Lucknownama

Siddiqui’s windfall

Any minister’s loss is Naseemuddin Siddiqui’s gain. Last week,the favoured PWD Minister got the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development portfolio after Awadh Pal Singh Yadav stepped down after he was indicted by the Lokayukta on charges of corruption and misuse of office. Earlier,Siddiqui had got Health and Family Welfare when Babu Singh Kushwaha and Anant Mishra resigned in April over charges of financial irregularities in their departments. Siddiqui now holds as many as 14 portfolios. And he can hope for some more. Lokayukta NK Mehrotra has submitted an adverse report against Anis Ahmed,Minister of State for Minority Welfare and Haj,while an inquiry into corruption charges against Rangnath Mishra,Minister for Secondary Education,is under way.

Jinxed bungalows

A stretch of government bungalows at Gautam Palli has come to be regarded as inauspicious. One by one,four men who occupied these bungalows have fallen on bad times. Anant Mishra,who stays in 20,Gautam Palli,had to resign as Health Minister in April. Earlier,IAS officer J N Chamber,who lives nearby,had to move out of the Chief Minister’s office. Labour Minister Badshah Singh,who resides in 23,Gautam Palli,faces uncertainty over the party ticket for contesting the Assembly election. Last week,Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Awadh Pal Singh Yadav had to resign following indictment by the Lokayukta. Living in this company is Basic Education Minister Dharam Singh Saini,who stays at 21,Gautam Palli. There doesn’t seem to be any immediate danger to Saini. However,an old report against him from the Lokayukta is lying with the Chief Minister.

Superficial support

Supporting Anna Hazare has become an excuse for many to take a holiday. On a call of the Lucknow University Associated College Teachers Association,over 700 teachers of 21 degree colleges took mass leave to take out a rally and sit on dharna at Jhulelal Park with activists of India Against Corruption. Hardly 250 of them actually participated. Similar was the story when a joint council of state government employees announced work boycott to participate in the dharna. Employees of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation staged a two-day dharna at their office in Lalbagh and most of them also boycotted work. How deep was LMC employees’ commitment? The fact is that even at Jhulelal Park,LMC employees aren’t doing their work. Activists of India Against Corruption requested LMC officials to get the park cleaned every day,but it had no effect. IAC activists and some volunteers then took things in their own hands. They collect the waste in the bins they have brought and dispose it at the nearest waste collection point of LMC.

Whose rallies?

Groups calling themselves Anna Hazare’s supporters are taking out processions and motorcycle rallies almost every day. An official in the district administration said they just gather at one place and start their procession or rally,which usually passes through busy areas such as like Mahatma Gandhi Marg,Vidhan Sabha Marg,Hazratganj,Aliganj and Aminabad. They violate traffic rules and create obstruction. In April,the government had issued instructions that no procession or rally would be organised without the administration’s prior permission. Also,that the organisers would have to give an undertaking that they will maintain peace,and not disrupt traffic and public services. But administration and police officials are reluctant to enforce the rules now because Chief Minister Mayawati has expressed her support to Anna Hazare’s campaign.