As a country grappling with political and infrastructural problems, there are very few issues that do not evoke extreme, often diametrically opposite, reactions in India. Population control Bills, vaccination policy, farmer income initiatives, river water sharing mechanisms or surrogacy laws—there is no dearth of topics that have triggered controversy, and …
It may sound sick, but for the survivors of the supercyclone that lashed Orissa on October 29, it was perhaps easier to have perished. Or maybe not, because the dead are not going away. They are present in the stench of rotting corpses and carcasses, which bears the ominous portents …
Somehow the tobacco industry has been with us for the last three months or so. When Dietrich Schwela, the World Health Organization's (who) urban health expert based in Geneva, came to participate in a workshop organised by the Centre for Science and Environment (cse) on urbanisation and environment, he repeatedly …
The birth of chaos Measures to control floods have backfired in Bihar. Flood related damages and flood prone areas have only increased since independence, and so has corruption. The two are closely related I n many ways the state of Bihar is unique. It is resource rich, but the people …
It is well-known that it is very easy to siphon off funds from earthwork projects, says D K Mishra. Perhaps this was the reason why politicians in the 1950s pushed hard for embankments to be built along rivers in Bihar. The money siphoned off from such projects was used to …
This north Indian state is today a land of paradoxes. It is known both for its mineral wealth and its abysmally poor people. Here we can find corrupt bureaucrats, flushed with funds and personal wealth and a state as deprived of money as the poor who eke out a miserable …
• The embankments of Kamla Balan have been breached on several occasions. In 1963, when the river burst its embankments near Ramghat, it submerged villages such as Kharbar, Gangapur, Gunakarpur and Belhi. In 1964, the left bank on the Lakhnour block was breached near Daiya Kharbari. • In 1965, innumerable …
politicians: A means to generate funds for the party's coffers • Used the concept of shramdan (voluntary labour) to exploit the people • Awarded contracts to their relatives and party workers • Failed to maintain proper accounts contractors: Saw earthwork as an easy way to make a fast buck • …
In 1855, the British government decided to embank the Damodar river in order to prevent flooding. With the construction of watertight embankments on the Damodar, the flood control picture started getting "brighter'. William Willcocks, a British irrigation expert came to India in the 1920s. In a series of lectures, he …
Corruption is not confined to earthworks and flood control measures alone. It is all over and all embracing. Many politicians today face charges of corruption in Bihar. The names of a few are given below. In the wake of CBI investigations into the Rs 950-crore fodder scam, Laloo Prasad Yadav …
The entire state is today held in thrall by criminals and private armies. The river can erode values, not just soil. Corruption in the management of the environment can corrupt society. A case to note is the infamous Bhagalpur "blindings' in Bihar. In the early 1980s, the Bihar police blinded …
Why have flood-control measures failed? You must understand that the water comes from Nepal. We must stop it there. Embankments were constructed as a secondary measure. But the primary aim of the government has been to construct the Barahkshetra dam in Nepal, which will help control the water release. Why …
How and why did the rivers curse Bihar? It all began with a group of young politicians in the 1950s. To them goes the credit for pushing the idea of building embankments. This was done in the name of trying to tame the rivers of the state. In the 200 …
Bihar is a unique state. It was the seat of learning, culture and civilisation. As far back as 326 bc , when Alexander the Great came to India, Bihar was the regional superpower. Rather than engage the united troop strength of the Magadha Empire, the Greeks preferred to station a …
In his address to parliament, president K R Narayanan said that the new government's development strategy will rest on a 'triad': the government will provide a strong policy and regulatory leadership; the private sector will bring dynamism and efficiency to the economy in a competitive environment; and, local democratic institutions …
What do Digvijay Singh, Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kumar Chamling have in common? A simple answer would be that they are all chief ministers. But they have more in common than just that. Some time back, in February to be precise, we put all three on the cover of Down …
"In framing a government to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this; you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself''.
F inally , the government has decided to hike the price of diesel. The timing was politically right. There was no political cost attached to it. As the last round of polling ended and the counting of votes began the government decided to act. The price of diesel went up …
WITH September 17, the next date for the Supreme Court (SC) hearing on the air pollution case in Delhi, approaching, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has suddenly done a volte-face. Despite the Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas (MPNG) having submitted an affidavit to SC, stating that it will …
IN GERMONY Sweedan and the Netherlands, protecting and caring for the environment has become part of the culture. This high level of public awareness pushes the politicians and the industry towards looking for genuine changes in policies and laws. By contrast, it is just a greenwash here in France. The …
