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Left parties meet today
Cong to monitor steps to check price rise
Heavy rains throw life out of gear in Mumbai
Rains may arrive in Punjab, Haryana on |
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Taking methyl for alcohol, 11 die
Daughters sold to fight poverty
Seers to launch stir against Christian
“activities”
Gujarat Dalits “eclipsed” under Modi
6th Central Pay Commission
this month
Jawan thrown out of train
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Left parties meet today
New Delhi, July 3 The meet could also discuss its outside support to the Manmohan Singh government, but would take its final decision depending on the response the UPA government gives to the nine-page note submitted by the Left parties. The UPA-Left Coordination Committee is expected to meet this week and the Left parties meet would also finalise the strategy to be adopted. ''If the trend continues, the Left has to review the basis of its support... In tomorrow's meeting, we can think about deciding on an issue-based support,'' CPI national secretary Shamim Faizi said. The communists are angry at the government's move to disinvest 10 per cent stake in the two-profit making PSUs — Nalco and NLC. The meeting, to be attended by CPM general secretary Prakash Karat, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan, Forward Bloc leader D.Biswas and RSP leader Abani Roy, is also expected to discuss about the continuance of their support to the Manmohan Singh government, Left sources said today. According to the sources, the Left leaders are ''greatly upset'' with the growing isolation of the government from the common people, especially in the backdrop of the spiralling prices of essential commodities and the hike in petrol and diesel prices despite their staunch opposition. The Left parties are also peeved with the government's ''inaction'' on the nine-page note to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi last month suggesting measures to deal with the price rise. Among the suggested steps were stopping of forward trading and extending bank credit to the wholesale dealers, launching of de-hoarding drive under the Essential Commodities Act and strengthening of the PDS and speeding up of the arrival of vegetables at mandis, besides ensuring remunerative prices of agricultural products.
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Cong to monitor steps to check price rise
New Delhi, July 3 Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called AICC office-bearers tomorrow for a special briefing, a day ahead of her meeting with the party’s Chief Ministers, to discuss the party’s role in monitoring the measures taken by the state government in containing inflation. Tomorrow’s discussions with the office-bearers as well as the Wednesday meeting with Chief Ministers has been called especially to take stock of the ground situation and deliberate on how prices should be contained. Congress insiders
maintained that all Congress-ruled states already have coordination committees for interaction between the party and the government but it has become necessary to rejuvenate them so that the party machinery can effectively monitor the state government’s efforts on prices. This is in response to the widespread concern in the party that the popularity of the UPA government in general and the Congress in particular is on the wane over its perceived inability to check the price line of essential commodities like wheat, pulses and sugar. While the government has taken several measures in the recent past to deal with the situation, the Congress has also activated itself to send out a strong message that the party is not oblivious to the problems of the “aam
admi”, whose cause it professes to champion. Mrs Gandhi first called a meeting of the party’s working committee where members expressed concern over the spurt in prices of essential commodities and even rapped the government for not doing enough to deal with this situation. Tomorrow AICC office-bearers will brief Mrs. Gandhi about the ground situation in the different states, the efforts being made by the Congress state governments in containing prices and how the party is dealing with the problem of hoarding. “There are some issues which are handled only by the states so it is necessary to discuss them,” remarked a senior AICC
functionary, adding that hoarding was one such matter. It was stated that the Congress president was
likely to deliberate on how the state governments could tackle the problem of hoarding without resorting to the old draconian laws like the Essential
Commodities Act, which only ends up ushering in an “inspector raj” and harassing the common man.
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Heavy rains throw life out of gear in Mumbai
Mumbai, July 3 Low-lying areas across Mumbai were flooded, with the city and its suburbs receiving 129 mm and 165 mm of rainfall, respectively. Two persons were washed away on Monday after Chena river in Kashmira just outside the city's municipal limits breached its banks. The two victims lived in the tribal hamlets that are part of the Borivli National Park and were washed away when the waters rose. On Sunday, a child was washed away as a group of picnickers gathered at the Worli seaface to admire the rains. The rains which coincided with high tide saw road and rail transport being completely disrupted. Though both the Western and Central Railway claimed that no services were cancelled, trains were late by as much as 30 minutes, leading to overcrowding at railway stations. Traffic on the arterial Swami Vivekanand Road in the western suburbs was hit by waterlogging and vehicles were diverted through the Link Road which is still under construction. The Maharashtra Government had earlier promised that Mumbai's drains would be unclogged in order to enable the swift disposal of rain water in order to prevent a reprise of the last year's situation when a downpour of 900 mm in a few hours claimed nearly 400 lives. However much of the work has been done shoddily and waterlogging continues this year as well. The only lesson learnt by the authorities was to shut down schools in affected areas. More than 130 schools in vulnerable areas were shut to prevent students from being stranded. According to Air Traffic Control, flights taking off and landing at Mumbai were delayed and at least two flights were cancelled. Meanwhile, the weather bureau has predicted heavy rains for the next 48 hours. Reports from other parts of Maharashtra also indicate heavy rainfall. The Savitri in Satara district has breached the danger mark and around 25 villages have been cut off.
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Rains may arrive in Punjab, Haryana on July 5
New Delhi, July 3 In its latest update, the centre for forecasting says model predictions suggest that monsoon is likely to be in active phase and will further advance over the remaining parts of west Uttar Pradesh, west Madhya Pradesh, east Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, Punjab and over the remaining of Haryana during the next four to five day. Showers are expected over adjoining plains of the hilly areas of the north-west region, including Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. The centre for forecasting has also asked farmers of the region to transplant vegetables like brinjal, tomato, cauliflower during the week. For the farmers of central India, it says that sowing operation can be undertaken for maize, soybean, groundnut and vegetables. In Chhattisgarh, farmers are advised to take up short duration paddy varieties instead of long duration ones. According to the centre, a deep depression was noted over north Bay of Bengal, which is likely to initially progress in the west-northwest direction and then to westward across Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh. Under its influence, widespread heavy rainfall is expected over gangetic West Bengal, Orissa, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Jharkand during the next 24 to 36 hours. The activity is likely to extend to Chhattisgarh, east Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, many parts of east Uttar Pradesh and Telengana with the expected westward progression of deep depression during the next two days. Subsequently, rainfall over Konkan and Goa, central Maharashtra and South Gujarat is likely to increase from heavy to very heavy at few places in these areas. An upper air cyclonic circulation, lying over south Gujarat and north Konkan coast, is likely to persist for another two to three days. Under its influence, fairly widespread rains varying from heavy to very heavy are likely in south Gujarat and the Konkan coast , the centre adds.
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Taking methyl for alcohol, 11 die
Lucknow, July 3 Nine persons are struggling for their lives in the Faizabad district hospital. Except one, all deceased were poor Dalit landless agricultural labourers from over 10 surrounding villages. The deadly chemical is used in the pesticide industry. The death toll might go up as affected villagers had parcelled off the chemical to their friends and relatives in many other places. It was a bizarre scene as a large number of men, women and even children trudged from their villages to the accident scene armed with cans, buckets and empty cola and mineral water bottles. They filled the leaking chemical from the tanker, taking it to be alcohol. The drama went on for many hours. Many of these villages make local brews. According to the Secretary, Home, Mr R.N. Srivastava, police and Excise Department officials had reached the spot and had warned the villagers against consuming the chemical. However, their warning had no effect on them. According to eye witnesses, villagers not only started drinking on the spot, but also took stock for their homes and to be given to their relatives and friends in other villages. The majority of the affected villagers are from Barai Kalan, Begumganj, Shahbazpur, Muzzafra, Chamar ka purwa, Mendaura, Shankargarh, Gauria Mau, Sarai Daulat and Kulsanda falling in Barabanki and Faizabad districts. The tanker had overturned around 3 pm on July 1 near Lohia Bridge. It was bringing the toxic chemical from Assam and was to be delivered at Ghaziabad. Driver Daud Ali, now under police custody, had informed the police about the accident. He claims to have personally appealed to the villagers not to consume the poisonous chemical. The effect of the chemical started showing soon as villagers started falling unconscious. The first death had occurred that very night and the body was quietly disposed off. Soon one after another victim succumbed to the chemical and died before any medical aid could be reached. It was then that some of them were taken to the Faizabad district
hospital.
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Life imprisonment for
Babloo Shrivastava
New Delhi, July 3 Additional Sessions Judge of a fast-track court, Mr Rajender Kumar, held Shrivastava and Nitin Shah guilty under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder) of the IPC for the murder of Lalit Suneja. According to prosecution, Shah and Shrivastava hired two persons, Manjit Singh and Virender Pant, for eliminating Suneja, who had some financial dispute with Shah. However, the court acquitted Manjit Singh for want of evidence. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 each on Shrivastava and Mumbai-based businessman Nitin Shah. The prosecution claimed that Soneja was murdered on August 2, 1992, in Shakarpur area by Manjit Singh and Virendra Pant on the instructions of Shrivastava. Pant and Manoj Dixit, along with Manjit Singh, were hired by Shrivastava for killing Soneja. Pant and Dixit died during the course of the trial.
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Daughters sold to fight poverty
Bharatpur, Rajasthan, July 3 One such village though has a quarry, some shops and fields where people cultivate mustard. Ask them if these means of livelihood weren’t sufficient for them, and they either give a blank stare or a cynical laugh echoes into the wilderness. Stark poverty and unemployment have forced 58 families in the Bedia community of Ghatoli, where a total of 163 families live, out of which 70 are Bedias, to follow the inhuman practice. But again one look at their houses shows the older women wearing gold jewellery, buffaloes in most of the houses and the men indulging in gambling and drinking. A local NGO, Samriddhi, active in all these villages and especially involved with educating children belonging to these communities, tries to dispel the confusion. ‘’Poverty and unemployment are no doubt the main reasons behind this. But now it seems that they are content with the way it is and would not even look for an alternative,’’ Rano Behen, who runs the NGO, said. When a girl is 12, the father or a brother takes her to a big city and hands her over to a relative, already in the profession. Some girls go willingly, charmed by the prospects of earning fat money, while others have no choice. These women continue in the profession till they are 35 and retire thereafter. Meanwhile, they visit their villages twice a year, during Deepawali and in April, with money and gifts for the family. Interestingly, even the wife of the male member is engaged in the trade. Men pay as much as Rs 2 lakh to ensure that the girl is a virgin and that she continues the ‘purdah’ system in front of the elders. — UNI
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Seers to launch stir against Christian “activities”
Bangalore, July 3 Informing this to reporters here today, Sri Vishwesha Thirtha Swamiji of Udupi Pejawar Math, who had constituted a five-member fact finding committee under the chairmanship of Justice Bikshapathy, a retired Judge of the AP High Court, alleged that the Christians were hurting the sentiments of Hindus by propagating their religion and trying to convert people in Tirumala. ‘’This will badly affect peace and religious amity in the nation.’’ The committee, comprising former AP Director General of Police T.S. Rao, former AP High Court Judge K G Siddappa, Former Vice Chancellor of Sri Padmavathi Mahila Viswa Vidyalaya P Geervani and former VC of Dravidian University, Kuppam, R Shrihari, handed over the report to the seer after completing its mission in Tirumala for two days from June 20. The seer, also the vice-president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, said every citizen was free to follow the religion of his choice. “However, what the evangelists were doing was not acceptable. Conversion done by force was condemnable. This was nothing, but a hate campaign against the Hindu religion which would have serious repercussions, he warned.’’ He demanded that the AP Government took immediate steps to transfer all non-Hindu employees and trustees in Hindu religious centres and universities, schools and colleges run by Hindu religious
institutions. The Committee, in its report said, early this year, a pastor and his wife had travelled to Tirumala and distributed religious pamphlets to passengers in the bus. One of the passengers had complained about the matter to officials of the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams (TTD) following which a case was registered against the pastor. It said the distribution of pamphlets and copies of Bibles to students who were returning after writing a competitive exam in Tirupati in May last had sparked off tension in the temple-town. Some of the family members of the TTD were practicising Christianity and also holding public masses by inviting pastors, it said. The committee said as per a state law, the population living in Tirumala should adhere to norms and practices of the Hindu religion. It also banned
possession of holy books of other religions and any kind of propagation of other religions.
— UNI
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Gujarat Dalits “eclipsed” under Modi
Gandhinagar, July 3 “The present government in Gujarat has a poor track-record in tackling crimes against backward sections of society,” she said, addressing the daylong ‘jan-mitra shibir’ (conference of party workers) organised by the Scheduled Caste cell of the Congress. She claimed that Dalits were “eclipsed” in Gujarat at present. “In the year 2005, there were a total of 967 cases of atrocities against Dalits in Gujarat where many were murdered, raped, burnt and seriously injured,” she told the gathering of party workers who had assembled from different parts of the state. “This year in just six months, there were a total of 412 cases of atrocities registered against backward classes, including Dalits,” she said, adding the figures she was quoting were sourced from the Social Justice department of Gujarat. “In many of these cases FIRs are yet to be registered,” Ms Kumar added.
—PTI
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6th Central Pay Commission
this month
New Delhi, July 3 Notably, he had made an announcement in this regard in Februrary this year. "The Prime Minister told us that the notification setting up the commission will be issued within this month," said S.K.Vyas, secretary- general of the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers. The delegation, which met the Prime Minister, was led by CPM leader Basudeb Achariya. The delegation also comprised the confederation's chairman C.C. Pillai, Mr Vyas and its secretary K.K.N. Kutty. A letter submitted to the Prime Minister by the delegation also demanded Rs 1,000 as interim relief till the new pay scales were announced as well as retrospective effect for the commission from January 1 this year. Notably, the Prime Minister had announced in February this year that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has decided to constitute the sixth Pay Commission for the Central Government employees. Allaying fears of fiscal burden, the Prime Minister has asserted, “The fiscal situation has improved a lot and states are flush with funds. The last pay revision took place in 1994”.
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Jawan thrown out of train
Patna, July 3 This was yet another incident of lapse of security measures in trains in Bihar — an issue often gets
sandwiched between the Railway and the state administration. The 35-year-old Army jawan was now battling serious injuries at the government hospital in Aarah. Mr Dutta told mediapersons that the youths had started drinking in front of the toilet door and when he asked them not to drink inside the train, they threw him out of the running train.
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