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From the Editor-in-ChiefFrom the Editor-in-Chief
 NARESH Minocha’s revealing report on the wheels within wheels of spectrum allocation policies is an example not just of confused policymaking but also of governance at its possible worst in an area that cuts across economic and social divisions in this country. One would have thought that almost 16 years after the launch of cellular telephony in India, our Ministries and regulators would have evolved model blueprints that woul
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GOVERNANCE | Emergency EraCOVER STORY | Aviation | petition versus praful patel | PART - I
The daylight rape of the public interest
gfiles prayerfully brings to the Supreme Court’s attention, in two parts, the inside story of how a national resource – as well as a powerful symbol of modern Indian ingenuity and enterprise in the public sector – has been systematically emasculated in order to pave the way for vested interests to dominate a vital segment of the Indian economy. In addition, we also document how, as part of a larger conspiracy, prime land worth Rs 98,000 crore
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Untitled PageCOVER STORY | Aviation | petition versus praful patel | PART - II
THE Rs 98,000-CRORE LAND SCAMON the surface, these appear innocuous, unrelated figures: Cost of land at Mumbai and Delhi airports at market value – Rs 98,000 crore; cost of construction of new airports at Mumbai and Delhi – Rs 14,300 crore. But, placed under the microscopic scrutiny of investigative reporting, these numbers bespeak a horror story of how the Ministry of Civil Aviation under Mr Praful Patel brazenly gifted India’s most expensive public r
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GOVERNANCE | Emergency EraGOVERNANCE | telephony | spectrum policy
Cellular wars intensify
High-intensity crossfire has led to emergency intervention by the PM’s office
by NARESH MINOCHA
THE never-ending challenge of managing air waves and conflicting aspirations of fiercely competitive cellular telephone operators is bound to generate sparks. This time it is not just sparks but fireworks that have forced the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to intervene. And, the fireworks have not been set off by Telecom Minister A Raja but by Telecom Regulatory Aut
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GOVERNANCE | Emergency EraGOVERNANCE | law enforcement | interrogation methods
DARKNESS AT NOON
Does the Supreme Court ban on brain mapping and narcoanalysis deny interrogators scientific tools?
by COL R HARIHARAN
A half-naked man is hung upside down and a police officer is beating him with an iron rod. Though this typical movie scene is often over-dramatized, it is not far from the truth. The police regularly uses violence and torture to extract “confessions” from suspects despite knowing full well it is illegal. They have even evolved “special t
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Untitled Page MANDARIN MATTERS | transfer policies
No easy escape
The Union Government has decided to act tough against IAS and IPS officers of the joint AGMUT cadre who resist transfer to tough areas
by NARESH MINOCHA
THERE are now stringent new guidelines for transfer and posting of officials of the cadre that cater to Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram , the UTs, Andaman & Nicobar (A&N) Islands, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
These States and UTs are classified into three categories: A – De
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PROFILE | Justice Sh KapadiaBROADCASTING | commonwealth games
Ring-side view
Commonwealth Games’ coverage will see use of the high definition format for the first time in India
by ABHILAKSH LIKHI
DOORDARSHAN, the host broadcaster for the Delhi Commonwealth Games (3-14 October, 2010), will be responsible for producing and distributing objective and unbiased television and radio coverage of the event. For the first time in India, the coverage will be in the high definition format conducive to superior viewing quality on television. The coverage will
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PROFILE | Justice Sh KapadiaHUMOUR | kvetching | shailaja Chandra
Governance Grumbles–a one-act play in Hinglish in three scenes
Kvetching literally means grumbling, finding fault, whining and complaining. Research by Universities like Cornell has concluded that “complaining fosters a social bond within a peer group stuck in the same leaky boat”. The content of the complaint is not as important as the joy of complaining because it provides “breathing space within an occasionally suffocating culture”.
This one-act play captures the archetypal kvetching t
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Untitled PageTALK TIME | cmd, pawan hans | rk tyagi
‘We are the only company to have improved the bottomline while all others suffered losses’
The past year has witnessed several significant developments taking place in the helicopter services of the country and the man who has been at the forefront of ushering in these multiple and innovative changes is RK Tyagi, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Pawan Hans Helicopter Ltd, the state-owned helicopter service. Starting his career as a geophysicist with ONGC in 1976 before taking over as Pawan Hans chief in 2007, Tyagi has
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Untitled PageTALK TIME | cm, goa | digambar kamat
‘Goa is all for clean tourism’
In June 2007, following the Goa Assembly elections, Digambar Kamat got the nod from the Congress high command for the Chief Minister’s post. His clean image, combined with an uncontroversial past and result-oriented performance, caught the fancy of party leaders in New Delhi. However, his government had to steer through rough weather and the first inkling of political turbulence hit in the maiden session of the Assembly. Uncertainty loomed for an agonizing 10 days before the government was saved.
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GUEST DESK | rama naiduFIRST STIRRINGS | baleshwar rai
‘I had never heard of the IAS’
The farmer’s son who rose to the highest echelons of the civil service recalls a career spanning 36 years
I’M a self-made person from a rural background. I never had any feeling of inferiority during my time in the services. One advantage of my background is that I have the feel of the aam aadmi. I remained in touch with my area’s people throughout my career. I helped them at every opportunity, whether in the field of education, medical facilities, admissions, employment. In Ghazipur
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STOCK DOCTOR | GS SoodSTOCK DOCTOR | GS Sood
Go for the short term, avoid risky stocks
 I HAVE a word of caution for those willing to join the celebrations for the Sensex’s move past 18,000. It is a situation akin to a midnight party where there is free flow of liquor but most of us (small investors) are not taking more than a couple of pegs owing to the fear that we have to drive home any moment. The mass
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Walia’s amusing waysBRIC-A-BRAC | preferences & references
Chauhan’s astute move
tackles belligerent minister
 IN BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, politics is known to be volatile. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan appears to be in command yet, at the same time, it’s hardly smooth sailing for him. Chauhan is currently facing two enormous challenges. The first is the prospect of the return of Uma
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And quiet flows the money...Plain living in Rashtrapati Bhavan
patil’s simple ways
 PRESIDENTPratibha Patil has a simple lifestyle and, what is more, is content with it. However, whenever and wherever she travels, a huge team of officials accompanies her. The team comprises ADCs, doctors, PAs, and peons. Ahead of the visit, a complete itinerary is sent to the destination. Along with it is despa
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Muttemwar plays mediatorMuttemwar plays mediator
soothes ruffled mps in goa
 VILAS Muttemwar, MP from Nagpur and Chairman, Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, recently displayed his skills as a seasoned politician. He was part of a parliamentary delegation that visited Goa to survey the Public Distribution System in the state. A dinner was hosted for the delegation by Jose Philip D’Souza,
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Lanka-India bhai bhaiSwanky spa nets VVIPs
rahul among amatrra members
 IF you are among those chasing Rahul Gandhi in vain, unable to get a meeting, help is at hand. You can meet him if you spend Rs 1,93,000. Whenever he is in Delhi, Rahul visits the Amatrra Spa, at the Ashok Hotel in Chanakyapuri, almost daily.
Ashok Hotel leased its recreation facility to builder Ajit Kumar Sood, who tied up with Amatrra to set up the spa in the capital
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Verma keeps DD sore festering...by the way
TN babu pays for whistle-blowing
 THEproverbial corridors of power of the ecretariat at Fort St eorge in Chennai exude n unmistakeable sense of depression. The entire Secretariat revolves around a handful of IAS officers. Those who are pliable and succumb to pressure survive, the rest are shown the door. In this scenario, most of
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Coorg DC loses his corner office!Coorg DC loses his corner office!
 THE Deputy Commissioner of Karnataka’s picturesque hilly district of Kodagu (still known to the rest of India by its earlier name of Coorg) had set out to be a good samaritan for the tribe of scribes in Madikeri, the headquarters of the tribal district. So Ashwath Narayan Gowda began searching for a plot on which to construct a community hall for journos. Government funds for it had already been sanctioned.
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No light at end of coal tunnelSEBI chief under fire
 THE Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Chandrashekhar Bhaskar Bhave, is a worried man. He is unable to figure out what went wrong in tackling the ULIP issue with the other regulator,the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), whose Chairman is J Hari Narayan. Bhave is in trouble with not only IRDA but also the Ministry of Corporate Affairs
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