Press-Release / TAHRIR / 30 December 2014 / Lucknow , Uttar Pradesh , India.///Death Toll In Uttar Pradesh Due to Cold has Rises to 125 but instead of doing something concrete to stop the homeless from dying due to cold, UP Govt. is busy providing ‘Right to Entertainment’ to Safai.
Recently, Uttar Pradesh’s biggest rural festival, Saifai Mahotsava, being held at the native village of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, organised by the Samajwadi Party MP Tej Pratap Yadav was inaugurated by Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan. Ruling Yadav clan of Uttar Pradesh was present in full force at Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav's home district Mainpuri last Friday to launch the 17th edition of Saifai Mahotsav.
In 2013, the extravagant festival was
criticised in view of the Muzaffaranagar riots. Facing flak over the festivities in
Saifai, Last year Uttar Pradesh
Government went too law to ban media
from Saifai Mahotsav from covering the event.
However, that did not deter Samajwadi
Party Government to celebrate the festival this year. Mulayam Singh Yadav went
ahead and said that not only the people living in urban centers have the right
to enjoy dance, but rural folks also take pleasure in it. Mulayam linked it to
‘right to entertainment’.
Mulayam
Singh's nephew Ranbir Singh used to hold an annual wrestling meet in Saifai but
after his demise in 1997, the party
started organising the event as Saifai Mahotsav every year so much so that the
event became a state financed event whenever Samajwadi party was in Power in
Uttar Pradesh.
This year also, Uttar Pradesh's Culture
Department Secretary Anita Meshram might have made media statements that state government has approved Rs. 1 crore
for the mahotsav but the fact is that the state funded Saifai mahotsavs
are closely-guarded secrets for UP government so much so that Culture
department’s spineless officials
are forced to make lame excuses and play
‘Hide & Seek’ with info-seeker’s RTI pleas just to avert disclosure of info
even when sought under RTI act.
A
year ago, on 26-12-2013, this Lucknow based Social Activist Sanjay Sharma had
shot off a RTI plea to the PIO of CM office of UP. On first point, Sanjay
sought documents contained in files related to the whole processes from
proposal to decision making regarding organizing of all Saifai Mahotsavas to
which Dr. Lavkush Dwivedi of Culture Directorate of UP, on 18 December 2014, has
informed Sanjay that Information sought by him is not clear. On Second point,
Sanjay sought info of Money spent from state coffers on all ‘Safai Mahotsavas’
( Starting from very first Mahotsava ) to which Dr. Lavkush Dwivedi has written
that it was not clear in RTI plea as to details of which year were sought by
Sanjay. On Third point, Sanjay sought Money earned by state Govt. from
organizing of all ‘Safai Mahotsavas’ ( Starting from very first Mahotsava ) to
which Dr. Lavkush Dwivedi has written that No such points related to income
from organizing of all ‘Safai Mahotsavas’ are concern of Culture Department.
“Saifai
mahotsavs are closely-guarded secrets for UP government so much so that Culture
department’s spineless officials
are forced to make lame excuses and play
‘Hide & Seek’ with my RTI plea just to avert disclosure of info even when
sought under RTI act, so I have every
reason to doubt intentions of SP Govt. in organizing such Mahotsavas” said Sanjay.
Sanjay
told that on 13 January 2014,he had filed another RTI application in the office of the district
magistrate, Etawah but this has got no response till date. This application
sought response on the money spent in holding the event, guest list, programme
list, money spent by district administration and state government and frequency
of flights that operated to bring guests to the venue but on none of the eleven
points information ever came. “Even UP state information commission, full of
sycophant info-commissioners, refused to listen to my complaint and same was dismissed by
Information commissioner Vijay Shankar Sharma” said Sanjay.
With
grim picture being painted by UPSIC, the highest authority in RTI matters in
UP, Sanjay feels that info on loot of public money on such events shall always
remain a secret.
Terming
State Govt’s illogical viewpoint of
providing ‘Right to Entertainment’ to Safai @ deprivation of ‘Right to life’ to
homeless of UP as tragic, inhumane and autocratic, Sanjay condemned spending
on Safai Mahotsava from State coffers as a shear wastage of public money and that too only to
quench of thirst of unending Ego of political rulers of UP and referring the Death Toll In Uttar Pradesh Due to Cold as 125, demanded the Govt. to ensure ‘Right
to Life’ to each n every homeless of UP before going to Safai like events.
Sanjay
told that he is approaching Raj Bhavan of UP to personally meet the Governor
and apprise him of this high handed approach of rulers of UP in this matter in
detail to bring things to their logical ends.
Memorandum as sent to Governor of UP, NHRC, UN & CM of UP is given below :
Sanjay Sharma<tahririndia@gmail.com> |  Mon, Dec 29, 2014 at 11:55 PM |
| To: hgovup <hgovup@gov.in>, hgovup <hgovup@up.nic.in>, hgovup <hgovup@nic.in> | |
| Cc: sgnhrc@nic.in, covdnhrc@nic.in, ionhrc@nic.in, urgent-action@ohchr.org, "srextremepoverty@ohchr.orgcmup" <cmup@nic.in>, cmup <cmup@up.nic.in> | |
To,
Sri Ram Naik – The Governor of Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh Government , Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh,India,Pin Code-226001 "hgovup" <hgovup@gov.in>, "hgovup" <hgovup@up.nic.in>, "hgovup" <hgovup@nic.in>, Subject : UP Government is busy providing ‘Right to Entertainment’ to Safai at the cost of deprivation of ‘Right to life’ to homeless dying in UP due to cold & Government is making lame excuses & ‘hide n seek’ game-tactics with my RTI plea to keep info on state funded Saifai Mahotsava behind iron curtains: Request to intervene, take appropriate action and provide time for a personal meeting with TAHRIR’s delegation to discuss things in detail. Sir, TAHRIR ( Transparency, Accountability & Human Rights initiative for revolution ) is a Bareilly/Lucknow based Social Organization, working at grass-root level by taking up & solving issues related to strengthening transparency & accountability in public life and protection of Human Rights in India. We have come to know that death Toll In Uttar Pradesh Due to Cold has Rises to 125 but instead of doing something concrete to stop the homeless from dying due to cold, UP Govt. is busy providing ‘Right to Entertainment’ to Safai. Recently, Uttar Pradesh’s biggest rural festival, Saifai Mahotsava, being held at the native village of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, organised by the Samajwadi Party MP Tej Pratap Yadav was inaugurated by Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan. Ruling Yadav clan of Uttar Pradesh was present in full force at Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav's home district Mainpuri last Friday to launch the 17th edition of Saifai Mahotsav. In 2013, the extravagant festival was criticised in view of the Muzaffaranagar riots. Facing flak over the festivities in Saifai, Last year Uttar Pradesh Government went too law to ban media from Saifai Mahotsav from covering the event. However, that did not deter Samajwadi Party Government to celebrate the festival this year. Mulayam Singh Yadav went ahead and said that not only the people living in urban centers have the right to enjoy dance, but rural folks also take pleasure in it. Mulayam linked it to ‘right to entertainment’. Mulayam Singh's nephew Ranbir Singh used to hold an annual wrestling meet in Saifai but after his demise in 1997, the party started organising the event as Saifai Mahotsav every year so much so that the event became a state financed event whenever Samajwadi party was in Power in Uttar Pradesh. This year also, Uttar Pradesh's Culture Department Secretary Anita Meshram might have made media statements that state government has approved Rs. 1 crore for the mahotsav but the fact is that the state funded Saifai mahotsavs are closely-guarded secrets for UP government so much so that Culture department’s spineless officials are forced to make lame excuses and play ‘Hide & Seek’ with info-seeker’s RTI pleas just to avert disclosure of info even when sought under RTI act. An year ago, on 26-12-2013, I had shot off a RTI plea to the PIO of CM office of UP. On first point, I sought documents contained in files related to the whole processes from proposal to decision making regarding organizing of all Saifai Mahotsavas to which Dr. Lavkush Dwivedi of Culture Directorate of UP, on 18 December 2014, has informed Sanjay me that Information sought by me is not clear. On Second point, I sought info of Money spent from state coffers on all ‘Safai Mahotsavas’ ( Starting from the very first Mahotsava ) to which Dr. Lavkush Dwivedi has written that it was not clear in RTI plea as to details of which year were sought by me. On Third point, I sought Money earned by state Govt. from organizing of all ‘Safai Mahotsavas’ ( Starting from the very first Mahotsava ) to which Dr. Lavkush Dwivedi has written that No such points related to income from organizing of all ‘Safai Mahotsavas’ are concerns of Culture Department of UP. Copy of my RTI plea & RTI reply is attached. Saifai mahotsavs are closely-guarded secrets for UP government so much so that Culture department’s spineless officials are forced to make lame excuses and play ‘Hide & Seek’ with my RTI plea just to avert disclosure of info even when sought under RTI act, so I have every reason to doubt intentions of SP Govt. in organizing such Mahotsavas and the real spending made by UP Government in organizing these mahotsavas. On 13 January 2014,I had filed another RTI application in the office of the district magistrate, Etawah but this has got no response till date. This application sought information on the money spent in holding the event, guest list, programme list, money spent by district administration and state government and frequency of flights that operated to bring guests to the venue but on none of the eleven points information ever came. Even UP state information commission, full of sycophant info-commissioners, refused to listen to my complaint and same was dismissed by Information commissioner Vijay Shankar Sharma. I had submitted a complaint against sycophant info-commissioner Vijay Shankar Sharma with you which has already been sent to administrative reforms department of Uttar Pradesh for initiating punitive action against info-commissioner Vijay Shankar Sharma but that also brought no respite to me so far as the impart of information on SAIFAI mahotsava is concerned. With grim picture being painted by UPSIC, the highest authority in RTI matters in UP, I feel that info on loot of public money on such events shall always remain a secret. We, at TAHRIR feel that State Government’s illogical viewpoint of providing ‘Right to Entertainment’ to Safai at the cost of deprivation of ‘Right to life’ to homeless of UP is tragic, inhumane and autocratic and so we are condemning these behind the iron-curtain spending on Safai Mahotsava from State coffers as a shear wastage of public money and that too when all this is being done at the whims & fancies of ruling Yadav Clan of UP, just to quench of thirst of unending Ego of these insensitive political rulers of UP. TAHRIR feels that the death toll In Uttar Pradesh Due to Cold as 125 is a not only deprivation of ‘Right to life’ to the deceased but a complete failure of UP Government’s functioning also and so we are raising our demand to inquire all incidents of these deaths, get FIRs of murder registered against the public authorities who failed to protect these deaths due to cold and take appropriate measures to ensure ‘Right to Life’ to each n every homeless of UP before Government is going to Safai Mahotsava like events. Sir, TAHRIR is , through this memorandum approaching your good-self to personally meet us so that we should apprise your good-self with TAHRIR’s point of view of this high handed approach of rulers of UP in this matter in detail so that things should be brought to their logical ends. In the meantime, your good-self is requested to intervene and take appropriate action in this matter and oblige. Copy Being sent to under-mentioned with humble request to initiate inquiry into these matters of violation of Right to life to the homeless because of negligence on the part of state authorities who failed to protect ‘Right to Life’ of the diseased who lost their lives because of their untimely deaths due to cold weather : 1) Shri Rajesh Kishore, IAS - Secretary General Chief Executive Officer of the Commission,209, National Human Rights Commission, Manav Adhikar Bhawan Block-C,GPO Complex, INA, New Delhi – 110023,Phone 91-11-24663211,91-11-24663212 sgnhrc@nic.in , covdnhrc@nic.in , ionhrc@nic.in 2) Mr. Philip ALSTON, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) ,Palais des Nations ,CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland urgent-action@ohchr.org , srextremepoverty@ohchr.org 3) Sri Akhilesh Yadav – The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh Government , Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh,India,Pin Code-226001 "cmup" <cmup@nic.in>, "cmup" <cmup@up.nic.in>, Humbly sent with lots of expectations. Sincerely yours, Sanjay Sharma سنجے شرما संजय शर्मा ( Founder & Chairman) Transparency, Accountability & Human Rights Initiative for Revolution ( TAHRIR ) 101,Narain Tower,F Block, Rajajipuram Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh-226017 Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/ Website :http://tahririndia.blogspot. E-mail : tahririndia@gmail.com Twitter Handle : @tahririndia Mobile : 9369613513 .jpg)  | |
