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| Tuesday, August 29, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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ICMR awards for 2 PGI docs Cracks appear in
Nitish’s unity move Arundhati joins stir against Maheshwar project Ex-CM shielding criminals ? India protests to
Pak ‘Repeal’ illegal migrants’ Act till Jan Nagpur resolution
“hypocitical” |
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SC: Hindu Succession Act
overrides relevant Act Case registered
against MP ‘Probe’ project clearance Gogoi to sue Mahanta Monsoon active in HP, J&K Sunam byelection
on Sept 29
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ICMR awards for 2 PGI docs NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (UNI) — The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has announced the names of 17 recipients for 14 of its awards and prizes for the year 1997. The prestigious Dr B.R. Ambedkar centenary award for excellence in biomedical research has been given to Dr V.P. Sharma, former Director, Malaria Research Centre and former Additional Director General, ICMR, New Delhi, for his work on malaria and its control, an ICMR press note said today. The Basanti Devi Amir Chand prize has been awarded to Dr S.P. Misra, MLN Medical College, Allahabad, for his excellent research work in the field of gastroenterology. Dr Sudha Suri of the PGIMER, Chandigarh, has been selected for Kshanika oration award (for women scientists) for her work on diagnostic and therapeutic abdominal/interventional procedures. Dr Y. Chawla, also of the PGIMER Chandigarh, gets the Dr M.N. Sen oration award (practice of medicine) for his study on role of doppler sonography in portal hypertension. The Jalma Trust Fund oration award for leprosy has been given to Dr Vanaja P. Shetty, of the Foundation for Medical Research, Mumbai, for his work done on effect of MDT on peripheral nerves in leprosy. Dr V. Ravi of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, has been awarded Dr J.B. Srivastava award in the field of the virology for his work on neurovirology, especially Japanese encephalitis. The ICMR prize for research in underdeveloped areas has been given to Dr S.C. Sehgal, Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, for his work on leptospirosis in the Andamans. The Swaran Kanta dingley oration award in the field of reproductive biology has been awarded to Dr Amitabh Krishna, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, for his work on animal model for studies on polycystic ovarian syndrome. For his work in the area of malaria: host-parasite
interactions, Dr Chetan Chitnis of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, has been awarded the M.O.T. Iyengar award. |
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Arundhati joins stir against Maheshwar project BHOPAL, Aug 28 — The struggle of the Dalits against the construction of the Maheshwar hydroelectric project received a boost with celebrated writer and Booker prize winner Arundhati Roy not only joining them but also promising support of other writers and artists to their cause. Addressing the first sammelan of the Kewats, Kahars and Dalits to be affected by the Maheshwar project at Toksar village in Khargone district yesterday, Roy expressed her happiness that the most oppressed sections of the society in the area had come together not only to fight the “destructive project” but also to struggle for their own dignity. She said that many intellectuals, writers and artists were supporting the movement and were taking the voice of the displaced people to all corners of the world “because the people of the Narmada valley are fighting with perseverance and unity”. The sammelan was held under the aegis of the Ma Narmada Kewat Kahar, Dalit Sangathan, an offshoot of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NDA). The sangathan was formed in Sitoka village nearly a month ago at the instance of the Kewat, Kahar and Dalit leaders of the NBA who felt that those dependent on common property resources of the village and riverine economy must have their own forum within the NBA to represent their survival issues. These communities are leading comparatively prosperous lives. They quarry sand — earning up to Rs 200 per day per worker — besides fishing and growing cucumbers, melons and rice on the river draw down. This stretch of the river as the Narmada winds through the plains of Nimar has the best fishing areas in the entire valley with substantial populations of Kewats and Kahars. In fact, if the river rises even by a few metres due to impoundment, these sand quarries and draw down agriculture will disappear forever and thousands of people will have their livelihoods ruptured, according to NBA activist Chittaroopa Palit. Yet, they have not even been counted in the list of those to be affected by the project, Palit says. Mr Alok Agrawal, leader of the struggle in this area, said that this struggle against destruction had to be accompanied by a process of reconstruction which should include the building of not only alternative energy and water systems but also a different society based on equality and freedom for all. Noted English musician Pablo played the clarinet and Arjun Raina performed Kathakali during the sammelan. The rally was attended by filmmakers Sanjay Kak and Jharna Jhaveri, affected persons from the Tawa, Man and Sardar Sarovar Projects, and NBA supporters from England and France. |
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Ex-CM shielding criminals? JAIPUR, Aug 28 — Former Chief Minister Jagannath Pahadia and his wife are once again in the eye of the storm in their home town Bhusavar, in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. They are being accused of shielding the guilty in an attempt to rape and murder case. On Friday three persons had made an unsuccessful attempt to rape a young girl in Bhusavar. After the girl put up stiff resistance, they tried to burn her alive. As the miscreants fled the girl jumped into a water tank in the house. She was later admitted to the local hospital with burns. On the basis of her statement, Rakesh, Naresh and Brijmohan were identified as the culprits and a case was registered against them. All three are said to be close relatives of the Pahadias. In the wake of the incident shopkeepers downed shutters and angry demonstrators blocked traffic demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits. The police had a hard time dispersing a crowd which assembled outside the police station. The incident occurred at 11 a.m. on Friday but the police failed to arrest the culprits. In the meanwhile, on Saturday, a rumour spread that the culprits had left town with the Pahadias. This ignited further the already high tempers. A crowd marched on the Pahadias’ residence raising anti-Pahadia slogans and demanding immediate arrest of the accused. When it was confirmed that the Pahadias had indeed left town the mob became unruly, marched towards the residences of the accused and set them on fire. Pahadia is accused of helping those named in the FIR in an earlier criminal case in this town last year too. It is alleged that the ex-CM misused his influence to harass the complainants. The demonstrators were apprehensive that Pahadias could pressure the victim this time too. BJP leaders however deny that houses were set on fire by the mob and say, the fire was the handiwork of family members of the accused themselves as a strategy to weaken the cases of attempt to rape and murder. Two of the three identified accused were arrested in the evening on Saturday while the third is still at large. |
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Cracks appear in
Nitish’s unity move NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (PTI, UNI) — Union Agriculture Minister Nitish Kumar’s efforts to bring together Bihar MPs for ensuring all round development of the state after creation of Jharkhand today appeared to have run into rough weather with MPs loyal to Communications Minister Ram Vilas Paswan opposing Nitish Kumar’s decision to form a “core group”. MPs representing all political parties in Bihar had met on Friday under the presidentship of the Samata Party leader and had pledged to work for the development of Bihar sinking their political differences. But barely two days after the meeting, cracks appeared in the unity move with Paswan loyalists Jai Narain Nishad, Ram Chandra Paswan and Manjay Lal holding a joint press conference to virtually criticise the exercise though all of them had attended Friday’s meeting. “Some ministers are afraid of joining any agitation as they will have to quit from the government so they are trying to keep themselves in the reckoning only by holding meetings,” Mr Nishad said in an apparent reference to Mr Nitish Kumar. Hinting that Paswan might resign from the Union Cabinet to spearhead the agitation, his brother said “many ministers may resign and come forward to join the stir against the step-motherly treatment meted out to Bihar by the Centre in matters of Railways and roads.” Seeking to downplay Mr Nitish Kumar’s efforts, they said the meeting of MPs convened by him was nothing new. They pointed out that way back in April, Paswan had held a similar meeting attended by majority of the MPs from Bihar. |
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‘Repeal’ illegal migrants’ Act till Jan NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (UNI) — The Supreme Court today gave the Centre time till January next year to repeal the Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunal Act, 1985, which has been found ‘‘discriminatory’’ on the ground of being applicable only to the state of Assam. ‘‘When the Act has been declared discriminatory in the affidavits filed by the Centre and the Assam Government, what is the hitch in repealing it. Why do you want to pass the buck to us,’’ asked a three-Judge Bench headed by Chief Justice A.S. Anand. The Bench, which included Mr Justice N. Santosh Hegde and Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, was hearing a public interest petition by the All-India Lawyers Forum for Civil Liberties and a connected petition by Mr Sarbananda Sonowal, adviser to the All-Assam Students Union, seeking deportation of about 2 crore illegal Bangladeshi migrants living in various parts of the country. Additionally, Mr Sonowal has sought repeal of the Act in his petition on the ground that the Act was coming in the way of detection and deportation of the illegal Bangladeshi migrants. The court said even the petitioners assert that the Act is discriminatory. The proper course in such a situation is that the Centre should repeal it instead of asking the court to declare it ultra vires of the Constitution. Earlier, Additional Solicitor- General R.N. Trivedi told the court that he stood by the affidavit filed by the Centre and the updated status report regarding steps already taken and to be taken to solve the problem of illegal Bangladeshi migrants. He, however, added that since the process of repealing the Act was a long-drawn exercise, the Centre should be given reasonable time for the purpose. Senior counsel Ashoke Desai, appearing for Mr Sonowal submitted that since all concerned were of the view that the Act was discriminatory, the matter should finally be heard and decided. The court did not agree to this and asked the Centre to repeal the Act itself. |
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Nagpur resolution
“hypocitical” NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (UNI) — The Congress today said that the
BJP national council resolution at Nagpur revealed its “cynical and opportunistic electoral agenda” and its new president Bangaru Laxman’s statement of opening of doors to Muslims was the most “hypocritical and blatantly communal statement by a political leader in a secular democracy”. This was not a change of hearts as the party’s political agenda and the earlier stated doctrines of the Sangh Parivar remained unchanged, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said. Soon after his election as
BJP president and before taking over the same Bangaru Laxman had stated that the issues of Ram temple, abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution remained the agenda of the
BJP. But because of the compulsions of coalition politics and the NDA manifesto, these issues were put on at the back burner, he said. |
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SC: Hindu Succession Act
overrides relevant Act NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (UNI) — In a significant judgement concerning inheritance and partition in Hindu families, the Supreme Court has ruled that the provision of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 would have overriding effect on any other law in consistence with the Act. The ruling was given by a bench of Mr Justice A.P. Misra and Mrs Justice Ruma Pal while partly allowing an appeal and holding that Section (1) (D) of the Mysore Hindu Law Women’s Right Act, 1993 which protects the rights of the certain class of women inheritors stood superseded by the proviso 2 Section 6 of the 1956 Act. Reading the proviso 2 Section 6 of the 1956 Act with Section 8 of the Mysore Act, it is clear that where female members sought to be protected under Section 8 of the Mysore Act are in fact class I heirs of the deceased coparcener, his interest in the joint family property cannot pass by survivorship at all, the court observed. The court also held that the Karta of a Hindu family could not gift away any part of an ancestral property without the consent of all members of the Mitakshara coparcenery who had an interest in the property. The appeal was directed against the Karnataka High Court judgement which upheld the gifting of three ancestral properties by the Karta of a Hindu family without the consent of coparceners. The court further ruled that the Karta was competent or had the power to dispose of coparcenery property only if the disposition was of a reasonable portion of the coparcenery property and the disposition was for a recognised pious purpose . The court however upheld the discretion of shares by the high court among the members of the appellant Thimmaiah family. |
India protests to
Pak NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (UNI) — In blatant violation of diplomatic obligations, Pakistan has denied, till date, consular access to Indian diplomats to ascertain the welfare of 11 crew members of an Indian cargo vessel, who were rescued by a Pakistani fishing boat on June 30
last. “The continued detention of the crew members in Pakistani custody and the denial, as yet, of consular access displays an inhuman attitude,” an official spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs said here
today. While focussing attention on the callous approach of Pakistan towards its humanitarian and diplomatic obligations, the spokesman said the Indian vessel “Jan Kalyan” had caught fire in the Arabian Sea on a journey from the UAE. The crew members had spent nine days in the sea without water and food. Pakistan has expelled 17 members of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad over the past five years and during this period there were 89 cases of intimidation, harassment, abduction and physical torture of Indian staffers by Pakistani agencies, the spokesman said. |
| Case registered
against MP NEW DELHI, Aug 28 — The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police has registered a criminal case against an MP from Bodmer in Rajasthan as he allegedly misbehaved with the Station Master at Delhi Cantonment railway station in south-west Delhi. The complainant, Mr Hari Shankar alleged in his complaint to the police that Congress MP S.C. Choudhary caught his collar inside his office at the railway station. According to the police, the MP went to the railway station at 9 p.m. yesterday to board the Mandor Express for Jodhpur. He reportedly went to the office of the Station Master to ask for a favour but when he was refused, the MP allegedly misbehaved with the official. Railway employees at Delhi Cantt railway station went on a rampage following the incident and halted the trains. Consequently, Mandor Express departed from Delhi Cantt after a delay of three hours at 12.30 a.m. The MP said that he was not allowed to park his car at the parking lot of the Railways while a car of an officer was parked there at that time. When he asked for the complaint book from the Station Master he was refused, the police
said. |
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‘Probe’ project clearance NEW DELHI, Aug 28 — The Uttarakhand Sangarsh Samiti has demanded a CBI probe into the reasons for the undue haste shown by the UP Government in awarding contract for the 300 MW Srinagar hydro-electric project to Enron. The samiti, which has support of the Congress, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, the JD (Secular) and the RPI among others, also demanded a fixed term for the interim government of Uttaranchal — to be formed by the BJP — so that fresh elections were not delayed. Threatening to launch an agitation over the UP government’s decision regarding the Srinagar project, samiti spokesperson Mr Dhirendra Pratap said that the state government had shown un usual hurry in deciding about a prime project in the new state of Uttaranchal. Demanding intervention of the Prime Minister in the matter, he said that a “handicapped state” was being created by the ruling regime in UP. He said that the decision about the project, taken by the UP Government after the Uttranchal bill had been passed by Parliament on August 1, should have been left to people of the new state. Mr Pratap said that water resources were the most precious wealth of Uttaranchal and affected the people directly.
Maintaining that the new state’s “resources were not for sale”, he warned that Enron officials would not be allowed to enter the state. The spokesperson said that while the President had given his assent to the bill regarding the creation of the new state, the Union Home Minister had assured that interim government would be in place by early November. “What then was undue haste in deciding about the project,” he asked. |
Gogoi to sue Mahanta GUWAHATI, Aug 28 (UNI) — Accusations and counter-accusations by the Assam Gana Parishad and Congress over links with ULFA reached a flashpoint today with the state Congress president Tarun Gogoi deciding to file a defamation suit of Rs one crore against Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta for accusing him of maintaining links with the
ULFA. Addressing a press conference here today Mr Gogoi categorically denied the accusation terming it as “false and baseless.” “I know he is provoking me. But I am going to the court and he can prove whatever charges he has against me in the court”, Mr Gogoi said. |
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Monsoon active in HP, J&K NEW DELHI, Aug 28 — Monsoon has been active in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and east Rajasthan. Rainfall: Rain or thundershowers have occurred at most places in Himachal Pradesh, and east Rajasthan, at many places in Jammu and Kashmir and the hills of west Uttar Pradesh, at a few places in Punjab and the plains of Uttar Pradesh and at isolated places in the rest of the region. The chief amounts of rainfall in cm. are: Haryana: Narnaul-2 and Jagadhri-1, Himachal Pradesh: Nagrota Surian 11, Berthin 4, Barsar, Guler, Nadaun and Sujanpur Tira 4 each, Kasol, Kasauli and Kahu 3 each, Dehragopipur, Gohar and Nalagarh 2 each and Amb, Bharwain, Chamroor, Nahan, Rajgarh, Shimla and Sundernagar 1 each, Jammu and Kashmir: Kathua-5, Katra-3 and Jammu-2, Punjab: Balachaur -4 and Dasuya and Nangal 1 each, Rajasthan: Gangapur City-6, Kharidam and Matrikundiya 5, Bagoliya and Gambhiridam 4 each, Badesar, Bharatpur, Chakari, Nimbahera and Sarera 3 each, Alwar, Bansur, Mandal and Thanagaji 2 each and Banera, Bijoliya, Gugal, Kotputli, Manoharthana and Rashmi 1 each and Uttar Pradesh: Khadda-6, Kakrahi and Kakardharighat 5 each, Bansi and Fetehgarh 3 each, Bahraich, Dehradun and Regoli 2 each and Balrampur, Hardwar, Joshimath and Kalpi 1 each. Forecast valid until the morning of 30th: Rain or thundershowers will occur at many places in Uttar Pradesh, at a few places in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and east Rajasthan and at isolated places in the rest of the region. Heavy rainfall warning: Heavy rain is likely at isolated places in north Uttar Pradesh during next 48 hours. Forecast for Delhi and neighbourhood valid until the morning 30th: Generally cloudy sky with one or two showers/thundershowers in some areas. Farmers weather bulletin for Delhi forecast valid until the morning of 30th: Light to moderate rain will occur at a few places. Outlook for the subsequent two days: No large change. |
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Sunam byelection
on Sept 29 NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (UNI) — Elections will be held on September 29 to the Dausa Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant on the death of sitting MP Rajesh Pilot, and eight Assembly constituencies in as many states, the Election Commission announced today. The commission also announced that byelections would be held on September 21 to fill the vacancy caused in the Rajya Sabha following the death of sitting MP from Sikkim K.G. Bhutia. Commission Secretary K.R. Prasad said “the EC’s model code of conduct comes into effect immediately from today in the districts in which the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies are located.” The eight Assembly constituencies where elections are to be held are: Shahar Kotda (SC, Gujarat), Kagwad (Karnataka), Lakhanandon (ST, Madhya Pradesh), Sahuwadi (Maharashtra), Kaishanmthang (Manipur), Sunam (Punjab), Lunkaransar (Rajasthan) and Karhal (Uttar Pradesh). The notification for the Dausa Lok Sabha and eight Assembly constituencies would be issued on September 4. The last date for filing nominations would be September 11. |
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