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| Friday, August 25, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Gopal gives brigand’s cassettes to CM
Strike hits
telecom operations
Peres meets Vajpayee PM to attend BJP
executive meeting Houses mourn Ranga’s death Uma Bharti firm
on resignation |
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MPLADS funds
may be hiked NSCN (IM) urged to open CFMC SC ruling on surplus
land holders’ rights Govt determined to end
proxy war: Advani Priyanka in
hospital Region gets moderate
rainfall Over 1000 fall ill
after eating ‘prasad’ Petrol station
staff robbed Floods claim
65 lives in AP Exhibition on India,
Turkmenistan ties IIT student
drowned
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Gopal gives brigand’s cassettes to CM CHENNAI, Aug 24 (PTI, UNI) — Journalist-emissary R.R. Gopal today handed over to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi two video-cassettes from forest brigand Veerappan, believed to be containing his response to the steps taken by the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Governments on his demands to free Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar and three others. As a consequence, Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna will arrive in Chennai tomorrow to discuss with his Tamil Nadu counterpart the next course of action. Mr Gopal, who returned here this morning after eight days in the jungles during which he conveyed to the sandalwood smuggler the two governments’ response to his demands and held further negotiations, met Mr Karunanidhi for 150 minutes and handed him over the cassettes. Associate Editor of Tamil bi-weekly Nakkeeran A. Kamaraj, Chief Secretary A.P. Muthusami, Home Secretary Shantha Sheila Nair, Additional Director-General of Police A.X. Alexander and Inspector-General of Police (Intelligence) G. Ramanujam were present at the meeting. There was no official word on the contents of the cassettes. Mr Gopal told mediapersons after the meeting that he had handed over the brigand’s response to Mr Karunanidhi and Mr Krishna would arrive here tomorrow to discuss the matter. Mr Krishna said yesterday that efforts to secure the release of Rajkumar and three more being held hostage by Veerappan since July 31 were close to a decisive stage. Even as the Tamil Nadu Government announced that cases pending against five Tamil extremists whose release was demanded by Veerappan were being
withdrawn, a designated court trying TADA cases today extended till September 13 the remand of one of the extremists as he was not willing to come out on bail. Second Additional Designated Judge M. Chinnapandi extended the remand of Venkatesan, alias Radio Venkatesh, when he was produced before him along with eight more accused in cases relating to the Villupuram bomb blast and the Kullanchavadi police station attack. Following the demand by Veerappan to release the five Tamil extremists, the Tamil Nadu Government has dropped the charges against them under TADA and the NSA. But the charges against Venkatesan for offences under IPC Sections still stand. Hence, he was brought to the court for extension of remand. Venkatesan said he had insisted on dropping of all cases pending against him unconditionally by the state government. His counsel Shankarasubbu said Venkatesan was not willing to come out on bail. Venkatesan and the other four Tamil extremists were insisting on dropping all cases against them and were ready to go to the forest to meet Veerappan as soon as the cases were dropped, he added. Meanwhile, AIADMK leader Jayalalitha today filed an application in the Madras High Court seeking to vacate the interim injunction granted yesterday restraining her from making any ‘defamatory’ statement against the ‘Nakkeeran’ Editor in connection with his role as official emissary to negotiate with Veerappan. In her application, which is yet to be taken up for hearing, she contended that the injunction was unsustainable in law as it affected her freedom of speech guaranteed in the Constitution. She claimed that her remarks against Mr Gopal in a recent statement were not defamatory as alleged by him. Mr Gopal, while obtaining a court restraint, had contended that her description of him as a ‘blackmailer who extorted money in the name of Veerappan’ seriously affected his reputation and exposed him to public contempt and odium. Noting that criminal cases had been registered against Mr Gopal both by the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Governments, she said it would not at all be defamatory to speak about the “upgradation of an accused to the status of an emissary”. Her remarks were in good faith and in public interest. Hence, the injunction should be vacated, she said.
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Strike hits
telecom operations NEW DELHI, Aug 24 (UNI) — Telecom operations in several parts of the country were hit today after more than 300,000 workers struck work to protest the government’s move to corporatise the Department of Telecommunications. The telephone exchanges, administrative and telegraph offices in Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, north eastern states, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh remained closed. In Delhi the employees of the Department of Telecom Operations (DTO), including the telegraph offices, were on strike staging demonstrations in front of Kidwai Bhavan, the headquarters of the department. The staff of the West Bengal Income Tax and Auditor-General’s Office will sit on dharna with the staff of the Telecom Department on the second and last day of two-day strike tomorrow to express solidarity. The strike, called by the National Action Committee of Telecom Organisations, has participation from seven unions. The National Action Committee against Telecom Corporatisation says the government proposal would be anti-people and pro-rich. “The only beneficiaries will be the multinational telecom giants, the Indian big business houses and the affluent sections of society”, convener V.A.N. Namboodiri said. He said even the basic telephone charges had gone up from 160 to 220 per cent after the entry of the private companies. Speaking on the universal service obligation (USO) of the telecom players once they set up shops, he said, “Universal services will remain a mirage as neither the proposed corporation nor the private companies will provide telephones in villages as there will be hardly any returns as was being done by the DoT”. By opening up the national long distance telephone to the private companies, tariff revisions and calling party paying system, the DoT, the DTS, and the DTO will be losing about Rs 11,000 crore per annum which is more than its annual surplus. |
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Solar energy via moon MUMBAI: Over 50 eminent scientists, policy-makers, thinkers and environmentalists have called for vast investments in the development of sustainable energy by the United Nations, other international agencies, governments, business and industries to enable the mankind to attain better standards of living. They identified about two billion people in the Third World who are “energy refugees” surviving on firewood, the collection of which dissipates the energy of a million women in the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The scientists, after a three-day discussion on “Global challenges for sustainable energy, in the new millennium” unanimously adopted the “Mumbai declaration” which stressed that it was the fundamental responsibility of humanity to move towards largescale development of renewable energy resources all over the planet.” One of them, Dr David G. Schrunk, chairman, Science of Laws Institute, USA, presented a plan for putting up solar power stations and communication centres on the moon to relay solar energy for the earth. They were participating in the seminar organised by the International Institute for Sustainable Future and the Bombay Suburban Electric Supply Ltd. Most subjects discussed centred around energy development and the environment. The final declaration ruled out the development and use of nuclear energy, considering the hazards nuclear waste leave behind. Ms Selma Brackman, President of the War and Peace Foundation made an impassioned plea for discarding nuclear power. Dr Schrunk’s presentation, decided by some as a “flight of fancy” said aircraft and flying machines, electronics and computers were all described as flights of fancy when they were first thought of. He has published the results of his four-year study of the subject in a book “The Moon” published by John Willey & Sons and Praxis Publishers, Chichester. It outlines the entire programme for human habitation, colonisation of the moon, conversion of that planet into a giant laboratory from which a host of scientific investigations can be conducted for finding solutions of problems on earth and for the extension of the human presence to more distant reaches of the solar system. For this, Dr Schrunk plans the transportation of mining and manufacturing technologies on the moon for an industrial base. He says technical capability for establishing a permanent human habitation on the moon was now available. This could be done within the decade. Dr Schrunk, in the meantime, is working on restructuring and re-interpretation of space laws to open out and nurture more vigorous space markets required for a new impetus and a new appreciation of existing realities. Being chairman of the Science of Laws Institute, affords Dr Schrunk an unique advantage in framing such laws. He stands clearly for a UN-controlled agency to run operations on the moon and make it into an inhabited sister planet of the earth. Dr Schrunk visualises that levitation trains and will be the dominant mode of transport on the moon and between the surface and cislunar space. Lunar cities will be connected by a global magnetic levitation rail system and mass driven transportation centres will be the space-ports where all freight and human cargoes will be transported with ease and at low cost between the moon and cislunar space. Meanwhile, Dr Schrunk is also looking into the engineering challenges involved in this project — cosmic radiation and solar wind on the moon, robots and tele-operations, health care challenges, life support systems, government, lunar resources, lunar logistics, governance of the moon, outer space treatises, mission to the south pole of the moon, which is nearest to the earth and exploration of space from the moon. The lunar power project will initially be operated from the earth by remote control. He is convinced that the programme could yield 20 to 30 million mega watts of power to the earth. This will increase electricity capacity on earth and reduce drastically pollution on earth. Maharashtra’s Minister for Energy, Dr Padamsinh Patil, who inaugurated the discussions, said the state planned to undertake the distribution of solar PV lanterns, the installation of wind generators, covering 50 per cent of the rural population in non-electrified areas with solar PV home-lighting systems, the installation of family and night soil-based bio-gas plants, the installation of biomass gasifiers and bagasse-based cogeneration plants, by 2012. Dr Mayur who presented the Mumbai declaration at the valedictory sessions, said the points raised at the conference would be presented to the Government of India for incorporation in the next Five-Year Plan. |
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MPLADS funds
may be hiked NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — An increase in the funds for Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) appear imminent with a parliamentary committee on the scheme recommending that the funds be enhanced to Rs 3 crore. The recommendation of the committee on MPLADS comes in the backdrop of a similar demand made by members in the Lok Sabha last week. Members were unanimous that the present allocation of Rs 2 crore was inadequate to implement development works in their constituency. The demand got a major boost when the Union Finance Minister, who holds the strings to the nation’s purse, acknowledged the shortcomings of the MPLADS and admitted that the funds were inadequate. He said he had not been able to implement a single project under the MPLADS in his own constituency. Though Mr Sinha refrained from hiking the funds for MPLADS, he urged the Speaker, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi to convene a meeting of party representatives to work out the role of the MPs in implementing the MPLADS and the amount required per annum for the scheme. It may be pointed out that the Finance Minister’s opinion was at variance with that of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation which felt the allocation cannot be enhanced. The committee on MPLADS said the funds should not be utilised for the construction of office and residential buildings relating to central and state governments, agencies or organisations. However, the panchayat offices should not be covered by this restriction. It also added that the MPLADS funds should be allowed for the construction of community halls, mandaps and buildings for mahila mandals. The committee also recommended that 5 to 7 per cent of interest accrued on MPLADS funds should be earmarked for the purchase of vehicles, which should be for the exclusive use of an MP. It said there should be a ceiling on the maintenance expenditure of the vehicle. The committee suggested that Rs 5 lakh be earmarked for Internet dhabas in all block or mandal headquarters. The scheme should also cover provision for artificial limbs and cycles for disabled persons and allow construction of Lion’s or Rotary Clubs up to a ceilings of Rs 10 lakh. The committee said the scheme should be included in the curricula of training programme of civil servants. |
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NSCN (IM) urged to open CFMC NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — The Centre has appealed to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM) to open the ceasefire monitoring cell (CFMC) at the earliest to enable regular contact between the security forces and
NSCN (IM) and assured that there would be no “unnecessary disturbance” at the cell by the security forces. This appeal was made during the 20th meeting of the Cease Fire Monitoring Group (CFMG) held at Dimapur in Nagaland on August 20 under the chairmanship of the Additional Secretary of Union Home Ministry Dr P.D. Shenoy. During the meeting, the
NSCN (IM) representatives expressed apprehension that the building chosen by them at Diphupar for the CFMC could be put under surveillance/patrolling by the security forces, Dr Shenoy told reporters here while briefing about the meeting. During the meeting the
NSCN (IM) were advised to open the CFMC at the earliest. It was made clear that the office would be used for bona fide purposes only and there would be no unnecessary disturbance by the security forces, he said. Stating that the meeting was held in a “cordial manner”, Dr Shenoy said it was made clear that the term “ceasefire” was not restricted to ceasefire only with security forces but extended to cover all citizens. The representatives of the
NSCN (IM) admitted responsibility for the ambush on Assam Rifles near Tadubi (Manipur) on July 30 and stated that it was in “retaliation to killing of 12
NSCN (IM) cadres in South Assam by the security forces, the Additional
Secretary said. Contrary to reports, the NSCN (IM) representatives said that there was no ‘hit list’ or any ‘task force’ constituted by it to target the Nagaland Chief Minister Mr S.C. Jamir, he said. The
NSCN (IM) representatives were advised to accept identity cards, valid in whole of Nagaland, which might be issued to important
NSCN (IM) functionaries by the CFMG office after due scrutiny to avoid alleged
harassment of their leaders and cadres by the security forces, he said. As far the reports of the
NSCN (IM) cadres moving out of designated camps and indulging in extortion and inter-factional fights, the
NSCN (IM) representatives assured that they had asked their cadres not to indulge in extortion, Dr Shenoy said. The meeting was attended by Inspector General, Assam Rifles, Maj-Gen R.N. Kapur, Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Nagaland Mr Talitenjem Ao, DGP Nagaland Lukhei Sema and
NSCN (IM) representatives. Prominent NSCN (IM) leader Phungthing Shimrang could not attend the meeting due to illness. |
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SC ruling on surplus
land holders’ rights NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — A two-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court comprising Mr Justice D.P. Mohapatra and Mr Justice R.P. Sethi after analysing the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Land Reforms (Ceiling and Agricultural Holding) Act, 1973, today held that the holders of surplus land had no right to felling and removing trees or other forest produce from the forest area even before vesting of the property in the state government. The judges while dismissing a judgement of the AP High Court as unsustainable on the ground of directing the state government to issue permit to the surplus land holders for felling of trees and removal of forest produce held that no direction could be justifiably issued in the instand proceedings relating to vesting of surplus land under the Act. The judges clarified that the surplus land holders could fell trees and remove forest produce from the forest areas only on getting a permit from the competent officer of the Forest Department of the state government authorising them to do so which could be granted by a competent officer in accordance with the applicable statute and the rules framed thereunder. Delivering the judgment for the Bench, Mr Justice Mohapatra noted the surplus land holders in the instant case had applied for permission to fell trees but without being granted any permit for the same proceeded to cut and remove trees on the presumption that the state government had not yet taken possession of the surplus land which vested in the state. Mr Justice Mohapatra held the high court judgment unsustainable also on the ground of directing the state government to determine and pay compensation to the surplus land holders for the forest growth as there was no such provision under the Act and the rules framed thereunder. The judgment opined the surplus land surrendered or deemed to have been surrendered would vest in the state on communication of the order passed by the Revenue Divisional Officer to take over possession of such land to the owner/holder/occupier of the said land. |
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Govt determined to end
proxy war: Advani NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — The Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani today urged the people to take a pledge to defeat proxy war unleashed by Pakistan. Paying tributes to the martyrs of Kargil war after inaugurating ‘Ajay Ahuja Filling Station’ at Okhla Industrial area here, he said that having faced defeat by India four times in the past, Pakistan did not dare to take on the country
militarily. "Unable to face men like Ajay Ahuja, it is resorting to proxy war where it targets armless, innocent people on the street and pilgrims going to Amarnath yatra,” he said. Calling on the citizens to be alert and vigilant, he asserted that Pakistan would be defeated in its proxy war also. Paying rich tributes to Squadron Leader Ahuja, he said that the pilot had displayed exemplary courage which was one of the most desirable attributes as mentioned in the
Bhagwadgita. |
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Peres meets Vajpayee NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — Visiting Israeli Minister Shimon Peres today called on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to brief about the latest developments in the West Asia peace process. Mr Peres, who is a key Minister for Regional Cooperation in the Ehud Barak’s Cabinet, arrived here today on a four-day official visit. The West Asia peace process, which is facing impediments, is unlikely to be resumed before next month when the Israeli Kneset is scheduled to meet. Mr Peres, visiting almost immediately after the visit of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation Chairman, Mr Yasser Arafat, is due to call on the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan. The visiting minister would also meet the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, and have detailed discussions on the peace process and also on bilateral ties. Mr Peres, who is a former Prime Minister, would also call on the Leader of the Opposition, Mrs Sonia Gandhi. Announcing the visit, a spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs said that Mr Peres would brief Indian leaders about the latest developments in the West Asia process. Mr Peres is here to seek New Delhi’s support for the Israeli stand in the peace process. Since India has warm and close ties with both Palestinians as well as with Israelis, the two parties in the West Asia peace process are approaching New Delhi for support. India has extended support to the peace process and “New Delhi recognises the inalienable rights of the
Palestinian people to their homeland within the recognised international borders”, a spokesman said. |
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PM to attend BJP
executive meeting NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — The Bharatiya Janata Party today drew satisfaction from growing alienation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir from militants who are being aided and abetted by Pakistan. Briefing newspersons about the party’s national executive and national council meeting at Nagpur starting from August 26, the BJP spokesman, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu, said: “We are happy that day by day there is a growing urge among the people of Jammu and Kashmir for peace and the militants are getting alienated from the people. As Pakistan wanted some form of respectability with international opinion too going against them, that country was trying to influence the militants by urging them to demand Pakistan’s presence in any talks related to militancy or Kashmir.” Mr Naidu said the party strongly supported the government stand that there was no question of inclusion of Pakistan in any talks until it stopped aiding and abetting terrorism in this country. On the national executive and national council meeting in Nagpur from August 26 when the new president, Mr Bangaru Lakshman, takes over from Mr Kushabhau Thakre on August 27 for a three-year term, the spokesman said a political and economic resolution would be adopted at the meeting. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee would attend the executive meeting on August 26, he said. The meeting would also be presented a general secretary’s report listing out the party’s activities in the past two years under the presidentship of Mr Thakre, he said. |
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Houses mourn Ranga’s death NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — Both Houses of Parliament today mourned the death of P.R. Kumaramangalam with the members paying tributes to the deceased Union Power Minister who died here yesterday. As a mark of respect both Houses were adjourned for the day. Members observed a minute’s silence in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha before the Houses were adjourned without transacting any business. In the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi and leaders of various political parties while extending their condolences, described “Ranga”, as the Power Minister was popularly known, as an able parliamentarian, a capable administrator and a tireless fighter who took up cudgels for the labour class and the downtrodden. Condoling the death of Kumaramangalam, Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi said he was an active parliamentarian who gave voice to the problems of the common man. In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Krishan Kant described him as an eminent Parliamentarian, an outstanding administrator and a dynamic personality. Mr Krishan Kant said his passing away was a great loss and leaves behind a big void. The Prime Minister said Kumaramangalam’s death came as a rude shock to the nation as he was a “very good speaker, advocate, versatile parliamentarian and had a long way to go.” Describing his death as a personal loss, leader of Opposition Sonia Gandhi said his end showed “our inability and vulnerability to the power over which we have no control.” She said he distinguished himself as a Power Minister, who was dynamic and had bold ideas and was constantly in search of new and innovative methods. Mr Somnath Chatterjee (CPM) said it was his personal loss and “it was extremely sad and heart rending that another of our bright young politicians has been snatched away from us.” At the beginning of the monsoon session it was Rajesh Pilot and now it is Kumaramangalam, he said, adding that it would be very difficult to fill the void and the entire nation would feel his loss. “Ranga carved a niche for himself and it would be difficult to fill the void created by his death,” said former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar. Former Speaker and NCP leader P.A. Sangma said
Kumaramangalam always stood for the welfare of the labour class and fought for their rights all through his life. “He had tremendous capacity to articulate his views and after the death of Rajesh Pilot, the country has lost yet another bright and young politician,” Mr Sangma said. Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Mr S.Venugopalachari (TDP), Mr Rashid Alvi (BSP), Mr P.H. Pandian (AIADMK) and Mr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD) described him as a remarkable personality who proved he was capable in whatever task he took up and “always spoke and acted in the interests of the country.” |
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Uma Bharti firm
on resignation NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — Former minister, Uma Bharati, who announced her decision on Monday to take “sanyas” from politics and resign from the Lok Sabha membership, said today that she was firm on her resignation even after her meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today. Talking to newspersons at her residence today about her meeting with Mr Vajpayee and the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, Ms Bharati said her decision to quit the Lok Sabha as well as active politics was irrevocable as she had taken this decision after lot of contemplation. However, the sources in the Prime Minister Office said Mr Vajpayee would have a second round meeting with Ms Bharati next week before taking a decision on whether to accept her resignation from the Lok Sabha and BJP’s national executive. The Prime Minister advised her to discuss the issue with senior party leaders including Mr Advani, Mr Kushabhau Thakre and Mr Bangaru Laxman and meet him again after the party’s national council meeting slated for August 27 and 28 at Nagpur, the sources said. She had written a letter from Madhya Pradesh to Mr Vajpayee informing him of her decision but said she would, however, continue to be a primary member of the BJP and serve the people through other constructive means. Ms Bharati had requested the Prime Minister to forward her resignation letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker and to the party chief. The sources clarified that Ms Bharati had never sought to put pressure on the Prime Minister for her reinduction into the Union Council of Ministers nor had she desired for any position in the party. |
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Region gets moderate
rainfall NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — Rainfall: Rain or thundershowers have occurred at many places in Himachal Pradesh and at isolated places in Haryana, Punjab, West Rajasthan and the plains of West Uttar Pradesh. Light rain has also occurred at a few places in Jammu and Kashmir. Weather was mainly dry in East Uttar Pradesh. The chief amounts of rainfall in cms are: Haryana: Jagadhari 6, Nilokheri 3 and Delhi Ridge 1, Himachal Pradesh: Gohar, Paonta, Pandoh and Shimla 1 each, Punjab: Nangal 3 and Balachaur and Raya 1 each, Rajasthan: Kaman 7, Kisan Sagar, Nimbahera and Rainbasera 2 each and Ajan Bandh, Arnodh, Barmer, Dholpur and Uchain 1 each and Uttar Pradesh; Dehra Dun 5 and Banbasa 2. Forecast valid until the morning of 26th: Rain or thundershowers will occur at a few places in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, South Rajasthan, South Uttar Pradesh and the hills of West Uttar Pradesh and at isolated places in the rest of the region. Forecast for Delhi & neighbourhood valid until the morning of 26th: Generally cloudy sky with one or two showers/thundershowers in some areas. Farmers weather bulletin for Delhi: Forecast valid until the morning of 26th: Light to moderate rain will occur at a few places. Outlook for the subsequent two days: Slight increase in rainfall. |
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Over 1000 fall ill
after eating ‘prasad’ BHOPAL, Aug 24 (PTI) — Over 1,000 persons fell ill after eating ‘prasad’ on the occasion of Janamashtami in Bairagarh township here yesterday, the police said today. The victims who reported to a government hospital and a few nursing homes after they complained of vomiting and loose motions, have been discharged after treatment, DSP, M W Naqvi said. He said five persons have been arrested in this connection and booked under various sections of IPC and food adulteration Act. |
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Petrol station
staff robbed NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — Two unidentified persons robbed Rs 2.30 lakh from employees of a petrol station at Vasant Kunj in south-west Delhi. The incident occurred when the victims, Sunil (30) and Parveen (35), were on their way to deposit the money which they carried in
polythene bag. The accused, who came in a Maruti car, snatched the bag at gunpoint. The employees reportedly did not raise the alarm, the police said. |
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Floods claim
65 lives in AP HYDERABAD, Aug 24 (UNI) — At least 65 persons were killed and hundreds rendered homeless as torrential rain lashed the state for two days. According to the weather office here, rain due to a depression in the Bay of Bengal continued to lash the state. Thousands of people have been evacuated from low-lying areas to relief camps set up by the state government. Scores of colonies were submerged in flood waters forcing the people to take shelter on roof-tops. Army and IAF personnel have swung into action for relief and rescue operations in the affected areas. |
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Priyanka in
hospital NEW DELHI, Aug 24 (PTI) — Ms Priyanka Gandhi, who is expecting her first baby, has been admitted to a private hospital here. She is “hale and hearty” but has been advised “bed rest”, a hospital spokesman said, refusing to say whether her admission followed labour pains. “The due date is still far away”, he said replying to questions. The baby is expected any time in the first week of September. She may be discharged shortly, hospital sources said. |
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Exhibition on India,
Turkmenistan ties NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — A six-day-long exhibition titled “Dhaga Prem Ka-Bairam and Rahim” will be inaugurated here tomorrow to commemorate age-old ties
between India and Turkmenistan. Sources in the Ministry of Culture said the exhibition would be inaugurated by the Secretary, Department of Culture, in the premises of the National Archives of India, Janpath. Original manuscripts, contemporary paintings and portraits will be on display at the exhibition. The focus will be on Mohammed Bairam Khan Turkman and his son Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan. As a statesman, a warrior, a multi-lingual poet and connoisseur of art and literature, he played a key role in the re-establishment of the Mughal empire in India under Humayun. A tutor of Akbar, Bairam Khan was also appointed titular governor of Punjab. Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan was an efficient administrator and an eminent poet. His couplets (dohas) were recited and appreciated all over the country along with those of Raskhan, Kabir and
Tulsidas. |
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IIT student
drowned NEW DELHI, Aug 24 — A student of IIT, Amit Agnihotri, who was playing water polo in a swimming pool on the institute’s campus drowned and died yesterday. He had joined the institute on August 17. While playing polo he went into deep water where he reportedly drowned. By the time he was brought out of the water he had died. The police has arrested the coaches, Rajiv and Manoj Kumar, on the charge of negligence. They were allegedly not at the swimming pool when the victim was playing. |
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