One Woman’s Woes
The Report Pranab Dhal Samanta’s report on the plight of Fatimabi—a victim of the 1993 Mumbai riots who landed up in a Lahore prison—evoked much response. Appearing on February 20, it also explored the possibility of her repatriation to India.
The effect Not only was Fatimabi released, but our sustained efforts in following up the case at Mumbai got NGOs to come forward and help her rebuild her life.

The Bihar Flood Scandal
The Report In April 2005, Varghese K. George, The Indian Express’ Patna correspondent sniffed out possibly the biggest scam of 2005. Money and flood relief material worth Rs 13 crore had disappeared. Sustained investigation indicated the complicity of then Patna district magistrate Gautam Goswami and some local politicians.

Over 10 days, reports revealed how funds went to a firm with an acronym identical to that of the official relief supplier, how a small-time politician amassed a fleet of cars, and how a bureaucrat suddenly came upon property.
The effect The government instituted a vigilance inquiry and an FIR was filed against 26 people. Gautam Goswami and contractor Santosh Jha were among the arrested. The government says it will make future relief operations transparent.

Lakes for Sale
The Report On 1 May, The Sunday Express reported how Udaipur’s famed lakes were being plotted out and sold. Eight consecutive years of inadequate rains had turned the city’s lakes into endless stretches of barren land. The district administration and land mafia got together to turn tragedy into business opportunity. Illegal colonies were carved out and arterial roads built on the empty water bodies that once formed the lifeline of the City of Lakes.

The effect The district administration called the sale of the lakes an “inadvertent mistake”. Within a week of Sandeepan Sharma’s story, it issued notices to 6,000-7,000 “encroachers” and ordered an inquiry.

Tsunami’s Orphans

The Report On July 12, Sourav Sanyal exposed how a Delhi-based firm Vashishta Wahan took the Andhra Pradesh government for a ride. Posing as the Indian arm of Volkswagen, the firm had got Rs 11 crore from the Andhra government, without even signing an MoU.
The effect The state government divested the industries minister of his portfolio. The promoter of Vashishta Wahan was arrested and a CBI inquiry was ordered.

The Report On 6 January, Sourav Sanyal reported from Terresa Island, one of the worst-hit by the 2004 tsunami, and found the islanders living without food, water and medicines.
The effect Almost immediately, the local administration rushed food and medical aid to the island. The state government

divested the industries minister of his portfolio. The promoter of Vashishta Wahan was arrested and a CBI inquiry ordered.

Top Man’s Burden
The Report On July 1, the front page of Indian Express carried a photograph of joint commissioner of police in Vadodara K. Kumaraswamy, mounted on the shoulders of his commando Kanu Makwana to avoid waist-high water.
The effect Bhupendra Rana’s photograph caused an uproar and effected Kumaraswamy’s transfer. Asked by DGP A.K. Bhargava to explain the “un-officerlike behaviour”, Kumaraswamy cited a 10-year-old bullet injury. Though the DGP wouldn’t say why Kumaraswamy was transferred, the home secretary, Shivanand Jha, was more forthright: “Obviously, it’s an Express Effect.”

Loot for Work

The Report On June 12, Pranab Dhal Samanta reported that there were nearly a dozen mentally ill Indian prisoners languishing in Pakistan prisons. The paper published their photographs and followed it up by locating the relatives of a few of these prisoners.
The Effect The government has since taken up the release of these prisoners with Pakistan and confirmed their Indian identity.

The Report In August, Prasannakumar Keskar was the first to report on the Rs 9.1 crore fraud perpetrated in the Employment Guarantee Scheme EGS unearthed by the Solapur collector, Manisha Verma. Vinita Deshmukh followed up the story.
The Indian Express also uncovered similar irregularities in Satara district by conducting jansunwais in two villages along with an RTI activist.The effect NAC member and social audit crusader Aruna Roy’s team visited Solapur to investigate. Other activists joined the campaign.

Disempowered No. 2
The Report On March 29, Toufiq Rashid wrote on health minister Anbumani Ramadoss’ curious order that files need not be sent to his minister of state, P. Lakshmi.
The effect On April 19, Ramadoss withdrew the order that denied his junior access to files.

Money Changer
The Report On January 19, a story by Varinder Bhatia exposed a land scandal that shook the government in Punjab. A Pathankot-based businessman alleged he had paid Rs 25 lakh to Rana Sodhi, chief parliamentary secretary to the Punjab Chief Minister, to fix an allotment.
The effect The following day, Sodhi returned the money to the businessman.

The Militant’s Chauffeur
The Report On May 15, The Sunday Express reported how former MLA and National Conference leader Gul Rafequi escorted a Hizbul militant to Amritsar in his official car. Mir Ehsan’s story further reported on how the Hizbul man then crossed the border on a fake passport.
The effect On May 18, Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed ordered an inquiry. On May 21, the police arrested Rafequi and registered a case against him.