tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Sunday, April 11, 1999
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Plane crash
LUDHIANA, April 10 — A Pushpak plane which was on its way back here from Anandpur Sahib crashed at Irak village near Machhiwara this morning. The pilot and co-pilot bailed out safely. Mechanical failure is said to be the cause of the crash.

Flag march in Khalilabad
BASTI (UP), April 10 (PTI) — The police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel today staged a flag march in the communally tense Khalilabad town of neighbouring Sant Kabirnagar district following incidents of stone-pelting on PAC jawans in the morning. The police said the situation was tense but under control after raids were conducted to arrest those who pelted stones at the personnel posted at Mahdawal Chowk in the town. Nobody had been arrested so far.

Celebrities’ plea
NEW DELHI, April 10 (UNI) — Several noted intellectuals, social activists and writers today petitioned President K.R. Narayanan to intervene for stopping further work on the Narmada dam, saying it would submerge tribal villages in the coming monsoons. "Unless you intervene, villages, homes, lands and forests located in the immediate vicinity of the Sardar Sarovar dam will be flooded. This the area where the Bhil and Bhilala tribes have lived for centuries," the petition by 20 eminent personalities said. The petitioners included celebrity writer Arundhati Roy, danseuse Madhavi Mudgal, Ashish Nandi and Bhim Sen Joshi.

Bedlam in House
PATNA, April 10 (PTI) — The Bihar Assembly witnessed unruly scenes during zero hour today over the alleged irregularities in distribution of foodgrains to ration card-holders with the Opposition demanding a CBI inquiry into the issue. Mr Dilip Verma of Champaran Vikas Party raised the issue once again after his suspension was revoked and alleged there had been a major scandal in distribution of essential commodities to red card holders (families below the poverty line or the BPL). He even threatened to immolate himself in the precincts of the Vidhan Sabha if his demand was not met.

Office set ablaze
HUBLI, April 10 (PTI) — The situation in the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad continued to be tense today following the setting afire of the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) office last night and two bar members on fast being hospitalised in view of the ongoing agitation for setting up a Karnataka High Court Bench here. Some files and a two-wheeler parked in the HDMC office were destroyed in last night's fire, Municipal Commissioner P.S. Vasrad said.