Exit polls and SENSEX

     After 12th evening the Media has been going hyper about Modi becoming PM and BJP getting
comfortable majority on its own etc .All sort of exit polls are being compared by experts and they all predict BJP will get near 300 atleast. My prediction is BJP may just get about 200 though I am a BJP supporter.
Then why this hullaboo in the Media. I think this is generated by interested FII and their lackeys in India who want to make a quick killing.With Sensex reaching 24000, I think the whole country is going gaga over Modi.
    I will advise all those Indians who dabble in stocks to exit now when the going is good and make a killing. I expect the Sensex to fall well below 22,000 after the counting will start. So SELL SELL your stocks and book profits now.

Indian Democracy and Briyani Gang

    I was watching one of those 50 or odd Tamil news and entertainment channels which have sprung up recently due to elections and saw a group of Briyani Gang in 4 buses who have come with full family including children asking for Rupees 800/-  per head which was promised to them for attending the Election meeting as part of the crowd. They were not allowed to get in and so they missed the Briyani being served there. These guys were also going to another meeting soon for another political party and so were agitated for not getting their money and Briyani.
    In Karnataka I donot see much of election meetings as one sees in Tamilnadu or even in Andhra. May be spoiler is the Election commission of India. A funny rule is that if the candidate just stands with folded hands not on the dais but below the speaking Leader and then cash spent is not counted for his electoral expenses otherwise if he stands next to the leader it will be added to his electoral expenses. What a silly rule? The EC has done so many whimsical rulings which had no logic except to show its power once in 5 years over the bureaucracy.These election expenses are another farce and seasoned parties know how to get over it and also placing their favorite babus well before the code of conduct is invoked. The colour of Indian Democracy by festoons, giant cut outs, caps, masks and ofcourse the Briyani crowd is very badly curtailed by the socalled rules of election commission. It is the election time the ordinary people get their pounds of worth from the elected Reps who splurge the money. But the Indian Election commission has been a spoiler and they just do not know how Indian mind works nor how they are very clever when they vote.
     Recently there was this visit by Shri Ananth Kumar who is standing from our area along with BJP MLA Mr. Satish Reddy of this area and also BJP Corp-orator Mrs. Latha. and of course the main point man of nearby village of Iblur Mr. Muniraju..Our condominium have 1700 votes and they were bargaining with us for the Main road construction ( not done for the last 5 years) if only we voted for Mr. Kumar. Mr.Ananth Kumar was talking about Vajpayee era and not about Modi and I know he will be a dissident when elected on behalf of Advani. Soon enough we had a visit from Mrs. Rohini Nilekenni. She talked about Mr.Nilekenni's  role in INFY and creating lakhs of jobs in Bangalorre and also about AADHAR. She also talked about his honesty  and how he is going to work for inner party democracy in Congress. When she found that the mood is pro Modi, she even talked about a credible opposition and Nilekenni will be one in the parliament.. She just did not understand politics of the streets as finally people vote not for lofty ideals but for roads etc which Ananth kumar and his team was knowing well. When I suggested to her as the local Government is from Congress, she should appoint a points-man to whom we can go for our roads, Kathas and ration cards as we find the local BJP MLA is the only one available for any job. She said MR.Nilekenni is planning to appoint one local man for every one of 7 Assembly constituencies after the election !!!!Well I could see Mr.Ananth Kumar had his ears and within next day came to our office and after talking to our association office bearers got the main  road made within  same night in flat 2 hours , the election commission ban not withstanding. That is street politics and sadly Nilekenni just did not have it in him. By this act Mr. Ananth Kumar not only got our votes but also surrounding 7 or 8 odd blocks in the area which might be having a combined vote bank of nearly 5 to 6 thousand. The goodwill will actually continue during the next local election also. I talked to a village elder of Iblur village and he said that Mrs.Rohini Nilekenni only gave lecture and did not understand their needs which is 2 streets in their village not getting Cauvery water while 4 streets get it. It requires a special valve which might cost about rupees 5000/-. I Donot think Mrs Nilekenni even talked to the local villagers about this..

It is all good to hold debates about voting rights and  make people aware etc.. but how many of IT people from layouts and apartments come out and vote?? As long as we do not vote nothing will ever change. Some of us vote because we can read the manifesto and feel happy about it...But poor people are better off  in that they take money,booze, briyani from ALL the candidates and then do their ground work and then vote for the guy who gives the most in goodies and services and they ensure that  elected MLA/MP continues to give these  throughout his term.They do not  read manifestos but   talk to the guys and drive a hard bargain for all  including their family and village which may include illegal electric connections,  Cauvery water connection and admit cards in state run schools for children who skip classes, Yeshvashni scheme for health , bail for thier drunkard husbands  etc etc.

This is what i read in a newspaper about one of the voter/candidates interactive seminars. As long as the talk stayed within the old boundaries -- roads, drains, toilets, parks, and other civic stuff - all candidates uniformly promised the same things. They, and they alone, could and would fix it. Then when a participant threw in the question about Akrama Sakrama, and suddenly they were all on edge. Basically the candidates donot want to talk about illegal mining to some cases or benami farm holdings or gifting of sarkari lands to some religious trusts,boards or burial grounds which may later turn out to be used for some other commercial purposes.

   In a recent seminar at a local college some sprightly kids said that they do not vote because they do not find a suitable candidate or most of the        candidates are corrupt or just everyday politics bored them except when they tend to criticize Mayawathi's elephants,laloo's fodder scam or Kumaraswamy's espousal of fielding ex convicts . Generals Zia-ul-Haq,Musharaff etc are all ramrod straight, uncorrupted in the normal sense of the way and one looks at Shasthriji, Indira Gandhi, Vajpayee etc and you see these dhothi/saree clad leaders will not win a pageant but Democracy wins in India and every country is jealous of us..But these IT kids will not ponder.They will use the NOTA button not knowing they are actually defranchising themselves. I am sure they would not have braved the sun even if Narayana Murthy has contested from this seat. They will not vote for Nilekenni because that will make Rahul the PM as if they would have voted for him in case he stood as independent. They celebrate International woman's day and they send emails in support of pink jaddi campaign but ask them about pending legislations in parliament, they just have no clue.Infact I do not  think they have ever posted their comments in various legislation s which are in public domain especially affecting women's rights, children rights or rights and welfare of senior citizens and of the disabled.

But this time our folks have tasted blood with a road and our voting may be better compared to last time when only 73 voted out of 760 voters. I feel sorry for Nilekenni because I think he will loose along with Mr.Balakrishnan. But I hope they learn to become good politicians along with being honest,educated and good persons.

Varanasi the Eternal city

      Varanasi, the eternal city as it is called had different meaning to me being a flier. Mostly we used to land at Varanasi for refueling which used to be quite quick. the very good Samosa's which the Airport Canteen served was an added bonus. Ofcourse we used to land during Mango season for the "Dusseri" mangoes as it used to be cheap and tastier.
    So it was one of those VIP trips and we have to spend a day extra. Myself and my senior colleague  Sainani went to visit the famous Shiv temple and were utterly disappointing at the dirtiness all around.But to me the most blood boiling thing was the presence of Gyan vapi Mosque inside the sanctum of the holy Shiv temple. and most  of the Idols   were lying in a disorganized manner nearby. I failed to understand the adamant attitude of the Muslims of this holy city who should have handed the Mosque to the temple authorities long time ago. When an Indian Christian like me felt so agitated, I could understand the feeling of ordinary Hindus from all over India who are visiting the temple complex due to interior tourism. In fact BJP should preserve this anachronism as it must be fodder for its growth.Now with Modi standing from this place, many workers visiting this temple city will become BJP's loyal supporters.
       
   Myself and Sainani then visited the surrounding bazaar which was selling perfumed supari in various colours in very cheap rates.Also snack sold in road side dhabhas were tasty and cheap. Then we entered the ghats and Sainani visited a Panda who told about his ancestors.Then we did a great thing. Hired a local boat which was rowed by a young Muslim boy who took us to a small island in the Holy Ganges. I asked Sainani to take a dip and his sins will be forgiven .He retorted I am confusing 'Kasi" with Varanasi. That was his knowledge and he was thrilled when I told him Kasi and Varanasi were the same. He had a dip and the rowing back was very peaceful in twilight and watching all the ghats. One can easily feel why Varanasi is called the Eternal city, a city which people believe to be may be nearly 5000 years old

Ukraine, Russia and India

        Non alignment is immoral is what John Foster Dulles called India's policy. We were not part of CENTO/SEATO as Pakistan was;but essentially Indian elite was pro west as none of their children went for studies to Soviet Union nor Communism  was followed except by the communists. Pakistan got its  Sabres and so also F 104 star fighter from the USA as gift. India had its Gnats but every one knew that it is no match to the Star fighter.It is then Leftist Defense Minister Krishna Menon turned to Soviet Union and got MIG 21 deal with complete transfer of technology.But  it infuriated the Indian  elite in Business, Media and Bureaucracy especially the import lobby in Defense forces.There was this virtual salvo against Krishna Menon as MIG 21 was one of the top line fighters of Soviet union and also in the world at that time. Soon we had IL 14s, AN12s, MI4 helicopters etc etc.The clever way USA used to inject one system into one client state  which used to be compensated by EU countries in the third world who have disputes with the client state was  broken . The Veto of Soviet Union was the one which used to save India from Kashmir plebiscite demand and various other pin pricks we used to get in UN from western nations. India used to be completely isolated except support from Bhutan with regard to issues affecting our security like the Goa operation, Hyderabad independence and ofcourse 1971 war where we were forced to have a Friendship treaty with Soviet Union which stopped the hostile Chinese from intervening as they did in 1965.
     This past history is relevant today as Russia faces a tricky situation in Ukraine. A democratically elected Government was thrown out and Pro EU leadership was installed in Ukraine through covert action.The Americans are trying the same thing in Venezuela now as they did in Syria. But in Ukraine they did something which goes to the heart of newly created Russia whose Black sea fleet is located in Crimea which is part of Ukraine.Crimea not only has 55% Russian origin citizens but also 12% Tartars who also support the Russians. What EU did in Ukraine or what Russia is doing in Crimea may not be legitimate but it has opened a soft under belly of Russia.
   Now it is here India has to take a stand which must stand out.Russia has no land border with India. It has given us latest Cryogenic engines when west was scuttling our ISRO plans. While US tried to sell us refurbished F16s for the MMRCA deal, Russia is now collaborating in fifth Generation fighter. Russia has a land border with China which once flared up.Even two days back Americans were gifting $300 million to Pakistan military.I feel it is in our national interest to support Russia when the world media is out to bamboozle it.The present Indian government may not be able to do it. I think Modi the BJP nominee can take the gauntlet and give a statement in support of Russia which will stir things up a bit. Khobargade affair, Generic drugs, Solar panel dispute in WTO etc etc will all vanish if only Modi stirs things which will give India long term benefits.

Condition Serious Hai!!!

      When I was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer Metastasized to stage III, Well I know the " condition is Serious hai!!!" Of course my friends, relatives also know this and so the visits and prayers  from long lost friends and relatives was soothing. I got Holy water from Lake Manasarowar near MT. Kylas, special vibhuthi  blessed by Shri  Sathya Sai baba when he was alive and even Holy water from Lourdes.There was this friend and colleague who arranged a special sort of prayer for me at Ajmer Dargha at exactly 6 PM on a particular day.Well now I know the condition is really serious Hai but for my daughter it is a time for enjoyment with so many hospital visits as she enjoys the drive with FM blaring. I could tell my friends that I am in the august company of late Stev Jobs.
      But for my wife the condition is really serious as now she has to look after two sick people instead of one she is accustomed to.So this made her I think accident prone that she broke her feet and recently had a major incident when frying vadas with boiling oil bursting on one side of face. It is a miracle that her eyes were saved and we see that as a great gift from God though her condition was serious as per me.As only that morning  I warned her not to take cooking, she tried to hide her burns with serious allergy gimmick.But so many well intentioned advice and now I know blisters are NOT to be cut in burns as they are natural band aid for burns. Also now I know "silver ex" should be a must bor every home medicine chest. My wife has just recovered in flat one month without any scar while some were advocating plastic surgery!!!
    Conditions could be serious but then how one takes it will make your life a far better. A friend sent me this quote . ""What Cancer cannot take from you is It cannot take away your faith shatter your hope or lessen your love. It cannot destroy true friendship. invade the soul or take away eternal life. It cannot conquer your spirit " I think this says it all..
   Well you can be serious outside while being soft inside as the link below shows.
    https://www.facebook.com/cadbury5star

Satya Nadella, An American Desi pure and simple

                  Mr.Jayanand ,Principal of Hyderabad public School made a very perceptive comment “ It is great to see Middle rung students doing so well in life”. Nadella was not one of those toppers but an all rounder. I hope the present Indian parents who send their children to top schools and make them study and study and rote will  read this comment. One can see he is typical American from the Email  he sent his staff. He says he joined Microsoft 22 years back as he saw then that Microsoft clearly enpowers  people to do magical things with its creations and ultimately make the world a better place”!!! An american Desi who might not have had a green card then only thinks about the Money he is going to make and Microsoft is a good pay master.

   Now every Indian paper and TV channel is going gaga over his elevation. Will this CEO be of any good to India? I think he will be a disaster for India as he has to prove that he is better than a white American constantly and no better way than putting the screw on India and Bangalore.He is going to do what Obama said to American corporate honchos.No outsourcing to India, No demand for extra HIBI visas, Shift jobs to America and train the poor of America to jobs which Microsoft can create. But then Indian media just have to gloat when an American of Indian origin does something great in America for his or good or for American nation.

    He knows for sure GOOGLE has overtaken IE by its Chrome system and nobody noticed  it. Ofcourse nobody bothered about search but Google ;and now he is trying to catch up with BING. He also knows that how Nokia,Blackberry,Motorola perished when they did not think ahead. Today the greatest Microsoft system is Windows XP inspite of Windows vista,windows 7 and now 8.They are trying to sell their new product by killing WINDOWS XP. Here he may be in for a shock if Google or any other company brings out an operating system which is free like Linus and also good.

    When one looks at Bing tool bar which looks so sexy but then Google killed a promising product Igoogle. Even their Hotmail is classy and Gmail now looks out dated but for its usefulness in various ways. Finally the customer is the king and it makes one salivating.at the prospect of new operating systems and browsers. India had a better browser before Google chrome came in the form of Bhuvan which the powers be killed it as the Indian national interest is the least worry for our political bosses.

   Mr. Nadella is no Narayana Murthy and I feel he will be another Preeet Barara but then for our Desies it is cause for celebration just like Sunitha williams,Hargobind Khurana,Dr.Venkatraman etc. etc.

An Ordinary Indian Heroine

    My best friend in our department was Captain Sidda Raju Nayak, son of a Police constable  of Mysore state and I think he had nearly 9 siblings.Being the first Gazetted officer from his family with lot of responsibilities, Captain Raju was a man of Smile , courage and generosity.As he was senior to me he joined duty earlier but I became his room mate as he was a forced bachelor , his wife  expecting their second baby.. Then I got married and stayed in his house when I joined  back and Raju's  two kids were always curious about my wife and not me!!.Mrs Yashodha Raju from Chithradurga was a great host and my wife became her friend while for first time I was tasting "Pollies" and Mysore paks prepared by her. Soon I was transferred to Assam and was flying there. Raju shifted to Helicopters and was flying MI4 the work horse at that time..Soon it was 1971 and we were flying day in day out without any rest. Captain Raju was seeing action in then East Pakistan and was awarded Indian Police Medal for Gallantry and his Captain Wing commander Parvez Jamasji was awarded the Veer chakra. He used to bring Jute carpets and Chinese Melamine,bone china sets for his friends as the MI4 used to do detachment in Dacca for flood evacuation and other needs of the new Government. The life was going on routinely though rumblings of discontent was brewing in Bangladesh amongst the younger lot of officers who used to have lot of privileges as Paksitani army officers while the new Democratic Government of Mujib could not provide all those perks.As usual the corruption by the new hangars on got exaggerated and Mujib did not take much notice.
      Then in 1975, we came to know that Mujib was killed by Saudi/ISI  backed Army officers led by one Politician  Khondakar Mushtaq ahmed.But what was a mystery was our MI4 crew  also died on the same bloody night. As per the new rulers; they died due to bad weather accident while many suspected it to be otherwise. The dead bodies were delivered to us and cremation carried out in India. For Mrs Raju, her small world came crashing down with two small children under her care.The department was willing to accommodate her in a job but she was not even 10th pass. But the plucky lady did her 10th Certificate soon and was given a Lower Division Clerk job. though she was entitled to a compensation of Rupees One lakh, the department provided her only rupees 42,000/- as it was the compensation every Airforce officer gets and Raju's collegue who got killed was Flt.Lt Bose, an Airforce officer.I was advised not to rake up the matter as she was getting a job which was more important.
      Soon she shifted from 4 R quarters which she was occupying to 3R quarters as demanded by some. After some months some more representations came about her staying there also and she shifted to her entitled 2R quarters.Meanwhile she was working and also supporting Raju's siblings in various ways.
      The two boys who were seeing all these got motivated and started studying and working hard. In fact I used to feel that the hard work their mother was putting up motivated them.As usual there was the calumny a widow faces in a closed set up.What used to surprise me is the complete lack of understanding by some of our own colleagues who should have known better.and trusted her.She braved all these and only worked harder. Time passed by and Soon the elder boy Vasu cleared the NDA, a great achievement. The younger Prashant did not lag behind and cleared NDA himself. The elder one became a  Helicopter pilot in Airforce  and was also an ace sky diver who loves the adventure sports promoted by Airforce. He is happily married to another Airforce Helicopter pilot and blessed with two lovely childrren. The younger Prashant is a fixed wing pilot and also happily married with two children.I am sure there are many more of these ordinary Heroines in India in villages, towns etc and due to which our country is moving  and prospering but I am honoured to know this lady and her family.

RAJIV GANDHI the best PM of Independent India

     It was I think middle of 1960s when I saw two handsome guys who looked European, sitting in our Rajasthan Flying club Modas. Soon some one whispered that these two  are Rajiv and Sanjay gandhi, sons of our PM Smt.Indira Gandhi.They have come for their night flying test for issue of Commercial pilots licence. Our  Cessna 142 was the only aircraft with night flying capability in almost whole of India!Also we had the venerable Chief Flying Instructor Capt.Bhandarkar (C.P.L-1) who used to be revered by every IAC  Viscount or Fokker captain who used to land  at Jaipur.The guys were jovial and looked friendly but we kept our distance as is normal in India.Then came 1971, and then emergency and then Sanjay Gandhi running the administration etc.I donot want to get into the History of that time. But I have seen Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi coming to a Chinese restaurant in Vasant vihar of Delhi and Rajiv always greeting people with a big smile. There was no SPG those days.Then one day  Indira Gandhi's was assassinated  and Rajiv was  elevated as Prime Minister of India  by Giani Zail singh. Soon one can see a fresh wave of Change in almost every thing of Government.
    2.His introduction of "JANVANI" programme which pitted the ordinary citizens in front of Camera where they quizzed the Babus of all Ministries. This was a night mare for the IAS and other Babus who were comfortable in the cocoons of their AC rooms. Ofcourse they were be planning to scuttle this programme if only Rajiv was defeated in next election. A watered down version which no one seesis being shown in Doordarshan.
    3.Then came Asiad and Rajiv was vehemently for Colour TV while the I and B minister Vasant Sathe was against it as he considered it elitist. But Rajiv got his way inspite of opposition from the usual leftists who considered it elitist  and it was a boon to sports lovers like me who purchased our first colour TV , a BPL set.in which we used to enjoy seeing Krishi darshan also in colour.
   4. Then came his decision to introduce Computers into Indian life especially Government life. The usual chorus started from the left as well as all those who might not want India to progress.But I think here Rajiv showed exemplary leadership qualities and pushed through his IT vision. This singular act of his has changed the vision of India and also India's future that we have some semblance of confidence to compete with China and its hardware.For this alone I give my vote to Rajiv as the best Independent India's Prime Minister ahead of Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and also Vajpayee. In fact the enemies of our nation killed him for this very reason that he will ensure India's rise as an Independent power.It is the same powers outside and within India who are trying to stop Modi from becoming PM. It has nothing to do with BJP or its ideology but the man who may make India a strong power independent of western nations.
  5.Rajiv's  SMILE which is infectous is not seen in Rahuls face while one can see it in Priyanka.
  6. I want to add a titbit about his view on a platform which was to be installed in a Boeing 707. The Airforce and Police top brass were happy that we are buying this platform.But Rajiv asked them one simple question. When you guys are spending almost twice the cost of a new Boeing 747-400 aircraft, why not buy  a new Boeing 747 instead of the free 707 which will ensure steady spares, Pilots training and simulator lessons with Air India and also ensure support from Air India in case of any emergency.But our Myopic bosses who did not have his vision only talked about  saving money as Boeing 707 is coming free with all spares and ground equipment etc.But today the Boeing 707 and the equipment are lying as junk and ofcourse none can blame our bosses or for that matter anyone and that is how Government functions.This also showed to me how he must be questioning the Babus of Government of India on various other issues.

   7.Establishment of  National transport safety board (NTSB) under a retirred Air India Pilot who was doing wonderful job of investigating accidents. But this raised alarm bells in our civil aviation babudom in DGCA and AAI who wanted to kill it.
   8. Panchayat Raj. I just do not have the knowledge about this issue unlike Mani Shankar Iyer who was very much supportive of this plan.
      Now I have not seen Rahul Gandhi except in TVs but he just do not have his father's spontaneous smile, so My vote for this Parliament election is going to be for Modi while I will vote any day for Congress of Siddaramaih in Karnataka who is doing a yeoman job as Chief minister.
    But then the powers who killed Rajiv are still in action within and outside India and they may ensure some way Modi  is stopped.AAP,Lalu Yadav,Advani are all part of the same group whose guide is from the west.
    9.Defence deals.a) Bofors
                            b).HDW submarine deal
                             c) Airbus 320 deal
    One can talk about Winchadda, Quotorochi, AE services etc etc but none will talk about HInduJa brothers who I felt were the real king pins in this deal as well as scuttling of it by exposing the role of Qotorochi and Ardbo etc.Did Rajiv get the commission? Some one pocketed the commission but I believed Rajiv when he said He was not involved. But all these deal have proved their worth when it was needed.
    Now VP Singh who took over from Rajiv was a stickler for protocol that he did not believe any of the Industrialists and he was personally clean to a T but then he was so suspicious of Rajiv's decisions that he scrapped almost all the aircraft and defense deals of Rajiv, His Janvani programme, NTSB and I donot know what else.This cost our Indian nation.dear  Indian Airlines just could not recover from grounding of Airbus 320 for nearly 2 years is still languishing.
      Mr.Subramania swamy who was part of the one of the most corrupt regime of Chandrashekhar as PM is basically a man who loathes Sonia Gandhi and Rahul. He is great at spinning yarns which sound true to any cursory reader.But it may be interesting to many who are young that he covertly supported Rajiv Gandhi by trying to implicate spotless VP Singh and his NRI son in bogus St.Kitts scandal.The link is below.
 http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/19/world/foe-of-gandhi-stung-by-accusations-of-cia-role.html
     Inspite of all the History gaffes, Mr.Modi is making, I feel India needs a man like him now and the people have made up their mind on this one. It will take a historical blunder from him or the BJP  to be out voted in 2014.

 

INDIAN COASTAL SECURITY ,Who is responsible ?

          Indian coastal security is a sham and now the com-int Spying vessel  MV Seaman Guard Ohio (IMO 8410691) has exposed all the chinks in our coastal security plan if at all if it exists.That this ship is loaded with ELINT and COM-INT gear which is not even recognizable to our coast guard personnel is known to these guys who were spinning a yarn of providing security to Mother ships against pirates!!!They were spying for nearly 50 days around our coast including a shore visit  to Kochi on 23 rd august(when it got a weapon free certificate!) and illegal refueling is now known. But the coast guard were only thinking about arms in the ship which were on board when intercepted recently but not about COMINT and ELINT spying near our nuke plant at Koodankulam.  Are they trained to detect this type of sophisticated spying or about cyber security or about Stuxnet Virus which disabled the Iranian nuke plants? Disabling Indian  nuke plant or creating a mini accident is the aim of the Permanent Five of UN who do not want a new Nuke power.They will go to any length to sabotage our (unguarded by IAEA)Nuclear plants like at Kalpakkam should be known to our Coast guard. But then they do not even know how to identify these sophisticated equipment. But it suits all who are supposed to be responsible for our coastal security. The Deputy NSA even gave a statement that if the Pirate ship was out of 20 miles from our coast, then it is not committing any offence! Will Deputy NSA say the same thing if the ship has been Chinese or a Pakistani submarine!!! What is worrying is that this ship was doing spying work when operation Amla was on from Chennai to Kanya kumari under the leadership of Coast guard and Tamilnadu police. The Superintendent of Police entered the Port around 11.30 a.m. and inquired with the crew and armed guards on board the vessel Advent Ohio  about the incident. After preliminary investigation by the Coast Guard, agencies including Tamil Nadu Coastal Security Group, Intelligence Bureau and the ‘Q’ branch police conducted investigations. Besides, National Investigation Agency was also involved in the probe into the detention of the vessel with the crew. Customs (Preventive) would take up further investigation. The vessel anchored at berth - II in the Port was being guarded by Central Industrial Security Force personnel. Officials refused to reveals details of the investigation. WOW, how many cooks in this broth without any accountability!!

       .Advant fort Texas and Advant fort Ohio were intercepted by Eritrrea authorities for violating its maritime  boundary in 2011 but they had no arms except sophisticated commo equipment. It also operated recently from   port Galle of Sri Lanka. What it was doing in Sri Lanka is a mystery.

It is only in 2011 that MT Pavit a ship without lights drifted into Juhu Veersova beach without knowledge of coast guard or Mumbai coastal police.That the SAAB radar which is supposed to locate these type of ships did not even detect this ship. Then MV Freedom a 10,000 ton ship narrowly missed Juhu link to the mainland without any one knowing about this.The rescue of a distress vessel and their crew near Madras beach by fishermen with their catamaran when coast guard personnel could not even think of  rescuing either the vessel or their personnel who were only 5 KM from the shore due their lack of capacity in swimming in rough sea.   

      The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony asked government agencies to take up the issue of Private Armed Security Guards on-board Commercial Ships, in International fora such as International Maritime Organisation. Chairing a meeting on Coastal Security on 12 November 2013 in New Delhi, Shri Antony said the issue has assumed significance in the backdrop of two recent incidents close to Indian Coast. He directed that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Shipping should come out with a plan of action and regulations on the issue at the earliest. The effort would lead to better regulation on the issue of floating armouries carrying private armed guards and weapons in our maritime zones.But he did not talk aboutEllint or Commint.

      India, with vast coastal border of 7516 kms. covering nine coastal States and four Union Territories, poses serious security issues and challenges is the usual refrain.After the Mumbai terror attacks of 26/11, the entire coastal security scenario of the country has been thoroughly reviewed by the Government at various levels. The National Committee on Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security (NCSMCS) against threats for the coastal security has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary. For securing the coastline, police of all coastal States/UTs, State administrations, Indian Navy, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and other Central Ministries are working in coordination. Nevertheless the task of securing India's vast coastline is immense.The proposal of the Coastal Security Scheme (Phase-II), formulated on the basis of vulnerability/gap analysis carried out by the coastal States and UTs in consultation with the Coast Guard was approved by the Government on 24 September 2010 for implementation from 1 April 2011 for a period of five years. The Scheme is expected to provide support to coastal States/Union Territories to upgrade their coastal security apparatus. The financial outlay of the scheme is Rs.115491.20 lakh ($230 mn) for non-recurring component and Rs.42500.00 lakh ($85 mn) for recurring expenditure. The salient features in the proposal include setting up of new 131 coastal police stations equipped with 180 boats, 60 jetties, 35 rigid inflatable boats(12 for Lakshadweep and 23 for A&N islands only), 10 large vessels (for A&N Islands only), 131 four wheelers and 242 motorcycles. A special provision of 60 jetties with up-gradation of the existing ones has been made in the new Coastal Security Scheme (Phase-II). There are 12 major ports and around 200 minor ports in the country. The 12 major ports are International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) compliant and are subject to security audit once in two years. However, there is no such mechanism of security audit for the non-major ports. Apart from 12 major ports, 53 minor/non-major ports and 5 shipyards in the country are ISPS compliant. But then as MV Pavit and MV Freedom has shown, even Mumbai port is not technically ISPS compliant in actual practice.

Key Projects

Key projects that have been initiated over the last one and half year include

• Fast patrol vessels (14 Nos.)

• Interceptor Boats (20 Nos.)

• Offshore Patrol Vessels (7 Nos.)

• Fast Interceptor Crafts (hiring) (2 Nos.)

• Coast Guard Maritime Patrol Aircraft (6 Nos.)

• Procurement of Coastal Surveillance Radars (120 Units)

• Creation of the National Maritime Domain Awareness Grid (MDA)

• Procurement of 6 light helicopters for Surveillance and reconnaissance.

• Sensors for Directorate of Lighthouses and Light ships order for coastal sensors (Awarded to SAAB – November 2010– $11 mn)

  

      Who are all NOT responsible for our coastal security?

    1. Indian Navy is meant for only  for all the Blue sea like Malacca straits etc etc and conducting Naval exercises.

    2.Indian coast guard is responsible only  for the brown sea though in 2012 security review Defense Minister Antony made it responsible for coastal security under overall supervision of Indian navy but this time in 2013 he is talking about Home Ministry and DG (Shipping) alone should share the responsibility for Indian coast while spending huge money on this coastal force.

    3.Port trust of India is responsible only for trade and shipping facilities at 13 Major ports

    4.Directorate of Light houses and Light ships which controls SAAB coastal radar sensors has responsibility but I am not able to understand how it uses the radars which seems to cover only2 NMs from coast!!!

    5.Indian Customs (preventive) for prevention of smuggling and now it has to share the smugglers and their corruption with may be coast guard.

    6.Sagar Prahari Bal  with 80 Fast attack patrol boats with 1000 personnel which is supposed          to protect only the Indian navy’s assets in the shore.

      Then who is responsible for Coastal security? It is the ordinary  police stations of the state who have established Coastal police stations. But when it comes to attending Seminars in foreign countries about Coastal security or any other related interesting aspect, then  the Indian navy and coast guard will step in without of course the responsibility.The Intelligence Burreau, NIA, CISF, RAW will all come in whithout any responsibility and roughshod over the Coastal Police station whose lowly sub inspector has to be at the beck and call of his bosses in State  and District HQtrs who alone will interact with the Media.

Another factor undermining the effectiveness of the coastal security mechanism is differing perceptions among various stakeholders about their roles in ensuring coastal security. Curiously, every agency that is engaged in coastal security feels that the task is an additional responsibility that has been thrust upon it. For instance, many in the Navy contend that its principal duty is to defend the country during wars and enhance its blue water capabilities rather than carry out law enforcement duties for which it has neither the training nor the assets. Some naval officials also feel that they have been assigned responsibility without power and demand the establishment of a single point authority vested in their service. In the case of the Coast Guard, officials argue that their principal mandate includes only search and rescue, aid to navigation and pollution control at sea, not coastal security duties. Likewise, the Marine Police and Customs assert that they do not have the wherewithal and, more importantly, the mindset to perform coastal security duties. Some of the coastal states have not yet accorded coastal security any priority as they do not perceive any threats from the sea. Most argue that coastal security should be the responsibility of the Centre since they do not have the resources to raise additional manpower, boats, fuel and other infrastructure required for securing the coasts. This indifferent attitude towards coastal security percolates down to the district and sub-division levels resulting in their poor participation in various coastal security coordination meetings and thereby adversely affecting information sharing and coordination at the ground level.

  The National Automatic Identification System (NAIS) chain, inaugurated in August 2012, to track and monitor vessels by receiving feeds from AIS transponders installed in sailing vessels. The data generated by the static radar chain and the AIS sensors are being integrated with the data from the Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) installed in all major ports as well as in the Gulfs of Kutch and Khambhat and these are being shared with all agencies through the centralized National Command Communication Control and Intelligence Network (NC3I). But again MV Pavit and MV Freedom have exposed chink in this chain.

Then what is the solution? there must be atleast 50% reservation in Coast guard for youngsters from West Bengal,Orissa, Andhra Pradesh,Tamilnadu,Kerala,Maharashtra ,Goa and Gujerat and ofcourse Union territories along the coast Finally it is the fishermen Under Coast guard supervision who should ensure coastal security and it is they who should be trained .Nobody should be posted to coastal Police stations who cannot swim in Sea. All coast guard personnel should be taught about Nuclear security, COM-INT AND ELINT. The recent landing of a fibre boat in Tamilnadu coast close to kalpakkam and leaving a single person who surrendered t the local police shows how coastal radar is just a big hole.It just cannot detect fibre boats or rubber dinghies as used by 26/11 terrorists who used one to land in Mumbai coast.They were accosted by a fisher woman but then she did not know how to get any help or inform some one in authority and so kept quiet.

Hope in the next Coastal security conference some of these issues are discussed with prominence given to sub inspectors and constables who man the coastal police stations and also some fishermen from all the coastal states along with Naval top brass and other Home ministry officials, NIA, Intelligence burea,Custom officials, Light house officials, etc etc.

The following article in Maritime news on Fishermen is very informative and I hope Indian authorities also have a look at this issue. With Sri Lanka becoming aggressive towards Indian Fishermen due to its closeness with China and Pakistan Intelligence agencies as revealed in the recent episode,  India must not be guided by this fear about these SAARC countries using china/Pakistan asa trump card against India. Let them become close to China which can bank roll them, It is Indian self reliance in Arms production which will  determine its clout.          http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Fisheries-Crime-Bridging-the-Gap-2014-07-30

Preparedness of Indian Army

    The Indian Army chief said to the reporters """Asked whether terrorists, had occupied any Indian village, he said nothing like that had happened, and no Army post or bunker was occupied by the terrorists or their suspected Pakistan Army accomplices. “We are dominating them from all sides, and the terrorists are holed up. It is a broken ground. It is difficult, treacherous terrain. They are stuck in that, and we will take them on. It is a question of time.”  When the reporters asked  Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne agreed with Gen. Singh that it was a “localised” operation, which would be completed soon. “We all monitor such incidents. If the Army asks for any assistance, we are there. There is no need to become hyper.” Then again today 6th oct 15 corps commander said “We are in total control of the operation. The reports of our posts being captured by the infiltrators are absurd,” 7th Oct paper report says ""General Officer Commanding in Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra and General Officer Commanding of the 15 Corps Lt Gen Gurmit Singh have visited the area to review the situation on ground," Officiating Brigadier General Staff (BGS) Colonel Sanjay Mitra said. "
       What is curious about the whole Keran operation is that a max of 40 terrorists have infiltrated which everybody seem to admit.Army Chief says they are holed up in a broken ground and Army is dominating them from ""ALL" sides. Then it should be a simple operation for the Brigade which is  facing this situation but why then the Airchief is offering help? Army has its own attack helicopters and they could have easily used it to neutralize the enemies holed up in a open broken ground.But it is NOT using them may be due to fear it could be shot down as it happened in Kargil. Air chief's offer of help means only one thing aerial fighter bomber support. Does our company or battalion commanders are so in competent  that Corps commander himself is staying   put and seems to be overseeing the operation.
      What the Indian Army is conveying to the world and especially to its enemies? Mere 40 guys however well trained they may be (one can call them anything from BAT to Jihadies) are able to hold on for the past 13 days a brigade of troops while  staying in a open broken ground which is dominated by Indian Army in all sides. How are these Jihadies being supplied ammo and fed? How they are relieving themselves?Why the Army is showing in major news channels some footage wherein our soldiers are shown to crawl and move forward. Where? The news channels may give a good  impression to the ordinary viewers but it does not fool our enemies as well as knowledgeable viewers. The recent claim by corps commander that 12-15 militants have been killed but no arms or ammunition or bodies recovered does not show us in good light to the enemies.How this number is arrived at?
      It was some months back 5 of our Jawans were killed and beheaded. Then the Samba attack wherein 3 Jihadies killed 4 J&K constables at Hira nagar PS and commandeered a truck to take them to Army Public school. It took them more than two hours but as they could not find the Public school in their GPS, they just chose randomly an officer's mess inside Brigade HQtrs  guarded by a single guard and killed the OC. This also raises disturbing questions about Army's preparedness as well as communication links between J&K police, Para Military forces and local Brigade HQtrs. Why nobody from Hira nagar PS informed the local Army Brigade about the attack through a mobile or state communication? Was the Samba attack a diversionary tactic to take children of Army public school as hostages for a later or ongoing Jihadi operation at Shala Batu village?   
        What was the purpose of Shala Batu operation by the Jihadies? They do not come to infiltrate and hole up in open broken ground wherein they can be surrounded on ALL sides by the Army? They must have ensured some supply route for for ammo and food and even replacement for the Jihadi fighters. As this area is within our area why this supply route is not being able to be choked by our massive and superior force? Was there a TUNNEL already dug by the Jihadies?
         The Las dutt forests at LOC has stories which is yet to be told. But some lessons in preparedness can be learnt especially when it comes to change over of Army inits at LOC. It cannot be done in a routine manner as one does in peace station.The SOP has to be changed so that the posts are never left empty even in very peaceful atmosphere. Also some soft targets of Army like wives and Children could be taken hostages by Jihadi groups operating in India for which one must be prepared.