Agree with you Mr Aires Rodrigues.However important persons like the President, PM and certain other functionaries at Centre and States may still need security as they many times take decisions that are not favourable to all. Also our country has extremists of various kinds and may attack such dignitaries just for creating chaos under which they flourish.But all other ministers and politicians at Centre and State levels should not be provide any security. Some how for Ministers and Politicians it has become a fashion to have a few security persons around to feel important.RgdsNarendra TalwarOn Mon, Sep 18, 2017 at 5:50 AM, Aires Rodrigues <airesrodrigues1@gmail.com> wrote:In a democracy there can be no room to foment VIP culture. With the red beacon now gone, it's time to stop those crores being squandered on providing police security for Ministers other politicians and their kin.
Politicians are supposed to serve the people and those who really do service need no protection. Our Soldiers and para military forces take very high risks sans any special protection.
The power intoxicated Politicians who are apprehensive about their personal safety should either hire their own personal body guards or fade away from public life. Such criminal waste of public funds on security for VIPs cannot be allowed. The Police personnel ought to be deployed for street policing and not to hover around the politicians. The unnecessary over deployment of police at official functions attended by VIPs must also stop. The police force is meant to investigate criminal cases, maintain law and order while also regulating traffic. The life of a VIP cannot be any more sacred than that of a common man.
Aires Rodrigues
Advocate High Court
C/G-2, Shopping Complex
Ribandar Retreat,
Ribandar – Goa – 403006
Mobile No: 9822684372
Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012
Email: airesrodrigues1@gmail.com
Or
You can also reach me on
Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues
Twitter@rodrigues_aires
Post: "indiaresists@lists.riseup.net"
Exit: "indiaresists-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net "
Quit: "https://lists.riseup.net/www/signoff/indiaresists "
Help: https://help.riseup.net/en/list-user
WWW : http://indiaagainstcorruption.net.in --Thanks & Regards
Narendra Talwar
Post: "indiaresists@lists.riseup.net"
Exit: "indiaresists-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net "
Quit: "https://lists.riseup.net/www/signoff/indiaresists "
Help: https://help.riseup.net/en/list-user
WWW : http://indiaagainstcorruption.net.in
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Re: [IAC#RG] NO ROOM FOR VIP SECURITY
Re: [IAC#RG] GHRC SUMMONS CS & DGP OVER POLICE STATIONS WITHOUT STAFF
The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) comprising of Retired District Judge A.D.Salkar and Mr.J.A Keny has today issued notices to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police directing them to appear on 9th January in connection with the complaint filed that all police stations across Goa are now being managed by just a few police personnel as almost the entire police staff have been scheduled for election duty for the Goa Assembly Polls scheduled for February 4th.
In the complaint it has been stated that it was very alarming and disturbing that almost the entire police staff from the police stations across Goa have been scheduled for election duty as a result of which all the police stations will have to be managed by just a few police personnel thus putting to risk the security and well being of the citizens.
Pointing out that this sordid state of affairs with police stations without the much needed police personnel will now continue for over a month, it has been submitted that every citizen has the right to life, liberty and his security and that the duty that this right is ensured is cast upon the police force.
Stating that despite the police presence Goa has been witnessing an alarming number of crimes all over, the attention of the GHRC has been drawn that the DGP in another proceedings had earlier already submitted before the GHRC that there was already a shortage of police personnel.
It has also been stated that the few police personnel who would have to manage the police stations will also be inhumanly overworked in violation of their Human Rights.
It has been sought that the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and the Chief Electoral Officer be directed to explain as how they are allowing police stations to be abandoned and as to how many staff will be managing the respective police stations during the next 30 days to ensure that the human rights of the citizens are not violated.
Aires Rodrigues
Advocate High Court
C/G-2, Shopping Complex
Ribandar Retreat,
Ribandar – Goa – 403006
Mobile No: 9822684372
Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012
Email: airesrodrigues1@gmail.com
Or
You can also reach me on
Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues
Twitter@rodrigues_aires
Post: "indiaresists@lists.riseup.net"
Exit: "indiaresists-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net "
Quit: "https://lists.riseup.net/www/signoff/indiaresists "
Help: https://help.riseup.net/en/list-user
WWW : http://indiaagainstcorruption.net.in
Monday, September 25, 2017
[IAC#RG] THE RTI ACT NEEDS A BOOSTER
The Right to Information Act which came into force on October 12th 2005 is now over a decade old. Over the last 17 years however the greater challenge has been the actual implementation of the Act. Unless the RTI Act is further strengthened Good Governance, Transparency in the Administration and Zero Tolerance to Corruption will never be a reality. The Right to Information Act was enacted to ensure transparency and accountability in governance. But the manner in which the government is subtly subverting the Right to Information Act is a matter of concern.
The Right to Information is derived from our fundamental Right of expression under Article 19 of our Constitution. If we do not have information on how our Government and public institutions function, we cannot express any informed opinion on it. This has been reiterated by various Supreme Court judgments since 1977.
The Right to Information Act has been hailed as the hallmark of our democracy. The Act aims at making the government transparent and more accountable. The effective use of it would, in the long run, curb corruption. Right to Information Act has become a powerful tool in exposing corruption at top places in the government.
A well informed citizenry, transparency, and free flow of information are the very foundations of any successful democratic society. India may be publicly acclaimed as the world's largest democracy but the ground reality is that we are now ebbing away to an autocratic regime. Democracy and non-transparency in the functioning of the Government cannot co-exist. Besides freedom of speech without access to information is meaningless.
Narendra Modi rode to power on his vow of 'Acche din' for the Aam Aadmi and Good governance. But after assuming office in May 2014 the Prime Minister has not uttered a word on the RTI Act, leave alone on strengthening it. His then enthusiasm for freedom has been waning away and we now have an emerging culture of surveillance and secrecy. For the common man, getting correct and accurate information under the Right to Information Act is today becoming a far cry.
As part of the ploy to subvert the RTI Act many of the Information Commissions across the country have been kept dysfunctional. Even those Information Commissioners appointed like in Goa are very 'pliable' agents of the ruling BJP.
As the Right to Information Act requires that the Information Commissioners have to be persons of Eminence in public life, Independent minded persons who do not succumb to political pulls and pressures need to be appointed as Information Commissioners to ensure the proper implementation of the Right to Information Act. If Yes-men manage to creep into as Information Commissioners it would be an exercise in futility ending up as white elephants that we would rather be better off without.
Under Section 4 of the RTI Act all public authorities are duty bound to regularly display on their website a wide range of information, including all relevant facts while formulating important policies or announcing the decisions which affect the public. This proviso in the law was enacted to reduce the need for filing individual RTI applications. But this mandatory duty has been blatantly flouted by the authorities with most government websites themselves dysfunctional or not updated. What is the use of Right to freedom of speech when the people do not have their rightful access to information?
The Judiciary needs to step in to ensure that the Government complies with the mandate of the Right to Information Act. But with the Courts themselves also averse to parting with information and with its functioning largely under a veil of secrecy, we are stonewalled.
But we need to battle it out and cannot allow the RTI Act to be choked by the government to a slow death. Steps need to be taken to strengthen the transparency regime that was sought to be established as envisaged by the RTI Act. Effective implementation of the RTI Act requires political commitment from the very top. Officials denying information or giving misleading and distorted information need to be severely penalized.
Governance by cloak of secrecy and opaqueness needs to be strongly resisted. It cannot be a hush-hush regime. We need to dismantle those walls of secrecy that continue to hound transparency and good governance despite the Right to Information Act now being in place for 17 long years. In those very own words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'Sabko sanmati de bhagwan' (Let good sense prevail).
Aires Rodrigues
Advocate High Court
C/G-2, Shopping Complex
Ribandar Retreat,
Ribandar – Goa – 403006
Mobile No: 9822684372
Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012
Email: airesrodrigues1@gmail.com
Or
You can also reach me on
Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues
Twitter@rodrigues_aires