Saturday, April 3, 1999
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N A T I O N |
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BJP keen to reduce
dependence on allies
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 Army jawans engaged in clearing boulders on the Pokhri bundh, few kilometres away from Gopeshwar on Thursday. — PTI
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Tension along Haryana
border Big
quake in Delhi ‘unlikely’
Basu
to continue in office SC
order on contract workers Ministries
told to file Y2K reports Minister's
guard commits suicide |
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BJP National Executive PANAJI (Goa), April 2 — The three-day BJP National Executive which began here today will have a serious discussion on ways to reduce its dependence on its allies without hurting their sentiments. The entire idea is to concentrate on how to gain strength in the states quickly to be in a position to return to power at the Centre on its own without the crutches of so many allies, a senior leader confided in the TNS. A draft paper prepared for discussion at the executive points out at the fluid political situation which is a serious reminder that the party should be prepared for a mid-term poll any time. After a year of tumultous experiences with the allies, a realisation has dawned upon the BJP that the present government is not the party's government but a coalition government and the BJP will have to wait for securing a majority in the Lok Sabha to have our own government instead of forcing its agenda now, the draft paper points out. The BJP Vice-President, Mr Jagdish Prasad Mathur, who is here since Tuesday overseeing the Media arrangements, said the National Executive’s prime objective would be to discuss how the party could gain maximum strength without irritating the coalition partners. He, however, made it clear that the alliance with the parties at the Centre did not mean that the BJP must have similar tie-ups in the states. The party chose Goa for its national executive only because the state now under the President’s rule would be the first one to have the Assembly elections in May and as such a visit by all top BJP leaders would help the party start an early election campaign. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, who flew into Panaji on Wednesday evening much ahead of others will address a public meeting on Saturday evening. While talking to reporters, Mr Mathur made it clear that the BJP was going to contest the Goa Assembly election on its own, and ruled out the electoral alliance it had in the elections four years ago with the local Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party (MGP). He, however, did not rule out some adjustments that the BJP may make in Goa. Asked if the national executive would also decide the electoral alliance in other states like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, that go to poll in November-December, Mr Mathur said that alliance strategies were discussed by a small group of top leaders. The two draft economic and political resolutions were approved at the office-bearers’ meeting yesterday evening and expressed satisfaction over the performance of the Vajpayee government. The political resolution takes an overall view of the developments from Pokharan II nuclear explosions to Vajpayee’s Lahore bus trip and the overall political situation in the country. Though the National Executive, which is meeting in Panaji exactly after four years on the same dates of April 2, 3 and 4 on which it had met in 1995, has been mainly convened to discuss preparations for the forthcoming Assembly elections, Mr Mathur said it would have to review the emerging new political situation in the country. When asked how long the
BJP would tolerate the tantrums of AIADMK leader
Jayalalitha, who keeps creating a sense of instability,
Mr Mathur shot back, "As long as we can." That
is the policy the BJP President, Mr Kushabhau Thakre,
wants to lay down at this executive meeting, telling
partymen to ignore all pinpricks of the allies while
concentrating on increasing their own strength to a level
where such allies become irrelevant. |
BJP prepares to face Jaya's
threat PANAJI, April 2 — The BJP leadership is preparing for every eventuality, including the withdrawal of the support to its government by the AIADMK chief, Ms Jayalalitha. While on the one hand the party leadership tried to underplay the threat factor by stating that she would not withdraw the support in view of the statement of the Prime Minister , Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on the other hand many party leaders were heard saying that "it was difficult to work with her". "Outside the AIADMK supremo asks for the shifting of the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, to a less sensitive ministry, inside talking to the Prime Minister she asks for the shifting of the Union Petroleum Minister, Mr K. Ramamurthy", a senior leader said adding that "has it been only the demand related with the inclusion of her party MPs in the Union Cabinet, we would have no problem in meeting it". "How can you accept her unreasonable demands of bringing a particular judge to a certain court or shifting of another judge", a top party leader said adding that "the BJP has a future ahead of it". "Mamataji also says things but one can find some rationale in it but with Ms Jayalalitha, we are at loss to understand what to make of her various contradictory statements", a Union Minister said, adding that "we can even survive without her". The AIADMK leader is already isolated among the allies, including those from her own state of Tamil Nadu, the Minister pointed out adding that if the Lok Sabha elections were held today she would be surprised with the results. "Our party is growing in Tamil Nadu and the BJP alliance with the rest of the AIADMK’s estranged allies would offer the electorate a third alternative", he said. Meanwhile, gone are the days when the BJP used to be media-friendly and helpful. Today, not only it ensures that mediapersons do not get an opportunity to interact with the delegates but also ties its best to conceal information. A glaring fact came to light today when persons responsible to media tried to change the party President, Mr Kushabhau Thakre’s opening remarks when they added few words in the English translation of the Hindi version of Mr Thakre’s speech. While in his remarks, Mr Thakre had said that the party had paid a price for certain organisational weaknesses in the last Assembly elections held in December last year, "coupled with extraneous factors" was added in the English translation which was given to mediapersons. Distance between the venue
and the place for stay for newspersons is so much that it
is almost impossible to contact delegates. In the earlier
meetings of the national executive, the communication
centre for media used to be the site of the venue but
this time it has been kept at the hotel where the
mediapersons are staying. |
Sino-India border talks by May NEW DELHI, April 2 (PTI) — India and China will hold the next meeting of their joint working group (JWG) by the month end or by early May to discuss the border problem between the two countries and other issues, Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra said here today. "There is also a possibility of Mr Jaswant Singh visiting China or holding talks with Chinese leaders at the Asian regional forum meeting at Singapore in June if the talks of JWG are fruitful", Mr Mishra told reporters here. Last month the two countries had resumed official level dialogue for the first time since the Pokhran nuclear in May last year. The only direct political dialogue between New Delhi and Beijing was held in Manila last July when Mr Singh, as the Prime Minister’s special envoy met Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the ASEAN regional forum. "The JWG meeting is taking place in the backdrop of positive signals emerging from both countries on bringing back on track bilateral ties, Mr Mishra said. Mr Mishra said the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet in New Delhi in May to resume parleys on peace and security including confidence-building measures and the Jammu and Kashmir issue as part of the composite dialogue process. Official level talks on six other issues including Siachen, Tulbul Navigation Project, Sir Creek maritime boundary dispute, terrorism and drug trafficking and promoting cultural and economic cooperation would be discussed in Islamabad next month. "The whole process is expected to be completed by May", Mr Mishra said. An official level team is leaving for Pakistan soon to work out details for the meetings. On the question of India signing the comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) soon, Mr Mishra said India has made it clear that it will not do so under pressure. "There should be a better and positive atmosphere to enable the government to sign the CTBT", Mr Mishra said. He, however, said India "doesn’t have to conduct any more nuclear tests". New Delhi has maintained that it will continue to hold negotiations with key interlocutors on a range of issues for their successful conclusion so that the entry in force of the CTBT is not delayed beyond September this year. Mr Mishra said Pakistan has also stated that it would not subscribe to the treaty under coercion. Asked whether the USA was mounting pressure on India to check its missile programme, Mr Mishra said "no such pressure can work. Our missile programme will continue". On prospects of US President Bill Clinton visiting India, Mr Mishra said for this a more conducive atmosphere was needed. Mr Mishra said sanctions did have some effect on India "but it should be seen in conjunction with the East Asian crisis" and other factors which had hit many countries. On the Kosovo crisis, he said India was in close touch with the non-aligned countries to forge a coordinated position on the issue. India has severely criticised the NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia contending that it was in clear violation of the UN charter. On the proposed two way direct bus service between Calcutta and Dhaka, Mr Mishra said it may take some more time since the road linkages need some more improvement. CALCUTTA (PTI): Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee today said moves were on to garner required support to maintain majority of the ruling coalition at the Centre in view of the pull-out threat by the AIADMK. Stating that moves were on to "make up for the loss in the event of withdrawal of support by any coalition partner’’, she told newsmen "I won’t comment further’’. The Jayalalitha-Sonia talks were "the game plan’’ to embarrass the Vajpayee government. "I don’t think that such a plan was mooted at the tea party hosted by Subramanian Swamy, but somewhere else’’, she added. She said she strongly favoured a debate in Parliament on the Vishnu Bhagwat issue. "Unless there is a debate on the issue, people won’t come to know the facts and the issue will remain confined to the JPC members only’’. Claiming that AIADMK members were in the Vajpayee Cabinet "due to our support to the government’’, the Trinamool Congress founder said she resigned from the coordination committee on price rise issue, supported Congress candidate P.M. Sayeed for Deputy Speaker’s post and created a furore to change the TRAI recommendations on telecom tariff hike. "But these actions were pro-people and not aimed at deriving political mileage’’. Asked if her relations with the AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalitha would be "strained’’ in view of the changed political situation, Ms Banerjee said "political relation and personal ties are two different issues’’. To a question, Ms Banerjee
said she was convinced that the Vajpayee government had
done the "right thing’’ in dismissing Navy
chief Vishnu Bhagwat. "The President has signed the
file and I have enormous faith in him’’, Ms
Banerjee said. |
Bill on rent control this
session NEW DELHI, April 2 — The Union Government will introduce Bills on foreclosure norms and model rent control in this session of Parliament, Urban Affairs and Employment Minister Ram Jethmalani said today. The proposal to allow foreign direct investment is under the consideration of the Union Cabinet, he said adding that his ministry’s condition to the proposal was only that three-year lock-in-period is allowed in this respect. Addressing a seminar on housing, organised by FICCI, Mr Jethmalani said the industry’s other demand, including according of deemed export status to construction activities for NRIs, extension of time limit for tax holidays to 2010 instead of proposed 2003 are also being considered. However, he did not agree with the demand of giving industry status to the housing sector as it will bring many difficulties to the sector. The Bill on foreclosure norms is already ready and the government was earlier planning to implement it through promulgating an ordinance. But since Parliament will resume on April 15, it was decided to table it in this session, he said. The Finance Ministry had last month finalised amendments to the National Housing Bank (NHB) Act, which will permit housing finance companies HFCs to foreclose loans of defaulters through a simple administrative process, instead of time-consuming court procedures. The amendments will provide simplified procedures for creating mortgages and will enable HFCs to immediately foreclose their bad loans. The officials had earlier clarified that this benefit would be available only to HFCs associated with the NHB. On allowing FDI in the housing sector, the Union Minister said the condition of three-year lock-in period would be imposed to avoid capital flight, which led to currency turmoil in South-East Asia. FICCI had suggested that the limit of FDI investment in the sector be kept at 50 per cent and gradually increased thereafter to provide a level playing field to domestic builders. To this, Mr Jethmalani pointed out that his ministry has put the only condition of lock-in period, stating that even if 100 per cent FDI is allowed, the domestic builders should not worry. On bill on model rent control, Mr Jethmalani said the basic principle behind the proposed legislation was that all landlords are not rich and all tenants are not poor. As far as the adoption of the scrapping of the Urban Land Ceiling Act by state governments is concerned, he is holding discussions with state Chief Ministers to agree to it. Punjab and Haryana Governments have already adopted the abolition of ULCRA, while Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat have agreed to do so. Lashing out at those who are trying to compare charges levelled by former Navy Chief Vishnu Bhagwat with those of the Bofors and Hawala cases, he said the former Admiral deserved to be sacked. Asked why the government
was not agreeing to the opposition demand of constituting
joint parliament probe (JPC), when it is so firmly
defending its decision of sacking Admiral Bhagwat, Mr
Jethmalani said, “we had an experience of one JPC
before, and what did it do instead of coming out with
facts, it tried to suppress facts. |
Tension along Haryana border KAIRANA (Muzaffarnagar), April 2 — Tension is mounting on the UP-Haryana border with the harvest season due to commence shortly. A police official posted here admitted that in view of the tension, the Uttar Pradesh Government had deployed the PAC on the border. This had been a regular feature, he said. The districts whose borders are separated by the Yamuna are Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Faridabad and Gurgaon in Haryana and Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh and Bulandshahar in UP. Almost every year, the farmers of the two states clash on the issue of ownership of wheat in the belt. The police official maintained that the UP government proposed to call a meeting of senior district officials of the two states to sort out the issue. The UP government had received reports that the farmers of Haryana might attempt to harvest wheat in the villages of Sahmat and Shyamgarhi. That is the reasons the government had deployed the PAC. Official sources told this reporter that 21093 acre in the bed of the Yamuna in the districts of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bagpat, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar and Aligarh was awarded to Haryana farmers under the Dixit Award. Similarly, about 19195 acre of Haryana was awarded to Uttar Pradesh. This led to the UP farmers losing about 2000 acres to Haryana farmers under the award. The award stipulated that the land records pertaining to the two states should be handed over to each other immediately. However, it has not been done so far. Every year the Yamuna
changes its course during the monsoon. This leads to
surplus land of one state being left in the other state.
But after the rainy season is over, the farmers of both
states start claiming that portion of land which has been
left out after the change. |
Big quake in Delhi
‘unlikely’ NEW DELHI, April 2 — The chances of a major devastating quake hitting the Capital, which falls in zone four of the seismic zoning, are few but it will continue to witness low-intensity shocks, seismologists said. Delhi trembles every time Kumaon-Garhwal shakes violently and the Capital experiences on an average six to seven low-intensity shocks each year, they said. The low-intensity shocks in Delhi each year, with epicentre in the city and surrounding Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, may be beneficial to Delhi as they help release built-up stresses, Prof G S Roonwal, Geology Department, Delhi University South Campus, said. If they accumulate, they could lead to a more devastating quake, he added. He said the chances of a major devastating quake hitting the Capital “are few but it will continue to witness low-intensity shocks.” For Delhi low-intensity earthquake shocks are nothing new. In fact, the top portion of the Qutub Minar reportedly got destroyed due to a quake in Uttar Pradesh almost two centuries ago. A highly destructive earthquake in Uttar Pradesh in 1803, with intensity more than 8 on the Richter scale, left its aftershocks in Delhi where the upper portion of the Qutub Minar was destroyed, Prof Janardhan Negi, Scientist Emeritus at National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) in Hyderabad has said. Mr Negi said during the Uttarkashi quake in 1991, surrounding areas in Uttar Pradesh recorded seismic intensity of four, but Delhi which was further away recorded 5 on the Richter scale. The reason could be some underground channels towards Delhi through which the high-energy waves released during a quake get propagated more efficiently, he said. Major quakes with magnitude more than 5 hit near Delhi in 1720, in 1803 near Mathura, 1956 in Bulandshahar, 1960 near Delhi and 1966 in Moradabad. A recent study by Dr Roonwal and colleagues at Delhi University and Indian Meteorological Department shows that several faults around Delhi are seismically active, of which the Delhi-Hardwar ridge appears to be the most important. Their study on 15 “micro” earthquakes from Delhi region showed that the distance from the epicentre varied from 10 to 65 km. Most of the events, with magnitude varying from 1.5 to 4 are located in the area between 28-29 degrees North and 76.5-78.5 degrees East. The seismic activity
observed in this region is due to stresses building up in
the Indian plate which is moving northward at the rate of
five cm every year and colliding with the more stable
Eurasian plate near Tibet. |
Basu to continue in office CALCUTTA, April 2 (PTI) — West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu has expressed his desire to continue in office setting at rest the speculation about his retirement. Replying to budgetary demands for grants for the Department of Home in the state Assembly yesterday, Basu said Marxists did not shirk responsibility even on grounds of health. This was the first time that the octogenarian Chief Minister had expressed himself on the floor of the Assembly in favour of his continuing in office. The Chief Minister told Congress member Subrata Mukherjee not to doubt the ability of the Cooperation Minister Bhakti Bhusan Mandal and said he (Chief Minister) would soon be going abroad for treatment. Earlier, Congress
legislator Saugata Roy alleged that while the Chief
Minister was active, his government was limping. |
SC order on contract workers NEW DELHI, April 2 (PTI) — The Supreme Court, in a ruling favouring lakhs of contract labourers, has held that they have a right to be absorbed in regular service after working for over 240 days a year in an establishment. “Is it permissible in the new millennium to decry the cry of the labour force desirous of absorption after working for more than 240 days in an establishment and having their workings supervised and administered by an agency within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution — the answer cannot possibly be in the affirmative,” the court observed in a recent judgement. The Haryana State Electricity Board (HSEB) had engaged 42 safai karmacharis for one year through a contractor for keeping its Panipat power plant clean and hygienic. These safai karmacharis sought to be absorbed permanently in the service of the board on the completion of 240 days of their working in the plant and their contention was favoured by the labour court as well as the Punjab and Haryana High court. Upholding the high court verdict, a Division Bench of Justice S. B. Majmudar and Justice U. C Banerjee referred to Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970, and said “judicial pronouncements on the subject were unanimous that if contract labour was employed in an establishment for seasonal workings, the question of abolition would not arise.” The Bench, however, said “in the event of the same being perennial in nature, the legislature is candid enough to record its abolition since the involvement of contractor may have its social evil of labour exploitation.” The court said the maintenance of the Panipat plant of HSEB “cannot by any stretch be ascribed to be of seasonal nature but a continued effort to achieve the purpose of its existence in terms of the statute.” The court said, thus, the contractor ought to go out of the scene bringing together the principal employer and the contract labourer rendering the employment as direct, and resultantly a direct employee. The Bench favoured giving
widest possible meaning and amplitude to the expressions
used in the legislation as otherwise the 1970 Act would
lose its efficacy and contract labour would be left on
the mercy of the intermediary. |
Prayers mark Good Friday NEW DELHI, April 2 (PTI) — Fasting and prayers at Churches and Christian homes across the nation marked the observance of Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The faithful, including children and elderly, thronged churches for the morning mass and afternoon sermons, where the clergy recalled the sacrifice made by the Son of God for the benefit of mankind and urged the people to follow his teachings. Most Christians observed fast till sunset and spent the day praying. In Kerala, Christians went
around the cities and townships in the evening in silent
processions bearing crosses in a practise known as the
“way of cross”. |
Ministries told to file Y2K reports NEW DELHI, April 2 (PTI) — The Cabinet Secretariat has directed all central ministries to file a weekly report stating their progress on measures to combat year 2000 (Y2K) problem following reports that many departments were lagging in this direction. Cabinet Secretary Prabhat Kumar will also convene a meeting of Secretaries of all ministries and departments next week, official sources said. A top Department of Electronics (DoE) official said a letter from the Cabinet Secretariat had been asking for a weekly performance report on Y2K. Though departments like Defence, Atomic Energy, Space Electronics, and a couple of others had reportedly achieved a high degree of compliance, many of them were yet to make a headway into the problem, Planning Commission Member Montek Singh Ahluwalia said recently at a seminar on Y2K. The DoE sources said most of the departments were not serious in treating the Y2K compliant efforts, despite directive for contingency planning to cope with any eventualities. A corpus fund of Rs 700
crore has been set up to facilitate initiatives on the
Y2K problem by government departments, public sector
units and other associated organisations and the
institutions are permitted for tax liability accounted
under Y2K expenditure. |
Minister's guard commits suicide NEW DELHI, April 2 (PTI) — The personal security officer (PSO) to Uttar Pradesh Textiles Minister Sardar Singh allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service revolver outside U.P Sadan here in the wee hours today, the police said. Srikrishna Yadav, fired four shots into his temple, soon after he left the minister’s entourage at the main gate of U.P Sadan, located in the posh Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave, police said, adding he had escorted the minister from the railway station. No suicide note was found on the person of the deceased who was declared brought dead at the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, police said. Yadav, a constable with the U.P police, had come to Delhi on Wednesday in advance of the minister’s visit. "He was apparently disturbed and we found some anti-stress tablets in his pocket," an officer at the Chanakyapuri police station said. Yadav’s post-mortem
will take place tomorrow and a sub-divisional magistrate
will conduct an inquiry into the incident, he said. |
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| ‘DNA good conductor of
electricity’ NEW DELHI: DNA is an excellent conductor of electricity — a property which makes DNA a potential candidate for wiring up miniaturised electronic devices, say Swiss scientists. DNA transports electric current “as efficiently as a good semiconductor”, researchers Hans-Werner Fink and Christian Schonenberger of the University of Basel in Switzerland report in the latest issue of the journal “Nature”. The conducting property, along with the preparation of DNA molecules of specific composition ranging in length from a few nucleotides (structural units of DNA) to chains of several microns makes DNA fit for application in miniature electronics. — PTI Rail
traffic disrupted RSEB’s new
farm connection policy Criminal killed in
encounter Baby with six legs
born Lottery traders
stage dharna |
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