M A I N   N E W S

VHP: shooting of ‘Water’ not to be allowed

ALLAHABAD, Feb 4 (PTI) — The VHP said today Deepa Mehta would not be allowed to shoot her film “Water” in any part of the country as its script outraged the ancient Indian culture and traditions.

The VHP President, Mr Ashok Singhal, told reporters here that “The script of the film ‘Water’ smacks of the conspiracy by the votaries of western culture to tarnish the image of widowhood in India”.

“The widows have been projected as prostitutes,” he thundered and said “Even if the government allowed the filmmaker to start shooting of the film, the people of Varanasi would resist the move”.

Continued from page 1 col 5Regarding the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley’s nod to the script after a few cuts yesterday, Mr Singhal said the government might take any decision on the matter, “but the people of Varanasi would not permit Mehta to commence shooting at any cost”.

Alleging that a conspiracy had been hatched by bureaucrats in the IB Ministry by approving the script of the film, he said he “will see to it that the said bureaucrat is exposed.”

The seer of Jyotir Mutt, Shankaracharya Swami Swarupanand Saraswati, today criticised the Centre for allowing the shooting of controversial film “Water” saying that it was “An insult to Indian culture and on womanhood”, and cautioned its Director Deepa Mehta not to take too much liberty with Indian ethos and traditions.

VARANASI: Uncertainty over the shooting here of Deepa Mehta’s controversial film ‘Water’ continued today with Sangh Parivar outfits vowing to oppose it at ‘any cost’ and the district administration trying to thrash out a compromise between the film unit and agitators.

Ruling out any compromise on the issue, Jitendra, organising secretary of Sanskar Bharti, cultural wing of the RSS, told PTI that Mehta would have to pack up and would not be allowed to shoot the film.

Sangh Parivar organisations, including the Bajrang Dal, would be organising street plays, demonstrations and a poster campaign against the film from today. He said, adding senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders, including Ashok Singhal and Praveen Togaria, were expected to arrive here tomorrow.

Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry had on Wednesday approved the revised script of the film and the UP Government had yesterday asked the district administration to take a final decision on the issue, keeping in view the law and order situation in the pilgrim city.

The district administration had last evening convened an informal meeting of opposing groups but very few persons turned up for the same. Another meeting between the film unit and Sangh Parivar outfits to find a solution has been called.

Cold wave revives in North

CHANDIGARH, Feb 4 (UNI) — After a day’s respite, most of North-West India was again in the grip of spine-chilling cold wave following renewed spells of snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh since last night and rains at some places in Punjab and severe hailstorm in Rohtak (Haryana) today.

Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, and its surrounding areas experienced another spell of snowfall this evening. Tourist resorts of Wild Flowerhall, Kufri, Naldehra and Narkanda too reported moderate snowfall.

Rohtak and parts of the district, skirting the national Capital Delhi, were lashed by hailstorms accompanied by heavy downpour, causing extensive damage to standing rabi crops. Several parts of the town were flooded by rain waters.

The entire forward areas in Ladakh district and tribal belt in adjoining Himachal Pradesh were experiencing intermittent snowfall. A heavily overcast sky again portends rains or snow in the Kashmir valley, higher reaches of the Jammu region and Himachal Pradesh by tonight.

The westerly disturbances over North Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir, coupled with induced upper air cyclonic cirulation over West Rajasthan and East-Central Pakistan were likely to cause heavy rain or snow at isolated places in the hilly states over the next 48 hours, the weathermen here warned. Moderate to rather heavy rain or snow has been forecast elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, moderate to heavy rains at isolated places in Punjab and moderate rains at a few places in Haryana over the next two days.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, reported the minimum at minus 0.6°C, three degrees above normal today. Winter capital Jammu was hotter with the low of 10.1°C, one degree above normal.

People in the tribal belt shivered under intense cold wave as the minimums plummeted to 10°C to 15°C below freezing point. Kalpa in Kinnaur district, along the Hindustan-Tibet road reported the low of minus 4.7°C today.

The Dhauladhar ranges overlooking the Kangra valley, the 13,050-ft. Rohtang pass, gateway to Lahaul valley, and 14,000-ft. Chanbel Pass too, reported widespread snow.

Biting cold wave swept across Shimla and its surrounding areas following snowfall on higher altitudes. The minimum temperature in the capital town dipped to 2.6°C.

According to a Shimla report, the district including skiing and tourist resorts of Wildflower Hall, Kufri, Naldehra and Narkanda beyond Shimla along the Hindustan Tibet road, reeled under severe cold wave conditions.

The Shimla-Chopal road continued to remain blocked for vehicular traffic because of this week’s earlier heavy snowfall.

It started snowing in and around Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda and Naldehra and Wildflower Hall in the evening.

Solan, the mid-way town along Kalka-Shimla highway also turned colder with the low of 2.3°C this morning while Una reported the minimum of 2°C and Sundernagar 3.4°C.

The day temperature in and around Chandigarh today dipped to 20.2°C against the normal of 22 degrees following light to moderate rains in the afternoon. The sky continued to be heavily overcast portending more rains.

Amritsar in Punjab, coldest place in the plains reported the low of 4.2°C followed by Ludhiana 5.5°C and Patiala 6.6°C., one to two degrees below normal temperatures.

Rohtak district in Haryana was lashed by severe hailstorm and heavy rains this evening, causing extensive damage to standing rabi crops. Several parts of the Rohtak city were submerged under rain waters.

Ambala was colder this morning with the low of 7°C. Hisar reported the minimum of 9.8°C, three degrees above normal.

Weathermen here forecast light to moderate rains in and around national capital Delhi during the next 24 hours. Palam recorded the low of 12.6°C and Safdarjung 10°C this morning.

12 ministers quit in Haryana
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 4 — Twelve members of the Chautala ministry have so far quit the ministerial berths following the denial of the INLD ticket in the coming Haryana Assembly elections.

Many of those ministers who resigned have decided to contest the elections as Independent candidates.

While the Minister of State for Public Health, Mr Jaswant Singh Bawal, and the Minister of State for Medical Education, Mr Vinod Kumar Marya, had quit their posts even before the nominations opened, the others have resigned in the past couple of days.

The other ministers who have tendered their resignations are the Health Minister, Mr Om Prakash Mahajan, the Food and Supplies Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh Narnaund, the Minister of State for Printing and Stationery, Mr Bhim Sain Mehta, the Minister of State of Sports, Mr Raj Kumar Saini; the Minister of State for Wakf, Mr Akram Khan; the Minister of State for Tourism, Mr Om Prakash Jain; the Minister of State for Industrial Training, Mr Subhash Chaudhary; the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Mr Azad Mohd; the Minister of State for Cultural Affairs, Mr Ram Sarup Rama; and the Minister of State for Elections, Mr Narender Sharma.

Mr Bawal. Choudhary, Mr Narnaund, Mr Saini and Mr Rama had won the 1996 elections on the HVP ticket. Mr Marya and Mr Azad Mohd had won on the Samata Party ticket but had joined the HVP before they shifted back their loyalty to Mr Chautala.

Mr Mehta, Mr Akaram Khan, Mr Mahajan, Mr Jain and Mr Sharma had won as Independents. Till Mr Bansi Lal was the Chief Minister they were with him but shifted their support to Mr Chautala after the fall of HVP Ministry.

Mr Mehta has filed his papers from Indri; Mr Akram Khan from Chhachhrauli; Mr Choudhary from Jagadhari; Mr Mahajan from Hisar; Mr Jain from Panipat, Mr Saini from Naraingarh and Mr Sharma from Pundri.

While the Indri and Naraingarh seats are being contested by the INLD, the other constituencies have gone to the BJP in the seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties.

It may be recalled that as per an agreement reached between Mr Chautala and Mr Om Prakash Grover, president of the Haryana BJP, at the residence of the Secretary of the Haryana RSS, Dr Bajrang Lal Gupta, all those ministers who had filed their nominations from those constituencies from where the BJP had fielded its candidates had to quit the ministry.