From :
Ashok Pande wrote:
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Dear Kamalji
We are talking of the Uttarakhand Govt, Most of the employees, ministers are Uttarakhandis. If they are the ones indulging in rampant corruption, eating away the funds meant for the people, where could U get development from? Would Gairsain solve the problem? In an earlier mail I had said Gairsain as capital shall be old wine in New Bottle. No benefits again rather funds for development and maintenance shall be diverted to create Structures, will in turn increase the real estate prices there. Land owners, Farmers, Orchard owners will sell their property to City Dwellers, who will further sell the same to some others, Real estate shall become unreal. Ofcourse modern economy Job Openings shall be created, but what will ultimately happen to the poor farmers. How will they survive in this new economy setup, Will they be able to survive in this New economy setup? Building of a city like capital in the hills will lead to unmeasured environmental damages too.
And who says one can't have e-governance setup in the hills. Kindly do a study on egovernance in AP (started by Shri Chandrababu Naidu) & probably TN, Karnataka(who probably have more population illiterate then our state), has resolved, fast paced governance, helped curb corruption. (BTW Let them eat cake is attributed to Marie-Antoinette (1755-93), the Queen consort of Louis XVI. She is supposed to have said this when she was told that the French populace had no bread to eat.) BTW where a cell phone has reached almost every villager in the nook and corner of UK, has Internet not reached? Even if it is not BSNL landlines can bring Internet within reach. There shall be no need to travel to the capital for every instance, if we have a decentralised role model of governance. If it is really so that villager has to go to the capital for every other resolution of problems, then remove the babus who arent doing their jobs well. Let the pressure be on the babus and Ministers. Hard times seek harsh measures.
My take is don’t insist on a new capital now, Insist on basics, Insist on efficiency, Insist on removal of corruption, Red tapism, Let the benefits of forming Uttarakhand reach the young, old, poor, masses.
As to your blue print on removing corruption, I would seek help of all of you in the same. It should be a joint effort to remove the menace which is cancerous and permeated to all levels not just the top. Brought us to a state where the Leaks are almost the size of Inlets. In a small state like uttarakhand it will not be difficult to identify the corrupt, where almost anybody and everybody goes through it or sees it happening below his eyes.
For a start a small step towards the blueprint.
1) First and foremost let us pass a resolution and involve as many Uttarakhandis to pledge for a Zero Tolerance to Corruption Policy,
2) Create an eforum where all instances, ways, methods employed by various depts in indulging in bribery, corruption, favouritism are described in detail
3) Every instance of any form of Corruption, delaying tactics be reported in this forum. Even apprehensions to be noted.
4) Any instance cited, Complaint lodged shall be moved upto the Minister, CM level, CAG level.
5) Apply as much pressure by media, protests. dharnas that life becomes difficult to the organised crooks in uniform.
6) If issues arent resolved still, further course of action shall be mooted.
I hope the beginning to Zero Tolerance of corruption in Uttarakhand has its first bricks laid here. Shree Ganeshay Namah!
Warm Regds
Ashok Pande
Dear Ashok ji,
I normally don't get time to read mails in detail but this time I made it a point that let me get some time to go through the discussion.
How do you know that we are turning a blind eye to corruption. Wherever I work (alas not in Uttarakhand) as a part of management team we have made it clear that NO Corruption would be tolerated in work. We have a very transparent system and stringent policies in place in our organisation.
Now you would say what I have done for Uttarakhand. I normally dont want to boast for any thing which I have done or am doing BUT let me assure you that whatever little time I get after my office hours that is only for Uttarakhand related cause and believe me I am not doing such discussions only for Gairsain issue but facilitating such discussions from last more then 10 years for various issues pertaining to Uttarakhnad.
Corruption is a there in INDIA also BUT it does not make every Indian as corrupt. If you go through todays news then even PM Manmohan Singh acknowledged that there is corruption, specially among people from high post. At the same time the Judges have agreed to disclose all of their properties in public. So we cant say corruption is only in UK and as I said that we are not saying the corruption is not an issue. This is an issue and people are fighting for that only. If you go through our forum then you will find we have many threads where we discussed about corruption in Uttarakhand BUT since corruption is an issue it does not make Gairasain as non-issue.
Gairsain is also not a panacea and will not solve all the problems BUT this would significantly impact various section of society of Uttarakhand at large. This is what is thought by many intellectuals from Uttarakhand. I can believe that many are getting attached to Gairsain issue only because of emotions but there is section of society which is attached with it only because they see the benefit of society in this movement.
May I know what is your blue print of removing corruption from India. Let us discuss on that and try to help people to implement the same blue print.
You mentioned that "In current Cyber age there is no necessity to travel to the capital,". This reminds me to statement made by Russian queen ....seeing the agitated hungry people she said that if they are not having bread for eating then why don't they eat cakes. If you see the IT and specially internet penetration in India then Internet penetration in India is not more then 1-2%. In India there is 68% of population which is below poverty lines means earning less then 40 Rs/day and these are official figures... reality might be worse then that. So if they cant afford a simple meal then how can they afford internet. So of which Cyber age are we talking?
If you see our forum for getting the Cyber age related data then every month we get more then 2.5 lacs page views in our forum and out of them only 300-400 are from Uttarakhand and that too from the big cities like Dehradoon and Haldwani. We have done the poster campaigns in Uttarakhand also to inform people about or forum. We started career counseling sections in our forum but this has not resulted any increase in views from Uttarakhand. So we all know what is the status of Cyber age in our country and Uttarakhand. May be we are getting myopic since we are having all the luxuries of life so not able to feel the same pain as being felt by fellow Uttarakhandi at remote village. One of our member Pankaj has put it in nice way "For them a poor child is just a nice angle for their picture" let me quote "समझने के लिये दिल चाहिये, जिसमें उत्तराखण्ड बसा हो। उत्तराखण्ड के गांव का अपने एक हाथ से बहती पेंट संभाले हुये, फटी आस्तीन से सिगाँणा पोछता गरीब बच्चा जिनके लिये दर्द न होकर महज एक फोटो का एंगल हो, उनसे हम क्या आशा कर सकते हैं।'
Any ways... I am not asking you to change your views but urging you to see the views of others also and please don't discard them as frivolous or unimportant. They may not be well equipped like you for the so-called cyber age but that does not make them less human.
Waiting for seeing your blue print of corruption removal.
Regards
Kamal
Ashok Pande wrote:
Shaileshji/ Kamalji
1) Its nice some of us are taking umbrage to "Corrupt" word. Just by not. being corrupt but by turning a blind eye to rampant corruption happening below your nose doesn’t absolve you from the adjective.
2) Are we here in the highway to get into any vehicle going anywhere or to a vehicle which leads us us to where we belong- pure, pristine, humane, honest.
I am surprised and amazed at your hurt on my commenting of the unbridled corruption existing in each and every dept of our Govt machinery in Uttarakhand.
When I said we Uttarakhandis are corrupt, I mean the machinery which is responsible for governance and welfare of our brethren who live in the hills with all the handicaps of rugged terrain, Post office economy making them economically disadvantaged, Lack of Employment makes the young migrate leaving the old to take care of themselves.
When I say underdeveloped, I mean the basic necessities like water, quality education, healthcare, employment opportunities in the hills. Do You believe they are hunky dory? When I say crooks - I mean the Forest mafia destroying the forests and mining destroying the environment. Its going on since ages with blessings from your leaders in the state and Delhi. The robbing by the PWD, Electricity Depts can be very well seen if u happen to visit the depts.
When the basic necessities don’t reach the most deserving recipients for rampant corruption, blood boils. And I am amazed we have Maharajas here who wish to ignore the basics
and wish to have another Capital built, sweeping the filth below the carpet. I don’t know what vision you have or what dearness you hold for your matrabhumi, but I believe we should
first clean the filth and rubble before laying foundations of another capital. Capital can be built later too but if the same swines will rule what development do you foresee?
Shaileshji, firstly there should be a drive to cleanse the system before more money is spent on a capital which shall take years to develop and those in power get another opportunity to
take a swipe at funds for Development of new capital. Here lets us patriots should unite with no mercy to corruption, red tapism, nepotism, inefficiency.
In current Cyber age there is no necessity to travel to the capital, for which all of you are making such a hue and cry. Moreover does any of the advocates of Pro Gairsain Capital guarantee
that all your current ills will vanish if the capital is a few hours closer to you abode?
Hope this time the misunderstanding gets corrected,
Warm Regds
Ashok Pande
