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Sonia’s visit a booster to Maharashtra relief steps
Sharp increase in infiltration, says Pranab
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Sarna meets PM, seeks CBI probe into ’84 riots
Aggrieved, Speaker
plans PM’s RS speech made no reference to Kairon 2 girls buried alive in building collapse AICC youth wing
reconstituted
Efforts to resurrect cheetah fail
Vohra meets Patil, discusses Kashmir
Bangalore Diary Dance bars to close down from today
Sex workers play cricket for a cause
Child labour in
Chennai hotels Villages under water, politicians busy elsewhere
EC directs Bihar to fill
key police posts
2 women stabbed in Mumbai
PM’s Media Adviser gets Secy rank
Sonia to hoist flag at AICC HQs
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Sonia’s visit a booster
to Maharashtra relief steps
Mumbai, August 13 Several senior Congress leaders in Maharashtra, including Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Prabha Rau, have made strong representations against Mr Deshmukh, according to sources. The Chief Minister has drawn a flak for the poor handling of the outbreak of various water-borne diseases which has claimed more than a 100 lives across the state. The recent spat between Mr Deshmukh and the Minister for Health, Dr Vimal Mundada over declaring an epidemic in Mumbai, too, has been brought to the notice of Ms Gandhi, sources say. Clearly on the defensive today, Mr Deshmukh has had to credit Ms Gandhi with several relief measures announced hastily in Kolhapur, where the Congress party chief began her Maharashtra visit. Ms Gandhi kicked off her Maharashtra visit from Pune from where she went to Kolhapur by road. These areas had seen large-scale destructions from the floods though the number of deaths from water-borne diseases has been minimal. At the Narsingwadi village in Kolhapur’s Shirol
taluka, a traditional stronghold of the Congress, Ms Gandhi promised assistance from the state government. Also on her itinerary were villages in neighboring Sangli district. Meanwhile, the state government has claimed that the death toll from waterborne diseases in Mumbai and Thane has risen to 100. Health officials have also belatedly admitted to deaths from the rural areas caused by
leptospirosis, dengue, malaria and cholera. Officials have admitted to just two deaths from Bhiwandi town, which was badly hit by the floods. However correspondents claim that deaths from the slums of this town that have gone largely unreported. Sources say details of casualties from private hospitals are trickling in only now and the total death toll is expected to cross 200. Nearly 600 persons were brought into Mumbai’s hospitals from last evening to this afternoon, sources said. Most of them are suffering from fever though not many are in a serious condition. |
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Sharp increase in infiltration, says Pranab
New Delhi, August 13 In his customary address to the Indian troops on the eve of the Independence Day, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in spite of the fencing along the 742 km stretch along the Line of Control (LoC), there was a sharp increase in infiltration from across the border in the last two months. With utmost vigilance being shown by the troops, such attempts would be foiled, he said as he outlined the measures being undertaken to effect weapons and training upgradation of the forces. The Defence Minister also said that the country’s missile programme was progressing on schedule and without any hitches. “The country’s missile development programme is running smoothly and on schedule”, he said while adding that the other major defence programmes like the development of Light Combat Aircraft were also progressing speedily. He said the modernisation drive was being taken up as present security environment around the country was not conducive and the responsibilities of the security forces had increased manifold. He said the UPA government was laying much more emphasis to ensure that all arms deals were conducted in a “transparent manner”. This, he added, was being done while also speeding up the weapons acquisition process. To make the arms purchases process more transparent, the government had come out with new norms on purchases, he said. He assured the troops that the government would not tolerate any “irregularties” in such purchases. Mr Mukherjee said the emphasis was also being laid on upgrading training and war skills of the soldiers and added that the first batch of the indigenous Sukhoi-30MKI had recently rolled out and been inducted into the IAF. The Defence Minister told the troops that government had given a go ahead for implementation of the major part of the Ajai Vikram Singh Committee report, which would lead to more youthful profile in the armed forces as well as boost career prospects of the personnel. Mr Mukherjee also informed the troops that the government had initiated measures to construct two lakh houses for married personnel in different cantonments and armed forces stations and this would be completed in four phases. He appreciated the armed forces for their efforts in overcoming the tsunami disaster as well as recent calamities in Jammu and Kashmir and western India caused by heavy snowfall and rains. |
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Sarna meets PM, seeks CBI probe into ’84 riots
New Delhi, August 13 Welcoming Dr Manmohan Singh’s statement in the Rajya Sabha, which Mr Sarna described as an expression of regret from the bottom of the heart, the DSGMC said the tone and tenor of the Prime Minister’s speech has “rekindled hope in all the right thinking people that the government appears keen to implement the Nanavati report in the right earnest.” The delegation, in a memorandum to Dr Manmohan Singh, also demanded that the government should provide suitable jobs to children of riot-affected families by relaxing qualification norms for them. Mr Sarna said a demand was made that riot-hit families provided with flats should be exempted from paying further instalments. The DSGMC also said the Sikh youths who were forced to take shelter outside the country due to conditions prevailing after the Operation Blue Star should be allowed to join the mainstream and all the youth, including those arrested in the 1985 bomb-blast case, and who were languishing in jails for the last 20 years should be released immediately. |
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Aggrieved, Speaker plans to quit Kolkata, August 13 Earlier also, Mr Chatterjee wanted to resign but he withdrew the decision following requests from the senior party colleagues and the Politburo. Talking to mediapersons at the Kolkata Press Club today, Mr Chatterjee denied he had ever claimed that the Speaker was above all criticism. The Speaker was also an elected member of a political party and hence he was also open to political criticism, observed Mr Chatterjee. Mr Chatterjee, who is the longest tenured Lok Sabha member, he took over as Speaker at the time of the installation of the UPA government following the Politburo’s decision. But soon afterwards, he started disliking the Speaker’s job and at one stage he expressed his desire to relinquish the Chair. But later he gave up the idea and continued to act as Speaker, though mentally he was not suitable for the Speaker’s chair. He felt he was failing to do justice to the people, who had voted him to the Lok Sabha, from the Speaker’s post. But still Mr Chatterjee regretted that he had unnecessarily become a subject of criticism by the Opposition and even CPM members. He was shocked that Ms Mamata Banerjee had alleged that she had been denied the opportunity to raise the issues of infiltration and false voter’s list in the Lok Sabha, which provoked her to resign from Parliament. Yesterday also, there was uproar in the House over his role in the Lok Sabha following the publication of a news item in a paper questioning his impartiality.
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PM’s RS speech made no reference to Kairon New Delhi, August 13 This reference was meant to dispel the popular perception regarding strained relations between the Congress and the Sikh community and instead underline the enduring nature of ties between the two. A day later, in his Rajya Sabha speech the reference to Kairon was curiously missing although he did dwell on the support extended by Nehru to the people of Punjab. This seemingly minor variation seems to have gone unnoticed in Prime Minister’s unqualified apology for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which obviously grabbed all
headlines. There is no official reason being cited for this omission but Congress insiders surmise it could have to do with BJP leader V.K. Malhotra’s sharp reaction to the Prime Minister’s glowing tributes to Kairon. Participating in the debate in Lok Sabha, Mr Malhotra reminded the Prime Minister that it was the Congress which had humiliated Kairon and removed from the chief minister’s post. The BJP attack hit home as Congress leaders were literally squirming when reminded of the past. There was also a view that the BJP leader’s references had effectively diluted the impact of the Prime Minister’s speech. The Prime Minister’s Lok Sabha speech mentioned how Jawaharlal Nehru and Pratap Singh Kairon had a shared vision about the future of Punjab and had worked together in making the state what it is today. On the other hand, his intervention in the Rajya Sabha pointed out that post-Partition Punjab would not have been a prosperous state it is today but for “the visionary ledership and support that he people of Punjab received from Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.” Both his speeches also acknowledged the role played by Rajiv Gandhi in bringing Punjab back into the national mainstream. He recalled how the Rajiv-Longowal accord was signed and how Rajiv Gandhi was even charged with harming the Congress by handing over the Punjab government to the Akali Dal. But the former Prime Minister had brushed aside this criticism, saying, “It is immaterial whether the Congress wins or loses. What is really of substance is that India should prosper and develop.” However, there was no mention of Pratap Singh Kairon this time round.
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2 girls buried alive in building collapse
New Delhi, August 13 Two storeys of the four-storey building in Gandhinagar caved in at around 1.30 pm burying them, police sources said. Rescue operations involving police and firemen were launched immediately and the bodies of Saina (13) and Sarjina (14) were recovered from the debris, police sources said. The injured had been hospitalised, they said but it was not yet known whether more people were still buried in the debris. Investigations were on to determine how the building collapsed, the sources said.
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AICC youth wing reconstituted
New Delhi, August 13 Ashok Tanwar, who was appointed as IYC chief earlier will continue to head the organisation. Sukhpal Singh Bhullar has been appointed as new treasurer of the IYC, an IYC press note said today. The appointment approved by Congress chief, Sonia Gandhi included Ms Chayanika Uniyal (Rajasthan), Chandan Kumar Yadav (Bihar), Kamleshwar Patel (Madhya Pradesh), Manik Tagore (Tamil Nadu), Sheikh Mastan Wali (Andhra Pradesh), Pradeep Zaildar (Haryana), Prakash Joshi (Uttaranchal), Sunil Ahire (Mumbai) and Sushanta Borgohain (Assam) as general secretaries. The 12 Secretaries are Abdul Hannan (Delhi), Akhil Chaddha (MP), Ms Deepthi Marry Varghese (Kerala), Ms Jury S. Bordoloi (Assam), Manish Bishnoi (Rajasthan), Mohammed Fauzi (Orissa), Nagraj Chebbi (Karnataka), Naresh Sharma (Delhi), Nyamar Karbak (Arunachal Pradesh), Parpreet Barar (Punjab), Ms Yogita Tai V. Nandarkar (Maharashtra) and Yogesh Dixit. — PTI
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Efforts to resurrect cheetah fail
New Delhi, August 13 The proposal of the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) to resurrect the Indian cheetah by cloning suffered a major setback when Iran refused to send two cheetahs-a male and a female-to India for research purpose. Iran is the only country where close relative of the extinct Indian cheetah can still be found and from where the CCMB had been trying to get tissues for biotechnological intervention for the resurrection of the specie. In India, the last three of the specie, a mother and her two male cubs, were killed by a maharaja in a hunting expedition in 1947. While the ambitious cloning plan was initiated by the CCMB, later, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) suggested taking up a study of the present habitat of Asiatic cheetah in Iran for which it also constituted a team, comprising experts from the CCMB, Wildlife Institute of India, the Ahmedabad zoo and the Central Zoo Authority for initiating a dialogue with its Iranian counterpart for the conservation of species. But this proposal also ran into trouble when the Iranian Government, in a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs recently, did not allow Indian scientists to travel to Iran for sample collection. The Iranian Government’s letter instead suggested that due to close genetic similarity between the Asian and African wildcat, Indian scientists could use African wildcats in their studies. Led by CCMB Director Lalji Singh, the project entailed taking genes from live cheetah cells and fusing them with empty leopard cells. Dr Lalji Singh’s team had been working on the project for six years and was also in the process of getting a special laboratory costing Rs 12 crore, ready for launch in August. The lab has state-of-the-art facilities to develop test-tube baby methods, besides egg and sperm banks. |
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Vohra meets Patil, discusses Kashmir
New Delhi, August 13 During his 25-minute meeting with the Home Minister, Mr Vohra discussed the latest developments in the state on all fronts, including political and militancy-related, official sources said. After the Hurriyat signalled its desire last month to hold talks, consultations had begun at the top level in the government in this regard. A number of meetings had been held here recently involving Mr Vohra, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and other top officers of various ministries to discuss all aspects involved in such talks, including the modalities and ramifications. It may be recalled that Mr Vohra had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here last week. |
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Bangalore Diary Bangalore, August 13 The Janata Dal (Secular) threatened its coalition partner – the Congress — that it would sweep the carpet from under its feet in case it allowed sacked party leader and recently removed Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah into the national party. It simultaneously wooed BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, to break the BJP legislature party and join hands with the JD (S) to form a government. The Congress, not to be left behind, also offered a similar deal to Mr Yediyurappa. When the leader could not get the required numbers, he tried to consolidate the legislators he had on his side by spiriting them to a luxurious spa on the outskirts of the city. Just when it seemed Mr Yediyurappa may join the Congress without any legislators at his side, he did a volte- face and said there was no question of leaving the BJP. Mr Yediyurappa, who seemed to be being used by the Congress and the BJP for their selfish ends, cut his own deal with the BJP. He was declared as the party’s chief ministerial candidate in waiting, besides being assured that his bete noire and party national general secretary Ananth Kumar would not interfere in State affairs. The game over, all the political parties remembered their people in distress. There was a mad rush to reach out to the people leaving the state capital bereft of politicians till the next game of power play. TECHIS INDEPENDENC DAY — For techis the Independence Day this year means real independence from work. It is hard for a non techie to believe how important the extended weekend along with the Independence Day is. You only have to try to book any place and you come to know that all of them have been taken up. Popular destinations like Kodiakanal, Ooty, Kodagu, Kerala and Goa were sold out as early as August first week. Even the prospect of being resortbound in Kodagu due to rains has not deterred many. Many are going to places like Devbagh in northern Karnataka, which is 500 km away. There are those who are opting for international destinations like Thailand and Mauritius with a few extra days of leave being clubbed with the weekend. Those who have failed to get any accommodation are planning to chill out in resorts on the outskirts of the city. One can understand this feeling once one come to grips with the pressures under which professionals in the IT sector are working. With 12 to 13 hour per day being the norm at many places and continuous project work meaning no holidays, an extended weekend is God-sent. The State Transport Corporation is running at least 200 more buses to popular destinations in the state during the coming weekend. The South – Western Railways is not lagging behind. Today it announced that six special trains would run to Chennai, Thiruvanantha-puram, Ernakulam, Secuderabad, Bhopal and Delhi during this period. Extra coaches are also being attached to existing trains to cater to the extra rush.
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Dance bars to close down from today
Mumbai, August 13 The Bill, which amended the Bombay Police Act, 1951, prohibits staging of a dance of any type in an eating-house, liquor permit room or beer bar throughout the state. Any violation of the law is punishable with imprisonment for up to three years and fine up to Rs 2 lakh. Besides, the restaurant or bar would run the risk of losing its licence. The offence is cognisable and non-bailable. However, dance performances held at hotels having ratings three stars and above, drama theatres, cinema halls, auditoriums, sports clubs and gymkhanas are not covered under the Bill. Deputy Chief Minister R. R. Patil, who had pushed for the ban, had claimed the bars and restaurants were permitting “indecent, obscene or vulgar” dances, which were giving rise to the exploitation of women. Meanwhile, a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the ban was filed in the Bombay High Court yesterday. Mr Gangaram Chandwani, who claimed to be a regular customer of dance bars in the city, prayed to the court to direct the government to quash the Bombay Police (Amendment) Bill, 2005. According to the petition, the amendment is an attack on the fundamental rights of every citizens of India to engage oneself to the profession of his or her choice as the Constitution grants personal liberty to each and every citizen under Article 21. The amendment was brought without consulting the customers, hotel owners, dancers and the other parties to be affected by it, he argued. The petitioner also said due to the “sudden steps” of the state, thousands of persons engaged in this profession as dancers, waiters and stewards would come on streets and would be jobless.— UNI
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Sex workers play cricket for a cause
Chennai, August 13 The “Fast Annual Sex Workers Tournament - Cricket” (FAST cricket) was organized by an NGO, the Indian Community Welfare Organisation (ICWO), exclusively for the marginalised section of the society for the first time in this region. Twentyeight women were divided into two teams, India and rest of the world and while the Indian team wore blue jerseys with names of our famous cricketers, the World team wore white jerseys with names like Steve Waugh, Jayasurya, Martin Crowe and Muralitharan. Among them three are HIV positive. As the Rest of the World team trounced the Indian side by nine wickets in the 15-overs match, a group of students and NGO volunteers cheered Bhani, alias Jayasurya, for her 17 runs which made her the woman of the match. A smiling Bhanu said, “I have realized that I too can achieve many things in life. This has given me confidence which had evaporated since I took to the streets.” Said 57-year-old Radha, “It was a good physical activity also. I thought my life would end without any enjoyment. But now I have discovered that I can bowl very well.” Sumathi, who wore a Botham jersey, said: “It was my day and I felt like any other ordinary woman” as her sister Surya added: “I saw my sister smile after years. She always remained depressed after catering to drunk and abusive customers.” All of them are from the lower rung of the society and operate in a red light area of the capital. Said Ragini: “At least on that one day I can forget abusive customers and traumatic experiences.” Twenty-eight-year-old Manju dreamt of becoming a cricketer and playing for the Indian team when she was only 10 years old but poverty and a large family forced her into prostitution. “Though I loved cricket, I could not play because in my house, girls were not allowed to mingle with boys. My dreams were shattered and my life took an ugly turn when I was lured into the profession in order to help my family,” she said. While the winning team was given a trophy and the woman of the match a special trophy, all the players were awarded with small cups. “This is the biggest trophy in my life” said 50-year-old Parvati displaying the six inches bronze cup. Said Sheila: “This will be the first cup I will take home in my life. My children will be proud of me for the first time.” |
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Child labour in
Chennai hotels Chennai, August 13 A survey by the NGO stated that small hotels have a higher prevalence of child labour. As much as 43.28 per cent of city’s total child workforce work in small hotels and are badly exploited. While medium hotels employ 29.10 per cent, nearly 27.62 per cent are employed by large units. Nearly 52 per cent of child labourers in the city are between 12 to 14 years of age, the survey said. These children have been subjected to poor working conditions, long hours of work, low payment and sexual abuse. When NGO field officers carried out this survey, they had to face the rage of many hoteliers who did not want to part with information. According to Mr S. Ramachandran, a Peace Trust researcher, “The state government had announced on April 30, 2003, that it would end the prevalence of child labour system in hazardous industries by 2005 and abolish child labour by the end of 2007. The Common Minimum Programme of the United Progressive Alliance government had also promised to put an end to this issue. But despite efforts of the authorities concerned, the problem still persists very much in the city and elsewhere.” The Peace Trust had conducted the survey as part of their Direct Action Programme during 2003-2004 to prohibit child labour in the hotel industry. The survey had recommended that child labour in the hotel industry be classified as the worst. Opportunities for adult employment should be created in whichever occupation child labourers were found, the survey report said, adding that trade unions should play an active role to ensure that employers adhered to statutory laws with regard to working conditions and wages – so that job opportunities for adults could be created. Mr Ramachandran stated: “The government and its machinery should enforce stringent measures to remove child labour from the hotel industry and, at the same time, ensure that children removed from work were properly rehabilitated,”
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Villages
under water, politicians busy elsewhere Bangalore, August 13 The Janata Dal (Secular) threatened its coalition partner – the Congress — that it would sweep the carpet from under its feet in case it allowed sacked party leader and recently removed Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah into the national party. It simultaneously wooed BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, to break the BJP legislature party and join hands with the JD (S) to form a government. The Congress, not to be left behind, also offered a similar deal to Mr Yediyurappa. When the leader could not get the required numbers, he tried to consolidate the legislators he had on his side by spiriting them to a luxurious spa on the outskirts of the city. Just when it seemed Mr Yediyurappa may join the Congress without any legislators at his side, he did a volte- face and said there was no question of leaving the BJP. Mr Yediyurappa, who seemed to be being used by the Congress and the BJP for their selfish ends, cut his own deal with the BJP. He was declared as the party’s chief ministerial candidate in waiting, besides being assured that his bete noire and party national general secretary Ananth Kumar would not interfere in State affairs.
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EC directs Bihar to fill
key police posts
New Delhi, August 13 In a communication to the Chief Secretary, the EC pointed out that the posts of Superintendents of Police in Siwan, Patna Rural, Supaul, Sheikhpura and Jamui remained vacant. It directed the state administration to take immediate steps to fill up the posts and sought a compliance report by August 17. |
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2 women stabbed in Mumbai Mumbai, August 13 The assailant was nabbed by a police team. The youth, who identified himself as Junaid Patel, has been arrested immediately.
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PM’s Media Adviser gets Secy rank
New Delhi, August 13 According to an official press note issued today Dr Baru’s elevation has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. Before becoming Media Adviser to the Prime Minister last year, Dr Baru was the Editor of “Financial Express”.
— UNI |
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Sonia to hoist flag at AICC HQs New Delhi, August 13 This will be Manmohan Singh’s second visit to the AICC office since he took over as Prime Minister. He had attended the same ceremony last year. Although Ms Gandhi will hoist the National Flag at the function, the Prime Minister will join her in distributing sweets among
children. |
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Police medals for BSF personnel
New Delhi, August 13 Police Medal for Gallantry: I S Rana, COMDT; Pramod Kumar, 21C; P M Jeenghar, AC; V S Tiwari, AC; Lakhvir Singh, AC; Rajneesh Kumar, AC; INSP Sanjay Upadhyaya; INSP Surender Kumar; SI Himat Singh Negi; CT G H Khan; CT Udaivir Singh; CT T H Daimrjimao; CT Babu P; CT C D Somanna; CT Mohd Ishaq; late HC G Suseelan; late HC Satya Singh; CT Abdul Taslim; CT Mukesh Kumar; CT Pradeep Kumar; CT Bali Mohd; HC Kuldip Singh; CT Ved Prakash.
— PTI |
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Natwar to attend Kadirgamar’s funeral New Delhi, August 13
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