Nov/20/2011

Now, northeast & south come closer

Until Friday night, Bijan Sonowal could think of nothing much other than his uncle Niranjan's kidney ailment and their upcoming journey to Vellore for his treatment.

On Saturday morning, some of that anxiety lifted for Bijan, a resident of Silapathar of upper Assam's Dhemaji district. When he and other members of his farming family boarded the train for Vellore at Dibrugarh, they learnt they were going to be part of a historic journey.

They were passengers on the inaugural run of the Vivek Express, a new weekly train that now boasts the longest rail route in the country – 4,286 km all the way from Dibrugarh in upper Assam, to Kanyakumari at the southern tip of Tamil Nadu, that will be covered in 82.30 hours.

“We are really happy and proud to learn that we are travelling on the longest rail route of the country on the very first day,” Bijan told The Hindu after the train crossed New Tinsukia junction, its first stop. “I have kept aside my worries about the treatment of my uncle for a while to enjoy every bit of the journey because it is going to be a memorable one for me.”

The family will get down at Katpadi junction in Tamil Nadu from where the hospital in Vellore city is a drive of 20-25 minutes.

Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region Paban Singh Ghatowar flagged off the train at Dibrugarh station in the presence of Assam Revenue Minister Prithibi Majhi and General Manager of North East Frontier Railway Keshav Chandra.

This train left in the morning, but the regular weekly service, which will begin on November 26, will leave at 11.45 p.m. every Saturday, reaching its destination at 10.25 a.m. on Wednesday.

Before this, the Himsagar Express running between Jammu Tawi and Kanyakumari had the longest run, covering 3,715 km.

Hundreds of Malayalee families living in Assam and other Northeastern states are equally excited about the new weekly train.

Members of the Kerala Samajam of Dimapur are planning to give a befitting welcome to the train when it arrives at Dimapur station on November 27, the day after the regular service begins.

“It is a long cherished dream of Malayalee people living in Dimapur and beyond to board a direct train. It will be really beneficial for the passengers from the entire region,” said Abraham Kuriakose, member of Kerala Samajam, Dimapur.

Mr Abraham said that Kerala Samajam, Dimapur, has about 300 Malayalee families registered with it and for a long time they had been fighting for introduction of direct train from Dimapur.

Revenue staff top the list of corruption cases

The Revenue Department has topped in the number of corruption cases booked by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption in the last two years.

This pertains to traps laid by the police relying on complaints from the public against government employees demanding bribe. Of the total 319 trap cases registered by the agency between April 2010 and October 2011, Revenue Department officials were involved in 69. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and Police Department followed with 29 and 28 cases, a source in the DVAC said.

The trap cases are in addition to the 130 regular cases booked by the agency based on intelligence, surprise checks and petition enquiries. “The awareness level has increased over the years and people are coming forward with complaints against officials seeking bribe to do their work. Even the police are not spared when they demand bribe…we have arrested many Inspectors/Sub-Inspectors by laying traps,” a senior DVAC official said.

A thorough verification is done before registering a complaint lodged by petitioners. “We take independent official witnesses along while laying the trap. The rate of conviction is high in these cases as the offence is also corroborated with scientific evidence,” the official said.

Pointing out that the number of cases against a few departments did not mean that there was no corruption in others, the official said that public interaction with Revenue, TNEB and police was high on a daily basis and hence the complaints.

“There are offences which are mutually agreed upon between the employee and beneficiary. For instance, a contractor may voluntarily give bribe to an official in some departments to award a contract in his favour or overlook some discrepancies in the quality/ specifications of the work. There cannot be a complaint in such cases…”

Traps usually follow a demand for bribe followed by transaction in cash between the complainant and the accused. “This mostly happens in individual cases at lower levels. Though huge transactions cannot be ruled out at the decision-making level in other departments, we cannot intervene unless there is a specific complaint or blatant discrepancy in quality of work/service. Where the officials and public collude, there is little scope to act on corruption,” he said.

When individuals have specific knowledge about corrupt practices in a particular government service, they can inform the DVAC. “We are not bothered about the identity of the informer. What matters is the quality of information,” he said. The information could be conveyed to the agency through contact particulars given on its website www.dvac.tn.gov.in or in person.

Saif Al Islam’s fate hangs in balance

Libya’s Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib has pledged to conduct a fair trial for Saif Al Islam al Qadhafi, captured on Saturday, switching on an intense debate about the capacity of his country, which has multiple and fractious centers of power, to deliver justice based on rule of law.

At a late evening press conference on Saturday, held in Zintan, a staunch anti-Qadhafi stronghold, west of capital Tripoli, Mr. Keib announced: "I want to assure our people and all nations of the world that Saif and those with him will be given a fair trial, with the guarantees of local and international law."

The Prime Minister addressed the media after Mr. Qadhafi, son of slain Libyan leader Muamaar Qadhafi had been airlifted to Zintan following his capture. Qadhafi's son, viewed for some years as the former leader’s possible successor was apparently seized outside the oasis town of Awbari, just before he, along with a small loyalist group was set to dash across the Libyan border, possibly into Tunisia.

Despite Mr. Keib’s assurances, there are fears that in a trial handled by Libya’s new rulers, who have assumed power after a bitter civil war against Qadhafi forces, there was high risk that Mr. Qadhafi would face death penalty. Alternatively, Mr. Qadhafi’s life would be spared if the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is not constituted to award death penalty, steers the trial. In June, the ICC had indicted along with his father, Mr. Qadhafi and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi on charges of crimes against humanity following a crackdown against anti-government protesters.

Libya’s interim rulers have already hinted darkly that Mr.Qadhafi was likely to be charged with crimes that, under the Libyan system of justice, carry the death sentence. Reuters quoted Mohammed al-Alagy, the interim justice minister as saying: "He (Mr. Qadhafi) has instigated others to kill, has misused public funds, threatened and instigated and even took part in recruiting and bringing in mercenaries." Mr. Alagy affirmed that if convicted of these charges, Mr. Qadhafi could be executed.

On Saturday, Mr.Keib was less than enthusiastic about shifting Mr. Qadhafi from Zintan, a town brimming with raucous armed factions, to the relative security of capital Tripoli. "We trust their (Zintan factions') ability to take care of this," he said. “They will keep him in peace, and take care of him, unlike how he treated our people."

It was fighters from Zintan that apparently had assumed a leading role in capturing Mr. Qadhafi. New York Times is reporting that after tracking his movement in the desert for several weeks, Zintan fighters, on learning that Mr.Qadhafi was breaking out for a border exit, intercepted his caravan. Mr. Qadhafi was captured on foot after he deserted his attacked vehicle. On board the plane that brought him to Zintan, Mr. Qadhafi showed a traveling Reuters reporter, injuries to his now bandaged fingers, which, he said, had been sustained a month ago during the course of a NATO operation.

During his visit to Zintan, Mr-Keib said that the Qadhafi era had finally ended with the latest capture. “Now we can build a new Libya,” he acclaimed, congratulating “all, men, women and children” of Libya.

Under the overhang of the summary executions in October, of Qadhafi and his other son Muttasim, international human rights groups have quickly weighed in to seek ICC’s control over Mr. Qadhafi’s forthcoming trial. Amnesty International has called for Mr. Qadhafi’s immediate transfer to the ICC. Richard Dicker of Human Rights Watch said that Libyan authorities “will send an important message that there’s a new era in Libya, marked by the rule of law, by treating Saif al-Islam humanely and surrendering him to the ICC”.