Sunday, November 29, 1998
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ULFA militants blow up oil pipeline GUWAHATI, Nov 28 — In a stepped-up violence, guerrillas of the United Liberation Front of Asom blew up a portion of the main crude oil pipeline and a vital bridge and gunned down two persons to observe “protest day” yesterday, official sources said today. Rail safety
mechanism inadequate |
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Security Council constituted NEW DELHI, Nov 28 — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today announced the names to the Advisory Board of the recently constituted National Security Council consisting of eminent defence strategists, foreign affairs experts and noted economists.
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New oral vaccine for cholera HYDERABAD, Nov 28 — A new and indigenous oral cholera vaccine, ideal for tropical countries, has been developed and is now undergoing human trials. Eve-teasing Bill passed
amid ‘advice’ to women Jingle bells,
mousetraps to stop infiltrators HC
unhappy with role of media Indian
middle-class ‘curiously abnormal’ Genes
help fight diseases: expert 2
Abu Salem gang members shot dead Jaya
unlikely to attend panel meeting |
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ULFA militants blow up oil pipeline GUWAHATI, Nov 28 (UNI) — In a stepped-up violence, guerrillas of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) blew up a portion of the main crude oil pipeline and a vital bridge and gunned down two persons to observe “protest day” yesterday, official sources said today. With this, the militants of the banned outfit blew up two oil pipelines and a bridge and killed seven persons, including five security personnel, in the past 48 hours. The ULFA has been observing November 27 as “protest day” since 1990 to avenge Army crackdown on the insurgent groups. Official sources said the ULFA militants detonated time devices to blow up a portion of the main crude oil pipeline at Kapili river in Marigaon district forcing suspension of supply of crude oil to Guwahati, Bongaigaon and Barauni refineries from the oil fields of upper Assam. The sources said there was
heavy exchange of fire between the militants and a police
party before the pipeline was blown. The militants
kidnapped two homeguards, who were with the police party,
but later released them. |
Security Council constituted NEW DELHI, Nov 28 — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today announced the names to the Advisory Board of the recently constituted National Security Council consisting of eminent defence strategists, foreign affairs experts and noted economists. The 22-member board, which will be expanded later, will hold its first meeting soon, an official press note said. Noted strategic expert K Subrahmanyam will function as convener of the board. The council, headed by the Prime Minister, will have a three-tier structure. Four former Foreign Secretaries — Mr Jagat Mehta, Mr M. K. Rasgotra, Mr Muchkund Dubey and Mr J.N. Dixit — and Lieut Gen Afrisir Karim (retired) have been nominated for their expertise in foreign affairs and external security matters. Mr N. N. Vohra, who served as Principal Secretary to former Prime Minister I. K. Gujral and Mr K. Subrahmanyam represent the defence sector. Mr Bharat Karnad, Mr Raja Mohan, Dr Matin Zubert and Air Commodore Jasjit Singh have been selected for their experience in the field of strategic analysis. Noted economists Dr Sanjay Baru and Dr Rakesh Mohan and eminent scientists Dr Raja Ramanna, Dr Rodham Narsimha and Prof U. R. Rao are also members of the board. Mr K.P.S. Gill, former DGP, Punjab, Police Commissioner Ved Marwah and Mr N. Narasimhan have been selected for their expertise in matters of internal security. Former Army General S.F.
Rodrigues, retired Naval Chief Admiral Shekhawat and
former Air Chief Marshal S.K. Mehra represent the armed
forces category. |
Rail safety mechanism
inadequate NEW DELHI, Nov 28 — The gruesome rail accident near Khanna has once again brought into focus the gaping holes in the safety mechanism of the world’s largest railway network, the Indian Railways. The collision between two trains, as in the case of the Sealdah Express and the Amritsar-bound Frontier Mail, has unfortunately not been a lone instance as virtually every year there have been such accidents. The latest tragedy only matches in intensity the August 20, 1995, accident when the Delhi-bound Purushottam Express rammed into the stationary Kalindi Express near Ferozabad, leaving 302 persons dead. In the case of the Ferozabad accident, the Kalindi Express had come to an unscheduled halt after the train driver saw a nilgai trapped on the tracks. A poor communication system prevented timely alarm for the Purushottam Express and it smashed into the stationary train. Since then the railway authorities have been planning a modern communication network but after three years it is yet to be implemented in all regions. Knowledgeable sources in the ministry point out that a modern communication system was only one of the aspects of the safety mechanism and there were many other factors that could have contributed to the accident. According to official sources, derailment of trains is one of the main reasons for the numerous accidents that occur on the tracks every year. In percentage terms, derailments account for 75 per cent of all rail accidents that take place in the country. Derailment can occur due to faulty tracks or as in the case of the Khanna mishap, delinked bogies getting pushed off the rails. In a majority of trains, the bogies are coupled mechanically, leaving enough scope for human error. Improper coupling over a period of time results in the slow wearing of the couplings. These stand the danger of being snapped up while negotiating steep curves or while travelling at high speed. Tubular integrated coaches is the answer to this recurring problem, but as officials say lack of resources have prevented the railways from adopting this system . According to an official, 40 per cent of all train accidents are caused due to poor track maintenance. Officials involved with the safety of the railways say that lack of proper attention and investments in the infrastructure was one of the main reasons for the numerous accidents that take place every year. Every Railway Budget has provisions for addition of new trains but equal attention is never given to the safety aspect. As a case in point they refer to the stand-off between the officers of the department and the Railway Minister in 1996, Mr Ram Bilas Paswan, over the introduction of the reverse Shatabdi Express from Amritsar to New Delhi. The officers had contested the minister’s decision saying that the existing infrastructure was not adequate to ensure the safe running of the train. The minister, however, stood on prestige point and bulldozed through his decision. Professional management
guided by technical persons rather than politicians hold
the key to the safe running of the trains in the future,
they say. |
Rich tributes paid to Haksar NEW DELHI, Nov 28 — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, laid a wreath on the body of eminent administrator and diplomat Parmeshwar Narain Haksar, who died of a heart attack here late last night. He was 85. Mr Vajpayee expressed his profound sense of loss at the death of Haksar, described as one of modern India’s ‘foremost conscience keepers’. The Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, also paid floral tributes to Haksar. A stream of visitors, including leading bureaucrats, politicians and prominent citizens, paid their last tributes to Haksar, who is survived by two daughters. The cremation will take place tomorrow at the Lodhi Road crematorium, family sources said. The funeral procession will start from his Vasant Vihar residence at 10 a.m. In his condolence message, the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, described Haksar as “one of the brightest stars in the galaxy of the Nehru era, Modern India’s foremost conscience keepers, a rishi in his wisdom and learning and an original thinker on political and social affairs”. Mr Narayanan said Haksar was sensitive to the condition of the common man and espoused the cause of social justice as a pre-requisite to our democracy. “I, among his friends and admirers, has lost a guide, a counsellor and friend, the like of whom comes but rarely in a lifetime,” the President said. The Vice-President, Mr Krishan Kant, described Haksar as a “man of exceptional brilliance who contributed significantly to nation-building in post-Independence India”. Mr Kant said, “Till his last moment, he was engaged in socially useful work and in providing the benefit of his long experience in public life to organisations and people.” In his message from Kochi, a former Supreme Court Judge, Mr V.R. Krishana Iyer, said, “With the passing away of P.N. Haksar, India has lost the rarest of rare statesmen, the quintessence of Indian culture, a counsellor par excellence of our nation.” The Chairman of the Press Trust of India, Mr R. Lakshmipathy, described Haksar as a “highly distinguished civil servant, intellectual giant, diplomat and above all a great Indian. For more than a decade as a member of the PTI Board of Directors, Haksar gave us the benefit of his vast experience and insight. His contribution to PTI was immense. His sad demise leaves a deep void.” Known for his integrity, administrative acumen and sharp intellect, Haksar carried out several sensitive diplomatic assignments for the country, particularly those with Pakistan after the 1971 Bangladesh war. He also served as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University. Held in high esteem, Haksar remained a no-nonsense bureaucrat and an action-oriented thinker with a balanced approach to problems. No wonder, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi handpicked him as her trouble-shooter and Haksar remained with her from 1967 to 1973, first as Secretary and later as Principal Secretary. Born on September 4, 1913, Haksar had his education at Allahabad University, where he did his masters in Science and Barrister-at-Law. Later, he studied at the London School of Economics and the University of London. He was called to the Bar from Lincons Inn. Before he joined the diplomatic service in 1947, he practised at the Allahabad High Court. He also served as Deputy High Commissioner and later as acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1965-67. In his capacity as Principal Secretary to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Haksar played a crucial role in negotiating the 1972 Simla Accord between India and Pakistan. Haksar’s disillusionment with post-Independence politicians was evident from his utterances at some public functions. Speaking at the Indian Statistical Institute a few years ago, Haksar had a dig at politicians who merely invoked the name of Mahatma Gandhi without even attempting to follow his principles. A stickler for constitutional principles, Haksar distanced himself from the Sanjay Gandhian era and the Emergency, which was characterised by the extra-constitutional authority exercised by the Prime Minister’s son. In his book, ‘Reflections On Our Times’, Haksar said, “When I contemplate the aggregate behaviour pattern of politicians... in our country, I have a desire to fight even more strongly for my identity as a bureaucrat.” Years ago, reviewing Haksar’s book, ‘Premonitions’, senior journalist N.J. Nanporia wrote, “P.N. Haksar belongs to the rare breed of men who are fortunate to have been able to combine a capacity to think with the opportunity to act.” In ‘Premonitions’, Haksar suggests that a change in value system is essential since values, sentiments and emotion derived from the past cannot help create a new society. At the same time, he said,
the past was a powerful force. Unless the so-called new
values were related to the past in a sort of continuity,
how could the dynamism of change ever be generated,
Haksar posed this question to posterity. |
New oral vaccine for cholera HYDERABAD, Nov 28 (PTI) — A new and indigenous oral cholera vaccine, ideal for tropical countries, has been developed and is now undergoing human trials. The vaccine has worked well on animals and researchers are testing the vaccine’s immunogeneticity and reactions on humans, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General N.K. Ganguly said on Thursday. Delivering the 11th foundation lecture of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) here, he said all oral vaccines except that for polio made in the West had failed in India because of the micro-flora lining the gut. Even the anti-typhoid vaccine now being marketed in India by a few companies was a failure, the ICMR chief said. Recent studies had revealed that the gut flora (micro-organisms, mainly bacteria, present in the alimentary canal) of Indians was so complex and high that no oral vaccine could survive in such a harsh environment. However, the new anti-cholera vaccine had used a new envelope and was not gobbled up by the micro-flora, he said. These gut micro-flora do not allow the new organism (vaccine) to establish itself. The immunity to oral vaccine was thus very short and sometimes it was very difficult to produce the kind of antibodies which were required, Dr Ganguly pointed out. For instance, natural cholera infection does not lead to lasting immunity and a person in an endemic area might get repeated infection. Hence, taking cholera as an immunity role model, attempts had been made to understand how mucosal immunity developed. “What are the factors which prevent its development and how can one have a pure immunogeneticity antibody (IGA) response are the issues that have been addressed,” he said. The new anti-cholera
vaccine had been developed jointly by the ICMR and the
CSIR. |
Eve-teasing Bill passed amid ‘advice’ to women CHENNAI, Nov 28 (PTI) — Members of the Tamil Nadu Assembly are certainly no feminists, if one goes by the tenor of the debate in the House yesterday on a Bill to replace the state government’s Ordinance prohibiting the menace of eve-teasing. Participating in the all-male discussion, member after member sought to advise women to "dress properly" in conformity with the state’s "culture and tradition", arguing that wearing of "provocative dresses" was the causative factor of the rampant eve-teasing incidents in the city. Even while welcoming the Bill, several members pleaded that it be referred to a select committee for closer scrutiny as they saw in it a lot of potential for "misuse" and registration of false complaints. Despite the presence of
some women members in the House, there was no protest,
barring a feeble one by Dr Kanchana Kamalanathan (DMK),
who objected to a demand by AIADMK floor leader R.
Thamaraikkani for restrictions on the sort of dress women
should wear, pointing out that such a measure would
obviously interfere with individual rights. |
Jingle bells, mousetraps to stop infiltrators RAMRAIKUTTY (Assam), Nov 28 — Along the Indian side of the borders with Bangladesh, it is not the burst of staccato gunfire but the chime of jingle bells that illegal aliens trying to cross over to India must be wary of. Border Security Force (BSF) guards patrolling the 142-km long Assam-Bangladesh land border are equipped not only with automatic rifles and sophisticated night vigil devices but also small temple bells, state-of-the-art mousetraps and remote-controlled hooters. Paucity of troops along Assam’s 262 km land and river borders with Bangladesh have forced BSF authorities to go in for improvised and ingenious early-warning devices to check the influx of illegal aliens from across the border. “On certain specific and vulnerable border points, we put up obstacles in the form of jingle bells and temple bells. Small and thin wires are placed along the entry points which are attached to the bells, and as soon as the infiltrator trips over the wire, the bells ring and it alerts our guards at night,” Asaf Ally, Commandant of BSF, a battalion manning the borders, told India Abroad News Service. “Bells apart, we also place mousetraps and remote controlled horns on possible areas from where chances of infiltration are maximum,” he said. In its bid to curb trans-border smuggling and cross-border terrorism, the BSF has also developed certain unorthodox methods. Prominent among these is the trip-flare device. A long cable is placed along the border fences and it is attached to a cracker fitted with an ignition switch. As soon as anyone touches the cable, the cracker bursts, lighting up the entire area and giving the border guards enough opportunity to nab the intruders. “It is a continuous battle of wits. The infiltrators and smugglers have all along been trying to sneak into our side and at the same time we are also coming up with new ideas to check the problem,” Ally said. “It has proved to be very effective at times and we have got positive results after putting into use these improvised systems,” he said. The problem of influx of Bangladeshi nationals into Assam through the porous borders — something Dhaka has consistently denied — has always been a contentious political issue in the state. The powerful All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) launched one of the subcontinent’s biggest student uprisings against foreigners in the early ‘80s and despite an accord being signed in 1985, a strong sense of xenophobia still haunts them. “Despite various constraints, the BSF has been able to check infiltration to a very large extent. Round-the-clock vigil by our troops have reduced cases of smuggling and movement of militants in the border areas,” Ashok Kumar, the Deputy Inspector General of the BSF in Assam, told IANS. “The problem of infiltration is there no doubt and so we cannot be complacent.” The BSF, apart from trying out the improvised early-warning devices, has also been trying hard to woo the Indian border villagers and use them as a second line of defence against illegal aliens. It has adopted a border village providing basic amenities like imparting of education and providing medical healthcare services to the poor villages. “The local villagers can be of great help to us in providing hard intelligence support like passing on information about infiltration and smuggling,” Hari Singh, a BSF commandant based at the border battalion headquarters in western Assam’s Dhubri district, said. “We are getting maximum cooperation from the villagers which makes our task slightly easy.” The BSF’s efforts notwithstanding, allegations of large-scale influx of illegal aliens are levelled from time to time. “Infiltration is going on unchecked and very soon the indigenous people of Assam will be outnumbered by the Bangladeshis,” AASU general secretary Samujjal Bhattacharyya claimed. “We shall be soon launching a vigorous mass movement against infiltration,” he told IANS. Assam Chief Minister
Prafulla Kumar Mahanta is equally worried over the
continuing influx of illegal immigrants into the state.
“If infiltration is not checked, the foreigners will
occupy the government,” he told IANS. “It is a
serious problem and we have requested New Delhi to take
up the issue with Dhaka.” |
HC unhappy with role of media CUTTACK, Nov 28 (UNI) — The Orissa High Court has taken strong exception to the role of media on sensational cases pending before the court of laws. “It is often seen that whenever a case has any sensational or publicity value, there is usually a trial by the Press’’ a Division Bench of the court observed yesterday while disposing of petition filed by an ex-DGP in a molestation case. Former Orissa DGP A B Tripathy has sought a directive from the court to restrain the state government from giving any statement to the Press on his affidavit in connection with Anjana Mishra molestation case. The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S N Phukan and Justice Arijit Pasayat said the media should not make any attempt to influence judges before they had made up their mind on pending controversy. A case should be tried by a court of law and not by the Press, they said. The two-judge Bench ruled that “if any person has anything to say about correctness of the statements made by Mr Tripathy he could, if so advised, have brought the same to the notice of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had assured the court to take action on the basis of Mr Tripathy’s statements as deemed fit and proper’’. In his affidavit the
former DGP who accused Chief Minister J B Patnaik of
conspiring with former Advocate General Indrajit Ray to
suppress the molestation case against Mr Ray, recently
petitioned the court alleging that Mr Patnaik, several
top officials and politicians started a smear campaign
against him through media following his deposition. |
Indian middle-class ‘curiously abnormal’ NEW DELHI, Nov 28 (PTI) — Who can have sound sleep and lead an unconcerned and insular existence in a country where over 300 million people go to bed hungry every night ? “The Great Indian Middle-Class” says civil servant Pawan K. Varma, author of a book with the same name. “There is something curiously abnormal about this class which is cocooned in its own world with little aspirations and is out of sync with the realities on which its sense of achievement is built,” Varma said in a public lecture organised by the Park Hotel here last evening. Pointing out that temporary employment dislocation of 3 million people in the USA following the downsizing led to a nationwide debate on the capitalist system itself, Varma asked, “What is the metal that we are made of ?” Alleging that the middle class for “whom the bell tolled” in 1947 cornered all fruits of Independence, he said, “India sends more children to universities than China, but we have the largest number of illiterates in the world, because we diverted to higher education what should have rightfully gone for universal primary education.” Stating that it was “too late for a revolution”, the Indian Foreign Service officer suggested a quantum increase in social sensitivity in “our own enlightened self-interest.” “Let us do our mite
to change the situation otherwise the day will not be far
when we will not be able to step out of our houses after
dark as is the case in the capitals of some developing
countries,” he cautioned. |
Genes help fight diseases: expert HYDERABAD, Nov 28 (PTI) — It is not just diet and environment that push populations to the jaws of death; the human body is also programmed by genes to either succumb or ward off diseases, according to an expert. Genes play a major role as a predisposing factor in deadly diseases like heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis, Dr Artemis P Simopoulos of the Centre for Genetics, Nutrition and Health, Washington said at the 22nd Gopalan Oration Lecture “genetic variation and nutrition” at the National Institute of Nutrition here last night. The incidence and prevalence of these chronic diseases tend to vary among individuals, families and nations, she said adding advances in genetics indicate that susceptibility to these diseases is genetically determined to a great extent. As genetic variations
influence the response to diet, nutrients in turn
influence gene expression, making it necessary to take
these genetic variations into consideration for
determining nutritional requirements and for recommending
dietary interventions in each country and in distinct
populations. |
2 Abu Salem gang members shot dead MUMBAI, Nov 28 (PTI) — Two alleged members of the Abu Salem gang were shot dead in a police encounter in central Mumbai last night. The gangsters were identified as Feroz Shaikh (30) and Sunil Gaval (27), against whom eight cases including a double murder were registered at various police stations. On receiving a tip-off
that the gangsters were likely to kidnap a businessman
for extortion in Ghodapadev, a team of crime branch laid
a trap. |
Jaya unlikely to attend panel meeting CHENNAI, Nov 28 (PTI) — Even as the BJP-led coalition has convened the co-ordination committee meeting on November 30, at Delhi, one of its coalition partners, AIADMK leader, Jayalalitha is unlikely to participate in it. According to party sources, Ms Jayalalitha is leaving for Hyderabad today to attend to some pressing engagements there. However, party presidium Chairman, V.R. Nedunchezhian, is expected to participate in the co-ordination committee meeting, the sources added. Airport sources here confirmed that Ms Jayalalitha accompanied by her close confidant, Sasikala, had reserved seats to go to Hyderabad this evening by an Indian Airlines flight and were expected to return on December 1. Meanwhile, other partners
of the AIADMK front, the MDMK, the PMK and the Tamizhaga
Rajiv Congress are likely to participate in the
co-ordination committee meeting. Reports said Defence
Minister George Fernandes is likely to be in Chennai
tomorrow to attend wedding of MDMK chief Vaiko’s
son. |
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| Three Army jawans killed SURATGARH (Rajasthan): Three Army jawans were killed and an Army officer was wounded in two separate incidents at Mahajan firing range on Thursday in Suratgarh, the police said on Saturday. Two jawans were killed when a bomb buried underground exploded. In an another incident, one jawan was killed and an officer was injured when a revolver misfired while being cleaned. The jawans were identified as Hardan Singh, Raghuvinder Singh and Rajnish Tyagi. The officer injured was Lt Col RM Nambiyar. — PTI IAS
officer challenges Lokayukta’s report Drug trafficker to
be extradited Discussion on
conduct of judges banned |
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