Friday, October 16, 1998

Many aspirants for Congress ticket
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 15 — A large number of aspiring candidates for the forthcoming Delhi Assembly elections thronged Congress offices around the Capital today to submit their application forms on the last day.

The forms are being submitted at the area, district and party headquarters. The total number of application forms submitted would be compiled by Friday evening, party sources said, adding that about 200 names would be forwarded for the final selection of the candidates.

The number of applicants have increased this year as Congress candidates have brighter chances of winning the forthcoming November 25 Assembly polls in Delhi, party workers said.

The party has asked the candidates to disclose their past records of conviction if any and their income tax statement. However, many candidates seemed confused by these two clauses.

An aspirant, Mr Ram Krishan, sitting in the lawns of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee and filling up the forms, said “almost all the politicians have some cases pending against them and in most of these they have been falsely implicated by their political rivals.”

Another aspirant, Ms Kusum, said “how can we disclose our sources of income. The information can be misused if it falls in the hands of unscrupulous persons.”

The DPCC president, Ms Sheila Dikshit, said that the party would not only take into consideration the winnability of the candidate but also the clean and youthful image of the candidate while granting ticket.

While highlighting the failures of the BJP to fulfil promises in their five year rule, even after changing three chief ministers, the Congress would present an alternative agenda to the electorate to consider before voting for the party, she added.

The party has prepared a chargesheet highlighting the failure of the BJP in different fronts. The chargesheet attacks the ruling BJP-government in Delhi for its failure to prevent spiralling prices of essential commodities especially onions, adulteration of mustard oil, deteriorating law and order in the Capital, failure to provide basic civic amenities to the people, power and its crisis and their inability to secure full statehood for Delhi.

Meanwhile, the party in the last few days has been holding a number of meeting in the rural areas of Delhi to cash in on Jat voters annoyed with the BJP for ousting Mr Sahib Singh Verma from the chief ministership.

Jat voters are predominant in about 21 of the 70 Assembly constituency and many of them had expressed resentment with the BJP for replacing Mr Sahib Singh.

At the maha panchayat held at Bawana earlier this week, farmers had expressed the view that the BJP, for which they had been voting for several years, had humiliated the Jat community by removing a person from their community and appointing Ms Sushma Swaraj.

Congress leaders like Mr Natwar Singh, Mr Balram Jakhar and Mr Sajjan Kumar have been addressing workers meeting in Outer and East Delhi, where Jats have a dominant presence. The Congress also organised a “dehat” convention to assess the mood of the voters and party workers said that the response was more than expected.

Synthetic ghee racket
From Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

SRIGANGANAGAR, Oct 15 — Following the seizure of fake containers of “Verka” desi ghee by the anti-evasion wing of the Sales Tax Department of Bikaner, an inter-state racket of synthetic desi ghee has come to light.

Police sources said the containers were being manufactured in Jaipur and being supplied to a firm in Bikaner which was making spurious desi ghee by mixing mustard oil, potato paste and essence and selling it throughout the country.

According to the FIR registered in Sadar police station, Bikaner, by Mr Om Parkash, D.C. (Administration), Sales Tax, on September 23, a truck was stopped for checking on the Bikaner-Jaipur road near Raisar village and hundreds of fake empty containers of “Verka” desi ghee manufactured by Shushil Enterprises, Jaipur, were recovered. It was suspected that the containers were being sent for filling these with synthetic desi ghee.

The sources said a firm in Bikaner was manufacturing thousands of kg of synthetic desi ghee per day and selling it throughout the country.

Recently, the Budhlada police in Mansa district of Punjab arrested four persons who were selling synthetic desi ghee under the brand name of “Radhika” desi ghee being manufactured in Rajasthan.

Last year, Milkfed, Bathinda, seized synthetic desi ghee which was being sold under the brand name of “Veerjee”.

Mr Hazoor Singh, MD, Milkfed, Bathinda, when contacted said that a team of senior officials was sent to Bikaner when the racket came to light. He said the higher authorities had been informed about it.

The MD said a few months ago, synthetic desi ghee was also seized from Maur Mandi in the district.

Mr Hazoor Singh said a team had found that adulterated milk packed in pouches similar to those of “Verka” had also flooded the market.

Government to tighten child labour law

NEW DELHI, Oct 15 (UNI) — The Ministry of Labour proposes amendments to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, as certain provisions are being misinterpreted by employers and other vested interests who continue to hire children for long hours in exploitative conditions.

The proviso to Section 3 of the Act, which excludes from its purview children working at home in a family occupation, is widely misinterpreted and flouted, says Union Labour Secretary L. Mishra. In most home-based industries including carpet-making, beedi -rolling, gem-polishing and sari-weaving, the work is given by contractors and sub-contractors to families. It thus becomes very difficult to provide any kind of protection to the child who toils at home with other family members for a greater part of the day, Dr Mishra told newspersons at a briefing here.

He also came down heavily on the Minimum Wages Act which permits children to work for up to four hours a day. This Act was grossly abused as employers used child labour for as much as eight hours. He cited a UNICEF report which said that children worked from 12 to 14 hours in some brick- kilns at only half the wages given to an adult.

“We want to remove those provisions in the Act which permit the employment of children”, he said. “We want to bring amendments that no child under 14 years should be made to work”. In this context, he underlined the need for a uniform minimum age of entry into the workforce.

Currently, the minimum age of entry to employment was 14 years under the 1986 Act, the Factories Act, Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, the Motor Transport Workers Act and the Merchant Shipping Act. It was 18 years under the Mines Act for regular employees and 16 years for mining apprentices.

Dr Mishra regretted that the Child Labour ( Prohibition and Regulation) Act did not press for 100 per cent prohibition. In its present form children were allowed to work for four to six hours daily in industries which had been defined as non-hazardous . However, the term needed to be re-defined as several studies had shown that many kinds of work not included in the list of hazardous industries were dangerous for children’s growth and development. Prohibition must be clearly defined and specified in the Act, he emphasised.

There was also need to dispel certain myths which were being perpetuated in favour of child labour. One was the theory that a working child supplemented the family’s income. This myth was easily exploded by the fact that children took home less than half the wages earned by adults , he said. Similarly, the nimble finger theory had been advanced by employers in order to hire children from whom, unlike adults, they could extract more work and pay less.

He also disputed the myth of inter-generation transfer of skills from parents to children. By no stretch of logic could one dictate that a child should pursue the same vocation as the parent. Employment should not be related to birth but to worth, he said.

Dr Mishra said the issue of 100 per cent prohibition of child labour was raised during discussions on amendments to the Child Labour Act at the past two state labour ministers’ conferences. Many state governments did not feel it was possible to totally abolish child labour.

However, after lengthy consultations with the state governments it was agreed that amendments were immediately needed with regard to the proviso to Section 3 of the Child Labour Act and the Minimum Wages Act.

Barnala allays fears on imported wheat
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 15 — The Australian wheat being imported will be distributed only in non-wheat growing areas, Union Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Surjeet Singh Barnala said here today.

Farmers in the wheat growing states of Punjab, Haryana and UP had expressed apprehensions that the Australian “weeds” might affect the local harvest if the imported wheat were to be distributed in their areas.

The imported wheat reportedly had excessive presence of “very serious” exotic weed seeds in the consignments that have been landing on Indian shores as per the Rs 950 crore deal signed by the erstwhile UF Government with the Australian Wheat Board (AWB).

According to reports, Indian farm scientists have tested wheat samples from 23 ships that have arrived at various ports in recent months and found that the weed seeds count in them is very high.

The Australians are reported to have provided the STC with a “counter analysis” report, which differs from the Indian findings. The Australian analysis indicates a much lower presence of weeds than those arrived at by Indian scientists and the Australians have reportedly expressed desire to know the methodology adopted by the Indian scientists.

Pakistani launches anti-India propaganda

BHOPAL, Oct 15 (UNI) — Perturbed over the growing popularity of India’s daily slot on events in Kashmir on Internet, a UK based Pakistani has hacked this website to unleash anti-India propaganda.

He has also pirated the title of the programme "Army in Kashmir,’’ to beam disinformation.

This has forced India to change its website location as well as re-name the programme as "Paradise in Kashmir."

The programme was mainly aimed at projecting the truth about Kashmir in the wake of Pakistan’s attempts to internationalise the issue.

However, it was not known how Gharib Hanif could disturb India’s Internet location.

Reacting sharply to the "unethical action" non-resident Indians and others urged the Indian authorities to ensure proper safeguards to secure the new site.

They termed the Pakistani's action as a violation of the Internet users' code.

The programme which gives an update of events in the Kashmir valley and the Army’s role in the restoration of normalcy and harmony in the region. It is now available on the new site http//www. univall com.

The programme, earlier titled "Army in Kashmir," won accolades world over particularly from the Indians settled abroad for reflecting the true picture of Kashmir.

According to Indian Internet users, the pro-Pakistani page on Internet tends to create fears among the foreign tourists visiting the Kashmir valley.

BJP for CBI probe into Coimbatore blasts
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 15 — The BJP today urged the Tamil Nadu Government to hand over the Coimbatore bomb blast probe to the CBI for a thorough inquiry.

The BJP General Secretary, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu, told newspersons that a CBI inquiry into the blasts would be in the interests of the country as many accused arrested recently in this connection had confessed their plans to eliminate many leaders like the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, the Human Resource Development Minister, Dr M.M. Joshi and the Shiv Sena chief, Mr Bal Thackeray.

Urging the state government not to stand on false prestige, the BJP leader said it would be in the interest of the ruling party in Tamil Nadu to hand over the case to the CBI.

Mr Naidu said the ISI of Pakistan had spread its network all over the country and very little attention was paid to it by previous regimes. The revelations made by those arrested in the case recently had clearly established that the case had much wider ramifications, he pointed out.

The Centre should take serious note of the utterings of the arrested persons and should come out with details of those organisations which had been hand in glove with the ISI aiding and abetting terrorism in the country, Mr Naidu said.

The BJP leader further welcomed the constitution of a special task force by the Home Minister to deal with the ISI activities which had even spread into the South.

Meanwhile, the party’s newly constituted Election Management Committee will meet on October 22 to plan the details of the election campaign for the coming Assembly elections in the four states, Mr Naidu said. The committee would also decide on the issue which the party would raise during the elections, he said.

The BJP President, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, has convened a meeting of the central office bearers on October 23 to decide about the election strategy and the electoral tie-up with the friendly parties.

On the afternoon of October 23, the party’s Central Election Committee will meet to decide on the candidates for the legislative council elections in UP and Bihar, Mr Naidu said.

Congratulating Prof Amartya Sen for winning the Nobel Prize for Economics, Mr Naidu said the BJP was delighted that Prof Sen won the most coveted prize of the world and the whole country was proud of it.

Recognition for college urged
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 15 — Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has taken up the issue of granting recognition to the Tanda medical college with the Medical Council of India.

In a meeting with MCI officials here yesterday, Mr Dhumal urged the body to grant recognition to the college keeping in view the future of the students.

Mr Dhumal told TNS that the state government had suggested that either permission be granted to run the classes there or to shift 50 students admitted there to other medical colleges.

"I have personally requested the MCI. However, they have their own difficulties since certain basic formalities have to be fulfilled and we have decided to convene an official-level meeting to resolve it," he said, adding that the interests of students would be kept in mind.

Case against IB official
From Our Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Oct 15 — The Mandir Marg police station in New Delhi district today registered a case of wrongful confinement against Mr Rakesh Ahluwalia, a UDC of the Intelligence Bureau, on a complaint, filed by his domestic maid servant, Reena.

According to Reena's complaint, she was allegedly beaten up and tortured by the official and his wife during her six-week stay with the family in their official quarters located in the heart of the Capital.

Reena's plight became known after Mr Ahluwalia's neighbours heard her screams on Tuesday. They reported the matter to the police who raided the house. The case was registered on the basis of a statement given to the police by Reena.

BSP hints at forging alliance in 3 states

LUCKNOW, Oct 15 (PTI) — The BSP today indicated that it might have an alliance with any non-BJP party in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for the November Assembly elections, but said a final decision would be taken by October 24.

BSP vice-president Mayawati told newspersons here that the party would consider forging an alliance in the three states keeping in view the interests of Bahujan samaj.

“While we are a force to reckon with in Uttar Pradesh, but in other states, we might have to enter into an alliance with other political parties to defeat the BJP,” she said.

She added that the BSP would not enter the fray in Mizoram which would also go to the polls in November.

The BSP would also contest the coming byelection to the lone Agra (East) Assembly seat in UP, she said, adding the party would, however, not contest the six UP Legislative Council seats slated to go to the polls later as “the BJP is likely to indulge in massive horse-trading.”

The BSP leader also accused the BJP-led government in the state of trying to divide the backward classes especially the Kurmis.

“Kurmis are annoyed with Chief Minister Kalyan Singh for having changed the name of Chatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar,” she claimed.

SC ruling on absence from duty

NEW DELHI, Oct 9 (PTI) — The Supreme Court has held once an employee’s unauthorised absence from duty is treated as period of leave without pay the employer cannot terminate his service after holding a departmental inquiry on the issue.

A Division Bench comprising Mr Justice S. Saghir Ahmad and Mr Justice S. Rajendra Babu asked the Punjab Government to reinstate a police constable, who was dismissed from service after a regular departmental inquiry on the charge of unauthorised absence from duty.

The court observed “the trial court as also the lower appellate court had both recorded the findings that the period of absence from duty having been regularised and converted into leave without pay, the charge of absence from duty did not survive.”

Eye society for ban on crackers
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 15 — The Delhi Ophthalmological Society has sought a ban on dangerous and hazardous crackers to prevent accidents.

The do’s and dont’s enumerated by the society specify that people wear cotton clothes while lighting crackers.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, the president of the Delhi Ophthalmological Society, Dr G. Mukherjee said that the government needs to categorise dangerous crackers and bring about legislation to ban them.

Dr Mukherjee cautioned against the use of dangerous crackers by children.

He pointed out that crackers like anaar and hawai emit splinters when fired and are dangerous. Particles from these splinters can result in irreversible damage to the eye.

Chilka’s winged visitors
BERHAMPUR (Orissa): Winging their way over long distances, feathered friends from Siberia, Iraq, Iran and central Europe have started arriving in the Nalabana Bird Sanctuary on the Chilka Lake on Orissa coast. The influx of birds, which come in winter here, started on October 11 and since then between 10,000 to 15,000 birds have descended on the picturesque Nalabana island, according to S.K. Patnaik, state’s Chief Wildlife Warden. Their arrival this season was delayed by two weeks indicating that the unprecedented heat and the phenomenon of global warming could have affected them. — PTI

Noted Tamil film director dead
CHENNAI: Noted Tamil film director Arul Susai Antony Samy, died at his residence in Tirupattur in Vellore district on Wednesday night following a heart attack, family sources said. Samy (83) is survived by wife and two sons. He received the National Award for the Tamil film “Thangapadhumai” in 1960. Last year he received the State Government’s “Kalaimamani” award. — PTI

Train to link Buddhist centres
GORAKHPUR: A weekly express train linking places of Buddhist interest will soon run from Howrah. A North Eastern Railway spokesman said the train would run on Thursday and conclude its journey on the following Tuesday. The train would touch Kushinagar, Sarnath, Gaya, Lumbini, Shravasti and Vaishali. — UNI

24-hr English movie channel soon
NEW DELHI: The K.K. Modi-promoted Modi Entertainment Limited is all set to launch 24-hour English movie and children’s channels in India. Both channels, scheduled to flash on to TV screens by the year-end, will be specialised pay channels and launched in collaboration with global media giants, Mr Modi said here. The Modi group is presently in the advanced stage of talks with several international media and movie giants like the TNT for the two channels. — UNI

Campaign to save tigers at Dudhwa
DEHRA DUN: The Save Tiger Youth Association (SATYA) has started a signature campaign to save the wildlife, especially tigers, in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in UP which is under threat due to a number of factors. The SATYA, based in Pilibhit, requested the Prime Minister to take effective action to protect the reserve. According to the recent issue of “Tigerlink”, a linkage of concerned people and organisations across the globe to save the tiger, the SATYA feels that the current state of wildlife and forest in Dudhwa is a result of 20-25 years of “mismanagement by the Forest Department and Project Tiger.” — UNI

RSP leader dead
NEW DELHI: Mr Sushil Bhattacharya, a close associate of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and general secretary of the Revolutionary Socialist Party of India (RSP), died here on Thursday after protracted illness. He was 91 and a bachelor. Mr Bhattacharya, who was one of the founder members of the RSP, had been ailing for some time. He had undergone a gall bladder operation in August and had been bed-ridden since then. He was later admitted to the AIIMS on October 6 for treatment of acute jaundice. — UNI

Bandh hits life in Manipur
IMPHAL: Normal life was paralysed throughout Manipur today following a 24-hour general strike called by three insurgent organisations to protest against the state’s merger with the Indian Union on October 15, 1949. Reports from district headquarters said markets, business establishments, places of entertainment and industrial units remained closed in view of the 24-hour bandh which began on Wednesday night.— PTI