Yamuna sludge for making hooch

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, Dec 1, 2006

Excise officials following the MCD’s sealing squads have stumbled upon some unpalatable truths about illicit liquor manufacturing: it is being made using the polluted water of the Yamuna river.

Why dirty water? According to an arrested liquor peddler, this is because the polluted water is suitable for fermentation.

Following the MCD teams to shops in non-conforming areas, the Excise officials also discovered that the dealers and manufacturers of illicit liquor have spread their operation in several parts of the city.

When a person running an illegal liquor-manufacturing unit was caught in east Delhi, Excise officials were surprised to learn that he was using the waters drawn from the Yamuna in the manufacturing process. The peddler told the officials that the river water was highly polluted and ideal for fermentation. A case has been registered against the dealer under the Excise Act.

"Cases of liquor smuggling and hooch peddling have increased recently," admitted AK Walia, Delhi Excise Minister. He however, hastened to add that vigilance too has been increased and the Excise Intelligence Unit booked 326 cases in the last month. "The figure is more than double from the corresponding period last year," the minister added.

The increased activity of liquor smugglers and arrests follow the closure of around 30 of the 505 liquor shops in the city. By January 31, almost 40 per cent of the government liquor shops will have to relocate to commercial areas.

The minister admitted that it was a tough call opening new shops. "There is opposition from the local MLA whenever we propose a new shop in an approved commercial place," said Walia. The minister said that providing safe liquor was also the government duty.

"We cannot open liquor shops in slum clusters, unauthorised colonies and the rural villages, but these comprise more than half of Delhi population," he said. Asked about the action plan in view of the closure of shops and increased smuggling and manufacturing of illicit liquor, Walia said increased vigilance and relocation were the priority for the government at present.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/179755.aspx

BJP storms Town Hall, infighting breaks out in Congress

Amitabh Shukla

April 7, 2007

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has swept to power in the Delhi civic polls, securing 164 seats in the 272-member MCD House. The Congress, that had made a similar sweep in the last polls in 2002, has won 69 seats. While the Bahujan Samaj Party has got 15 seats, Independents and other parties have won 24.

The poll results, declared on Saturday, are being seen by many Congress leaders as a vote against the sealing and demolition drives in Delhi. The water and power shortages in the city were also to be blamed, they said.

Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan said the march to the Town Hall, the MCD headquarters, was the first of the three targets for the party. “This was the quarter-final for us. The assembly elections in 2008 will be the semi-final and the general elections in 2009 the final,” he said.

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) chief Ram Babu Sharma, blaming the “court-ordered demolition and sealing drives” for the defeat, called it a “collective failure”. But Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit refused to take responsibility, exposing cracks in the state Congress.

“This was not a referendum on the state government,” Dikshit said. “We need to introspect and improve co-ordination.”

In another indication of growing factionalism in the party, 14 MLAs, all supporters of Dikshit, met at the chief minister’s residence and blamed the defeat on Sharma.

“There was no co-ordination between the party and the government, and candidates were chosen on the whims and fancies of the DPCC president,” Ramakant Goswami, chief whip of the party, told HT.

The anti-Dikshit camp in the Congress blamed the defeat on the chief minister and her governance. “Dikshit is the face of the government and the party in the Capital,” said an MLA.

AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot, party in-charge of Delhi, was quoted by PTI as saying: “The results could have been somewhat better had Dikshit and Sharma worked in tandem.”

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/214148.aspx

Congress swept away

Amitabh Shukla

April 7, 2007

Traditional bastions of the Congress — unauthorised and resettlement colonies as well jhuggi-jhonpri clusters — fell to the BJP tsunami that hit the city on Saturday as the results of the MCD elections were declared. The anger of the city’s voters was so great that despite the promise to regularise 1,500 illegal colonies and implement the Master Plan, they overwhelmingly voted against the Congress on B-S-P (Bijli, Sadak, Pani) issues and inflation.

“We have won certain seats which the party never won in the last 50 years,” said state BJP president Harsh Vardhan. The BJP leaders said anti-incumbency, combined with issues like sealings, demolitions, price rise, poor governance, and the water and power crisis, broke the hold of the Congress in these seats. The emergence of the Bahujan Samaj Party in east and outer Delhi areas further contributed to the misery of the Congress.

The Bhalswa-Jehangirpuri Assembly segment epitomised the Congress loss. A Congress stronghold for decades, the party lost all six MCD seats in the segment. While the BJP won five, an Independent won the remaining seat. In Sangam Vihar too, it was the BJP instead of the Congress for a change.

The six ministers of the Delhi government too performed badly in their respective areas. Only Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely managed to get two of the three Congress candidates elected. “We managed to retain the support base of the party in what seems as an anti-Congress wave,” Lovely told Hindustan Times.

The report card of other ministers was extremely poor. Raj Kumar Chauhan who contests from the traditional Congress stronghold of Mangolpuri managed to get only 2 of the 4 candidates elected. In Yoganand Shastri’s Malviya Nagar, none from the Congress won. For three other ministers – Haroon Yusuf, A.K. Walia and Mangat Ram Singhal, it was one candidate each out of the four in the constituency from where they were elected.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Chief Minister Naseeb Singh and Chief Whip Ramakant Goswami failed to get even a single Congress candidate elected from their Assembly segments. Most of the ministers and Congress leaders who failed in their areas could not be contacted. “The pre-sealing demolition in the areas inhabited by the poor hit the prospects of the Congress badly,” said political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan. He said taxes, collapse of the PDS system and the fact that the party ruled at all the three levels did not go down well with traditional Congress supporters.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/214277.aspx

Riven Cong plays blame game

Amitabh Shukla

April 8, 2007

With the loss of Town Hall to arch rival BJP, the city Congress seems to gone into self-destruct mode. As accusations fly thick and fast, DPCC President Ram Babu Sharma is facing the brunt of the attack. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit too is in the firing line for what her rivals are calling ‘failing on all fronts’.

A group of Congressmen who were denied party tickets assembled near Pragati Maidan on Sunday and sent representatations to all concerned, demanding Sharma’s removal. They blamed Sharma squarely for the defeat in the civic polls. "Tickets were not given to the winning candidates and outsiders were imposed on the MLAs," said Rajesh Jain, MLA and a Dikshit loyalist. Another CM loyalist, Charan Singh Kandera, said there should be an overhaul of the party for next year's Assembly elections.

Another MLA, Ramakant Goswami, said they were preparing a letter for the Congress President, putting the blame on the organisation and absolving Dikshit. The group of over a dozen MLAs camped at the Chief Minister’s residence to draw up their strategy of absolving Dikshit and putting the ball in the DPCC's court.

The anti-Dikshit camp, which mainly comprises office-bearers of the party, says that Dikshit was the political "face" of the city. “Who knows Sharma? It is Dikshit who is the face of the government and the party in the Capital," said an MLA opposed to Dikshit. He did not want to be named in the surcharged political atmosphere. A minister in the government said it was a failure of both Sharma and Dikshit.

“As the head of the government, she should definitely own responsibility,” he said on condition of anonymity.

At present, the anti Dikshit camp comprises of Sharma, two MPs and two ministers of her own Cabinet. "The fence-sitters would soon join us as the issues on which people voted like water and power has the state government as the princial stakeholder," said a two-time MLA.

Analyst and JNU Professor Pushpesh Pant said, “It seems the honeymoon of the Delhi voters with Dikshit is over.” He said the Congress leadership has already brought in Tejinder Khanna as the new Lieutenant Governor to mask the deficiencies of Dikshit's administration.

"The message is clear. Khanna is an able administraor and LG has considerable power to exercise in Delhi," said Pant. He said the party would have to make fundamental changes in the run-up to the 2008 Assembly elections to reverse its declining fortunes.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/214454.aspx

Too many Biharis here? Sheila is sorry she said so

Amitabh Shukla

May 9, 2007

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit made a major gaffe on Wednesday when she said that “people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states” were migrating to Delhi in large numbers and straining its resources.

Later in the day, following the furore the remark sparked off, she apologised.

“Every year, thousands of people come from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states, and more power, water, roads, etc, are needed for them,” Dikshit said at a foundation-laying ceremony for three flyovers on the outer Ring Road.

Delhi politicians, including some from the Congress, criticised her.

“She should resign immediately. Is she the protector of the people from Bihar and UP who constitute a sizeable population in the city, or their destroyer?” asked Congress MLA Mahabal Mishra, while fellow party MLA Bheesham Sharma said: “This is unfortunate.”

Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan called Dikshit’s statement “objectionable, shameful and mischievous”.

Under attack, the chief minister gave in. “If I have made any remark inadvertently, I apologise,” Dikshit said later, noting that she was herself from UP. She said her statement was being “politically twisted”.

According to the Economic Survey of Delhi 2005-06, migrants from UP constituted 40 per cent and those from Bihar 19 per cent of the total migration into Delhi between 1991 and 2001.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/Too-many-Biharis-here/Article1-221568.aspx

Cheers, the bar is raised

Amitabh Shukla

Hindustan Times

New Delhi, October 23, 2007

Restaurants and bars in the Capital, which now close at 12 am., can stay open till 1 am from Tuesday and, on 50 days in a year, they can serve liquor till 2 am, the Delhi Government announced on Monday.

“With the economy flourishing and Delhi becoming a global destination, we decided to extend the timings,” said Delhi Excise and Finance Minister A.K. Walia. “A large number of foreign delegates and spectators would come to the city during the Commonwealth Games. The decision is in line with global trends.”

For the city’s rich who use five-star hotels, the government has been liberal.

All restaurants in a five-star hotel can serve liquor round-the-clock after necessary clearances from the Excise Department. So far, only one restaurant in a five-star hotel was allowed to serve liquor 24 hours.

The proposal to extend liquor-serving hours was made more than two months ago but faced resistance with the Delhi Police saying a law and order problem could emerge: drunken brawls at midnight and beyond.

The police said it would have to deploy extra manpower to check drinking at late hours. The objections from the police took time to be resolved as the Excise Department put its foot down and offered a point-wise rebuttal.

Allowing restaurants with bar licence to serve liquor till 2 a.m. on 50 days in a year means at the weekends and, during festive seasons, revelers can continue to drink till the wee hours. Under the old excise rules, bars could open till 1 a.m. on seven days in a year.

Walia said the move would curtail corruption.

“Corrupt officials moved in as soon as bars exceeded schedule timings. That practice would now end,” he said.

For the extended timings, restaurants with bar licences and five-star hotels would have to shell out more to the government. There are 252 licensed restaurants having bar facility and 47 hotels.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/Cheers-the-bar-is-raised/Article1-253710.aspx

Ministers shine on city’s wedding-happy day

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, November 22, 2007

With the first day of the wedding season beginning on Wednesday, the ministers of the Delhi government hopped from one venue to the other all over the city. Official work took a backseat as the six Cabinet ministers and the chief minister ensured that they visited as many places as possible in the election year.

“This is a social compulsion and we have to attend the weddings,” Finance and Power Minister AK Walia told Hindustan Times.

Walia had 23 invitations of weddings in his daily engagement column. Asked how could he possibly make it to the 23 places, the minister said that seven of the weddings were in his Geeta Colony Assembly segment. “The first priority would be to attend all the ceremonies in the constituency, then comes invitations from friends and finally those from others,” he said. The minister said he had to “prioritise” where he would go and it would take a few minutes to do this.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was slated to go to eight weddings, all of them at 8.30 pm. A close aide said the chief minister would go to at least four of them, particularly those that are being held in close vicinity. “She cannot afford to miss many of them, as people whose invitations have been accepted eagerly wait for her and even publicise that the Delhi CM is coming at the wedding,” said the aide.

The other five ministers too have invitations ranging from eight to 12 on the inaugural day of the wedding season. Public Works Development and Urban Development Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan was supposed to go to nine different weddings. He, however, left for Jaipur in the afternoon and could not make it to any.

Health and Social Welfare Minister Yoganand Shastri, however, is very punctual. “If someone invites me, I make it a point to attend the ceremony,” Shastri told Hindustan Times before leaving for the first such ceremony in outer Delhi. He had to go to 11 different venues. “It will perhaps be 12 midnight when I reach home,” he said. Asked if he would eat at 11 different venues, Shastri said he just gives the shagun (blessings and money) and meets the relatives and does not eat at the wedding functions. “How can a person eat at 11 places?” asked the minister.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/Ministers-shine-on-city-s-wedding-happy-day/Article1-259054.aspx

'Tourism has to be environmentally sustainable'

Sanat Kaul, CMD of Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation, has rejuvenated the corporation into a vibrant and profit-making company with multi-dimensional activities ranging from infrastructure to tourism. In an interview with Amitabh Shukla, Kaul says that tourism has to be environmentally sustainable with global climate change.

What is your vision for Delhi 2020?

We have produced a comprehensive 'Tourism Vision' for Delhi 2020 which involved making the capital into a true metropolis with synergy from all aspects of life and involving all residents, including the deprived sections.

What are the main issues for Delhi to achieve the vision?

At this stage when tourism has taken a new dimension in the city, I think it is time to bring Delhi environmentally into internationally acceptable standards.

This involves proper garbage disposal, complete sewage treatment and giving the residents a clean and beautiful riverfront.

What are the proposals for river rejuvenation?

We have submitted a proposal wherein river flow plan between Wazirabad and Okhla areas would be made green, with space for the public to enjoy the natural beauty in the north of Wazirabad.

We want to create a large water body to help solve Delhi's perennial water problem. We have also proposed development of water bodies at Chawwla Kangenheri and at Najafgarh drain. We have a plan to develop a 2-km long water sports complex which will have facilities like kayaking and canoeing and will also provide water-based recreational sports to the public.

Delhi is regarded as a city of monuments. What are your plans to save its heritage?

Delhi has three World Heritage Sites — Humayun's Tomb, Qutab Minar and the Red Fort. Delhi Tourism with INTACH is developing the Mehrauli Archaeological Park and 40 monuments have already been restored. We hope to restore more such monuments in future.

All over the world, the planners are now looking at environmentally sustainable tourism. How does the Delhi Tourism look at this?

Tourism has to be environmentally sustainable. We also need to consider carbon emission and provide clean air and water to our citizens, that involves improving sewage treatment also. While use of CNG in public transport has been the first step, we need to do much more. With phenomenal increase of cars in Delhi, we need to increase the standards of their emission to a higher level. We also have to be strict about polluting industries, both in treatment of air and in water.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/259717.aspx

(Nov 25, 2007)

Walia presents populist budget

Amitabh Shukla

March 24

The fifth consecutive budget of Delhi Finance Minister AK Walia had only elections in mind. Motivated by the populist budget of Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Walia has given several concessions and subsidies and refrained from imposing any tax in an election year.

“In the Value Added Tax (VAT) regime, there is a limit on our flexibility as far as taxation is concerned,” said Walia after presenting his Budget in the Delhi Assembly on Monday. He said Delhi’s economy was robust, the tax collections and compliance have increased tremendously and, therefore, the government has focused on the needs of the common man.

“This is a Budget with a human face,” the minister said. “It is the responsibility of the government to take care of the needs of those who cannot take care of themselves,” he added.

As numbers are important in an election year, the Budget has proposed to benefit 7.2 lakh people directly. Around 5.2 lakh people will benefit from the Rs 2,539 crore waiver on unrecoverable power dues while another 2 lakh widows and senior citizens will benefit from the increased monthly pension of Rs 1,000 from Rs 600 a month. As reported by the Hindustan Times earlier, the concessions have been largely in the social welfare and education front.

The opposition BJP, which did not allow Walia to make his speech and disturbed him throughout, said the Budget did not tackle galloping prices, lacked vision and had nothing much to improve the infrastructure of Delhi.

“Around 23 lakh people are living below poverty line, the Budget is silent on them,” said Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan. He alleged the government failed to fulfill the promises made in the last Budget. Leader of Opposition Jagdish Mukhi too came down heavily and described the Budget as “a bundle of lies and unfulfilled promises”.

Walia claimed said the price trend of essential items in Delhi was under constant watch. “The rate of inflation as per the Consumer Price Index for Industrial workers in Delhi during 2007 was only 4.9 per cent as compared to 9.1 per cent in Kolkata and 6.3 per cent in Mumbai,” Walia said.

Highlighting the importance of fiscal management, the minister said the revenue surplus of Delhi was Rs 4,438 crore in 2006-07 while all states taken together and the government of India had revenue deficits of 0.15 percent of GDP and 1.09 percent of the GDP.

“Without adding any tax burden on the people of Delhi in the recent past, we have been able to maintain the tempo of developmental activities and move forward in every sphere,” Walia added.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/Walia-presents-populist-budget/Article1-284226.aspx

(2008)

Congress party sells cooking oil in Delhi

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, April 10

Concerned at the price rise hitting the popularity of the party in the Capital, the Delhi Congress on Thursday decided to sell cooking oil with help from an association of traders. The oil would be sold at a price which is 25 percent less from the market so that the “shopkeepers are inspired and reduce their rates”.

Addressing a news conference, Delhi Congress President J.P. Aggarwal described the move as a small but significant beginning to check price spiral. “If we sell cheap oil, people would purchase from our outlets and this will correct the market price sooner or later,” Aggarwal said.

Delhi Food and Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf warned the hoarders. “We will take strong action if we find that hoarding is taking place,” said the Minister. He claimed the government was doing all it could to bring the prices down in some commodities.

Congress leaders said this was the first time in the country that the party was involved in selling an essential item to check price rise. “If we don’t do it, we will be politically finished in the election year,” a senior party leader told HT. “We should be seen doing something even if it doesn’t have the desired impact on the overall price situation in the city,” he added.

Aggarwal said all types of cooking oil – mustard, soyabeen and vanaspati – would be sold at the rate of Rs 55-60 from 25 outlets in the city. The Delhi Vegetable Oil Association has pitched in with the Congress in what the Congress leaders said as the “great oil sale”.

Asked if the party would sell more items in the run-up to the assembly elections to hold the price line, Aggarwal said it could. “The party and the government would join hands in the battle. This is more of a creation of the Opposition parties,” said the DPCC President.

Delhi BJP, on the other hand, termed this is a “political stunt and a drama”. “The prices of flour, pulses, rice, sugar, tea, milk ghee, vegetables and fruits are sky rocketing,” said state party President Harsh Vardhan. He asked, the ruling Congress should first introspect as to why was cooking oil being sold at Rs 80 a kg. “Such political stunts in an election year are meant to fool the gullible but the people understand these and would give a befitting reply,” said the BJP President.

(2008)