the trees will restored.Furthermore,the minister,while he was MP,had given rupees 50 lakh from his own pocket to the district administration to plant trees.It is good for Amritsar that the Sidhu couple has a very high level of credibility and probity.After the legendary couple of Sh Satya paul Dang and smt Vimla Dang of the city ,Sidhu couple has been able to feel the pulse of the masses and have been delivering to them.
In the month of Sept ,2013,Mr Sidhu had threatened to sit on fast unto death,as the govt was allegedly scuttling his pet projects.He wanted setting up of solid waste management project,construction of flyovers,expansion of Bhandari bridge ,construction of multipurpose sports complex in Ranjit Avenue,and installation of cctv cameras for safer environment,He was also unhappy over the transfer of funds from the coffers of Improvement Trust Amritsar to local bodies outside Amritsar.The fast was not undertaken after the written assurance of the govt.But the projects were ignored.His flyovers and expansion of Bhandari bridge dreams have been rolled over the ground.No headway has been made in the case of the most crucial solid waste management project so far,even after the passage of a year and a half.Is he waiting for the similar threat, which he made in 2013,from some other braveheart?Mrs Sidhu had actually sit on fast in Aug 2015.Should she remind him?Seven years have passed since the foundation stone was laid in Nov 2011 for construction of sports complex.It has been heard that fraud has been played with the Improvement Trust,which has paid the entire acquisition compensation and still,the hassle-free possession was eluding it.If and when the sports complex is to be constructed,Amritsar sportmen like Harcharan singh,Bishan Singh Bedi,,kiran Bedi,and Asian and commonwealth medallists must be consulted.
Amritsar was traditionally a green city.Entire walled city was flanked by the beautiful gardens all around it.The galliara yojna and BRTS project has taken the toll of greenery.But the holy city has still great potential.The UBDC from Verka upto Bohrhu Bridge and even beyond has vast land on its banks,The entire area should be developed as greenbelt and jogging parks,It will give back the lungs to the city.Amritsar has many spectacles to see for the tourists ,but its residents also deserve better treatment.Some portion of the historic Company Bagh is like a garbage dump.Entire garden should be beautified.Recently Jaurha fatak ,has come into news.just nearby are located the 40 wells,from where water was supplied to the city more than 80 years back.Beautiful Chaali khuh Bagh here, can cater to the aesthetic needs of more than 3 lakh people.Its regular maintenance can give added advantage to the city as it is located between the Amritsar- Pathankot and Amritsar- Jalandhar Railway lines and travellers can have beautiful view.
Surinderjit singh sandhu IAS rtd,house number 33,Eblock Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar

Hopefully "The Government" must have realized by now the old saying " policewale ki na dosti achhi na dushamani achhi" .
A Visitor
Murky goings on in CBI – shocking
The murky goings on in CBI with two senior most officers fighting and levelling corruption charges against each other are too shocking to comment upon. Is this the way this premier investigating agency conducts itself. Its credibility has been totally eroded. One reason for this is obviously not posting the right kind of people there. While earlier interventions by the Supreme Court did lay a procedure for selection of Director of CBI by a committee comprising of PM, leader of the opposition and the Chief Justice of India, the other officers are handpicked by the Government and one wonders why no 360 rule is made applicable there while even for empanelment at Joint Secretary level and posting in that level and above this most non-transparent method is followed. The whole episode relating to CBI exposes that the organisation is infested with factionalism, self-aggrandizement and corruption. The house can be set in order only if honest, independent-minded and fearless officers are given charge of the organisation. That is possible only if the agency is not used for political ends by any Government of the day.
Aarti Khosla