Tuesday, December 15, 1998
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N A T I O N |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Karnataka allowed to build
gates Salient
features |
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Human hair trade to be
inspected
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JMM case: 2 more witnesses
turn hostile Delhi
Assembly session begins HC
seeks information on renaming CP Advani’s
luggage misplaced Shanta
Kumar calls on PM Tilak
quits BJP FM
presents demands for grants Orissa
suspends Collector, SP PM
names panel on economic issues CPP
elections today 2.4
cr educated seek jobs |
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Karnataka allowed to build gates NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (PTI) — The Supreme Court today allowed Karnataka to begin construction of 26 crest gates at Almatti Dam on the Krishna at "its own risk and cost" but directed it not to raise the dam height beyond the present 509 metres. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice A.S. Anand, while allowing commencement of work at the dam, clarified that "the work to be carried out by Karnataka will be at the risk and cost of Karnataka and shall be without prejudice to the right of Andhra Pradesh both in the suit and injunction application." The Bench recorded serious objections raised by Andhra Pradesh against any construction activity at the dam and directed that "the undertaking by Karnataka not to raise the crest level (of the dam) beyond 509 metres for the present shall be filed within this week in an affidavit by a responsible officer." Appearing for Karnataka, senior counsel F.S. Nariman said erection of the gates would take at least six months and if the construction activity did not begin forthwith the state would miss an opportunity to utilise the monsoon waters. Counsel for Andhra Pradesh, senior advocate K. Parasaran expressed his apprehension that allowing Karnataka to commence construction activity might be misinterpreted as permission to carry on with the activites, which were any way in breach of the court’s earlier orders. Mr Parasaran contended though the raising of the height was in scheme two of the Bachawat awards which was not yet implemented, Karnataka by constructing the crest gates would be violating court’s order for status quo on the dam issue. The Bench asked him "if Karnataka was not going to raise the height of the dam then what could be the objection of Andhra Pradesh?" Mr Parasaran said if Karnataka was allowed to begin construction of the crest gates it might be misinterpreted at a later date as permission to carry on with the construction activities. Earlier, on July 21 the Supreme Court had referred the dispute over the height of Almatti Dam to a five-Judge Constitution Bench to determine whether the court had jurisdiction to hear matters arising from the award of inter-state river disputes tribunal (Bachawat award). A three-judge Bench headed
by then Chief Justice Mr M.M. Punchhi, had said in view
of the bar imposed on the Supreme Court by Article 145(3)
and Section 11 of the Inter-State Water Disputes Act the
Constitutional Bench will decide the court’s
jurisdiction in this matter. |
Salient features NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (UNI) — Following are the salient features of the Constitution 84th (Amendment) Bill, 1998. The bill has been drafted in the light of the report of the Joint Committee of Parliament headed by Mrs Geeta Mukherjee. The bill incorporates all recommendations made by the committee for immediate compliance. It provides for representation of women in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies to the extent of 33.33 per cent of the total seats. Seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies. The proposed reservation in favour of women will remain in force for 15 years. It provides for a scheme of rotation to ensure the representation of women in those states also in which the number of MPs is less than three. It ensures reservation in favour of women belonging to the SCs/STs. It provides for a scheme of rotation to ensure the representation of SC/ST women in those states also in which the number of seats reserved for the SCs/STs is less than three. There will be representation of women even in the category of Anglo-Indian nominees of the President. Representation of seats for women in the Delhi Assembly can be done by a law made by Parliament. The other recommendations
of the Joint Committee have not been incorporated in the
bill as a decision on these is to be taken at the
appropriate time. |
Human hair trade to be inspected NEW DELHI, Dec 14 — The Delhi High Court today ordered the Muncipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to have a “spot-inspection” of two West Delhi colonies to ascertain facts over alleged illicit trade of human hair there. A Division Bench comprising Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justice K S Gupta issued the direction to MCD Deputy Health Officer K K Chaudhary, present in the court, and asked him to file an affidavit within a week stating a clear picture. The court order came on a public interest litigation (PIL) by the Movement for Improvement of Landscape Environment and Society (MILES) which alleged that illicit trade of human hair was being carried out by some people in Jawalapuri, Nihalvihar and adjoining areas. MILES further said that people involved in the trade were burning the leftover hair which was a health hazard for surrounding colonies. Mr Chaudhary in his submission said he had personally inspected the area a few days ago and found no trading of human hair. However, MILES counsel Arun Khosla reading from an affidavit filed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), said it had admitted that 40 persons in Jawalapuri were found involved in the trade. The court took serious views over the contradition in the statements of the two government authorities and warned if the statements of MCD officials were found to be contrary, action would be taken against them. The court had issued notices to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the DDA on August 20 asking them to file reply to the petition by MILES. Quoting a study by environmentalist Dr Iqbal Malik, MILES said the presence of “keratin” in the gases emitted by burning hair caused damage to organs like brain, liver, kidney and the muscular system and was dangerous during pregnancy. The presence of ammonia, oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, phosphate and lead in excess ratio was also dangerous for living beings, the petition said. MILES accused the police
of providing protection to the illicit trade in the area.
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AIADMK dares Ramamurthy to quit CHENNAI, Dec 14 (UNI) — The AIADMK today mounted its attack against Union Petroleum Minister and Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress (TRC) leader Vazhapadi K. Ramamurthy, daring him to quit his Lok Sabha membership from Salem and contest again from there with the support of the BJP. In a statement here AIADMK Deputy Secretary, K.A. Sengottaiyan said Mr Ramamurthy had won the last election and become a minister only on the basis of AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalitha’s popularity. “Now, he is interested only in sticking to the post of union minister,” he charged. He claimed that Mr Ramamurthy would not be able to secure his deposit if he contested from any constituency in the state. Given this circumstance, it was highly unnecessary for the TRC leader to criticise the AIADMK and Ms Jayalalitha and incur the wrath of the AIADMK cadre, he added. Terming Mr Ramamurthy as a “blatant opportunist”, Mr Sengottaiyan said the former’s claim that Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyer had called on the AIADMK supremo at Hydrabad recently was not true. Mr Sengottaiyan said though the AIADMK was a part of the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre, Ms Jayalalitha had always been vocal in voicing her concerns over the attitudes of the BJP. He recalled that Mr Ramamurthy had criticised the BJP as communal and its leaders as rank communalists. But now the same leaders were “mahatmas” to him, Mr Sengottaiyan said. This was enough evidence for Mr Ramamurthy’s doublespeak, he added. Another AIADMK Deputy
General Secretary K. Kalimuthu had launched a similar
broadside against Mr Ramamurthy yesterday. |
JMM case: 2 more witnesses turn hostile NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (PTI) — Two more prosecution witnesses in the multi-crore JMM MP’s bribery case, in which former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao is facing trial, today turned hostile retracting their statements made before the CBI earlier. Former Haryana Tourism Project Officer in Delhi K L Nijhawan and driver Ashok Kumar today turned hostile during the recording of the evidence before Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke. The prosecution wanted to establish that the Haryana Government had spent Rs 17,396 as the taxi fare for the then MP, Haji Gulam Mohammed, an accused in the case, in August, 1993, as gratification as he had opposed the no-confidence motion against the Rao Government in the Lok Sabha on July 28, 1993. Nijhawan and Kumar admitted before the court that a car was booked by the Tourism Department for one or two days for Haji Gulam Mohammed on August 4 and again the booking was extended up to August 30, but could not confirm whether the payment was made by the Haryana Government. When confronted with previous statements, both Nijhawan and Kumar denied having told the CBI that the then former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal’s private secretary, Ashok Jolly, had paid the entire taxi fare. Seven witnesses have so
far turned hostile in the case. |
Delhi Assembly session begins NEW DELHI, Dec 14 — The four-day session of the newly-constituted Delhi Assembly began here today with the Lt-Governor, Mr Vijai Kapoor, administering the oath to senior BJP leader, Mr Ram Bhaj, as pro tem Speaker of the Assembly. Mr Ram Bhaj later administered the oath of membership to the 65 newly-elected members when the House convened later in the day. Three MLAs — Mr Jagdish Anand, Mr Arvinder Singh Lovely (Congress), and Mr Mateen Ahmed (Independent) were absent on the occasion. Delhi Chief Secretary Omesh Saigal and Secretary to Delhi Assembly P N Gupta were among those present at the swearing-in of the pro tem Speaker. The agenda for the session mainly comprises oath-taking ceremonies and election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, an official in the Assembly secretariat said. The election for the post of Speaker would be held tomorrow and it was likely that veteran Congress leader and former Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Mr Prem Singh, would be elected to the post unopposed. The lone candidate’s name was proposed by the Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, and former DPCC chief, Mr Deep Chand Bandhu. Mr Prem Singh had won all elections since 1958 from the Ambedkar Nagar constituency. The election of the Deputy Speaker would be decided by the Speaker. On the third day of the
session, the Lt-Governor would address the House,
outlining the new Congress government’s policies and
programmes. The House would conclude with its members
debating the Lt-Governor’s speech and proposing a
vote of thanks on December 17. |
HC seeks information on
renaming CP New Delhi, Dec 14 — The Delhi High Court today sought information from the State Government about the outcome of a meeting with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on renaming of Connaught Place and Connaught Circus after Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi, respectively. A Division Bench consisting of Mr Justice Y K Sabharwal and Mr Justice K S Gupta, while asking the State Government counsel to file an affidavit furnishing details in this regard, said the court had issued instructions to the Government on May 27 to discuss the matter with the NDMC. State Government counsel Arvind Nigam said he would take fresh instructions from the Government in this regard. The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) by the Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH) challenging the renaming of Connaught Place as Rajiv Chowk and Connaught Circus as Indira Chowk. INTACH counsel Vijay Shankardass submitted that despite court instructions, the Government was not able to inform the court about the outcome of the meeting. He said under the NDMC Act, neither the Central nor the State Governments had any power to change the name of a place falling within the jurisdiction of the civic body. INTACH has sought preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of Connaught Place, saying that it is the nerve centre of the Capital, having its own historical importance. During an earlier hearing, the petitioner had contended that the then Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma at a function had assured the traders’ organistions that the Government was thinking of reverting to the original name. The Union Home Ministry had issued a notification on renaming Connaught Place and Connaught Circus after the names of former prime ministers on August 18, 1995, and the Delhi Administration and NDMC were accordingly directed to take necessary action in this regard. Section 231 of the NDMC Act, 1994, provides that the powers for naming or renaming of any road, street or a public place within the jurisdiction of the civic body lies with its Chairperson, subject to due sanction by the Municipal Council. However, on the date of issuing notification by the Home Ministry, the Council was not in existence and its powers were exercised by a special officer. The NDMC had subsequently ratified the Home Ministry order on January 12, 1996, after its constitution. Justifying the government
decision the Union Government in its affidavit earlier
had submitted that neither public amenities nor
people’s fundamental rights were affected by its
action. |
Advani’s luggage misplaced AHMEDABAD, Dec 14 (PTI) — The luggage of Union Home Minister L K Advani was misplaced and could not be located for a few hours yesterday when he was on a day’s visit to Gujarat. The luggage was misplaced in the confusion that followed the grounding of the King Air aircraft at Baroda due to an engine problem. However, it was traced after a frantic search in Surat, Baroda and Ahmedabad, the places he visited in connection with certain functions, official sources told PTI here today. Mr Advani then proceeded
in a Cessna aircraft a few hours later to perform the
bhoomi pujan and lay the foundation stone for the
upgradation of the runway and associated facilities at
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport here. |
Shanta Kumar calls on PM NEW DELHI, Dec 14 — A Member of Parliament from Himachal Pradesh, Mr Shanta Kumar, today called on Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and apprised him about the construction of the Chamera (Phase 11) hydel project in Chamba district. Mr Kumar told the Prime Minister that out of the total hydel power potential of one lakh mega watt in the country, Himachal Pradesh accounts for 20,000 MW of hydel potential. He said Himachal Pradesh had finalised a three-pronged programme to tap the vast hydel power potential of the state. Mr Shanta Kumar said hydel
power generation in the country had decreased from 45 per
cent to 25 per cent during the past two decades and the
Central Government’s decision to accord priority to
hydel power generation would boost the economy of small
states like Himachal Pradesh. |
Tilak quits BJP MUMABI, Dec 14 (PTI) — Mr Deepal Tilak, a great grandson of Lokmanya Tilak and Editor of Sahyadri and Chhawa weeklies, has quit the BJP to voice his concern over the party’s “unsatisfactory” performance in Maharashtra. Mr Tilak, also General
Manager and trustee of the Pune-based Kesari Mahratta
Trust, which publishes the “Kesri” newspaper,
in a letter to state BJP President Suryabhan Wahadane,
said he had joined the party exactly an year ago on the
request of Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde. |
FM presents demands for grants NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (PTI) — The Government today sought in the Lok Sabha supplementary demands for grants involving net cash outgo of about Rs 1280 crore to finance, among other things, additional burden of fertiliser subsidy, and loans for housing, vehicle and other advances to its employees. Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha presented the demand for Rs 14,450, of which about Rs 13,170 crore provisions would be matched by savings of departments concerned or by enhanced receipts and recoveries. While Rs 600 crore of the outgo would be for subsidy on indigenous fertilisers, an amount of Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for loans for house building, motor car and other advances to Central Government employees. Out of the total outgo of Rs 1279.73 crore, a mere Rs 5 crore would be under the Plan head and the remaining would go towards non-Plan expenditure. A provision of Rs 180 crore has been made for assistance to unviable public sector undertakings while Rs 109 crore was provided for airlifting of battalions for the Lok Sabha elections held in February this year and payment of detachment allowance on revised rates ration money to Delhi police personnel. Another Rs 100.72 crore
had been earmarked for grant to Jammu and Kashmir and
north-eastern states for meeting their security-related
expenditure. |
Orissa suspends Collector, SP BHUBANESWAR, Dec 14 (PTI) — The Orissa Government today suspended the Collector and the Superintendent of Police of Gajapati district in connection with last week’s violent incidents at Ramgiri-Udayagiri town. Armed tribals had ransacked the local jail on December 8 and hacked two undertrial prisoners to death, besides setting ablaze over 100 houses belonging to a minority community. Chief Minister J.B.
Patnaik had last week announced in the State Assembly
that five officers, including the Additional District
Magistrate and the DSP, had been suspended while
admitting failure of the local administration. |
PM names panel on economic issues NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (UNI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today constituted a three-member empowered Cabinet committee to examine six reports from the captains of the Council on Trade and Industry. The members of this committee are Foreign Minister and Planning Commission Chairman Jaswant Singh, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and Industries Minister Sikander Bakht. Announcing this decision here, Mr N.K. Singh, Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office said the Prime Minister had given his green signal for immediate implementation of recommendations on which there was a consensus. The committee would deliberate to narrow down differences in areas where convergence of views could not be arrived at. The committee would also sift through recommendations on which there was no agreement. Mr Singh said that the
Prime Minister had directed that all the six reports be
made public through a special web site and asked leading
industry associations to build public consensus by
holding seminars and discussions in different parts of
the country. |
CPP elections today NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (PTI) — A straight contest is on the cards for the posts of treasurer and secretary from the Rajya Sabha in elections to the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) office-bearers and executive, slated for tomorrow. While Mr Santosh Bagrodiya and Mr Rajubhai Parmar will battle it out for the treasurer's post, Seva Dal chief Suresh Pachouri is pitted against former Kerala Congress chief Vayalar Ravi for the lone CPP secretary's post from the Rajya Sabha. A third candidate for the post of secretary (Rajya Sabha), Mr Khan Gufran Zahidi, opted out of the contest today, CPP sources said. While six candidates, including Mr Paban Singh Ghatowar and Mr Suryakanta Patil, remain in the fray for the two posts of secretary from the Lok Sabha, 21 candidates are battling it out for 14 executive committee seats from the Lok Sabha and 10 for seven seats from the Rajya Sabha. The sources said Congress
President Sonia Gandhi had already made it clear that she
would not interfere in the CPP poll and there would be no
panel sponsored by the high command. |
2.4 cr educated seek jobs NEW DELHI, Dec 14 (PTI) — Over 2.4 crore educated job seekers were registered with employment exchanges across the country in 1995, the Labour Minister Dr Satyanarayan Jatiya today said in the Rajya Sabha. Between January 1994 and June 30, 1995, about 1.49 lakh such job seekers were given employment, the Minister said in a written reply. The Centre has no proposal for a statutory linkage of minimum wages with the price index since most states/Union Territories have already established this linkage voluntarily, Jatiya said in reply to another question. A total of 18 states/UTs have linked minimum wages fixed under the Minimum Wages Act with the consumer price index number, he said. The management of United Periodicals Ltd, proprietors of Patriot newspaper and Link newsmagazine, have been prosecuted several times under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, for non-payment of salaries to its employees, Dr Jatiya said in reply to another question. The employees of the news
organisations which reopened in April 1997 after a
year-long lockout, had also been advised to file their
dispute before a competent authority, he said. |
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| 'Fish medicine' doctor dead HYDERABAD: Bathini Sivaram Goud, who was renowned for his unconventional yet popular “fish medicine” that attracted thousands of asthma patients from all over the country, died here on Sunday following a brief illness. Goud, 72, was the eldest of the five brothers who traditionally administer what has come to be known as “fish medicine” (an unspecified herbal preparation stuffed in the mouth of a live fish) during “Mrigashira Karthi” every year. The composition of the wonder medicine has been a closely guarded secret by the humble Goud family which has been administering it at ancestral home in the Doodhbowli area for the past four generations. — PTI Chivalry
proves fatal 5 impostors dupe
bank Ocean to Sky Goa
’98 |
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