No Nano from Singur
September 26, 2008
We all were waiting eagerly to see Nano - the Rs. 1 lakh car from Tata out on roads later this year. But things don’t seem too good for Tata and Nano lovers. As at the moment, it is quite clear that the Tatas’ are in no mood to bring out the small car from Singur owing to the prevailing uncertainty and protests the company has been witnessing for quite some time.
In a letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Ratan Tata said : “The situation in West Bengal continues to be uncertain. We are obliged to actively consider plans to shift. The decision to shift has become complicated by virtue of the enormous sunk cost that it would entail, but it would not be possible to operate efficiently without a congenial environment.”
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb made a desperate appeal to the Tatas to stay in Singur and asked the opposition to cooperate with the project. CPM state secretary Biman Bose came up with a similar appeal in the evening.
But sticking to her stand, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said that she never told Tatas to move out of Singur. She said that the Tatas’ can easily set up the factory over 600 acres and shift the ancillaries across the expressway.
The Singur issue came up in the cabinet meeting after fisheries minister Kiranmay Nanda wanted to know about the status of the Nano factory. The Chief Minister informed that the future of the project was bleak because the Tatas were not willing to resume operations.
Living in Fear
September 20, 2008
The fears of a young Indian Muslim
Brief: Is the young Indian Muslim living in the fear of being labelled as a terrorist? As the nation comes to terms with the recent serial blasts in a couple of its metros and the national capital in particular, Moonis Rehman who lives just blocks away from the recent Delhi Police’s encounter site in Jamia Nagar, gives his perspective of the situation.
The recent terror attacks have left a fear in the mind of people living in the country. Innocents are being killed all over through these cowardly acts committed by some mindless people. I don’t know what purpose they serve by killing the innocent? What message they are trying to give to the common man? Several families have lost their sole earners; small children have been left alone to survive in this world as they lost their parents to an untimely death. Many got permanently disabled. But this bloodshed through terrorism seems unending.
India is a secular country. These acts are aimed at disrupting the communal harmony and unity. They are aimed to divide us. In Delhi, I live in a so called Muslim ghetto - Batla House in Jamia Nagar. It is the same place where the police on Friday gunned down two terrorists for their alleged involvement in terror attacks. The moment I heard this news in office, I was stunned. I feared for the safety of my family. I feared for my life. Shivers went down my spine to know that I am living among the terrorists.
I am of the view that terrorists have no religion. They are neither Hindus nor Muslims. No religion teaches you to kill innocent people. This is just not acceptable. The government alone cannot do much to counter these attacks. Although, we have strong laws to handle terrorism but along with that it is our responsibility to help the police, by remaining alert and provide all the necessary support that we can.
I know how it feels to see your place in the news for wrong reasons. I feel ashamed. I also feel guilty. Due to the act of some mindless people, the whole community has to feel ashamed. If these people think that they are doing it for the Muslim community, they are wrong. Their acts are condemned by every true Muslim. Religious scholars and organizations like Deoband have already condemned terrorism. A fatwa had already been issued in this regard.
Jamia Nagar, from now on, will always be looked upon suspiciously. To my knowledge, this is the second time that terrorists are being killed in an encounter in this area. This is an easy hideout for them. Residents cry foul over the police act. Some say these were fake encounters. Some say government is targeting Muslims. Sometimes the authenticity of these attacks is doubted. But don’t you think somewhere, we ourselves are to blame.
Being an unauthorized colony, there are no residents welfare associations. Nobody keeps track on the migrants coming here. This is a place where people from UP, Bihar, Bengal and other states regularly come for work. They easily get rented accommodation. If we want to avert this in future, then we should make sure that whenever we rent our place anybody, we should inform the police to ensure that the right person gets to live there. We should try to keep track on the people visiting this area. The police are there to help us. We can get CCTV cameras installed. If something suspicious is found, inform the police.
Post encounter, many students living in rented places or in hostels have left for their homes for fear of being picked by the police. The business is not the same. Most of the shopkeepers near Khalilullah Masjid where the encounter took place kept their shutters down even after three days of the incident. With Eid only few days away, not many people are out on the streets of batla house which otherwise are always crowded with traders and shoppers.
Due to strong police presence in the area, people prefer to stay indoors. The kababwalah, the sabziwalah, fruit sellers and others who stay here and earn good money during ramzan are complaining of few buyers. Even the central market in Lajpat Nagar bore a deserted look on Sunday.
In the end, I strongly condemn these acts of terrorism which has killed several innocent people. These terrorists should be hanged in public. How can anyone justify innocent killings? We all should stay together and fight these cowardly acts. Together we can and we will fight to secure our country’s harmony and unity.