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Indian
minister shocked at Punjab’s ‘disturbed’ tag; GOI has other
priorities
WSN Network
AMRITSAR/NEW
DELHI:
When
Sikhs complain repeatedly that New Delhi discriminates with unjab,
the national media rushes to call it names: regionalism,
communalism, hurt ego, hypersensitive, and excessive identity
crisis. But what does one do about the facts? On a visit to
Amritsar,
Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh last Friday found
it shocking that Punjab was still classified as "Disturbed Area" by
the Centre and promised to take up the issue in Parliament. He said
he will talk to the PM toget removed the tag affixed to the state.
But what is
significant is what happened a couple of days later. The same New
Delhi establishment that could not be moved by decades of protests
from the Sikh community is now rushing to remove all bans from
tourists visiting exotic locations in the North-East, Jammu and
Kashmir, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar islands without any
official permission.
The Union home
ministry, which regulates visits of domestic as well as foreign
tourists to these areas through Inner Line and Protected Area
Permits respectively, is considering a tourism ministry proposal to
review and relax such restrictions. Hundreds of locations in India
are categorized as "protected areas" under the Foreigner (Protected
Areas) Act. The existing legislation requires foreigners to obtain a
Protected Area Permit to visit such areas. This requirement is in
addition to getting an Indian visa.
So while
insurgency-hit J&K and N-E will now no more be categorized as
protected, Punjab will continue to be considered as "disturbed".
Wait till Jairam Ramesh decides to make another trip and express
shock again!
23 January 2008
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