Musharraf had Jamnagar MP on the edge, too

AHMEDABAD: What do Pakistan, Thailand, Nepal, Italy, Israel, Palestine, Russia and South Korea and have in common?
They are all on the ‘concern radar’ of Jamnagar MP Chandresh Patel Kordia.
His list of concerns is wide: threat by Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf to nuke India, the government’s awareness about Bill Clinton’s desire for an Indo-Pak dialogue, Pakistan raising Kashmir at a Bangkok conference, Nepal PM’s visit, talks with Italy on defence cooperation and if India had allowed the FBI to set up office in India.
Kordia wanted to know details of Fernandes’ trip to Russia and its outcome, too. Probably a strong believer in the ‘All work and no play’ adage, the former president of BJP’s Jamnagar unit wanted to know about the Busan Asian Games and the number of cricket matches played by India in 1999, the number of matches won and lost by India and the programme schedule for 2000.
Though in his fifth term, Destination Jamnagar was beyond his viewfinder. He raised 38 questions and took part in just five debates related to his constituency. Of the 196 questions he posed, 79 pertained to Gujarat.
Issues like earthquake, telephone connections, drinking water, pollution, rail and air links did figure on Kordia’s list of ‘to ask’ issues.
Encroachment on the national marine park, forest land and destruction of marine life due to oil slick were the environmental issues he raised in Parliament.
Nonfunctioning telephones and need for more post offices in the district and a direct flight to Delhi were given attention.
Kordia did go local when he wanted to know why material meant for development and expansion of the dilapidated platform at the Khambaliya railway station was diverted to the Dwarka railway station. It halted the work on Khambhaliya station, he felt.
Another instance, when Kordia was interested in his voters’ woes was when he wanted to know if all voters in Gujarat, particularly in Jamnagar, had been given photo identity cards.
As for issues troubling the state, one has the ADB’s Rs 362-crore loan to resolve water problem and World Bank loan for highways and roads.
Kordia’s concern for Delhi shows up in his questions on FIRs regarding abduction and missing girls, corruption in the New Delhi Municipal Council, dacoity, details of illegal construction in Delhi and FIRs relating to criminal cases in Karol Bagh.
He was also interested in the loot at Punjab National Bank, Muzaffarpur (UP) and courts in Bihar and UP experimenting on releasing criminals without going through the lengthy legal process.
The five debates that related to Jamnagar out of 11 were: the need to open an LPG outlet at Bhanvad, B-2 status for Jamnagar city, speedy renovation of Dwarka Peeth and simplification of application of Income Tax Act to encourage exports and more railway facilities.