Saturday, October 3, 1998

• Wage board's tenure extended
• CID to probe undertrial’s death
• Lightning claims 3 lives

Consensus eluded Inter-State Council
From K.V. Prasad
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 2 — The suggestion for a national debate by the Union Home Minister, Mr L K Advani, on the use of Article 356 of the Constitution notwithstanding, the Inter-State Council set up for the purpose in 1990 had gone into the issue in much detail but without any headway.

The President, Mr K R Narayanan, while returning the Union Cabinet’s recommendation for Central rule in Bihar had, among other things, suggested a perusal of the deliberations of the council whose functioning falls under the purview of the Home Ministry.

The Inter-State Council was set up by the Central Government in 1990 to consider the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission on centre-state relations but after the V.P. Singh Government bowed out of office, the council remained dormant till it was activated in 1996 by the United Front government.

The council at its second meeting on October 15, 1996 set up a standing committee comprising five Union Cabinet ministers and six Chief Ministers for continuous consultations and processing of the matter for the consideration of the council.

One of the items on the agenda for the standing committee was the use of Article 356 and after its first meeting held during January 1997 a broad consensus was achieved to introduce safeguards through an amendment for invoking the clause.

The amendments included (a) a warning by the Governor or Union Government to an errant state in specific terms (b) reply from the state government to the warning and a show-cause notice within seven days (c) the Governor’s report should be a ‘speaking document’ with a precise and clear statement of the material facts and also reply of the state government (e) approval of Parliament by a majority of total membership of each House (f) Parliament alone must decide if the state assembly is to be dissolved or kept under suspended animation (g) the Supreme Court may go into the question of validity of the proclamation to the extent of examining whether it is based on some material, whether material available is relevant or not and if it is issued in malafide exercise of power.

However, the broad consensus could not be converted into any thing definite following different viewpoints on the matter during subsequent meetings.

The divergence of views was on whether the Union Government can issue a show-cause notice in exceptional circumstances without the Governor’s report and the need for invoking the Article without any notice if the state government encourages action posing threat to the secular fabric of the country and national security and whether approval of Parliament should precede or follow the proclamation and should it be by a simple or two-third majority.

In fact, after the “Jaipur resolution” adopted by the Chief Ministers of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra and Rajasthan in June, 1997, (States with BJP or BJP-alliance governments) where the use of the Article was rejected, the standing committee decided to invite Chief Ministers of some of these states.

The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had at a meeting suggested scrapping of Article 356 from the Constitution on the grounds that it has been used to throw out elected governments “to serve narrow, short-sighted and partisan political ends”.

Finally with no clear conclusion emerging, the standing committee decided to refer the issue back to the council which met for the last time in July, 1997. At this meeting, the then Prime Minister, Mr Inder Kumar Gujral, suggested that the issue be put on hold.

Since then there has been no meeting of the council. Even the national agenda of governance released by the BJP-led ruling combine had promised to take “suitable steps to ensure harmonious Centre-state relations in the light of the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission and also effect decentralisation right up to the grassroots level by activating and involving panchayats and local bodies”.

Lack of funds hit anti-flood steps

GUWAHATI, Oct 2 (UNI) — There is little scope for flood damage repair or control in future in Assam unless the centre changes its policy of assistance, an official report of the Assam Government said.

According to the report, flood control activities in the state have come to a grinding halt due to a lack of funds and the state government is unlikely to get any major assistance from the Centre in years to come unless there is a change in the Centre’s policy in this regard.

Flood control works are affected due to high interest rate of 12 per cent per annum on the Central Loan Assistance (CLA) plus 275 per cent for penal action in the case of default in repayment. The central assistance comes in the shape of 100 per cent loan and not as any grant-in-aid or special central assistance.

During the past five years of the Eighth Plan, only Rs 31.69 crore has been obtained by the state under the Central Loan Assistance (CLA) after deduction of principal and interest although the total sanction was Rs 100 crore, bringing the flood control activities in the state almost to a halt.

The state government fears if the damaged embankments are not repaired and reconstructed the state will be subjected to further devastation in future.

Nearly 4448 kilometres of embankments have been constructed so far as short term flood prevention measures besides setting up of anti-erosion and drainage systems. However, half of these are destroyed every year by flood and waves, the report said.

Official report say, because of those embankments 16.30 lakh hectares of land, against 31.5 lakh hectares of flood-prone area of the state, could be reasonably protected from flood inundation.

The government admitted that of late it had become extremely difficult to maintain such large embankment systems due to inadequate resources. Consequently, a substantial portion of the protected area was now getting vulnerable to flood inundation and bank erosion, the report said.

A delegation of the Assam Assembly that met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee recently had urged that the Centre’s policy of 100 per cent loan assistance be changed and converted to grants-in-aid in the form of special central assistance (SCA) as per the commitment of the former Prime Ministers H.D. Devegowda and I.K. Gujral.

The report said that at least Rs 500 crore was also required for comprehensive watershed management and catchment area treatment to reduce flood havoc.

The state government was piqued over the Centre’s attitude of cold shouldering the flood menace of the state, a senior official of the state government said adding that despite the Prime Minister’s visit there was hardly any help other than the routine quotas.

The destruction of floods was increasing every year because of the unabated deforestation in Arunachal Pradesh. “The siltation also continues, raising the river bed of each of the smaller river of the state. As a result, every heavy shower is followed by change of course of rivers causing untold miseries to people of the state, the report said.

The heavy deforestation also caused drought in some patches of the state when the rest of Assam reeled under flood. The drought affected areas are Morigaon, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong and north Cachar hills district, said state Flood Control Minister Promode Gogoi.

Sareen case: PM orders probe
Tribune News Service and agencies

NEW DELHI, Oct 2 (PTI) — Taking a serious view of the check ordered on the antecedents of Air Chief Marshal S.K. Sareen, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee tonight directed Home Secretary B.P. Singh to order an inquiry and submit a report at the earliest.

Special Secretary in Home Ministry R.D. Kapoor has been asked to conduct the probe, official sources said.

Mr Vajpayee had earlier directed Delhi police chief V.N. Singh to probe the issue and fix responsibility, the sources said.

They said the reported verification of the character and antecedents of Air Chief Marshal Sareen was not ordered at the behest of Prime Minister's Office but was apparently part of routine security exercise undertaken in connection with the commanders' conference beginning October 26.

Meanwhile Air Chief Marshal Sareen is likely to meet the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee on the issue.

According to sources, Air Chief Marshal Sareen has personally sought time from the Prime Minister in this regard and is likely to meet him soon. He has apparently already written to the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes registering his strong protest over orders given by the Home Ministry reportedly at the behest of the PMO’s security wing.

The chiefs of the three wings of the armed forces were also together, likely to meet the Prime Minister on the issue, reports said.

The commanders’ conference convened by the government is to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister. According to reports the PMO had ordered a check on the antecedents of several of the commanders of the three wings of the armed forces in connection with the conference.

Sources in the Defence Ministry disclosed that there was no precedence of PMO ordering a check on the antecedents of commanders of the three wings of the armed forces. Since the commanders of the armed forces were all very senior officers with established credentials, the ordering of a check on their antecedents was a goof-up either on the part of the PMO or the Home Ministry, sources said.

How green is unleaded petrol?

NEW DELHI, Oct 2 (PTI) — A month after unleaded petrol was made compulsory for vehicles in Delhi to make the city air cleaner, environmentalists allege that the ‘no lead, no worries’ campaign is misleading and half-baked. When used in vehicles not fitted with catalytic converters, it will emit more poisonous gases like benzene, says an environmentalist, Dr Iqbal Malik.Complying with Supreme Court directives, unleaded petrol (ULP) was made available in the Capital from September 1, in an effort to “make the fourth most polluted city in the world cleaner and greener”.“We want to ensure that a major lethal substance (lead) is out of air,” says Dr Dilip Biswas, Chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

All four public sector oil companies — Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Indo-Burma Petroleum — have made arrangements for all petrol stations to sell only unleaded petrol.

However, Dr Malik says, pollution caused due to lead has not been totally eliminated as its content is still more than the international level.

“The lead content in the unleaded petrol now available is .013 per cent, still 2.5 times higher than the accepted international level, which is .005 per cent,” she says.

She also alleges that the introduction of unleaded petrol has in a way affected the efficiency of cars.

“Out of 500 Ambassadors, 250 Fiats and 200 Standard Gazelles that we surveyed, 95 per cent of them have problem using unleaded petrol,” she says, adding that it usually causes knocking in old cars.

She also notes that the Maruti cars surveyed, however, had no problem with the new petrol.

Bihar fit case for Art 356: BJP

HYDERABAD, Oct 2 (UNI) — Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary M. Venkaiah Naidu today asserted that Bihar continued to be a "fit and textbook case" for invoking Article 356 of the Constitution due to the "total collapse of constitutional machinery". He accused the Congress and Communist parties of adopting "double standards" on the issue.

Asked at a press conference on whether he was demanding that the Centre should again recommend the Bihar Government’s dismissal to the President, he said it was for the government to "respond".

"The government in Bihar should go and the people of the state be saved", he said pointing out that even Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee was of the opinion that a "mafia raj" was prevailing in that state.

Denying that the party by repeatedly saying that the Bihar Government should be sacked was questioning the President’s authority, he said "we don’t want to enter into a debate on the conduct of the President. We are questioning the double standards of other political parties", he added.

Claiming that the Union Cabinet’s recommendation to dismiss the Bihar Government was "perfectly right", Mr Naidu said the Vajpayee government did not send it back in order to respect the institution of the President.

Alleging that there was abuse of power and proxy rule in Bihar by Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, he claimed that key witnesses in the fodder scam had been eliminated. The large-scale misuse of government funds by the Bihar Government, he said, had invited a series of indictments from the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG). The High Court had on two occasions observed that "jungle raj" was prevailing in Bihar, he pointed out.

He also urged the President to "pull up" the Bihar Government for violating the Constitution as the assembly had adopted a resolution criticising the conduct of the Governor, a nominee of the President.

Prayer meetings mark Gandhi Jayanti

NEW DELHI, Oct 2 (PTI) — Floral tributes, prayer meetings and pledge by people across the country to work for Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of non-violence and religious harmony marked the 130th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation today.

President K.R. Narayanan, Vice-President Krishan Kant and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpyee led the nation in paying tributes to the Mahatma at his samadhi at Raj Ghat here.

Former President Shankar Dayal Sharma, former Prime Ministers V.P. Singh and H.D. Deve Gowda and Congress President Sonia Gandhi were among a host of dignitaries present.

Floral tributes were also offered before the portraits of the Father of the Nation and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, who shares his birthday with the Mahatama in the Central Hall of Parliament by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Najma Heptullah and several past and present Union Ministers.

The President also inaugurated the 49th TB seal campaign at Rashtrapti Bhavan to mark the occasion.

A large number of people offered tributes at an all-religion prayer meetings at Porbandar, Gandhi’s birth place in Gujarat.

At a function at Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram at Ahmedabad, chairman of the Sarva Seva Sangh Narayanbahi Desai urged the people to imbibe the ideals cherished by the Father of the Nation in their day-to-day life.

In Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir Governor G.C. Saxena called on the people to follow Mahatma’s ideal of peace.

Two booklets containing the profiles of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri, brought out by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, were released in the Capital.

In Chennai, Tamil Nadu Governor Fathima Beevi and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi garlanded Mahatama Gandhi statue on the Marina.

In Ahmedabad, Congress Seva Dal members took out a rally to mark Gandhi's Jayanti.

In Mumbai, spinning on charkha and prayers were organised. Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Dattaji Nalawade inaugurated a "prohibition week" called by the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi to celebrate the day.

Ignoring a boycott call of Gandhi Jayanti by "Red Tigers", a Naxal outfit, people organised prayers, bhajans and distributing fruits to patients at hospitals in Andhra Pradesh.

Governor Dr C. Rangarajan, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu accompanied by MLAs and MPs visited Bapughat near Langerhouz in Hyderabad and paid floral tributes.

Satellite sans earth base on cards

NEW DELHI, Oct 2 (PTI) — A satellite network, devoid of conventional terrestrial relay stations for data transmission, will invade the sky by 2003 to increase transmission speed.

The network, comprising several hundred low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, will handle data for mobile telephony, multimedia, radio and television services.

The new satellites, capable of communicating with each other upto distances of 45,000 km through laser beams, are being developed by the German aerospace development agency ‘DLR’, according to a report in “Fraunhofer Gesselschaft research news”.

The satellites will orbit the earth at a height of about 350 km communicating with each other as well as with geostationary satellites at a height of 36,000 km which will serve as reference points.

Unlike current satellite systems, the planned network will allow bi-directional communication without earth relay stations that serve as the media between users and satellites.

After communicating with each other, the satellites will process data and transmit it in the required direction.

Treating infections the Russian way

NEW DELHI, Oct 2 (PTI) — Russian scientists have devised a new technique to treat severe wound infections.

The technique, developed by medical experts at the Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, involves carrying out surgery on pus-filled wounds within 12 to 36 hours of the injury.

The wound area is cleaned thoroughly and decayed tissues and bits of bone, blood clots and foreign bodies are cleansed, with a jet of antiseptic for better penetration.

The scientists have fabricated a special device for this which is three to four times more effective than current cleansing methods, reports Ria Novosti news agency.

Another special device sucks out infected and damaged tissues and the wound area is disinfected with ultrasound and laser beams. Finally, the wound is drained off all infected fluid.

The institute has treated more than 7000 persons with 94 per cent success which included diabetics with grave puruleut lesions and patients with sepsis, anaerobic infections (anaerobes are germs that can grow and multiply in the absence of air) and malfunctioning arterial and venous blood flows. Mortality has been reduced to one per cent, the report says.

Army for joint steps against insurgency

IMPHAL, Oct 2 (PTI) — The Army is in favour of launching frequent joint counter-insurgency operations under a unified structure of various agencies to wipe out militancy in Manipur, which claims over 200 lives, on an average, every year, a senior defence official said.

“Insurgency in Manipur, the hunting ground of more than a dozen outfits, should be fought by a coordinated drive by the Army, the paramilitary forces, the state police and intelligence agencies,” said General Officer Commanding (GOC) Maj-Gen Arvind Sharma.

He said, the aim of the Army, which had deployed over 20,000 men and officers in Manipur was to suppress insurgency to a certain level from where the state agencies would be able to handle the situation.

Any joint operation in which the Army was involved should be headed by an Army officer, he said, replying to queries by a team of visiting journalists from Delhi. However, the state government has reservations over the issue now pending with the Centre.

The Chief Minister of Manipur, Mr W. Nipamacha Singh, and his deputy, Mr L. Chandramani Singh, said the state government favoured combined drive against insurgency but was against the idea of the Army heading joint operations.

As many as 325 civilians and 115 personnel of security forces were killed by extremists in Manipur in 1997, senior state government officials said. About 1,000 civilians and more than 510 security force personnel have been killed in the state by insurgents during the past six years, they said.

Squall disrupts life in Delhi
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 2 — Heavy rainfall preceded by sudden strong winds uprooted trees and hoardings in the Capital this morning.

The storm coming from the north-west direction hit the city at about 11 am. Overhead telephone wires and TV antennae were snapped due to the high winds.

Traffic was thrown out of gear in several parts of the Capital.

The weather office said that the data regarding this unusual and sudden disturbance at this time of the season was being analysed.

The temperature in the city came down considerably after the downpour.

In some parts of the capital there were reports of waterlogging.The residents of the areas like, Mukherjee Nagar, Model Town said the MCD had not cleared the sewer lines which had choked, leading to accumulation of rain water on the road.

CID to probe undertrial’s death

NAGPUR, Oct 2 (PTI) — The state CID will probe the death of an undertrial of Central Prison here after he died under mysterious circumstances, the police said today.

Eleven persons, including Deputy Superintendent of Prisons Rajendra Dhamne, along with four jail staff and six watchmen-cum-warden, have been booked under sections 302, 201 and 34 IPC (Murder and Destroying Evidences), the police said.

These suspects had allegedly beaten up Anil Kosare (30) in his barrack on Sunday and taken him to Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

“Save forests to avert water crisis”

MUZZAFARNAGAR, Oct 2, (UNI) — Noted environmentalist Sunder Lal Bahuguna said today massive deforestation would lead to a crisis of drinking water and “next war will be fought for water.’’

Justifying his protest against the construction of Tehri dam, Mr Bahuguna said the environment was polluted due to unplanned deforestation and rampant use of chemicals and pesticides.

Speaking at a function in the Gandhi Ashram here, Mr Bahuguna said we all should come forward to save the forest. Huge developmental projects should be taken up considering its environmental effects.

He emphasised the need to check deforestation and unnecessary use of chemicals.

People were increasingly falling ill due to contaminated water. According to scientists, water table was falling drastically and there would be drinking water crisis in the near future, he said.

Lightning claims 3 lives

RAJKOT, Oct 2 (UNI) — Two women and a youth were killed and two others injured when lightning struck them at two separate places in the Saurashtra region.

According to reports reaching here today, a woman and her son were killed and two others injured when lightning struck them at Shobhavadala village in Visavadar taluka of Junagadh district. They were picking up groundnut pods in a farm. The deceased were identified as Ganuben Menand (45) and her son Nirubhai (25). The injured were admitted to Visavadar Hospital, the report added.

Another woman was killed when lightning struck her at Sadodar village in Jamjodhpur taluka of Jamnagar district. She was asleep in her house when the tragedy occurred.

There was light to heavy showers in Junagadh and Jamnagar districts yesterday.

Wage board's tenure extended

MADURAI, Oct 2 (UNI) — The Centre will notify the recommendations of the Manisana Wage Board for journalists and non-journalists by the end of January next year, Union Labour Minister Dr Satyanarain Jatia announced tonight.

Talking to UNI here, Dr Jatia said the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) had sought more time for making its submission before the board.

He said the board chairman had been directed to submit his final report by the end of December this year to enable the government to notify the recommendations. There would not be any further delay in notifying the recommendations, he added.

Dr Jatia is scheduled to attend the social justice conference, organised by the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Scheduled Caste wing, at Virudhunagar tomorrow.

4 die after consuming hooch
HYDERABAD: Four persons died after consuming illicit arrack at Kadiri town in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. The police said here that three others who had also consumed the liquor were being treated at Kadiri Government Hospital. — UNI

Freedom fighter dead
CHENNAI: Freedom fighter and a former legislator of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Mr K.T. Raju, died at his residence in Tiruchirapalli on Wednesday night. Raju (82), a member of the Communist Party of India, is survived by wife and a daughter. — PTI

Soorya festival begins
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Month-long ‘Soorya dance and music festival’, dedicated to Swathi Thirunal, got off to a colourful start here with the Kerala Chief Minister, Mr E.K. Nayanar, presenting a “thamburu” to noted singer K.J. Jesudas. Several prominent dancers and musicians will take part in the festival. An exhibition of 400 musical instruments will also be organised during the festival. — UNI

60 Vedic scholars honoured
BANGALORE: The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on Thursday honoured 60 Vedic scholars from across the country as part of its diamond jubilee celebrations here. The awards were distributed in the presence of the President of the bhavan, Mr C. Subramaniam. The awards consisting of a certificate, a shawl and a cash prize have been sponsored by Mr Purandara Das, member of the executive committee of the New York centre of the bhavan. — PTI

All set for Urs at Ajmer
MUMBAI: A convention of the Raza Academy organised here on Friday, demanded immediate opening of the 137 mosques of Ajmer Sharif by handing them over to Jaipur Muslim Waqf Board and also requested the authorities to start preparations for the Khwaja Garib Nawaz Urs. The academy stressed that with a few days left for the 786th commencement of the Urs and with around 10 lakh devotees expected to attend it, the central government should make adequate arrangements for the same. — UNI

8 killed in road mishap
BANGALORE: Eight persons were killed and three others injured when the vehicle in which they were travelling collided with a truck on the National Highway near Banagur village in Bidar district on Thursday night. The police said the victims, included three women. — UNI