Archive for July 10th, 2008

Child sold by a desperate mother

Posted in Articles, Issues of Interest, Religion on 07/10/2008 01:46 am by Colrama

Boy sold for dad’s last rites

Woman sells infant to childless couple for Rs 10,000 to pay for ‘shraadh’

By Giridhar Jha in Patna

IT WAS a classic tale of poverty, ritualism and desperation. The tragedy was it was areal- life story. Awoman in Bihar sold off her son to a childless couple so that she could perform her husband’s last rites and take care of her remaining two children.

But police intervened and arrested all three, as well as a middleman, before the shraadh (obsequies) could be performed to bring peace to his soul. A resident of Chhotki Nawada in Gaya, Sudha Devi lost her husband Raj Kumar Shah in a train accident a few days ago. Sudha, who works as a domestic help, found it difficult to feed her two sons and a daughter. Extreme poverty forced her to borrow money for Shah’s cremation.

She was approached by Noormani Surdas, avisually- challenged man from a neighbouring locality. Surdas and his wife offered to pay Sudha Rs 10,000 for her youngest son —who is one- and- a- half months old. Sudha initially hesitated, but agreed when the couple promised to take good care of the child and bring him up as their own.

She thought the deal would help her clear the debt, conduct her husband’s shraadh, and bring up her eight- year- old son and three- year- old daughter. All three reached the local court to legally adopt the child on Monday.

But before they could formalise the procedure, officials from the Civil Lines police station in Gaya took them into custody. Officer- in- charge Chandrashekhar Prasad Sinha said child trafficking was illegal and arrested Sudha, the couple and amiddleman, Mithilesh Prasad. Sinha said all of them were produced before the court of the chief judicial magistrate from where they were taken to alocal jail on Tuesday. Sudha confessed to having sold her child.

“Ineeded money to clear the debt and observe my husband’s shraadh ,” she said. Sudha said she had been finding it difficult to feed her children after her husband’s death. “Iagreed to give away my child because Ithought he would lead abetter life in his new home,” she said.

Surdas and his wife said they decided to adopt the child as they had none to turn to in their old age. “We thought it would help both families,” Surdas said.

Though the police action evoked asharp reaction from local residents, the officials lauded themselves for performing their duty.
giridhar. jha@ mailtoday. in

 

DDA to cut 1000 trees in Chitaranjan Park in Delhi

Posted in Articles, Issues of Interest, Projects on 07/10/2008 01:24 am by Colrama

Locals say DDA sports facility to cost 1,000 trees

By Mausam Sharma in New Delhi

THE RESIDENTS of NRI Complex colony near Jahanpannah Club are locking horns with the Delhi Development Authority, which is constructing a sports complex in DDA- owned Chittaranjan Park.

The park, say the residents, will be built at the cost of at least 1,000 trees. The ambitious DDA project involves a sports complex with world- class swimming pools, a cricket ground, squash and badminton courts, restaurants and other facilities.

The construction work for the Rs 753- crore project started one week ago. But the agitation of the residents had started when the foundation stone for the sports complex was laid in January last year. The residents of nearby colonies such as NRI Complex and CR Park are so attached to the park that they are not ready to swallow the idea of it being turned into asports complex.

“The park provides an essential green cover. We don’t want that green cover to be eaten up,” said Nanita Sharma, an advocate in the Supreme Court who stays in NRI Complex. She added that the residents will soon file aPIL in this regard in the high court. “We will file the PIL because this is aserious environmental issue and must be taken care of,” Sharma said.

“We are not against the sports complex. But that doesn’t mean we want our green cover to be taken away. And if the project is as ambitious as they say it is, trees are bound to be felled,” she said. Sharma added that they have asked the DDA officials time and again to try and construct the sports complex somewhere else.

The residents said the greenery in the area was the main reason they chose to settle down there. “We used to live in Shalimar Bagh, but shifted here last year. It was the peaceful and green environment that pushed us to buy ahome here. But what are we going to do now?” said Usha Sharma, a 60- year- old resident of NRI Complex.

he residents further feel there is another problem apart from the green cover –the ground gives children an opportunity to be close to nature when they play there in the evenings. “If a sports complex is built, it will cater only to elite children. And the children from middle class families who play there now will lose their .place,” said Jyoti Jain, who stays in NRI Complex.

The residents also point out that recreational centres such as the Siri Fort complex and other sports clubs are there nearby, so the felling of trees is uncalled for.

But when asked about the issue, the director of public relations in the DDA, Neemo Dhar, said, “There are no trees in the park. It has only shrubs.”
mausam. sharma@ mailtoday. in