Monday, July 21, 2008

धार्मिक संस्थाओं में अव्यवस्था एवं उनके प्रति उपजता नूतन जन आक्रोश

आसाराम बापू के आश्रम से बच्चों का गायब होना और बाद में उन बच्चों की लाशें पाए जाने से अनेक उँगलियाँ संत समाज पर उठने लगी हैं. उपर से उनके भक्तों द्वारा कानून हाथ में लेने से उठे जन आक्रोश से माहौल और गर्म हो उठा है.

इसी प्रकार हम डेरा सच्चा सौदा के प्रति सिक्खों का आक्रोश देख रहे हैं. आक्रोश ऐसा कि शांत होने का नाम ही नहीं ले रहा. संत हमारे समाज को रास्ता दिखाते हैं. उनका इस प्रकार अनादर एक प्रकार से लोगो का धर्म और संतों पर से भरोसे के उठने का इशारा है. संतों को अपने आचरण में और पारदर्शिता लानी होगी. अपने आश्रमों में सुरक्षा के उचित इंतजाम करने होंगे ताकि इस तरह की घटनाएँ न हों. संतों को अपने जन व्यव्हार को भी सुधारना होगा ताकि इस प्रकार की स्थितियां न बनें.

धार्मिक श्रद्धा कब उन्माद का रूप ले ले इस बात का कोई भरोसा नहीं. वैसे भी मेरी राय में सामाजिक-धार्मिक संस्थाओं को अपनी कार्य नीति बदलनी होगी. सब कुछ इश्वर ठीक करेंगे ऐसा सोच कर बैठे रहने से तो असमाजिक तत्त्व ही इस का लाभ उठाएंगे. और धीरे धीरे आम जनता का विश्वास संत समाज से उठने लगेगा और समाज पतन की और अग्रसर होगा इसमें कोई दो राय नहीं.

चेतने का यही वक्त है. अन्यथा बहुत देर हो चुकी होगी.

एक चिंतित भारतीय

Monday, June 16, 2008

उत्तर पूर्व में गोर्खालैंड की मांग की आग से मानव अधिकारों का उलंघन व पर्यटन आधारित अर्थव्यवस्था लचर

एक बार फ़िर उत्तर पूर्व भारत में बिखराव का दृश्य है। मेरे पिछले ब्लॉग में मैंने इसी अलगाववाद की बात की थी। तब यह आन्दोलन शुरू नहीं हुआ था पर इसकी संभावनाएँ बहुत थीं। पूरा दार्जिलिंग, दूआर्स एवं घाटी इसी आग में जल रही है। वे अपने साथ होने वाले सौतेले व्यवहार से दुखी व त्रस्त हैं। शायद इसी लिए वहां का आवाम भी आर्थिक नुकसान उठा कर भी गोर्खालैंड के ही पक्ष में खड़ा दीखता है। क्या सरकार को इतनी सरल सी बात समझ नही आती या यह जान बूझ कर किया जा रहा है। मैं केवल सरकार की उन विभाजनकारी नीतियों की ओर ध्यान दिलाने की चेष्टा कर रहा हूँ जो इसके लिए उत्तरदायी हैं। इसका तत्यार्य यह कदापि नहीं मैं इस आन्दोलन की कार्य पद्यति का पक्षधर हूँ। 

गोरखा जन मुक्ति मोर्चा के श्री बिमल गुरुंग ने भले ही अहिंसा व शान्ति पूर्वक ढंग से आन्दोलन को चलने पर जोर दिया है पर यह बहुत मुश्किल है। घाटी में तो इसके विरोध में नेपाली - बंगाली हिंसा भी देखने को मिल रही है जो इस क्षेत्र के लिए बिल्कुल भी शुभ नहीं कही जा सकती। मैं तो किसी भी जन आन्दोलन में मानव अधिकारों के उल्लंघन का घोर विरोधी हूँ। 

दार्जिलिंग के चल रहे आन्दोलन में कितने ही पर्यटकों को कष्ट झेलने पड़े। उनके मूलभूत अधिकारों का सरेआम उल्लंघन हुआ। इस से न केवल पर्यटन आधारित दार्जिलिंग की अर्थव्यवस्था को भारी नुकसान हुआ जो धीरे धीरे पटरी पर आ रही थी, बल्कि पर्यटकों में भी यहाँ के बारे में एक ग़लत संकेत गया है। कम से कम इस आन्दोलन की पूर्व सूचना तो पर्यटकों को दी ही जानी चाहिए थी एवं उनको एक सप्ताह का समय दिया जाना चाहिए था। 

यह कहना कि एक अलग राज्य बना दिया जाए बहुत आसान बात नहीं होगी क्योंकि इसमे अनेक पेचीदगियाँ हैं। पर सरकार को इससे सबक ले कर उत्तर पूर्व के इस क्षेत्र के विकास कि ओर ध्यान देना होगा। 

सुभाष चंद्र वशिष्ठ

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Sick Tea Industry, Thousands die a slow death. Is North Bengal being alienated in the Developmental Process ?

With great pain I read the news of North Bengal's dying tea gardens and the vulnerable conditions of the labourers stuck with poverty, disease and malnutrition. (Detailed News is appened towards the end along its link) They are starving. The region is seeing an exodus to cities like Delhi, Bombay, Chandigarh.

Is it purposive? For over a long period, People from North Bengal have started alienating from the West Bengal given the lop-sided development in the region. It is strongly resented by North Bengalis that most of the developmental projects & schemes etc. are purposefully not directed towards North Bengal. The Government and all political parties have to come above these petty politics and redress this larger and no "emotive" issue which if not handled rightly in time might lead to massive unrest & another bifurcation of West Begal!

It is high time that the State should perform its role as the protector of its citizens. It must come forward with suitable rehabilitation package for the workers of the Tea Gardens who are dying a slow death. The vicious circle in which these labourers are trapped can only be broken by sustained outside intervention from the Government. Adverse living and working conditions, coupled with monetary crunch and low nutrition level, with no proper facilities for education and health are leading to an unrest in the populace. The Government of West Bengal has to take a strong policy stand so that alternate environmentally viable industries are set up in the province with public private partnership model so successfully practiced in states like Gujrat, Haryana etc. Otherwise, looking at TATA's recent experience in West Bengal, no industrial house would come forward. They are so scared of the "strike" mentality and the way the politics is done on non-issues which is against the development of the region.

The State should carve the development plan for this region strategically for its strategical location. North Bengal is a narrow and weakest link to the North Eastern India. it should be developed and fortified. Union Government should take special measures to invest in people & region of North Bengal. Save India! save North Bengal!

regards
SC Vashishth, भारत विकास ट्रस्ट
Develop India Trust, Jaigaon, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal

Link: http://www.igovernment.in/site/bengal-tea-gardens-spell-death-for-workers/
Detailed News:

Bengal tea gardens spell death for workers
JPG June 4, 2008 Agriculture, Health and Issues.
By Aparajita Gupta Kolkata: Many slips have developed between the cups and lips in the tea gardens located in North Bengal districts. Poverty, malnutrition and starvation deaths have become key words for defining the state of affairs in the tea gardens.
“Tea industry is bleeding and it has proved fatal for 1,800 workers during last four years,” says trade union leader Aloke Chakraborty.
According to General Secretary of the central committee of the National Union of Plantation Workers Aloke Chakraborty, 50 per cent of the 318 tea gardens in the Terai and Dooars region in the state were sick.
The condition of workers in the so-called healthy tea estates was also miserable, he added.
There are altogether 8,709 tea gardens in north Bengal spread across Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and North Dinajpur districts.
“People are dying of starvation. The effects of malnutrition have made worker communities vulnerable to anaemia, tuberculosis, anthrax and severe dysentery,” Chakraborty said.
The industry sources say the labour cost has escalated sharply in recent years, fertilisers have also registered quantum jump in prices and it was not a much profitable business now.
“It was the reason behind the tea plantation farms’ going sick and closing business,” Dhunseri Tea and Industries CMD Chandra Kumar Dhanuka said.
However, the union leaders accuse the owners of redirecting profits from the gardens into other businesses.
“Tea garden owners don’t reinvest the profit they earn from tea gardens into the same business or ancillary businesses. They take that profit and invest in some other business at some other place,” Chakravorty said.
During the past few years, several tea estate owners have abandoned their gardens abruptly without even paying the salaries and provident fund dues of the employees, he added.
The year 2006 was good for India’s tea industry as it exported 219 million kg. But the export figure plummeted in 2007 due to competition from Kenya. But a good showing by the tea industry doesn’t guarantee better times for its workers.
“On March 31, 2008, the wage agreement of the tea workers expired. It is usually done for three years. No new agreement has been chalked out yet,” the union leader said.
He added there is a high possibility that in the future when the revised wage structure is announced the workers have to sacrifice their arrears.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Bainsala's Gurjar Agitation for Rights Versus Fundamental Rights of citizens of India

Hi! 

In a celebrated democracy like India, Citizens have certain fundamental rights that the Constitution provides them. And mind you, we citizens adopted this Constitution unto ourselves in 1950. But often these rights are infringed with impunity by the agitators without any concern to the rights of other citizens. My right to freedom of expression can't take away some fellow citizen's right to life & right to move freely in the country for that matter. 

I am pained that while there are penal laws that provides for strict action if I create a public nuisance or block the public road for example, and more stricter if highways or railway lines are blocked, why the state fails to enforce the basic law when such agitations take place. Is state a party to it? Any damage to public property is an offence and the damage can be recovered from the offender under the law. Who will pay for the massive damage that has been done by putting the State buses, private vehicles on fire by the agitating gurjar mobs? Afterall it is all going from our pockets by way of taxes. In an ordinary situation, burning of leaves, garbage etc is punishable under environment laws in Delhi. What were the law enforcers doing when the roads were blocked with burning tyres chocking the air of Delhi? If you pull the chain in the running train, you are liable to a fine of Rs. 1000/- minimum and also can be jailed, then why no action on illegal stopping of trains by hooligans in name of agitation? Where is the basic civic sense in this country? 

Why the enforcement is sleeping? Is it a political game? should that be allowed ? Is it because there is a certain party in power in Rajasthan and which is growing its popularity in deep south too after winning the Karnataka elections that certain vested interests want to use this opportunity to blow the gurjar issue in to larger proportions to vent out their frustration? Is it because parties like BSP and Congress want to encash on such an issue that they are allowing these agitations to disrupt the life of citizens and paralyse the Capital and hold the NCT to ransom? It was evident with the Police inaction in controlling and dispersing the agitators that Police was suitably briefed not to stop agitators and allow them to hold the city to ransom! 

Can the peace loving citizens of this country demand from the Government a right to life, safety and peaceful existence in this country? Can the judiciary take suo-moto notice and declare such disruption of civic life and liberties as anti-state and a stumble block to fundamental rights of common man  and bring the culprits to book? 

I hope the better sense prevails on all the organs of society and the rights of fellow citizens are respected while such agitations are carried out. There is a democratic way of expressing your demands. Lets not create an anarchy. Lets ensure a progressive India governed with a rule of law and not hooligans. 

In prayers 

Subhash