Tuesday, February 13, 2001,
Chandigarh, India






THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
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N A T I O N

Pressler in race to be US Ambassador to India
NEW DELHI, Feb 12 — Former US Senator Larry Pressler, who piloted an amendment to halt arms supplies to Pakistan, is a frontrunner for becoming the next US Ambassador to India, a visiting senior Republican Party loyalist said today.

MP CM’s Kargil fund unused
BHOPAL, Feb 12 — Almost entire amount that the people of Madhya Pradesh had contributed to the Chief Minister’s Kargil Relief Fund is lying unused, “Safe in a State Bank of India (SBI) branch,” Mr Digvijay Singh assured mediapersons here today. He did not show any inclination of sending it to the Union Government.

Chaoba Singh expelled from MSCP
IMPHAL, Feb 12 — In a fast developing political situation in Manipur, the Union Minister and working president of the Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), Mr Chaoba Singh, and two others have been expelled from the primary membership of the party for six years for indulging in “anti-party activities”, party President and Chief Minister Nipamacha Singh said.

Drive against polybags begins in Delhi schools
NEW DELHI Feb 12 — Nature’s Soule, a Delhi-based non government organisation committed to restoration and preservation of environment, has launched a campaign against polybags in schools here.



 

EARLIER STORIES

 

 
Mrs Sonia Gandhi speaks with earthquake victims at Paddhar village, 25 km east of Bhuj, on Monday.
Mrs Sonia Gandhi speaks with earthquake victims at Paddhar village, 25 km east of Bhuj, on Monday. 
— AFP photo

Relief distribution selective: Sonia
BHUJ, Feb 12 — For once, securing relief material was put on the back burner by women of Madhapur village who clamoured to embrace Congress President Sonia Gandhi, during her visit to one of the Indian Youth Congress-run relief camps in the area here today.

  • Quake survivors gherao Collector
    BHUJ, Feb 12 — Bhuj Collector Anil Mukhim was today gheraoed in his office here by a group of quake survivors, demanding tents and food.

Release of ‘Chori Chori...’ allowed
MUMBAI, Feb 12 — Special Judge A.P. Bhangale today appointed noted distributor S.S. Jain as court receiver to release producer Nasim Rizvi’s film “Chori Chori Chupke Chupke”.

Review truce decision, says Laxman
HYDERABAD, Feb 12 — BJP President Bangaru Laxman today appealed to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to consider withdrawing the unilateral ceasefire announced by the government.

Reorganisation of J&K sought
NEW DELHI, Feb 12 — The BJP leader, Mr K.R. Malkani, today asked the Vajpayee government to immediately concede the demand for reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into two separate states of Kashmir and Jammu and union territory of Ladakh.

Govt given the slip, Shweta crowned ‘Miss Lucknow’
JAIPUR, Feb 12 — Irrespective of the UP Government banning beauty competitions in UP, Shweta Pandey was chosen “Miss Lucknow” on Sunday.

Indo-Myanmar road opens today
NEW DELHI, Feb 12 The Tamu-Kalewa-Kaylemyo road on the Indo-Myanmar border is to be inaugurated by the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh tomorrow.

SC reserves order on CJI’s age
NEW DELHI, Feb 12 — Despite the apex court holding that the President had conclusively determined the date of birth of Chief Justice of India A. S. Anand to be November 1, 1936, the Madras High Court Advocates Association today raised the same controversy before the Supreme Court in a petition, saying that the year of birth of the CJI was 1934.

Tourists barred from Corbett park
DEHRA DUN, Feb 12 — The killing of three elephants last week in the Corbett National Park has set the alarm bells ringing while poachers are still active in this wildlife reserve. Earlier, in December last two elephants were killed in the park.

Prabhu lays stone of thermal plant unit
THUKRANA (SRIGANGANAGAR), Feb 12 — The government will introduce a bill in the forthcoming session of Parliament to incorporate the provision of severe punishment for power theft, says the Union Power Minister, Mr Suresh Prabhu.

1,300 tribesmen reconverted
JAIPUR, Feb 12 — Over 1,300 tribesmen, who had adopted Christianity in Udaipur district of Rajasthan earlier, were reconverted as Hindus yesterday.

SFI condemns NDA policies
HANUMANGARH, Feb 12 — A district-level meeting of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) was held in which resolutions about various problems of students were passed and elections to the District Working Committee were held.
Top




 

Pressler in race to be US Ambassador to India

NEW DELHI, Feb 12 — Former US Senator Larry Pressler, who piloted an amendment to halt arms supplies to Pakistan, is a frontrunner for becoming the next US Ambassador to India, a visiting senior Republican Party loyalist said today.

Pressler, who has opposed consistently Pakistan-propelled moves in the Senate to slash aid to India for human rights violations, is the hot favourite for the crucial slot, Dr Raj Bothra, Detroit-based Indian surgeon who has worked both for President George Bush and his father, told PTI here.

On his way back to the USA after providing medical services in Gujarat to earthquake victims, Dr Bothra said James R. Lilly, who is US Chief of Mission in China, could be another contender for the post.

There was speculation that old India hand Mat Daley may take charge of the important post of Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, he said.

With a confluence of interests and keeping in view the changing geo-political situation, the Bush administration feels that this is the “right time” for India and the USA to forge “closer ties”, he said.

He said Bush had made it clear that the issue of the USA pressing India to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was not on the agenda of the new administration.

In the run-up to the Presidential elections, Bush favoured lifting of economic sanctions imposed on India in the aftermath of the Pokhran nuclear tests, Dr Bothra said.

Asked whether any such step was in the offing, he said it was less than a month since the new administration took charge, implying it might take some more time for a decision on it.

The US President has understanding of the security concerns of India that prompted it to undertake the Pokhran explosions, he said adding Bush is fully aware that both India and Pakistan are not going to give up their nuclear programme.

He was of the view that the warming up of Indo-US ties with the visit of President Bill Clinton were “mostly symbolic”.

India, he said, was well aware of the pressure mounted by the Clinton administration on it to sign the CTBT. Repealing the Pressler Amendment and taking a lead in clamping punitive measures against India were decisions which had angered New Delhi, he said.

On the Kashmir issue, Bush has maintained that there is no role for third party mediation and that India and Pakistan should resolve it bilaterally through peaceful means, Dr Bothra said. — PTI
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MP CM’s Kargil fund unused
From N.D. Sharma

BHOPAL, Feb 12 — Almost entire amount that the people of Madhya Pradesh had contributed to the Chief Minister’s Kargil Relief Fund is lying unused, “Safe in a State Bank of India (SBI) branch,” Mr Digvijay Singh assured mediapersons here today. He did not show any inclination of sending it to the Union Government.

The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister had, for over a year, been facing charges of collecting funds in the name of Kargil relief and not sending these to the appropriate authorities for being used on the welfare of those who were maimed or bereaved in the Kargil operation. That the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for Gujarat Earthquake could attract a paltry sum of Rs 64 lakh so far is attributed to the controversy surrounding his Kargil relief fund.

Mr Digvijay Singh today clarified that the Chief Minister’s Kargil Relief Fund had received a total of Rs 12,85,49,560.33, which was kept in the Vallabh Bhavan branch of the SBI. It earned an interest of Rs 1,13,07,933.51.

Of this, the Chief Minister said, an amount of Rs 1,72,50,000.00 had been distributed, among the family members of the Kargil martyrs. The balance amount of Rs 12,26,07,493.84 was lying safe in the bank, he added. This, he said, would be used for providing assistance to the families of the army or paramilitary jawans from Madhya Pradesh who sacrificed their lives while in service.

The Chief Minister did not agree that the Kargil fund controversy was responsible for a small collection of Rs 64 lakh for the Gujarat earthquake-affected people. Interestingly, the major portion of even these Rs 64 lakh has been made up from the contributions made by the state government employees through deductions from their salaries The total amount of Rs 1.64 crore (which includes Rs 1 crore as the state government’s contribution) had been sent to Gujarat.

The state government has also received Rs 30.75 lakh for the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, Rs 23.13 lakh for the National Defence Fund and Rs 46.74 lakh for the Army Welfare Fund. These amounts had been sent to the appropriate authorities in Delhi, the Chief Minister said.
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Chaoba Singh expelled from MSCP

IMPHAL, Feb 12 — In a fast developing political situation in Manipur, the Union Minister and working president of the Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), Mr Chaoba Singh, and two others have been expelled from the primary membership of the party for six years for indulging in “anti-party activities”, party President and Chief Minister Nipamacha Singh said.

The decision to expel Mr Chaoba Singh, Union Minister of State for Food Processing, and the two others was taken at a meeting of the party’s 26-member Central Executive Council (CEC) on Saturday, Mr Nipamacha Singh told mediapersons late last night.

MSCP Vice-President L. Amujao Singh and General Secretary Y. Mangi were also expelled from the party for six years on similar grounds, the CEC decided at its meeting attended by 21 members and presided over by Mr Nipamacha Singh.

The three were expelled from the party for “indulging in anti-party activities and damaging the image of the party”, the Chief Minister said.

The CEC’s decision to expel the three members had been conveyed to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and NDA convenor George Fernandes, senior MSCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister L. Chandramani Singh said.

The Central leaders had also been requested to drop Mr Chaoba Singh from the Union Council of Ministers, he said.

Mr Chaoba Singh had said yesterday that Mr Nipamacha Singh and six others were “expelled” from the primary membership of the MSCP for “anti-party activities”.

Criticising Mr Chaoba Singh’s ‘decision’ of expelling Mr Nipamacha Singh and six others from the MSCP, the Deputy Chief Minister said “how can he (Chaoba Singh) expel party members when he does not occupy an elected post.”

“The post of the Working President is not an elected one”, he said, adding that “he is appointed by the CEC with the consent of the party President.”

“It was highly unconstitutional on Mr Chaoba Singh’s part to say that he would remove the party President without holding any CEC meeting,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister had claimed that the ruling ULF ministry headed by him still commands majority as the eight MSCP MLAs, who had left the Chief Minister’s camp, had not tendered their resignations so far.

The 11-month-old Nipamacha Singh ministry in Manipur was yesterday reduced to minority following a split in Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), lead partner of the ruling United Legislature Front (ULF), with the breakaway group withdrawing support to the alliance and expelling the chief minister and six ministers from the party. — PTI
Top

Manipur Assembly session on Feb 14

IMPHAL, Feb 12 — A special session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly has been called on February 14 to discuss the no-confidence motion against the Nipamacha-led United Legislature Front government.

A notification to this effect was issued by Speaker S. Dhananjoy Singh after Governor Ved Marwah asked him to reconvene the House immediately. — UNITop

 

Drive against polybags begins in Delhi schools
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI Feb 12 — Nature’s Soule, a Delhi-based non government organisation committed to restoration and preservation of environment, has launched a campaign against polybags in schools here.

The campaign which began here on February 5 will cover 150 schools, including 36 Kendriya Vidyalayas, in the initial phase scheduled to end on Children’s Day on November 14. The second phase of the programme will begin in mid-February next year and end in mid-November.

The Director of Nature’s Soule, Sanjeev Walia told TNS that all programmes would be organised under the banner ‘Nature Cops in Action’ and ‘Children Opposing Polluting Sources.’ He is hopeful that the campaign would cover 750 schools during the first phase.

During the campaign, schoolchildren would take a pledge ‘‘not to engage in any activity with use of polybags that would lead to choking of rivers and drains, killing of cows and animals, poisoning of foods and eatables or deadening of the once fertile soil and earth.’’

Mr Walia said large-scale use of polybags in day-to-day purchases had made the situation very grim. ‘‘Plastic being used to carry cooked food and vegetables is not foodgrade. These are recycled polybags.’’

Mr Walia said that the organisation would also encourage school students to buy jute bags and persuade their parents to do the same. The information dissemination campaign includes talks, informal group discussions and road shows. Children would hold discussions on various aspects of polybags’ use as whether polybags were a source of ruthless pollution, a source of inconvenience and role of the government and industry in overcoming the damage already caused to the environment by their use.

Experts from NGOs working in the environment sector would also address the children to clear their misconceptions about the use of polybags. The NGOs had also issued an appeal to be read out at such functions. The text of the appeal explained how polybags had ravaged our towns and cities and made deep inroads into our unpolluted villages and tourist locations.

Ms Iqbal Malik, a scientist and founder director of Vatavaran, a Delhi-based NGO was of the opinion that polybags could be stopped with an intensive public awareness campaign. ‘‘The Delhi government had said that virgin plastic may be allowed in the markets. But I feel that a monitoring mechanism is necessary for virgin plastic to be in the markets. It can be re-cycled up to five to six times. Its strength reduces each time it is recycled and carcinogenic colours are added to hide its defects.’’ 
Top

 

Relief distribution selective: Sonia
Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

BHUJ, Feb 12 — For once, securing relief material was put on the back burner by women of Madhapur village who clamoured to embrace Congress President Sonia Gandhi, during her visit to one of the Indian Youth Congress-run relief camps in the area here today.

On a three-day tour of the quake-ravaged areas, Mrs Gandhi was consoling the villagers, assuring them and shaking hands with them. Escorted by members of the Youth Congress, she was asking, “Can I be of any help?”

Security was lowest on her agenda as she mingled with the crowd, exchanged a word or two in an effort to reach out to the aggrieved and to be with them in their moment of sorrow.

Some victims are more equal than the rest, she said speaking to The Tribune. She alleged discrimination against minorities by officials involved in relief work.

“Relief material is being doled out on a selective basis. It does not behove the government to indulge in discrimination against the minorities in this time of calamity. Distribution ought to be equal and without bias”, she asserted.

In addition, the remote areas were receiving step-motherly treatment at the hands of the government where its machinery had failed to arrive. She said. “It is in such areas that the IYC has taken charge and is doing a good job. All kinds of relief material is being despatched and we are going to provide whatever is needed”, She said.

Replying to a question on the strategy of the Congress in furthering relief work, she said while a lot had been done and much was in progress, it was never enough and there was scope for more.

On why the Congress had woken up late to the tragedy, the Congress president said all Congress-ruled state governments had immediately been asked to collect relief material. “In fact, Rajasthan was the first to send in gascutters”, she said.

Admitting that there was some delay in sending relief material she said: “The government here is not ours and assessment of the magnitude of damage took time. However, we caught up with the rest by sending it to remote areas where no help had reached”.

Meanwhile, IYC President Randeep Singh Surjewala said camps run by them would go on in the quake-hit areas till every person had been reached. “Our boys from all over the country will work as long as required”, he said.

The Congress President was accompanied by Mr Ahmed Patel, Mr Jagdish Tytler and Ms Ambika Soni.
Top

Quake survivors gherao Collector

BHUJ, Feb 12 — Bhuj Collector Anil Mukhim was today gheraoed in his office here by a group of quake survivors, demanding tents and food.

A group of 50 protesters from different parts of the town held up Mr Mukhim on the Collectorate premises and showed him marks of beating by policemen,

People from the Mehendi area near the Bhuj railway station said they were roughed by the police yesterday while holding a demonstration.

Mr Mukhi said there was a shortage of tents and other relief material. The government had received 3,000 tents so far and at least 50,000 more were required.

Though the voluntary agencies had chipped in with their efforts in the rehabilitation work, many earthquake-affected areas had not been reached yet.

Last week in Ahmedabad, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj had denied reports that relief was distributed on communal lines. — UNITop

 

Release of ‘Chori Chori...’ allowed

MUMBAI, Feb 12 — Special Judge A.P. Bhangale today appointed noted distributor S.S. Jain as court receiver to release producer Nasim Rizvi’s film “Chori Chori Chupke Chupke”.

He rejected the prayer of film financier Bharat Shah to appoint producer Mahesh Bhatt as court receiver as the prosecution opposed the move.

Jain was directed to maintain proper accounts and ensure maximum returns.

The negatives of the film were seized after Rizvi was arrested on December 13 for allegedly developing links with gangster Chhota Shakeel.

The police claims to have recorded telephonic conversations between Rizvi and Chhota Shakeel which reveal the Bollywood-underworld nexus. — PTI 
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Review truce decision, says Laxman

HYDERABAD, Feb 12 — BJP President Bangaru Laxman today appealed to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to consider withdrawing the unilateral ceasefire announced by the government.

Addressing a press conference here, he said yesterday’s attack on the residence of Jammu and Kashmir Law Minister, the suicide attack on the main police control room in Srinagar and the raids on a village near Jammu were all cause for deep concern.

In this context, the Indian Government should seriously review the ground situation in the state and its commitment to peace should not be taken as a sign of weakness.

“The government has the necessary political will and the armed might to crush militancy. It should be examined whether the continuation of the unilateral ceasefire is making the common citizens as well as the security personnel sitting ducks and, therefore, easy and soft targets for the militant outfits,” he observed.

He said the BJP felt uneasy about the situation in that state and appealed to the Union Government not to foreclose the policy option of calling off the unilateral ceasefire and to seriously consider it.

Mr Laxman said almost all militant outfits comprised mercenaries from Afghanistan, Sudan and Pakistan and were resorting to most un-Islamic methods to terrorise people. They were burning people alive which was blasphemous to the creed of Islam.

He said the atrocities committed by mercenaries, including raping women, had made the local extremists to demand the ouster of foreign mercenaries from the state.

Mr Laxman said neither the Pakistan-backed militant outfits nor the military government in Pakistan had reciprocated the Indian Government’s unilateral ceasefire. “And without reciprocity, chances of restoration of peace in Kashmir are bleak,” he felt.

Mr Laxman claimed that a section of militants were in favour of continuation of the ceasefire and urged the government to ensure that there were no violent incidents and attacks by the Pakistan-backed militants.

Referring to Gen Pervez Musharraf’s plea for sending the full Hurriyat team to Pakistan, he said the Indian Government was the better judge as to who should go there.

“Pakistan should understand that it is not for the Hurriyat to set the agenda for Kashmir. For a peaceful solution, if the Hurriyat can be of help, it will certainly be taken,” he added. — UNI
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Reorganisation of J&K sought

NEW DELHI, Feb 12 — The BJP leader, Mr K.R. Malkani, today asked the Vajpayee government to immediately concede the demand for reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into two separate states of Kashmir and Jammu and union territory of Ladakh.

“The government should concede the demand without any delay. It must understand that reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir is inevitable even if it tries to resist it,” Mr Malkani said while speaking at a seminar here.

He said if the government did not accept the demand of the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions for reorganisation, this would become the main issue in the next assembly elections in the state.

He said the distinct cultures and languages of these regions could flourish only after they were reorganised.

The seminar on ‘Reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir — the only solution to the Kashmir problem’ was organised by the Jammu and Kashmir National Front, the Ladakh Buddhist Association and the Panun Kashmir. Mr Malkani presided over the seminar.

The former Jan Sangh president, Mr Balraj Madhok, said the Centre should impose emergency in Jammu and Kashmir and dismiss the Farooq Abdullah government there before reorganisation of the state.

Regarding the Kashmir problem, he said India need not have any talks with Pakistan as that country had no locus standi on Kashmir. “This is our internal matter and the government should talk to the people of Kashmir only in its efforts to resolve the issue,” he added.

Mr Madhok criticised the Vajpayee government for extension of ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir even as militants were gunning down security personnel and innocent people in the state. He urged the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, “not to demoralise our armed forces any longer”.

The socialist leader, Mr Satya Prakah Malviya, also endorsed the demand for reorganisation of the state, saying the welfare of the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions could be ensured only this way.

He said the government which, had formed the new states of Uttaranchal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, should have no objection to the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir.

A Rajya Sabha member, Mr T.N. Chaturvedi, said the feeling of alienation among the people of Jammu and Ladakh had resulted due to wrong policies of the Centre and the state government. He said the Centre had always taken only a section of the people into confidence while dealing with the Kashmir issue. — UNITop


Govt given the slip, Shweta crowned ‘Miss Lucknow’
From Our Correspondent

JAIPUR, Feb 12 — Irrespective of the UP Government banning beauty competitions in UP, Shweta Pandey was chosen “Miss Lucknow” on Sunday.

The organisers of the beauty competition found out a novel way to hold the show. They shifted the venue of the show from Lucknow to Jaipur.

The competition was held at Ravindra Manch’s open air theatre. The show was named as ‘Fashion Verchmelzung’ and was co-sponsored by, besides others, The Hindustan Times. The organisers announced that the collections from the show would go for the Gujarat earthquake victims.

Shweta Pandey of Lucknow is a student at Ferquson College, Pune. Avanta Sharma and Nirma Vohra were declared the first and second runners UP.

Kasid Khan of Lucknow bagged the title of “Prince Lucknow”. His first and second runners up were Vikas Shukla and Vikas Khatri.Top

 

Indo-Myanmar road opens today
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Feb 12 The Tamu-Kalewa-Kaylemyo road on the Indo-Myanmar border is to be inaugurated by the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh tomorrow.

The 160-km-long road, constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is to be thrown open to traffic in the presence of Myanmar’s Minister for Construction Major-General Saw Tun and the Director General of the BRO Lt Gen A.K. Puri.

The new link between the two countries is also expected to pave the way for new cooperation between them.

According to a release issued by the Ministry of Defence, with 158 major and minor nullahs criss-crossing the road alignment, the bridging effort was in itself a major task.

It was a major task in another way as most of the construction material had to be transported all the way from Dimapur, which is about 350 km from Tamu.
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SC reserves order on CJI’s age

NEW DELHI, Feb 12 — Despite the apex court holding that the President had conclusively determined the date of birth of Chief Justice of India A. S. Anand to be November 1, 1936, the Madras High Court Advocates Association today raised the same controversy before the Supreme Court in a petition, saying that the year of birth of the CJI was 1934.

A three-judge Bench comprising Mr Justice K. T. Thomas, Mr Justice R. P. Sethi and Mr Justice B. N. Agrawal heard the president of the association, Mr R. Karuppan for over an hour and then said it would pass an order on its admissibility on February 14.

“We will pass orders day after tomorrow whether to issue notice on the petition or not,” the Bench said.

The petition, which has made the Union Government and the President also parties, besides CJI, contended that the determination of the age of the present the CJI by the President in 1991 was not conclusive.

The Supreme Court in a recent judgement, holding a Chennai-based advocate guilty of committing contempt of court for sending a threatening telegram to the CJI, had held that the presidential order on the CJI’s age under Article 217 of the Constitution had attained finality.

The court had also ordered a CBI probe into the circumstances under which documents from foreign countries had come into existence, which showed that the year of birth of CJI Anand was 1934. — PTI
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Tourists barred from Corbett park
Kulwinder Sandhu

DEHRA DUN, Feb 12 — The killing of three elephants last week in the Corbett National Park has set the alarm bells ringing while poachers are still active in this wildlife reserve. Earlier, in December last two elephants were killed in the park.

The first carcass was found in the Bijrani area on December 27 with the head slashed and tusks missing. Ten days later, another elephant was found killed in the Rani Nagal area of the park.

The third elephant fell victim to the poachers on February 5 in the Dhela range. According to officials of the park, the elephant was poisoned and then killed with a sharp object.

The carcass of the fourth elephant was found in Kalagarh Range on February 9. Sources in the park disclosed that security personnel had an encounter with the poachers but could not save the elephant. The poachers managed to flee leaving behind the tusks.

The fifth carcass was found yesterday. According to Mr N.K. Joshi, Principal Conservator of Forests, Uttaranchal, a joint-action team of the police and forest guards has been constituted to hunt for the poachers.

As per the directions of the Union Government, the local police and the Forest Department are also seeking help from the Intelligence Bureau to nab the culprits. The Inspector-General of Police, Kumaon Range, has set up his camp in the park to nab the poachers.

Of the five elephants, four were found killed in sensitive areas, where according to government officials, security arrangements were inadequate due to negligence of duty.

According to Mr Brijendra Singh, Wildlife Warden of the park, sharp metal objects were used to kill the elephants.

The post-mortem reports revealed that the elephants were fed nails and metal shrapnels and then killed with sharp objects.

Meanwhile, the authorities of the Corbett National Park have decided to stop the entry of tourists in the park from tomorrow. This has been done in the of the “operation search” to arrest the poachers.

Mr Puran Chandra Joshi, Director of the park, told mediapersons at Ramgarh, Nainital, last evening that the entry passes already issued to the visitors would also stand cancelled.

He said the poachers might still be hiding in the park, adding that all entry and outlet points of the park had been sealed.

Meanwhile, a group, including local people, nature lovers, NGOs and environmentalists, protested against the killings of the elephants in front of the administrative office of the tiger reserve in Ramnagar yesterday.

Reports from Ramnagar said a group of farmers today organised a “jan chetna rally” in protest against the killings.
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Prabhu lays stone of thermal plant unit
Tribune News Service

THUKRANA (SRIGANGANAGAR), Feb 12 — The government will introduce a bill in the forthcoming session of Parliament to incorporate the provision of severe punishment for power theft, says the Union Power Minister, Mr Suresh Prabhu.

He was interacting with mediapersons after laying the foundation stone of the fifth unit of the Suratgarh Super Thermal Power Plant here today. The Rajasthan Chief Minister, Mr Ashok Gehlot, was also present on the occasion. The plant, the first of its kind being built at a cost of Rs 5,127 crore will generate 1,250 mw of power by June, 2003.

He said the present legislation on power theft was too lenient and the defaulters who owed crores were left off by charging token fines or merely a slap on the wrist.

He said the Prime Minister would shortly chair a meeting of all political parties not only to initiate reforms in the power sector but also to seek their cooperation in getting the power theft bill passed.

The minister said they are also drawing a blueprint to tap the entire hydel-power generation in the country. He said nearly 1.50 lakh mw was presently untapped.

Praising the efforts of the Rajasthan Government in taking up projects to reduce the deficit, he assured all cooperation from his ministry and announced a grant of Rs 92 crore. He said the state could also avail of a matching amount from the Power Generation Corporation and other financial institutions.

He said the country was generating 75 per cent of its power from thermal plants while only 24 per cent was from hydel projects. The generation from nuclear, solar and wind energy was very minimal. Mr Prabhu pointed out that “nearly 50 per cent of the power generated is lost due to theft, transmission and distribution lapses. This was a great loss to the nation and the Centre had issued instructions to bring them down. In this context, money for revamping the transmission setup will be provided to states which do not owe arrears to the government. Three districts in Sriganganagar have been identified for the model project,” he added.

Mr Gehlot said the state had saved Rs 8 crore by completing the second unit of the plant and claimed that the two units under construction would also be completed in record time.
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1,300 tribesmen reconverted
From Our Correspondent

JAIPUR, Feb 12 — Over 1,300 tribesmen, who had adopted Christianity in Udaipur district of Rajasthan earlier, were reconverted as Hindus yesterday.

The reconversion was cosponsored by the Vishva Hindu Parishad, Go Vansh Raksha Samvardhan Parishad, Hindu Dharma Raksha Samiti and Bajrang Dal and was named ‘Sanatan Ghar Vapsi’ (return to sanatan home).

The function was held at Madri near Baghpura in Jhadol tehsil of Udaipur district in the presence of various leaders belonging to these organisations besides many tribal religious leaders. Rituals of reconversion began with recitation of hymns by members of 270 families who had earlier adopted Christianity.Top


SFI condemns NDA policies
From Our Correspondent

HANUMANGARH, Feb 12 — A district-level meeting of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) was held in which resolutions about various problems of students were passed and elections to the District Working Committee were held.

Presiding over the meeting, Mr Sanjay “Madhav”, national vice-president of the SFI, said that because of anti-people policies of NDA government, the cultivators, labourers, employees and people belonging to the middle class were in a bad condition. He said with 10 per cent expenses on education from the students going to be implemented soon, the entrance fee would raise to about Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 and in that situation the students would be left with no other option but to stop studies. At the meeting, resolutions regarding raising the status of college in Nohar tehsil to postgraduate college, opening of a college in Bhadra tehsil and of giving grant to colleges in the Sangaria and Pilibangan tehsils were passed. Top

 

 
NATIONAL BRIEFS

Temple model reaches Ayodhya
AYODHYA: The Ram Temple model, which was put on public display during Mahakumbh in Allahabad, was brought here on Sunday night amidst tight security, VHP sources said on Monday. The marble-dust model has been kept at the VHP headquarters in Karsewakpuram. The model was brought in a specially decorated vehicle. — PTI

Forty bonded labourers freed
MUZAFFARNAGAR: Forty bonded labourers have been freed from a brick kiln at Miwa village, about 50 km from here, official reports said on Monday. A team led by Sub-Divisional Magistrate raided the kiln on Sunday and freed the labourers, including women and children, who were working here for the past one month. — PTI

Gandhi Award presented
NEW DELHI: The All-Africa Leprosy and Rehabilitation Centre and Dr K.V. Desikan of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Science, Sevagram, were presented the International Gandhi Award here on Monday. The award was presented by Vice-President Kirshan Kant in recognition of their outstanding and dedicated service for the eradication of leprosy. — UNI

Tamil actor Jai Ganesh dead
CHENNAI: Popular Tamil film television actor Jai Ganesh died here on Monday at a private hospital following mouth cancer, family sources said. He was 55 and is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. Jai Ganesh had acted in nearly 400 films in Tamil and Telugu, besides 50 TV serials. — UNI

Strike hits life in Sikkim
GANGTOK: The indefinite strike by the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) in the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling district since Sunday has badly hit neighbouring Sikkim with the government here arranging police escorts for stranded tourists. “We have arranged this morning police escorts for a group of 32 tourists stranded here and contacted the GNLF leaders in Darjeeling for a safe passage,” DGP R.K. Handa, said here on Monday. — PTI

Man, son held for sexual assault
NAGPUR: The secretary of an orphanage and his son were arrested on charges of criminal assault of a 15-year-old girl-inmate of the orphanage, the police said here on Monday. The duo were arrested on Sunday for sexually assaulting the victim, an inmate of Shri Anath Shikshan Bhawan Ashram in the city. The suspects Premkumar Shende and his son Ajay — have been remanded in police custody till February 15. — PTI

N-reactors can ‘withstand’ quakes
MADURAI: Indian nuclear reactors can withstand earthquakes and in fact a nuclear station is the safest place to take shelter in the event of a quake, Head of the Publicity Division of the Atomic Energy Department, Dr S.M. Malhotra said on Monday. Speaking at a function organised by the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre, Chennai, and his department here on Sunday, he said the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Gujarat maintained its operation despite the earthquake. — PTI

Sarojini Naidu award instituted
JAIPUR: An international non-governmental organisation, Hunger Project, has instituted Sarojini Naidu Award for best reporting on the role played by women in the Panchayati Raj institutions, its Project Director Reeta Sarin, has said. Three journalists from the print media would be given the award every year which consists of Rs 2 lakh each and a citation, Ms Sarin told reporters here on Sunday. — PTI

Confiscate assets of Govinda: Court
PATNA: A first Class Judicial Magistrate’s court of Pakur district in Jharkhand has ordered the Police Commissioner, Crime Branch, Mumbai, for the “kurki-jabti” (confiscation) of the immovable properties of cine star Govinda and actress Shilpa Shetty. The court has also directed to initiate departmental proceedings against the Police Commissioner for misleading the court. — FOC
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