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9 bills in 17 minutes, all in a jiffy
RS adjourns sine die
’84 riots: CBI sleuths to question two key witnesses in US
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Villagers, cops clash near Kakinada
Raj men target music stores featuring Pak artistes’ works
Tea executive shot dead
Security of tourists top priority
Army Chief in Siachen for security review
Malegaon Blasts
‘New ATS chief biased against Muslims’
Raje chosen Leader of Opposition
11 bus passengers electrocuted in
MP
Gas fraud accused’s run ends
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9 bills in 17 minutes, all in a jiffy
New Delhi, December 23 Earlier, in the LS, the government pushed its agenda rather hurriedly, taking advantage of the uproar caused by NDA on the Antulay issue. Just when the house reassembled at 2 pm, post two adjournments, the NDA members trooped into the well of the house, raising anti-Antulay slogans. From the other side, the RJD, led by Ram Kirpal Yadav, retaliated with anti-Sangh Parivar slogans. Caught between the two warring factions, the Left kept beseeching the chair to ensure discipline in the house before important business is transacted. Not getting a response, the CPI and CPM marched into the well, with CPM’s NN Krishandas rushing towards the chair, alleging bias. In the midst of chaos, deputy speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal kept calling ministers, who passed legislations by a voice vote. Interestingly, the government brought an additional agenda this afternoon, passing each of the unlisted bills without any debate. These included the South Asian University Bill, the Cr PC Amendment Bill, the Constitution (STs) (UT) Order (Amendment) Bill 2008 and the Collection of Statistics Bill 2008. Already on the boil since yesterday, when the government had introduced two insurance sector bills, the Left party members tore the copies of legislative business, terming the day as “unprecedented in parliamentary history.” “The BJP has helped the UPA get important bills passed. This has never happened in the parliament. We are devastated,” Basudeb Acharia, leader of CPM in the Lok Sabha told The Tribune. The listed bills passed today include the PGIMER, Chandigarh Amendment Bill, the High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill 2008, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Amendment Bill and the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill. While the Left alleged desecration of rules, leader of the house Pranab Mukherjee later told The Tribune that the government had allowed all parties enough time to raise important matters. “Everyone had agreed to allow the afternoon session for passage of important bills. But then the entire proceedings were disrupted. The government has to, after all, transact important business,” he said.
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RS adjourns sine die
New Delhi, December 23 “The raison d’etre of our existence is enacting legislation after due deliberation and ensuring accountability of the executive. While much legislative activity has taken place in this session, the passing of important legislative business in the ‘din’ does no credit to our Parliament. Apart from its inherent undesirability, the absence of Parliamentary debate would not help future generations in ascertaining the legislative intent. The contrast with the debates of the Constituent Assembly and thereafter could not be starker,” Ansari said at the conclusion of the 214th session of the House. On Monday, the House passed South Asian University Bill, 2008, Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) (Union Territories) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2007, and Appropriation(No 4) Bill, 2008, without discussion as the Opposition created uproar over the Antulay issue. Likewise on Tuesday, with Opposition MPs unrelenting in protests when the House resumed after lunch, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2008, Information Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2008, and appropriation (Railways) No.5 Bill, 2008, were passed by the House without any deliberations. Terming 2008 a “difficult year”, Ansari said the nation faced heinous terrorist attacks and serious economic crisis, adding that 2008 would also go down in the Parliamentary history as the year when the House had lowest number of annual sittings. “A mere 46 sittings for the calendar year,” he added. During the 214th session, held in two parts - October 17 to 24 and December 10 to 23 - the House held 16 sittings and sat for more than 64 hours. As per statistical information, more than 10 hours were lost in uproar over issues like price rise, increasing incidents of terror strikes, banners displayed by some members in the House, attacks on north Indians by MNS workers in Mumbai, demand for resignation of Minority Affairs Minister A.R. Antulay and protests over introduction of an insurance reforms Bill. The House made up this loss by skipping lunch recess and sitting late for around 15 hours to complete legislative and other business. Meanwhile, Ansari appreciated members for supporting his new initiatives for smooth conduct of proceedings, especially the three-minute rule for Zero Hour.
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’84 riots: CBI sleuths to question two key witnesses in US
New Delhi, December 23 A court in Delhi had refused to close the case last year. One of the persons whom the CBI will be meeting is Jasbir Singh, who stays in San Francisco, California. The second person is Surinder Singh, who is living in New York. A two-member CBI team headed by an SP-level officer will be questioning Jasbir and Surinder, a CBI spokesman said while confirming the developments. The move of the CBI comes just months before the general elections and no signs of the culprits being brought to book. The ruling UPA combine has given some amount of compensation to the victims. CBI had to go to the US as Jasbir Singh refused to come to India to make his statement before a court. He cited a threat to his life not just in India but also in the USA. Chandigarh-based lawyer Navkiran Singh, who was arguing the case in India, said as of now he could not confirm what Jasbir had told the CBI. The CBI has earlier filed an affidavit in the Delhi High Court saying it would provide security to Jasbir and bear the cost of his travel expenses if he came to India to depose before the court. Jasbir refused and instead suggested video-conferencing to record his statement. He alleged that the CBI had failed to follow the right procedure for summoning him and was not conducting a fair trial in the case. He also accused the investigative agency of trying to protect the accused, a senior Congress leader and parliamentarian, Jagdish Tytler. Last year a metropolitan court in Delhi directed the CBI to reinvestigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case against former union minister Tytler. It rejected the agency's report submitted to the court earlier in which it had sought closure of the case. The CBI has been asked to submit a fresh report by January this year. This had come about after Jasbir through his counsel said he was willing to join in the investigations. He had alleged that he heard Tytler inciting a mob near Kingsway camp to kill Sikhs after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He had also submitted an affidavit before Justice Nanavati Commission, which has ordered reinvestigation. Jasbir is the last crucial witness in the case. The CBI had sent a notice to Jasbir's US address. The case under investigation pertains to FIR No 316 of 1984 of Bara Hindu Rao police station in Delhi and burning of a gurdwara on Rani Jhansi road on November 1, 1984. The Delhi police had initially carried out investigations but the case ended in acquittal of chargesheeted persons and is being re-investigated by the CBI. Jasbir had alleged that 26 of his relatives were burnt alive. The reinvestigation has been uncomfortable for the Congress, especially with a Sikh PM at its helm.
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Villagers, cops clash near Kakinada
Hyderabad, December 23 Tension gripped a string of villages near Kakinada when the police and revenue authorities were chased away by violent protesters who also removed fences erected in farm lands for demarcating lands meant for acquisition. The government has proposed to develop an oil refinery SEZ in the paddy-rich region for which over 9,860 acres of land is to acquired. The local villagers, environmentalist groups and opposition parties have been resisting the move on the ground that the project would lead to displacement of thousands of people, denying them their only source of livelihood. When a strong posse of policemen descended on Thondangi, Kothapalli, Srirampur and Perumamillapuram villages to assist in land acquisition process, the agitators turned violent and attacked the police party. Raising full-throated slogans of “SEZ down, down”, the villagers chased away policemen, damaged a police vehicle and remove fences erected by the revenue authorities. “We are prepared to sacrifice our lives for the sake of our lands. There is no question of parting with our lands,” said a protestor. Meanwhile, the main opposition TDP, CPI, CPI (M) and Lok Satta Party condemned the “coercive actions” of the Congress government in acquiring farm lands against the wishes of the villagers. The state government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ONGC in 2005 for setting up Kakinada SEZ. The local farmers had formed SEZ Vyatireka Porata Samiti (Anti-SEZ struggle committee) to protest against land acquisition. It had submitted affidavits to the AP state human rights commission stating that the farmers were being misinformed, forced and terrorised into surrendering their lands for the SEZ. In December last year, the SHRC had passed an interim order asking the government “not to adopt any coercive methods against farmers to part with their lands.” A writ petition filed by some farmers questioning the legality of the land acquisition is also pending in the high court. Andhra government has been pursuing an aggressive policy for promotion of SEZs and accounts for highest number of such zones in the country.
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HAL pays tributes to its founder
Bangalore, December 23 The HAL was founded on December 23, 1940, by the visionary industrialist after a chance meeting he had with an American aircraft manufacturer in a flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong. Set up at the thick of the World War II, the British colonial government soon took over the management of the company in 1942. This also signaled the beginning of the HAL’s tryst with the armed forces. To this day, the Indian Air Force has remained the main client of the HAL. “We live for the IAF. We are there because they are there”, Ashok Baweja, chairman, HAL, said while addressing the employees of the HAL. The celebrations begun with a wonderful display of aerobatic skills by Sarang, the helicopter-based aerobatic team. Using Advanced Light Helicopters manufactured by the HAL, the team performed one after another manouvres, aptly described as ‘gut wrenching’ by the commentator and received a huge applause from the audience. Displays by the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), Advanced Jet Trainer (Hawk Mk.132), Advanced Light Helicopter (Dhruv), and Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) followed. The show was wound up with display by the Suryakiran team of aircrafts. HAL, Russian Co. to make fifth-gen fighter aircraft
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) of Russia has signed a pact to jointly develop and produce a fifth generation fighter aircraft, HAL chairman Ashok K Baweja said here today. “We (HAL and UAC) are moving forward as per schedule. We (have) just done the general contract yesterday. I went to Delhi and signed the general contract,” Baweja said. He said under a preliminary inter-governmental agreement signed in October last year, the advanced multi-role fighter was being developed by Sukhoi, part of UAC, along with HAL. Asked about the proposed investment in the venture, Baweja said it was very difficult to say at this stage. “It will be quite a lot”, he said. Baweja talked to reporters on the sidelines of the celebrations of HAL Day function here. He said HAL had temporarily shelved its MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul of civil aircraft) venture plans at HAL airport following the slump affecting the world civil aviation market.
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Raj men target music stores featuring Pak artistes’ works
Mumbai, December 23 Activists of the MNS today began visiting music stores in different parts of the city to warn them against selling of music discs and videos featuring Pakistani artistes. The activists warned the shopkeepers to pull out from the shelves, ghazal albums and television serials from Pakistan. “We do not have any CDs of Pakistani artistes,” Rishad Curmally, one of the owners of Rhythm House, a popular music store in South Mumbai said. Thackeray had particularly singled out Rhythm House for selling albums featuring Pakistani artistes. On Monday, Thackeray said his workers would crack down on stores selling such discs. “They earn royalties from India and then come here to kill us,” Thackeray has been quoted as telling party workers. Raj Thackeray has drawn flak for his campaign against North Indians in the wake of the terrorist attack in the city. The names of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and other commandos who lost their lives in the operation against the terrorists have been used to taunt Thackeray for his anti-outsider speeches. Only last week, the MNS hit upon the idea of asking every Mumbaikar to donate 1 rupee each in order to buy bulletproof vests for the city’s police officials. However, the ploy did not work as the Maharashtra government sanctioned funds to beef up the equipment belonging to the police force.
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Tea executive shot dead
Guwahati, December 23 Secretary of the Assam Branch of Indian Tea Association (ABITA) Dhiraj Kakoti said deputy manager Gautom Kotoky of Corramore Tea Estate owned by Mcleod & Russel Group of Companies was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. The tea industry official termed the killing of the tea executive ‘very strange’ as there was no apparent threat to his life from any militant group. He said the garden authority did not report about receiving any threat or extortion demand from any militant group. Senior police officials rushed to the garden from the district headquarters following the incident. The tea garden is located under Harisinga Police Station. The identity of assailants was yet to be ascertained. Udalguri Deputy Commissioner S S Meenakshisundam told The Tribune over phone that the body of the tea executive bore bullet injury marks and it was spotted by some employees of the garden. The motorcycle of the tea executive was found missing. “We have not ruled out involvement of any militant group in the killing as the area is used as transit point by a few militant groups. We are using sniffer dogs to help investigation in the incident site.” Militants from the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA) are active in the area bordering Bhutan. The tea garden is considered vulnerable from security point of view as the area is infested by underground elements.
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Security of tourists top priority
Jaipur, December 23 During the review meeting, the minister emphasised on the fact that the security of the tourists and visitors to the state must receive high priority - especially considering the Mumbai carnage. She said the department should meet with the government’s law and order agencies to make a foolproof blueprint of the security of hotels and monuments. Kak also stressed upon the fact that a meeting be held with the private hotels to sensitise them about the security measures. The minister also focused upon the fact that only genuine heritage and rural tourism projects needed to be promoted under the heritage schemes. She also directed that the private sector be involved in the marketing and promotional efforts of the department. The minister also took an update of the Rajgramiya Cooperative Society Scheme and the Travel Advisory Board (TAB).
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Army Chief in Siachen for security review
New Delhi, December 23 General Kapoor left for Siachen this morning and would be there for a day to interact with the unit commanders and senior officers, before returning to the capital after taking stock of the situation, an official here said. A part of the visit will be to boost the morale of the troops in the remote areas in J&K along the borders with Pakistan. His trip has come even as the Prime Minister today said “ no one wants war” while the government had yesterday stated that it was not ruling out any option in its fight against terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Thing have heated up since Saturday when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and some senior ministers had deliberations with the armed forces at the PMO. Since the Mumbai carnage, Army units along the borders with Pakistan have been maintaining a close vigil. Some of IAF fighter squadrons in bases in forward areas have been conducting sorties.
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Malegaon Blasts
Mumbai, December 23 The police said the names of the two college teachers — Professor Kunte and Professor Deo — cropped up in the confessions of those already arrested in the blast case. The two professors are said to have participated in the training camp at the Bhonsala Military School at Nashik where people were taught to make bombs. Apart from the two professors, the investigators are questioning three Army personnel for providing knowledge to participants in the camps. All of them have been linked with arrested Army officer Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit who is in the custody of the police. The arrested Army officers are said to be two non-commissioned officers and one junior commissioned officer who were under Lt Col Purohit while he was posted at Military Intelligence. Meanwhile, the Kurla sessions court yesterday granted bail to Lt Col Purohit and Sudhakhar Chaturvedi in connection with the latter being provided with fake identity card of the Army.
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‘New ATS chief biased against Muslims’
New Delhi, December 23 Tiwari issued a statement here today pointing out that Raghuvanshi was removed from the same post and Karkare put in his place after reports of his bias against the Muslim community and relations with Malegaon blasts accused became public. Karkare earned the wrath of the BJP and Sangh parivar members when he arrested Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt-Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, Sudhakar Pandey and other members of the Abhinav Bharat, an outfit of the Hindutva brigade. The matter has also been brought to the notice of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, wherein Tiwari has alleged, “Before Hemant Karkare took over Raghuvanshi was the ATS chief. The Malegaon blasts took place during his tenure. That time the ATS had only held the Muslim community responsible for this blast and rounded up several Muslim youth in this connection.” The JDU leader pointed out, “Only later, when Karkare took over he based his investigations on the motorcycle owned by Pragya Thakur and arrested her and the Army officer Purohit.” He said, “The shocking aspect is that as ATS chief Raghuvanshi had invited Purohit in 2005 to the ATS headquarters and at Raghuvanshi’s request Purohit had trained the ATS staff in anti-terrorist operations.”
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Raje chosen Leader of Opposition
Jaipur, December 23 The 75 MLAs of the party went through the formality of chosing Vasundhra as leader. She avoided the media. Announcing her selection, Venkiah said the analysis of the BJP’s defeat so far suggested there was a lack of communication between leaders in power during BJP government and the party organisation. Secondly, he said the party suffered for its inability to control rebels, “We have learned from the experience. We would be plugging the loopholes to fare better in the Parliamentary elections.” Venkiah said the BJP did not lose power due to the anti-incumbency factor, “In fact, the voters did not give majority to the Congress also. Voters elected 75 MLAs only because BJP had brought development in the state and there was no anti- incumbency.” He said the BJP got just two per cent less votes than the Congress, “We are hopeful, we would win lot more seats than the existing ones in the Lok Sabha elections.” In response to a question, he said the party has not fixed responsibility on any leader for the lack of cohesion between the party office-bearers and the leaders in power as well for the loss in elections, “the BJP does not consider one individual responsible for vistory or defeat of the party in any circumstances.”
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11 bus passengers electrocuted in MP Bhopal, December 23 “The incident occurred in the afternoon when one of the cycles kept on top of the jam-packed bus came in contact with a high-voltage line. The current passed through the cycle to the bus, which caught fire within moments,” said the police. The incident occurred about 20 to 25 km away from Ashok Nagar town from where the bus had started for Guna at about 2 p.m. The bus was jam-packed and some people were sitting with bicycles on the roof of the vehicle. Guna is about 210 km from Bhopal. Some passers-by informed the police and two fire brigade tenders soon arrived at the spot to douse the flames. The injured have been admitted to the district hospital. Officials have so far confirmed 11 deaths. However, eyewitnesses put the figure of those killed at 20. — INS
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Gas fraud accused’s run ends
New Delhi, December 23 The Interpol had issued a red-corner notice to nab Virk who staying in Canada. He was caught on the US-Canada border in the state of Montana in October, a CBI spokesperson said. The Interpol alerted the CBI that brought him to New Delhi today. Virk was chargesheeted in 1983 in the court of metropolitian magistrate, Patiala house court, New Delhi, and during the course of his trial he fled the country on an Indian passport, the CBI said. Virk had been declared a proclaimed offender, the CBI said, adding that he was one of the partners of a gas agency in Ludhiana and manipulated records between 1978 and 1980 to usurp more than 10,000 LPG cylinders.
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