Saturday, September 5, 1998
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23 more die in Bihar as floods worsen Over 12.5 million affected PATNA, Sept 4 — With 23 more deaths reported from several flood-hit areas of Bihar, the toll in the state in the recent floods today rose to 288. Avoid Rath, Panghat 'vanaspati ghee' NEW DELHI, Sept 4 — The Delhi Government has asked consumers to discontinue using Rath and Panghat vanaspati ghee. |
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70
teachers get national awards To
pave way for peace, Assam CM offers to step down KV
admission records summoned |
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23 more die in Bihar as floods
worsen PATNA, Sept 4 (PTI) — With 23 more deaths reported from several flood-hit areas of Bihar, the toll in the state in the recent floods today rose to 288 even as the situation worsened following overnight rains. The States Relief and Rehabilitation Department sources said 23 fresh deaths were reported from flood-hit districts during the last 24 hours, but the district-wise details are not yet available. With torrential rains lashing catchment areas of rivers already in spate, the situation in Bhagalpur, Sitamarhi, Purnea and Katihar has further worsened, the sources said. Flood waters of the Ganga, which is rising menacingly, entered Bhagalpur town today. Fresh areas were also inundated in Sabanput, Sanhaula, Kahalgaon and Pirpainti blocks in the district, they said. Swollen rivers like the Kosi, Budhi Gandak, Sone, Mahananda, Kamalka Balan, and Adhwara group of rivers were threatening to breach their embankments at over 150 points, the sources added. Apart from the Ganga which is flowing above the danger mark at Gandhighat, Hathidah, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon and Farakka, other rivers were also flowing above their danger levels at different places along their courses, a report of the central water commission said. Over 12.5 million people, spread over 7,000 villages in 28 districts, have been affected by floods that have caused extensive damage to standing crops. Private and public property worth over Rs 300 crore has been damaged so far. Relief and rescue operations have been further beefed up with help of over 2500 relief and health centres. Over 5000 boats were pressed into service for evacuating marooned people. Army personnel continue to assist relief work in the worst-hit Darbhanga district, the sources added. GUWAHATI: The Assam Government today asked the Indian Air Force to stand by as the flood situation in the state turned grim with the swollen Brahmaputra and its tributaries creating havoc in large areas. Official sources said the Air Force has been alerted to keep choppers ready for air dropping essential supplies in flood-hit areas of the state. Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta today reviewed the flood situation with senior officials and released Rs 24 crore for immediate relief to the victims. The situation in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts further worsened following heavy rains in Arunachal Pradesh and catchment areas, severely disrupting rail and road communication. National Highway Number 52 between Gohpur and Hawajan remained under five feet of water even as the Brahmaputra was flowing four metres above the danger level in Guwahati. MALDA: The flood situation in north Bengal deteriorated today following incessant rains overnight raising water levels of major rivers and disrupting relief work, official sources said today. The Ganga, Mahananda and Fulahar in Malda district and Nagar and Mahananda in Uttar Dinajpur district were all flowing much above the danger mark sources said. With the death of three more persons — two in Raiganj and one in Islampur — last night, the toll in the recent floods in Uttar Dinajpur district has risen to 12. The arterial National Highway No. 34 is under water in both Malda and Uttar Dinajpur districts. Train and bus services have also been affected. BARABANKI (UP): Several villages in Barabanki district have been inundated due to a major breach in Alinagar-Ranimau dam, official sources said today. Officials attributed a 12 metre-wide breach in the dam last night to the overflowing Ghaghra river, adding affected people were being shifted to safer places. Irrigation Department engineers were working to plug the breach. ITANAGAR: The flood situation in Arunachal Pradesh remained grave as the Chief Minister toured Pasighat and Mebu areas in flood-hit East Siang district. Mr Apang asked the district authorities to set up a committee to undertake flood protection measures immediately and prepare a rough estimate of the damage due to floods after his visit to these areas yesterday. Meanwhile, the swollen
Siang river, flowing much above the danger level, entered
Pasighat town and submerged cultivable lands around six
villages, official reports reaching here said. |
Avoid Rath, Panghat vanaspati
ghee NEW DELHI, Sept 4 — The Delhi Government has asked consumers to discontinue using Rath and Panghat vanaspati ghee after two samples of the brands were found adulterated. Meanwhile, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court has appointed Mr Justice Anil Dev Singh to probe into the outbreak of the dropsy which has claimed 46 lives. According to agency reports, the Union Government has handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation a probe into the outbreak of dropsy. The decision was taken by Home Minister L K Advani. Minister of Health in the Delhi government, Dr Harsh Vardhan told reporters here today that one sample of Panghat lifted by the Union government had tested positive for argemone oil yesterday. Apart from this, of the 18 samples of Rath lifted by the Delhi government, one tested positive for argemone oil. Dr Harsh Vardhan told shopkeepers not to sell the aforesaid brands till there were further directions from the government. “We might be able to give a more clear picture by tomorrow when all samples have been tested.” The Health Minister said that the Prevention of Food Adulteration Department of the Delhi Government had filed six more cases against persons selling adulterated oil. The brands include Dhara and Kohinoor. He said that two more dropsy deaths and 101 fresh admissions of dropsy were reported from various city hospitals in the last 24 hours. He said that the dead include a 70-year-old man from Dabri Extension and a seven-year-old girl from Sagarpur. Dr Harsh Vardhan said that 591 patients of dropsy were under medication in various hospitals in the Capital. He asked dropsy patients
to go for an eye check-up for the timely diagnosis of
dropsy glaucoma. The Health Minister said that of the 133
persons examined at the glaucoma cell in Guru Nanak Eye
Centre, seven were diagnosed suffering from glaucoma. He
pointed out that precautionary check up had prevented
irreversible damage to the eye. He advised dropsy
patients to go for an eye check-up every month for a
year. |
‘Estoppel cannot impede right of
appeal’ NEW DELHI, Sept 4 — A tenant can maintain a Special Leave Petition, under Article 136 of the Constitution, before the Supreme Court, even after getting time from the High Court for vacating the rented premises and filing an undertaking in the court that he would hand over the peaceful vacant premises to the landlord. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court had taken this view while over-ruling the earlier decision of two-judge benches of the apex court which had taken the view that a tenant was precluded from approaching this court under Article 136 of the Constitution after giving the undertaking before the High Court. This ruling thus gave a great benefit to the tenants since they can keep the High Court judgement suspended by gaining time and filing an undertaking to vacate and still come before the apex court to challenge the High Court’s judgement. The three-judge bench had heard the appeal of the tenant when a two-judge bench comprising Mr Justice R.M. Sahel and Mr Justice N. Venkatachala on April 7, 1995 disagreeing with the view taken by earlier benches referred the question of law to a larger bench. Mr Justice K.T. Thomas, delivering the judgement of the bench which included the Chief Justice, Mr M.M. Punchhi, and Mr Justice Syed Shah Mohammad Quadri, expressing agreement with the two-judge bench which referred the matter to a larger bench, held that the appeal filed under Article 136 of the Constitution by Special Leave could not be dismissed as not maintainable on the mere ground that the appellant had given an undertaking to the High Court on being so directed, in order to keep the High Court’s order in abeyance for some time. The bench, which had referred the matter while hearing the preliminary objection of the landlord regarding maintainability of the SLP even after filing the undertaking, in view of four judgements of the apex court, had observed in the reference order that remedy under Article 136 was a constitutional right, which could not be taken away by legislation, much less by invoking the principles of election or estoppel. The three-judge bench in
its judgement observed that the principle of estoppel
could not impede right of appeal and particularly the
constitutional remedy. |
70 teachers get national awards NEW DELHI, Sept 4 (PTI) — Seventy teachers and educationists were presented the Radhakrishnan Memorial National Teacher Awards on the eve of Teachers’ Day for their outstanding contribution to the field of education. The awards were presented by Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma at a function held here today to commemorate the birth anniversary of the late President, Dr Radhakrishnan, tomorrow. The function, inaugurated by BJP vice-president K.L. Sharma and presided by Delhi Assembly Speaker Charti Lal Goel, was organised by the ‘Akhil Bharatiya Swatantra Patrakar Avom Lekhak Sangh’. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Verma said the teachers should follow the ideals of Dr Radhakrishnan, who was a great patriot, philosopher, educationist and good administrator. Recipients of the awards
included Vimla Vyas, Subhas Rani, Reeta Awasthee, Rita
Sharma, Sunita Malik, S.K. Aggarwal, S.V. Malik, Vimla,
K.B. Rohtagi, K.N. Dhar, Prit Singh, Prem Lata Garg,
Neelima Vardhan, Karan Singh Yadav, Rita Nayyar, Rajpal
Singh, Baldev Singh, S.N. Dixit and O.P. Minocha. |
To pave way for peace, Assam
CM offers GUWAHATI, Sept 4 — Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta has said he is prepared to step down if that helped bring the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to the negotiating table and put an end to the separatist insurgency in his troubled state. Mr Mahanta said he was offering to resign to pave the way for a possible dialogue between ULFA guerrillas and New Delhi. “If my remaining in power is the only stumbling block in preventing the ULFA rebels from coming forward for talks with the government, I don’t have any hesitation to relinquish my chair,” Mr Mahatma told India Abroad News Service in an interview. “But first the militants must make it clear that they are willing to hold negotiations with the government and specify the time, date and venue for such a dialogue and also identify the leaders who would represent them at the talks,” he said. The ULFA, fighting for an independent homeland outside the Indian federation, has said it would not agree to peace talks if Mr Mahanta continues as the Chief Minister. “For the greater interest of the state I’m ready to sacrifice power,” Mr Mahanta claimed in the interview. “Now the ball is in ULFA’s court.” Mr Mahanta claimed that despite continuing secessionist violence, foreign investors were showing interest in setting up industries in Assam. “A number of investors from abroad have met me and have expressed their willingness to set up power and gas-based projects,” the Chief Minister said. “Very soon we will see some major projects coming up in Assam.” He also claimed that things had improved in his state. “Insurgency in Assam has been controlled to a great extent as people in general have rejected the romantic ideologies of the separatist rebels,” the Chief Minister said. Mr Mahanta, alleged that insurgents in the northeastern states were being provided “sanctuary and training” in neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. “We have asked the Union government to take up the issue of northeastern rebel groups operating from bases in Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar with its counterparts,” Mahanta said. “If the neighbouring countries do not stop providing shelter to the militants, it will have an adverse impact on our economy and industry.” The Chief Minister alleged
that guerrilla groups operating in northeast India were
being armed and trained by Pakistan’s Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) at camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan,
besides bases in Bangladesh and Bhutan. (India
Abroad News Service) |
KV admission records summoned New Delhi, Sept 4 — The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre to place before it all records pertaining to admission of students from MPs quota in Central schools in the country including a report of the special committee set up by the government to examine the admissions. The direction was issued by a Division Bench, comprising Mr Justice R C Lahoti and Mr Justice C K Mahajan on a public interest litigation (PIL) by the joint action committee of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangthan Associations of Employees (KVSAE) alleging that rules and guidelines were flouted in these admissions. Seeking to strike down all such admissions, counsel for KVSAE, Prashant Bhushan submitted that 1890 admissions were made in violation of laid down guidelines, “which is nothing short of a major scandal”. The personal assistants of central ministers, he alleged, were sending notes to the principals recommending admissions to wards of BJP workers and supporters. “I have an evidence that seven admissions were made on the request of a printer, working for the BJP”, Bhushan told the court. Objecting to the remarks of the petitioner’s advocate, government counsel Rakesh Tiku said it was unfortunate to describe it as a “scandal”. No admissions have been made after the court passed an order he said, adding the committee set up by the government has prepared a school-wise list of all such admissions and the government was ready to place it before the court. Questioning the propriety of the present Human Resource Development Minister to reintroduce provision of special dispensation admissions in Central schools, Mr Bhushan said this action of the Minister was “illegal and unconstitutional” as it violated the government’s own rules and guidelines. Mr Bhushan alleged that the HRD Minister “pleased” Union Minister P R Kumaramangalam with 20 admissions while, MPs K L Sharma and Mr Lal Bihari Tiwari, respectively, got 40 and 30 students admitted into the schools. A senior IAS officer got away with 10 seats, he claimed. He said genuine students were denied admission by the school authorities on the ground of paucity of seats, but in the case of recommendations made by ministers under MPs quota “they were given to all and sundry”. He said as per rules the preference in admission should be given on the basis of priority list of categories drawn by the government but in the present case, the categories at the bottom were given first preference, Mr Bhushan said. The petitioner in a
rejoinder to the government reply cited at least nine
other examples to substantiate the allegations of
violation of rules alleging that 14 names were
recommended by different officers at the instance of the
HRD Minister. |
| In
brief New envoys to Haiti and Congo NEW DELHI: Mr Om Prakash Gupta, India’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, has been concurrently accredited as the country’s envoy to the Republic of Haiti with residence in Kingston, it was announced on Thursday. Mr Upendra Chandra Baro, Indian Ambassador to Angola, has been concurrently accredited as the new envoy to the Republic of Congo, with residence in Luanda. — PTI Zee TV Director
interrogated DVB engineer
arrested MLAs, MPs’
society to be probed 4 of a family
commit suicide |
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