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Thursday, July 23, 1998

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No bowing to pressure on N-issue: PM
NEW DELHI, July 22 (PTI) — The government today firmly declared in the Lok Sabha that India would not give in to any pressure on the nuclear non-proliferation issue, including the signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and would face the sanctions imposed on it following the Pokhran tests.
Intervening during question hour, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee asserted, "We have the inherent strength to face the sanctions and will not change our views nor succumb to pressures from anyone".
He hoped that Indo-Pak relations would improve after his talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Colombo on the sidelines of the SAARC summit this month-end.
"I hope this would improve Indo-Pak relations and help in resuming the stalled (official level) dialogue between the two countries," Mr Vajpayee said.
Replying to a question by Mr T. Subbarami Reddy (Cong) and a number of supplementaries, Minister of State for External Affairs Vasundhra Raje Scindia firmly declared that the government would not sign the CTBT in its present form and would take all political parties into confidence before taking any decision on the issue.

"We will not sign it," she said, allaying apprehensions expressed by a member in this regard.
Soon after conducting the nuclear test, India had declared a moratorium on further tests and announced it was prepared to adhere to some provisions of the CTBT but this could not be done in a vacuum, she said.
Referring to China’s missile technology supply to Pakistan, Ms Vasundhra Raje said New Delhi wanted Beijing to be more transparent in its dealing with Islamabad.
"We are concerned over China’s assistance to Pakistan in the supply of missile technology and we have made it known to China at the highest level", she said.
"China has denied having helped Pakistan in this. But, we would like to see greater transparency", she said.
The minister said, "We have articulated our concern since the government wants to have friendly cooperation and dialogue with China".
About the third round of talks between Prime Minister’s special emissary Jaswant Singh and US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, she said there was now better understanding between the two countries on various issues.
On the Sino-US communiqué following President Bill Clinton’s visit to China saying that the two countries had agreed to "shore up stability in Asia, the Korean peninsula and the Indian sub-continent", she said it was unacceptable to India.
"Any effort by a country or countries arrogating to itself or themselves joint or individual responsibility for preserving peace, stability and security in South Asia is unacceptable", she said.

Jaya accuses BJP of opportunism
CHENNAI, July 22 (PTI) — The AIADMK supremo, Ms Jayalalitha, today charged the BJP with rank political opportunism in delaying a decision on the Cauvery waters dispute. She demanded early notification on interim award for the supply of water to Tamil Nadu but stopped short of repeating or enlarging her warning of "dangerous consequences.
Accusing the Vajpayee government of having "resorted to the undesirable strategy of delaying the notification" by seeking an adjournment of the Supreme Court hearing yesterday, she demanded issuance of the notification on the interim tribunal award even before the August 12 deadline set by the apex court for the Centre to devise a suitable scheme.
Earlier, she had warned the Centre of dangerous consequences if the matter was delayed by seeking further adjournment in the apex court.
In a hard-hitting statement, AIADMK leader also charged the BJP leadership with being reluctant to take any decision that might "upset voters of Karnataka" where the alliance leader at the Centre had a bright chance of winning the coming assembly elections.
She asked if the BJP leadership was going to take administrative decisions "only on narrow, selfish political" considerations and said it amounted to violation of the central coalition’s national agenda for governance, which included an early settlement of the Cauvery water dispute.

BANGALORE: The Karnataka Government has decided to adopt a two-pronged strategy on the Cauvery waters dispute with Tamil Nadu by pleading with the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal to pronounce the final verdict and with the Centre to finalise guidelines for national river water policy.
Karnataka Major Irrigation Minister K.N. Nage Gowda told reporters here the state was "seriously thinking" of filing an application before the tribunal pleading for final award.
He said the state was prepared to accept hearing by the tribunal on a daily basis.
Karnataka in the meanwhile wanted the Centre to fulfil its assurance of formulating and adopting the national river water policy guidelines by convening a meeting of the Inter-state Water Council, of which the Chief Ministers of all states are members, he said.
Karnataka hoped that evolving such a policy guideline would help find a solution to the vexed Cauvery water sharing tangle, Mr Gowda said.
He said the Centre had in 1996 convened a meeting of the Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry and the then Prime Minister, Mr P.V. Narasimha Rao, assured to finalise national river water policy guidelines.
Mr Rao had even initiated a step to evolve guidelines by convening a meeting of the Inter-state Water Council during February 1996, Mr Gowda said and added later no effort was made in this direction.
Mr Gowda said while the Bacchawat Tribunal which adjudicated the Krishna water sharing dispute completed its task in about six years, the Cauvery tribunal had only given an interim award in about seven years of its existence.
Official sources said in a letter written by Mr Narasimha Rao to the then chief minister, Mr H.D. Deve Gowda, on January 1, 1996, Mr Nage Gowda had stated that formulation of guidelines was the only viable process by which complications such as those faced on inter-state river sharing disputes could be obviated to a larger extent, making way for smoother working of the water sharing mechanism and strengthening a sense of national integration through river systems.

Pakistan for meaningful talks with India
ISLAMABAD, July 22 (PTI) — Pakistan today told the USA that it was ready to have a "meaningful dialogue" with India to resolve the Kashmir issue and also to reduce tension in south Asia.
During the official level talks with the visiting us delegation led by Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, Pakistan also opposed any move by the international community to unilaterally grant nuclear status to India.
Mr Talbott met Pakistan Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan today on the second day of talks, which is believed to have focused on Islamabad signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
During the talks, the Foreign Minister expressed "Pakistan’s desire to have meaningful dialogue with India to reduce tension and resolution of the Kashmir issue," a Pakistani official statement said.
Mr Khan also stressed the need for "preserving peace and security in south Asia," the statement added.

Immediately after his arrival yesterday, Mr Talbott had held more than three hours of "comprehensive and in-depth" talks with Pakistani officials led by Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmed on the non-proliferation issue.
"The discussion focused on post-nuclear test environment in south Asia," a Foreign Ministry statement had said last night.
The US side reportedly pressed Pakistan to sign the CTBT and Islamabad in turn demanded lifting of the sanctions imposed by Washington.
The Pakistani media, meanwhile, claimed that Islamabad had expressed its concern over reports emanating from New Delhi after Mr Talbott’s discussions with Indian authorities that India had demanded its recognition as a nuclear power state.
Though Islamabad has shown its flexibility on the signing of the CTBT it has expressed its apprehension that unilateral granting of nuclear status to India by the international community, in any form, will have serious security repercussions for Pakistan.
The possibility of implicit recognition of India as a nuclear weapon state is a major concern for Pakistan and the main reason for its reluctance to sign the CTBT, the report said.
"There was no possibility that Pakistan would settle for anything less than what is awarded to India,’’ 'The Nation’ quoted a senior official in the wake of reports that India had offered to sign the CTBT and the NTP if it is granted nuclear power status.
Mr Talbott today also called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and reportedly delivered a message of President Bill Clinton.
The Deputy Secretary of State is expected to wind up his negotiations with a last round of talks with Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmed and other Pakistani officials

Forest officers move HC against PCCF
By P.P.S. Gill
Tribune News Service
CHANDIGARH, July 22 — The Punjab State Forest Officers Coordination Committee, an umbrella organisation of Forest Department employees, today filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking an inquiry against Mr K.S. Aulakh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and his removal from the post pending inquiry.
The petition came up before a Division Bench comprising Mr Justice V.K. Bali and Mr Justice B. Rai, which after hearing arguments issued a notice of motion to the state of Punjab for August 10. The respondents are the state of Punjab through the Chief Secretary, Financial Commissioner (forests), the Forest Minister; and Mr Aulakh.

The Bench ordered the government to file a reply three days in advance of the date fixed and also summoned the original records from the government.
In the petition, the petitioner has sought an inquiry into the "misdemeanors, malpractices, irregularities, illegalities and corrupt practices" committed by the PCCF. It has also sought a direction to the state of Punjab to take action and institute high level enquiries on detailed complaints of the petitioners made in the past and also nullify the "illegal promotion" of the PCCF on May 20, 1997.
The petitioners also prayed for reopening the inquiry by the Vigilance Department "into the disproportionate assets" acquired by the PCCF.
The petitioners contended that Mr Aulakh was tried at various posts but repeatedly found unfit on account of his "misconduct, quarrelsome nature and selfish ways". He had to be transferred as many as 17 times during the last 13 years as evident from his service records. They appended a detailed statement with the petition.
It was also contended that the PCCF was promoted without drawing up a panel or departmental promotion committee being convened or held for consideration for promotion to the top post in the Forest Department hierarchy in May, 1997.
The petitioner-union listed as many as 17 separate and distinct allegations relating to undue harassment of officers and subordinate staff by the PCCF.

Punjab farmers sow uncertified seed
From Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service
BATHINDA, July 22 — Farmers of Punjab have sown uncertified seed of cotton due to acute shortage of the certified seed in an about two lakh hectare area in the cotton belt of the state.
Agriculture Department sources said out of a total area of 6.25 lakh hectare under the cotton crop in the current season the certified seed was sown in an about four lakh hectare area. In the rest of the area, the farmers had sown uncertified seed.
Sources further said against the total requirement of 50,000 quintals of certified seed of cotton the Agriculture Department could give only 9,800 quintals of certified seed to the farmers in this kharif season. About 30,000 quintals of truthfully labelled (TL) cotton seed was given to the farmers.
Sources said the cotton crop might face high infestation of American bollworm in places where the uncertified seed had been sown. From certain pockets of the cotton belt comprising Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Faridkot, Moga, Sangrur and Ferozepore districts of Punjab reports of bollworm attack had started pouring in.
Sources said in this season the Punjab State Seed Corporation (Punseed) had sold only 4,000 quintals of certified seed on open general sale counter, to the farmers. The required quantity of certified seed could not be produced by Punseed due to repeated crop failure in the past five years.
In the absence of certified seed supply from the state government agencies the farmers depended on the private traders and had sown the seed supplied by the private traders which was very expensive. The state government agencies did not keep a check on the sale of unmatured seed by the private traders to the farmers.
Cotton experts fear cotton output may be poor this season due to various factors. They say first of all farmers could not get certified seed. Then the market is flooded with spurious pesticides which are being used by farmers to save the crop from pest attack. Thirdly, the area under cotton crop has been reduced by 25 per cent as compared to the area under cotton crop last year.
They say the state government agencies did not check the sowing of uncertified seed even though it was being done in violation of the recommendations of the cotton expert committee set up by the state Agriculture Department. Moreover, the cotton plants germinated from the uncertified seed are very much prone to pest attack.
Apart from this, the cotton expert committee recommended the F-846, F-1378, LH-1556 and F-1054 varieties of cotton to the farmers for sowing in the current kharif season but the availability of these varieties was very less in the market and the farmers had to grow the pest-prone varieties.
Dr A.S. Randhawa, Director, Agriculture, Punjab, when contacted at Chandigarh said the department had taken certain steps to save the cotton crop from pest attack. He said teams of experts had been constituted to educate the farmers about the application of insecticides for checking the attack by American bollworm.

He said Rs 20 crore had been given to Punseed for preparing certified seed in large quantity to meet the demands of farmers next year. He said the Agriculture Department would also procure good quality seed of cotton from other agencies also.
However, Punseed sources said the department had planned to produce about 18,000 quintals of certified seed next year. The department had also planned not to import seed cotton from foreign countries.
Dr Randhawa said to increase the cotton output in Punjab 11 villages of Lambi block had been selected under the cotton development project. In these villages, the cotton crop was being grown according to the latest techniques. Integrated pest management had also been adopted in these villages. He said if these villages produced good results then this method would be applied throughout the cotton belt in the state. Mr F.C. Sharma, vice-president of the Northern India Cotton Association, while talking to TNS said the production of cotton crop might to go down as compared to last year if the authorities concerned did not take timely measures. He said the Agriculture Department should ensure the availability of pure pesticides in the market to the farmers and educate them regarding right application.
He said the problem of shortage of certified seed could be solved in future if the government started preparing its own seed from the best quality of cotton after procuring it through its own agencies. He said the Rajasthan Government had adopted the same method and was now supplying more than 75 per cent of the total requirement of seed to the farmers.