Inclusion in OBC May Fulfill Her Dreams

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL 35 | ISSUE: 19 | 18 NOV 2011

Inclusion in OBC May Fulfill Her Dreams

By Basudev Dass

Dr. Sanjita Bairagi after getting a degree in Ayurvedic system medicine decided to go for the most coveted stream of government service and initiated preparation for appearing in the Civil Service Examination. She cleared the Preliminary Exam and is presently undertaking the Main Exam.

Daughter of SC Bairagi and a resident of Uttara (Kadamtala) of Middle Andaman, Dr Sanjita is a progeny of Settlers family. A bright student with specific ambition in her life, she is hopeful of meeting her destiny.

While filling up the form for the examination, she claimed herself a member of OBC since settlers' class of people was brought under this. After she had applied, Dr. Sanjita came to know that all the class of OBCs identified for the islands were enlisted in the central list of OBC barring the 'Settlers'.  Her request for an exemption to appear in the main examination for Civil Services was strongly recommended by the A&N Administration. "On the request of the administration the Union Public Service Commission has allowed her to appear in the examination under the OBC quota but subject to the condition that the result will be withheld if the group of Bengali Settlers of Andamans is not included in the central list of OBC before the declaration of the result." 'Inclusion of the Settlers in the central list may fulfill the dream of my daughter,' said Bairagi.

It is worth-mentioning here that the Govt. of India had recently included the 'Local Borns'  and 'Bengali Settlers' in the OBC list of the A&N Islands and the 'Local Borns' in the central list as well.

"I have pleaded the situation to the Lt. Governor, A&N Islands also but is unaware of the steps taken in this regard by the Raj Niwas" said SC Bairagi. He added that he was not allowed a public hearing with Justice Ronojit Kumar Mitra , Chairperson, Andaman Nicobar Commission for OBC during his visit during the first week of November 2011. Justice Mitra was here to hear the pleadings and hold sitting of OBC. It heard the writ submitted by the Malayalee Settlers for their inclusion in the list of OBCs.

Dr. Sanjita and her parents are now looking for the winter session of Parliament if the Member of Parliament Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray can do something.  Ms. Sushma Swaraj had also raised the issue and suggested action for inclusion of left out communities of A&N Islands in the list of OBC.

'If the people of the islands are not backward otherwise then why the government of India is not withdrawing its DANIC Officers to serve the Islands by allowing the inclusion of Union Territory Civil Service with local officers?' said a local officer and added that either we should be included in the central list of OBC or we should be allowed to serve without DANIC and DANIP officers being not so backward.

EDITORIAL Press and Admn: A Dialogue is Must

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL 35 | ISSUE: 19 | 18 NOV 2011

EDITORIAL

Press and Admn: A Dialogue is Must

The relation between local media - print media, to be specific, and the administration has hit the nadir once again last week. National Press Day was celebrated at two places - Official one at Diglipur with government controlled media and small newspapers association at Port Blair. They also registered protest in front of Secretariat.

Administration’s newsletter, The Daily Telegrams is its captive instrument. It is not permitted to see through its own eyes or listen through its ears. It has to repeat 'His Master's Voice'. Only Mr. I.P Gupta, former Lt. Governor had granted it the liberty to write editorials, publish Letters to the Editor and comment on the performances of departments. The team had shown its mettle and proved its worth. That is not what the newsletter is meant for; hence, it reverted to its official function. The local media does not have reason to comment on how the administration uses its baby.  

The Doordarshan and All India Radio are again government media. Even so, sometime they get into stimulating discussions without any bar. The tone might not be strident though. And, Administration now and then tries to wield control on them.

In fact, it has all along been an uneasy relationship with the press and the administration. The officers and the administrators come from places that are fully exposed to media. They might have had to deal with it - often with adverse and aggressive ones too. They however, acquire a different mindset on reaching here.

In stark contrast, the central government departments, particularly, defence, have no problems with the local press. They conduct regular press conferences and interactions at regular intervals.    

It however, takes two to make a clap. The local media too have to do a little soul searching before putting the entire blame on the administration. They too are found wanting in their reporting and coverage, one might say. Critical reporting needs a delicate handling. Public trials without giving a chance to the accused, not only tarnishes the image of the individual but also lowers the prestige of the fourth estate. The media have, off course, their own arguments. However, the net result is a deadlock that must be broken in the interest of both the media and the administration.

The administration is aware of the ground reality. The Information & Publicity Division under the Tourism Director does not have much to harp about. Like any other section of the society, media too is in its infancy. There is a need to look into the demands of the newspaper industry and if possible, a dialogue must start. And start soon!

PAUPER’S LOG Islanders- Guinea Pigs or Baits

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL 35 | ISSUE: 19 | 18 NOV 2011

PAUPER’S LOG

Islanders- Guinea Pigs or Baits

By Abu Arsh

Great stories abound about our Islands and its inhabitants since time immemorial. Great Andamanis, Junglis, Onges, Jarawas, Sentinelese in the Andaman group, Nicobaries and Shompens in the Nicobar groups are supposedly the original inhabitants of these Islands. The colonizers came and wiped off indigenous people's entire race, language and culture. They saw in the Islands opportunities of controlling trade and commerce and expanded the might of their far away empires. These colonizers came with their own bunch of slaves called penal settlers and convicts to make the islands worthy of setting up a colony. They were forced to clear marshes and creeks infested with deadly mosquitoes and crocodiles, only to be gobbled up. Many convicts perished, only to be replaced by newer bunch to satisfy the ever increasing land grabbing appetite of the Raj. Soon the Japanese with similar designs took on the fair skinned colonizers and thwarted their might. These fair skinned colonizers regrouped as Allied Forces and over threw the yellow skinned Japanese before handing it over to us. Japanese atrocities and the Raj's apartheid rekindled patriotic and nationalistic pride in whatever was left of the brown penal settlers, who by now have forgotten much about their existence elsewhere under the Raj. The gora sahibs were replaced by the bhura sahibs and the degradation went on. Brown sahibs saw in these Islands, individuals and families all deeply entrenched in Sahib worshipping. These inhabitants were to be very soon out numbered by new economic migrants. They built our buildings and roads, cut our forests, mined our sand and stone, cropped our land, supplied our provisions, provided us services and worked our offices. They made way for constant stream of kith and kin to come, assimilate and outnumber the locals. They set up businesses, properties and plantations on government dole outs. The present day Sahibs are posted for smaller stints and go back after looting whatever is left in these Islands to loot. Politics, socio- economic conditions, trade and commerce have changed. Numbers and money rules the roost. Present generations of penal settlers are now paper tigers and known to be great leg pullers of their own clan. A handful of indigenous people who survived ethnic cleansing are now exhibits for duped tourists.

Based on this history if we look ahead to the future, it's highly unlikely that Andaman and Nicobar will ever be what it ought to be. Over several decades all we hear are same old stories of development and prosperity for the islands' inhabitants. Agriculture, livestock, water, transportation, power, education, health, infrastructure and every other basic amenity has not improved. Whatever little has come about; it's due to technological advancement and not by wishful planning of the sahibs. A paper recently said- "There needs to be a change in India's attitude towards Andaman and Nicobar. The islands should be viewed as the first line of defence. The main aim of India in Andaman and Nicobar region should be to assess the threats from China and Pakistan and build measures to counter them. India has not fully realized the importance of the 10 Degree Channel and 6 Degree Channel, while China is fully aware of the importance of these two important trade routes. The isolated location of these islands is the major problem that India faces. A highly efficient surveillance network is a must to monitor non-conventional threats. More manpower and modernization of equipment is a must.

People are as vital an aspect as they can be in the region and genuine attention needs to be paid to grievances of the tribal people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Biological threats, diseases like, malaria, Andaman fever etc. should also be considered as part of non-conventional threats."  Our track record over several decades show such complex issues won't be resolved when our intentions and basics are wrong. Whom to entrust this task, the same system that has failed to count us- showing virtually no increase in our numbers over a decade,  which assumes we are all green, which cannot give us clean and sufficient water nor can prevent us from dying of simple vector borne diseases or fix our broken limbs or damaged organs here. We still generate power by the engines our grandparents bought, we cannot bring down unemployment and poverty, travel is not affordable. We have been just planning to build free ports or bridges for decades, we cannot impart technical education to our children here nor curb illegal land grab. At times it makes one wonder where we fit in the nation's conscious- Are we Guinea Pigs or Baits for the State or potential threats.

The Landmark Judgment

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL 35 | ISSUE: 19 | 18 NOV 2011

COVER STORY:

CBSE QUESTION PAPER LEAK CASE:

The Landmark Judgment

The Judgment of CBSE Question Paper Leak Case was pronounced on 15th November, 2011 convicting four out of the five accused persons. Accused M.P. Arun was found not guilty to the charges and he is acquitted of the same.

Accused Krishnama Raju is found guilty to the charges under sections 409 (Breach of Trust) read with section 120 B (Criminal Conspiracy) IPC and section 13(2) read with section 13(1)(c)(d)(i)(ii) and (iii) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and is convicted of the same.

Accused Abdul Salam is found guilty to the charge under section 120-B read with section 409 IPC and is convicted of the same.

Accused Abdul Rasheed is found guilty to the charge under section 120-B read with section 409 IPC read with section 8(2) read with section 7 of the Prevention of Aboriginal Tribes (Amendment) Regulation 1956 and is convicted of the same.

Accused M. J. Vijayan is found guilty to the charge under section 120-B read with section 409 IPC read with section 8(2) read with section 7 of the Protection of Aboriginal Tribes (Amendment) Regulation 1956 and is convicted of the same.

The convicted accused persons were given opportunity of being heard on the question of sentence till 16.11.2011 and they were remanded to judicial custody till then.

On 16.10.2011 all the convicted accused persons were produced before the learned Special Judge. At 9.00 AM the learned Special Judge Mr. Debi Prasad Dey, District Judge heard the accused persons one after another on the quantum of sentence and posted the case till 1.30 PM for pronouncement of the sentence.

At 1.30 PM all the accused persons were produced and the learned Special Judge pronounced the sentence. 

Convict Krishnamaraju is sentenced to suffer imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000 in default to suffer simple imprisonment for six months for the offence under section 409 of the Indian Penal Code.   He is also sentenced to suffer imprisonment for one year and to pay a fine of Rs. 5000/- in default to suffer simple imprisonment for three months for the offence under section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 by abusing the trust entrusted upon him, he conspired with other accused and opened the envelope containing the question paper by accepting bribe.

Convict Abdul Rasheed is sentenced to suffer imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000 in default to suffer simple imprisonment for six months for the offence under section 120-B read with section 409 IPC.   He is also sentenced to suffer imprisonment for six months and to pay a fine of Rs. 500/- in default to suffer simple imprisonment for one month for the charge under section 8(2) read with section 7 of Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (Amendment) 1956 i.e. entering into tribal area without tribal pass.

Convict M.J. Vijayan is sentenced to suffer imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000/- in default to suffer S.I. for six months for the offence under section 120-B read with section 409 IPC.   He is also sentenced to suffer imprisonment for six months and to pay a fine of Rs. 500/- i.d. to suffer S.I. for one month for the charge under section 8(2) read with section 7 of Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (Amendment) 1956 i.e. entering into tribal area without tribal pass.

Convict Abdul Salam is sentenced to suffer imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000/- in default to suffer simple imprisonment for six months for the offence under section 120-B read with section 409 IPC.

All the sentences are directed to run concurrently.

COVER STORY: CBSE QUESTION PAPER LEAK CASE: JUSTICE PREVAILS

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL 35 | ISSUE: 19 | 18 NOV 2011

COVER STORY:

CBSE QUESTION PAPER LEAK CASE:

JUSTICE PREVAILS

Braving hostile conditions with minimal support from other agencies, with conspirators both within and outside the department, a determined Police force vigorously took the case head on and arrived at a logical conclusion.

By Zubair Ahmed

A senior police official, during the trial of the CBSE case once made a remark that is etched in memory till now - "We don't know why we are putting so much effort. There is no support from any quarters. No other department of the Administration is taking any interest in identifying or punishing the culprits."

At every stage of the investigation, they had to face challenges. Initially, a few police officers tried to manipulate the evidence. At later stage, the jail authorities were found helping the accused.

On different pretexts, big shots of the society showered sympathy with the accused and used every opportunity to influence the process.

The lawyer fraternity boycotted courts, when Deep Chaim Kabir was appointed by the Administration to assist the prosecution.

But Justice Prevailed. And when it happened, there was no parallel in recent history, when such a historical judgement has been pronounced.

In the history of Islands, a landmark judgement in one of the most notorious and sensational case was delivered by the Sessions Court on 16 Nov 2011. All four accused - Abdul Salam, Krishnamaraju, Vijayan and Rasheed - in the CBSE Question Paper Leak Case has been sentenced to Life Imprisonment by the Court.

In March this year, when the question paper racket was busted, there were sufficient reasons to be cynical about the outcome. With invincible bigwigs involved, justice was the least expected, forget about the quantum of punishment. It was claimed that it would be a cakewalk for the accused.  Even judicial custody for the accused was presumed to be a victory for them.

Persons directly involved had been arrested and placed under suspension; the ANI Admn had not come out openly and clarified anything about the beneficiaries of the leaked question papers. Many parents had felt that justice would not be done in this case. They felt that a crime of such magnitude required thorough investigation by an independent agency and bigwigs involved in the racket should be brought into the ambit of investigation.

Throwing all skepticism and distrust into thin air, the police department jumped into the fray with conviction and determination, followed the leads vigorously, filed the charge sheet in record time, moved the case into fast track mode and finally when the judgement was pronounced, there was no room for any kind of doubt. Police had played their part to utmost satisfaction in the most hostile conditions.  The team of Supt of Police (SA) SP Tyagi, and ASP Chinmoy Biswal  alongwith young and energetic officers worked hard without rest braving all odds to arrive at a logical conclusion.

“In the last eight months, there was not a single day, when we could detach ourselves from this case. Almost 39 bail applications were filed and they wanted me to be busy running behind it, and in the process delay preparation of chargesheet, “ said ASP Chinmoy Biswal.

Moreover, it is also learnt that out of 64 witnesses, about 13 prime witnesses were influenced. One of the witnesses from Nicobar had turned hostile and there was an habeas corpus petition filed against the SP and ASP about his disappearance. In the petition, it was mentioned that the witness was last seen at the office of the ASP. However, police could trace him. In case of any eventuality, the whole case would have gone awry.

No doubt, there were sufficient reason to harbour skepticism. The influence that these bigwigs wield is immense and was felt at all levels. Police had to fight on two fronts - conspirators both outside and inside. The documents, which were under preparation and not yet submitted in the court were in their possession. How did they get the documents, which the police team thought were safe in their hands. Even before the Court serving them the chargesheet, they had a copy of it.

The crowd that reached the court premise to show solidarity with the accused, on the day of their first appearance had sent stunned the city. The way the crowd behaved and the skirmish with police showed their money and muscle power. With a major section of the society sympathising with the accused, barring a few, they were capable of manipulating any given situation. Highly predictable was the outcome of the case, as they had seen in yesteryears.

No efforts were spared to fight the Administration's decision of appointing Deep Chaim Kabir as a prosecutor in this case, which had sent shivers in that circle. Quoting various reasons, the bar council too put weight behind the allegation that his appointment was illegal. And it manifested in every action of the bar council. The faith reposed by the Police on Deep Kabir did bear fruit. According to sources, the accused had sensed that there is no escape, but they had not imagined such a sentence. They played all games. Most of the witnesses turned hostile. The police too was worried at some point. "I believe in God, because I have faith in Deep Chaim Kabeer," a senior Police Officer had told LOA.

The senior police official on anonymity had opened up his heart and shared the pressure they had to go through during the whole process. The support from other agencies of the administration was minimal. When the police department first suspended and later dismissed the accused police officer, Forest department, did not take any action against Vijayan, a ranger, who was the kingpin. The District Jail, where the accused were lodged had become a playground for them. From jailors to warders, the support they got is already on the record. The Police Officer showed the call details of as many as five to six employees from Deputy Jailor to Warders, whose phones were being used by the accused to influence witnesses. And, they were successful too in that endeavour. Moreover, the Police Officer had told LOA that even a senior police officer was supporting the accused and playing spoilsport, a black sheep indeed!

The accused got all support wherever possible - in jail as well as in hospital. They were seen wheeling dealing in hospital too. The police department was not even aware that the under trials had been shifted to hospital. When clarifications were sought from the Jail authorities, they made it clear that they are not bound to intimate police about shifting of the under-trials to hospitals. In a specific case, jail authorities informed police after three days.

The historical and significant judgement will serve as deterrent not just for crimes like question paper leak, but, it will also sent a clear message that justice is not something which can be easily negotiated with money or muscle power. The quantum of punishment has been a shock to many. Nowhere in near history, have four persons been sentenced to life imprisonment for such a crime.

In fact, one of the convicts of the Question Paper Leak Case has huge stake in various businesses in the Islands. It is also believed that he has many benami properties and businesses, which are run by his henchmen. It has been going on for long time. These were the same people who acted on their behalf when the trial was going on. With such elements roaming free with massive wealth under their control, it would be difficult to believe that Islands are free from the cancerous malaise. When Palswamy, an under trial in Explosive Case, died while in judicial custody, one of the henchmen had planned to organise spontaneous morchas especially targeting the SP, South Andaman. He had used the opportunity to create terror and panic. However, it fizzled out with the Lieutenant Governor going all out showering jobs, money and engineering seat to the dead man's family, in which the role of a politician is also being discussed in hushed tones. The misplaced sympathy had also in a way demoralised police force.

It is also a fact that many local police officers have more businesses than policing. They run proxy businesses, contracts and even illicit trades immune from all legal barriers. It runs smoothly like well-oiled machinery. When officers from mainland are appointed at vantage posts, it creates problem for them to run their show. They too have amassed wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income.

The police which acted well in the Question Paper Case is following the Explosive Case too in all earnest.  The accused in the Explosive Haul Case were the backbone of some of those involved in the CBSE case. In the Explosive case too, only those directly involved has been indicted. The role of officials of District Administration also needs to be investigated, as cases of manipulated explosive licenses had also came to the fore recently.

No criminals deserve sympathy; but everybody deserves justice, without any concoction. Fair justice as was done in the CBSE case.

Amway Andaman Marathon for Clean and Green Andamans

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL 35 | ISSUE: 19 | 18 NOV 2011

Amway Andaman Marathon for Clean and Green Andamans

By Staff Reporter

Amway India, the largest direct selling health and beauty Direct Selling FMCG Company has announced the launch of first ever Marathon in Andaman Islands. With this the Island also joins the bandwagon of the rest of the world to spread awareness about health and fitness.

Christened Amway Andaman Marathon- the inaugural Sporting event is the pioneering initiative of Andaman Chamber of Commerce & Industry with Amway India being the title sponsor. The inaugural edition of Amway Andaman Marathon is scheduled to be held on 20th November, 2011 in Port Blair, the capital city of Andaman Islands.  

Rahul Bose, noted film actor, social activist and Rugby player has consented to endorse the Marathon as the brand ambassador of the inaugural event.

Announcing the inaugural Amway Andaman Marathon, William S Pinckney, MD & CEO, Amway India commented in a message from Delhi, "We feel privileged to introduce the Amway Andaman Marathon to the city of Port Blair. We hope that this sporting event would generate a keen awareness for running, fitness and the benefit of healthy way of life among the people of Andamans.  Amway has been supporting Marathon, the annual sporting event across the world with an objective of popularizing the sports among common people and healthy lifestyle. We hope this marathon would be an annual sporting phenomenon in the islands that would allow people of Andaman to adopt running as an enhancement to their own lives."

The first ever marathon race in the islands is recognized by Athletic Association of Andaman & Nicobar and supported by Directorates of Education , Youth Affairs & Sports. The inaugural edition of the Amway Andaman Marathon will be a quarter marathon of 10.55 km. There will be both Men & women's categories in the marathon. Winners and runners up will be rewarded with cash prize, medal and certificates.  Senior citizens can also run the Amway Andaman Marathon and win prizes in respective categories.

Shri S B Deol, Director General of Police would flag off the Marathon for the first time in its current avatar of Amway Andaman Quarter Marathon at 6 am in the morning on 20th November from the historic cellular jail in presence of Rahul Bose, Brand Ambassador of Amway Andaman Marathon, Shakti Sinha, Chief Secretary, officials of Andaman Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Athletic Association of Andaman & Nicobar. Shri G S Cheema, Area Manager, West Bengal, Andaman & Sikkim, Amway India would also be present on behalf of the title sponsor Amway India.

The inaugural Amway Andaman quarter marathon would traverse through the city Port Blair touching vantage points like Tsunami Memorial, Water Sports Complex, Marina Park, Ramakrishna Mission, Gandhi Park, Raj Niwas, IP&T, Secretariat, B.R. Ambedkar Stadium, Aberdeen Bazaar and would conclude at the historic Netaji Stadium. Shri Shakti Sinha, Chief Secretary , A & N would hand over prizes to the winners and  Runners up while Shri G S Cheema would present hampers to the participants on behalf of Amway India.

Akshitaa Wins National Child Award

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL 35 | ISSUE: 19 | 18 NOV 2011

Akshitaa Wins National Child Award

Akshitaa, a tiny-tot aged 4 year and 8 months, studying in KG-I in Carmel Sr Sec School has brought laurels to the Islands by winning National Child Award. Akshitaa's exceptional performance as an artist and as a blogger at such a young age, has earned her the ‘National Child Award’ for Exceptional Achievement, 2011.  The award  was presented by Smt. Krishna Tirath, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Government of India on 14th November, 2011 on Children's Day at  Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.

 It is noteworthy that  Government of India instituted the National Child Awards for Exceptional Achievement in 1996 to give recognition to children with exceptional abilities who have achieved outstanding status in fields such as academics, culture, arts, sports, music, etc. Children in the age group of 4-15 years are eligible for this award. This year Award was given to 27 Awardees from different states/UTs of India and Andaman-Nicobar Islands was represented by Akshitaa. Among 27 awardees Akshitaa was the youngest child. Minister Smt. Krishna Tirath was so impressed to see such a young girl as Awardee that she blessed her for her bright future. Akshitaa was not only the youngest child to get the award but she had also created history as this was the first time when any award for exceptional performance as a blogger was given by Govt. of India. The Award carries a cash prize of Rs. 10,000/-, a silver medal and a Certificate.

 Akshita is a very small aged girl, but she has an inner self, lit with creativity which shall be seen in her drawings and imagination. Moreover, she is a very famous blogger too. Its unimaginable that in such a young age, she would be able to write about herself. In fact,  in her blog, whatever is reflected are original thoughts of Akshitaa and just expressed in words by her parents. In the beginning, when she started drawing, her parents did not take it seriously. But they became interested when they saw an appeal in her drawing. Her drawing is not only appreciated in India but also abroad. Her father K.K Yadav is Director of Postal Services in A&N islands and mother Mrs. Akanksha is a lecturer in College. Both of them are well known writers, poets & bloggers. Akshitaa’s blog can be accessed at – ‘Pakhi Ki Dunia’  (http://pakhi-akshita.blogspot.com). Her blog is as sweet and exciting as her paintings. Its the thought process of a small kid who is curious to know everything. Though incredible, Akshitaa at such an age has proved that talent if nurtured properly can go beyond all rules and regulations.  It only needs the right way to express itself.

Island Jails: Issues Galore

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL 35 | ISSUE: 19 | 18 NOV 2011

Island Jails: Issues Galore

In a representation submitted to the Administration, the jail staff has proposed various changes in the functioning of jails in the Islands. They have also proposed to declare and upgrade the District Jail at Prothrapore to Central Jail and also sought the intervention of the authorities to look into the grievances of the staff like anomalies in pay structure, shortage of staff at various levels and lack of training.

By Staff Reporter

The District Jail at Prothrapore, which has a capacity of 250 inmates, is brimming with more than 1000 prisoners to date.

The Jail inmates and the staff have been facing many crucial issues since long time, which has not been addressed by the Administration. To mitigate the problems faced by the Jail staff, an initiative was taken by S. N. Chtatterji Inspector General of Prison along with Rizwanullah, Deputy Secretary (Jail) and Govind Ram, Superintendent (I/c) District  Jail to meet the Guarding Staffs attached to District Jail, Prothrapur. In the staff meeting organized in Jail premises on 02/11/2011, the guarding staffs raised several crucial issues/problems facing by them. The IG Prison showed keen interest in their grievances. The Superintendent in his speech assured to highlight the issues with the higher authorities. The crucial issues related with the Prison Administration which directly reflects towards correctional policies were presented by the guarding staffs such as shortage of staff, anomaly in pay scale, correctional training for guarding staffs, preliminary arrangement for Prison Development Board to visit Jail, upgradation of existing District Jail to Central Prison, Sub-Jail Mayabundar to District Prison to sort out the overcrowding problems. It is reported that the IG Prisons, holding such a meeting for the first time was surprised that not a single recruitment has taken place in the last one decade, where hundreds of posts are lying vacant in various hierarchies.  The prison staffs are holding the same post from their initial appointment till their retirement. No Correctional Administration Training have been provided to any guarding personnel in spite of specific provision in   A & N Prison Manual. Even though the prison administration has acres of land lying vacant, overcrowding is a serious problem.

Highlighting the various issues, the jail staff has presented a representation to the Administration to look into the problems. The representation had highlighted the issues of staff shortage, training and infrastructure.

The employees complains that the staff strength is much low than the ratio mentioned in the Prison Manual. The strength of the guarding staff is determined by considering the security, duty post, workload and distribution of functions. In principle the ratio of guarding staff with respect to the prisoners will be 1:6. But, at present, the ratio is 1:20. According to Jail Manual the Warder, Head warder and Chief Head Warder should be in the ratio of 25:5:1. Hence, based on the total number of prisoners at present scenario (approx 1000), the ratio must be 175:35:7.

The ratio of Deputy Jailor, Jailor and Deputy Superintendent should be in the ratio of 4:2:1, whereas it is now in the ratio of 1:2:0. The staff strength should have been reviewed on a regular basis by systematic study of manpower needs so that there is regular intake of new recruits. All the staff are supposed to get at least three promotions during the entire span of their service. But there are many instances, when a person recruited as a Warder retires as a warder itself.

It has also sought the intervention of the administration to look into the anomalies in pay structure. The salary of the prison staff should be at par with those of equivalent ranks in the A&N Police Department. There was a pay disparity between the prison staff and the police department after the fourth and fifth pay commission recommendations. When this matter was brought to the notice of the CAT, the pay of the prison staff was made equivalent to that of the Police Department, A&N Islands. The same pay anomaly was repeated in the sixth pay commission. When this issue was raised in the CAT, the case of the prison staff was not properly presented by the department and due to this, the pay-band of the prison staff continues to be lower than that of the A & N Police Department.

To meet emergency situations, reserve guards should have been deployed from the existing eligible warders. The A & N Prison manual was introduced during the year 2004. Inspite of that no recruitment of Reserve Guard have been conducted by the department. Consequently the present staff has to handle the situation without any proper training.  In central and district prison, an Emergency Squad should have been formed, consisting of personnel below forty years of age. The personnel of this squad should be given special training in handling various emergencies or unforeseen situations. The squad should have been properly equipped and ready for action. Most of the emergency equipments viz. Steel helmet, tear gas equipment, water hoses, etc. are also not available.

The training of Warders, Head Warders and Chief Head Warders is mandatory for a period not less than 9 months from State Correctional Training Institute(SICA). But till now, only physical training has been given to the staff posted at District jail, Prothrapur. As Jails are correctional administration the guarding staffs have been not provided such training from any correctional institution till date. Moreover, facilities like leave, medical aid and concession in hours of work must be provided during convalescence period.

As per the manual, to improve and modernize the facilities of the prison, the Prison Development Board must be constituted under the Chairmanship of Hon'ble Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The IG Prisons has to be the Ex-officio Managing Director of the board. Regular visits to the prison by the members of this board would have radically improved the working conditions of the prison. It would have created conducive atmosphere for the welfare and well-being of the staff as well as the prisoners. But it is surprising that till date no such visits have been conducted/organized by the department for upgrading the prevailing condition of the prison staff/department.

The employees demand that a staff welfare committee must be immediately constituted, which will be able to build a welfare fund, run a staff welfare canteen etc. The welfare fund can be raised by monthly subscription from the staff members. This fund can be utilized for medical aid, education of the children and for recreational purposes.

Further, in the representation, the staff has put forth the suggestion to declare the District Jail, Prothrapur as a Central Jail. This matter was already taken up in the two consecutive five year plans i.e. 2007-12 and 2012-17. This will increase the number of posts in various hierarchies, thus improving the promotion channel for the staffs.           Already the upgradation work of District Jail is carried out by the Administration, in that context the construction of Compound Wall for new site at District Jail, Prothrapur and Phanighat, Mayabundar are already completed. But, the remaining work i.e. construction of building is pending for a long time. The suitable meetings along with APWD/Administration are required to be taken on top priority basis for carried out the building construction work.

Sub-Jail/Judicial Lockup at Mayabunder always having an average strength of about 15-20 prisoners. And there is only 05 male warders, 01 female warder and 01 Head Warder. Thus, if any female prisoner is newly admitted in Jail, then the single female warder has to face problem for getting a female police guard as a reliever for her from the nearest Police Station. The staffs deputed at those places are unable to get leave. They have also demandedconstruction of staff quarters for all guarding staff. The same problem is faced by Jail staff posted at Sub-Jail, Campbell Bay and Sub-Jail, Car Nicobar. Because, the staff ratio is similar or less than that of Sub-Jail/Judicial Lockup Mayabundar.

PAUPER’S LOG: Teen Bikers: Insanity is Macho

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS - Vol 35 | Issue 17-18 | 28 Oct 2011

PAUPER’S LOG:

Teen Bikers:  Insanity is Macho

By Abu Arsh


Earlier this year near Netajee Stadium, a young boy in his teens met with a fatal accident while trying a stunt maneuver on a bike. This tragic incident took two lives. One of the boys was a fifteen year old and his friend about twenty odd years old. These boys were aping stunts performed in a reality show on a television channel sponsored by a leading Bike brand. It was a tragedy which could easily have been avoided if the boys' parents had kept a tab on the activities of their wards. For people who knew this innocent young teenager, it was a shock that has been hard to get over with. His father was on sailing most of the time and he was under the control of his mother. Darling of a doting mother being the only son as the younger sibling is a daughter. One fine dawn when school was to reopen in a few days after vacation, his grand parents were to arrive from mainland; the young teenager took the keys of his dad's bike from his mother on the pretext of going for morning prayers. His bike won't start, but the boy pushed it down a slope and after some trouble it finally did start. He went straight to where his senior friend was waiting and they started their stunts at break neck speed. Finally they decided that both of them would come from opposite directions at top speed and brake facing each other using front brakes which will lift the rear end of their bikes off the road as shown on TV. The stunt failed and the end result was twisted metal, burnt rubber, crushed bones, shredded muscles and disfigured faces with one of them spot dead. The teenager expired on reaching GB Pant hospital. His mother was lost with remorse and thoughts of guilt for letting her lone son go away in this manner.

Every year 100's of kids perish in road accidents owing to rash driving. Islanders also suffer from a syndrome where kids flaunt their parent's wealth and status. Parents provide them with bikes and cars, latest smart phones, gaming consoles and send them for tuitions even for art and crafts. Kids are always away from home rushing from one tuition to another. Life is fast paced and everyone's busy; young kids who are not of a legal age to drive are provided with two wheelers to attend tuition classes. These kids mature before others in picking up vices, be it riding vehicles at top speeds or picking up fights over trivial matters. All the while thinking insanity is macho. They assume girls are impressed by guys who burn rubber on the road, flash latest androids, dress branded apparel, play violent video games, smoke a fag and talk slang. Though papa has bought them a latest model helmet, it is not chic to put them on while riding a bike. Helmet hinders these young guns's vision, spoils their hairdo and obstructs the view of the onlooker of their handsome faces. It is also inconvenient when answering the frequent phone calls they receive while on the move. For all this traffic violation and more, traffic policeman uncle would not book them either as their dad is known to all.

Our Islands do not have enough land mass where roads can be built which are of such length or width as in big cities. Due to undulating topography roads curve every few meters and the gradient also varies with steep inclines or slopes. Port Blair has lacked basic planning since ages, building set backs are insufficient, hawkers/shops encroach on footpaths, ever increasing no of vehicles, parked vehicles on road side spaces- make the roads narrower for moving motorists. Traffic sense among motorists of private or public transport and pedestrians is non-existent creating further chaos. In conditions like these the young teenagers with no mastery over machine go all out trying to create a stunt spectacle; this is extremely dangerous for the rider, pillion, pedestrians or hawkers. Parents need to stop their wards from this indulgence until they arrive at a legal age to drive a vehicle sensibly. Road safety rules and regulation lessons are to be made mandatory for kids at an early age. Our roads need to be safer for all; we parents can assure this for our wards.

EDITORIAL: Advani's Visit and BJP

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS - Vol 35 | Issue 17-18 | 28 Oct 2011

EDITORIAL

Advani's Visit and BJP

Lal Kishen Advani had cut short his visit to Ranchi disappointing the workers over there when he said that he had to rush to Andamans as he desperately wanted to meet the old Jan Sanghis in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

At the ripe age of 84, he could manage to touch this farthest outpost of India, sending a clear cut message that in his scheme of things, Andamans too counts. Whether the state unit of BJP could take mileage of Advani's visit is a different matter.

The group as soon as it landed rushed to Cellular Jail to pay tributes to the freedom fighters. Someone pointed out that he could not control his tears when he visited the memorial. Savarkar has been a plank for BJP and is used to the hilt at different levels. The controversy apart, nobody remembers those who were deported here between 1857 and 1900. They are missed big time by everyone. Those great souls do not qualify in today's milieu. To remember them, one needs to look for a memorial!

Advani's visit had strewn enough feathers in the party. There was a tacit competition in outdoing one another in putting up banners and billboards. One could not see any symmetry in those displays whereas it clearly manifested the differences, and who belonged where and why.

Did the state unit miss the opportunity to bring forth or highlight matters of local concern when the national leaders were here? Most of the speakers at the Conference at ITF grounds had finished their discourses, well before the leader arrived. Advani or the other national leaders should have been at least briefed by the State Unit about the level of corruption in the Administration, which did not happen. Advani spoke about black money and corruption at national level. There was nothing Island-specific in the addresses of the leaders. Even the address by the State head was run of the mill stuff, who could not compose his words properly.

It is also learnt that there was no interaction between the leaders and the party workers, and many of them returned disappointed. The money and energy spent by the party to coordinate the local leg of the Yatra could not create a visible ripple anywhere. The Z-category security too played spoilsport with the local leadership and workers. Till the last moment, they were not allowed to even share the dias with their national leader.

Of late, BJP too have made breakthrough by welcoming a few PRI members from Congress and TMC. A Diwali gift credited to the visit of Advani.

Bishnu too stole the show, when he reached the airport with his entourage to receive his leader to the dismay of the local leaders. They forgot that he is still the MP of BJP and deserved some space in the scheme of things. For that to materialize, his opponents need to mature as politicians. A seat on the dias could have confused many about the events going to transpire.

NCRB Releases Suicide Statistics: ANI on Third Position

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS - Vol 35 | Issue 17-18 | 28 oct 2011

NCRB Releases Suicide Statistics

ANI on Third Position

Fifteen suicides take place every hour in India and a majority (69.2 per cent) of the suicide victims are married while 30.8 per cent un-married, according to latest government statistics.

Sikkim reported the highest rate of suicide (45.9) followed by Puducherry (45.5), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (36.1), Kerala (24.6) and Chhattisgarh (26.6).

One suicide out of every 5 is committed by a housewife, said the statistics released today in the form of a report.

"It is observed that social and economic causes have led most of the males to commit suicide whereas emotional and personal causes have mainly driven females to end their lives," the report, released by Home Minister P Chidambaram, said.

41.1 per of suicide victims were self employed while only 7.5 per were un-employed.

More than one lakh persons (1,34,599) in the country lost their lives by committing suicide during the year 2010 and nearly 70.5 per cent of the suicide victims were married males while 67.0 per cent were married females, according to the report of the National Crime Record Bureau for 2010.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh accounted for 65.8 per cent of suicide victims in the age group 60 years and above.

Suicides because of 'family problems' (23.7 per cent) and 'illness' (21.0 per cent) combined accounted for 44.7 per cent of total suicides, said the report.

The percentage of suicides due to 'property dispute' and 'death of dear person' showed a relatively higher increase of 48.0 per cent and 28.9 per cent respectively.

The overall male:female ratio of suicide victims for the year 2009 was 65:35. However, the proportion of boys:girls suicide victims (upto 14 years of age) was 52:48. 

26.3 per cent of the suicide victims were primary educated and 22.7 per cent were middle educated while 19.8 per cent of victims of suicide were illiterate, the statistics showed.

Government servants were 1.4 per cent of the total suicide victims.

West Bengal (11.9 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (11.8 per cent), Tamil Nadu (12.3 per cent), Maharashtra (11.8 per cent) and Karnataka (9.4 per cent) contributed 57.2 per cent of total suicide victims.

West Bengal has reported the highest number of suicide victims (accounting for 11.9 per cent) in 2008 and 2009 and second highest in 2010 (accounting for 11.9 per cent).

Southern states Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have accounted for 51.7 per cent of total suicides reported in the country.

Sikkim and Puducherry had reported 45.9 and 45.5 respectively suicidal deaths per one lakh of population as against the national average of 11.4.

Besides, more than 55.9 per cent children suicide victims belonged to five states – Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu--out of 3,130 suicide victims.

INTERVIEW: Capt Seshasai, Director, Shipping Services: Captain of the Sinking Ship

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS - Vol 35 | Issue 17-18 | 28 oct 2011

INTERVIEW: Capt Seshasai, Director, Shipping Services

Captain of the Sinking Ship

Capt Seshasai, Director, Shipping Services did dodge pointed questions by explaining things technically. But, he could not convince the financial misappropriations and procedural lapses leading to rampant corruption.

By Zubair Ahmed

Capt Seshasai's promises to bring sanity to a department have gone haywire. From one director to three directors and again back to one director, why the experiments have miserably failed, with the service severely hitting rock bottom. In the meantime, corruption continues unabated, according to insiders. Only the modalities and the beneficiaries have changed. 

Paul James was an enigma as the director of shipping services. There were wild allegations of rampant corruption in the department during his tenure. It was also alleged that he had set his house on fire himself to avoid recovery of incriminating documents. But everything is under a thick veil of secrecy. There were CBI raids in the offices of the director. The net result of this entire hullabaloo was that the administration went on the defensive. It worked overtime to devise ways and means to check corruption in shipping department. To exorcise the ghost of Cdr. Paul James; the administration, in its wisdom, turned it into a hydra-headed body but that did not help matters either.

The DANICS lobby had found an excellent chance to push one of its own into the cushy job as Director (Administration) with an air-conditioned cabin furnished at a cost of Rs 10 lakhs, it is alleged. Another cabin (naturally air-conditioned) was readied for the Principal Director. The Secretary (Shipping) doubled as the Principal Director also. He, even otherwise could have had a tight leash on the department in his capacity as Secretary (Shipping). The third one, Director (Operations) was again from the Indian Navy. He was the man responsible for actually providing services to the people of the islands and run the vessels in the sea. He was in-charge of Operations and Maintenance, the two most vital arms of the department. He was the public face of the department who gets all the flaks for shortage of vessels, schedules going awry and angry mobs raiding his office whenever there was a dislocation. He however, sat in a sparsely furnished non-air-conditioned cabin on the ground floor of a single storey building near Marine Gate.

After a couple of years when the top heavy department failed to deliver, even though corruption to an extent was brought under control, the nexus of master-engineer-crew took over and brought the department to its knees. Moreover, every officer looked over his shoulder before putting his signature on a paper.  These knee-jerk actions to maintain a semblance of sanity did not work. Finally, the experiment had to be dropped.

When Captain Seshasai joined the Shipping Directorate, he too was one of the three Directors and assigned Operations and Maintenance. Anyway, he was not keen to continue as 'one of the Directors' and had told LOA at that time that without complete control, he would not be in a position to bring any positive change to the department. He was given complete control as the whole and sole Director. Like any tenderfoot, he too showed all idiosyncrasies in the initial period. In boiler suit, he was found in the dockyard early mornings as a timekeeper. By the time, he could understand the work culture of his employees; he had obviously learnt the ways to consolidate his grip on the cash-rich department. With a large fleet of sick vessels, unable to decommission or make operational, he found it a tough go. New vessels joined, but could not cover the demand. The onus once again fell on the whole and sole director to explain. He had by now learnt how to dodge the complaints. Technically, he would try to convince or ultimately confuse those who went to him with complaints.

Capt Seshasai did dodge pointed questions by explaining things technically. But, he could not convince the financial misappropriations and procedural lapses leading to drain of public exchequer.

There was a raid by anti-corruption wing in the stores recently on charges of rampant corruption in purchases in the department. Purchase of crankshaft, cylinder heads, gear boxes and a digital microwave frequency counter.

I am also aware of the issue. It needs to be clarified. The crank-shaft of MV Pilobhabi had to be replaced. The department placed an order with Momani Diesels on 7th July 2010. It was supplied on 22 June 2011. When the package was opened by the shop staff at the dockyard, they found it to be second-hand or used one and rejected it. We informed the dealer to replace the crankshaft. Moreover, all the orders placed with the dealer have been held in abeyance. We are planning to blacklist the dealer. However, it is the responsibility of the dealer to replace the part.

How come the matter was overlooked by the Inspection Committee?

Crank-shaft is a precision part, which is packaged in grease and boiled oil. The part is removed from packaging only when it has to be fitted. The issue came to light when it was unpacked and cleaned for fitting on the engine.

When the spare part is available from DGS&D, why did you go for local purchase?

We had placed the order with DGS&D in 2008. But, till now, we have not received the part, which is one of the main parts of the engine. With the delay, the services are affected. So, we decided to place the order locally.

And you were cheated by the dealer?

Yes. We will take punitive action against the dealer.

What about the gearbox meant for Maina? And the cylinder heads, which are lying idle?

Look, we have many boats with different requirements. If the gearbox does not suit a specific boat, we can use it in other boats. The gearbox supplied by the tenderer was not matching the boat engine. In tsunami, the documents of many ships went missing. It was difficult for us to identify the exact part. With much difficulty we could procure many parts and sometimes, if it doesn't match one boat, it will surely match other.

The Digital Microwave Frequency Counter was purchased for a whopping amount of Rs 17 lakhs? It is alleged that the electronic item is available for far less price?

I am not aware of the details. I will check it. Anyway, it was an open tender, where we have gone with the lowest quote.

APLAB, the manufacturer does not have the model mentioned in the Purchase Order and there is a mismatch in dates too. The quotation date is 14-05-2010 whereas the store requisition date is 29-07-2010.

I am not sure about the model and the electronic equipment purchased. I will look into the matter. However, I think we had called for annual rate contract for the product. That's the reason the quotation date is prior to the requisition date.

It is also alleged that there was no IRS certification for the spares purchased?

The process of IRS certification delays everything. However it is the responsibility of the supplier to get the IRS certification.

Why are such allegations cropping up now? Does the smoke suggest fire somewhere?

I cannot say anything about it. But, my own staff is making such allegations. There might be some heartburn among them.

On the service front, you have failed miserably, unable to meet the demands of the commuters?

State-owned and state-run service industry is not a viable option. The operating costs are very high. With the kind of attitude of the staff as well as the state of the fleet, we will be always lacking on that front. Most of the boats berthed here are very old. It is difficult to procure spares for most of them. If I could have my way, I would have decommissioned most of the boats lying idle.

When I joined in 2008, almost 70% vessels were non-operational. Now, about 50% of vessels are operational. There are many other factors also for the poor performance. Even if a boat gets ready for seagoing, due to documentation, it will have to wait. There is no MMD surveyor stationed in the Islands for last one year.

Many new vessels have also joined?

Eleven new vessels have joined the fleet after I took charge. There is a severe shortage of administrative officers and staff to regulate the man onboard. Since 1986, there has been no recruitment in this department. Naturally, the quality will suffer.

We have been hearing about MV Campbell Bay joining the fleet in at least three Independence Day speeches. Is it coming this time?

Yes, our crew has already left to bring the vessel. But, there are a few hiccups. ABG Shipyard has informed us that they would like to get all documentation work done here after it reaches Port Blair. In fact, we want the vessel to be put into operation as soon as it reaches here. The builder had to face many issues. The MV Act was amended many times. In 2010, it was made mandatory for ships to be equipped with Recoverable Voice Data Recorders like the black box on flights. It is mandatory as per the latest amendments to the Marine Pollution (MARPOL). In 2010, there were other amendments, which required the equipment to be upgraded and integrated to the system. It was not possible to get the latest additions integrated. And, without the modifications, the ship would not get clearance. Moreover, there were issues with the lifeboat also. They had to redo the whole thing. The issues have been resolved now. It will join soon.

What happened to the proposal of wet-lease of vehicle ferries?

Last week, the papers have been sent to the Ministry for approval.

What is the status of Shipping Corporation for the Islands?

It won't be Shipping Corporation anymore. The Administration is planning to have Andaman Nicobar Integrated Transport Corporation, which will cover sea, land and air transport. A fresh Expression of Interest will be called for appointing Consultant.

By telescopic observation, I think passenger ships are not a cheaper option anymore. Only 3% of ships are passenger ships and 97% are cargo ships. We need to have more air connectivity between the Islands as well as mainland.

We have helicopter service as well as seaplane running now. Moreover, the chartered plane, which the Administration wishes to introduce, will be also part of it. The chartered plane is pending with the Ministry. Once it materializes, Islanders will get huge benefit. The Administration plans to offer Islanders two-trips per year at the fare of Rs 1500/- to Rs 2500/-.

Why is Shipping Corporation of India milking the Administration? Sentinel is out of service for last one year?

There are serious issues with SCI. I don't know why we are still continuing with them. We are paying them a lot. But, If I suggest changing them, I am blamed for being partisan towards other private parties. The Admn is spending about Rs 25 crores for Sentinel itself, even without any service, whereas our complete purchase for our stores is not more than Rs 6 crores annually. In fact, SCI has no commitment towards our vessels.

Why is MV Chuglum not pressed into service yet? Is that not a gross waste to public exchequer?

MV Chuglum has no technical issues. We have already forwarded the file for technical manning to the Administration. It is pending for last three years.

It is learnt that your tenure is extended by another year?

Seriously, I am unable to function properly, but I have been asked to continue.

COVER STORY: Directorate of Shipping Services: Black Hole of Corruption

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS - Vol 35 | Issue 17-18 | 28 oct 2011

COVER STORY:

Directorate of Shipping Services: 

Black Hole of Corruption

Flouting General Finance Rules is a way of life at Directorate of Shipping. With inappropriate purchases amounting to lakhs of rupees, dumping all regulations, with an excuse of uninterrupted service, DSS is sailing on a sinking ship. 

By Zubair Ahmed

The Directorate of Shipping has a disgraceful history of corruption and nepotism since ages. Mired in various corruption charges and many failed experiments with the setup, it has miserably failed in meeting the demands of the commuters too. 

Flouting all the rules of procurement of goods and services mentioned in the GFR, the department has been on a purchasing spree without any reason. Anti-corruption raids are not new to the department. However, they go scot free where it is very easy to convince or confuse quoting the technical aspects. Moreover, in the garb of providing non-stop service, it prefers to procure spares from the local market, whereas, the workshop staff finds it a bit hard to digest.

Recently corruption charges were leveled against DSS officials by a fortnightly and the ant-corruption unit also raided the premises.  Nothing has happened thereafter.

The charges cannot be just brushed off as even after purchases amounting to lakhs of rupees, the presumed results are not visible in the service. Moreover, a few expensive parts procured by the department are unjustifiable. 

The crankshaft of MV Pilobhabi, a vehicle ferry plying between Bambooflat and Chatham, which had resumed service after a long span of maintenance, was found defective and had to be replaced. A purchase order was placed with Momani Diesels, who claims to be an authorized dealer for Kirloskar products. The crankshaft was purchased for a cost of Rs 2362000/-. However, the workshop staff claims that the vendor is not an authorized dealer for Crankshaft (W8V) series, an expensive and precision part. One of the allegations is that the part is available on DGS&D rate at the cost of Rs 18 Lakhs and the department failed to procure it even after placing an order in November 2008. "We cannot wait such a long period, as the services will come to a halt," said Capt Seshasai, Director, DSS. He said that a committee was constituted and decided that to sustain services, parts can be purchased locally. On the other hand, this excuse has been exploited to make purchases from local vendors on exorbitant prices, where it is alleged that the booty is shared among the top echelon. The crankshaft is a proprietary item, for which OEM Guarantee certificate has to be produced which is not done in this case. It is also alleged that the recycled Crankshaft was purchased for the cost of Rs 85000/- from Chennai by the Vendor.

The order was placed on 7th July 2010 and was delivered on 22 June 2011. An inspection committee is in place to check the part and authorize it. The Inspection of the part was also completed on the same day and the amount of Rs 2,74,0150/- by Cheque No. 139984 was issued to the vendor on 6 July 2011. The urgency in completing the Inspection is also being raised by the Workshop staff. When it was opened by the shop staff, it was found to be a used one with defects. The staff objected to fit the same. But, it is learnt that one of the Asst Marine Engineer forced them to fit it. "From the look itself, one can find out whether it was a used one or a new piece, but, how come it was overlooked by the Inspection Committee," a staff told LOA. When asked, Capt Seshasai agreed that the part was a used one and the vendor has been asked to replace it. But, when contacted CJ Anthony, Procurement Officer told LOA that the part was not a recycled one, but defective. He also told that the Inspection Committee only does preliminary inspection and the defect will only be seen when it is fitted. The staff however disagrees and says that when we can easily identify a new one from a used one, how come the committee is incapable? Every proprietary item has a serial number embedded and same mentioned in the OEM certificate. How this aspect was overlooked by the Inspection Committee points to a major racket inside the DSS in connivance with the top echelon. The Procurement Officer also needs to do lot of explaining as how he released part payment to the vendor when the complete purchase order, which included Crankshaft(W4V) and Fresh Water Pump, was for Rs 49,97,677/-

Without the approval of competent authority, making purchase of a proprietary item, the open infringement of GFR rules are the way of life at DSS, where the Director has no power.

Subsequently, on a complaint, Anti-corruption wing raided the premises and were on the verge of filing FIR. In the meantime, there was an attempt to even shift the crankshaft from the workshop to the vendor's shop. It was effectively blocked with the intervention of some staff, who informed the Anti-corruption wing. The Director was not in the station and when he came back, he met the Anti-corruption officials and what conspired at the higher level is a mystery and the issue is pushed under the carpet.

Another allegation is about the purchase of two gearboxes for the vessel Maina, which has been lying dead since long time. The gearboxes procured locally at a cost of Rs 917719/- each was found to be unfit for the vessel. The GFR rule no 137 (i) clearly points out that the specification in terms of quality, type etc., as also quantity of goods to be procured should be clearly spelt out keeping in view the specific needs.." In this case, the need was for a gearbox with ratio of 4:1 and in the purchase order, the ratio mentioned is 3:1. Another wasteful expenditure indeed. But, Capt Seshasai disagreed and said that there are many vessels with DSS and the gearbox can be used in some other boat. How come such mistakes creep in when there is sufficient technical staff. Flouting the GFR on one hand and claiming that senseless purchases involving huge amount is not an issue that can be easily rebuffed. It is once again blamed on tsunami. Capt Seshasai said that most of the documents pertaining to the vessels were lost or destroyed in tsunami. So they had to guess the model no. and procure it. Moreover, it was not certified by Indian Registrar of Shipping (IRS).

Same is the case with the purchase of cylinder heads for engines. About 16 Cylinder Heads were procured, which were also inappropriate and is lying without serving any purpose.

The most blatant instance of corruption is in the purchase of Digital Microwave Frequency Counter, bench instrument procured at a whopping cost of Rs 17,15,117/-. The workshop staff informed LOA that the electronic instrument of APLAB make is a unique item as there is no reference to such an item anywhere on the website of the manufacturer. The costliest Microwave Frequency Counter manufactured by APLAB is approximately Rs 60,000/- There is more than one discrepancy in the purchase order itself. The variation in the store requisition date and the quotation date itself points to foul play. The requisition date is 29 July 2010 whereas the quotation date of the supplier is 14 May 2010. When asked about the variation, I got two different answers from the Director and the Procurement Officer. The Director said that it was an annual rate contract whereas the Procurement Officer told that there is a mistake in the date.

When asked the exorbitant cost of the equipment, C J Anthony, Procurement Officer told LOA that it was an open tender and they had no idea about the cost of the instrument, as it was the first time, this particular equipment was purchased. Whereas the GFR in Rule 137(iv) says that the procuring authority should satisfy itself that the price of the selected offer is reasonable and consistent with the quality required. Procuring such expensive equipment without any market survey shows the vice motive behind it. The Procurement Officer has no idea about the cost of the equipment and accepted the lowest of the two qualifying quotations.

Furthermore, it is learnt that a bill of Rs 3 Lakhs was sent by the Director to the master of a vessel for endorsement for painting of the vessel. The master was shocked to see the bill as no painting work had been carried out on the boat. He was in a dilemma whether to put his initials as he will be in a soup. Finally, the director had his way.

The way the Department officials are draining the exchequer on one hand and empty promises of better service on the other hand, prompt service will always remain a pipedream for the gullible Islanders.