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Saturday,
July 5, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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File
appeal against Best Bakery verdict, NHRC chief asks Modi Muslim
board to discuss Kanchi Kalyan
government refused to change |
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CAS to
be introduced Court
turns down BJP to
amend its constitution at
Raipur meeting: Javdekar 2 lakh
hit by floods in Bihar Foodgrains
output likely to fall
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File appeal against Best Bakery verdict, NHRC chief asks Modi New Delhi, July 4 In a letter to the Gujarat Chief Minister, NCM Chairman, Tarlochan Singh has said that the Commission is greatly disturbed by Press insinuations that the minorities are afraid to depose in the latter’s regime. “Your state administration is accountable to you and if there has been a lacunae on their part to bring the culprits to book, we would suggest that you file an appeal against this judgement, instruct your administration to present the correct facts and ensure that the eyewitnesses are not cowed down or
terrorised," The letter reads. The NCM Chairperson has said that every Judge is bound to give a judgement by evaluating the evidence that is produced before him and it is necessary that the prosecution and the investigating agencies do their homework thoroughly and fairly. Mr Singh has said that the Commission is startled by the comments of the Judge in the aforesaid case that the investigation had been shoddy. The Commission has asked Mr Modi to encourage the minorities and involve them in all activities of the government. At a meeting here on Friday, the Commission decided to meet the Chief Justice of India and the Union Minister for Law and Justice to impress upon them the need to make special
provisions for speedy justice to minorities in all courts in the country. The
Commission has expressed the desire that the state would give equal importance to all criminal cases lodged after the riots. Sources in NCM said that there should not be any disparity in cases on account of the Godhara incident and incidents in other parts of the state. |
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4 Godhra carnage accused granted bail Ahmedabad, July 4 Justice C.K. Butch upheld the bail pleas of all four, including the prime accused Mohammed Hussain Kalota, who is a Congress corporator at Godhra. The other accused granted bail are Siraz Jamsa, Mohammed Yuseli and Salim Sheikh. They were all arrested last year. Earlier, the accused had applied for regular bail in the city civil and sessions court here, but their pleas were rejected. They then moved bail applications before the high court.
— UNI |
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Muslim board to discuss Kanchi seer’s proposal Lucknow, July 4 The proposal was sent by the Shankaracharya last month to the AIMPLB chairman Maulana Syed Mohammed Rabe Hassan Nadvi last month. “The closed documents sent by the Hindu seer would be opened before the working committee of the board to discuss the proposals sent to sort out the issue,” sources in the AIMPLB told UNI today. About 41 members of the working committee of the board are slated to participate in the meeting to be held at Nadwa college here in the morning hours. Even though the recent effort, supported by the Central Government, has been mooted the litigants in the Ayodhya title suits, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other people involved in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, have opposed the move. Sources hinted that the actual proposal of the Shankaracharya might not be made public during the Board’s meeting and if anything positive was taken up, the decision would be conveyed to the seer personally. “If the members want any further amendment in the proposal then it would be sent to Kanchi, without disclosing it before the media,” the AIMPLB sources maintained. Mr Nadvi, without disclosing the formula of the Shan-karacharya, told UNI that he had seen the two-page letter, written in English, sent by the seer and received by the Board on June 20.
— UNI |
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Kalyan government refused to change New Delhi, July 4 The Centre’s counsel Lala Ram Gupta, who had concluded his arguments on the Centre’s stand before the panel, in his written submissions, said that considerable differences had arisen between the Union Home Ministry and the Kalyan Singh government regarding the preparation of the new security plan for the protection of the structure. The Chief Minister had struck to his stand that no interference by the Centre was required as maintaining the law and order was the state subject, Mr Gupta said. He has termed the relations between the Centre and the state at that point of time as “hostile”. The tone and tenor of the correspondence between the then Union Home Minister S.B. Chavan and Kalyan Singh on November 24 and 25, 1992 and the Chief Minister’s letter to the Prime Minister, protesting the deployment of Central forces, indicated towards the hostile relations, Mr Gupta contended. The then state government was of the view that the security arrangements made by it for the December 6, 1992, “kar seva” were adequate and the forces deployed there were competent to protect the structure. “It (UP government) felt that maintaining the law and order was a state subject and the plan drawn by it was adequate and no further changes were required in it,” the Central Government counsel submitted. The Centre’s arguments were in response to Kalyan Singh’s allegations that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and several other senior leaders of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar were behind the “conspiracy” to demolish the disputed structure. Kalyan Singh, who was expelled from the BJP about three years ago, had made these allegations after the Centre’s counsel had put the blame on him for the failure to protect the mosque, demolished by a mob of kar sevaks. The differences between the Union Home Ministry and the Uttar Pradesh government could also be noticed from Kalyan Singh’s letter to the then Home Minister S.B. Chavan on December 1, 1992, pointing out that the deployment of the central para-military forces at Ayodhya was “unconstitutional and unilateral”, Mr Gupta claimed. Giving a clean chit of the sort to the then Congress government, headed by P.V. Narasimha Rao, the written arguments said the Central Government was continuously and closely monitoring the situation and the security arrangements in and around the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid complex. Though the state government had on several occasions accepted most of its suggestions and even clarified its position, it differed about making the changes in the security arrangements, the Union Government counsel said. |
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Kalyan attacks Maya on govt functioning Aligarh, July 4 Claiming that over 36 officials of the IAS and IPS cadres were “arbitrarily suspended” in recent months, he said he would support action against corrupt and ineffective officials but “the truth is that many honest officials are being harassed for being unable to gratify the illegitimate demands of their political masters”. The plight of the IAS officials in UP is “pitiable” but the sad part is that instead of showing moral courage some of these officials are “virtually prostrating” before their political masters, Mr Kalyan Singh told reporters here. The IPS cadre has at least shown some courage by voicing anger over suspension of its cadre officials, he said.
— PTI |
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Jagmohan
denies accusing UP Govt New Delhi, July 4 He pointed out that in fact he had expressed satisfaction over the state government’s order of stopping the work and instituting an inquiry. Talking to reporters here, the minister said in fact he had convened a meeting of senior officials of his ministry to discuss the conservation and improvement of the Taj
Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Sikandara and also the general civic problems of Agra city. His ministry was also investing Rs 20 crore on these monuments, he said and stressed the need for effective coordination and understanding among various field agencies to ensure complete results. The minister had, at a recent press conference, said the state government would have to bear the losses caused to the Taj by the Taj Heritage Corridor project as the monument could get damaged during monsoons. Asked whether a UNESCO team would visit the
Taj, a World Heritage site, Mr Jagmohan said the world body could always visit the site if it wanted. The minister said the world- famous “Rock Shelters of
Bhimbetka” in Madhya Pradesh had been included in the World Heritage list by the UNESCO. The minister said the UNESCO Paris office today informed that his ministry’s recommendation regarding including the Bhimbetka caves as a World Heritage site had been unanimously accepted by the World Heritage Committee at its 27th meeting held yesterday. This would go a long way in reinforcing the antiquity of the Indian civilisation and also promoting cultural tourism, he said. Last year the Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodhgaya was included in the list of World Heritage sites. |
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CAS to be introduced from Sept 1 New Delhi, July 4 Subscribers would continue to pay the current rates between July 15 and August 1, and then a flat rate of Rs 72 plus taxes for one month till September 1 when CAS would be introduced in accordance with the notification of January 14. Mr
Prasad, however, denied that this meant that CAS had been deferred. The announcement was made after an almost day-long meeting in the Prime Minister’s Office between Mr Sudhendra
Kulkarni, Joint Secretary in the PMO and Media Advisor to Mr Prasad, and broadcasters, multiservice operators and cable operators. Today’s meeting assumes significance in view of the proposal finalised yesterday for introducing CAS in a phased manner in New Delhi and Mumbai and in one go in the other two metros from July 15. Both cable operators and the MSOs had yesterday rejected the broadcasters’ proposal for a dual feed for a transitory period as they said this would mean installing digital ‘Headends In The Sky’ (HITS).
— UNI |
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Court turns down Sharma’s bail plea New Delhi, July 4 Dismissing the petition by the former IPS officer, who has been in judicial custody for the past nine months, Additional Sessions Judge
J.M. Malik said the former IPS officer could perform the ceremony in the Tihar jail, where he is presently lodged and the required material for the rites would be made available to
him. R.K. Sharma, accused of conspiring the murder of Indian Express correspondent
Shivani, who was found dead at her flat in an East Delhi locality on January 23, 1999, had sought bail for the “chaubarsi (fourth year ceremony after death) of his father. The court accepted the arguments of Chief Prosecutor
S.K. Saxena that granting bail to R.K. Sharma might result in his tampering with the evidence. The prosecutor said since Shivani’s sister and some other important witnesses were listed for the
cross-examination on July 10, his release on bail would not be proper at this stage. “He may attempt to influence these important witnesses,” the Chief Prosecutor
contended. R.K. Sharma was accused of taking the services of Pradeep Sharma, Satya Prakash, Sri
Bhagwan, Ved Prakash and Ved, alias Kalu, the other accused, in executing the murder for obtaining certain documents from
Shivani, which he allegedly had supplied to her while working as OSD in the Prime Minister’s Office. The police had alleged that the former IPS officer had friendly relations with
Shivani. |
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BJP to amend its constitution at New Delhi, July 4 Addressing his first formal press conference after his appointment as the additional spokesman for the party, Mr Prakash Javdekar said the national executive meeting would also clarify an earlier provision regarding the term of the president that “No member will hold post of president for more than one term of three years. This, after getting approved by the Raipur meeting, would stand as “No member will hold the post of president consecutively for more than one term of three years”, he said. Right from the lowest level of mandal committees, the strength of the committee members would be increased substantially to accommodate a large number of active members and allocate different and specific responsibilities to them, Mr Javdekar said. In the state executive committees, the number of members of small states would increase from 40 to 50, the medium sized states would see the number increase from 50 to 60, and the number of members in large state committees would increase from 60 to 70, he pointed out claiming that this was felt necessary as the support for the party was increasing every day. More and more people from all walks of life were keen to actively contribute to the party work, the new BJP spokesman said, adding that the party’s support base in the rural areas and in suburban townships had been growing consistently because of the BJP’s social expansion programme. The number of office-bearers would also increase at all levels, he said, adding that one vice-president, one general secretary and one secretary would be added at all levels from mandal to national executive. It was also proposed that the general secretary (organisation) would be a whole timer from the district level onwards, Mr Javdekar said. With a view to tackle the growing incidences of indiscipline in the party swiftly, the party’s constitution would be amended, he said, adding that the proposed amendments were recommended by a committee consisting of Prof Om Prakash Kohli, Mr Pyarelal Khandelwal, Mr Rajnath Singh, Mr Kalraj Mishra and Mr L. Ganeshan. The amendments were discussed and cleared by the national office-bearers meeting at Gwalior earlier this month. |
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2 lakh hit by floods in Bihar Patna, July 4 “Two lakh persons living in 121 villages of five districts are affected by floods”, a state Relief Department press note said today. Flood has affected five northern districts of Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Saharsa and Sheohar of the state inundating 20,000 hectares of land, the department official said. Crop worth Rs 2.40 lakh have been damaged in a total cropped area of .04 lakh (4000 hectares). Five houses worth Rs 18 lakh (18000
hectares) have so far been damaged in the floods. The department has so far not accepted any death in the floods but the local media has put the toll at 10. The Central Water Commission (CWC) press note said today that all major rivers of the northern parts of the state (lying close to the Himalayan foothills) emanating from Nepal were flowing above the danger levels and maintaining the rising trend. The Gandak, the Baghmati, the Adhwara group of rivers, the Kamala Balan, the Gandak, the Mahananda and the Koshi are flowing above danger levels at various places. The Ganges is showing rising trends in the state capital, the Buxar, and Bhagalpur areas. The department officials said altogether 80 country boats had been pressed into service to ferry the displaced people to safer places. “All District Magistrates have already been allotted the funds for flood relief and it is upto them to start the relief work wherever necessary”, Mr Upendra Sharma, Deputy Secretary of the Relief Department, said. According to the National Flood Commission’s report, 76 per cent of North Bihar’s areas are under the threat of floods. Out of the total of 38 districts, 24 are in the grip of floods. As per the department, more than 350 persons were killed in last year’s floods and 18.45 lakh hectares of the area in 24 districts were affected by floods. Crops worth Rs 39637.24 lakh in 8.1 lakh hectares, 3,84,388 houses worth Rs 44590 lakh and public property worth Rs 29547 lakh were damaged in the last year’s floods. |
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Foodgrains
output likely to fall New Delhi, July 4 The fourth advance estimates of the foodgrains production of the Agriculture Ministry disclosed that total foodgrains output in 2002-03 was 182.57 million tonnes — almost 28 million tonnes less than the target of 220 million tonnes and 20 million tonnes less than the last year’s production of 212.02 million tonnes. The production of rice (rabi and kharif combined) is estimated to be 75.72 million tonnes, much less than last year’s 93.08 million tonnes. Total output of wheat (69.32 million tonnes) is also estimated to fall short of the expectations. While the target set was 78 million tonnes, 2002-03’s output would still be less than 2001-02’s final figure of 71.81 million tonnes. The story is no better for pulses and oil seeds. According to the advanced estimates, the production of pulses during 2002-03 was 11.31 million tonnes as against 13.19 million tonnes in the previous year. Output of oilseeds, on the other hand, has fallen to 157.5 lakh tonnes. While the reasons behind the fall in the last year’s foodgrains output can been attributed to abnormally deficient rainfall in most parts of the country, Kharif production of 2003-04 depends critically on the onset of monsoons to increase the sown area of the major kharif crops. As of now the total area of coverage was lagging significantly behind the last year’s coverage. The total area of coverage of Kharif rice reported so far is 30.2 lakh hectares as compared to 35.3 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year. In coarse cereals, the total area coverage reported so far is 4.70 lakh hectares as compared to 13.8 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year. Kharif pulses, which accounts for 48 per cent of the total pulses area and about 37 per cent of the total annual production of pulses in the country, the area covered so far is 4.44 lakh hectares as compared to 7.95 lakh hectares last year. Sowing of kharif oilseeds has taken place in 9.1 lakh hectares so far as compared to 20.2 lakh hectares covered in the corresponding period last year. |
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Chandigarh
tops in fund utilisation New Delhi, July 4 Chandigarh recorded a 97.5 per cent utilisation of the amount, followed by Daman and Diu (93.5 per cent) and Mizoram (93.2 per cent), according to a press note issued here. Rs 11209.3 crore had been released till June 30, against which, a cumulative expenditure of Rs 8751.17 crore was done. This showed a 78.1 per cent utilisation of the released amount. There has been a steady increase in utilisation of this money, as, in 1998, only 55 per cent was spent under the scheme. Launched in 1998, the scheme funds small community-oriented projects in the constituencies and states of the MPs. The purpose is to create durable assets for the community on the basis of local needs. The allocation under the scheme was doubled from the original Rs 1 crore per year in 1998-99 to Rs 2 crore per year. The amount is given to the head of the nodal district concerned and two Parliamentary Committees monitor the scheme. |
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