Sunday, August 2, 1998

S.S. Gill offers to resign
NEW DELHI, Aug 1 — Doordarshan Chief Executive officer S.S. Gill has said that he is prepared to resign if any order given by him is proved to be against prescribed norms and procedures.

Kalyan for US Nagar in Uttaranchal

LUCKNOW, Aug 1 (PTI) — Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh has said Udham Singh Nagar should be included in the proposed Uttaranchal state.The demand to exclude Udham Singh Nagar from the proposed hill state was “unjustified,” Mr Kalyan Singh told PTI here .“Look at the three resolutions unanimously sent by the three successive governments in Uttar Pradesh for the creation of a hill state and in all these resolutions, eight hill districts, including Naini Tal have been included,” he said.Udham Singh Nagar has been carved out from Naini Tal only and then why should it be kept out of the new hill state, he asked asserting that the Udham Singh Nagar region belongs to Naini Tal and hence should be part and parcel of the proposed hill state.

On reported resentment among the legislators from the UP hill districts over the delay in creation of a new hill state, the Chief Minister said “they should not take any decision in haste.”

Creation of the Uttaranchal hill state is a part of national agenda of the Vajpayee government and it was seriously deliberating on all the issues concerning it, he said.

“I am confident all the issues relating to Uttaranchal state would be sorted out soon,” he added.

There was “nothing” wrong in RSS chief Prof Rajendra Singh’s address to a section of state bureaucrats last week.

The Chief Minister said he did not see anything wrong in such a “get together” asserting that the RSS supremo was a political personality.

“Rajju Bhaiya is a dignitary and a former professor of Allahabad University and what is wrong if he addresses some of the students of that prestigious institution,” Mr Kalyan Singh said adding the issue should not be politicised.

The opposition parties, he said, should not criticise such an event because some politicians too had addressed bureaucrats in the past.

The RSS chief had addressed some 60 top bureaucrats, including the Chief Secretary and Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police. On Saturday last the meeting was organised by the Alumni Association of Allahabad University.

The meeting, however, drew sharp criticism from the opposition parties which described it as “an attempt to saffronise the bureaucracy”.

Mr Kalyan Singh has denied there were differences between his government and some leaders of state BJP.

“It is ridiculous if some one says that I am inaccessible to them because, according to my time table, I work for more than 18 hours a day meeting all leaders, legislators and workers on fixed days.”

“You will have to adjust yourself according to the schedule of the Chief Minister and not the vice versa,” he shot back.

Doda to be normal in 3 months: BJP

BARODA, Aug 1 (PTI) — BJP President Kushabhau Thakre today said the coalition government led by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee was taking steps to normalise situation within three months in the trouble-torn Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Thakre, who had recently visited Doda, said here that the government had adopted the right policy on the Kashmir issue. “There is no question of the third party mediation in resolving the issues between India and Pakistan and it should be based on the Simla agreement,” he stated.

Mr Thakre, on his way to attend the three-day party conclave at Kevadia village, about 100 km from here, said “Pakistan is staging a proxy war across the border” and added that due to difficult terrain of Doda district it was not easy to take steps to check terrorism there.

“The pro-active policy will help in containing terrorism in the troubled area. Under this, the street level committees are being formed and the residents will be given rifle training for self-defence”, he added.

Mr Thakre said BJP nominee Rita Verma was certain to be elected as Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha for which election is to be held on Tuesday. The constituents of the government were unanimous on her choice for the post, he remarked.

Article 356 of the Constitution, for dismissal of state governments, should rarely be used he said. Replying to another query he said “If all political parties agreed, the BJP will support the demand for repeal of the Article”.

Referring to the Pokhran test, he said it was necessary to instill confidence among the army as rival forces were equipped with modern equipment.

He claimed that the economic sanctions imposed by the USA and other countries would have no impact on India’s economy as foreign assistance was only 2 per cent against 26 per cent of the GDP.

In reply to another question, Mr Thakre said the BJP has decided to hold camps for party MPs and MLAs to train them to play an effective role as members of the ruling party.

“Till now, they were sitting in the opposition benches in the Lok Sabha and State Assembly,” he observed.

Mann for setting up judicial panel
Tribune News Service and PTI

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 — The president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, yesterday demanded setting up of a judicial commission to demarcate the boundaries of the proposed Uttaranchal state.

Opposing the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar in the proposed state, Mr Mann, who returned to the Capital after touring the district, said the Sikh farmers in the region were a "frightened" lot.

Addressing a press conference, he said "the feeling of insecurity in the regions is similar to the one which prevailed in Punjab when the Radcliff line was drawn which passed through the state in 1947."

The judicial commission headed by a Supreme Court Judge, similar to the one which demarcated the boundaries of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh in the 1960s, should be set up.

The cultural-economic and social differences of the plain people of Udham Singh Nagar should be taken into consideration while suggesting the territorial limits of the proposed Uttaranchal state, Mr Mann said.

He said the Land Ceiling Act in the hill areas would deprive the Sikh farmers from holding more than three acres of land. As these farmers owns several acres of land, they fear their years of toil would be grabbed.

The Punjabis were settled by the Uttar Pradesh Government in the 1950s and they have turned forest land into high-productive cultivable land.

All pending demands of Punjab, including Chandigarh, river water, waiving of Rs 8,500 crore loan, setting up of a Rs 12,000 crore petroleum plant in Bathinda and an international airport in Amritsar had been rejected by the BJP leadership, Mr Mann said.

He asked the Shiromani Akali Dal to abstain from voting for the elections of the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha on August 4 till the Centre gave a public declaration on the status of Udham Singh Nagar and for reconsidering the other pending demands of the state.

Mr Mann alleged an organisation of RSS and VHP workers had started a campaign in the country, including Punjab, to convert minorities to Hinduism.

"This campaign is being carried out under the guise of the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Ashram," he told reporters here.

He alleged at least 600 RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal workers had been trained in explosives during a convention at Rajpura (Punjab) from June 23 to 28.

Mr Mann said a climate of fear was enveloping the minorities due to the growing "anti-minorityism" of the BJP government.

S.S. Gill offers to resign

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 (UNI) — Doordarshan Chief Executive officer S.S. Gill has said that he is prepared to resign if any order given by him is proved to be against prescribed norms and procedures.

In an interview in the programme “Editor’s Choice” which will be telecast on DD two tomorrow night, Mr Gill told his interviewer and Hindustan Times Editor V. N. Narayanan that those terming his style of functioning as dictatorial were the ‘disgruntled’ people who had held vested interests in Doordarshan and had been ‘thrown out’ by him. Claiming that he had changed the entire system, he said he had never bothered about popularity, the political climate or the media.

He reacted strongly when asked a question about whether the Prasar Bharati board or himself were fit to lead a ‘modern and daily changing medium,’ He said the meetings of the board were enough to prove this. He also pointed out that some of the best serials that were today being recycled on private satellite channels had been started by him when he was Secretary in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

He said in reply to a question that his stand on All India Radio’s FM channels, which had been vindicated by the corts, had been prompted by the fact that the slots were being sold for just Rs 3000 per hour when there were offers of up to Rs 35,000.

RJD seeks sack of Fernandes

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 (PTI) — The RJD today came down heavily on the Samata Party president, Mr George Fernandes, accusing him of creating political instability in Bihar by saying the state was a fit case for use of Article 356 and demanded his sacking from the Union Cabinet for making "irresponsible statements".

"It does not befit a Defence Minister to comment on something concerning the Home or External Affairs Ministry," the RJD spokesmen, Mr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Mr M.A.A. Fatmi, told newsmen.

They said though there were three ministers from Bihar at the Centre, no meeting of MPs from Bihar had been held to discuss the state's development. "Instead, there have been talks about imposition of President's rule in Bihar," they said and added that when the United Front was in power, meetings of MPs from Bihar were held several times.

Referring to the Defence Minister's remarks that since Bihar was contiguous to Nepal, the state posed internal security problems for the country. The RJD leaders said national security was the Home Ministry's concern and cautioned that the Centre should not intervene in the state on "flimsy grounds".

The two leaders also criticised Mr Fernandes for reportedly justifying the CBI's move to seek Army assistance for arresting the RJD president, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, in the fodder scam case.

UP expands backward classes list

LUCKNOW, Aug 1 (UNI) — The Uttar Pradesh Government has issued four notifications for including some more castes in the list of the backward classes, an official release said.

The castes mentioned in these notifications are:-

Ahir, Yadav, Gawala, Yaduvanshi, Aarakh, Arkvanshi, Kachhi, Kachhi-Kushwaha, Shakya, Kahar, Kashyap, Kevat or Mallah, Nishad, Kisan, Koiri, Kumhar, Prajapati, Kurmi, Chanau, Patel, Patanvar, Kurmi-Malla, Kurmi-Saindhavar, Kamboj, Kasgar, Kunjara or Rine, Gosai, Gujar, Gaderia, Pal, Baghel, Gaddi, Ghosi, Giri, Chikwa, Kassab, Qureshi, Chak, Chhipi, Chhipa, Jogi, Jhoga Dafali, Tamli, Barai, Chaurasiya, Teli, Samani, Rognagar, Sahu, Roniyar, Gandhi, Aarruk, Darzi, Idrisi, Kakutstha, Dhevar, Nakkal, Nat, Nayak, Fakir, Banjara, Ranki, Mukeri and Mukerani, Badai, Saifi, Bari, Bairagi, Bind, Biyar, Bhar, Aajbhar, Bhurji or Bharbhuja, Bhuj, Kadu, Kashodhan, Bhatiyar, Mali, Saini, Manihar, Kacher, Lakhera, Murav or Murai, Maurya, Momin, (Ansar), Mirasi, Muslim Kayastha, Naddaj (Dhuniya) Mansuri, Kandere, Kadere, Marchha, Rangrej, Rangava, Lodh, Lodha, Lodhi, Lote, Lodhi Rajput, Lohar, Saifi Loniya, Sonar, Sunar, Swarnkar, Sweaper, Halalkhor, Halwai, Modanval, Hajjam, Nai, Salmani, Savita, Srivas, Rai Sikh, Sakka-Bhishti, Bhishti-Abbasi, Dhobi, Kasera, Thathera, Tamrakar, Nanbai, Mir Shikar, Sheikh, Sarvari, Pirahi, Mev, Mevati, Koshta/Koshti, Rode, Khumra, Sangatrash, Hanseri, Mochi.

Sony programmes in US homes

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 (UNI) — For the first time, a private satellite television channel has commenced beaming Hindi programmes to homes in the USA.

Sony Entertainment Television has become the second TV channel to telecast Indian programmes in the USA, the first being Doordarshan International (DDI). Earlier in March, the Sony channel had launched in the UK, where Zee TV has already built a large viewership among non-residents from the Indian sub-continent.

Both Zee and Sony are encrypted (pay) channels in the UK as well as the USA, while Doordarshan International (DDI) is free-to-air. DDI is beamed via the Panamerican Pas 4 satellite in the UK and the beam is then picked from an earth station by Pas 1 and beamed to the USA.

Tributes paid to Lokmanya Tilak

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 (PTI) — Rich tributes were paid to Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a stalwart of the Indian freedom movement, on his 78th death anniversary today.

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah and leaders belonging to various political parties garlanded a statue of the leader and paid floral tributes at a function organised by the Maharashtra Sanskrutik Samiti and the Sarvajanik Utsav Samiti here.

Prominent among those present on the occasion were former Information and Broadcasting Minister Vasant Sathe, Shiv Sena Leader in the Lok Sabha Madhukar Sirpotdar, Members of Parliament Satish Pradhan and Mohan Rawle.

JALGAON: The police arrested a butcher on Thursday for allegedly setting ablaze a 15-year-old girl for having an affair with his son at Azadnagar locality in Dhule. According to the police, the son of the accused, Gafar Shaikh, left his father’s house following a quarrel over his love affair with a teenager, Shabana Nisar. The girl, who suffered 76 per cent burns, was rushed to Dhule Civil Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. — PTI

Octroi abolished in Rajasthan

JAIPUR: Octroi checkposts in Rajasthan were removed on Saturday following the state government’s decision to abolish the tax. The checkposts in 183 civic bodies had stopped recovery of the cess amounting to a loss of Rs 280 crore. Around 8,000 municipal employees engaged in the octroi collection would be redeployed by the state government. —UNI

BARC job for expelled scientist

NEW DELHI: An Indian scientist recently expelled by the USA following the Pokhran, tests has been given a job at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Minister for Science and Technology Murli Manohar Joshi said here on Saturday. A special cell has been set up for interacting with industries to help in organising research funds and facilities for expelled scientists numbering about a dozen. — PTI

Sanskrit university to be set up

JAIPUR: A Sanskrit university will be set up in Jaipur this year. The state Assembly passed the Rajasthan Sanskrit University Bill on Friday, paving the way for setting up of a higher seat of learning. The government last month provided Rs 50 lakh in the Budget for setting up the new university. — PTI

RI for bank official, 5 others

NEW DELHI: Six persons, including a State Bank of India (SBI) official in Kanpur, have been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for one year each for defrauding the bank of Rs 19 lakh. The Special Judge, Anti Corruption (West) in Lucknow also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on SBI officer M.L. Aggarwal and Rs 4 lakh each on five persons for cheating main branches of the bank in Kanpur and Lucknow, a CBI release said here on Friday. — PTI