Sino-US gameplan and India

PREMIER ZHU RONGJI of China is currently on a visit to the USA.As is well known in political circles, this visit has been intentionally kept as a low-profile one, mainly for strategic reasons. It is hence necessary that Indian political experts study its effect on Asia (particularly on India) as this may leave its impact on the future of India.

It must also be pointed out that President Clinton spent more than a week in China (following the Indian nuclear tests) trying to formulate a global strategy with his Chinese allies. As is well known, the US- has been working hard for quite some time to make China the USA backed leader of developing countries. However, a militarily more powerful India as it has created a problem for this global policy.

It must be mentioned that a lot of fabricated data on the military and economic capabilities of China are generated from time to time by Western intelligence agencies. For example, it is also often mentioned that China is stealing nuclear and missile weapons data from the USA while in reality the USA is supplying this data in a covert manner to its friend, China.

The stories of Chinese defence data thefts are carefully planted by Western intelligence agencies in the world media so as to create confusion and thus make China an artificial counter-balancing factor to the USA in the world in order to particularly fool the developing countries. This is being done mainly to exploit the developing countries. In such a manner, it is also hoped by the USA that the global role of China will be maintained.

It is, therefore, necessary that Indian political experts stay vigilant towards any future US-Chinese moves.

(DR) TARAWATI MAJUMDAR
Plymouth (UK)

(Received on the Internet)

* * * * *

The turmoil in Bihar

The present scenario in Bihar — the land of the Buddha and Mahavira — seems to be obeying the dictum of life for life. The two great religions which promoted a peaceful and just society have proved to be useless for its own people. It is very sad that when the whole world is looking towards the 21st century with new hopes, a barbaric caste war is on in Bihar.

Even after going through five decades of the democratic experience the rulers have not been able to assimilate and integrate the whole of Indian society. The socio-economic disparities have played havoc with the social set-up there, and educational backwardness is adding fuel to the fire. The literacy rate at present is far below the national average. All these factors have turned the rural society into well organised warring camps.

Communal organisations have found an opportunity to exploit the sentiments of the poor and illiterate people. Mafia goons are striking at will. Everybody knows that it is the time now of the outlawed Ranvir Sena to strike, and it is going to strike again in the near future.

Political parties are issuing formal statements but nothing concrete has been done so far. It becomes the moral responsibility of every Indian to ponder over the problem and come out with a lasting solution to this turmoil. That will be a great tribute to Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira.

SANJEEV SHARMA
Dalhousie

* * * * *

Environmental clearance

Apropos of the news-item “Has PPCB given wrong facts?” published in The Tribune dated April 9, it is stated that the report is not based on facts and has been published without taking the views of the authorities of the Punjab Pollution Control Board. The fact is that the public hearing for environmental clearance for thermal power plants and other specified projects to ascertain the reaction of the public is conducted in accordance with the procedure laid down by the government of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests through a notification dated April 10, 1999.

According to this notification, the executive summary of the project is to be submitted by the project proponents, which is placed in the offices of the District Collector, District Industry Centre, Pollution Control Board and the Environment Department of the state government. In this case also the executive summary of the project was prepared by M/s G.V.K. Power (Goindwal Sahib) Ltd, which was considered during the public hearing, and its salient features were explained by the representatives of the company and the facts were open for discussion.

The objections raised by the panel members and the public, and the clarifications given by the company were recorded for verifying the facts. The representative of the board is only one of the members of the panel, and the board had not at any stage vouchsafed for the facts given in the project summary. In fact, any information and clarification given by the project proponents is verified by the Pollution Control Board at the time of giving a no-objection certificate, which is a process independent of public hearing.

As far as the distance of the bird sanctuary at Harike for the proposed project site is concerned, the board will verify the correctness of the same before forwarding the proceedings of the public hearing to the Government of India, Ministry of Environment, and before the issue of the NOC to the said company.

F. LAL KANSAL
Patiala

* * * *

Clashing dates

I wish to draw the attention of the Vice Chancellor, Panjab University, Chandigarh towards, the consequences of the unexpected postponement of the B.Sc.I exams. Earlier, the final exams of B.Sc I were scheduled from April 3 which have now been postponed to April 16. The dates of practical exams were never announced. A large number of students of B.Sc I are going to appear for the engineering entrance tests. There is an apprehension that due to the postponement, the new dates might clash with or overlap the engineering entrance test dates. The dates of important engineering tests are as under:-

(i) IIT JEE — 8 & 9.5.99

(ii) Roorkee —12 &13.5.99

(iii) U.P. tests —18 & 19.5.99

(iv) C.E.T. of P.U—22 & 23.5.99

(v) B.I.T. Ranchi — 28 &29.5.99

The P.U. authorities are requested to keep the above dates in mind while fixing the revised schedule of B.Sc. I. It will be very kind of them if they could finish off all the written as well as practical exams of B.Sc.I within April itself so that the students could fully concentrate on the engineering tests in May.

J.K. KHANNA
Patna