'Fresh' flak on retail

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

The Uttar Pradesh government's decision to close all Reliance Fresh stores in Lucknow on the day of their opening received considerable coverage in the Hindi press.

Dainik Jagran, in its August 28 edition, reported on how the UP government's decision had forced a rethink within the company on going ahead with its retail plans in UP and east India. Citing a company official, the report said that the company had forsaken its plans to open 102 new stores and seven distribution centres in UP for the time being, and was adopting a "wait-and-watch" approach.

Punjab Kesari took this as the lead on its business page in the August 29 edition. The report quoted Reliance Retail CEO Raghu Pillai on how the company wanted an assurance from the government on the safety of its staff and properties and was wary of opening any more stores in UP.

The blasts in Hyderabad on Saturday night grabbed headlines in all Hindi dailies in the Sunday editions. Dainik Bhaskar detailed the sequence of events "" the first blast went off at Lumbini Park and the second at Gokul Chat House before bomb disposal squads defused three other bombs planted at different sites. Rajasthan Patrika attacked the country's shoddy intelligence network in a scathing edit: "Every time terrorists strike, the government reveals that there were intelligence inputs on the likelihood of an attack. Why then does the security apparatus return to a state of blissful ignorance within a few days of such dastardly incidents, until the next time, when innocents are brutally killed again?"

None of the economic issues made the headlines in the Kannada press. The Hyderabad blasts dominated the news for almost the entire week. Newspapers like Praja Vani, Vijaya Karnataka, Kannada Prabha and Samyukta Karnataka sought to remind the southern states of the need to improve security measures.

"This is a wake up call for all states. There is a dire need to improve the security scenario, especially in Bangalore, which has acquired the status of a global city. The Centre too should take it up seriously," Vijaya Karnataka said in its editorial.

A number of local issues continued to dominate the news coverage. The tussle between the Janata Dal (S) and BJP over the transfer of power continued to make news with ministers from both parties issuing contradictory statements. Flooding due to excessive rains continues in the central parts of Karnataka. Newspapers are concentrating on these developments.

In spite of Maharashtra politics being dominated by the powerful sugar lobby which had been pitching to make 10 per cent ethanol blending compulsory for oil companies, none of the prominent Marathi newspapers such as Sakal, Loksatta, Maharashtra Times, Lokmat and the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, Samna, carried any news items on the central government's decision on ethanol blending.

The story about the UP government banning the entry of organised retail in the state was carried by Sakal as the lead. Samna carried an editorial on the issue that opposed the entry of big corporates into organised retail on the grounds that it would snatch the livelihood of crores of people.

The issues that dominated the front pages of Marathi newspapers included the blasts in Hyderabad. The death of seven engineering students from Maharashtra in the blasts was covered prominently by all the Marathi newspapers. Besides, developments on the Indo-US nuclear deal, the conviction of actor Salman Khan and the controversy surrounding the Maharashtra home minister's decision to suspend policemen who queued up to shake hands with Sanjay Dutt, were the other stories that found mention.