Le Clemenceau, a toxic ship under Indian & French Law

The Financial Express, an Indian financial daily reported the `routine' announcement of French government on August 29, 2004 that passed almost un-noticed. It was reported that the French government has discarded aircraft carrier Le Clemenceau and this would be sent to Alang shipbreaking yard in Gujarat (India) for recycling.

The contract for the demolition of the ship was signed on June 23, 2004 between France and the German company, Ship Decomissioning Industries Corporation (SDI), managed. At present Le Clemenceau is in Toulon where part of the dismantling has been completed.

So far it has not come to India only because the appeal court of Paris has been approached by the environmental groups of France to save Indian workers from health hazards involved in the dismantling of this ship.

But the Supreme Court constituted Hazardous Waste Monitoring Committee has visited Gujarat and has given clearance to Le Clemenceau, the French ship. It has been claimed that 90 percent of the asbestos has been removed from the ship. This is as per Supreme Court order seeking "Decontamination of ships before they are exported to India for breaking".

Indian Supreme Court and its Monitoring Committee ought to take note of Article 2.1 of the Basel Convention defines waste as "substances or objects which are disposed of or are intended to be disposed of or are required to be disposed of by the provisions of national law" and the Decision of October, 2004 at the Seventh Conference of the Parties (COPVII), clarified any remaining ambiguity saying:"Noting that a ship may become waste as defined in article 2 of the Basel Convention and that at the same time it may be defined as a ship under other international rules."

It is surprsing that even the Monitoring Committee is not taking cognisance of a point of law and its further evolution since October 14, 2003 order of the court.

The court has explicitly said in its 2003 order that the petitioner seeking relief from the trade in hazardous wastes has relied upon the Basel Convention meant "to minimize the generation of hazardous wastes in terms of quantity and hazardousness; to dispose of them as close to the source of generation as possible; to reduce the transboundry movement of hazardous wastes" which was signed by India on 15" March, 1990 and ratified on 24" June, 1992.

Given the fact that the very ratio (reason) of the order is Basel Convention, the Committee is duty bound to take note of the Article 2.1 of the Basel Convention and the Decision of the COPVII.

Also as per Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Amendment Rules, 2003 since import of asbestos waste is banned, allowing even 10 % of asbestos is illegal but one wonders whether the Monitoring Committee in its infinite wisdom feels otherwise.

The court recalled its order dated 5t' May, 1997 having directed "that no authorization/permission would be given by any authority for the import of hazardous waste items which have already been banned by the Central Government or by any order made by any Court or any other authority and no import would be made or permitted by any authority or any person, of any hazardous waste which is already banned under the Basel Convention or to be banned hereafter with effect from the dates specified therein."

It would interest to read the recommendations of Monitoring Committee.

Meanwhile the Appeal Court in Paris heard the case on 22nd April, 2005 and said that the company has
to act for the protection of the health of workers not only in France but also out of France in respect of the international conventions.

The appeal court considered that it is necessary to judge on the facts. Therefore, the judge has decided that the contract between the French State and the Ship Decommissioning Industries Corporation (SDI) about the transfer of Le Clemenceau to India has to be communicated to the environmental associations in order to discuss of the legacy of this contract (in relation to the convention of Basel [on waste transfer] and to the European and French regulations about asbestos and waste export).

The judge will have to pronounce a new decision on the next date of hearing on issues such as:

Is the Le Clemenceau transfer covered under the Basel Convention ?

How the French State and the SDI can argue to be able to send Le Clemenceau in India with asbestos in it?

How they can argue about how they are respecting the different international and national regulations about such a transfer?

How the contract between them is taking in account the regulations on dangerous waste and contamination for the Indian workers?

But the fact which is quite manifest from the above is that the transfer of the Clemnceau is not considered as without problem by the French Justice system but it seems to be the case under the Indian Justice system.

As of now it appears that it is impossible for Clemnceau to come to India before the decision on the above questions of the justice.

The French judge has decided that every day delayed in the communication of the contract, SDI and the state will have to pay a penalty of 1500 euros per day for delay.

Indian environmental groups agree with their French counterpart when they say that sending this toxic ship to India is socially irresponsible, because the Indian ship-breaking sites are not equipped and the personnel trained to work under safe conditions.

The Court of Appeal considered to be not very convincing the "industrial secrecy and of the businesses" behind which the State and SDI sheltered to refuse to produce their contract.

The French Court's opinion can be deemed an instructive Appeal to the ship-owners with regard to the fate of the old tankers to simple hull to the effect such ships must be withdrawn from the market. Majority of these ships contain toxic substances such as asbestos and polychlorobiphényles.

Right To Government's Information?

The Parliament has passed new Right To Information Bill on May 12, 2005. Indians now have the right to demand access to government information. This is likely to help eliminate corruption and usher in an era of better governance. This Right To Information Act has the widest possible reach covering both central and state governments, panchayati raj institutions, local bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), which are recipients of government grants.

One visible omission in the Draft National Environmental Policy was the right to information for improving environmental. It did not acknowledge the right to information as an important principle for environmental governance. Now that the Right To Information Act has become a law, the Environment Ministry is duty bound to incorporate it in its policy for meaningful participation of the people to examine the appropriateness of the decisions taken by others.

But what is sad is that only this right to information confined to government. As a part of globalization, government is constantly alienating public space in favour of private agencies. With the annexation of public space, private and corporate agencies are in command of more information that is vital to the lives of the people than the State has. Corporations should have been included in its ambit. Given this fact and the absence provision for prison sentence is clearly a stark loophole. Civil society feels that if these two omissions were addressed, it would give more teeth to the law.

Democratisation of Communication Through Blogging

As is generally quite well known a blog, short for web log, is a personal journal published on a website. Blogs can be musings, opinions and news, and a blogger can have a dedicated daily audience through his postings.

Although blogging is yet to develop a serious medium in India because of the issue of Internet access which remains a major impediment. It is still in its infancy but one imagines that very soon a serious network of bloggers would evolve and give a new meaning to mass communication as has been the case in US and Europe.

Government's plan to recognise bloggers and cyber journalists as media professionals is a welcome move. Democratisation of communication means that one has the right to communicate, therefore it is indeed the right step.

Now it is up to bloggers to build their reputation by blogging responsibly. If a blogger wishes to build a reputation for being a trusted news source, it will have to follow the cardinal principles of journalism.

But both amateur journalism and professional journalism must follow the same Code of Ethics.

Official Alang

Alang is situated on the western cost of Gulf of Cambay near Alang – Sosiya village. It is about 50 km from Bhavnagar. It is covered under extended port limit of Talaja port, as per Government of Gujarat, Ports & Fisheries Dept. Notification dated 8/9/1995.


By road it is linked to Bhavnagar-Veraval State Highway by a two lane all weather asphalt road via. Trapaj (about 10 kms) and also via. Sanodar-Kukad village (about 23 km). The nearest train link is Railway Station, Bhavnagar (55 km). The nearest airport is Bhavnagar.

Alang is the largest ship-recycling yard in the world. Ever since its inception in 1982,it has emerged as one of the choicest ship-scrapping destinations for the ship owners around the world. Hundreds of ships from all over the world find their final resting place in Alang every year.

There are 173 plots to carry out the ship-recycling activities. This activity forms an industry by itself, as it provides around 30,000 jobs in Alang itself and generates steel totaling to millions of tons every year.

From the ecological point of view, it amounts to saving of huge amount of non-cyclic and precious mineral reserves like coal, petroleum etc. Millions of tons of steel is recycled by re-rolling mills.

Many mechanical spares find their applications in one-way or other. Various electrical components hold special value for the fixed set of customers.

It promotes re-usability of products, which are otherwise considered to be scrap.

There are 163 plots in an area ranging from 1350 Sq.m. to 3600 Sq.m. There are 10 for VLCC having area of 6000 Sq.m. Gujarat Maritime Board has l reserved 10 plots for giving for recycling activities on ship to ship basis.

Hazardous Waste Management at Alang Sosia Ship Breaking Yard:
Gujarat Maritime Board based on Engineers India Ltd report and recommendation of the High Power Committee appointed by Hon’ble Supreme Court in WP 657/95 created a “ Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility” (TSDF) which is authorized by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board under the Hazardous Waste( Management & Handling) Rules vide GPCB/HAZBHV-C-28/05/12431 dated 13th May-2005. The work of operation is outsourced to M/s Gujarat Enviro Protection Infrastructure Ltd, Surat(GEPIL).

GEPIL is in the business of developing an Integrated Common Environmental Infrastructure Projects on Built- Own and Operate basis, in India. The company is promoted by “Luthra Group”- industrial group since 1963, having its primary interests in the field of Textile Processing and Real Estates.

Gujarat Enviro Protection and Infrastructure Ltd (Unit Alang), is operating and maintaining Common Hazardous waste TSDF on behalf of Gujarat Maritime Board, since October’ 2005.The site is constructed and developed by Gujarat Maritime Board. Awarded to GEPIL for Operation and Maintenance through competitive Bidding Process in September’ 2005. Total Notified Area is 7 Hectares. The site situated at Alang Ship breaking yard; the largest ship breaking yard in the world, is designed to collect, transport, Receipt, Store, treat and dispose off wide range of hazardous waste. GEPIL (Alang Unit) is also associated with Sweeping, collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of Municipal wastes generated during the ship breaking activities.

In India, the wastes mentioned in schedule-I and schedule II of Hazardous Wastes (Management & Handling) Rules’ 1989 and as amended in 2000 and 2003 have been categorized as hazardous wastes. GEPIL (Unit Alang) is providing its services to more than 80 industries of region. The facility receives wastes from Ship breaking and Ship recycling industrial sectors.

GEPIL’s expertise in Safe Removal and management of Asbestos and PCB bearing wastes from Ship breaking sector. The procedures adopted for the safe removal of asbestos have been recognized by Supreme Court Monitoring Committee on Hazardous wastes management in India, the Ministry of Environment and other authorities namely the Pollution Control Board, the maritime board and the French Government.

The following units as created by Gujarat Maritime Board is now operated by GEPIL:

* Secured Landfill Cells with Leachate sump and GWM wells
o Cell-1: 43038 cu.m. (dedicated for Asbestos and glass wool Wastes)
o Cell-2: 10,212 cu.m. (dedicated for Other Hazardous Wastes)
o Cell-3: 8723 cu.m. (dedicated for Municipal Wastes)
* Intermediate Storage & Segregation Facility
* Vehicle Cleaning Facility
* Environmental Laboratory
* Transport Vehicle as per CPCB transport Rules
* Weigh Bridge Facility
* Office Building, Computerized Wastes Tracking System
* Incineration Facility (Tie up with TSDF, Surat)

The ship breaking units send their hazardous wastes to this facility for necessary treatment and disposal. Following wastes generated during ship breaking are received, stored, transported, treated and disposed off at the facility.

* Paint chips
* Asbestos bearing wastes
* Glass wool
* Thermocol
* Materials Contaminated with oil and chemicals
* Oily sludge
* Contaminated and corroded scraps
* Rubber Gaskets & Isolation Mounting
* PVC & Plastic Waste
* Canvass With Chemical Coating/Chicken Mesh/ Rexine /Card Board
* Cementing Material & Tile/Solidified Cement/Construction With/A C Sheets.
* Other heavy metal bearing wastes

GEPIL follows various treatment and disposal routes depending upon the chemical characteristics of wastes and the disposal criteria fixed by the Central Pollution Control Board of the country. The wastes undergo various combinations of pretreatments, treatments and disposal into secured landfill disposal cells.

* The wastes requiring pretreatments, no treatment and direct disposal
* The wastes requiring direct disposal to secured landfill facility
* The Organic wastes requiring pretreatment, Incineration and disposal of incinerated ash into secured landfill facility
* The Organic wastes requiring no pretreatment, Incineration and disposal of incinerated ash into secured landfill facility
* The wastes requiring pretreatment, solidification and stabilization and or Encapsulation followed by disposal of stabilized/encapsulated mass into secured landfill facility
* The wastes requiring no pretreatment, solidification and stabilization and or Encapsulation followed by disposal of stabilized/encapsulated mass into secured landfill facility.

Integrated Common Hazardous Waste Treatment Storage Disposal facility at Survey no.325/1/1, Village Manar, Near Alang, Taluka; Talaja, Dist: Bhavnagar.




Worker Safety

1. Awareness drive through
* Hoardings at strategic locations
* Display of posters
* Occasional screening of film on safety.
2. Training Programme
* Training to safety supervisors and Mukadams
* Audio-visual training to the workers
* Setting up of a modern training cum welfare institute.
* Three days training programme on "Basic Safety Training for All" is being conducted.
3. Safety Evaluation through impartial team
* Three rounds of safety evaluation completed.
* Results conveyed to individual plot holder for improvements.
* Fourth Round of Safety audit will be carried out during 2007-08.
* " Standing Council for Safety measures enforcement at Alang" is formed by Government of Gujarat.
4. Monitoring
* Accidents are inquired & studied and measures are taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents

Future Plan

1. Intensive job-oriented training.
2. Introduction of partial mechanization.
3. Splitting up macro and micro level cutting.
4. Involvement of experts for undertaking risky operations.
5. Well-conceived multi-pronged safety awareness drive.


Health and Welfare Measures

1. Health

* Facilities for primary treatment are available at the Red Cross Hospital along with well-equipped burns ward.
* Mobile Medical Van with doctor service.
* A full-fledged hospital is built by a public Trust. Medical treatment will commence shortly.
* Periodical health camp in association with ship breakers.
* Health Awareness project through Bhavnagar Blood Bank in association with Gujarat State AIDS Control Society.
* Organized Health check up camp at Training Institute as well as at the yard.


1. Recreation

* Playgrounds for major sports are developed near the site of proposed housing colony.
* Sports Tournaments are occasionally organized.

Alang Suraksha Mahotsava was organised from 4th to 10th 2002


Contact Details for Alang Ship Recycling Yard

A.K.Rathod
I/C Port Officer
Ship Breaking Yard Alang
District: Bhavnagar
(O) 02842-235622
(R) 0278-2561410
(F) 02842-235955

M. N. Khalyani
Notified Area Officer
Ship Breaking Yard Alang
District: Bhavnagar
(O) 02842-236001
(R) 02842-235949

B.S.BHALALA
I/C Superintending
Engineer (C)
Near Deepak Talkies
Old Port Road,
Bhavnagar
(O) 0278-2439899
(F) 0278-2434733

H.N.Raval
Executive Engineer (C)
Near Deepak Talkies
Old Port Road,
Bhavnagar
(O) 0278-2427266
(R) 0278-2561930
(F) 0278-2434733

A.K. Rathod
Asst. Port Officer
(O) 02842-235621
R) 0278-2561410

P.D.VYAS
Station Officer (Fire Station- Alang)
(O) 02842-235147
(R) 0278-2567567

Open Letter to the Prime Minister

To

Dr. Manmohan Singh,
Prime Minister of India,
Room No: 152, South Block,
New Delhi – 110 001
Tel: 23012312/23013149
Fax: 23016857


Hon'ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh,

We are sure you are aware that the 11th National Water Convention is being organized by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) in New Delhi on May 11, 2005 at Vigyan Bhawan. Any person of average intellect will be able to figure out that the Convention is planned on a flawed presumption that Interlinking of Rivers is the `good' for the well being of the people and the country.

Ironically, an Agency set up in 1980 to promote scientific development for optimum utilization of water resources in the country has narrowed down on interlinking of rivers as the only recipe for meeting water exigencies across the country! It goes without saying that the NWDA has been working on a "National Perspective Plan for Water Resources Development" since 1982 to justify its terms of reference for expediting 30 river links across the country: 16 in the Peninsula and remaining 14 around the Himalayan rivers.

While the world may have transformed significantly, in technology and in thoughts, in the past two decades, the NWDA seems to have stuck to its outdated "National Perspective Plan for Water Resources Development" that aims at fulfilling the following objectives:

* To promote scientific development for optimum utilization of water resources in the country.

* To carry out detailed surveys and investigations of the possible storage reservoir sites and interconnecting link in order to establish feasibility of the proposal of Peninsular Rivers Development and Himalayan Rivers Development Components of National Perspective for water resources development.

* To carry out detailed studies about the quantum of water in various Peninsular/ Himalayan River Systems and which can be transferred to other basins/States after meeting reasonable needs of basin States in the foreseeable future.

* To prepare feasibility reports of various components of the scheme relating to Peninsular Rivers Development and Himalayan Rivers Development.

Nothing wrong with these objectives but for the fact that past 10 National Water Conventions of the kind have remained repetitive in nature without learning a bit about how indeed water may have to be managed. For NWDA, "scientific development for optimum utilization of water resources in the country" hinges around the "National Perspective Plan for Water Resources Development" that has yet to lose focus from outdated mega projects.

Isn't it deliberate to pursue with such an approach? Isn't a lie told hundred times gets closer to being a `truth'? It is clear that Government is trying to condition its citizens to accept interlinking of rivers without questioning. However, it is difficult to fathom one strong reason for your government to pursue with such a disastrous project!

May be, your government has its reasoning for persisting with this project. There is a word of caution though. The NDA regime did think the same way that infrastructure projects of the interlinking of rivers kind amongst other mega-projects will make the masses into believing that indeed the country is `shining'. However, it is another matter that the same government was made to bite the dust. We are sure the UPA regime will not tread on the dotted lines.

It has repeatedly been written and said by some of us that we are not opposed to `development'. However, the condition being that for any failure to achieve the desired objects the concerned will be held accountable. Do we not hold the mason accountable for any seepage in our house? If that be so, how can the `masons' of the country be allowed to go scot-free in the event of any failures. Although no one has been booked for past failures of the kind we are referring to, your government has an opportunity to set into motion such a system. Hon'ble Prime Minister, this is an idea that will win you accolades, for now and in future.

We are persisting on `accountability' because unlike buildings and other structures reviving dead rivers will be a daunting task. It is therefore expected that your government will refrain from making patently false statements like "In the recent past the subject of Interlinking of rivers has been deliberated widely throughout the country. While the concept is getting positive support of the public, it is also receiving negative publicity from activist groups within the country and also from the neighbouring countries."

The fact is that the Government chooses to ignore facts like the unanimous resolution of the Kerala and Punjab Assembly, which rejected the concept of Interlinking Rivers, reflects its dubious intentions. Did you not get to hear what the Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh had to say in this regard: "Would any one expect a farmer to accept the proposal of linking of rivers, with a potential of taking away more water from Punjab at the cost of his own crops?" But when has farmers been ever consulted in the planning of such projects.

In context of politics of water the development in irrigation after independence, former power and irrigation minister Dr K L Rao proposed to have a seminar which was organized by Central Board of Irrigation and Power in Delhi. The report of the said seminar was published in December 1972 in the journal titled "Indian Journal of Power and River Valley Project". In that report it is mentioned that Central Board of Irrigation and Power had proposed "National Water Grid" to do away with the inherent lack of balance in the distribution of natural resources.

In the accompanying editorial of the journal it was written, "this project is unnecessary and the investment of Rs 2900 crore seems inappropriate. The 1 crore acre land for the irrigation of which the project has been prepared is caught up in many inter state disputes. Completion and Resolution of political disputes and projects under way in central, western, and southern rivers are more important than the Ganga-Cauveri link. Central government ought to permit and facilitate current construction efforts. In comparison to the Ganga- Cauveri link, basin based development will be more beneficial….".

In that very journal worries of water experts was also mentioned saying: "if despite all protest Ganga-Cauveri link is completed, then in all probability the entire Ganga delta region will get transformed into a man-made desert. Calcutta's Hoogli port will get destroyed completely. The continuing Ganga water distribution controversy will get translated into an international conflict".

If rivers get linked there is a danger of nation's disintegration due inter-state disputes. We now know how true this statement is.

Hon'ble Prime Minister, it isn't high science to decode what is being said here. Travel to any command area of some 3600 large dams in the country, you will get to see the truth yourself. It is another matter that not a single post facto evaluation of any dam has been done to date. You guessed it right, to hide the truth from the unsuspecting citizens.

Information is being deliberately kept hidden from the public. If the interlink of rivers is the true mantra for `Water for Life' why hide it from the public for whom it is primarily meant.

We urge the government to see the design of its own bureaucracy and technocracy in fooling the country. Watch out before the UPA regime is pushed down the same path on which the `India Shining' train slid to oblivion.

We would be happy to share with you more details to ensure that wisdom prevails.

Yours Sincerely

edit

mediavigil

Interdependence of media education and media freedom

India ranks 128th out of 166 countries in the latest ranking of the state of press freedom done by Reporters Sans Frontieres. Would it not be fair if a similar rating were done for educational institutes of journalism?

The essence of journalism seems to be betrayal or collusion in the era of embedded journalism, which has undermined media’s integrity. It has betrayed public interest and it colludes with the Government, the Corporations and even the NGOs. One must realize there cannot be an identity of interest between the readers who seek information and the media houses, which seeks profits.

The media as it exists today practices top-down communication without accountability. The First Press Commission recognised that the readers have a claim on news space in the media, a 60:40 news-advertisement ratio. The government passed the Price Page Schedule Act but the Supreme deemed it as an attack on the freedom of media. In fact it was an attack on the rights of the readers because it helped the lust of media barons to sell reader- space to advertisers.

What can be more against the Freedom of Expression than to deny the readers and viewers a right to get even a denial or a rejoinder published or broadcast as a matter of right. Indian judiciary defends the freedom of the media but not of the readers.

In India what was needed was a media of, for and by the community with focus on villages where more than 2/3rds of Indians live but instead the Government of India in 1962-63 sought the advice of The Ford Foundation/UNESCO team, which in turn recommended the setting up of a national institute for training, teaching and research in Mass Communication. Indira Gandhi, the then Minister in charge of Information and Broadcasting, formally inaugurated the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) on 17 August 1965.

Although communication does not mean a one-way announcement, what followed was media became obsessed with pronouncements of government’s claimed achievements without any fora where the public could express their own views about those claims.

Let us look at the background of The Ford Foundation/UNESCO whose advice led to the formation of IIMC.

Henry Ford established The Ford Foundation in 1936 with an initial gift of $25,000. It’s the Foundation of the Ford family, which owns Ford Motor Company. The Ford Foundation is in the business of giving away cash, its function as defined in its charter is “to receive and administer funds for scientific, educational, and charitable purposes, all for the public welfare and for no other purposes.” But it is “free to change its goals should other needs arise.”

Dwight MacDonald in his book “The Men and the Millions” first published by Transaction Publishers in January 1988 quotes Westbrook Pegler, a journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1941 saying, Ford Foundation is a “front for dangerous Communists”. Further it quotes Pravda, a Russian publication saying, “the real business of the Ford Foundation is the sending of spies, murderers, saboteurs, and wreckers to Eastern Europe”.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945 "to build peace in the minds of men". In recent times, most crucial issues such as the importance of media pluralism or the concept of information as a global public good were not taken up at the UNESCO’s World Summit on Information Society (WSIS).

The countries of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) called for the establishment of a New International Information and Communication Order and the UNESCO’s MacBride Report of 1980 sought the right to communicate. IIMC became a focal point to train journalists from NAM countries. Since 1990s, journalists from countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia have also started coming to IIMC for the training.

Reacting to NAM's call and MacBride Report US Government withdrew its membership from UNESCO effective from December 31, 1984 protesting anti-Western bias, rampant budgetary mismanagement, and advocacy of policies that undermine freedom of the press and free markets. US rejoined UNESCO with effect from 1^st October 2003 since UNESCO is now much closer to U.S. position after 19 years of American non-membership than it was in 1984 at the start of UNESCO's 32nd General Conference.

The ideal of an autonomous Mass Communication institute dedicated to public service like IIMC is as valuable as the autonomy of public service broadcasting to be abandoned to the whims of small men and the idiosyncrasies of the moment.

<>Navin Chawla, a 1969 batch IAS officer who is the Secretary of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on May 29, 2004 has appointed himself as an ex-officio Chairman of IIMC after the passing away of Ramesh Chandra, the IIMC Chairman on 22nd September 2004. Not satisfied with that he made himself the President of the IIMC society and the member of the IIMC Society’s Executive Council. As far as Chawla’s accountability is concerned IIMC’s website does not even have its Annual Report.

Aeschylus, a Greek playwright & a philosopher said, "Nobody has a more sacred obligation to obey the law than those who make the law. Wrong must not win by technicalities." But Chawla does not care nor does S. Jaipal Reddy, Minister of Information & Broadcasting who is himself a Mass Communication graduate.

<>Interestingly, as a Chairman of IIMC, the students saw Chawla for the first and perhaps for the last time on the day of their Convocation. He is to retire in 31 July, 2005. In all probability, he would like to remain the chairman of IIMC till 31 July and must be planning to continue in that position even after retirement. Nothing moves at IIMC without Chawla’s nod, which has resulted in the stagnation of a dynamic institute. <>"In Indian bureaucracy while all bureaucrats of similar seniority are equal on paper, yet some chosen few are more equal than others. Chawla belongs to the latter category. Chawla was very close to Sanjay Gandhi and wielded unprecedented power in his official capacity as Secretary to the Lt. Governor of the Union Territory of Delhi, Kishan Chand during Emergency. He functioned as the de-facto Governor of Delhi and several bureaucrats who happened to interact with him during this period have confirmed the fact that he was known for his unabashed authoritarianism. His controversial role as Secretary to the Lt Governor of Delhi was noted by the Shah Commission, which went into emergency excesses. Chawla did not cover himself with glory when the Constitution of India was subverted with impunity during emergency. As one who occupied a vantage position during that period, he was charged with arbitrary exercise of authority," says V Sundarm, a retired IAS officer. <>The same Chawla arranged the IIMC Convocation at 9 O' clock in the early morning of 29th April, 2005 so that the flop show which perhaps he knew the Convocation was going to be could not be taken note of by the media. He successfully escaped the attention of media in general and some 2900 media professionals from IIMC and ensured total boycott of his own institute by Prasar Bharati, Press Information Bureau (PIB) and the mainstream media. <>

There seems to be a deliberate policy of some vested interests, which represents corporate interest instead of public interest to marginalise and undermine the status, repute and quality of IIMC to promote corporate sponsored Mass Communication institutes.

One fears that institutions like individuals lose sight of their mission and purpose and IIMC has lost it. Educational institutions have an obligation to send a clear message to students that there is more to an educational institute than career planning.

<>Also these institutions have a similar obligation to reward their professors for teaching. They have an obligation to make sure their promotion reflects the highest values of the academics and not the basest.

For IIMC, its faculty members and its management it seems all that matters is production of cannon fodders every year to be disposed of in the media warfare. It illustrates an insane eagerness to cut the chase and clear away the interim process between the initial undertaking and the completion of a task. "The bottom line" obsession has deluded the thinking about perspective and has made it appear as if all that mattered is the final outcome in this case a post graduate of Mass Communication at the end of the session.

If a prerequisite of democracy is the democratization of communication, Reddy must ensure that a media institute like IIMC gets enriched through a thorough revision of its syllabus and its faculty. But to begin with it must function in a democratic manner rather than suffer bureaucratic tyranny.