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| Sunday,
July 22, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Mamata, Panja hold
rallies
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Gandhian gets Birla
award Dalai Lama seeks talks with China
Padmanabhaiah to meet Naga leader Kashmir related
spiritually to India: Jagmohan Cong warns govt on Pak designs
Kiosks allotment by lottery
MC finance panel meeting put off
SFI activists hold rally He ate flies
to move govt officials Training camp for election officers held
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Mahanadi receding Bhubaneswar, July 21 IAF choppers continued their air-dropping operations for the fifth day while eight columns of the Army were still in the worst-hit areas with power boats and life jackets. Floods and heavy rains have so far claimed 45 lives while affecting nearly 61 lakh people.
All the rivers including the Mahanadi, the Kathajodi and the Kushabhadra had already fallen below their respective danger levels though the Devi, which played havoc, was still flowing much above the red mark, according to official sources. After an initial struggle for several hours due to high tide in the sea as yesterday was a new moon day, the flood waters had started flowing into the Bay of Bengal. This is a positive sign and we expect the situation to improve further during the day, an official of the Water Resources Development Department said. But considering the volume of water that had accumulated in the deltaic region comprising the districts of Cuttack, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Puri, the recession would be a long-drawn affair, he said. A serious situation had developed near Paradip last night as the flooded Mahanadi, trying to cope with the new arrival of over 14 lakh cusecs of water at Naraj delta head yesterday morning, faced stiff resistance at the river mouth in discharging against the high tide. The vast sheet of water in the Mahanadi yesterday spilled over the embankment near Teramanapur spreading panic in a large area in Jagatsinghpur district including Kujang, Tirtol and Ersama blocks. The flow into the sea had since eased as was reflected in the fall in the river levels. The Mahanadi at Cuttack (Jobra) was flowing at 21.69 metres against the red mark of 21.94 metres this morning while the Kathajodi on the other side of the city at Belle Vue was now flowing below the danger mark. Still flood waters measured at 10.79 lakh cusecs were flowing at the Naraj delta head this morning. At the Hirakud dam, the reservoir level stood at 623.23 feet against the steady inflow of 3.15 lakh cusecs since yesterday and outflow of 4.50 lakh cusecs into the Mahanadi. Amidst allegations of relief material not having reached the marooned people at many places, the biggest problem being faced in submerged areas was the shortage of drinking water. Wells and tubewells had been inundated and the water had been contaminated. People, who had taken shelter with their meagre belongings and cattle on river embankments and roads, were depending on rain water to quench their thirst. The problem had led to sporadic incidents of diarrhoea though the administration denied outbreak of any epidemic anywhere till now. Large quantities of halogen tablets to purify the water were being supplied in the affected areas, the official sources said.
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Mamata, Panja hold
rallies Kolkata, July 21 She said the Trinamool Congress would “go alone” and fight against the CPM in West Bengal. She also declared that the party had decided to snap all ties with the Congress, which now appeared to be “more a liability than an assert”. On the other hand, the suspended TMC leader, Mr Ajit Kumar Panja, at a separate rally at Chinsura, Hooghly, about 30 km from the city, reiterated his decision to remain in the NDA and strengthen Mr Vajpayee’s hands against all vested interests and other communal forces. He claimed that five other MPs, except Ms Banerjee and Mr Sudip Bandopadhyya, had decided to join the NDA. However, none of them was present at Mr Panja’s rally. But, Mr B.K. Sarker, Dr Ranjit Panja (Mr Panja’s elder brother) and Mrs Krishna Bose, stated in the public they would want the TMC to join the NDA without any further delay. Both groups held two separate rally to show their strength on the eve of the monsoon session of Parliament, beginning from July 23. State BJP supported Mr Panja. Mr Tapan Sikdar, Mr Asim Ghosh state BJP President, among others were present at the Chinsura rally with a large number of their workers and supporters. Mr Ram Bilas Paswan sent two of his representatives to attend the rally. Both rival groups were organising separate rally to observe the ‘martyrs day’ to pay respect to 13 Youth Congress workers who had been killed in police firing on the day in 1993 in the Esplanade east. (Trinamool Congress was not formed then). The state Congress which organised a blood donation camp in Kolkata on the occasion. Speaking at the rally, Ms Banerjee said they would be now fighting a battle against the CPM and other vested interests. She announced that a big rally would be organised at the maidan in December as a part of their programme to defeat CPM forthcoming panchayat poll which would be the ground works for ousting the Left Front from power. She said she was not interested in the power politics in Delhi and would now engage herself mostly in reorganising the party. |
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Gandhian gets Birla award New Delhi, July 21 The award instituted by the Birla Awards Academy of Art and Culture, carries Rs 2 lakh in cash and a citation. The Award for Humanism was given to Mrs Saraswati Gora, veteran freedom fighter, for her contribution to Gandhian values. Kasturba Gandhi Kanya Gurukulam of Tamil Nadu, an institution established in 1946 for the uplift of socially and educationally backward people in villages, was given the Award for Contribution in Rural Uplift. The award for Preservation of India’s Cultural and Spiritual Heritage was conferred on BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha of Ahmedabad, a socio-spiritual organisation. In his address, the Vice-President stressed the need for dynamically activating entrepreneurial resources for the larger good of the country.
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Dalai Lama seeks talks with China New Delhi, July 21 “The solution has to be between Tibetans and Chinese and no one else,” said the temporal head of the Tibetan Government-in-exile in an informal interaction with the press here. “We are seeking the help of the world community to start a meaningful dialogue with China... We are not asking the world community to intervene,” the Dalai Lama said, reiterating that they were seeking a dialogue with Beijing not for independence but in pursuance of their demands for genuine autonomy. “We are trying to achieve our own justifiable right, keeping in mind the concerns of the Chinese,” the Tibetan leader said, describing this “middle path approach as a mutually beneficial solution for both sides.” The Tibetan leader said the last communication from his side with China was in August last year, when he had sought the visit of a Tibetan delegation to China for direct talks through his elder brother. The Chinese Government had declined the offer, the Dalai Lama said, noting that the world leaders help to start a dialogue with Chinese had been adopted as “my direct approach failed.” “It’s (the Tibetan problem) not an issue of my return to Tibet, but of the people of Tibet,” the supreme leader of the Tibetans said, noting that they had failed to make much headway so far, because of deep-rooted suspicion among the Chinese towards Tibetans. China saw Tibet’s unique identity as a basis for separation. Expressing the hope that their struggle would bear fruit, the Dalai Lama observed: “No matter how powerful they (China) be or be a powerful nuclear weapons state, they’ll have to go along with the global trend. The world trend is democracy, more freedom, freedom of press and respect for religious freedom.”
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Padmanabhaiah to meet Naga leader New Delhi, July 21 Politics of sub-nationalism continued to hold forth in the country’s north-eastern state, as tension gripped Imphal valley, amidst reports of a large number of Nagas fleeing Meitei-dominated areas in fear of a violent backlash. According to highly placed sources, about 8,000 Nagas have fled from Imphal valley and the exodus is still continuing. Even as a top Home Ministry official told The Tribune that the Centre was keeping a close watch on the situation in the state, the infiltration of a group of Nagas in two buses and four cars about a couple of days ago into Manipur has resulted in the creation of apprehension among the Manipuris about a bloody clash between Nagas and Meiteis. The sources said the Nagas, who ventured into Manipur, claimed to have entered the state to spread the message of peace and to emphasise the need for the extension of the ceasefire. Sharp differences between the Manipuris and the Centre on the issue of expansion of ceasefire beyond Nagaland has resulted in the development of an explosive situation in Manipur. According to sources, Nagas are fleeing the Meitei-dominated areas fearing a backlash from the former in the event of the Centre not acceding to the demands of the Manipuris for the revocation of the expansion of the Centre-NSCN(I-M) ceasefire to other north-eastern areas beyond Nagaland. Mr Padmanabhaiah’s fresh negotiations with the Naga leader comes a few days ahead of the scheduled meeting of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee with the Chief Minister of all seven north-eastern states on July 27. The Centre and the NSCN (I-M) leadership agreed upon a fresh ceasefire truce covering an area of 1.2 lakh sq km and bringing under its domain several districts falling under the administrative jurisdiction of Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh apart from Nagaland. However, the announcement on June 14 about the new terms of the truce resulted in strong protests in Manipur, who feel that this may be a roundabout way of dividing their ethnic homeland. It was quite obvious that the Centre was caught completely unaware about the undercurrents of the disruntled Manipuri sentiments, who directed their collective angst towards politicians and vented their ire by torching a portion of the state secretariat. Muivah, who was arrested by the Bangkok police for entering Thailand on a fake passport in January last year, has reached the Netherlands with the travel documents provided to him by the Indian authorities. The Centre faces a difficult situation as it has to carve out a middle path which pacifies the sentiments of both Manipuris and Nagas. Muivah has gone on record saying that reviewing the truce at this juncture could derail the peace process, whereas the emotionally stirred Manipuris have demanded nothing short of removal of the ceasefire from their state’s territorial limits. |
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Kashmir related
spiritually to India: Jagmohan New Delhi, July 21 “People have forgotten that Kashmir in itself is the summit of human mind”, said the former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, while releasing a book “The Everest Within“ written by Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia. Describing the conquest of the Everest as the “summit of the mind” he said, it takes sheer determination and courage to conquer the Everest, but to conquer the Everest within, it takes continuous awakening of mind and continuous search within. Major Ahluwalia who was a member of the first successful Indian expedition to Everest, described the book as a “philosophy of the climb”. Adding that nature is the eternal guide and provides him with power of the mind, he said nature inspired him to carry on with his work. Major Ahluwalia, mountaineer and environmentalist also chairs the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in the Capital. |
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Cong warns govt on Pak designs New Delhi, July 21 Referring to General Musharraf’s televised press conference yesterday, Congress spokesman Jaipal Reddy said the Pakistan President had launched a media blitz in the face of which “the government was running for cover and hiding its face.” “Even four days after the summit, the government has not recovered from its diplomatic paralysis,” Mr Reddy said. Maintaining that General Musharraf was proving to be “diplomatically smarter than our own government spokesperson,” Mr Reddy said the Pakistan President was getting away by drwaing ridiculous and dubious distinction between the international border and LoC. |
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Kiosks allotment by lottery Hanumangarh, July 21 On September 16, 2000, the council had reportedly invited applications without advertising. The council had assured shopkeepers and rehri-owners affected by an anti-encroachment drive last year that shops would be allotted to them but few applications reached the office by the last date. It may be mentioned that under the Chief Minister Employment Scheme, the council had to allot kiosks to 265 persons, but against this target only 234 persons were selected. The checking of applicants stretched over to seven months because of repeated
adjournments of the kiosk allotment committee. In the end the council made public lists of selected and rejected candidates. Interestingly, so far the municipal council has constructed only 70 kiosks, while 234 persons have been selected for allotment. |
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MC finance panel meeting put off Hanumangarh, July 21 The meeting was to be held in the Municipal Council office. The president of the committee, along with other members, reached the office at the scheduled time and waited for half an hour. The meeting was put off as the opposition members did not turn up. The president of the committee, Mr Vijay Singh Indora, held the opposition members responsible for the postponement of the meeting. He said some important development projects of the city were to be discussed at the meeting. He said the flood situation could not be reviewed as the meeting did not take place. Mr Indora criticised the opposition members for not paying attention towards the development projects of the city. |
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SFI activists hold rally Hanumangarh, July 21 The rallyists visited the schools and in the Nehru Memorial College they forcibly suspended the classes. After this the students placed barriers and disturbed the traffic. At a meeting held after the rally, the speakers criticised the policy of the government to hike the fee in the name of computer education and demanded a rollback in the hike. |
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He ate flies
to move govt officials Madurai, July 21 Farook, from Palayankottai in Tirunelveli town, said he was forced to eat flies as repeated requests to the officials concerned to take action for eradication of the mosquito menace failed to yield any result.
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Training camp for election officers held Hanumangarh, July 21 Mr Chandellia was speaking at a meeting called to discuss the training of the officers appointed for the by-election to ward number 6 of the Municipal Council. Mr Chandellia said to complete the election process properly, it was necessary to understand the working of electronic voting machines which were to be used here for the first time. He requested all parties to follow the code of conduct. At the meeting, the Assistant District Returning Officer, Mr Hanuman Singh Shekhawat, gave information about legal provisions regarding the election. Several officers attended the training camp. |
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INDIAN LAMPS LIGHT UP
CALIFORNIA HOMES PRISONER HELD 6 YRS AFTER ABSCONDING POACHING CASE AGAINST SALMAN MAN MURDERED FOR USING BLACK MAGIC BLAST ACCUSED HOSPITALISED 19 PASSENGERS HURT IN MISHAP |
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Bhubaneswar, July 21
