Friday, March 19, 1999
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Rajasthan CM’s plea to Badal JAIPUR, March 18 — Punjab’s unilateral decision to close the Rajasthan feeder and Sirhind feeder for a fortnight with effect from March 27 and March 20, respectively, has posed a serious threat to standing crops worth crores in Rajasthan. At the same time, lakhs of people will face an unprecedented drinking water problem. From “Pokhran to Lahore” |
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Christians blame it on
fundamentalists NEW DELHI, March 18 — Several Christian organisations today said the recent attacks on Christian families in a village in Orissa was not a conflict between Hindu and Christian tribesmen but an act of "a third fundamentalist group using Hindu religion."
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First Indian firm to get
Green Globe PM
inaugurates Doordarshan sport channel 12
Assamese groups seek secession ‘Give
report on Yamuna pollution’ Scribes’
wage panel report “ready” |
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Feeders’ closure threatens crops JAIPUR, March 18 — Punjab’s unilateral decision to close the Rajasthan feeder and Sirhind feeder for a fortnight with effect from March 27 and March 20, respectively, has posed a serious threat to standing crops worth crores in Rajasthan. At the same time, lakhs of people will face an unprecedented drinking water problem. When the notification for closure of the feeders came to the knowledge of the Rajasthan Government, the state’s Irrigation Secretary, Mr P.K. Deb, rushed to Punjab to sort out the problem. Mr Deb told his counterpart on March 4 that if the closure was considered necessary, the same could be postponed to January, when the requirement of water for irrigation is minimal. But the response was not encouraging. Since then, the Rajasthan Chief Minister, Mr Ashok Gehlot, has contacted his Punjab counterpart, Mr Parkash Singh Badal thrice to reconsider the decision, but to no avail. Mr Gehlot has also drawn the Prime Minister’s attention to the problem and sought his intervention. Sources close to the Rajasthan Chief Minister claim that the Prime Minister too has not paid any attention to the problem. The only relaxation Punjab appears to be ready to grant is to postpone the closure by a fortnight. The tentative revised dates indicated are April 4 to 18 for the Rajasthan feeder and April 10 to 24 for the Sirhind feeder. But a revised notification has not yet been issued. It is learnt that Punjab’s decision to close the feeders for 15 days is to facilitate construction of a siphon to free agricultural land in the state of water-logging. Meanwhile, in Churu, the Administration has been alerted to undertake the cleaning of old conventional systems of water storage like home tanks, johads and open tanks on a war footing. After being cleaned, they will be filled with canal water. The daily water supply
will be cut to alternative days during the closure. |
From “Pokhran to
Lahore” NEW DELHI, March 18 — From “Pokhran to Lahore”, the journey of the year-old Atal Behari Vajpayee government will be showcased at a function near the Hauz Khas monument here tomorrow. Described as the “birthday bash” of the Vajpayee government which completes one year in office tomorrow, the function has also attracted some adverse comments from resident groups who have moved the court to prevent the use of space near a protected monument. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, is expected to attend the function which is being organised by Mr Pramod Mahajan, Minister of Information and Broadcasting. “As of now the Prime Minister is expected to attend,” a senior official of the PMO told The Tribune today. There were reports that the Special Protection Group had reservations about allowing the Prime Minister to attend the function since it is an open area. Although officially, the government plans to launch some of the pro-poor schemes announced recently on the day, event managers are out to project the new image of the government as a secular and liberal one. According to reports,
Pakistan pop group “Junoon” is expected to
perform at the function along with Indian groups like
Silkroute. |
52nd century of Kalyug begins MUMBAI, March 18 (PTI) — Are you aware that India and for that matter the world enters the 52nd century of 'Kalyuga', which commenced with the death of Lord Krishna 5100 years ago, on 'varsha pratipada' day today. And if India can celebrate the advent of 21st century according to Christian calendar, why can’t it celebrate the entry into 52nd century of 'Kalyuga'? Putting this poser to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Communist ideologue Roza Deshpande has urged him to declare the traditional Hindu year beginning today as 'Bharat year' to celebrate the event. In a letter to Mr Vajpayee, which was released to the press here yesterday, Ms Deshpande said it was a matter of great pride for Indian people to know that India was entering the new year of ‘shalivahan shaka’, as well as in the 52nd century of "Kalyuga". Ms Deshpande, daughter of
celebrated Communist leader late Sripad Amrit Dange,
said, "It is indeed sad that Indian people should
not celebrate its own event of world significance of
entering the 52nd century, while remembering to celebrate
the entry into the 21st century according to the
Christian calendar, which expects the faithful to believe
that the world was created on 23-10-4004 BC at 9 a.m. |
Christians blame it on fundamentalists NEW DELHI, March 18 (PTI) — Several Christian organisations today said the recent attacks on Christian families in a village in Orissa was not a conflict between Hindu and Christian tribesmen but an act of "a third fundamentalist group using Hindu religion." "It is not a conflict between Hindu and Christian tribesmen as is being portrayed by the authorities and the media but an act of a third extremist group which is using Hindu religion as the point of confrontation," leaders of National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), a group of 29 Protestant and orthodox churches in the country, said. They condemned the attack at Ramalai village in Gajapati district where they claimed 1200 families were victimised. The leaders, who were here in connection with a three-day national convention on poverty, said "some reported remarks of the Human Resource Development Minister regarding not to celebrate 2000 years of the Christ disturbed the sentiments of the community and send wrong signals to the fundamentalist lumpen elements to carry on with the atrocities against the Christian community." "The minorities,
Dalits and tribesmen do not feel secure under the present
political regime. We also discern a political conspiracy
to annihilate, terrorise and intimidate the minorities
with patronage of those in authority," the leaders
said. |
First Indian firm to get Green Globe NEW DELHI, March 18 (UNI) — The annual Green Globe distinction award for outstanding environmental achievements has for the first time been conferred on an Indian organisation in the travel and tourism sector. The award was presented to Delhi-based Ibex expeditions at the world’s largest travel fair held in Berlin, Germany, on March 10 by Green Globe UK Chairman Robert Collier and World Travel and Tourism Council President Geoffrey H. Lipman. Ibex International had been creating awareness for ‘responsible environmental actions’ through its numerous eco tours, Managing Director of the company Mandip Singh Soin said here last evening. The company, established
in 1979, organises a range of adventure and nature-based
tours throughout the Indian subcontinent. It had also won
the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s Asia Discovery
Award in 1998 for conducting new and unique tours. |
12 Assamese groups seek secession GUWAHATI, March 18 (UNI) — As many as 12 of the 16 insurgent groups operating in Assam are demanding secession from the country. Apprising the 11th Finance Commission of the law and order situation, the Assam Government has stated that the entire state was affected by the violent and subversive activities of militant groups like the United Liberation Front of Asom, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland and the Bodoland Liberation Tigers. “These rebel groups are waging a war against the establishment and they are operating from hideouts located in neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh and Bhutan”, the report stated. The government said that in addition to the insurgency problems, the state was also facing growing ethnic strife between Bodo and Santhal communities in Kokrajhar district which took about 145 lives in the current year. A large number of houses belonging to both communities were also damaged. Communal harmony in the state was also threatened by a spurt in the activities of some fundamentalist organisations backed by external forces, the report maintained. The agitation for a separate Bodoland state had caused law and order problems in the state. Moreover, inter-state border disputes with neighbouring states particularly with Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh had led to sporadic incidents of violence resulting in an escalation of tension in the border areas. Ethnic violence and insurgency had seriously depleted the state Government’s resources, including the scope for additional resource mobilisation. The unfavourable security environment had not only resulted in the diversion of resources from developmental to non-developmental security related expenditures, it was also responsible for the continuous flight of capital from the state over the past decade, this lead to stagnant economy and tax revenues losing their buoyancy, the Government said. Because of the unfavourable security environment, there was hardly any private investment in the state, the report regretted. The Government expressed great concern over the emergence of a variety of insurgent outfits who had no faith in the Constitution and were trying to secede from the country by violent means. The “unrest” in the state was due to “insecurity” of economic prosperity and growing unemployment, the Government said in the report. The state being a late
comer to development and ranked below the national
average and had been experiencing strong resentment over
what was described as historical neglect of the state by
the Centre. And this was partly responsible for the
growing sense of alienation which feeds militancy, the
report said. |
‘Give report on Yamuna
pollution’ NEW DELHI, March 18 — The Delhi High Court today asked the Haryana Government to state within a week the measures it had taken against industrial units discharging waste material in the Yamuna. A Division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice Devinder Gupta and Justice K.S. Gupta also asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to submit a status report on the progress made in controlling pollution in the Yamuna, while adjourning the hearing to May 3. The court was hearing a public interest writ seeking directions to the Centre and Delhi and Haryana Governments to take steps to control the level of pollution in the Yamuna as the CPCB in various sample tests had found the water highly polluted. Advocate B.L. Wadhera, who filed the petition, had also sought restoration of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board which, he alleged, was dissolved by the state government under pressure from industrial houses as it had taken stern action against the defaulting industries. Haryana Government counsel Ravinder Bana told the court that an administrator appointed by the state was looking after the board functioning and prosecution against 12 defaulting units had been launched. The CPCB in its status
report submitted last year had said the Yamuna waters in
the entire stretch between the the Wazirabad reservoir
here and Agra was unfit for human consumption. It stated
pollution was being caused due to release of both
domestic and industrial waste in to the river. |
PM inaugurates Doordarshan sport channel NEW DELHI, March 18 (UNI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today inaugurated Doordarshan's sport channel from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium saying "the game must go on irrespective of wins or losses". Opening the channel with the pressing of a remote button at an impressive ceremony, coinciding with the completion of one year of office of the BJP-led government at the centre, the Prime Minister said, "it fulfils the aspirations of all sports lovers of the country". Among those present on the
occasion were Information and Broadcasting Minister
Pramod Mahajan, BJP president Kushabhau Thakre, Indian
Olympic Association (IOC) secretary-general Randhir Singh
and a large number of former sportspersons from various
games. |
Scribes’ wage panel report “ready” NEW DELHI, March 18 (PTI) — The report of the Manisana Wage Boards for Journalists and non-Journalists is almost ready and is likely to be submitted to the government “very soon”, Labour Minister Satyanarayan Jatiya said here today. “I hope it (report) will come very soon as it is almost ready,” Mr Jatiya said here. Stating that the wage boards were busy giving the final touches to the report, he said the government had requested it to submit its recommendations early. Asked if the report would be submitted by month-end, Mr Jatiya said: “I know the report is on the verge of completion”. To a question as to how
the government would ensure implementation of the
recommendations by newspaper establishments, the minister
said the necessary legal measures would be taken in this
regard. |
CBI Special Directors NEW DELHI, March 18 (PTI) — Mr P.C. Sharma and Mr G. Achari, 1996 batch IPS officers, were today promoted as Special Directors of the CBI. While Mr Sharma has been
made Special Director, Economic Offence Wing, Mr Achari
would look after the Anti-Corruption Branch, a CBI
spokesman said. |
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| Helicopters for Badrinath,
Hemkund SRINAGAR (GARHWAL): The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) will introduce in this pilgrim season helicopter services from Rudraprayag to high-altitude shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath and Hemkund.The choppers, named Pawan Hans, will begin their month-long operation from May15 for the benefit of pilgrims unable to trek the rugged terrain, GMVN Managing Director Harish Chandra Joshi said after a meeting of the nigam here. — UNI Know
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