GREEN LIGHT - HC nod after govt says exercise not mandatory Panic gripped Telangana on the eve of Independence Day, with hordes of denizens of the state who work outside rushing home to participate in an ‘intensive household survey’ to be conducted on August 19. The out-of-state workers fear that if they fail to stand up and be counted in the survey they will cease to be ‘ citizens of Telangana and will lose their property and other rights in the state. The state government has failed to allay their apprehensions. The Andhra Pradesh high court on Thursday permitted the Telangana government to go ahead with the survey on the assurance of the advocate general that the exercise was not mandatory. But this too has done little to address concerns. “We are shut for only four days a year, but we may be compelled to shut down for the survey,” the director of a newspaper group told TOI. “Public transport will not run as the government has issued an order and auto unions have also declared they will not run. How will staff reach office?” The state has declared a holiday under the Shops and Establishment Act. Residents of Hyderabad who originally came from Andhra are scared. “This is to profile us and use it against us later. After all, this government came into being by stoking the Telangana sentiment,” said Ramesh Rao (name changed), a doctor. Hyderabad HCs Justice Vilas V Afzalpurkar on Thursday cleared the way for the contentious August 19 household survey after state advocate-general K Ramakrishna Reddys assured that participation in the survey will be voluntary and people wont be forced to part with information. The interim order came after the judge heard two petitions challenging the states power to conduct such a survey . Petitioners S Sitalakshmi and Rajasekhar Tulasi contended that the only Act that allows authorities to conduct surveys is the Collection of Statistics Act2008. The state would be violating it by seeking personal details like bank and post office account numbers, details of property, mobile numbers. Clearing the air, Ramakrishna Reddy assured that the state would not force anyone to participate in the sur vey . “If any one refuses to take part, he wont be compelled. No question of invasion of privacy . We are conducting the survey only for statistical purposes and to ensure that the government ben efits reach eligible people,“ he said. “We noticed large-scale irregulari ties in the distribution of government benefits like scholarships, old age pen sions, ration cards and health cards. A random test survey conductN ed by us over a smaller area revealed abnormal irregu larities in all these welfare schemes,“ the A-G said. The current survey would give them a correct picture. Justice Afzalpurkar said the peti tioners argument that their right to privacy is being infringed has no sub stance in view of the AGs statement. The Statistics Act referred to by the pe titioners is an enabling Act and theres no bar that says that states can take up surveys only under this Act, the judge said.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 05:44:01 +0000
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