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Monday, July 27, 1998

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Sex abuse
victim rescued
NEW DELHI, July 26 — The National Human Rights Commission has rescued a young woman in Rajasthan who was allegedly subjected to sexual abuse, torture and deprivation for over three years in detention...
TB clinic inaugurated
NEW DELHI, July 26 — The Lt-Governor of Delhi, Mr Vijai Kapoor, inaugurated a TB clinic in Subhash Nagar here today...

Chip knowhow
India's Achilles' heel
NEW DELHI, July 26 — The expulsion of seven Indian scientists is apparently aimed at crippling development of chip technology, which is the Achilles heel of Indian science, experts here say...
A fort languishes in neglect
HANUMANGARH: Covering a span of about 700 years and representing the dynastic changes in history so well, the massive Bhatner Fort is now no more on the sightseeing agenda of thousands of tourists...

IAF officers move court on houses
NEW DELHI, July 26 — The Delhi High Court has issued show cause notices to the Air Force Naval Housing Board, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of Air Staff on a petition by 24 IAF officers seeking justice as the board had hiked the instalments drastically following a loss because of ‘reckless’ investments of Rs 40 crore...
Dy Speaker's post Opposition's 'right'
HYDERABAD, July 26 — Senior Congress leader Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy today asserted it is the “right” of the main Opposition party to have its candidate as Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha and expressed hope that the Congress nominee P.M. Syeed will win the election. ..
Probe against Rao's son to continue
NEW DELHI, July 26 — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will continue to probe the role of former premier Narasimha Rao’s son, Prabhakar Rao, in the Rs 133 crore urea import deal for an alleged FERA violation despite the CBI giving him a clean chit...

Sex abuse victim rescued
NEW DELHI, July 26 (PTI) — The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has rescued a young woman in Rajasthan who was allegedly subjected to sexual abuse, torture and deprivation for over three years in detention.
The 24-year-old woman was found to be undernourished, and traumatized when she was rescued by NHRC’s team along with the state police from the house of one Manohar Lal Sharma, allegedly involved in several criminal cases, commission sources said.
The woman, who was sent for medical examination and found to be pregnant, stated that she was married to one Ramesh Sharma in February 1990. According to her, Ramesh later deserted her and his whereabouts were not known, they said.
The commission acted on a complaint alleging that the woman was being detained in a house for about three years by two residents of Hanutiya in Jaipur found that the victim had been evicted by her in-laws from their house in 1995.
She was sexually exploited by a number of persons, including her relative Rakesh Sharma. At one stage she was forced into prostitution by him under the threat of physical elimination and disfiguring her with acid, they said.
The sources said the woman was sold twice, subjected to sexual abuse leading to termination of pregnancies several times.
Six persons, including Constable Madhu Sudan of Vidhya Dhar Nagar police station had been identified as her abuser, they said, adding that a case had been registered at Kotwali police station in Sikar.
A few accused persons had already been arrested while the police had launched a hunt to nab the rest, they said.
Soon after receiving the anonymous complaint, the commission had initially sought and obtained a report from police authorities in Jaipur which stated that both the suspected persons had been contacted.
The police, however, ruled out the involvement of the two on the ground that they belonged to respectable families and that no such woman could be located.
Not satisfied with the police report, the commission deputed an investigation team for a spot inquiry and got the woman rescued with the help of local police, they said, adding that necessary steps had been taken by the district administration to rehabilitate the victim.

TB clinic inaugurated
Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, July 26 — The Lt-Governor of Delhi, Mr Vijai Kapoor, inaugurated a TB clinic in Subhash Nagar here today.
Sponsored by Rotary Delhi Downtown, the clinic has been set up for providing free medical facilities to poor patients suffering from TB.
Apart from providing its office for running the clinic, the Indian Medical Association, Westown, has also assured the Rotarians of the support of 16 doctors. These doctors will be available in the clinic for free consultation from 2 pm to 4 pm daily.
The President of Rotary Delhi Downtown, Mr B.B. Gupta, said that TB treatment was expensive and is beyond the reach of the poor. Keeping this in mind, he mooted the idea of setting up a clinic which would provide free screening, detection and full treatment to TB patients.
He said health workers from the clinic would be sent to Samta Dham, a cluster of 500 jhuggis to identify patients suspected to be suffering from TB and bring them for early detection.
Dr Ramesh Dutta, senior vice-president, IMA, Westown said that the suspected incidence of TB in Samta Dham necessitated timely medical attention. He added that about 20 per cent of the 2,500 inhabitants of the dham might be suffering from TB.
Dr Dutta said, "To start with, two doctors would be available for consultation from 2 pm to 4 pm everyday. So far, 16 doctors, including three lady doctors, have volunteered active participation in this project."
Dr Dutta said that health workers would be sent to the patients' houses to ensure that they complied with the prescription. He said that while the first line of treatment costs about Rs 20 everyday, the second line cost about Rs 150.
"That is why we have sought the help of the Delhi Government in supplying the medicines," he said.
Dr Tripta Gupta, a gynaecologist said that her husband, had arranged the supply of medicines from various pharmaceutical companies and the clinic was prepared to provide treatment to 30 patients.
One such token of support in the form of medicines was handed over by a representative of Alkem Laboratories to the Lt-Governor.
Dr Gupta said that a TB scanning machine would be installed in the clinic soon. She said that all expenses would be borne by the Rotary Club.
Speaking on the occasion, the Lt-Governor stressed the need for providing complete treatment to TB patients. He said: "You may treat a limited number of patients but they should be given complete treatment."

Chip knowhow India's Achilles' heel
NEW DELHI, July 26 (UNI) — The expulsion of seven Indian scientists is apparently aimed at crippling development of chip technology, which is the Achilles heel of Indian science, experts here say.
The seven scientists were working on two semiconductor (chip) manufacturing projects and a ceramics processing project at a U.S. administration facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Semiconductors and advanced materials,including ceramics which go into chip manufacture, are critical to instrumentation and control mechanisms for missiles, avionics, atomic power, super-computers and virtually anything to do with electronics.
Even vocal proponents of swadeshi ideology such as union Minister for Science and Technology Murli Manohar Joshi have often said that while India did not want U.S. Technology for making potato chips it could do with the technology for semiconductor chips.

Significantly, even the latest “Param 10,000” super-computer produced by the Centre for Advanced Computing (C-DAC) at Pune uses imported “ultrasparc-II” chips manufactured by the Sun company, Along side C-DAC’s own communication processor.
Military versions of the Param 10,000 computer are capable of simulating nuclear explosions and can be used for sub-critical testing using data collected from the Pokhran series.
According to former Secretary in Department of Electronics N. Vittal no advanced industrial society can exist without controlled access to an advanced electronics industry and India is a long way away from building up one on its own.
Mr Vittal also points out that for India to build up and sustain an advanced electronics industry it must have access to an advanced microelectronics or chips industry somewhere.
The world chip industry is currently dominated by mega companies in the USA, Japan, Korea and Europe with Intel the clear world leader.
India has only a small share of the chip industry as it lacks the enormous capital spending, going into tens of billions of dollars, and the vision to create it either through the private or the public sector.
Mr Vittal points to the example of Malaysia, which systematically build up a semiconductor industry by attracting multinational investment in the area of packaging first and then fabrication.
The key to advanced semiconductor products is an understanding of advanced materials, which include conducting polymers, biomolecular substances and ferro-electricals as well as laser processing and electron-assisted etching.
Significantly the USA was the first to enact a law addressing the intellectual property rights (IPR) of integrated circuits or chips through the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act (SCPA) as far back as 1984.

A fort languishes in neglect
From Balwant Garg
HANUMANGARH: Covering a span of about 700 years and representing the dynastic changes in history so well, the massive Bhatner Fort is now no more on the sightseeing agenda of thousands of tourists who flock this sandy state.
Spread over 52 bighas, the fort which was once described as a safest and strongest citadel of India in “Tuzuk-e-Tamur”, an autobiography of Taimurlane, a Mongol invader from Samarkand, is now surrounded by banyan trees which grow out of its spires. Besides, people foul up the place by defecating and urinating near its walls.
With crumbling boundary walls and weeds sprouting all over the place, the fort has now turned into an abode for rodents and reptiles. Last year some tourists had come across snakes just behind the fort’s main gate.
Owing to constant neglect by the Archaeological Survey of India and a state government which harps much on the promotion of tourism in the state, the fort is dying a slow death.
Situated to the north of Hanumangarh town, it is believed that the fort was constructed in the middle of 12th century by Raja Abhay Rao, a Bhati ruler. This fort was conquered at various periods by the Mughals, Rajputs, Johia, Chatal and Bhati rulers.
According to Dr G.S. Deora, an historian, the fort was of pivotal importance to the rulers of the time as it was situated on the Delhi-Multan road. Historians say it was Surat Singh, a ruler of Bikaner state, who captured this fort in 1805. As the fort was believed to be conquered on a Tuesday, the day prasad is offered to Hanuman, the town was named Hanumangarh.
The fort’s boundary walls of which have collapsed at several places reveal that these have not been repaired for decades. The fort was virtually been reduced to a rubble-filled plot, complains Mr Hari Ram, a local resident who visits the Shiva Temple, near the fort, daily.
“Every morning we see that some new portion of the boundary wall has crumbled” he pointed out. The boundary wall has cracks and these are easily detectable and at some places these are not visible at first sight because of weeds.The fort has fallen into neglect owing to poor maintenance and lack of renovation for many years. Besides, there is no security guard to man it. The fort needs urgent ASI attention. While the sprouted plants should be weeded out at an interval of a month, the repair of the boundary walls is of utmost priority preserve the treasure of yore and making it an attractive spot for tourists.

IAF officers move court on houses
NEW DELHI, July 26 (UNI) — The Delhi High Court has issued show cause notices to the Air Force Naval Housing Board, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of Air Staff on a petition by 24 IAF officers seeking justice as the board had hiked the instalments drastically following a loss because of ‘reckless’ investments of Rs 40 crore.
Mr Justice Anil Dev Singh restrained the Board from cancelling the allotment of houses to these 24 officers subject to the officers paying Rs 1.35 lakh within eight weeks.
The officers submitted that the Board invested around Rs 40 crore they had deposited with it for the housing scheme in Panchkula in high risk finance companies and cost approximately Rs 14 crore. Now to recover the losses, they allege, the Board had hiked the price of the flats by over Rs 2 lakh. Advocate Rekha Palli accepted the notice on behalf of the Air Force.
“The Air Force and Naval Housing Board has widely and grossly deviated itself from the objects and purposes for which it was formed and which are not legally permissible,” the petitioners submitted adding that “the board made reckless investments in grossly unsafe and high risk companies.”
The cost of the flat was originally meant to be Rs 8.75 lakh with a living room, a dining room, three bed rooms, three toilets, kitchen, a study and two balconies. “But between 1994 and 1996 the then office bearers of the board invested about Rs 40 crore of the funds of the society in various high risk companies without the prior sanction or permission of the persons whose money had been collected towards the price of the flats allotted to them,” the petition said.
The officers accusing the Board of criminal breach of trust said that to cover up the losses the Board had now hiked the price of the houses and was forcing them to either pay or it would cancel their allotments.
The petitioners have submitted that the board was established to promote and provide suitable housing for Air Force and Navy officials, serving, retired and their widows on a no profit-no loss basis. The cost of the self financing housing scheme in Sector 20 of Panchkula for officers was stated to be “approximately Rs 8.75 lakh which was inclusive of all costs and expenses towards the flat.”
The petitioners, most of whom are serving officers, said they applied for the allotment of the flats and made a payment of Rs 20,530 as registration fee. They were then issued separate allotment letters.
“Instead of declaring the said liabilities to be the liabilities of the then office bearers of the society, their successors and the subsequent office bearers apparently adopted a clandestine device of recovering the losses by manipulating the costs of various flats being constructed and developed including the flats in the scheme in question,” the petitioner said.
In March this year, the board announced a revised instalment that was Rs 1,90,000 instead of the original stipulated instalment of Rs 1,35,000, the petitioners submitted adding that even the sixth instalment was hiked from Rs 1,57,000.
The price, according to the officers, was thus hiked by Rs 2,12,000 whereas “there has been no abnormal increase in the price of the material and labour during the period of allotment till now,” they said.

Deputy Speaker's post Opposition's 'right'
HYDERABAD, July 26 (PTI) — Senior Congress leader Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy today asserted it is the “right” of the main Opposition party to have its candidate as Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha and expressed hope that the Congress nominee P.M. Syeed will win the election.
“It is not fair on part of the BJP to field a candidate for the post as it goes against the convention,”Mr Reddy said, adding, “in case of a contest, chances of our candidate are bright.”
In the past the Deputy Speaker had always been from the main Opposition and therefore it should naturally come to the Congress this time too, he said.
Talking to reporters here, Mr Reddy hinted that his party was in touch with the Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee to elicit support of her party for the Congress candidate.
“When we are entitled for the post, what is wrong in announcing the name beforehand,” he said, adding “all that the BJP needs is an excuse.”
Meanwhile, the Congress is working out a strategy in close coordination with opposition parties to expose the BJP-led coalition’s “failure”, Mr Reddy said.
“We are planning to have floor coordination with Left parties, the Lok Tantrik Morcha and other opposition parties to highlight the failures of the Vajpayee-led coalition in Parliament,” the CWC said.
He, however, clarified this move was not aimed at toppling the government but only to shape a consolidated secular block against the “insecure government”.
Admitting there was pressure on the Congress for taking over the government, Mr Reddy said “we are not in a hurry we are watching the situation which is deteriorating.”

Probe against Rao's son to continue
NEW DELHI, July 26 — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will continue to probe the role of former premier Narasimha Rao’s son, Prabhakar Rao, in the Rs 133 crore urea import deal for an alleged FERA violation despite the CBI giving him a clean chit.
“CBI’s investigation has no relation with the probe being conducted by the ED and the outcome of the investigation by the CBI may not affect our probe,” ED sources told PTI.
However, the sources made it clear that the ED would keep its probe against Rao in abeyance till the Supreme Court decided petitions questioning ED’s power to arrest a person for not honouring summons issued to him in connection with FERA violation cases.

In brief
7 die in train mishap
VIJAYAWADA: Seven persons, including five railway employees, were killed and five injured when two wagons of a goods train got delinked and rammed into the gateman’s cabin at the Eluru old bus stand railway gate in West Godavari district on Saturday night. The South Central Railway Manager, Vijayawada, told PTI on the telephone on Sunday that while six persons died on the spot, one succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Railway sources said two wagons of the train, proceeding to Vijayawada from Visakhapatnam, got delinked and rammed into the cabin where the victims were standing. Following the mishap, a number of trains were diverted via Bhimavaram and Gudivada section. — PTI
Daily’s takeover decried
NEW DELHI: The People’s Theatre Group, Sahmat, on Sunday criticised the takeover of “Janmorcha”, a leading Hindi daily of Faizabad, by the BJP Government in UP. Janmorcha was set up in 1958 as the first newspaper by a workers cooperative. Sahmat described the takeover as an attack on secular institutions and freedom of the Press. The UP Government in a sudden move changed the rules of cooperative societies and took over all 27,000 cooperative societies, including Janmorcha, on July 11. — UNI
SC acquits mother
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has acquitted a woman, who was convicted of attempting to commit suicide after killing her two children by throwing them into a well, saying that the conviction based on her extra-judicial confession was faulty. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice M.M. Punchhi and Mr Justice M. Srinivasan said: “we are unable to uphold the conviction and sentences awarded to the appellant. We are of the opinion that the prosecution has not proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.” Kavita was convicted by the Sessions Judge, Tirunelveli for throwing her son, daughter and herself into a well and was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing her two children and one year rigorous imprisonment for attempting to commit suicide. — PTI
Call for I-Day boycott
AGARTALA: Six militant outfits, including the banned All-Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), have given a call to boycott the Independence Day celebrations saying that “it is not meant for the indigenous people of the region.” The six outfits jointly urged the people to make the boycott call a success and to observe a bandh on August 15, Ranjit Debbarma, president of the Tipura Peoples Democratic Front (TPDF), a political wing of the ATTF, told PTI over telephone from his hideout on Saturday. The joint front decided to observe a bandh in the region on August 15 raising ‘black flags’ in different parts including Tripura. —PTI