Monday, July 26, 1999
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Talks only if Kargil on agenda:
George CALCUTTA, July 25 — India today said that any talk with Pakistan would be possible only if the latter was willing to discuss Kargil and stopped incursions along the entire 140-km Line of Control from Gurez to Akhnoor. Jakhar’s fate to be decided on July 30 NEW DELHI, July 25 —The fate of senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Bal Ram Jakhar in the hawala case will be decided on July 30 when the Special Court trying the multi-crore scam gives its verdict. |
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JD
to support Vajpayee as PM |
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Cong, Left flay Kargil panel NEW DELHI, July 25 — The Congress and the Left parties today termed as "eyewash’’ the government’s decision to set up an inquiry committee to probe events leading to incursions in Kargil but the Nationalist Congress Party welcomed the step. Sacked
ministers keen to join NCP Cyber crime zooms on India’s
horizon ‘Refer Malta case to world
court’ ‘Debar quacks’ Siti Cable ‘disowns’
operators Cigarette, beedi sales plummet Petition filed on Ghalib’s
haveli |
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Talks only if Kargil on agenda: George CALCUTTA, July 25 (PTI) — India today said that any talk with Pakistan would be possible only if the latter was willing to discuss Kargil and stopped incursions along the entire 140-km Line of Control (LoC) from Gurez to Akhnoor. "Before any talk with Pakistan can take place, it must agree to discuss Kargil and stopped incursions along the entire LoC, especially in the Western sector," Defence Minister George Fernandes said at a function here in honour of the Kargil jawans. "If Pakistan agrees to respect the sanctity of the LoC in the Kargil sector, it must show the same respect for the entire LoC," he said. Stating that infiltrators were still firing at the Indian troops in ‘two or three posts’ in the Kargil sector, he said "I hope Pakistan will show some intelligence and stop this soon." Ruling out that the Kargil conflict was the result of India’s intelligence failure, he said it was because of a ‘breach of trust’ by Pakistan. "Since 1972, there was an understanding between both the countries that about 70 km of difficult terrain of the LoC would not be manned. Pakistan had broken this trust by sending in infiltrators through these unmanned stretches. They continued this till mid-April." India has decided to hike surveillance along the LoC as it could no longer trust Pakistan "which has broken 27 years of faith," he said. Criticising ‘a former Prime Minister’ for his view that the infiltration had been going on in Kargil for about six months now, Mr Fernandes said, "when they took only two days to clear out of our territory, it is difficult to believe that they took six months to come in." The Defence Minister said he was first informed of the presence of ‘strangers’ in the area on May 12. The next day, he was informed at Leh that the Army would flush them out in about three days. They said the same thing on May 14. "By the fourth day, it became obvious that Pakistan had changed its perception about the LoC." Lauding the Army for beating the enemy in a difficult terrain, the minister said it must also be commended for restraining its operations within the LoC. Pointing out that direct reports of the conflict by the media had enhanced the prestige of the jawans, he said the people must now turn its attention to another war within the country — that of fighting corruption in high places. "Corruption (in high places) is another threat to the country’s safety." Rs 76.88 lakh was handed
over to Mr Fernandes for the Army Central Welfare Fund at
the function organised by the Srihari Satsang Samiti and
Friends of Tribals Society. |
Hawala case NEW DELHI, July 25 —The fate of senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Bal Ram Jakhar in the hawala case will be decided on July 30 when the Special Court trying the multi-crore scam gives its verdict. Earlier, Special Judge V.B. Gupta had reserved his order in the case for July 30 after the completion of the trial that began in September last year. The court had formally framed charges against Mr Jakhar, three Jain brothers — S.K. Jain, B.R. Jain and N.K. Jain and their employee J.K. Jain on September 23, 1997 after it found enough preliminary evidence, apart from the Jain diaries, to proceed against them. The charges were framed under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) IPC, read with Sections 7, 12, 13(i)(D) and 13(ii) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. According to the CBI case, the Jains had sponsored a foreign trip for Mr Jakhar’s wife Rameshwari Devi and her friend Kulwant Kaur Siddhu in September 1989. The duo had travelled to London, Paris, Rome, Zurich, Geneva, Dubai and back to Delhi at a cost of Rs 89,928 that was borne by Bhilai Engineering Corporation (BEC), a company owned by the Jains, the probe agency alleged. The CBI had accused Mr Jakhar, the then Lok Sabha Speaker, of receiving illegal gratification as a reward for showing general favour to the Jains while being a public servant. Mr Jakhar is the only politician against whom formal trial has been conducted in hawala case as most of the politicians and bureaucrats were discharged after the Delhi High Court ruled that the Jain diaries were not admissible evidence unless corroborated by some other independent evidence. The only other politician against whom charges have been framed in the case is Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav who had made an extra-judicial confession in the media that he had received money from the Jain brothers. So far 34 accused have
been discharged in the case. |
Nation’s support moved Army NEW DELHI, July 25 — The national support that the Indian Army got during the Kargil conflict was a source of great inspiration for the soldiers and officers, a letter written by a Major to his father, 10 days before he died in action, has revealed. Maj Padmapani Acharya of 2 Rajputana Rifles, who took part in the recapture of Lone Hill, Three Pimples and Point 4590 and died on June 29, when the Rajputana Rifles was sent for its next assignment in Dras sector, in a letter to his father on June 19 mentioned, “Our unit now has to live upto the higher expectations of the Army, Regt, as well as the media.” The Major’s father, Wg Cdr J. Acharya (retd), has made available his son’s last letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. Wing Commander Acharya, in his letter to the Prime Minister, said “You may not be aware of the impact of your last visit to Kargil on the morale of the fighting forces in that sector. I am therefore sending a copy of his letter which shows his personal determination and dedication towards the noble cause as well as the motivation resulting from your visit to Kargil.” Major Acharya, who was known as Babloo to his parents, wrote to his father that the Prime Minister’s Kargil visit was a good motivation. “Good chap” is what he had to say about Mr Vajpayee. The letter also mentions about the Army chief’s letter of congratulations to the unit. The Rajputana Rifles won a unit citation from the Army chief and was preparing for its next task at the time the Major wrote the letter to his father. The letter also reflects the personal thinking of the soldiers at the time of the action. Talking about his brother, Dabloo, who is also in the Army, the Major wrote, he hoped his brother must be fine or else he would have come to know. “We must understand that he would also be quite busy preparing for their share of the game”, he wrote. On the nation’s support to the Army and the unit citation for his unit, the Major wrote “it was indeed an honour for our unit to have been given such a task. Hard work and a sound ethos does have its merits, don’t you think?” We now have to work harder to preserve the hope and aspirations of our well wishers”. Asking his father not to worry about his safety, the Major wrote “Please don’t worry about casualties. It is a professional hazard which is beyond our control, so why worry; at least its for a good cause.” Major Acharya also quotes from the Bhagwadagita and teachings of Lord Krishna to Arjun in the battlefield to inspire confidence in his father. On the food available to the soldiers, he said it was good and also mentioned that a Bengali doctor, if not Chinese, was available for his unit. About himself, he said “I am quite all right now with an unkempt beard and vaseline all over my ugly face to counter the icy winds. The Major asked his father to convey to his family that combat was an honour of a lifetime and “I would not think of anything less. What better way to serve the nation. I am proud to be in the Infantry and especially in our illustrious brigade”. Asking his father to take care of his health, the Major told him to “tell a story a day of the Mahabharata to Charu, so that your grandchild imbibes good values.” The Major left behind
his wife Charulatha who is seven months pregnant. |
JD to support Vajpayee as PM PATNA, July 25 (PTI) — The Janata Dal will support the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) projection of Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee as the prime ministerial candidate, senior party leader Ram Bilas Paswan said today. "The merger of the Janata Dal, the Lok Shakti and the Samata Party is transparent...It will be a part of the NDA of which Mr Vajpayee is the prime ministerial candidate", Mr Paswan told reporters here. He further said since the election process was on, a formal merger of the three parties could not be brought about before its completion, but the candidates of the three parties would contest the elections on the Janata Dal’s symbol, "wheel", and use a common flag. The Defence Minister and the NDA coordinator, Mr George Fernandes, had played a pivotal role in facilitating the unification, he said, adding, that Mr Fernandes held the assignment of discussing the issue of including the Janata Dal in the NDA. On objections being
raised to the merger in some quarters, Mr Paswan said it
was up to Mr Fernandes to discuss the issue of
seat-sharing with the NDA. |
Cong, Left flay Kargil panel NEW DELHI, July 25 (PTI) — The Congress and the Left parties today termed as "eyewash’’ the government’s decision to set up an inquiry committee to probe events leading to incursions in Kargil but the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) welcomed the step. Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh said "the Subramaniam Committee probe into Kargil intrusions is a clear device to deflect severe criticism from political parties in the coming general election.’’ Addressing a rally at Dumariaganj in Uttar Pradesh, he said "what happened in the Kargil sector speaks of mere incompetence of the Central government.’’ The CPI-m said the Vajpayee government’s decision was "clearly an attempt to cover up the serious lapses it had committed and for which the country had to pay a heavy price’’. In a statement, it said
the committee set up to probe lapses did not have any
statutory authority and hence it could not summon any
confidential material of military operations. |
Sacked ministers keen to join NCP MUMBAI, July 25 (PTI) — The five Independent ministers, who were sacked by the Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane yesterday, today indicated their keenness to join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and ruled out the possibility of aligning with the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the forthcoming assembly polls. Mr Anil Deshmukh, who was removed from the Maharashtra Cabinet, told PTI that all five sacked ministers would meet NCP President Sharad Pawar at the residence of party leader Chaggan Bhujbal to discuss their prospects of joining the NCP. He did not specify when they would meet the NCP chief. Mr Deshmukh said they were keen to join the NCP and would discuss with Mr Pawar the prospects of fighting the assembly elections on an NCP ticket. However, Mr Deshmukh said that before meeting Mr Pawar, the ministers would converge at his residence to chalk out their strategy and course of action. The other ministers who
faced the Chief Minister's ‘axe’ are Mr Dilip
Sopal, Dr Vijay Gavid, Mr Tukaram Dighole and Mr Shivaji
Rao Naik. |
‘Refer Malta case to world court’ NEW DELHI, July 25 (UNI) — The families of the Indians who died in the Malta boat tragedy in December, 1996, have demanded that the government should take the matter of fixing guilt and getting compensation to the world court. In a statement, the Malta Boat Tragedy Sufferers’ Association, said that the wreckage of the ill-fated ship, F 174, had been found in the Mediterranean Sea. Research for 18 months and trips to various countries, including Greece, Turkey, Italy and India, led to the tracing of the captain of the ship, which on the night of December 24, 1996, had sunk with 289 persons on board, including 170 Indians, 88 Sri Lankan and 31 Pakistani and several Bangladeshis. Mr Balwant Singh Khera, who chaired a probe commission said he and fellow members had visited several countries and even sat on a dharna in Vatican City because of which they were arrested and later released on the intervention of the Indian Government. They had also met several survivors besides political leaders in various countries and Ms Poperndereo, wife of a former Greek Prime Minister, had agreed to patronise the probe. Though Italy had then denied the occurrence of the tragedy, it had now issued arrest warrants against 13 persons for their involvement in the mishap. While cases have been
filed both with the International Court of Justice and
the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mr Khera has demanded
that the captain and crew of the ship, the Malta-based
Pakistani who hired the crew and others should be brought
to India for trial. |
‘Debar quacks’ NEW DELHI, July 25 — The Indian Veterinary Association has passed a resolution barring non-professionals from giving advice. Dr R.S. Sharma, President of the IVA told The Tribune here that a resolution to this effect was passed by the executive committee of the association at a meeting recently. Dr Sharma said that the draft of the resolution would soon be placed before the IVA for approval. According to the resolution, any professional advice, which has to be given by a technically competent professional should not be given by non-professional, non-technical people as this amounted to quackery. He drew attention to
Section 30 of the Veterinary Council of India Act, 1984
(Act 52 of ’84) which says, “No person other
than a registered veterinary practitioner shall a) hold
office as veterinary physician or surgeon or any other
similar office by whatever name called in government or
any institution maintained by local or other authority b)
practise veterinary medicine in any state.” |
New laws needed to check it NEW DELHI, July 25 — While it’s murders and other bloody crimes, which catch the public eye, forensic experts today are focussing on cyber crimes from the quiet realm of the techno world as they look for new technologies to crack the crimes and new laws to pin the criminals. Web crimes will constitute most of the major white collar crimes in the coming century with their large financial ramifications representing the slimy side of the computer world. “Cyber crime is largely an unexplored frontier for the police in India. Either they are unaware of or apathetic to this menace looming on our horizons,” Mr Y.S. Jafa, the Additional Director General of Police, Mumbai, has said. However, contrary to popular perceptions, the threat is already at our doorsteps as criminals like the Miloworm group who hacked into the computer systems of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and the Harshad Mehta scam case have demonstrated. “Lest they should be overtaken by cyber crimes, Indian forensic scientists should now regard cyberspace as their latest beat which needs to be patrolled by high-tech expertise,” Mr Jafa said. The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) is thus acquiring a computerised signature-identification system to check forged signatures. The system will be able to extract unique features from a signature to compare it with that of suspects. The Central Forensic Laboratory at Hyderabad (CFSL) has also started tackling cyber crimes at its computer facility at a primary stage. Experts say that computerised analysis of records could have helped prevent large scale financial crimes like the C.R. Bhansali and the Harshad Mehta scams. Computerisation of records in banks and financial institutions helps in carrying out routine checks to sense the crime in advance and detect frauds quickly. Explaining the Mehta scam, a senior government official says “The Harshad Mehta scam took place because in the public debt office of the Reserve Bank of India there was no computerisation and the 15-day float available was exploited by him to perpetrate the scam”. “Now banks have been forced to computerise at least 70 per cent of their records by January 1, 2001,” he adds. Forensic scientists say that with increased web connectivity these crimes are bound to increase as in the case of advanced countries like the USA, where cyber crime is increasing at the rate of 35 per cent annually. “Increasing computerisation and Internet connectivity would lead mainly to defrauding of banks and financial institutions, Mr R.K. Tewari, Chief Forensic Scientist at BPRD here, has said. The government, Mr Jafa say, should create tools as also laws and specialised police units, to patrol the electronic airwaves. But the country is yet to establish even a legal framework for these hi-tech crimes. Two cyber Bills, one drafted by the Department of Electronics (DoE) and the other by the Ministry of Commerce, are expected to recognise the usefulness of technologies needed to prevent fraudulent use of virtual documents. Such security systems can become powerful tools to detect tampering of files and for monitoring file movement over a network. Legal recognition of these systems will assure users that in case of any misappropriation that ends up in court, such logs and audits can be produced as evidence without contradicting the provisions of the Indian Evidence Act of 1872. The purpose of DoE drafted Bill is to facilitate reliability of electronic documents to help minimise forgery and fraud in electronic records. It will help establish uniformity of standards in the authentication of electronic documents and augment public confidence in the use of electronic communication for commercial purposes. The E-Commerce Bill drafted by the Ministry of Commerce will also look after the existing standards for authenticating electronic records and to create a legal infrastructure required for the use of digital signature. Penalties, proposed in the Bill, include Rs 1 lakh fine and a year’s imprisonment, doubling with recurring offences. But unfortunately both the bills are in a limbo. The police and forensic experts are at present not in a position to offer much assistance to the victims of cyber crime as in the existing legal framework there is no provision to punish cyber criminals, Mr B.B. Nanda, the Director General of BPRD, has said. But the threat is far more than anticipated as banks and financial institutions electronically move huge amount of cash over networks physical movement of which is a logistical nightmare. Criminals can use Internet’s e-cash facility which is yet to take off in India to commit fraud and amass wealth, say Mr Tewari, noting that in case of illegal money transaction through Internet it is next to impossible to find out the place of crime. Cyber cash transactions have also rendered obsolete the traditional methods of tracking tainted money, he observes. The senior government official, however, points out that if technology can give rise to new types of crime, it can also provide solutions for handling them. Other forms of cyber crimes like breaking security of government networks, pornography on net, threat and harassment, gambling and virus contamination, can also be tackled by specific software, he adds. Though most of these
crimes are not a cause for concern for the Indian police
yet, Mr Jafa say such activities may take the country by
storm in the next few years and it is better for forensic
experts to prepare well in advance. |
Siti Cable
‘disowns’ operators NEW DELHI, July 25 — Siti Cable Network Ltd has washed its hands of thousands of small and medium cable operators saying it has no control over their acts of showing Hollywood films without authorisation. In three applications filed before the Delhi High Court seeking dismissal of suits filed by leading Hollywood studios, Siti Cable said “It is reiterated that the Siti Cable is nowhere related in any manner with the telecast of films by the cable operators on their video channels.” The application further said a cable operator could show any film by just inserting a cassette in a VCR from his control room On July 7, the court had restrained Siti and In Cable networks from exhibiting Hollywood films without authorisation and directed the police to provide necessary assistance to the studios in execution of the order. The order by Mr Justice J.B. Goel came of two suits filed by nine leading Hollywood film making companies, including Columbia Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Time Warner Entertainment and Disney Enterprises. The other five petitioners are Paramount Pictures, Tristar Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Lucas Film and Universal City Studio. Siti Cable said small cable operators were not under its control, monitoring or supervision. The application said the Siti Cable could not be held responsible for alleged use of pirated video cassettes by small cable operators because it had no say in their management. Siti Cable said it merely sends cassettes to run in two cable channels — Siti Cinema and Siti Channel and most of the programmes shown of these channels belong to Siti Cable and are always published well in advance. “In fact, apart from providing these two cable channels, Siti Cable is neither connected with nor has any role to play in activities of the cable operators who are providing cable TV service to the viewers through their cable networks,” the application said. It also denied that it had recently shown super hit Hollywood movies and said the two channels were primarily Hindi channels. “No English films are shown on Siti Cinema,” it further said. Most of the programmes
shown on Siti Channel are produced by it and the
allegation of showing Hollywood movies are baseless and
motivated, the application added. |
Ban on public smoking implemented KOCHI, July 25 (PTI) — Cigarette and beedi sales have plummeted in Kerala as the authorities have started strictly implementing the high court’s recent ban on public smoking in its letter and spirit across the state since last week. Everyday hundreds are being caught unawares by the police at bus stands, public roads and bars and being fined a minimum of Rs 200 by a magistrate as per rules. Sales of cigarettes and beedies have come down by 30 to 50 per cent in cities like Kochi affecting the livelihood of petty shop owners, who survive mainly on sale of these products. It was our breadwinner and we will be driven to starvation once the ban continued said Mr C Ali, a petty shop owner running his small shop in the heart of the city. However, there is a widespread welcome for the ban mainly from women and the travelling public. No one should smoke in public places and dig the grave of others along with theirs, say commuters and women who laud the high court judgement. The cigarette companies
who are obviously worried about the development, however,
are yet to react due to the fact 0that the court had held
the practice of public smoking illegal and an offence on
the genuine ground that the smokers have no right to
cause harm to the health of others. |
Petition filed on Ghalib’s
haveli NEW DELHI, July 25 — The Society for Protection of Heritage and Culture’s (SPHC) claim that “Mahal Sarai” in the walled city here belonged to famous Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib’s father-in-law, was challenged in the Delhi High Court by some of its owners on Thursday. The court had earlier restrained the authorities and other parties from any kind of construction activity in the premises while issuing notices to the Centre, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Delhi Government and other respondents including some occupants of the house on a petition by the SPHC which sought to declare the disputed building as a protected monument. The SPHC had contended that Ghalib lived for several years in the building which once belonged to his father-in-law Nawab Loharu, and composed several of his verses there. It had demanded that the house be declared a Ghalib memorial as there was no other such memorial. However, the Delhi
Government counsel informed the court that the Lt
Governor of Delhi, Mr Vijay Kapoor, through a
notification recently, had declared Ghalib’s house
at Ballimaran in old Delhi as a protected monument and
had said it would be developed properly as a befitting
memorial to the great poet. |
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| Taj to be thrown open at
night BANGALORE: The world famous Taj Mahal will soon be thrown open to the public for visits during the night, Uttar Pradesh Tourism Minister Kalraj Mishra has said. Addressing a gathering at a presentation on “Uttar Pradesh Tourism” here on Saturday, he said the Centre had sought some clarifications on the proposal and the state would soon provide them. — UNI Documentary
films on EVMs Free treatment
of HIV patients Subject on
environment safety Injured elephant
found Eve-teasing
rampant Kid’s
patriotism Austere Ganesha |
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