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NEW DELHI SATURDAY10 MARCH 2012

VOLUME 9

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P26

SUNDERBANS The Power-Hungry Tide P24KOODANKULAM THE GERMAN HAND & THE DOCTOR’S GOOGLY P16

Why Dokra is No Longer an Art P50

TEESTASETALVAD

MUKULSINHA

SOHELTIRMIZI

RBSREEKUMAR

GIRISHPATEL

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The Facts No One Should Forget

Soci

ety&

Lif

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VOLUME 9, ISSUE 10; MARCH 4-10, 2012, RELEASED ON MARCH 2, 2012; NUMBER OF PAGES INCLUDING COVER: 70

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SPURNED MOVES Hurriyat M’s efforts todrum up internationalsupport for the Kashmircause gets caught in thecrossfire between Iranand the United StatesBY RIYAZ WANI

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PROS & CONS JITENDER BHARGAVA

EU’s decision to levy a carbontax will cripple the aviation

sector struggling to stay afloat

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RELIC MATTERS IMRAN KHAN

A Durga idol at a Buddhistmonument in Gulbarga has

earned the ire of monks

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NUKE POLITICSNITYANAND JAYARAMAN

The UPA’s spin doctors arefooling the people aboutthe anti-nuclear struggle

With netas chasing ambulance services in Biharand Rajasthan, sickness is seeping into the system

HEALTH SERVICES | SAI MANISH

12

KASHMIR

FAIR SQUARE AP Governor rejectsfour names suggestedfor posts of InformationCommissioner due totheir political leaningsand connections BY SHONALI GHOSAL

RTI

DIG DEEPER Oil company CEOs call foraccelerating explorationin deep offshore andonshore sites to providemuch-needed energysecurity for the country BY SAMIRAN SAHA

ENERGY

PHOTO: AFTAB ALAM

ILLUSTRATION: ANAND NAOREMTEHELKA 10 MARCH 201210

TRADE war, having the potential to result in glob-al air fares soaring, is in the offing between the European Union and non-EU countries. Thisis due to Europe’s unilateral and extra-territorial

extension of Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) to interna-tional aviation effective 2012.

A conclave of 33 nations, includ-ing India, the US, Russia and China,held in Moscow, decided last weekon a series of retaliatory measuresagainst EU if it refuses to abrogateits law requiring airlines flying toEurope to pay for greenhouse gasemissions. The potential measuresinclude lawsuits, barring nationalairlines from participating in theETS, suspending talks with Euro-pean carriers on new routes, reviewing bilateral service and openskies agreements with EU countriesand imposing retaliatory levies.

The tough stance came after EUdisplayed its stubbornness in rejecting arguments put forth bynon-EU countries and IATA, the representative body of airlines, thatthe issue of climate change needsto be handled by the InternationalCivil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

The legal challenge presented by the Airlines ofAmerica, IATA and the National Council of Canada inthe Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) arguing that ETScontravened the Chicago Convention, which prohib-ited such taxation of international aviation, also yield-ed no result. While dismissing the petitions, the CJEUruled that the Chicago Convention did not bind the

EU, which is not a signatory (but European countries are)and that the ETS does not violate any other aspect of international law. Even though the decision representsa European legal interpretation of EU ETS, the success ofEurope’s plan will depend on how non-European coun-tries view its legal and political acceptability. As of now,there is global opposition to it and 43 countries have publicly objected to EU plans.

It isn’t that the aviation industry is not addressing theenvironmental concerns. Airlines, airports, air navigationservice providers and manufacturers have made commit-ments to improve fuel efficiency by 1.5 percent annuallyby 2020; to cap net emissions from 2020 and cut the emis-sion by half by 2050 (compared to 2005 levels) througha four-pronged strategy of investment in new technology,more efficient infrastructure, making operations moreeffective and introducing positive economic measures.

Airlines account for 2 percent (650 million tonnes) ofmanmade carbon emissions while carrying 2.8 billionpassengers and 46 million tonnes of cargo. In 2050, whileproposing to carry 16 billion passengers and 400 milliontonnes of cargo, airlines are targeting to account for only320 million tonnes of manmade carbon emissions.

It is surprising to see EU display its lack of faith inICAO’s ability to address the issue because about a decadeago, ICAO achieved a globally accepted balanced approachto noise that averted a conflict over Europe’s unilateralplans. ICAO should be expected to do the same for climatechange. In 2010, the ICAO had in fact made a beginning byagreeing to 15 principles for economic measures besidescommitting itself to developing a framework for a globaltrading or compensation scheme by 2013, which is only

a year away.Ironically, the airlines are

already burdened with paymentsof €4 billion as departure tax in UK,Germany and Austria. These levieswere said to be environmentalmeasures. It is interesting to notethat at current market price forUN-issued certified emissions reductions, €4 billion is goodenough to offset the world’s avia-tion CO2 emissions one-and-a-halftimes over. Under the ETS, 85 per-cent of the airlines’ carbon permitsin 2012 will be handed out for free,while 15 percent will be auctioned.Certificates for 1 tonne of emissionswould cost €14; the fine for ignor-ing, €100 per tonne, and the airlinesthat refuse to pay would be bannedfrom crossing the EU borders. Thecost of buying carbon permits in2012 is estimated at $1.2 billion.

Considering the difficult phasethat the global aviation industry isgoing through, a trade war trig-gered by ETS is the last thing neededas it will serve the interests of none,but harm all.

jitenderbhargava@gmail.com

Airlines feel the EU’s unilateral decision to levy acarbon tax will trigger a trade war that will cripplean industry already struggling to stay afloat

EU CARBON TAX

WILL GROUND

MORE FLIGHTS,

CURE NO ILLS

Forty-three nationshave objected to

EU plans of levyingcarbon tax on

foreign airlines

PROS&CONS

A

JITENDER BHARGAVAFORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AIR INDIA

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of BJP Minority Morcha, bagged contractsto run Basic Life Services (BLS) ambulancesin all the 38 districts in September 2011.Two months later, the award of the con-tract was challenged by Ziqitza Healthcare,which has Ravi Krishna, son of Union Min-ister of Overseas Indian Affairs VayalarRavi, and Karthi Chidambaram, the son ofUnion Home Minister P Chidambaram, asfull-time directors on its board.

Ambulances are procured by the statewith partial funding from the Centre underNRHM. These are then handed over to pri-vate firms to run and maintain for the pe-riod of the contract, with each firmcharging patients for the service and main-taining profitability through the ‘cross-subsidisation’ model (charging richpatients more than poor patients). In Bihar,the contract for running 504 ambulancesis estimated to be worth 300- 500 crore.

Bidders need to have “at least one year’sexperience in running and maintainingBLS and emergency response ambulances”.Jain’s company lacked any such experi-ence, although it operated mobile check-up vans in 11 districts of Uttarakhand. Tocircumvent this, the firm showed that itwas bidding jointly with St John’s Ambu-lance, Tamil Nadu, an integral part of theIndian Red Cross Society (IRCS).

However, the IRCS says it has no cluehow its name was used to win the Biharcontract. IRCS Director Manish Chaudharysays, “St John’s Ambulance (India) has notentered into any agreement with any pri-vate company to participate in the runningof emergency medical service or life sup-port ambulances in any state in India.”

Documents show that Jain VoW strucka secret deal with a man namedB Ravichandran, who runs a first aid centrefor St John’s Ambulance, Tamil Nadu, atRangarajapuram, Chennai. The deal wassigned between Jain VoW Vice-PresidentAtul Prakash Nigam and Ravichandran,whose jurisdiction was confined to a 5 kmradius. But Jain VoW claimed in the biddocument that its partner was operatinga fleet of 50 ambulances in Chennai.

“I’m being victimised,” says Ravichan-dran. “We don’t operate any ambulance, Ijust help patients by getting them in touchwith local private ambulances.” However,joint bid documents signed by Ravichan-dran and Jain VoW claim precisely the op-posite. Secondly, since every ambulanceprovider needs to have an emergency num-

TEHELKA 10 MARCH 201212 PHOTOS: AFTAB ALAM SIDDIQUI

THE OBJECTIVE is noble: to save livesin rural areas by mobilising a fleetof ambulances. The route taken,partnership with the private sector,

sounds good on paper but is being subvert-ed by political interests determined to corner a big part of the lucrative service.Considering the tactics adopted by eachto scuttle the other, policymakers need to

do a reality check onthe operation. Especial-ly as expenditure onthe National RuralHealth Mission (NRHM)is proposed to be doubled to 2.5 percentof India’s GDP.

In Bihar, Jain Video on Wheels (VoW),owned by Dr JK Jain, national in-charge

EXCLUSIVE

N Out of service

Patients are ferried in

carts during a strike

by ambulance workers

The NewAmbulanceChasersWith politicians vying to bag ambulance service contracts, thelosers seem to be the states and poor patients, says SAI MANISH

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Ravi’s insistence.“When I saw this idol, I

immediately informed the local authorities and the district administration. Evenafter my constant reminders,they didn’t take any action. Icouldn’t have just sat backand watched the cultural heritage of Buddhism beingdestroyed,” says Banteji.

“Look at the absurdity ofthis case. The complaint hasbeen lodged by a Muslim (ASIworker Azeem) against Bud-dhists and Dalits for hurtinghis religious sentiments.Whereas the deity in questionis a Hindu idol,” says the defendants’ lawyer MazharHussain. He claims Bantejihas been targeted specificallyas he’s been instrumental inconverting over 15,000 Dalitsto Buddhism since 1995.

ASI Deputy SuperintendentDr JK Patnaik rubbishes theclaims. He cites a study con-ducted by ASI in 1989 to provethat the practice of Durgaworship was prevalent at thetime when the governmentacquired the place in 2002,and subsequently declared aprotected site in 2003. “Theidol dates back to the 9thcentury AD — Rashtrakutasperiod — and had not beeninstalled there,” he says. Headmits that ASI is allowing rit-uals to take place as discon-tinuing the practice wouldincur “the wrath of locals”.

Local Hindu groups led byBJP MLA Valmiki Nayak havebeen demanding puja to beallowed at the site. “Twentyyears ago, the site belongedto a villager who used toworship Durga. Hence wedemanded that puja shouldbe allowed. Those who saythat the place only belongs toBuddhists and that this placeis only Buddha Vihar aretroublemakers,” he says.

imran@tehelka.com

TEHELKA 10 MARCH 201214 PHOTO: IMRAN KHAN

Idol WorshipSparksBuddhist FuryDalit organisations and monks claim that Hindugroups are trying to appropriate a historicalBuddhist site in Gulbarga. IMRAN KHAN reports

AHISTORICAL Buddhistsite near Gulbarga,584 km from Bengalu-ru, where the first

inscribed image of Ashokawas discovered, has becomethe latest communal flash-point in Karnataka. For thepast two weeks, Dalit organi-sations and a Buddhist monkhave been protesting againstwhat they claim is an attemptby Hindus to appropriate themonument by placing aDurga idol.

Four Dalits and a Buddhistmonk have been arrested forremoving the idol. However,the protesters claim that theyhad removed the idol only totake it to the deputy commis-sioner’s office when theywere arrested.

In 1986, a Buddhist stupadating back to 1st century BCwas discovered in Sannati,around 70 km from Gulbarga.It is believed that Ashokasent his son Mahindra anddaughter Sanghamitra asemissaries to spread Bud-dhism in this region, whichis now considered the mostbackward district in Karnata-ka. Subsequent excavationsby the Archaeological Surveyof India (ASI) have establishedSannati as an important his-torical site.

“On 5 February, a group of

Dalits led by a Buddhist monktried to forcibly take away theDurga idol,” says R Vishal,deputy commissioner of Gulbarga city. “The area is aprotected monument and ASIis conducting excavationsthere. When ASI men tried tostop them, they pushed themand ran away. Before the situ-ation could get out of controland communal tension couldbe created, we caught them.A case has been lodged.”

Buddhist monk Bodhid-hamma Banteji, who is in

judicial custody, says, “A sinister plan has been carriedout all over India. Look at thecases of Khaneri, Elephantaand Mahalakshmi in Mumbaiand Karla and Mansari inNasik and Nagpur. Effortshave been made to ascribe aHindu connection to Bud-dhist places of worship.”

“I have been coming tothis place for the past 10 yearsas part of my dissertation onSannati. I never found thisidol or any Hindu relic at thisplace. Suddenly we saw ritu-

als taking place andthis idol sproutingup,” says Banteji.

Banteji and fourDalit leaders havebeen booked undervarious IPC sectionsfor promoting enmi-ty between differentgroups on groundsof religion, inten-tional insult with intent to provokebreach of peace,unlawful assemblyintended to outragereligious feelings.Surprisingly none ofthe accused havebeen booked fortrespassing, theft ordamaging a histori-cal site.

When contacted,DK Ravi, assistantcommissioner of

Sedam taluk (where the com-plaint has been lodged) andadministrator of Sannati Bud-hha Stupa Development Au-thority, refused to comment.The accused allege that thecomplaint was filed based on

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KARNATAKA

‘I couldn’t have justsat back and seenBuddhist heritagebeing destroyed,’says monk Banteji

N Ma�er of faith Buddhist monk Banteji claims the

district administration failed to heed his complaint