Sunday, September 6, 1998

Homage paid to Mother Teresa
CALCUTTA, Sept 5 — A year ago, heads of states from across the world thronged Mother’s house to pay their last respect to the one whose life was dedicated to the deprived and the discarded.

8 dropsy cases in Rajasthan
JAIPUR, Sept 5 — At least eight persons in Rajasthan have been afflicted with dropsy, caused by the consumption of adulterated mustard oil, officials here said today.

Flood situation grim in Assam

GUWAHATI, Sept 5 (UNI) — The Brahmaputra along with its major tributaries was in spate throughout its 750 km-long course engulfing vast areas of habitation and threatening its embankment at different points in Assam, official reports said today.

The IAF air dropped food packets in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Majuli River island.

The state government has alerted the district authorities to keep vigil on the situation and directed them to take the help of the Army in rescue and relief operations, the reports said.

The situation in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts was worse with surface communication completely disrupted. A large number of people were marooned in the two districts. Troops were assisting the civil authorities in Lakhimpur district, the reports said.

The Brahmaputra was flowing above the red mark at Dibrugarh, Neamatighat and Guwahati.

The state has been experiencing heavy rain for about a week.

At Dhakuakhana subdivision of Lakhimpur district, the situation was critical, the report said adding that water level in Gai and Jiadhal rivers was rising alarmingly surpassing all previous records. About 280 villages were submerged.

Another report said one of the major tributaries of Lohit river had been blocked since August 28 following a mountainslide which created a huge lake of water in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. The District Commissioner of Lohit had alerted his counterpart in neighbouring districts of Assam to remain alert.

Meanwhile, road communication between upper and lower Assam remained cut off as the national highway number 37 was submerged near the Kaziranga National Park in central Assam at different points.

Road link between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh was also disrupted with the national highway number 52 submerged at different points, the report said.

MALDA: Floods continued to play havoc in northern parts of West Bengal, as the Fulhari breached the embankment at Debipur and the Mahananda submerged fresh areas in Malda district during the past 24 hours.

Official sources said here today that a nine-member central team, led by Union Agriculture Joint Secretary Paul Joseph, have visited the district to assess the situation.

The fate of 7000 people was at stake with the Fulahari breaching its embankment at Debipur under Ratua block. The rushing flood waters submerged Kaliachak, Ratua, Debipur and Baihal, sources added.

The swollen Mahananda which crossed the danger mark yesterday engulfed parts of Malda town in the past 24 hours.

In New Malda Town large parts of which remained under water for the past few days, life has been badly affectedly by the current flood and dislocation of power supply.

Floods in the town were believed to have been caused by the breach along the 25 km-long stretch from Farakka to Malda, sources stated.

The situation remained grim at Itahar, Kaliagunj, Raigunj and Islampur besides Manikchak, which has been reeling under water for the past 45 days.

Road communication has been snapped and movement of vehicles on National Highway 34 was being restricted with the highway under four feet of water.

PATNA: There was no let up in the overall flood situation in Bihar, as the Army was called out for relief and rescue operations in Katihar, and the toll rose to 299 with reports of 11 fresh deaths.

State Relief and Rehabilitation Department sources today said four deaths occurred in Sitamarhi and two each in Munger and Darbhanga since yesterday. Three persons died in other affected areas.

One column of the engineering wing of the Army with speed boats was assisting in the relief measures in Katihar where situation further aggravated with rising Ganga and Kosi inundating fresh areas including Katihar and Purnea townships, the sources said.

Train services were suspended on Purnea-Saharsa and Katihar-Manihar sections as flood waters submerged the tracks at different places.

The floods continued to wreak havoc in 28 of the 55 districts in Bihar affecting over 12 million people spread over 7,000 villages, the sources added.

Centre watching Afghan situation

CHENNAI, Sept 5 (PTI) — India is watching the Afghan situation closely, as the military developments there are of great concern for the country, the GOC-in-C, Northern Command said today.

Talking to reporters after reviewing a passing-out of 230 cadets at the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) here, Lt-Gen. S. Padmanabhan, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, said a portion of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir had a common border with Afghanistan.

“Therefore, the matter is of great concern to us. We are watching the situation. I am sure an appropriate response will come from the Government of India,” he added.

He was answering a question on the security implications of the tense situation on Afghanistan’s border with Iran in the wake of massive Iranian military exercises.

He said it was often said the mercenaries operating in Kashmir would return to Afghanistan once normalcy returned there. The Taliban had achieved great success in the military field, but it was one thing to conquer territory, and quite another to administer it.

General Padmanabhan said the insurgency in Kashmir had been by and large contained, and no Kashmiri militant group was currently operating on a major scale. “We are now facing only a small number of mercenaries from Pakistan, Afghanistan and a few other countries.

“The proxy war has now become almost one exclusively waged by the mercenaries,” he added.

On the recent massacres of innocent persons in Jammu and Kashmir, he said these took place in hamlets situated in far-off areas. “We are trying to educate people in defending themselves.”

On the major waste disposal problem atop the Siachen, he said the defence research and development agencies had come up with new apparatuses called ‘bio-digesters’, which would convert solid waste into something more easily disposable. These were undergoing trials on the Siachen glacier, he added. He admitted that it was a serious problem, and “what is required is a massive clean-up effort”.

Earlier, General Padmanabhan reviewed an impressive passing-out parade. A total of 230 cadets, including 40 women completed their training today.

Swamy seeks probe against Jethmalani

NEW DELHI, Sept 5 (PTI) — Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy has written to new Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) N. Vittal seeking a detailed probe into the alleged role of Urban Affairs Minister Ram Jethmalani in the “M.S. Shoes land scam”.

Mr Swamy told Mr Vittal that he was in a “position to call for complete records and files in these cases” and assured his assistance in finding the truth regarding various allegations made against Mr Jethmalani in his two-page letter.He drew Mr Vittal’s attention to his earlier letter to the Prime Minister in which he claimed to have annexed certain documents allegedly disclosing “undue interest shown by Mr Jethmalani in allotting a prime land to MS Shoes.”

Mr Jethmalani had reacted sharply on August 26 to Mr Swamy’s “land scam” allegations against him and said he would sue Mr Swamy for defaming him.The very next day Mr Jethmalani had asked the CBI to exercise all its powers including “search, seizure and arrest” to unravel the truth.

President to raise nuclear concerns

NEW DELHI, Sept 5 (PTI) —India will sign seven agreements including one to combat trafficking in narcotic drugs during President K.R. Narayanan’s fortnight-long visit to Germany, Portugal, Luxembourg and Turkey beginning tomorrow.

Apart from having discussions to boost bilateral and commercial ties between India and these countries, the President is likely to convince them on the “security” compulsion of New Delhi that prompted it to conduct nuclear tests in May.

Mr Narayanan, who will be in Germany for five days from tomorrow, will discuss with President Roman Herzog and other German leaders issues of regional and international importance including those related to nuclear tests. He is scheduled to visit Bonn, Berlin and Baden Baden.

Germany and India are expected to finalise an extradition treaty towards the end of this month which, official sources said, would help fight the problem of terrorism.

His visit will also pave the way for the signing of another agreement ‘2000 and beyond’ to usher them into the 21st century.

During his five-day visit to Germany, a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on environment will be signed between the two countries.

New Delhi will sign five agreements with Turkey including those on narcotic drugs, investment, information technology and culture.

It will sign a double taxation avoidance agreement with Portugal.

IT can’t reopen tax assessment: Sibal

JABALPUR, Sept 5 (UNI) — The Income Tax Department could not reopen the assessment of the valuation of the Kerva mansion house of senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Arjun Singh and his income tax and wealth tax returns for 1985-1988 under the provisions of the Income Tax Act, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has been told.

Mr Arjun Singh’s counsel Kapil Sibal made this submission before Mr Justice D.P.S. Chouhan yesterday who was hearing the petition challenging the reopening of the cost assessment of the house and income tax and wealth tax returns of the year 1985 to 1988 by the income tax officials.

The court fixed September 7 as the next date of hearing when the Income Tax Department could put its argument for reopening the valuation of the house and tax returns of Mr Arjun Singh.

Mr Sibal contended before the court that Mr Arjun Singh had already submitted the necessary details about the house about 10 years ago which was then accepted by the income tax authorities. As such, now the income tax officials could not reopen assessment of the house and the income tax and wealth returns filed by him for the years 1985-86, 1986-87 and 1987-88 without disclosing any reasons for it, he pleaded.

Mr Sibal said as per the provisions of the Income Tax Act the respondents were bound to disclose reasons before undertaking reopening proceedings for assessment of the years concerned, which the income tax authorities had not done.

He charged the income tax officials with “mala fide” intentions undertaking the inquiry in the valuation of the house and reopening the assessment proceedings for the income tax and wealth tax returns of the petitioner just to “harass” him. An income tax assessment which had already reached the final stage several years ago and stood conclusive could not be reopened now, he said.

Homage paid to Mother Teresa

CALCUTTA, Sept 5 (UNI) — A year ago, heads of states from across the world thronged Mother’s house to pay their last respect to the one whose life was dedicated to the deprived and the discarded.

On the first anniversary of Mother Teresa’s passing away, the grandeur and ceremony may be missing but the love, affection and respect of the common people for the “saint of the gutters” continues to endure.

Large crowds spontaneously began gathering from early morning at the Missionaries of Charity premises to pay their tributes at the Mother’s tomb, which was decorated with flowers, particularly white roses and marigolds.

Hundreds of nuns and several co-workers and volunteers attended a special mass on the occasion. Father Francis Gomes of St Xavier's Chapel, Bowbazar, conducted the mass.

PONDICHERRY: Tributes were paid to Mother Teresa on her first death anniversary here on Saturday. A special mass was conducted at the Missionaries of Charity (MOC) home here, in which senior superior Prasantha, nuns and inmates of the home took part. A day-long meditation is being organised at the home to mark the occasion. A special mass would also be held at the Immaculate of Conception cathedral here.

8 dropsy cases in Rajasthan
From Our Correspondent

SRIGANGANAGAR, Sept 5 — Three members of a family of Suratgarh with symptoms of dropsy were admitted to PBM Hospital at Bikaner today.

The three were identified as Dinesh Kumar (36), his wife, Urmila, and daughter, Medhavi.

Meanwhile, Dr Ram Partap Punia, District Health Officer, has directed shopkeepers not to sell Dhara till further orders. He said since the outbreak of the disease, the district administration had taken 24 samples of mustard oil.

JAIPUR (UNI): At least eight persons in Rajasthan have been afflicted with dropsy, caused by the consumption of adulterated mustard oil, officials here said today.

A particular stock of the Dhara brand of oil has been withdrawn from the market by the manufacturers and destroyed after it was found to be adulterated.

A medical and health department spokesman said here that three cases of dropsy each from Alwar and Suratgarh town of Ganganagar district had been reported while two persons who had been suffering from the condition in the city here had recovered. Samples of mustard oil had been taken from the patients who had consumed the oil.

Workshop on forest workers
LUCKNOW: The National Centre for Labour (NCL) is organising a three-day workshop on forest workers at Ranchi (Bihar) from September 19. This was announced here by the secretary of the NCL, Mr Ashok Chaudhury, on Thursday. According to him, more than 100 experts and representatives from different organisations will attend the workshop to finalise a comprehensive report on the status, problems and movements of the forest workers in India and laws and policies relating to them. — UNI

3 members of Thakuri gang escape
HARDOI: Three hardcore criminals belonging to the Thakuri gang escaped from the police lock-up here on Friday by breaking the wall of a compound, official sources said. However, three others who were also trying to escape, had been nabbed, they said. But their gang leader Raj Kumar, alias Thakuri, wanted in several criminal cases, escaped. The Sub-Inspector, posted in the collectorate compound from where the gangsters escaped, had been suspended, the sources added. — PTI

Train passengers escape unhurt
JAIPUR: Passengers of a Delhi-bound inter-city train escaped unhurt when the engine and a coach derailed at Sawaimadhopur station, the police said on Saturday. The incident occurred on Friday when the train’s engine was being shunted, they said, adding that the train left for its destination after a few hours’ delay. — PTI

Japan may fund AP power plants
HYDERABAD: Japan may consider funding of new thermal power plants in Andhra Pradesh, a Japanese study group on electrical power development for India has said. The Japanese group which met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday, discussed the present status of reforms in the power sector in the state and programmes for the speedy completion of the ongoing projects. The Japanese delegation showed keen interest in the modernisation of the Nagarjunasagar plant, the original equipment of which was supplied by Japanese companies. — PTI

Blast accused held at Jorhat
GUWAHATI: Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s gang member Kamrul Haque Borbhuyan, accused of being involved in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, has been arrested at Jorhat in upper Assam, the police said here today. Several documents establishing his identity were recovered from him. Borbhuyan confessed during interrogation that he was engaged as a gang member of Dawood for the bomb explosions. — PTI