New passport norm for J&K staff arbitrary: Tarigami
The Hindu
Roll back mandatory vigilance clearance clause: Gupkar leader
CPI(M) leader and Gupkar alliance spokesman M.Y. Tarigami on Friday described the J&K administration’s move to make vigilance clearance mandatory for government employees seeking passport as an “arbitrary and authoritarian decision to keep them under constant fear”.
“The latest order is another arbitrary decision and needs to be rolled back immediately,” Mr. Tarigami said.
He said a vigilance case could not be a substitute to being found guilty in a court of law. “One of the most sacred principles of the justice system is that a person is innocent until proven guilty. How can the government deny a passport to an employee on mere registration of a case by the vigilance?” Mr. Tarigami said.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.