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Solution
to Cauvery row 'before Aug 12'
CHENNAI, July
26 (PTI, UNI) — Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee will be
able to hammer out a solution "acceptable to all
parties" on the Cauvery waters before August 12, the
date fixed for hearing of the case by the Supreme Court,
BJP General Secretary M. Venkaiah Naidu said here today.
The solution could come through "talks" with
the chief ministers of the states concerned or through
"other means", he told reporters.
Dismissing any threat to the Vajpayee Government on the
issue, he asserted that the AIADMK supremo, Ms
Jayalalitha, would not withdraw support to the government
over the issue. "There will not be any withdrawal of
support by the AIADMK," he said.
Asked to comment on Ms Jayalalitha’s remarks that
the BJP leadership lacked political will to settle the
issue, he said: "You will soon know whether we have
the political will or not."
On Ms Jayalalitha’s threat of "disastrous
consequences" if the Centre did not notify the draft
scheme to implement the interim award of the Cauvery
waters disputes tribunal, Mr Naidu said she had every
right to raise her voice to protect the interests of
Tamil Nadu.
8 YC activists held
in eve-teasing case
CHENNAI, July 26 (PTI) — The sordid episode of
eve-teasing to which a city college girl Sarika Shah
became a victim, today took political overtone with the
arrest of eight Youth Congress volunteers.
Besides the eight, the driver of the autorickshaw in
which the culprits travelled, was also held. The arrests
were made on the basis of information provided by two
eyewitnesses, Police Commissioner P. Kalimuthu told
reporters.
All nine were produced before a magistrate who remanded
them to police custody for 10 days.
Narrating the July 18 incident, Kalimuthu said six of the
activists who were actually travelling by the
autorickshaw, sprayed water on the girl near her college,
when one of them lost balance and fell on her. The girl
also went down under the impact and suffered head
injuries. She died on Friday.
He said the vehicle had been hired by Murugan, a second
rung leader, for attending a meeting addressed by
All-India Youth Congress Chief Manish Tiwari here that
day and the six were returning after the meeting.
After the arrest, the seven involved were taken to the
spot and asked to re-enact the incident.Bihar flood situation grim
PATNA, July 26 (PTI) — Swollen rivers inundated
fresh areas in Darbhanga and Sitamarhi districts of Bihar
as the flood situation continued to be grim in the state
today. The embankment of the Adhwara group of rivers
breached at two places last night inundating scores of
villages of Bathnaha, Bajpati and Sursand panchayats,
official sources in Sitamarhi said. The situation in
Darbhanga also worsened due to a breach in the embankment
of Kamlabalan. The worst affected blocks were
Kusheshwarsthan, Ghanshyampur and Sighwara, officials
said.
47 feared
drowned
RAMESWARAM, July 26
(PTI) — Fortyseven Sri Lankan refugees, including 15
women and five children, were feared drowned when their
boat capsized off the Rameswaram Coast in Tamil Nadu
early today, official sources said. Five persons swam to
safety and had since reached here, the sources said.
Indian Coast Guard and Sri Lankan Navy personnel launched
search operations for the missing refugees. However, the
chances of finding survivors were bleak due to rough sea
conditions, the sources quoted the survivors as saying.
Naxalite
leader
PATNA, July
26 (UNI) — Naxalite leader and Politburo member of
the CPML (Liberation) group Nagabhusan Patnaik and his
family members escaped unhurt when his house was attacked
and ransacked by some processionists at Gunupur in
Rayagada district of Orissa, his party sources said here
today.
Rail services
CALCUTTA,
July 26 (PTI) — Train services on the
Jharsuguda-Sambalpur-Titilagarh section of the
South-Eastern Railway were today affected for over nine
hours due to an agitation and blockade by some persons at
Sambalpur station today. As a result, 8012-Dn
Sambalpur-Howrah Ispat Express was cancelled today from
Sambalpur, railway sources said. They said the 8011-Up
Sambalpur Ispat Express, which left Howrah this morning,
would be terminated at Jharsuguda.
Deputy Speaker
JAIPUR, July
26 (UNI) — The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly will
elect its Deputy Speaker on July 28 after question hour,
acting secretary of the House Mahesh Tanwar said today.
Mr Tanwar told UNI that the proposal of candidatures
could be made till 12 a.m. tomorrow. The Deputy Speaker's
post fell vacant on July 24 after Mr Samarath Lal Meena
(BJP) was elected Speaker.
Assam floods
GUWAHATI,
July 26 (UNI) — Thousands of people were forced to
take shelter in the highlands as their houses were
submerged again by the Puthimari and Pagladia rivers in
Assam's Nalbari and Rangiya division, official reports
said. The rivers were rising alarmingly due to incessant
heavy rain in the catchment areas during the past three
days, the reports said.
Shot dead
HYDERABAD,
July 26 (PTI) — A Congress worker was shot dead by
four persons at Mochanda Nagaram village in Warangal
district, official reports said here today. Four persons
went to the house of R. Saraya, who was also chairman of
local Fishermen Committee, yesterday and asked him to
accompany them to a nearby place "to discuss some
matter". Later, his body was found in a paddy field,
the reports said.
6 killed
MUZAFFERPUR,
July 26 (PTI) — Six persons were killed and 12
seriously injured when their jeep and a truck collided
near Siho village in Bihar's Muzafferpur district, the
police said today. The driver of the jeep, on its way to
Samastipur from here, was among those killed yesterday,
the police said, adding the injured were admitted to a
local hospital.
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