Federation for People’s Rights extends its support for the tomorrow’s bandh announced by the opposition parties in Puducherry.

The opposition parties of Puducherry announced for a bandh tomorrow urging the government to get approval from Medical Council of India for the government Medical College and start the courses in this academic year itself and scrap the regional quota, which is against the Constitution and the judgment of Supreme Court of India.

Federation for People’s Rights appeals to the students and general public to participate and make the bandh success.

1)     We urge the Puducherry government to take steps to scrap the regional reservation in higher education in Puducherry, which is contravene to the Constitution of India and the Judgment delivered by the 11 Judges of Constitutional Bench in Indra Sawhney case. Otherwise, we will organize the people and students and fight against it.

2)    We urge the Puducherry government to get the approval of Medical Council of India for the Puducherry Government Medical College and start the courses in the current academic year itself to protect the interest of the students of Puducherry.

3)    We appreciate the Puducherry government for announcing the separate reservation for Muslims and Fishermen community providing 2 percent reservation in education and employment and also we press the government to issue the G.O. at the earliest enabling them to enjoy the reservation in the present academic year itself.

4)    The Home Ministry of India has filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India to recall the whole judgment allowing the private port project in Puducherry. In this context we urge the Puducherry government to cancel the agreement entered with private port developer. The MHA has published the Special Audit Report on Puducherry port project in website, which was constituted by the MHA to probe the various complaints received against the project. The Report reveals lot of deficiency, irregularities and corruption in the port project agreement. In this juncture we urge the Central government to order for a C.B.I. enquiry in this regard.

5)    The village panchayat leaders of Puducherry are struggling for a long period demanding finance, office employees, application for welfare schemes and dilution of powers to the panchayats. We condemn the attitude of the Puducherry government which is totally neglecting the demands of the village panchayats. We urge the Puducherry government to consider their demands and proper implementation of the Panchayat Raj Act.

6)     In the selection process of post of TTGT, the Director of School Education Mr. Sundaravadivel and other officials indulged in mark scandal and corruption. In this regard we complained to the authorities with the bulk of evidence, but the government not yet took any action against the corrupt official is condemnable. We urge the Puducherry government to order for a C.B.I. inquiry.

7)    The petitions sent to the office of the Lt. Governor are not properly enquired and they were merely endorsed and sent to the authorities on whom the complaint was made for comments is a wrong precedent.  We request the Lt. Governor who is having the uppermost power to take stringent action against the erring officials to develop a corruption free administration in Puducherry.

8)    Federation for People’s Rights First State Conference will be held at Puducherry on January 2011 and Former Judges, Human and Social Rights activists will be invited for the conference.

9)    To run a newsletter in the name “Kural (Voice)” to take up the activities and issues taken by Federation for People’s Rights to the people.

10)    We thank the newspapers and visual media for extending the support for the activities of Federation for People’s Rights.

In a statement here, Mr G Sugumaran, Committee member and Secretary of the Federation for People’s Rights, pointed out the Supreme Court direction that state governments could provide more than 50 per cent reservation after hearing the views of the Backward Class Commission.

He said the administration should enact a legislation to provide 20 per cent reservation for BC, 30 per cent for MBC, 16 per cent for SC and one per cent for ST (total 67) and implement it after taking the President’s nod.

Thanking the government for announcing two per cent reservation for the Muslims from the Backward Class quota and two per cent for fishermen from the MBC quota, Mr Sugumaran urged the government to issue government order forthwith so that it could be implemented from the current academic year itself.

UNI / 20.08.2010

In a statement, Federation Secretary G Sugumaran blamed the government for the order saying it did not produce proper documents before the court justifying reservation.

Asking the Puducherry Administration to shoulder responsibility for scrapping of reservation, Mr Sugumaran quoted the judgement that said, ”In the absence of any material placed before this court to justify the reservation of 75 per cent of the seats for the Puducherry region, we are inclined to hold that such reservation is bad in law.

”Accordingly, the reservation in respect of 75 per cent seats for the Puducherry region requires to be set aside.” Mr Sugumaran also alleged the government of failing to give any advice to the Additional Solicitor General who appeared on behalf of the government.

UNI / 11.08.2010

PTI / 11.08.2010

Federation Secretary G Sugumaran, in a statement here, said Mr Bala was assisting the parents in the counselling for Biology based courses which commenced yesterday by Centac at the Pondicherry Engineering College Pondicherry Engineering College (or PEC) is one of India’s premier engineering institutes located in the city of Pondicherry in Puducherry Union Territory.

Pondicherry Engineering College is an Institution sponsored by the Union Territory of Puducherry.  when Kalapet Sub-Inspector Velayyan and a few constables pulled him by his collar and assaulted him without any provocation Conduct by which one induces another to do a particular deed; the act of inducing rage, anger, or resentment in another person that may cause that person to engage in an illegal act. .

”This is a sheer violation of human rights,” Mr Sugumaran said, adding the administration should also make it clear who allowed the police inside the engineering college campus.

UNI / 01.08.2010

In controversy: Road-laying works under way on Muthumariamman Koil Street in Puducherry on Thursday.

PUDUCHERRY: The road-laying works on Muthumariamman Koil Street, adjacent to the Vedapurishwarar Temple on Mahatma Gandhi Road, have kicked up a series of controversies.

Civil society organisations have demanded the immediate stoppage of work, alleging that it is in violation of the town grading plan. They allege the newly laid concrete road is a foot above the floor level of the temple courtyard and would make it impossible for rainwater to drain out. They further said that prolonged stagnation of water would weaken the foundations of the temple.

A representation was made to the Chief Secretary by the organisations on Thursday, requesting his direction to rework the plan and stop the ongoing works.

The road-laying works have been taken up by the Puducherry Municipality with the help of MLA constituency development funds. The proposal and tenders were issued last year and the works began in June.

According to a senior municipality official, the stormwater drains in the temple have been designed in such a way that most of the rainwater flows into the temple tank. The remaining water that used to stagnate would usually be pumped out into Muthumariamman Koil Street from where it would run through M.G. Road and connect to the canal near the Ajanta Theatre.

After the NGOs raised the issue with the administration, a separate ‘hot-line’ to drain out the rainwater from the temple and connect it to M.G. Road was laid, the official said. The temple courtyard had traditionally been below the road level and it was after the request of the residents, who complained of water stagnation on the streets, that the new road was laid.

But, according to G. Sugumaran, member of Alliance for Good Governance, an umbrella organisation of various civil society groups, the drains to which the hot-line connects are also at a higher level and if there was stagnation on M.G. Road, the water would run back through the pipes and flood the courtyard. He said that when the Joint Engineer of the municipality was asked to assure that such flooding would not happen, he refused.

Mr. Sugumaran also said that when this issue was taken up with the Chief Town Planner, they were told that it was too late to amend the plan and the NGOs should have brought the issue to their notice earlier.

Terming the allegations “bizarre,” Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Cassicade constituency K. Lakshmi Narayanan said the residents of the area have not raised any apprehensions about the road-laying works and all norms have been followed in the process of laying the roads.

The executive officer of the temple, Dananjayan, told The Hindu that there was no water-logging inside the temple and extra precautions have been taken after the NGOs brought the issue to their notice.

We are submitting this representation for your Excellency’s kind attention and for suitable action to protect the interest of the students’ community of Puducherry.

1)    On 05.07.2010 in the Immaculate Higher Secondary School at Nellithoppe, a girl student studying 10th standard was severely beaten up by the Head Mistress of the School. The student fell unconscious and admitted in the Government Hospital and treated. The parents have lodged a complaint in the Orleanpet Police Station but till date no action was taken by the Police. We request your authority to take steps to file FIR against the Head Mistress responsible for this heartless attitude towards the students and also to remove the Head Mistress from the service by initiating departmental action. We urge your authority to instruct the Puducherry Government to strictly follow the guidelines sent on 09.08.2009 to all State and UT Governments by the National Child Rights Protection Commission banning the corporal punishments in Schools and Colleges.

2)    The administration of the St. Joseph Cluny Higher Secondary School at Lawspet ‘compulsorily’ collecting Rs. 6,000 to 10,000 from all the students as building fund and also getting around Rs. 1 Lakh as capitation fee from the parents for the admission of L.K.G. This compulsory collection is totally illegal and amounts to penal punishment under the prevailing Law. We request your authority to initiate action against the school administration and also to take action to refund the illegally collected fund to the parents.

3)    The student’s admission to various professional colleges through CENTAC is delayed reason best known to everybody. We request your authority to take steps to finalise the CENTAC list and admission by fixing the counseling date at the earliest.

4)    The Priest University at Tanjore is running an off campus Engineering College at Abishegapakkam in Puducherry without any valid recognition from UGC and AICTE. The off campus study centers are not permitted as per the UGC norms and other provisions of Law. The University administration is going on admitting the students without bothering the future of the students. We request your authority to take action against the Priest University and also prevent the administration from admitting the students.

5)    We request your authority to take steps to run the Government Medical College in full-fledged manner immediately by getting recognition from the Medical Council of India and also to start the MBBS and other related courses in this academic year itself.

6)    The Government failed to place order for the text books for the school students from Tamilnadu in time. The school students are very much affected due to this.  We request your authority to take steps to get and supply the text books to the school students.

7)    The Government had issued a G.O. that the students who have continuously studied in Puducherry for 3 years will only be eligible to apply for the CENTAC. We request your authority to withdraw the said G.O. to protect the interests of the Puducherry students.

The private schools in Puducherry are collecting enormous fees from the parents for admitting the students without any norms and forms. The Tamilnadu Government enacted an Act to regularize the fee structure (Tamil Nadu Schools (Regulation of Collection of Fee) Act). We request your authority to instruct the Puducherry Government to bring an Act immediately to regularize the fees structure following its counterpart.

9)    The Private Medical Colleges are cheating the Government in allotting the MBBS seats every year. We are sorry to state that the Government almost surrendering to the administration of the Private Medical Colleges. We request your authority to intervene and take necessary steps to get 50 percent MBBS seats this year as Government quota and also in PG courses.

10)    The Bar Council of India had cancelled the recognition for the Government Law College due to various reasons including lack of facilities. The first year admission was also barred due to this decision of the Bar Council. The students of Puducherry are very much affected by this. We urge your authority to instruct the Government to take steps to get back the recognition of Bar Council of India and resume the first year admission.

11)     The U.G.C. recognition of the Kasthuribai Government Women’s Arts College in Villianur is in peril due unavailability of adequate buildings for the college. We request your authority to take action to allot fund and construct the building for the college to retain the U.G.C. recognition. It is worth to note here that the poor students in and around the Villianur area are studying in this college.

We, the organization concerned in the student’s welfare and students of various schools and colleges kindly place these demands before your Excellency for immediate attention and necessary action.

Signatories:

1) G. Sugumaran, Federtion for People’s Rights (FPR), Puducherry.

2) C. S. Saminathan, Convener, Puducherry Students’ Federation.

3) S. Sathiamurthy, President, All India Students’ Federation (AISF).

4) V. R. Elumalai, Secretary, Students Wing, AIADMK.

5) P. Saravanan, General Secretary, Puducherry Makkal Vizhipunarchi Iyakkam.

6) M. Narayanasamy, President, Parents, Teachers and Students Association.

7) Veera. Mohan, Treasurer, Periyar Drividar Kazhagam.

K. Ayyanar, Tagore Arts College, Puducherry.

9) A. Madan, Government Law College, Puducherry.

The team, comprising writer A. Marx, M. Sivagurunathan, K. Palanisamy and Rajni of the People’s Union for Human Rights; G. Sugumaran, secretary, Federation for People’s Rights Puducherry; S. Kochadai, People’s Education Organisation; M. Barakathulla, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation, Dindigul; and Viduthalai Veeran, Adi Tamizhar Peravai, conducted interviews with Ravichandran, Inspector of Police, Elumalai, and the Dalits.

The team said that in Uthapuram the pathway created after a portion of the ‘untouchability’ wall was demolished was not fully accessible to the Dalits for moving freely, as there were frequent objections from caste Hindus. This, they alleged, was taking place with the State’s connivance. After the intervention of MLAs of Communist Party of India led by K. Balabharathi on June 21, the Dalits were once taken for a ride in autorickshaw, which was nothing but tokenism.

Even after funds were allotted under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme of CPI (M) Rajya Sabha MP T.K. Rangarajan, the demand for the construction of the bus shelter had been shelved citing law and order problems and this move was condemnable, the team said.

In Dombucheri village, a clash erupted on June 23 following a dispute over carrying the body of a caste Hindu who had married a Dalit, through the caste Hindu area. Following this, both the attackers and the Dalits who were targeted were arrested.

The team visited the village and held discussions with the Panchayat president, caste Hindus and Dalits and found that there was a polemical divide with various sub-castes of caste Hindus on one side and sub-castes of Dalits on the other. The Dalits demanded a separate pathway to their burial grounds.
Casteism

The team said that casteism was highly prevalent in Theni, Bodi Thevaram Elumalai and Usilampatti areas and the State machinery in the form of police and Revenue Departments were anti-Dalit and conniving with the dominant castes.

They recommended that the State government take note of this and make sure that Dalits and members of castes other than the dominant castes of the locality be replaced with the existing staff on a mutual transfer. Following the recommendations of the Scheduled Caste and Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989, the State should form committees in all these villages to monitor caste discrimination.

The State government should completely demolish the ‘untouchability’ wall in Uthapuram and immediately construct the bus shelter and drainage system and allow Dalits to participate in temple festivals.
Create new pathway

The team also demanded that a new pathway be established by the district administration on a war footing. They demanded action against the police who had failed to book the caste Hindus who attacked the Dalits, under the SC/ST Act.

The Hindu / 06.07.2010

“A GO was issued in 1999 and another in 2003 by the National Human Rights Commission to the State Chief Secretaries of every state giving guidelines guidelines, to release a life-convict, who has completed seven years, or a prisoner who is aged 65 and has completed seven years of his prison term. Based on this, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala have released several prisoners,” said A Marx, head of the Puducherry chapter of People’s Union for Human Rights. He listed that in Tamil Nadu, 472 prisoners were released in 2006 and 190 prisoners in 2007 (life convicts, who have completed 10 years in prison), 1409 prisoners in 2008 and 10 in 2009 (for completing seven years of prison term).

G Sugumaran, Federation for People’s Rights, explained that in Puducherry so far 11 prisoners were released. This includes the pre-mature release of 11 prisoners who have completed 14 years. Later, another life convict who had put in the same number of years was also released.

“Puducherry Central Prison has about 78 life convicts, out of which 43 prisoners have completed seven years. We are only demanding that the prisoners be released as per the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission, which would consider their conduct and release them accordingly. Also, according to the report filed by the then IG Shyam Sundar, of the 1409 prisoners released in 2008 in Tamil Nadu, only seven have been jailed again and that too for petty offences,” he said.

The New Indian express / 24.06.2010