The Supreme Court recently dubbed the CBI as a "caged parrot with many masters" while making an observation on the vetting of the bureau's Coalgate probe report by the law ministry.
Central administrative tribunal calls IB 'chicken' after SC dubs CBI as 'caged parrot'
A Subramani, TNN | May 12, 2013, 09.53 PM IST
CHENNAI: At a time when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was dubbed a "caged parrot" by the Supreme Court, the Intelligence Bureau has been called a "chicken" and an Augean Stable requiring systematic clean-up. "It is like a chicken. A bird? — Yes. Can it fly? — No", commented the Bangalore bench of the central administrative tribunal (CAT).
It also directed the Union Cabinet secretary to head a nine-member panel comprising secretaries of law, personnel, foreign, home, finance and defence ministries, besides two additional solicitor-general of India and the national security advisor, to bring about integral competency and specific accountability of all intelligence services.
Passing orders on a woman IPS officer's application against her repatriation to her cadre, the bench said the IB, which is in the middle of celebrating its centenary, had been following a pattern for 100 years which is "ludicrous to the extreme and is opposed democratic polity". "Suffice it to say that the Aagean Stables have to be thoroughly and systematically cleaned," observed the bench comprising judicial member KB Suresh and administrative member Naresh Gupta.
NB Bharathi, a 1998 batch IPS officer of Odisha cadre, was with the IB on deputation. She filed the present application in the CAT, after she was sought to be repatriated to her parent cadre due to her apparent "maladjustment or lack of adjustment" to the IB's work culture.
While quashing Bharathi's repatriation and calling it malicious and malafide, the bench tracked the origin of the IB and said, "The IB was baptized to operate and sustain the imperial interest. The Raj masters used the IB basically for political spying on different political parties, leaders and their private lives, and human weaknesses. It organized surveillance on suspected subjects and maintained extensive dossiers on them."
Noting that only a British national headed the IB and all important departments in the organization and native Indians were employed at subordinate level, the bench said. "almost the same principles seem to be followed even today, as only IPS officers head higher posts and responsibilities."
Decrying the deputation culture, wherein IPS officers occupy the top rung of the IB, the bench said only assistant central intelligence officers (ACIO-II) are recruited directly through a rather strict system of entrance and aptitude tests. It called for revival of the "healthy practice" of getting deputationists from state police, at the cutting edge level of sub-inspectors, inspectors and deputy superintendents of police, and said, "This needs to be revived urgently especially in larger metropolitan areas as the maintenance of an umbilical chord between field policing and internal security & intelligence work remains vital, particularly for effective counter terrorism tasks."
Defence service personnel too should be considered, the bench said, adding that at least 50% of the posts must be reserved for rank promotees.
The Centre was yet to have any order, blue print or action plan or any kind of serious debate about the reorganization of IB, the bench said, adding, "There was no philosophized and conceptualized intelligence organization to respond appropriately to the new security challenges of free India and such an organization was also never contemplated."
It also suggested formation of a "brain trust" drawn from government departments or public sector companies dealing with electronics, nuclear or bio-technology matters to sift, interpret or assess the raw data provided by intelligence periodically.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Central-administrative-tribunal-calls-IB-chicken-after-SC-dubs-CBI-as-caged-parrot/articleshow/20018664.cms
See the write-up on a birdshow in Florida. There is an ongoing birdshow in Delhi.
Monday, February 7, 2011
The 21st century Florida bird show
The tropical bird show has long been a staple of Florida tourism. Parrot Jungle,Sarasota Jungle Gardens, Sunken Gardens, Busch Gardens, and even Weeki Wachee all had bird shows. The image of the bicycling parrot is right up there with mermaids and flamingos as icons of Florida's tourist past. At places like Sarasota Jungle Gardens, the show goes on much as it has for decades, with colorful South American birds doing contrived human-like tricks for their handlers. A vintage brochure for Parrot Jungle asks:
"HAVE YOU SEEN BIRDS:
– RIDE BICYCLES
– ROLLER SKATE
– COUNT, ADD & SUBTRACT
YOU WILL AT THE WORLD FAMOUS 'PARROT BOWL"
SIX SHOWS DAILY
NO EXTRA CHARGES"
Sunken Gardens offered a bird show as well, but now that the City of St. Petersburg owns the venerable old attraction, the colorful Macaws and Parrots are relegated to cages.
The show begins with an a trainer on an elaborate stage designed to look like a Silk Road Caravan Stage. She is joined on stage by "Guano Jane" a Disney comedian who jokes about wishing to see a parrot ride a bike. According to Beta Mike, the reference is a "tongue-in-cheek reference to the old Parrot Jungle shows," but the intention is to "shred every inkling people might have that they are about to see one of those old shows." The banter between the trainer and the Guano Jane is amusing, but the birds steal the show. We saw the following birds perform: Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, American Bald Eagle, Augur Buzzard, Gray-Crowned Crane, Harris Hawk, Macaw, Yellow-napped Amazon Parrot, Barred Owl and Spectacle Owl.
The birds for the most part played along, except for a Barred Owl which refused to cooperate. Birds swooped just inches away from the delighted audience's heads and one well-trained tropical bird actually snatched a dollar bill right out of a visitor's hand and then returned it. Guano Jane quipped "that's the first time any one's ever gotten their money back at a theme park."
The show closed with the entrance of a gorgeous Bald Eagle. Former Weeki Wachee mermaid Bonnie Georgiadis who later ran the bird show at Weeki Wachee, said during Lu Vicker's talk at the Floridiana Festival "...nothing compares the feeling of releasing a Bald Eagle into the wild," comparing her underwater swimming career to her bird show career. Seeing a bald eagle this close, it is easy to understand why.
As a lover of old attractions, I admit I enjoy the dated vintage shows like the one at Sarasota Jungle Gardens. But I also appreciate how the creative resources and attention-to-detail of Disney have updated a great old Sunshine State classic.
