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7 03 2014
Surrendered of 123 prime properties to Wakf raises many questions
-Vinod Bansal
On last Sunday(March 3, 2014), Government of India declared that “The
Cabinet has approved the de-notification of 123 properties in Delhi
under the control of the land and development office and DDA and
allowing the title to revert to the Delhi Wakf Board!”The
matter got notified vide Gazette of India extra oridinary No. 566 &
S.O. No. 661(E)immediately after declaration of the General election
for the 16th Lok Sabha but, on the very same day.Most of these properties are situated at Prime Locations, many of them having strategic importance and in high-end areas.
The
matter has a history. It was in 1970 that the Delhi Wakf Board (DWB)
notified these properties as Wakf unilaterally. The Union of India
(UOI), in each case, served a notice upon DWB challenging the
notification.
The
UOI thereafter, filed suits in all 123 cases, challenging the
notification. After completion of pleadings, issues were framed and
dates for trial were set up. The case of UOI was that all these
properties were acquired by it. The process of acquisition was completed
in the year 1911 – 1915. The properties had vested in the government.
Later on, some properties were transferred to DDA. But, they never
belong to DWB.
At
present, about sixty of these 123 properties are owned by the Land and
Development Office (L&DO) under the urban development ministry while
the rest lies with Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Most properties
are in and around Connaught Place, Mathura Road, Lodhi Road, Man Singh
Road, Pandara Road, Ashoka Road, Janpath, Parliament House, Karol Bagh,
Sadar Bazaar, Darya Ganj and Jangpura. Anybody can easily evaluate their
importance, with reference to the prime location they are situated at.
In 1974, the UOI appointed a high-powered Committee
under the Chairmanship of Shri SMH Burney to consider the issue of
these properties and recommend about them. Shri Burney was also the
Chairman of DWB at that time.
It
is very easy to understand that what could have been delivered by the
committee. Thus, it produced a dishonest report obviously in favor of
the Wakf. There were at least two properties, one in the lawns of
Vice-President of India and the second was inside the wireless station
where the said high-powered Committee
was not allowed to enter as per its report. Yet, for both of them, as
for 121 others, the Committee found that they were functional Wakfs.
To
appease the Muslim vote bank, the UOI accepted the recommendations of
the Burney Committee and decided to transfer all these properties to the
DWB on lease at Re. 1.00 per annum per acre. This was done vide office order dated 27.03.1984 vide no. J.20011/4/74.1-II, Govt. of India, Ministry of Works and Housing.
This
matter was challenged in the High Court of Delhi by way of Writ
Petition (C) 1512 of 1984 by Indraprastha Vishwa Hindu Parishad &
Others. A stay was granted. Rule was issued. The High Court repeatedly
asked if the UOI had a policy to give back lands to religious committees
on lease from whom it was acquired. There was no policy.
Finally
on 26.08.2010, Shri Prag P. Tripathi, then an Addl. Solicitor General
had to concede and say that the UOI was likely to take a policy decision
in the matter in four weeks. But, No decision could be taken till
12.01.2011.
After a long battle of 27 years by
the Hindu community to protect the public property, the writ petition
was disposed on 12.01.2011 with the following observations:
“Let
the Union of India re-look in the matter and take a decision within six
months from today, till then, the interim order passed by this Court on
01.06.1984 shall remain in force. Need less to say, when we have
directed that the Union of India shall have a fresh look in to the
matter, it shall keep in view the law in praesenti and the factual
position.” All other issues and contentions were left open.
The UOI could not take decision within 6 months from the order. It sought and was granted further 6 months for the purpose.
Instead of protecting its own property, on last Sunday just two days before declaring general election for the 16th
Lok Sabha, The Cabinet approved the denotification of 123 properties in
Delhi under the control of the land and development office and DDA and
allowing the title to revert to the Delhi Wakf Board!
On Tuesday, Shri Ashok Singhal, petron Vishwa Hindu Parishad wrote a letter to the president of Bharat praying for “intervene
and restrain the outgoing Government on the eve of the general
elections from indulging in such acts of vote-bank appeasement and
discrimination against the Hindu society! saying that:
“The
GOI cannot arbitrarily denotify and transfer high-end prime properties,
many of it at locations of strategic importance, to the Delhi Waqf
Board without giving to the Hindu society the Sri Rama Janma Bhumi at
Ayodhya, Sri Krishna Janmasthan at Mathura, Sri Kashi Vishwanath
Prakatsthal at Varanasi, Indraprastha Durg (5,000+ year old Capital Fort
of the Pandavas of Mahabharat fame/Old Fort) near Delhi Zoo, the Vishnu
Dhwaj (Qutub Minar) complex comprising of the Lal Kot Fort &
Qila-Rai-Pithora of the Rajput kings that housed a complex of
twenty-seven ancient Hindu and Jain temples which were destroyed by
Jihadists and their material used in the construction of the
Quwwat-ul-Islam (Might of Islam?) mosque which pattern of terrorist
statement they made everywhere else including at the Temple Mount in the
Old City of Jerusalem, the holiest site in Judaism, superimposing on it
the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They have made similar land-grabbing political
statements on over 30,000 places of worship of the Himalayan Tradition
all over Bharat-varsh. The GOI has also flouted all legal processes in
the matter. It is totally unlawful and unconstitutional”
The
last minute decision of the union cabinet, specially called on Sunday
and notifying it on the date of declaring General elections, raises many
questions i.e.:
1. Isn’t it an act, which is unlawful and unconstitutional?
2. Whether the Govt. can de-notify and transfer properties to one religious committee, ignoring the other.
3. Why
does Hindus are being deprived of their right to get a glorious temples
at the birth/spiritual place of lord Ram, Krishna, Shiva Etc.
4. Isn’t
it a violation of model code of conduct as the decision, on the eve of
declaring general election by the election commission, is purely intends
to woo Muslim vote bank?
In
the absence of a national policy in the matter serving the cause of
national and cultural interest of the country, the so called pseudo-secular politicians
may frequently play with the sentiments of the peoples and safety &
security of the hard earned property of public importance. Our
judiciary and the Election commission should also impose curbs on these
appeasement policies & political malpractices. Lastly, in no way,
anybody could be allowed to take such decisions, contrary to the public
interest, to meet their hasty intentions.
**The writer may be contacted at 9810949109 or at Vinodbansal01@gmail.com**
Vinod Bansal
9810949109
9810949109
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INDIA IN SHAMBLES, ONLY THE JUDICIARY CAN SAVE US
7 03 2014
” INDIA IN SHAMBLES, ONLY THE JUDICIARY CAN SAVE US”
By SRI K C AGRAWAL
Book released on 7th March, 2014 at Press Club of India, New Delhi
On this occasion Sri Agrawal said that the post-independence era has seen us toil unremittingly through these 66 long years.
Sorrows, sufferings, and uncertainties of life have become the order of
the day for the common man. All our hopes are belied and we stand
cheated. There seems to be no difference between slavery then and
freedom now. If we look back, the present is only an agony and
frustration of our shattered dreams and broken promises.
While
our guardians enjoy the riches of their self-rule, the people are left
in the lurch to live or die with their own miseries. The approximately
5.85 lac odd villages where about 73 percent of our people languish
continue to toil under almost the same conditions of poverty,
illiteracy, ignorance, and backwardness as they did before independence.
It grossly flouts the pledge taken by our founding fathers when struggling for freedom.
People
from all walks of lives are disgruntled and frustrated. A state of
anarchy can be felt in all walks of life and a rebellion in the making.
Protests and agitations are now a regular feature of our country. Forty
percent of our country is infected with Maoism, Naxalism, Terrorism and
Seditious activism. Demands for divisions and freedom of States are
echoing from many quarters of the country and can be heard aloud.
Consistent failures of our Legislature and Executive are no more acceptable. The basic objectives of our Constitution viz., ‘economic freedom’, ‘dignity’, ‘equal status and opportunity’ and ‘fraternity’ must now be fulfilled.
Mere
freedom is meaningless unless the people are also free from their
perennial wants and uncertainties of life in terms of livelihood,
shelter, education and basic necessaries of lives.
Part
II of the book narrates how can we still place our country amongst the
most prosperous and powerful nations in the world through a responsible
and accountable system of governance by making optimum use of our
resources involving all the people of the land. Presently only a few
working for the rest makes little sense.
According
to Mr Agrawal good governance is like a good mother who works hard for
her living and rearing her children. The children also cling to her in
affection because they know their mother was doing her best to take care
of them. The book attempts to find out that mother for the people of
India with the help of learned judiciary. Establishing the government is a matter of the Constitution and the
Constitution is above the Parliament and Judiciary is the Custodian of
the Constitution. The Judiciary is empowered to oversee that the
Constitution is practised in its true letter and spirit by the
Legislature and the Executive.
According
to Mr Agrawal the consistent failures of the governments has happened
due to some inconsistent and contradicting provisions in our
Constitution. One of these contradicting provisions is Article 37 of Chapter IV, Directive Principles of State Policy. It
stipulates that Article 38 on socio-economic requirements (same as the
basic objectives of the Constitution) will be fundamental in the
governance of the country and Legislature shall endeavor their utmost to
accomplish these objectives in as short a period as possible. But if
the Legislature fails to accomplish this, the same shall not be
justiciable in the court of law. This contradicting provision has
germinated into large scale laxity and impunity amongst the Legislature
and the Executive culminating into no accountability and no
responsibility. This work culture has also permeated through the entire work force of the government down the line.
Judiciary
in context with Article 37 has, however, interpreted in Kesavananda
Bharati case that what is fundamental in the governance of the country
cannot be less important than the Fundamental Rights of the people. This
interpretation is a great hope and is like a silver lining in the dark
clouds. This makes Article 38 also equally justiciable like the
Fundamental Rights of the Constitution are. For fulfilling Article 38 on
socio-economic requirements vis –a-vis basic objectives Mr agrawal has
suggested three reforms in the electoral process viz;
Elections every 5 years are a sacred process to elect worthy guardians and establish a responsible and accountable system of governance. Our
present process of elections is highly abusive and obnoxious due to
luring the voters. Luring the voters masks the performance of the
Legislators and shifts their focus from constructive work to reliefs,
handouts, dole-outs and freebees etc. and allurements of quotas and
reservations. Similarly accusing and nagging the rival parties and
candidates also mask their own worthiness. All such acts germinate into
no responsibility and no accountability of our guardians and encourage
incapable and dubious characters enter the politics.
Just
and fair elections must take account of the actual developmental work
carried out by the parties and candidates in the past and their future
plans to accomplish the Basic Objectives of the Constitution. This is
their basic incumbency. Without this specific promise the elections
shall remain obnoxious and a self inflicted curse for the people of
India.
Mr Agrawal also insists for majority of votes.
The present lure of Politics (due to no accountability and no
responsibility) attracts many contestants from a constituency. As a
result number of contestants is large and one may get elected by
securing just 10-20% votes of their Constituency. This surely is not a
mandate of the people and therefore not legal. The Statutes and Laws
made by them in the Parliament or State Assemblies in true sense are not
legal. He therefore proposes for a two round system as adopted by some
countries. It shall also help in weeding out the dubious characters.
Mr Agrawal also talks to stop criminalization of politics.
For this to happen he proposes to debar a tainted candidate from
contesting elections. Similarly must be debarred a sitting Member of
Parliament or State Assembly until he is acquitted by law. Presently the
Parliament and Assemblies have large numbers of such dubious
characters. It is not only a blemish on our Parliamentary system of
democracy; it also acts as a horrendous retardant in the proper
governance of the country. It gives rise to callousness and malevolence.
According to him the
Law of humanity stands above all and demands the care of deprived and
long suffering people of our country first rather than a tainted
person or Legislator enjoying full liberty, dignity and authority while
they themselves are largely responsible for the persistent poor plight of our people.
Talking
of inconsistencies, one of them is lack of qualification of our
Legislators, Articles 84 and 173. It permits any Tom, Dick or Harry to
be our guardian and destroy the nation to his whimsical overtures. For
this anomaly to redress the Judiciary may direct the Parliament to
define ‘qualification’.
The
other is our Civil services, Article 311. These services are required
to create means and avenues for self determination of the people and to
develop the rural sector, create infrastructure, municipal and civic
services and all that makes the facet of the nation. This Article
extends them laxity and no responsibility and no accountability while
they are bestowed with enormous powers and authority. Mr Agrawal
suggests redressing this Article to make it effective and accountable.
Mr Agrawal
has also suggested to upgrade CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) on
the lines of a third eye system similar to that of USA, to have a
surveillance of Legislators and Executives on a real time basis to
monitoring their activities and performance and nipping the rising
occurrences of scams and corruption in the system right in the bud and
save precious time of CBI and Vigilance Commission in investigations and
that of learned Judiciary in their adjudications. This may also
establish a fiduciary relationship of the government with the people of
India.
Presently also CAG does this but their findings become public only
after the crime is already committed, serving little purpose of their
findings and creating more controversies.
K C Agrawal
9810191394
Website: indiainshambles.com
PS: Please provide me your e-mail id and mobile number to send you this release on internet.
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19th European Union Film Festival
7 03 201419th European Union Film Festival
Today at 10:47 AM
Dear Friends,
Please note that the 19th European Union Film Festival is currently going on in New Delhi .
The Italian feature film ‘Easy’ (Scialla) is scheduled for screening
on Sunday, 9th March 2014 at 6.00 p.m.
atBritish Council, Auditorium 17, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi
Entry is free. Seating on a first come first served basis.
Regards,
Italian Embassy Cultural Centre
50-E, Chandragupta Marg,
Chanakyapuri, New Delhi – 110 021
Phone:0091-11-26871901/03/04
Fax:0091-11-26871902
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7 03 2014
HP Unveils Fastest 60-inch Dye-ink Production Printer
The new HP Designjet D5800 Printer provides easy integration into existing low-cost printing environments
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New Delhi, India, 6 March 2014 — HP today announced the new HP Designjet D5800 Production Printer, the fastest 60-inch dye-ink production printer(1) in its class, available with improved reliability and robust media handling features.
The new printer will integrate seamlessly into
existing low cost print environments and allow copy shops and print
service providers to continue using the inks they rely on for their
existing HP Designjet 5500 printers.
Featuring speeds of up to 128 sqm/hr in fast mode and 24 sm/hr in production mode for polypropylene, (1)
the HP Designjet D5800 printer will enable around-the-clock printing of
high-quality prints such as backlit graphics, point-of-sale displays,
roll-up banners and indoor signage in vivid color. The HP Designjet
D5800 Production Printer, which replaces the HP Designjet 5100 Printer,
will be available in Asia this third quarter.
The printer is easy to maintain in-house with a
single print head that can be used for each color and replaced in a
snap. It also offers automatic print head cleaning as well as access to
convenient service and support should challenges arise.
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7 03 2014
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
cordially invites you to a Conference
at 9.00 a.m. on Friday-Saturday, 7-8 March 2014
in the Seminar Room, First Floor, Library Building
on
‘Vernaculars Underground:
Histories, politics, aesthetics’
in association with
Brinda Bose
and
Prasanta Chakravarty,
Marg Humanities and University of Delhi, Delhi
Concept Note:
Is
it possible to create something of a larger platform for humanities
studies by stepping outside of academia to think about it more
rigorously, clearly, reflexively? Can we think about arts and literature
through ways and means that are calm and raw, capricious and angry, and
yet deeply analytical and sensual? Can we ponder and underline afresh
the visceral and expansive political core that the humanities bequeath
us along with an edgy sense of aesthetics, in these times of
grandstanding, networking and spinning fashions? Is it at all possible
to talk about literary movements in times of globalization, or are
people who are passionate about the humanities destined to remain
independent, sectarian and fractious? There are remainders and reminders
around us. We just choose not to see them. Or we may be unaware of
them, but certain people do exist in our part of the world—those who
have been able to keep out of circuits of power and influence and be
invested in local causes and commitments, and given their lives to full
blooded love of literature. Not naively, but sometimes with a detached
zeal, and sometimes with a sense
of
immediacy and urgency. They have paid a price for their convictions.
Our academia and our festivals have been successfully able to keep them
out of important venues and podiums. Political parties have been mostly
wary of their ways and methods. They have sometimes been persecuted and
ostracised. Often they have lived strange lives—suspended. But
indomitable souls that they are, they have been able to channel their
endless energy into creative pursuits, in ventures hitherto un-thought
of. Their silent commitment to the humanities is easily revealed when
they wield pens to create poems touched by magic, when they talk and
walk, when they come together to write a collective manifesto. They
still believe in humour and tragedy. They meet personal and social
conflict and antagonism headlong. They detest civility. They affirm
life, above all. Therefore we shall shun all forms of goodness. And
eschew the podium and arc-light culture on March 7th and
8th at the NMML. We shall expend our energies instead on thrashing out
some difficult questions about the world of little magazines, blogs and
other minimal literary practices in contemporary South Asia. And drawing
upon those debates, try and find entry points into larger questions of
and about the humanities. We will have two days of literary and
political adda —on the very nature and idea of underground literature in
India and its prospects.
We hope to provide a platform where we can exchange notes and tactics for future directions in the humanities, where we can have a serious give and take about our craft and job, but by looking outside of institutionalized academia for our concerns. We shall de-academize academia as we know it and as most of us practice it. We shall have editors, writers and bloggers from Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, Kerala, Delhi and Bangladesh at ‘Vernaculars Underground: Histories, Politics, Aesthetics’ on March 7 and 8, 2014.
We hope to provide a platform where we can exchange notes and tactics for future directions in the humanities, where we can have a serious give and take about our craft and job, but by looking outside of institutionalized academia for our concerns. We shall de-academize academia as we know it and as most of us practice it. We shall have editors, writers and bloggers from Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, Kerala, Delhi and Bangladesh at ‘Vernaculars Underground: Histories, Politics, Aesthetics’ on March 7 and 8, 2014.
Programme Schedule: Friday, 7 March 2014
9.00 a.m. – 9.05 a.m.
Introduction
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Handover of the ‘PAHAL’ Archive to NMML sent by Mr. Gyanranjan, Editor of Pahal, to NMML, facilitated by MargHumanities’
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9.05 a.m.- 9.15 a.m.
Opening Remarks:
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Prasanta Chakravarty
and
Brinda Bose,
MargHumanities, University of Delhi, Delhi
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9.15 a.m.- 11.00 a.m.
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Session I:
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Chair and Discussant:
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Himanshu Pandya,
Academic, Writer (Hindi),
Rajasthan
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Speakers:
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Anil Yadav,
Journalist, Writer,
Lucknow
‘Sinews of the Political in the Hindi Underground’
Ashok Pande,
Editor, Writer, Kabadkhana blog (Hindi),
Haldwani, Uttaranchal
‘The Simple Joys of Rag-Picking’
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11.00 a.m.-11.15 a.m.
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Tea and Coffee
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11.15 a.m.–1.00 p.m.
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Session II:
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Chair and Discussant:
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Jitendra Kumar,
Freelance Journalist (Hindi),
New Delhi
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Speakers:
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Amit Sengupta,
Journalist, Academic, IIMC,
New Delhi
‘Parallel Cinema of the Media Industry:
The difficult and stimulating narrative of small is beautiful’
Shawon Akand
Artist, Activist (Bengali and English),
Bangladesh
‘Beyond the Colonial Hangover:
Alternative art and politics in Bangladesh’
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1.00 p.m.– 2.00 pm.
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Lunch
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2.00 pm.- 4.00 p.m.
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Session III:
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Chair and Discussant:
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Rajarshi Dasgupta,
Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi
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Speakers:
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Anil Acharya
Editor, Writer, Anustup (Bengali),
Kolkata
‘The Dynamics of Change in Bengali Periodicals’
Devabrata Sharma
Editor, Academic (Assamese),
Jorhat
‘Vernaculars versus Vernaculars:
Assamese, Bengali and tribal languages
Avik Banerjee
Editor, Proprietor, Dhyanbindu (Bengali),
Kolkata
‘Like a Spider’s Web’
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Saturday, March 8, 2014
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9.00 a.m. -10.40 a.m.
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Session IV
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Chair and Discussant:
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Anil Yadav,
Journalist, Writer,
Lucknow
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Speakers:
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Probodh Parikh,
Writer (Gujarati and English), and Faculty,
Whistling Woods, Mumbai
‘Literature as Politics:
Little magazines in post-Gandhi Gujarat
Satish Kalsekar,
Poet and Editor (Marathi),
Raigad, Maharashtra
‘Marathi Little Magazines and the Dalit Question’
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10.40 a.m. -11.00 a.m.
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Tea and Coffee
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11.00 a.m. – 12.45 p.m.
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Session V
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Chair and Discussant:
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Mihir Pandya,
Writer, Editor, Blogger (Hindi),
New Delhi
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Speakers:
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Jayaprakash,
Editor, Writer (Malayalam),
Mumbai
‘Calls from Posterity:
Voices of little magazines addressing the future
Moushumi Bhowmik,
Singer, Song writer, Music Researcher,
Kolkata
‘Lessons in Listening:
The story of The Travelling Archive’
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12.45 p.m.– 1.45 p.m.
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Lunch
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1.45p.m. – 3.30 p.m.
|
Session VI
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Chair and Discussant:
|
Reyazul-Haque
Editor,
New Delhi
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Speakers:
|
Giriraj Kiradoo
Writer, Editor, Academic (Hindi/English/Rajasthani), Lakshmangarh, Rajasthan
‘The Art of Self-deception in the Real Estate of Colonizing Angels’
Varun Grover,
Lyricist, Lead Writer, Jay Hind (Hindi),
Mumbai
‘Undo Your Buckles (‘Andubaksai’ in Kanpur)’
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3.30 p.m. – 3.45 p.m.
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Tea and Coffee
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3.45 p.m.- 4.30 p.m.
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Closing Discussion
Pallav, Reyazul Haque, Himanshu Pandya, Rajarshi Dasgupta, Avik Banerjee
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Vote of Thanks
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PAHAL
(meaning ‘a beginning’ in Hindi) is one of the most influential
literary magazines in Hindi that has seen uninterrupted publication
since the early 1970s. Published from Jabalpur by Mr. Gyanranjan, noted
Hindi novelist and short-story writer, the magazine publishes poetry,
fiction, non-fiction, critique and essays concentrating on issues of
contemporary interest. Although the publication does not have a declared
periodicity, three to four issues are normally brought out every year.
Over nearly 35 years of publication, 85 issues have been published.
PAHAL has
never been archived as a complete collection in its 35 years of
existence. MargHumanities is delighted to facilitate the handover of the
PAHAL collection by Mr. Gyanranjan, its editor, to the Director of the
NMML for a home in its library.
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