Oakridge International School - Congratulations

At the outset, I would like to compliment the Principal, Staff and Management of Oakridge International School, Gachibowli Campus, for remarkable performance of Standards IV and III Students, in various cultural/musical programs conducted on 25 th Feb evening. I had the opportunity to attend the function, as grand daughter of my nephew participated in the event
" Pushpanjali " presented by Standard IV students.

I also congratulate Oakridge for guiding and helping every student to grow and become a part of the Smarter and Innovative generation of tomorrow.I wish Oakridge International Students, where ever they are, what ever they are, to be Good Citizens and make their Mother Land Proud, apart from being part of Smarter and Innovative generation of tomorrow.

India, in spite of its vast human and material resources, is lagging behind many developed countries, mainly because of the Attitude of its people framed along the years by their education and culture/habits. We in India lack will to comply with and teach basic following Functional Principles, that are Hall--Mark of developed societies.

a) Ethics

b) Integrity

c) Responsibility/Accountability

d) Punctuality

e) Respect for Rule of Law

f) Respect for Rights of other Citizens

g) National Pride

Hope Oakridge International will consider motivating its students for compliance with the above basic Functional Principles and bring in their Attitudinal Change, if not already being done .

a)The Resource Conservation - Water, Electricity etc, discouraging use of Plastic Carry Bags etc

b) Planting Trees -by putting them into practice in the School, may be another aspect for
consideration.

I wish Oakridge International School all the vey best in their endower of helping and guiding the students to grow and become a part of the Smarter and Innovative Generation of tomorrow. with basic Functional Principles and Moral Values.

The following quotes may be of some relevance;

Swamy Vivekananda:

" Neither Money pays, nor Name, nor Fame, nor Learning;

It is Character that can cleave through adamantine walls

of difficulties. Bear this in mind"

This is an exact quote from Lord Macaulay's speech of Feb. 2, 1835.

"I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a thief.Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high Moral Values, people of such caliber, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self esteem, their native self culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation."

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Justice Srikrishna Committee on AP

--Views & Suggestions

With reference to the advertisement dated 15-02-2010 published in The Hindu, inviting views and suggestions on the various issues as mentioned in the Terms of Reference, the following views and suggestions are offered for kind consideration of the Committee:

I. Situation w.r.t. Separate State of Telangana & United AP

a) Clarity regarding formation of New States?

This needs to be examined taking into consideration the Administrative

Convenience/Efficiency and Economic Viability for providing Good

Governance,which should be the hall-mark for any new State. For a country

like India, with multiple Languages, Cultures etc and a variety of

Geographical and Historical aspects, there has to be clarity regarding

formation of new States. Otherwise there is every danger of unviable

administrative fragmentation of the country, similar to the chaotic situation

prevailing prior to Independence in 1947.

b)What is the Justification for Separate State of Telangana?

Having formed the State of Andhra Pradesh in Fifties, based on Language, rightly or wrongly, what is the need to consider formation of Separate State of Telangana now? The justification being put forward covers wide range of issues like –Discrimination, Injustice, Exploitation,Neglect, Backwardness, Lack of Development, Historical Aspects/Culture, Self Respect & Pride etc

c) Discrimination, Injustice & Exploitation?

This phenomenon is not confined to any particular region in AP State or the

Country, the weaker sections and the have-nots are being discriminated and

exploited by the mighty all over.The growing influence of nexus between the State

& Market Overlords is the root cause of this evil,which needs to be changed. We

may not need a separate State to change & it may continue even after creation of

new State?

d) Who is Responsible for Neglect & Lack of Development?

The scrutiny of the relevant data by the Committee may reveal that the neglect

& lack of development is equally applicable to some of the Coastal and

Rayalaseema districts. Many of the Political Leaders, who are now active in

agitation for separate Telangana State (TS) or Andhra, irrespective of their party

affiliations, have been part of the State Administration, some time or other,

during the last 50 years. Do they have no responsibility for neglect & lack of
development of their respective districts/region?

e) Root Cause – Political Unemployment?

The agitation for separate State of Telangana, started in 1960s by some

politicians, fizzled out soon after their political rehabilitation. With the emergence

of Telugu Desam Party in 1980s, many of the political aspirants could be

accommodated and there was a lull about Separate TS. As the Political

Unemployment increased in 1990s, the agitation for Separate TS picked up
again.

f ) Flash Point

The flash point of Separate TS agitation was triggered by the midnight

announcement of the Union Home Minister on 9 th December 2009, leading to a

chain of unfortunate and tragic incidents and present state of continued

uncertainty and unrest. According to me, this appears to have been stage

managed by the top leadership of the Political Party in Power at the Center, to
serve their short term political agenda, which is tragic and unpardonable.

II. Developments in AP State since its Formation.

The overall development of AP State, since its formation, with particular

reference to Hyderabad and its surrounding areas, Visakhapatnam, some of the

districts in Coastal Area Rayalaseema and Telangana, is undeniable.

It is also undeniable, that there was laxity or negligence in implementing the

provisions of Gentlemen Agreement, Six Point Formula and Article 371-D of The

Constitution of India.

III. Impact of Recent Developments

a) Irreparable damage has been done to the image of AP State in general and the brand name of Hyderabad in particular.

b)The seeds of Distrust, Hatred, and Selfishness have been sown in all walks of life among the people of AP State, which disturbed the harmony. and peaceful atmosphere

c)The Rule of Law has become a serious casualty, leading to large scale indiscriminate destruction of Public Property worth thousands of Crores & causing Public inconvenience, apart from so called self immolations.

d)The provocative speeches being made by some of the Leaders, MPs, MLAs,

who have taken oath to uphold the Constitution of India, are in utter disregard

& violation of Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Suggestions

a)The division of the existing States and formation of New states should be based on sound norms ensuring Administrative Convenience/ Efficiency and Economic Viability for Good Governance

b) If it is based on emotional issues such as historical/cultural aspects, self respect / pride etc, every district may have to be made a separate State

c) In the days of Technological development, particularly Information Technology, Decentralized and Empowered Administration at District/ Metropolitan levels vide Article 243 of The Constitution of India (11 th & 12 th Schedules), there is no need for smaller States for providing Good Governance.

d) Separate State of Telangana, I firmly believe, will to a great extent serve the greed of Politicians, White collared officials,, Corporate /Business Houses etc only, and there may not be any material change in the life of the Rural poor who will continue to be exploited, ignored and neglected

e) The substantial material difference can be brought about among the Rural Masses by decentralized and empowered administration, even without a Separate State of Telangana at considerable expenditure

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Budget Proposals for 2010-2011

 

      At the outset, I would like to compliment Sri Pranab Mukherjee, Hon'ble Finance Minister, GOI,  for acknowledging, while presenting the Budget Proposals  for 2010-11, the Challenges of a) Making Development More Inclusive and b) Addressing the Weaknesses in Govt. Systems, Structures, and Institutions at Different Levels of Governance. Recognizing challenges is one thing and meeting them is another.

 

More Inclusive Development

      

       It is impressive to note that, spending on Social Sector has been increased to 37% of Total Plan Outlay, in addition to 25% of Plan Allocations, devoted for development of Rural Infrastructure, to meet the challenge of more Inclusive Development. The effective utilization of the allocations and the actual impact of the programs for which the allocations are made, will remain a myth, as the existing public delivery mechanism continues to be a major bottle-neck. 

 

Strengthening Transparency and Public Accountability

 

       This is being talked about quite for some time but nothing much happened so far. The measures now proposed- Technical Advisory Group, Independent Evaluation Office, Financial Sector Reforms etc -are too general and there are no time bound definite plans/ programs. The only worthwhile proposal is the allocation of Rs1,900 Crore to UIDAI for 2010-11.

 

Reduction of Expenditure

 

   The proposal for reducing fiscal deficit from 6.9% to 5.5 % during the Budget Year is a laudable goal. The strategies to achieve the same are somewhat suspect. The disinvestment target is just Rs 25, 000 Crore and there are no specific plans to reduce the public expenditure either, which has very good potential and very much needed.   

                                                   

Theories and Practices

 

        The Policies, Plans and Programs are invariably well intentioned, but they fail to have the desired impact on the stake holders for whom they are really meant, because of Poor Delivery System which is insensitive, unresponsive, not transparent and not accountable for the results.

 

     The quote of Swamy Vivekananda - ''You have to be practicable in all spheres of work. The whole country has been ruined by masses of theories" may not be out of place.

  "We need to have three things: the Heart to Feel, the Brain to Conceive, the Hands to Work"

                                      - Swamy Vivekananda

 

      In UPA Government, we seem to have the first two - the Heart to Feel (UPA Leader), the Brain to Conceive (Prime Minister), but not the "Hands to Work" (Good Governance), which seem to have been crippled.

 

Conclusion

 

      The urgent Need of the Hour is "Good Governance", the hall-mark of which are Transparency, Responsibility and Accountability,  from top to bottom, including  Policy and Decision makers,  Administrators,  of the  delivery system.

 

      Under the present system, the only answer is to ensure the "Rule of Law", which seems to be a serious causality at present. The "Rule of Law" can be ensured/restored, only by instilling the fear of punishment by setting examples   at the highest levels and by making any violation a "High-Risk" Business, instead of being a "High-Profit" Business as at present. The Judicial System needs to be geared up for expeditious delivery of Justice

 

      The sincere and honest efforts by the Govt. to get back the Indian money of about Rs. 7,00,000 Crores reported to be lying in Swiss and German Banks, at the earliest, will speak volumes about Purity, Honesty and Character of the UPA Government and will be a stepping stone for ensuring Good Governance with "Hands to Work" which are totally crippled at present.

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Threat to Kolleru Sanctuary Area under garb of Expert Group

      

    Sri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment & Forests, Govt. of India, after visiting Kolleru Sanctuary Area, along with  the MPs, who are known to have vested interests in reduction of Sanctuary Area from Plus +5 to + 3 contour, is reported to have agreed to constitute an "Expert Group" to reexamine the relevant issues for reduction of the sanctuary area.

 

   The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court, after inspecting the site and interacting with the representatives of different stakeholders, had already laid down the norms that should apply to the conservation of Kolleru Lake. Based on these norms, the bold "Operation Restoration of Kolleru" was launched for dismantling fishponds encroaching into the Government lands in the notified Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary, which was opposed by the same people who have now accompanied the Minister, E&F. One fails to understand the justification/motives for Sri Jairam Ramesh to reopen the issue and trying to put the clock back in restoration of Kolleru to its Pristine Glory.

 

Grounds for Reduction of Sanctuary Area

                

   The reduction of Kolleru Sanctuary boundary  is  proposed,  mainly on the grounds that  private lands to the extent of 15,000 acres between contours +5 and  +3, are required to be acquired  at an estimated compensation of  Rs.655 Crores to be paid  for the lands at valuation rates  prevailing in the year 2008.

 

  The State Govt is understood to have proposed that if it was not possible for Government of India to provide funds for compensation against land to be acquired, then it should allow to reduce the Sanctuary from +5 to +3 contour as per the Assembly Resolution.

 

    The total compensation amount of Rs.655 Crores for about 15,000 acres of private land, which works out to be more than Rs. 4 Lakhs per acre, appears to be very much on the higher side. The value of the land in the Sanctuary area will have to be worked out, taking into account that the land use cannot be changed, and it gets subjected to flooding for most part of the year.

 

Adverse Impacts of Reduction

 

    The attempt to shrink the area of the Kolleru Sanctuary (from +5 to +3 contour) by about 25,000 acres will reduce the water holding capacity to the dead storage, defeating the very purpose of notifying as a Wildlife Sanctuary. The reduction of water holding capacity of the Sanctuary, which serves as a natural flood- balancing reservoir for Krishna- Godavari basins, will lead to submerging of thousands of acres of agricultural lands in the surrounding areas.

 

  It will ultimately prove to be disastrous to the famous Wetland –Kolleru- of international repute, nullifying the results of all the good efforts made during the last 5 to 6 years, to revive, the clinically dead Kolleru fresh water lake. This will have serious long term adverse impacts on ecological balance of the water body and the surrounding area.

 

Conclusion

 

       Sri Jairam Ramesh, Minister for E&F, should take note of the norms laid down for conservation of Kolleru Sanctuary Area  by CEC, which  is seized of the matter and should not reopen the issues that have been well settled, for the reasons best known to him. He should use his good-offices for making available the central funds required for paying compensation for the lands belonging to small farmers between +5 and +3 Contours, instead of wasting time and resources in appointing "Expert Group"  

 

     The CEC Findings and Directives, Public Opinion ( not the stage managed public opinion),Environmental Impacts, GOI Obligation to International Organizations regarding protection of Wetlands, Article 48-A of The Constitution of India, the  Harmony between Water Body, Human Habitations, Flora & Fauna etc, be considered before jumping to any conclusion in respect of "Kolleru Sanctuary" .

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Misuse of Funds under National Rural Emloyment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) - Khammam

At the outset I thank the District Administration of Khammam and the Project Director, DWMA for visiting Yerragunta village on 14 th February 2010, for on the spot evaluation of the water bodies, in response to my letters on the subject.

NREGS Works

This is to bring to kind notice of District Collector, that 35 works are taken up in Yerragunta Panchayat, at an estimated cost of Rs 103 Lakhs under NREGS, since 2006.

Feeder & Field Channels

As per Memo No.636/EGS/PM (T)/2008 of 20-01-10 issued by The Commissioner, Rural Development, Govt. of AP, the works pertaining to desilting of Feeder Channels & Field Channels are banned under NREGS, in all districts except in East Godavari,West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts, prior to the issue of the above stated Memo. Even after lifting the ban, the desilting

of Feeder and Field Channels is permitted only in Mandals mentioned in Annexure to the Memo, which does not include Chandrugonda Mandalam in Khammam district.

But in Yerragunta Panchayat of Chandrugonda Mandalam, the works on Feeder and Field Channels, at an estimated cost of Rs.16 Lakhs, are being taken up since 2006, some of which are still in progress.This needs to be investigated and reviewed.

Desiltation / Restoration of Kamikala Kunta

The Kamikala Kunta at Shanthinagar is also known as Banjaradharu Kunta and the particulars of works taken up on this,since 2006 are listed below:

Work Code Name & Type of Work Total Cost Start Date Status

50005 Desilting of Kamikala Kunta 1, 96,000 15-05-06 Completed

at Shanthinagar

50013 Desilting-Deepening of 4, 15,859 03-06-07 In-progress

Banjaradharu Kunta

50155 Comprehensive Restoration 8, 49,691 28-06-09 In-progress

of Banjaradharu Kunta at

Shanthinagar

10003 Feeder Channel- 43,697 01-04-08 Completed

Shanthinagar

30032 Desilting of Field Channel 94,500 01-04-08 Completed

Kamikala Kunta

50158 Work Site Facilities 16,248 28-06-09 In-progress

Banjaradharu Cheruvu

at Shanthinagar

60067 Land development including 2, 88,273 03-06-08 In-progress

Land leveling- Shanthinagar

60131 Desilting & Silt application to 4, 33,916 10-08-09 In-progress

Lands belonging to SC,ST etc

around Shanthinagar

The undersigned during his visit, to Kamikala Kunta (Banjaradharu Kunta) at Shanthinagar on 14 th February 2010,did not observe any desiltation/restoration/land leveling activities in and around the water body. There seems to be some illegal excavation of soil from the upstream towards the roadside. The water body is covered fully by the growth of wild-plants. Judging from the neglected state of Kamikala Kunta, the huge amounts reported to have been spent /being spent on so called restoration / desiltation, does not seem to be achieving the object of creation of durable assets by way of restoration of the Water Body. This needs to be thoroughly investigated with a view to establish accountability and to identify and penalize the culprits, if any, for misuse of NREGS Funds.

Desiltation / Restoration of Yerragunta Cheruvu

The particulars of works taken up on Yerragunta Cheruvu since 2006 are listed below:

50006 Desilting of Yerragunta Cheruvu 1, 81,750 06-07-06 Completed

50009 Restoration of Y - Cheruvu 6, 20,028 08-01-06 Completed

50057 Desilting of Y - Cheruvu 2, 50,950 25-05-08 In-progress

10019 Feeder Channel to Y-Cheruvu 3, 41,000 06-02-08 In-progress

10075 Desilting of Feeder Channel in Y.C 2,10, 401 20-04-08 In-progress

There are eight Cheruvus/Kuntas in Yerragunta Panchayat limits on which substantial amounts have been spent since 2006,in the name of their desiltation/ restoration, but with out the desired results. The case of Modugulu Kunta on which Rs.3.84 Lakhs (Work Code 50020) was spent in 2007 and the water was pumped by some of the villagers to cater for their selfish interests,ignoring the larger interests of the community, was brought to your kind notice during your visit to the village on 29 th November 2009.

Conclusion

There is an urgent need to stop all the ongoing desiltation works in Yerragunta Panchayat, till the method of planning, scheduling, implementing and effective monitoring of desiltation/restoration works under NREGS; are reviewed,with a view to create accountability for creation of durable assets by way of restoration of the traditional Water Bodies and to prevent any possibility of misuse / misappropriation of the funds.

There is also an urgent need to identify and demarcate the extent of area of all the water bodies to FTL, as per Revenue Records and evict the encroachers, if any, before desiltation/ restoration works are undertaken.

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Coal & Power Generation in India

Your interest seems to be on the initiatives in India, about leaving coal in the ground, and linking it to initiatives around coal for generation of power. I am afraid that there are no such initiatives in practice at present and Planning Commission of India is thinking in that direction.The Public Sector Undertaking " Coal India Limited " has the monopoly in Coal Mining

I would like to brief you about the ground realities of Coal Extraction and its usage for Power Generation in India.

a) About 50% of commercial energy is provided by coal and 75% of domestic coal production
is used for power generation.The domestic coal has about 40% Ash content and India may
need about 2 Billion tons of coal per annum to meet the power generation requirements at

the current rate. At present 80% of Industrial pollution is contributed by coal based thermal

power plants. I need not mention about their inherent environmental, and social problems,

the economic costs of which are not taken into account,while working out the cost of coal
based thermal power, giving a misleading picture about its actual cost.

b) The outdated coal extraction technology (open cast mining) and its transportation (by road)
leaves very high Carbon Footprints.

c) The existing coal based thermal power plants operate at gross efficiency of 30 to 34 %,
because of very low thermal efficiency of the boilers and other outdated technologies further
adding to Carbon Footprints. The Super Critical Technology Boilers now being adopted may
boost the efficiency to around 40%

d) The use of Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) technology for power generation
may be lesser of the evils

e) The extraction of Coal Bed Methane, before and during coal mining may one initiative

f) The new Coal Extraction technology through Insitue gasification may be another option

Conclusion

The present method of coal extraction, transportation and usage is Dirty and "Clean Coal
Technology" appears to be a myth.The Energy Efficiency together with Renewable Sources of Energy is the cheapest , fastest and Eco-Friendly way of ensuring Sustainable Energy Security.

Nuclear Power is neither Renewable, nor Cheap, nor Clean and Safe. taking the entire
Nuclear Fuel Life Cycle into consideration, it is more carbon intensive.

The Electrical Power is only a by-product of Nuclear Power Reactor and the actual product is Deadly Nuclear Waste lasting for millions of years.

Nuclear Power is Not the Answer to Coal.
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Protection of Durgam Cheruvu

The G.O.Rt.No.12 of 08-01-2010 is issued, in pursuance of AP High Court Orders in W.P. 24077/2009, constituting the Committee, for taking steps required for protection of Durgam Cheruvu by identifying and reclaiming encroached lands falling within Durgam Cheruvu Lake and also to clear the dumping material from the Lake.

Ground Realities

Form the visit to the lake site it is observed that huge quantities of waste material and boulders are dumped at the site belonging to one Rajendra Agarwal, in the lake area behind Nectar Gardens and opposite to INORBIT Building and at the site between Open Drain and STP of HMDA. A new building is under construction, reportedly by one Srinivasa Rao, between STP and Collecting Tank of STP, which itself is in the lake area.

The Nectar Garden Complex and adjacent buildings seem to be encroachments falling within the lake area, judging from the water level abutting the rear compound wall of Nectar Gardens.The shrinkage of the lake area during last two years is evident from the fact that the Boating and Fishing Area of APTDC is abandoned, because it is inundated by the waters. The exact water spread area of Durgam Cheruvu is unclear, as FTL and MTL (MFL) have not been demarcated on the ground over the years. The FTL and MTL have no significance now, as the water spread area had been shrinking over the years

The benefits of 5 MLD STP of HMDA operating in the lake area are more than nullified by huge quantities of raw domestic sewage and waste waters flowing directly into the lake through the Open Drain. Even the Open Drain is encroached by laying a slab and building a shed in Kalyan Nagar, opposite the building "Sri Purna Prajna", which itself may be an encroachment within lake area.The capacity of 5 MLD STP appears to be grossly inadequate, even to treat the raw domestic sewage generated by the buildings in and around the lake area, leave alone the multi-storied complexes that are under construction and are likely to come up.

Suggestions

As per HUDA Notification the area of Durgam Cheruvu is 25.23 Hectares. The exact area and the survey numbers, covered under Full Tank Level (FTL) and Maximum Tank Level (MTL) be clearly demarcated, and prominently displayed at the water body for the information of the public, so as to protect and preserve Durgam Cheruvu

The outlet sluices, if any, be closed to prevent draining out of the lake. The down stream bund and surplus weir need to be augmented and strengthened to ensure discharge of only surplus inflows beyond safe holding capacity of the lake, i.e. MTL.

The encroachments into demarcated Lake area and 30 meters buffer zone be identified and notified for taking necessary corrective action including eviction where necessary.

The dumped material in the demarcated lake area and buffer zone be removed at the earliest at the expense of the people responsible for dumping.

The holding capacity of the lake to be improved by Desilting the lake area, particularly the shallow and peripheral areas.

The direct discharge of raw domestic sewage and waste waters into the lake form the surrounding areas, either through open drains or pipelines is to be prevented by implementing proper sewage collection and treatment system.

The existing buildings which are not connected to Sewage system are to be penalized and it should be made mandatory for all the buildings under construction and to be approved in future.

If it is not possible to upgrade the capacity of the existing 5 MLD STP, the surplus raw sewage generated and collected in the area, be diverted to down stream for treatment and disposal.

The green belt development be undertaken in the area between FTL and MTL and in the buffer zone, to prevent encroachments and to act as bio-filters to prevent pollution.

The authorities and persons responsible for non-implementation of the directives of AP High Court , resulting in more encroachments and destruction and leading to the present sad state of the lake, be identified and reprimanded, so as to prevent the reoccurrence of the same and set an example for the future.

"Durgam Cheruvu Protection Body" be constituted with the local representatives of concerned departments –Revenue, Engineering, GHMC, HMDA, Police, APPCB, APTDC etc – and the Concerned Citizens of the area, to monitor the duties and functions of the concerned agencies, so as to ensure sustained protection and preservation of Durgam Cheruvu.