You may land in a frying PAN!

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Santosh Chowdhury & M Tariq Khan
March 21, 2006

First Published: 00:05 IST(22/3/2006)
Last Updated: 00:05 IST(22/3/2006)

BEWARE!  Your PAN card or driving licence are becoming a handy tool for unscrupulous elements to commit  identity frauds in the city. The photocopies of PAN cards or driving licences with photographs of the original card-holder being replaced with another are only a tip of the ice berg of the number of ways being utilised to submit an application for seeking a wide variety of loans, opening a savings bank or Demat account by unscrupulous elements. Take the case of SK Singh, a junior engineer, a resident of C-312 Sector D Mansarovar LDA Colony. Singh was surprised when about a fortnight back, he received an acknowledgment letter from the main branch of the State Bank of India thanking him for opening an account (number 01190116051) with them.
Since he had not opened any such account, the junior engineer taking it to be a case of mistaken identity approached the bank to clear the misunderstanding.
To his utter disbelief, he discovered that not only somebody had opened the account by using his tampered PAN card and cellphone bill but had also deposited over Rs 3 lakh in it. Singh was aghast when instead of cooperating the bank authorities reprimanded him for reporting the matter so late to them. “I told them that since I am presently posted in Mahoba, I had not seen the acknowledgement letter, which though received by a member of my family was lying unopened,” he said.
“I then tried to recollect how the forger could have procured my PAN and cellphone bill. It struck to me that I had attached photocopies of these documents for opening a Demat account with Sumna, a sub-broker of Fair Intermediate Investment, a share trading firm, said the junior engineer.
Subsequent investigations both by the police and Singh himself zeroed in on one Rohit Singh employed with Sumna. “Rohit not only forged my documents but also that of one Ratua Watal, a teacher in Awadh Girls Degree College, as introducer in opening the account in my name with the SBI,” said Singh. Simultaneously, he also opened a demat account under my name with Stock Holding Corporation of India at Shri Ram Towers and with Ventura Securities. He then took the shares of one of the customer of the firm (one DN Agarwal) and got them transferred in my name from the Stockholding Corporation and sold them through Ventura Securities for Rs 3.09 lakh and deposited the cheque with the SBI account, recounts Singh.
The city’s broking houses have their own stories to tell: “We had lodged an FIR against two persons some months back in the city who were caught with photocopies of fake driving licenses attached to the document for opening a Demat account with one of the share depository participants in the city. The original driving license belonged to one of our clients. The photocopy of the card had the photo tampered with to submit fake documents”, Nitin Saxena, Vice President Karvy Stock Broking Ltd, Lucknow told HT.
It is not just this grave issue of  photocopies of PAN cards or
driving licenses being tampered, the problem is compounded by people who might present a fake PAN card and driving license which look so “real” on verification. The only solution to deal with such a problem is to implement the system of  “biometrics” (using fingerprints as identity) to check all kinds of  identity frauds, he said.
The Income Tax Department had now rigorously started physical verification of  proof of residence of all applicants  applying for new PAN cards in the city. The scam related to multiple Demat accounts being opened by a single person in Ahmedabad had now prompted the Income Tax Department to issue cards only after proper physical verification of  applicant’s  proof of residence”, Saxena added.
“Various types of frauds are committed by people using PAN cards of the assesses not only in UP but across the country. We would certainly investigate cases of  “photocopies of PAN cards” which had been tampered with in any application be it opening of bank accounts or applying for a loan. The people who have been victims of  identity frauds could come to the Income Tax Department and report such cases in writing to the senior officials for action”, a senior IT official told HT.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/77575.aspx

© Copyright © 2012 HT Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

NGOs enjoy foreign mewa for no sewa!

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M Tariq Khan
April 16, 2006

First Published: 00:38 IST(17/4/2006)
Last Updated: 00:38 IST(17/4/2006)

WITH HIGH-SOUNDING titles like Mahila Sewa Trust, Adarsh Sewa Sansthan, they call themselves non-profit organizations working for public good. But the only ‘sewa’ (service) they seem to have rendered so far is to line their own pockets with foreign funds collected in the name of such overt welfare schemes.
The district administration here has prepared a list of such erring Non Government Organisations (NGOs) that having gathered foreign aide disappeared from the scene. “Of the 23 such organizations that we had randomly selected from a list of 108 in the city, 11 did not exist on the address given by them,” said additional district magistrate (executive) NP Singh. That’s almost 50 per cent. “We would now be writing to the Union Home Ministry to blacklist these outfits to prevent them from receiving any foreign aid in future,” said the ADM. According to Singh, they were provided a list of 108 city NGOs, who had received foreign contributions during 2002-03 from the Union Home Ministry, which had sought a report from them on the activities of these organizations as well as the end-utilisation of funds.
Additional city magistrate (V) Anil Kumar Singh was subsequently, put on the job to verify the antecedents of the agencies in his areas that had received money from abroad. Of the 23 such odd NGOs that were selected for random survey, the ACM discovered that 11 had simply vanished from the scene. They included ‘Nalanda’ in Aliganj, Society for Aid and Development in Indira Nagar, The National Society for Blinds, Indira Nagar, Thomas Educational Christian Society, Vikas Nagar, Arthik Vikas Evam Jan Kalyan Sansthan C-736 Indira Nagar, Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Science, Vikram Khand, Gomti Nagar.
“Then there were a couple of other agencies like Assemblies of God Mission and Catholic Diocese of Lucknow, which were untraceable, as no address was provided in the list sent to us by the authorities,” said an administration official. Here it is pertinent to mention that under Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act of 1976 (FCRA) any Indian organisation or individual who seeks to receive foreign contributions has to obtain a clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
“While it would be wrong to tar all the NGOs with the same brush, it is also an accepted fact that a large number of these outfits that claim to be working in the cultural, social, educational, health and religious sectors divert funds or misuse them for personal gains,” said ADM Singh.
The irony, however, is that there is no proper audit-mechanism to keep a check on how the money is being spent, he added. He said it was because of this loophole in the law, several organizations got away without maintaining proper records or accounts of the funds received by them, said Singh. Indeed, the Centre, had mooted a Bill on foreign contributions in 2005 to give more teeth to the authorities to rein in erring NGOs. But it is yet to be cleared by the Parliament.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/87711.aspx

© Copyright © 2012 HT Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Quota in allotment of plots too!

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M Tariq Khan
June 05, 2006

First Published: 00:00 IST(6/6/2006)
Last Updated: 00:00 IST(6/6/2006)

IF YOU thought that the quota applied only to jobs and higher educational institutions, think again. There is a reservation in the allotment of plots too! More than 1,000 application forms were sold by the LDA on the very first day of the launch of its Vibhor and Vinayak Khand Housing Scheme in Gomti Nagar on Monday. And you can bet that prior to obtaining the registration form majority of these aspirants, who had lined up at the LDA counters, would have hardly been aware of the fact that 66 per cent of the plots in the scheme were already reserved. The odds against the general aspirants were raised further when the Central Government enacted a policy for allowing 10 per cent reservation to senior citizens in all such disposal/allotment of properties. Apart from general category, this quota said the Union Government’s circular would also apply to the reservation already specified under different sub-sects and castes. In effect, it implied quota within the prescribed quota and more.
Though the recipients’ share (see box) under the quota stipulation has been in force since 1999, its impact by those not covered under it is being felt only now. Reason: There has been a blanket ban on all direct allotments ever since the controversy over Vipul Khand plot allotments broke out and a PIL subsequently filed in the matter is still before the Supreme Court. “This is grossly unjustified. When the Apex court has ruled that reservation in any institution, organization or form should not exceed more than 50 per cent, then why are we being subjected to this unfair treatment,” said Nizamuddin Alam, a resident of Nishatganj, as he waited for his turn in the queue at the LDA counter in Gomti Nagar. 
So, how is the balance tilted in the favour of the quota brigade and what are the chances of non-quota aspirants when the lots for over 1,200 plots in these schemes are finally cast. Lets see. “Of the 1,200 plots only 371 plots would be available for General Category for those below 60 years of age,” said an LDA official.
“What is more, SC/ST and OBCs get two chances to try their luck under the current arrangement. Once under the prescribed category and thereafter their names are also included in the lottery draw held for the general category. So it would be fat chance for me to procure a property” rues Anil Kumar, a resident of Krishna Nagar, who is vying for a plot third time round.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/106092.aspx

© Copyright © 2012 HT Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Criminals use RTI to harass cops (RTI digest)

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M Tariq Khan, Hindustan Times
Lucknow, January 30, 2009

First Published: 20:16 IST(30/1/2009)
Last Updated: 01:44 IST(31/1/2009)

Criminals in Uttar Pradesh have discovered a unique weapon for taking on the cop – the Right To Information (RTI) Act. They are not only using the Act to know the status of the cases against themselves, but also to cause embarrassment by seeking information on the facilities available in jails or some such uncomfortable matters. Take the case of Kushahar Saurabh, Superintendent of Police, Rural Area, in Moradabad. He has been slapped a Rs 25,000 fine for not responding to Salim Baig – accused in a cow slaughter case – seeking information on the progress made in the police recruitment scam case.
Obviously, the cops allowed the matter to linger. Baig complained and the Public Information Officer (PIO), monitoring RTI applications, imposed the fine. Although Saurabh later managed to obtain a stay in the case, Baig made his point.
Senior police officials admitted that the trend was gaining ground. “We have received five applications in January alone,” said a senior administrator at the Lucknow jail requesting anonymity.
In Agra and adjoining districts the trend, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Prem Prakash, picked up in 2008. However, police officers attributed it to the campaigns by the human rights groups.
Agreed state chief information commissioner Gyanendra Sharma. He felt that those conversant with the RTI would continue to outsmart the ignorant as it is very easy to agree than to deny information under the Act.
He said, “The PIOs, the police and some government departments also are not well versed in the methods of handling such applications. Though there are certain grounds (see box) on which the information can be denied, it cannot be invoked indiscriminately.”
But advocate Ajay Singh pointed out, “You cannot deny information to a person simply because he has a shady track record. Any citizen can seek information under the Act irrespective of whether it concerns him/her or not.”
(With inputs from Bhavna Wal (Agra) B.K. Singh (Allahabad) and Rohit K. Singh (Lucknow)

Information that can be denied
Which may endanger national security.
Which may endanger the life of a person.
Which may affect investigation, arrest or prosecution.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/372822.aspx

© Copyright © 2012 HT Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M Tariq Khan
Lucknow, July 05, 2006

First Published: 01:24 IST(6/7/2006)
Last Updated: 01:24 IST(6/7/2006)

More hurdles: Depts yet to have PIOs

EVEN AS HT’s Drive against Bribe campaign is going a long way inspiring and motivating people to get the information they require and jobs done by exercising their right to information, the government departments are simply not cooperating. They are not appointing Public Information Officers (PIOs) to receive complaints from the common man. Caught in the dark tunnel are people knocking at the doors of the KGMU, the SSP’s office, Regional Passport Office, the various caste commissions, nationalised banks and the seat of governance, the secretariat, in the hope of getting the needful done.
Take the case of Prashant Gupta, a resident of 3/417 Vikas Nagar. Eager to pursue higher studies in Australia, Prashant has to clear TOFEL (Test Of English as Foreign Language) for which he needs a passport. Consequently, he applied for one on February 17 and was told by the Regional Passport Office staff that at the most it would take three months to deliver the passport.
“When nothing happened I approached the RPO and was told that my LIU clearance was awaited following which I went to the LIU office in Jawahar Bhawan, where a sub-inspector demanded Rs 1,000 from me for submitting the necessary report,” he said. On Wednesday, Prashant went to the RPO to seek a reply on the issue under the RTIA but was told that the office did have a PIO. I then met PRO BB Arya, who too refused to entertain my application, He merely scribbled on the counterfoil that I was given when I had submitted my passport application form, said Prashant.
Like Prashant, Raj Kumar Verma, a resident of 542/12 Naya Haiderganj, too was turned away from the SSP Lucknow’s office as a PIO to receive such applications is yet to be appointed there too.
“We had met principal secretary administrative reforms GP Verma and pointed out the problems being faced by the citizens in gaining entry to the departments in the secretariat but no corrective steps have been taken,” lamented Arundhati, of a self-help group supervising the RTIA camp here.
She said majority of those who came to the camp at Bhimrao Ambedkar Mahasabha Office on Vidhan Sabha Marg described this hurdle as the main deterrence that prevented them from submitting their applications. “We would now be petitioning the Chief Information Commissioner at the Centre and his representative in the State urging them to issue mandatory directives to all government departments to appoint PIOs and accept Rs 10 fee in cash against peoples applications,” said Shailendra another trained volunteer at the camp.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/117528.aspx

© Copyright © 2012 HT Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M Tariq Khan
Lucknow, July 03, 2006

First Published: 01:09 IST(4/7/2006)
Last Updated: 01:09 IST(4/7/2006)

CM to lay foundation of Soochna Bhawan

SIX MONTHS after it came into existence, the chief information commissioner of the State still does not have a proper office and staff of his own. The wait, however, appears would be over soon as Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav is all set to lay the foundation stone of a full-fledged ‘Soochna Bhawan’ in the State capital shortly. According to sources, officers of the information department, the district administration and the LDA are working out the modalities of the plan.
“In fact, the UP Rajkiye Nirman Nigam has already been given Rs 16 crore towards construction of the building that would house the office of the CIC,” said an official.
The proposed office complex would be located on BN Road just behind the Sahkarita Bhawan building on approximately 1.5 acre of land to be provided by the LDA. An offer letter
in this connection has already been sent to the State Government by the LDA.
“We are just awaiting a convenient date from the CM for the foundation laying ceremony,” said a source in the information department. According to him, the CM has also finalised the names of six people to be nominated as members on the commission’s panel.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/116727.aspx

© Copyright © 2012 HT Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M Tariq Khan, PTI
January 01, 0001

First Published: 00:17 IST(6/1/2006)
Last Updated: 00:17 IST(6/1/2006)

Right to Information? LDA says... my foot!

IF YOU think that the Right to Information Act (RTI) has provided you with the freedom to secure access to information under the control of public authorities, consistent with public interest try asking LDA. The development agency it appears is still to come to terms with the idea of sharing information with the citizens. Not even if the information being sought is consistent with public interest. To test the efficacy of the Act that came into force on October 12, 2005, HT Lucknow Live posed three questions to the civic body last week on issues that not only affect the city at large but also come under public domain. After mulling the queries for over a week, mandarins at the LDA rejected all the three applications stating that the information was either unavailable or never gathered in the context in which it was sought.
Sample this. The LDA was asked how many completion certificates were issued by it to the commercial complexes in the past year? For the uninitiated, the development body is supposed to provide completion certificate to buildings in order to ensure that the construction has been done in accordance with the building plan approved by it.
Here’s the response of the city’s development regulator. “In response to your query about the number of completion certificates issued to commercial complexes in the city in the year 2005, we would like to inform you that this information is comparative and is not compiled by the department. Hence it would not be possible to provide the same,” states the reply signed by assistant Public Information Officer of LDA Uma Shankar Singh. If you cannot make a head or tail of it, forget it, neither could we.
The second question related to the number of plots allotted to people’s representatives and bureaucrats by the department in the last one-year? The answer: “We do not allot plots to individuals on the basis of their vocation. Nor do we seek any such information from the applicant in our application form.”
Pray, how then did the department went public with a long list of names of bureaucrats and politicians who were allotted plots in a similar manner by previous regimes immediately after the controversial Vipul Khand plot allotment issue hit the headlines.
Lastly, the development agency was asked about the number and kind of land uses of Master Plan 2001 were changed by it in the Master Plan 2021 of the city?
“The information sought is available in the Master Plan booklet, which is available in the LDA store and can be purchased from there,” was the only coherent reply furnished by the agency. It is evident from the LDA’s behavior that the RTI remains a stillborn baby and that it would take a long time for authorities in charge to get used to sharing information/documents with the citizens.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/36165.aspx 

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M. Tariq Khan, Hindustan Times
Lucknow, November 16, 2007

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First Published: 01:54 IST(16/11/2007)
Last Updated: 01:56 IST(16/11/2007)

Maya pet plan in RTI line of fire

A Right To Information application over a high-profile project has put the UP government and the state chief information commissioner (CIC) on collision course. What has annoyed the CIC is the denial of information about Chief Minister Mayawati’s pet Ambedkar Smarak project in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar despite a panel directive. CIC Justice (retired) M.A. Khan has threatened to hand over the matter to the CBI if the state refused to comply with his order to provide information on the multi-crore project.
He issued a notice to Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh on Thursday to personally appear before the commission on December 12 to explain why information sought by RTI applicant Shailendra Singh was not provided to him.
“LDA’s (Lucknow Development Authority) public information officer says the monument being
built is akin to the Taj Mahal. Would there be two Taj Mahals now? To which one would the tourists go first, the one at Lucknow or the one at Agra,” he asked.
Chief Secretary P.K. Mishra, who was to appear before the commission on Thursday, moved an application seeking exemption from personal appearance. His counsel claimed Mishra had no say in government matters.
The LDA, which is the nodal agency for developing the Ambedkar Smarak project, gave the petitioner a four-page response. But Singh has rubbished it, saying the information was cursory and an attempt to hoodwink the commission.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/257995.aspx

© Copyright © 2012 HT Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

 

Tariq Khan, Hindustan Times
Lucknow, June 23, 2012

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First Published: 00:01 IST(23/6/2012)
Last Updated: 08:50 IST(23/6/2012)

Power blow dims Maya memorials’ glow across UP

Former chief minister Mayawati’s memorials for Dalit icons across UP will now be a pale shadow of their former radiance, at least till the power situation improves in the state.
After a blackout at the memorials — some of which have Mayawati’s statues — triggered a protest from the BSP in the assembly on June 18, the SP government restored power, but partially. Officials in charge of the memorials built by the erstwhile BSP government have now been forced to devise a differential lighting arrangement to save power and bring down the monthly bills from an estimated Rs 20-25 lakh per month.
“Under the new system, for every lamp or any other light fixture that will be lit, the two next to it in the row will remain switched off,” said an official on the maintenance and management committee of the memorials.
This pattern would be followed at all the memorials — Ambedkar Sthal, Samta Mulak Chowk, Prerna Sthal, Kanshi Ram Smarak and Buddha Vihar Shanti Upvan, the official who did not want to be named added.
The SP government, which has stated that statues of Mayawati and Dalit icons at the memorials will not be demolished, has sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for maintenance of the structures. The government has also made a budgetary provision of Rs 95 crore for salaries of around 5,700 people employed for the security and upkeep of the memorials.
 http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/lucknow/Power-blow-dims-Maya-memorials-glow-across-UP/Article1-877415.aspx

NIA offers to take Maya's memorial building on rent

21 Jun 2012

Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

M Tariq Khan

tariq.khan@hindustantimes.com

LUCKNOW: As a follow up on its promise of putting unutilized open spaces and premises in BSP memorials to better use, the state government is now mulling a proposal to rent out their administrative buildings to government agencies.
Having set its footprint in the state and unable to find an appropriate office premises for itself, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has shown keen interest in taking up the administrative block building (1) of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Smarak in Gomti Nagar on rent. The NIA is presently operating from a small premise in Vijay Khand of Gomti Nagar.
While senior officials are tight-lipped on the matter, a source confirmed that senior NIA officials and its IG CV Ramashastri have already made a physical inspection and found the memorial office complex suitable to meet their requirement.
Besides a huge public amenities block comprising toilets, washroom and a canteen adjacent to it, the air-conditioned three-storied administrative block structure opposite the Ambedkar Memorial has 14 big rooms.
“Yes, NIA officials have approached us but a final decision to let out and the rent to be charged for the building would be taken by the governing body of the smarak samiti,” said a senior officer requesting anonymity. The memorial staff could easily be shifted and accommodated in the administrative block (II) building located at Jia Mau crossing, he said.
Headed by principal secretary, housing, the governing body has principal secretaries of PWD, Finance, Tourism, Law and managing director of Rajkiye Nirman Nigam, LDA vice chairman and chief executive office of NOIDA as its members. The NIA offer comes close on the heels of a secret visit by secretary to chief minister Alok Kumar to these BSP memorials, reportedly to make an on the spot assessment of these administrative buildings that can be put to other public use, according to informed sources.
“Be it the Baudh Vihar Shanti Upvan, Kanshi Ram or Ambedkar Smarak, each memorial has one or two huge buildings that are grossly under utilized and can easily be put to good public use,” he said.
A case in point is the milk booth that was recently opened in a small Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Gomti Vihar complex lying vacant near the Jia Mau crossing, he pointed out. “We can ensure their safety and security only if we put them to good use and spend the money we earn from them on their proper upkeep, said the official. For instance, guest house, barracks, public amenities and services at Rama Bai Ambedkar Maidan and Ambedkar Memorial were being misused by police and PAC personnel, who had made them their permanent abode. “Efforts are now being made to shift them to flats built by LDA in its multi-stored housing schemes in Gomti Nagar and on Kursi Road,"
The NIA offer comes close on the heels of a secret visit by secretary to chief minister Alok Kumar to these BSP memorials, reportedly to make an on the spot assessment of these administrative buildings that can be put to other public use, according to informed sources.
“Be it the Baudh Vihar Shanti Upvan, Kanshi Ram or Ambedkar Smarak, each memorial has one or two huge buildings that are grossly under utilized and can easily be put to good public use,” he said.
A case in point is the milk booth that was recently opened in a small Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Gomti Vihar complex lying vacant near the Jia Mau crossing, he pointed out. “We can ensure their safety and security only if we put them to good use and spend the money we earn from them on their proper upkeep, said the official. For instance, guest house, barracks, public amenities and services at Rama Bai Ambedkar Maidan and Ambedkar Memorial were being misused by police and PAC personnel, who had made them their permanent abode. “Efforts are now being made to shift them to flats built by LDA in its multi-stored housing schemes in Gomti Nagar and on Kursi Road," he said.