When it comes to good governance, determination is what matters. The so-called ‘sand mafia’ in Ernakulam are getting a feel of good governance with District Collector M.G. Rajamanickam’s decision to launch e-sale of river sand for private use. The Collector’s decision has turned out to be a bone of contention with representatives of panchayats, where sand-mining ghats have been sanctioned, claiming that their rights were being taken over. However, the Collector has put his foot down. He said at a recent meeting that the process of online sale of sand would be more transparent and weed out mismanagement. Illegal mining and sale of sand are thriving businesses in the district as both the Periyar and Moovattupuzha rivers offer large bounties of sand every year. The ‘sand mafia’ had virtually monopolised the trade under the conventional method in which people apply to respective local bodies for supply of river sand. Most of the applicants end up either without getting their quota of sand or paying through their nose for the sand. What the Collector has attempted to do is to change all that. The system that he has put in place allows a home-owner to buy up to 10 loads of sand through Akshaya Centres and by providing documents such as building permit and recommendation from the local body concerned. The quantum of sand per load and the price at which it would be sold are yet to be finalised. If successful, the Collector’s initiative would bring about great relief to all those wishing to have a roof of their own above their heads.
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There are those who use their positions to do innovative things for the greater common good. But there are a few who stand with the people and use their tremendous moral power to make things work for the poor, the deprived, and the oppressed. Former Supreme Court judge V.R. Krishna Iyer was outside the seats of power for decades now, but nobody holding power could turn a deaf ear when he spoke. Naturally, therefore, countless were the organisations of which the jurist was the driving force in various capacities. Close associates of Krishna Iyer are still not sure whether all the organisations that printed letterheads with his name on them had done so with his consent. But, the fact remains that he did not turn away anyone if the cause was genuine. No wonder, the list of organisations that he associated with appears to be a never-ending one featuring among them Ashraya Charitable Trust, School for the Blind, Kerala State Hindi Khadi Prachar Samithi, Sarada Krishna Satgamaya Foundation for Law and Justice, Kerala Shanthi Samithi, Vaikom Muhammed Basheer Malayala Padhana Kendram, International Interfaith Dialogue India, to name a few. K.M. Nazer, whose association with Krishna Iyer dates back to 1993, puts in perspective why everyone wanted the jurist to be part of their organisation. “Swami (as Krishna Iyer was affectionately addressed by people close to him) did not compartmentalise people in terms of their faith, belief or politics. He was neither Congress nor Communist but a humanitarian who always made it a point to listen to people even from his sickbed and intervene on their behalf.”
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Officials involved in the implementation of the Community Skill Parks (CSP) project under the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) are a worried lot these days. They have almost identified the plots of land where the CSPs would be set up, but cannot go public about it for fear of angering eight MLAs in the district, who would miss out on the parks. Every MLA is keen to have the CSP in his/ her constituency as has been promised by the government, but there would be only two CSP in the first phase of the project. The officials have identified one acre of land each in two constituencies. Now, they are waiting for the word ‘Go’ from the government to make their choice known. And praying that they would get to do it without inviting the wrath of those who fail to make it in the first round.
With inputs from K. A. Martin, M. P. Praveen (Kochi), Mohamed Nazeer (Kannur)
