LPG tanker disasters cry for better safety measures

By O.J.George

Around 4 am, when most people are fast asleep in December cosiness, an LPG tanker lorry collided against a car, overturned and caught fire, which further caused explosions, on the gas catching fire and continuing the conflagration for over seven hours.

By then over 20 people received burn injuries, at least ten of them 100 suffering critical injuries. At least four of them had suffered 100 per cent injuries. Two of them succumbed to the injuries after a few hours of treatment in the hospital.
There are others with 70 to 80 per cent burns whose lives hang in the balance.
A large number of shops, about 20 motor-cycles, a police van and other things were gutted.

More than all these devastations, think about the trauma of people who have been evacuated in the sleepy hours.

Our of abundant precaution, the electricity supply in the whole area was snapped. Mobile phones were immobilized, people were asked through loud speakers not to light anything, not even cause a spark.

Women, children and old people had to be taken to safe places, leaving everything back, in the unwholesome hours.

Tanker lorries have free access to our roads which are the pathways for people and passenger and transportation vehicles.

There were tanker lorry accidents in Thrissur district and Kollam district and a few other places this year. By sheer luck, the tragedy of today’s magnitude was averted. Every time, that cannot be expected.

There should be scientific way of dealing with transportation of gas and handling of these vehicles.

The fire force personnel were fighting the accident on the strength of will-power and water. Both are not sufficient to meet the challenge.

Let good sense prevail over decision makers and devise ways to ensure safety.

Various acts of terrorism, liquor addiction and sex rackets to flourish in Kerala

By O.J.George

Ink watching ritual is not necessary to know what would be happening in Kerala in matters of acts of terrorism, liquor addiction and sex rackets.
All these are going to be the bane of Kerala society at their height in the years to come.

People of Kerala have got drunk to the tune of nearly Rs 50 crore during the Christmas days. Availability is what counts about having a draught of the inebriating liquor.

Go to any place, liquor is the one item that is available in plenty. One can watch the neighbourhoods. A lot of menfolk are addicted to the drinks. A few years of survival with tremors, if not drunk, they vanish into thin air, leaving the dear ones, some of them heavily dependent, despondent.

Acts of terrorism have only begun. It seems Kerala has been home to many people who planned and helped terrorist acts elsewhere, incidents of extremism many notwithstanding.

Governments cannot haggle over the rights of investigation. Whoever probes should do it meticulously and save the people of the growing menace.

Sex rackets are flourishing in our society one way or other. We hear about raids and investigations into the flesh rackets.

A lot of such rackets are flourishing in all our neighbourhoods. A lot of unwary girls are hooked on into the racket after they fall prey to so-called love indications. They would not be able to come out of the trap, once they fall into it.
Traps apart, nowadays, the old fearsome social situation is no more there. A lot of women are definitely forward looking in sex matters, compared to the past. Exposure to social media is causing the itch.

They cannot be blamed, but they have to control themselves if dangers have to be averted. There cannot be innocuous one-night stands sans danger in our social milieu. Once involved, the protagonists cannot emerge unscathed.

Are we cowards or are we not just scared?

O.J.George

Congress leader M.M.Hassan has observed that people are fearful of hartal, forcing them to remain indoors, resulting in the success of the agitation.

What he said is quite correct, but not in the case of BSP hartal supported by the BJP alone as on Tuesday. Every hartal called by ABCD parties is scary. Shop-keepers down the shutters for fear that their wares would be ransacked. Vehicle owners do not take out the automobiles so that the machines and the man would not be harmed.

Court fiat notwithstanding, party animals can cause havoc to the people, simply because action against them is not easy. For every party is the butt of blame in this regard.

In the case of the ruling party, the people have to be more scared. Just because a person did not buy a door-mat in Alappuzha district, some party workers barged into the house in the dead of night and destroyed house and property and attacked the family members. The head of the family has succumbed to his injuries.

These days, even non-political occurrences are quite unsavoury. Thieves, looters, thugs have their free-for-all. For snatiching a hundred rupee note, they would do anything.

In olden days, a strong gate, thick locks and other protective gears were comfortable for the safety of the house-hold.

Now-a-days attackers come in droves, simply remove the gate per se, take off the door as such, barge in and attack the house-holders at gun or knife-point. Take off everything, no one is bothered.

House-breakers, thugs, looters and killers have their full freedom. Their rights are well protected. Ordinary mortals are a scared lot, Mr Hassan.

Why should our stuff be low-quality?

O.J.George

Now there is a hue and cry about the substandard pitch of the Feroze Shah Kotla which forced Indian and Sri Lanka cricket teams to abandon the fifth match.
As expected, no one takes responsibility and everyone is on the forefront of being in the blame game. Easy it is for that, for BJP’s Arun Jaitley is the Delhi Cricket Association chief and there are worthies of the UDF in the BCCI and other state boards.

Congress has already blamed Jaitley and wanted him to quit. Sports Minister M.S.Gill has found found it a matter of shame. ICCI is questioning the arrangement of amenities.

Money cannot be a problem in cricket matters, therefore, the reason could be only shoddy preparations. Why can’t we be a quality people, when we have the wherewithal to be so?

We are showing off as sub-standard stuff when we take one decision on visa restrictions and then a lot of haggling happens at the ministerial level.

Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has questioned the multiple- entry visa restrictions imposed on foreigners by the Indian Government. Of course, he has expressed his difference of opinion through twitter.

Was it not better on his part to have raised the matter before his own ministry to be taken up with the Home Ministry before coming up with the tweet?

These are episodes of pedestrianism which we are taunting. A little bit of caution would have improved the situation.

There can be no basis, but media speculated on Oommen Chandy being made Governor of AP

By O.J.George

Imagination staggers, for wild speculation could go this far. One portal in the Gulf has speculated the Centre was mulling over posting either Oommen Chandy or Digvijay Sing as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh in place of sex scandal tainted N.D.Tiwari.

Our own Oommen Chandy is deeply enmeshed in the politics of Kerala and there can be no replacement for him in the state, unless of course by any chance A.K.Antony, now Defence Minister, who could be any Minister or even President of India in future, condescends to return to state politics. And his return to Kerala scene being a remote possibility as Antony had asserted earlier that he would not contest from Kerala again.

And so there is a grain of truth in the common allegation that the media can go into wild imagination.

Coming to N.D.Tiwari, the 85-year-old Governor under exit, one wonders if an old man can indulge in all sorts of spooky affairs. Mind you, we are not living in any feudal set-up. Can some women go on sending girls to Tiwari, the Governor, with impunity, offering them jobs?

Tiwari’s case is a warning to other weaklings as well. Frolicking with women at all odd hours and spooky circumstances, particularly to those wielding power, would cost them dearly. Forget about Tiwari, he has reached his political Sun-set. The likes of Rajmohan Unnithan are not.

Ugly goings-on undergoing a churning process? No one knows.

Politician's secret discussions with a woman in secluded place, alone is a mean business

By O.J.George

Rajmohan Unnithan forcing the victory sign as he boarded the police jeep after getting bail for alleged sex offence, pushing aside a police man to do so, was amusing sight.

Whose victory, what victory?Honey trap is one of the common tools among intelligence agencies of rival countries. But this was self-inflicted honey trap.

It is a pity that some political figures find it convenient to hold discussions with women or women colleagues solitary at night in God-forsaken places.

Rajmohan Unnithan may be guilty or not guilty, he may have the support of medical certificate in respect of the woman concerned, no sex done.

But was it essential that he should hold discussions at night with the woman in question all alone?

Sometime ago, a Minister of the V S Achuthanandan ministry, of course, an LDF partner minister, was caught in likewise fashion, a few papers had reported.

The minister could cover up the incident in many of the mainstream newspapers and media.

He had also simplified the issue saying that was a night discussion. But a lot of people had gathered around the house in which the discussion was going on .

The minister had given up his state car while furtively featuring in discussions. When a huge crowd collected at the site, he called for the gun man and the car and escaped in the official car.

Afterwards, nothing is heard about it so far.There were rumours that the minister was trapped by a chota leader of his own party, of course in another group.
Suffice it to say, leaders holding secret discussions with women, alone at hidden places is a mean business.

Where is the distinguishing mark while dealing with deadly wild animals?

By O.J.George

Should we subject ourselves to deadly risk while dealing with intruding wild animals? This issue is haunting a lot of people, especially those living in areas bordering forests.

Scheduled animals like leopard, king cobra should not be touched even if they attack you. Please lie down in front of them like dead, after informing the forest people.
By the time they arrive, either the animals would be off to their havens hauled up somewhere readying for another attack.

Some people of Thodupuzha are facing the music now for catching an intruding leopard. Somehow they caught the deadly animal. It was alive when the forest department men arrived. It died while being in their custody.

The cause of death is assault by the people while it was caught. It should have been left where it was, hiding in the bushes. The people should not have provoked it to come out.

Now those who caught the animal face grave charge of offence inviting a jail term of up to seven years.

Why should wlld animals come out in the open, to the town, leaving its forest comfort? They have no food, no amenity in the wild. Will the forest department people be charged with an offence if the wild animal gives up its abode in the forest? Someone should take responsibility for the safe keeping of the animals in the wild. They should not be allowed to poach into human territory.

One can deal with an attacking human being in self-defence, but not an animal. Someone should draw the demarcating line. There should be no deliberate attempt to kill an endangered animal, but there should be a proviso regarding self-defence.

The beauty and paradox of Indian democracy; Ajmal Kasab can say anything

By O.J.George

Sometimes we speak lowly about our nation considering pervasive corruption, political wrong-doings, the rich becoming richer even as the poor were becoming poorer, windfall profits accruing to big MNCs on account of opening up but denying proper welfare measures to the have-nots and the like.

But there is the beauty of our democracy, its jurisprudential sequences and the basic dictum that no innocent should be punished.

Take the case of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist in the Mumbai attack.

He had pleaded guilty to the charges, which was a voluntary confession made on July 20. Now on Friday, he made a volte-face.He does not know anything about the attacks.

He had come to Mumbai in search of finding opportunities for acting in films. He was roaming around Juhu beach 20 days before the 26/11 attack.

He has close similarity to another terrorist who was killed in the encounter and so he was accosted by the police.

Unsolicitedly ,he made a reference to US terror-suspect David Headley as well. No doubt, he wants to mislead the prosecution and possibly delay the processes.

A number of eyewitnesses have identified Kasab and CCTV cameras at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus have captured him blazing away.

But Kasab made seemingly bizarre claims, contradicting his July 20 voluntary confession made before judge M.L. Tahilyani as well as the one recorded before a magistrate in February.

The 22-year-old said he was not a terrorist, had not fired at commuters at CST and had never ever seen an AK-47 before he was put on trial.

He said he travelled from Pakistan to New Delhi by the Samjhauta Express and came to Mumbai 20 days before 26/11 to find a house.

Kasab claimed he was falsely implicated because he resembles another gunman Abu Ali, who was shot dead.

Had he been in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or China, he would not have received so many opportunities to say something before a judge a few times and then retract the same and move in an entirely different direction.

Three cheers for Indian democracy which allows all sorts of viewpoints. Whether such averrments will have any sway in the final analysis is a different issue.

Advani adjudged ancestral head; BJP’s grandchildren take over

By O.J.George

No one can deny the ferocity of the tumultuous A.B.Vajpayee-L.K.Advani era in BJP, which had fetched the party the reins of power at the Centre.


No doubt, it could not nurture the progress made to greater fruition and could not ensure at least alternate governance at the Centre with the Congress Party.


There has been a great shortage of ideas to propel it beyond Rath Yatra and its off-shoots. At best what the party has done seems to be Sonia baiting and Manmohan bashing, bereft of other clear programmes and proclivities.

The BJP has been remaining stuck at some point, and no one knows whether there would be another jump-start.


Perhaps the RSS should suggest to its political outfit to keep off Sonia Gandhi and the family, for too much criticism would only generate a sympathy factor for them in the hearts of the people.

And what is the point in lecturing against a legitimate role for Rahul Gandhi in the political echelons of India? Or for that matter, Priyanka Gandhi in future.

It would be better to concentrate on plans and programmes and not personalities.

The single largest mistake made by the party was its propensity to launch an agitation against Sonia Gandhi, when she was about to take over as Prime Minister.

The people’s mandate was mauled by the defeated political rival, led by Sushma Swaraj at that time.

Naturally, one can expect the same strain of arguments as she takes over the role of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha from L.K.Advani. Which again prompts one to say that the future is not that good in the matter of recapturing power.

All the same, changes are better in the eyes of the people, for another era is opening up, with promises and promptings galore, the grandfathers providing patronage in ample measure.

Let no political party interfere in the investigation process and let there be no high-handedness in quizzing

By O.J.George

At last Soofiya Madani, wife of PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madani, has been arrested following denial of anticipatory bail to her by Kerala High Court.
The court has observed it cannot grant her bail as that would adversely affect the investigation proper.

The court wanted political parties not to interfere but help proper investigation. The court observed that extremist activities have been rampant in Kerala at least since 2005.

There may have been many in various political parties who entertain soft corner towards players of ultra activities on the basis of sheer ignorance or innocuous feeling about extremism. Terrorist activities are acts of treason which work their way to the disintegration of the country.

There may be global parameters for the extremist activities. Ordinary political folks may unknowingly consider these as just incidents which occur during a bandh or agitation. The lawyer of Soofiya Madani pointed out in the High Court that several buses were set ablaze during the Telengana stir.
No it is not like that, for acts of terrorism are anti-national and such incidents should be viewed seriously.

Youth should be motivated against movement towards extremism, everywhere in the country.

Let Kerala be freed of extremism of all sorts, for these acts would not help to achieve any aim.

It seems no one can save Madani, Soofiya et al for out- of- the way activities

By O.J.George

Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan has made it clear the CPM would not have any truck with ultra-acts-suspect PDP led by Adbul Nasser Madani. The party had association with PDP earlier, but that could have been avoided. The CPM would never have links with any organization which has extremist connotations.

CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had also repeated the affirmations of the party’s central leadership, although he cannot completely ignore PDP. There was a rider in his comments about the electoral tactics in future. The tactics would be decided in accordance with the –then prevailing conditions.

Well, there should be a standing understanding that no party would hobnob with extremists, for ultra tactics would only land them in further troubles.
Justice V.R.Krishna Iyer, retired judge of the Supreme Court, has made it clear that he does not know anything about Madani being an extremist or not. He had championed the cause for his release simply on account of his incarceration in jail without findings.

The CPM has alleged that ultra Shafeek is a close relative of Union Minister E.Ahamed. Relationships cannot be undone, but the crucial issue is whether the kinship was misused. That can easily be found out by investigating agencies.

There can be a lot of justifications for the ultras, but even if the reasons for their hatred are addressed, they cannot and will not turn back, in the usual course. Because they are deeply embedded in the Satanic system which will not allow them to wriggle out.

The crown and glory of all creations should not perish on account of wanton acts of terrorism, as these would only worsen problems and not solve any.

Solution is the cause of further trouble with regard to Telengana

By O.J.George

The Telengana people have been outraged as they felt deprived of developments in the region at the cost of growth in the other regions of Andhra Pradesh.

After years of struggle, there has been a silver lining in the horizon, as Home Minister P.Chidambaram announced steps for the formation of the Telengana State, carved out from Andhra Pradesh.

Pat came the reaction, for 120 MLAs have submitted their resignation to the Speaker and as many as 22 Ministers belonging to the Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions have offered to quit, in protest against the formation of Telengana.
Now things are not going to be smooth in AP, for the agitation would go on for some more time. But loss of lives and property is a sorrowful episode and such tragedies should be averted at any cost.

There is a lesson for all the big states like UP, Maharashtra, West Bengal etc, and for the whole nation the entire North-East, for if developments are not distributed equitably, there would be turmoil.

As the nation is progressing at different levels, people of all regions and persuasions should have the feeling that they have been taken on board.
I don’t think Telengana people, ultimately, can have the whole of the developed regions in Hyderabad-Secunderabad, for people who are antagonistic about Telengana formation should also have to be appeased.

Leaders like Dr Y.S.Rajasekhar Reddy were able to see that the State remained united. Now his son Jaganmohan Reddy cannot also claim to be a tall leader of the whole of Andhra Pradesh.

Things have gone favourable for division, for splits in other states for formation of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Uttaranchal have turned beneficial for the people.
Let the wishes of the people be fulfilled.

Telengana issue: All will be happy at the end, with Hyderabad going to the Centre

By O.J.George

Andhra Pradesh is on the boil regarding bifurcation of the State into Andhra and Telangana, for which the Centre has given the green signal following the 11-day fast of TRS leader K.Chandrasekhara Rao.

Both ways there would be turmoil, either if it is kept a single entity or divided into two. Telangana has a grouse that the needs of the people in the region are not properly attended to. There is a grain of truth in it.

In Kerala, Pathanamthitta used to be in the erstwhile Quilon district for which at the developmental conferences two issues loomed large, fishermen’s and cashew workers’.

Pathanamthitta areas had neither of the two concerns. After years of neglect, Pathanamthitta district was carved out from major portions of Quilon and a little bit of Alleppey.

When a separate Telengana comes into being, the people of that area may get better attention.

But they cannot insist on retaining the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad with it. Neither can Andhra region people. The best way would be to retain this as a Union Territory like Chandigarh, Delhi etc.

When Haryana was formed, Chandigarh came into being as a Union Territory.

In the end, the problems of Andhra Pradesh would be solved like this only.

Now Telengana formation leaders and those against it are working out their own strategies. Let us hope there may not be blood-shed over this.

All others states accepted UGC norms for pension age and got huge amounts, Kerala is dilly dallying

By O.J.George

I was wondering, what is happening to the thought processes in Kerala with regard to education and improvement of quality?

'Extremists' say life begins at 70. Forget about it. Could the professional life end at 55? That is ridiculous. But that is what is happening in Kerala, God’s Own Country.

This is true of even professional people. For example, college teachers, they mature in proficiency and experience by about 50, but by 55 they have to call it a day.

That is nothing but big loss to the nation, the student community and the teachers themselves.

UGC wants all teachers to continue till 65. In fact, the UGC has a stipulation with regard to giving aid for salary revision.

Only if the government agrees to the superannuation limit of 65, will it give the aid.

Here in Kerala Education Minister M.A.Baby has been trying to get the huge amount of money from the UGC towards pay revision for teachers by hiking the pension age.

Reports appeared in the media to the effect that CPI initially objected to the proposal. It seems DYFI also has some reservations. Perhaps the Youth Congress and the KSU also may chip in.

There is something called macro economics on the supply side. You get a lot of money for your people in the state from the UGC.

The money is dispersed within Kerala. The money does not go to Switzerland or some God-forsaken Banana Republic in Africa or elsewhere.

There are politicians who stash their money abroad. If the money is splashed around within the country, the supply side would be activated and that would rejuvenate the economy.

Even the US is after dishing out the money stashed elsewhere.

Here our own leaders deny to our professionals the money that the UGC and the Central government are giving.

One knowledgeable person recounted to me once. We must receive all the money for developmental works available from World Ban, IMF, Asian Development Bank or otherwise.Let the work be done, repayment would ensue one way or other.

Like that let the money be received from the UGC, if the pension age has to be hiked, it should be hiked.

The quality of teaching in colleges is coming down, simply because the vacancies are not filled. Thousands of vacancies remain unfilled. There is stop-gap arrangement by engaging guest lecturers who are given Rs 3,000 a month.

In the circumstances, quality improvement can be ensured by enhancing the pension age to 60, 62 or 65.

Enhancement of pension age for other government staff can be considered in phases, if not done outright.

Muthoot murder case charge-sheet rejection a setback to the police

By O.J.George

Now the trial court has returned the charge-sheet filed by the police regarding the murder of Paul M George, scion of the Muthoot family citing various reasons, palpably pointing out that there are several lacunae.

The crucial point is that dreaded goons Om Prakash and Rajesh Puthenpalam were treated with kidgloves. They are charged with merely destruction of evidence without probing into their role in committing the murder.

Narco analysis test was ordered on them by the court, but the police did not do so, simply citing ill health for Om Prakash and language problem for Rajesh Puthenpalam.
The financial deals between Paul M George and Om Prakash and the deals between Om Prakash and Rajesh Puthenpalam were not probed.

The statements of the driver of Paul M George were contradictory.

The court had suggested that narco test be conducted with the help of an interpreter, but that was not attempted.

There were discrepancies in the statements of Manu, the friend of the goons. There was only one stab wound and that was from behind on the body of Paul M George.

Meanwhile, a petition is lying before Kerala High Court by M.G.George, father of Paul M George, seeking a CBI inquiry into the murder.

Things are going from bad to worse for the Kerala Police with regard to their investigation into the Muthoot murder.

It was a classic statement, the Government has not sent Thachankary

By O.J.George

Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan made a classic statement on Tuesday about the assignment given to Inspector General of Police Tomin Thachankary to quiz LeT operatives Thadiyantavida Nazeer and associates in Bangalore.

The Government has not sent Thachankary to Bangalore. Then who sent him? You can investigate, the Chief Minister told the media.

Pat came the reaction from Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan asserting Thachankary went there with his knowledge.

Was it only because Tomin Thachankary was persona non grata for the Chief Minister? Or did it have ominous meanings about differences of opinion about nexus with PDP of Abdul Nazer Madani.

The Chief Minister was against hobnobbing with Madani, but during the Parliament elections, the party had taken on its dais Madani and campaigned with him.

The old issue of undesirable ties with Madani is again cropping up.

And now LeT operatives Thadiyantavida Nazeer and associates are in the custody of the Bangalore police. There are allegations that Nazeer had ties with Madani.

The Congress-led UDF has alleged that Nazeer, who was in the custody of Kerala police earlier, was allowed to slip off at the intervention of a person close to the ruling echelons.

Congress leader Aryadan Mohamed has given the crucial angle. The Chief Minister is not aware of the assignment given to Thachankary, but the party leader knows it.

CPM leader Sivadasa Menon has asserted it was not essential to inform the Chief Minister of all things.

It seems there would be more reactions and repercussions about the goings–on with regard to dealing with LeT operatives.

Terror has been at our door-step in Kerala, lucky to have been spared of a massive disaster so far

By O.J.George

Thadiyantavida Nazeer and Shahaz are hogging the headlines about their terrorist activities in many parts of India and possibly elsewhere.

For quite some time, Keralites were under the blind belief that the most literate State would not foment terror. Neither would it harbour terror.

Reports about the activities of some of its youth speak about heinous terrorist links.

We may have come across names like CAM Basheer, Thadiyantavida Nazeer, Shahaz etc in this connection. Perhaps there may be other players. Who knows?

Now Kerala Police is scrambling to get at Thadiyantavida Nazeer and Shahaz who are under the custody of Bangalore Police as they brought them from Meghalaya.

All these quizzings are possible only because the Bangladesh Government has been kind enough to hand them over to the Indian police. Thanks to Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Mujibur Rahman.

Pehaps some more advantages against terrorism are on the way with regard to ULFA, whose leaders are being handed over to India, albeit one leader fled to China.

Reports say Thadiyantavida Nazeer etc are protégés of PDP leader Abdul Nazer Madani during the ISS days. ISS had a quiet burial, but some of the activists seem to have strayed to worse forms of terrorism.

LeT, al-Qaeda varieties are working against the human race, too much of distaste for human existence, misanthropes.

Bus burning, Kozhikode market blasts, Ernakulam collectorate blast, personal killings, covert terrorism training in the border with Kottayam and Idukki districts and all speak about messy happenings in God’s own country.

One way or other, the deleterious ways have to be dealt with.

Some predict wars over water, in Mumbai protests have drawn blood

By O.J.George

Water demands have drawn blood, for in Mumbai a youngster among the protesters seeking sufficient amount of drinking water, has been killed during baton charge by the police. A few others were injured as well.

The ordinary folks do not understand why there should be a cut in water supply when there were heavy rainfalls and even largescale flooding.

Naturally they make a beeline to the supply authorities protesting against the 15 per cent cut in water supply. That was what happened in Mumbai.

The UN had identified soft threats emanating from environmental degradation, climate change, twist in patterns of rainfall etc to various nations in addition to direct threats like wars and terrorism.

We have seen largescale flooding in Saudi Arabia now, where desert conditions prevailed almost throughout the year.

Rains are pouring in regions transcending seasons, culminating in great devastations. For cultivations, there should be rains and summers, otherwise there can be no growth of shoots and proper harvesting.

Fisheries also demand seasons of rains and summers. Unsolicited bounty of anything would not contribute to proper amenities for fine living.

We have heard about Tamil Nadu Chief Minister saying he would not agree to a new dam at Mullapperiyar even if lakhs of lives are lost in the breach of a 113 year-old gravity masonry dam. People don’t care anything else than water, whatever is the cost.

There are heavy rains in Kerala, but there is not enough water in various dams to generate sufficien amount of hydro power.
Management of water is going to be a crucial aspect of human existence in the years to come.

China’s assertiveness to help Pakistan?

By O.J.George

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has admitted to the fact that China is a little more assertive than in the past about border matters and the intention is not decipherable.

Taking the close links China has with Pakistan into consideration, no doubt, it wants to put pressure on India in its dealings with Pakistan.

And Pakistan, where all forms of the worlds’ known and unknown terrorists find harbour, is in a churning process, particularly as it is coaxed by the US to deal with terrorists sternly. So far Pakistan has been thriving with the help of terrorists who were in turn given a free run.

It is apparent the US will deal a deadly blow to terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan as per the plans disclosed by President Obama.

There seems to be some intriguing things going on in Pakistan in the security set-up. The nuclear button has been handed over to Prime Minister Gilani by President Zardari.
India has already expressed its concern on the possibility of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons. With the likes of A.Q.Khan and other elements functioning in Pakistan, it would be from that country that terrorists can lay their hands on nukes.

Pakistan appears to be scared that India might attack the country, for there are reasons like not taking action against terrorists who brought about the 26/11 attack in Mumbai.

China, which does not want India gaining an upper hand anyway, is trying to bully India one way or the other to put pressure on us so that we may not act against Pakistan.

China is building a lot of air-strips and strengthening military build-up close to the border with India. It knows that India has grown considerably since 1962 war with it.

Actually, it was in the best interest of Pakistan to keep good-neighbourly relations with India, but that country in receiving help from others mismanaged everything, providing safe haven for worlds’ terrorists. It is precisely this act which will go to its undoing one way or the other.

China’s diversionary tactics should not deflect the attention of India in dealing with Pakistan which lets loose terrorists against India.