Painful behaviour of politicians

THIS has reference to the editorial “Petty Politicians” (The Tribune, Sept 30). It is a pity that local politicians, instead of extending cooperation to the IGP, Chandigarh, to devise ways and means to improve the law and order situation, chose to make political mileage out of it.

Some politicians, as reported, got infuriated when they found that in comparison more Congressmen had been invited to the meeting. They chose to behave in a manner unbecoming of good citizens and tried to steal the limelight in order to eclipse each other.The very objective of convening a meeting was thus defeated.

Mr S K Singh has been known to me as a police officer for more than three decades. Known for his honesty and unflinching loyalty to his profession, he preferred to hold a meeting in an earnest and sincere bid to ascertain their views on problems relating to crime and criminals.

Needless to mention, the politicians and criminals have become complementary to each other. Some of them use criminals to settle scores with their adversaries as the criminals constitute their striking force. Hardly, we find politicians coming forward to help the police in combating crimes and thus bringing the wrong-doers to book because some of them do not have a clean image.

It must be borne in mind that the law-enforcement agencies alone cannot prevent crime without the active cooperation of the people and the politicians. Therefore, we must see things beyond the electoral prism. It is advisable to start “a mass contact campaign” and interact with the people freely to know their problems and seek the help of public-spirited persons. All efforts should be made to have a community-oriented police to serve the people which would help build up public-police relations as also enhance the police image in public estimation.

H L KAPOOR
Asst. Commissioner of Police (rtd)
New Delhi

Dangerous thesis

During the UN General Assembly session held recently Secretary-General Kofi Annan propounded his thesis for global harmony. He sought powers for the UN to walk into any country without due formality for setting global disputes and ending human misery.

US President Bill Clinton endorsed Mr Annan’s dangerous thesis. Rather he went a step further by enuntiating the doctrine of blocs right to intervene in regions of conflict without UN sanctions. Mr Clinton cited the NATO action in Kosovo and the Australia-led peace-keeping initiative in East Timor to justify the right to intervene without UN authorisation.

This thesis has to be dispassionately considered. During the last decade there have been conflicts on various grounds in certain countries of the world which have claimed thousands of innocent lives. Take for example the case of Kashmir. The dispute over Kashmir has been pending for the past 50 years. Thousands of lives have been lost and thousands of Pandits have been uprooted from their homes and hearths and are leading miserable existence in camps and elsewhere. Even now every day lives are lost and only God knows how long this orgy will continue.

In spite of announcements by India that the dispute is to be settled through bilateral talks, there is no ray of hope in sight. On the other hand, Pakistan has been encouraging and indulging in terrorism and killing of innocent Kashmiri inhabitants.

NARESH RAJ
Patiala

* * * *

An industrial anomaly

This has reference to the letter of Mr R.S. Galhotra (Sept 27) written in regard to the news published in the business section of The Tribune of September 24, saying that Mr Bains, Principal Secretary and Financial Commissioner, Punjab, has admitted that the Sales Tax Rules, 1991, needed to be updated in tune with the Industrial Policy, 1996.

Our manufacturing unit too is a victim of this anomaly. In accordance with the Industrial Policy, 1996, our unit went into expansion by making additional fixed capital investment which is more than 50 per cent of the total fixed capital investment already made. The District Industries Office granted us a certificate of expansion which entitled our unit to a capital subsidy of 30 per cent. In addition, sales tax incentives were granted which are to be availed of in a specified period.

At no place does the certificate granted by the District Industries Office mention that these incentives are available on “incremental production”. Now to get the sales tax incentive based on expansion, one has to apply with the Commissioner of Sales Tax of that district before these are applicable.

The Sales Tax Commissioner, while confirming the benefit granted by the District Industries Office, issued a certificate called T-II wherein they inserted a clause of incentives being available only on incremental production.

I would like to point out that it is here that the anomaly arises in the sales tax rules. While Industrial Policy of 1989 speaks of incentives being available only on “incremental production,” there is no mention at all of this clause in the Industrial Policy, 1996.

It is nice of Mr Bains to have admitted that the sales tax rules need be amended keeping in view the Industrial Policy of 1996.

The moot point is: why is this anomaly lying unattended to so far?

S.K. GUPTA
Ludhiana