 |
| Thursday, September 21, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
|
23 die in WB floods Rat fever claims 40 lives
Be neutral,
Basu tells Advani |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Telecom links with Calcutta still cut off NEW DELHI, Sept 20 — Communication links to eastern states remained cut off from the rest of the country for the third day today, while the lines to southern and western states, which had been disrupted due to a work-to-rule agitation by engineers and officers, have been restored. Speculation about UP CM has hit BJP Kalyan to seek shifting of plea India gets
hovercraft to patrol high seas Top US navy
official on India visit SC ruling on recruitment rules Set example, Sonia tells Cong CMs Bigger role for
Khursheed: Soni
|
|
23 die in WB floods CALCUTTA, Sept 20 (UNI) — At least 23 persons have been killed and over five million marooned as the flood situation in West Bengal worsened today with incessant rains lashing the worst affected Birbhum and Murshidabad districts for the third day. Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, who reviewed the situation at a high level meeting here, said the Army jawans could not begin the rescue operations due to strong currents and stormy weather. The Air Force helicopters also could not make the sorties to drop food packets in Birbhum and Murshidabad districts. Official sources said the Army jawans, who left for Nalhati in Birbhum district remained stranded at Nabagram in Murshidabad district because of the breach on the national highway. The floods, which were restricted to three districts initially, spread to Nadia, Hooghly and North 24 Parganas in the South Bengal and Malda and North Dinajpur districts in North Bengal. Sources said 12 persons were killed in the worst affected Birbhum district, while three each in Bardhaman and Murshidabad and two each in Nadia and North Dinajpur districts. One person was killed in a house collapse in Howrah district. “Our main task is to rescue the marooned people. The jawans of the Army, bsf and the state police are fully prepared to launch the rescue and relief operations,” Mr Basu said. Birbhum and Murshidabad, which recorded over 900mm and 700mm of rainfall respectively in the past two days, were still experiencing heavy downpour owing to depression, which remained stationary over the Bihar plateau.
|
|
Rat fever claims
40 lives THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Sept 20 (PTI) — Outbreak of rat fever (Wiel’s disease) reported from different parts of the state during the past fortnight had so far claimed 40 lives, Chief Minister e.k. nayanar said today. The Cabinet today sanctioned Rs 40 lakh to take up emergency medical operations in the affected areas. Special medical teams had been sent to
Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts where most of the cases were reported, Mr Nayanar told reporters after the meeting. |
|
Russian
Dy PM arrives in Delhi NEW DELHI, Sept 20 — First Deputy Prime Minister of
the Russian Federation Ilya Klebanov arrived here last night to make
the final preparation of the four-day visit of Russian President
Vladimir Putin beginning on October 2. Announcing the visit, a spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs said a declaration on strategic partnership between the two countries would be signed during Mr Putin’s stay in the Capital. Mr Klebanov, who would be in the Capital till September 23, would hold discussions with Defence Minister George Fernandes and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Brajesh Mishra, among others. Mr Klebanov is also expected to call on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. |
|
Be neutral, Basu tells Advani CALCUTTA, Sept 20 (PTI, UNI) — The West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Jyoti Basu, today urged the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, to maintain ‘‘neutrality and not to be influenced by political considerations’’ and suggested to him to restrain the Railway Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee from ‘‘inciting violence’’ in the state. In a hard-hitting reply to Mr Advani’s second letter on the state’s law and order, Mr Basu said the Left Front government was in power in the state on the basis of majority support and not by any ‘‘act of grace on the part of your government’’. Stating that Mr Advani’s letter, listing some incidents of political violence, did not reflect the actual position and was ‘‘somewhat misleading’’, he said ‘‘your contention that political violence has been increasing in places where BJP-Trinamool Congress is gaining ground is incorrect and not based on facts.’’ Mr Basu alleged the Trinamool-BJP combine resorted to violence and terrorised political opponents, particularly in Keshpur, Garbeta, Sabong and Pingla areas of Midnapore district,to win the Panskura Lok Sabha byelection. Telecom links with Calcutta still cut off NEW DELHI, Sept 20 (PTI) — Communication links to eastern states remained cut off from the rest of the country for the third day today, while the lines to southern and western states, which had been disrupted due to a work-to-rule agitation by engineers and officers, have been restored. “Normalcy in services has been restored to Chennai and Mumbai with rest of the country, while telephone lines to Calcutta and eastern states are cut off as a fibre optic link at Berhampur was washed away by rain”, Shyamal Ghosh, Secretaty, Department of Telecom, told newsmen. With the 4000-odd officers and 20,000 engineers sticking to their stand, Communication Minister Ram Vilas Paswan summoned a special high-level meeting to review the steps taken to restore telecom services. Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Paswan said Chief General Managers (CGMs) of all affected circles had been asked to fix responsibility for the faults and submit reports by this evening. A meeting of the CGMs, which has been convened for a different purpose tomorrow, would also discuss the issue of disruption of services by a select group of people, he said. Paswan said strict action would be taken against the employees who were responsible for the dislocation of services in the past few days. Mr Paswan said that the major demands of the unions with regard to corporatisation and related issues had been settled and pending issues could be discussed across the table and sorted out. The common man should, however, not be made to suffer because of these issues. The woes of the people in the Capital were further compounded with the employees of the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd staging dharnas to demand better pay scales and to end further disinvestment in the MTNL. The Joint Action Committee of MTNL officers also held demonstrations in Mumbai and Delhi, demanding that all pensionary benefits accrued during their tenure with the government should continue. The employees also demanded pay scales on a par with public sector units like the VSNL. The agitation hit services and calls between landline phones and mobile phones were impossible to get. Another telecom employees’ organisation, the National Action Committee of Telecom Employees Organisations, announced today that its members would observe a non-cooperation agitation from September 26 to 28. They would observe two hours’ strike in each shift of duties on September 29 in protest against the corporatisation move and to demand settlement of long pending issues. The National Action Committee said the corporatisation of the Telecom Department would be detrimental to the interest of the nation, the subscribers and the telecom workers. It said that while the department provided more than 100 lakh new telephone connections during the past three years and created thousands of posts of senior officer, not a single employee was recruited to maintain these telephones or to deliver telegrams. |
|
Speculation about UP CM has hit BJP NEW DELHI, Sept 20 (UNI) — Newly appointed Uttar Pradesh BJP unit president Kalraj Mishra today admitted that uncertainty about the continuance of Chief Minister Ram Prakash Gupta had adversely affected the party’s image in the state. Addressing his first press conference in the Capital after taking over as the party chief, he said the continued speculation about the appointment of Mr Ram Prakash Gupta as a time-gap arrangement had created a sense of uncertainty among the people. “It is unfortunate that such reports (about the change of the Chief Minister) continue to pour in,” he said and termed as “bogus” all gossip about the change in the state Chief Minister, before elections. He said the party central leadership had confirmed the retention of Mr Gupta as the Chief Minister and now the party cadre will be rejuvenated and work harder in the next Assembly polls. “We will go to the polls under the leadership of Mr Gupta,” he asserted. Accepting that the party in the state had weakened due to certain “developments” in the past, he said with the changed scenario, things would witness a definite improvement. When asked what he meant by developments, the senior party leader clarified that he was referring to the Kalyan Singh episode. Meanwhile, according to a report from Dehra Dun the BJP high command has been assigned the task of deciding on the capital and the Chief Minister of new state of Uttaranchal after consensus on the two contentious issues eluded at a meeting of the people’s representatives of the hill state. Former BJP president Kushabhau Thakre told reporters after the meeting which concluded here last night that the views of party workers and the people’s representatives would be conveyed to the party high command. |
|
Kalyan to seek shifting of plea NEW DELHI, Sept 20 (PTI)— The former Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister, Mr Kalyan Singh, today said he would soon initiate steps for transfer of his 1993 plea challenging his summoning by the Liberhan commission, probing demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya, from the Allahabad High Court to the Delhi High Court. Mr Kalyan Singh’s
counsel, M.N.Krishnamani ,and Ajay Aggarwal informed the Delhi High Court that he would move the Supreme Court within a week to seek transfer of the case from the Lucknow Bench of theAllahabad High Court to Delhi. Krishnamani gave the assurance to Justice Sarin after the latter said as per judicial propriety, the matter should be heard either by the Allahabad High Court or the Delhi High Court so that contradictory orders were not passed. Mr Kalyan Singh, who had challenged his summoning as witness by the commission in 1993, before the Allahabad High Court, also moved the Delhi High Court for quashing of the bailable warrant issued to him by the commission on July 27 ,after his failure to appear before it on repeated summons. Krishnamani said Mr Kalyan Singh could not be forced to depose as a witness by the commission as the Allahabad High Court had granted him stay from personal appearance and filing of any affidavit as he was a Section 8 B noticee before the panel because he had challenged the inquiry into the case. The commission could also not force Mr Kalyan Singh to disclose his line of defence by deposing as witness as he was facing trial in the court relating to the demolition, he said. As the court suggested why should not Mr Kalyan Singh move a fresh petition in the Allahabad High Court itself, Krishnamani said the question of jurisdiction would arise. Agreeing with Mr Kalyan Singh’s counsel, Solicitor-General Harish Salve clarified that the Supreme Court in the Shah Commission case had ruled that an inquiry panel would be covered by the jurisdiction of the high court where its office was situated. India gets
hovercraft to patrol high seas NEW DELHI, Sept 20 — Twenty-seven years after the proposal was first moved, the country has finally acquired a Hovercraft to help the agencies in patrolling the high seas not only for smuggling but also for controlling the now flourishing business of gun-running. The first of the six Hovercrafts which the country is to acquire was formally commissioned into the Coast Guard, the guardians of country’s borders along the seas, in Calcutta on Monday last. It has been specially designed to match the requirements of the agencies patrolling the Indian coastal waters. According to reports, with the commissioning of the Hovercraft into the Coast Guard, India became the first country in the South and South east Asian region to acquire the machine. The Hovercraft was built at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd, Calcutta after a Complete Knock Down kit (CKD) was imported from the UK. The GRS, Calcutta has in fact won the contract for supplying a total six Hovercrafts to the Coast Guard. While the kit for the first of the Hovercrafts was imported, the rest of the five would be built indigenously at the GRS. Starting now the Hovercrafts would be supplied to the agencies in intervals with the last of the machines expected to be delivered in 2002. To be built in cooperation with Griffon Hovercraft Limited of the UK, the Hovercraft has been specially designed for high-speed patrolling in coast shallow waters, marshy areas, creeks and deep sea, search and rescue operations, interception and interdiction of offending vessels. It would also render assistance to ships in distress and provide logistical support to Coast Guard ships. The Coast Guard and the other security agencies had been demanding a Hovercraft for a long time, specially since there had been an increase in incidents of smuggling along the borders and also that of gun running. The latter being done specially in the Kutch region by the Pakistani supported agents wanting to supply arms to subversive elements in the country. Incidentally, the proposal for acquiring of an Hovercraft was moved more than two and half decades ago, but it has been formalised only now. The Customs and Excise Department officials had expressed the need for acquiring of the craft to help them controling smuggling even then. According to reports, the porposal was moved in 1973 when former Prime Minister Morarji Desai was the Finance Minister in the Indira Gandhi Cabinet. He had apparently also cleared the proposal. However after he resigned from the Cabinet following his differences with Mrs Indira Gandhi, the proposal got stuck. It was apparently shot down by Mrs Gandhi herself after she also took charge of the Finance Ministry. Since then there had been a constant demand from the patrolling agencies, however the successive governments did not take any action. According to Coast Guard officials, the new craft would immensely increase the patrolling capabilities of the security agencies. 
Top US navy official on India visit NEW DELHI, Sept 20 (UNI) — Admiral Dennis Cutler Blair, Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Command today began a five-day visit to India making it clear that any military cooperation entirely depended on the lifting of sanctions by the US administration. Admiral Blair told reporters ‘‘India knows what is required for the restoration of military cooperation and the supply of defence spare parts as well as technological capabilities for Indian submarines are on hold till the issue is resolved.’’ The Admiral, who arrived here this afternoon, described India as an important country in this part of the world. He said he looked forward to working with the Indian Defence officials for common cause and purpose. Admiral Blair will meet with Defence Minister George Fernandes and other senior officials. Admiral Blair will hold discussions with Mr Fernandes, Chief of Army Staff Gen V.P. Malik, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sushil Kumar and Vice-Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Vinod Patney tomorrow. The US Admiral will go to Mumbai on Friday where he will visit the Western Naval Command, Mazagaon Docks and tour ships and installations. |
|
SC ruling on recruitment rules NEW DELHI, Sept 20 — The Supreme Court today while allowing a batch of appeals by the State of Haryana against judgements and directions of the Punjab and Irrigation and power department has ruled that their ad hoc experience would not be counted for getting the selection grade under the Haryana recruitment rules. A three-Judge Bench comprising Mr Justice G.B. Pattnaik, Mr Justice D.P. Mohapatra and Mr Justice Doraiswamy Raju held that under the Haryana Governments’ circular dated June 2, 1989, the clarificatory circular of May 16, 1990 and the Recruitment Rules”, the services rendered either on ad hoc basis or as a stop gap arrangement cannot be held to be regular service for getting the revised scale of pay or the selection grade”. “The majority judgement of the High Court must be held to be contrary to the provisions of the Recruitment Rules and consequently cannot be sustained,”, the judges ruled in the case of Asst Engineer Rakesh Kumar Singla and directed this ruling to be applied in the cases of all other related appeals. The judges held that the full Bench judgement of the High Court committed serious error by equating the expression “regular service” with “continuous service” while allowing the period of two years of ad hoc service of Rakesh Kumar Singla to be included in the required 12 years of regular service for getting the selection grade. Delivering the judgement for the Bench, Justice Pattnaik examined the appointment letter of Mr Singla for ad hoc service with affect from 1980 to 1982, and held that the conclusion of the High Court was contrary to the very terms and conditions stipulated in the ad hoc appointment, and therefore could not be sustained. The judges directed that the 12 years period of regular service of Mr Singla under the Recruitment Rules would be counted from the year 1982 when he was selected for regular appointment by the Haryana Public Service Commission. The judges ordered, “Since the judgement of Rakesh Kumar has been followed in all other cases which are also the subject matter of appeal before the court in the tagged on matters, following the conclusions arrived at by us in Rakesh Kumar’s case, the impugned judgement and direction in all these matters are set aside and the appeal filed by the State of Haryana stand allowed.” In 16 other cases wherein the claim for counting the period rendered on work-charge basis for seniority, increment and pension was involved, the judges delinked them and ordered that they would be listed. |
|
Set example, Sonia tells Cong CMs NEW DELHI, Sept 20 — The Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi has urged the Congress-led governments in the states to set an example in implementing fully and partly centrally-sponsored poverty alleviation schemes. In a letter to Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Pondicherry, Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, Ms Gandhi said that while a large part of the blame in recent years can be attributed to the Central Government for lack of initiative in the execution of these schemes and laxity in providing sufficient budgetary resources and poor monitoring, the primary duty for implementing the schemes was of the states. The states, she said, are not only responsible for the first level of monitoring, it has often been seen that releases are held up due to absence of timely utilisation reports from them. Listing over 21 schemes offered by Ministries of Rural Development, Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation and Department of Woman and Child Development, she said that a great deal of resources could be obtained from the Centre for the upliftment of the poor if these schemes were properly implemented. In her letter, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said that she was looking forward to receiving reports of exemplary performance from the Congress Chief Ministers in the execution of these
programmes. |
|
Bigger role for
Khursheed: Soni NEW DELHI, Sept 20 — Mr Salman Khursheed, who yesterday was replaced as Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief by Mr Sri Prakash Jaiswal, is likely to be given some bigger role in the AICC. Indicating this, party general secretary Ms Ambika Soni said here today that Mr Khursheed was all along associated with the process of arriving at the decision regarding the new UPCC president. Maintaining that the decision was a normal step undertaken by the Congress president, she said that Ms Gandhi valued the dedication and contribution with which Mr Khursheed had served as UPCC chief. “He may be considered for some bigger role by the Congress chief,” she said. Asked about the need of sudden change at the top when the process of organisational elections had already begun in UP, the Congress spokesperson said that it was done to maximise talents. She hinted about Mr Jaiswal contesting the elections for the post of UPCC chief. |
|
Curfew relaxed in Ahmedabad area AHMEDABAD, Sept 20 (PTI) — Curfew was further relaxed in violence-hit Dariapur locality here for 10 hours from 8 a.m. today following improvement in the situation even as the toll rose to eight. Peace prevailed in the area and no untoward incident was reported, the police said. With one more Shiv Sena worker succumbing to injuries, the toll in clashes between supporters of the
BJP and the Shiv Sena during Sunday’s civic poll went up to eight. Hardik (16), son of Vinod Patel, a Shiv Sena candidate from Dariapur ward, was injured in the police firing. The boy died at a hospital last night, it said. |
|
Expenditure panel
submits report NEW DELHI, Sept 20 (UNI) —Downsizing of the government, energy security and ways and means to reduce fertiliser subsidy are among the issues that figure in the second report of the Expenditure Reforms Commission submitted to Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha today. Talking to newsmen after presenting the report, commission Chairman Geetha Krishnan said the report had taken care of the interests of both farmers and the industry in the matter of rationalisation of fertiliser subsidy. On the recommendations relating to the Department of Coal, he said the thrust was on ensuring energy security. ‘You will find that the approach is different,’ he added without going into the specifics of any of the suggestions made in the report. |
|
3 cops sentenced MUMBAI, Sept 20 (PTI) — three cops, including a woman sub-inspector, have been sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment (RI) by a special court which convicted them on charges of demanding and accepting bribes from hawkers. Additional Sessions Judge
S.P. Kukaday, hearing corruption cases, held Kokila Lingade, sub-inspector, Krishna Pawar and
P.C. Kardile, both constables, guilty of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act
(PCA). LCA flight test NEW
DELHI, Sept 20 (UNI) — The flight test of the indigenously developed light combat aircraft (lca), a project that began in the early ‘80s, will be over by the end of this year, Defence Minister George Fernandes announced today. The production process of the lca, which will ultimately replace the mig-21, will take another five years, Mr Fernandes said at the meeting of the consultancy committee atached to his ministry. He said the delay in the lca project had not in any way affected the combat preparedness of the Indian Air Force. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 120 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
