Surprisingly, and a bit shamefully, the Advocate General (AG) of Odisha took two long days to realise that he had no jurisdiction over disputes and issues relating to campus elections expected to be guided by the lyngdoh Committee recommendations. The Utkal University Students’ Union election controlling authorities faced a crisis when contesting candidates exposed a nominee’s criminal antecedents. The authorities could have made a small inquiry to verify the allegations and scratched the nomination of the ineligible candidate instantly. The rules are plain, simple and clear even for a schoolboy. The university pundits got dazed with confusion and, probably out fear due to gross ignorance, decided to refer the matter to the principal lawyer of the Government. The AG too agreed to look into the matter. A designate senior advocate in stature could not figure out that he was nobody in the matter. The university officials must be dismissed from exorbitantly high-salary service for being so ignorantly inefficient, and the AG be served kind of a stricture for not being sure of himself. They wasted precious time of many, kept the students and the people waiting in vain and projected Odisha in bad light. If only the AG had asked the authorities across the campuses to adhere to the lyngdoh recommendations, he would have become a savior, a hero. God give him wisdom to keep the Government safe from legal danger!
It is also not clear what expert advice and opinion the AG keeps pouring out on the Mahanadi dispute. It appears he has failed to realise ‘talks and negotiations’ would not yield any desired outcome, given the enormity of the issue. That the Chief Minister expects the Prime Minister to intervene and direct the warring parties to strike a mutual balance is only a weird proposition and waste of time. For that matter, the Prime Minister cannot behave like a dictatorial boss and call shots. It is a Constitutional issue, and only and only through a tribunal or law courts can the problem be solved. Great pity that the principal lawyer does not seem to have guided the Government well The Polavaram project on river God avarice is conclusively gone in favour of Andhra Pradesh. Chhattisgarh is an ally of the Union Government, meaning the same party rules at both places. Odisha keeps wasting time for reasons best known to the decision makers.
m The panchayat elections are round the corner in Odisha. The chaotic processes would spoil the political climate yet again as mainstream parties would be routinely using filthy tricks to spoil the youth, mostly unemployed, by enticing them to black money, meat and alcohol. Once the results would be out, the stupid young people would be dumped as garbage never to be heard again, except a few muscle-flexing and loud brats. Naveen Patnaik with his phenomenal fan following can do divine justice to the Constitution by making the process free of the sinful, devilish involvement of mainstream parties fielding crooks and rogues with Naveen symbols (BJD is only Naveen). Incidentally, Bijubabu had whimsically permitted the mainstream party affiliations but not the crooks with muscle and might from the fold to contest. He had made it amply clear that the neighbourhood good guys would have to be chosen by the communities themselves and not by the party high commands or power brokers. Today, the local self-governance systems have collapsed permanently due to this one little mistake which can be rectified by a superbly popular Chief Minister. The Panchayati Raj and the urban civic bodies have degraded to the worst levels only because ‘money, muscle game’ is in for good. Truly, do-gooders with a passionate voluntary zeal can never enter the election fray ever again. God has given Naveen much bonus. let him gift a party-free election system to the local self-governance process. He would be deified for this single act, for sure.
m The perpetually thieving sports outfit BCCI remains as defiant as ever only because it has tonnes of ill-gotten wealth. It has the audacity to ignore the Supreme Court-driven lodha Committee recommendations despite cautioning by the apex court by a deadline. Unruly and arrogant BCCI officials had already missed merrily the first deadline of September 30 despite the court’s strict warning: “Either fall in line or we will make you fall in line.” Great wonder as to how the tax-evading nonprofit sports outfit goes scot-free after showing scant regards for the highest court of the country.
m That the ‘Bihar prohibition’ would be farcical too soon, nearly all worldly wise people had known from day one. Sustaining the prohibition is impossible as the Gandhian days are part of history today, which the people, particularly the youth, have no patience to read. Prohibition was tried in the USA but scrapped after having gravest consequences. Organised crime became flourishing business so much so that gangsters gave up tougher activities like prostitution and extortion. Bootlegging became booming, hassle-free business and the police and other enforcement authorities became thoroughly corrupt without fear. Hence, the High Court ruled that the Government decision has tossed the poor from the frying pan to the fire as they spend more money to buy horrible liquor at premium prices from the black market. Bihar is planning terribly Draconian laws to ensure that the dangerous outcomes are completely prevented. It’s a fact that no single State in India can truly maintain prohibition when the neighbouring States are ‘alcohol wet’. Even the Gujarat prohibition is only a farce provoking people to drink from the black market mainly because, apart from the high price, the daring process of obtaining alcohol gives them a kick of an adventurous act. Nitish Kumar will take a big beating for sure on the prohibition front for being impractical. Believably, he is only wooing the poor women from the backward communities to vote for him. He would do better to come up with a robust regulatory mechanism than the donkey tricks being used now.
m It would be logical to know how the religious festivals involving immersion-needed idol worship cause havoc to our water. Most civilised municipal corporations in the country have banned immersion of baked clay and plaster of Paris (PoP) idols in commonly used water bodies. The idols have to be made of biodegradable natural materials strictly using nontoxic colours that do not cause harm to any aquatic life in any manner. Non-biodegradable decorative items have to be disposed of at separate sanitary landfill sites. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board put a ban on plaster of Paris idols last year. Idols made of natural materials or eco-friendly materials will cost twice that of PoP but will leave the environment healthy and toxin-free. It will also discourage fly-by-night organisers who extort money from people in the name of idol puja celebrations. Good organisers will also go in for smaller idols to save money, thereby saving the water bodies.
In Odisha unfortunately, there is no regulatory mechanism on quality of materials, number of pandals and immersion principles that keep communities in good harmony and health. The competitive spirit witnessed in the past has degraded to violent rivalry among puja organisers. There is no set upper limit for spending money mostly extracted from hapless neighbourhoods by red-eyed hulks employed specifically for the job by organisers. Hundreds of thousands of rupees go down the drain in having temporary gloss and glamour apart from nearly vulgar stage shows, orchestras and standup comedy shows. Barely any pandal organiser is known to have rewarded achievers or donated to the needy and poor. All that the neighbourhood enjoys are earsplitting, blood pressure-raising cacophony of blasting noises from terrible loudspeakers and filth and litter all around. One can also witness masterly stealing of power from the electric poles. The ordinary masses have no time, courage or scope for raising their voice against the puja torture; the ones with money and clout too look away as timid slaves, which is the worst pity!
m Rule of law is a joke in most parts of India. But in Odisha with an ‘Emperor emperor Chief Minister’ without opposition from any quarters can have a ‘Singapore quality’ disciplined State which would most certainly turn a preferred location for multifarious business activities. Even Modi will look up in awe and envy as ‘Make in Odisha’ would be a reality earlier than it happens across India.