tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Saturday, January 16, 1999
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Kerala Govt orders probe
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Jan 15 (UNI) — The Kerala Government has ordered a judicial inquiry into yesterday's stampede and landslide at a cliff side near Pampa in Sabarimala, even as the toll rose to 52 today. A report from Pathanamthitta said one person succumbed to injuries at Kottayam Medical College and hospital early this morning. The state government announced an exgratia of Rs 25,000 to the families of each of the deceased adult and Rs 15,000 each to those of the children. Also, financial assistance ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 would be paid to the injured pilgrims, official sources said.

MLA resigns
JAIPUR, Jan 15 (UNI) — Congress member of the Rajasthan Assembly, Mr Man Singh Deora, today resigned from the House. Mr Deora was elected from the Sardarpura Assembly constituency in Jodhpur. Informed sources said Mr Deora resigned to make room for Chief Minister Ashoke Gehlot who is not a member of the House now.

Houses set afire
AGARTALA, Jan 15 (UNI) — Thirteen houses belonging to tribesmen were burnt by a mob at Kalyanpur in West Tripura last night while militants released eight persons, including six teachers, kidnapped last week. The police said the attack on tribesmen was in retaliation to an earlier incident. Senior police officials have rushed to the spot after tension gripped the village. Two persons have been arrested.

Siachen visit
NEW DELHI, Jan 15 (PTI) — Defence Minister George Fernandes will visit Siachen in Jammu and Kashmir on January 17 to fulfil his promise to troops to visit the 16,000 feet-high glacier when the winter is harshest. Mr Fernandes, who returned from a four-day visit to France this morning, will visit Srinagar tomorrow en route to Siachen where at present the maximum temperature is —5°C and the minimum —40°C, a Defence Ministry spokesman said.

Fencing work
NEW DELHI, Jan 15 (PTI) — Fencing work on the Indo-Bangladesh border has been completed on a stretch of 1271 km while that for 1483 km on the Indo-Pakistan border would be over by March, official sources said today.

Boycotted
AGARTALA, Jan 15 (UNI) — The Congress-led Opposition today boycotted proceedings of the Tripura Assembly for the first 10 minutes on the opening day of the winter session in protest against Governor Siddheswar Prasad's remarks on Opposition MLAs last year. On March 23 last year the Governor had left the House without completing his customary speech on the opening day of the first session of the newly constituted Assembly.

9 children hurt
ISLAMABAD, Jan 15 (AFP) — At least nine children were injured today when a bomb exploded in a school in the nearby Pakistan city of Rawalpindi, the police said. The bomb was lying on the lawn of a junior school in the city's Dhok Hassu district. It exploded around noon (0700 GMT) when several children were outside playing, they said.

9 killed in blast
BEIJING, Jan 15 (DPA) — Nine persons were killed and 12 injured when a gas explosion ripped through a small coal mine in south-western China, the official media reported today. The blast yesterday rocked the number nine shaft of the state-owned Shuanghe Coal Mine, located some 130 km from Chongoing municipality in Sichuan province, the Xinhua news agency said.