 |
| Monday, September 25, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
|
West Bengal flood toll
373 Karsan sold NFL urea to China MP guidelines for Chhattisgarh MP to bar persons with 3 kids from
contesting poll Life term for 3 kidnappers |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Vajpayee unequivocal
leader: Thakre Prasad takes
over as VC AIIMS may reopen ayurveda centre Step to convert hospital into sectt flayed SC to penalise colleges Don’t visit Pak: DSGMC Delhi to have brain
research centre Men ignore wives’
health care: report Mysore exempted
from bandh call
|
|
West Bengal flood toll 373 CALCUTTA, Sept 24 (UNI) — The overall flood situation in West Bengal marginally improved today even as the toll rose to 373. Official sources here said more than 13 million persons were still marooned in different districts of the state. Murshidabad accounted for the highest 214 deaths, followed by Birbhum with 88, Bardhaman 26, Nabadwip 18 and Hooghly seven. The break-up of the remaining deaths was yet to be received. West Bengal Deputy Chief Minister Buddahadev Bhattacharjee and State Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta in a joint press briefing attributed the reason for some improvement in the grim flood situation to lesser discharge of water from different dams in and around the state. Mr Bhattacharjee said there was very less discharge of water from the Mayurakshi and Tilpara barrages, which till a day ago discharged 1,50,000 cusecs a day. Similarly dams under the Damodar Valley Corporation, which till yesterday discharged 2.5 lakh cusecs, discharged 80,000 cusecs (Maithon 20,000 cusecs and Panchet 60,000 cusecs) of water today. He said rescue and relief operations, hampered due to snapping of road and rail link, were also being geared up, adding that three MI 8 helicopters of the Army were continuing air dropping of food packets in the affected areas. Eight Army boats, 40 mechanised boats of the state government and 850 country boats had been pressed into service, besides about 100 jawans for rescue and relief. These apart, the state government had introduced six launches to carry relief materials and potable water to the areas, affected by the swelling Ganga. Six more launches would be pressed into service soon, he said. The state government has already sent Rs 12 crore for providing relief. Kandi subdivision in Murshidabad district has borne the brunt of the floods. Also, Balagarh in Hooghly district and Kalna in Bardhaman district suffered extensive damage. The Prime Minister has sanctioned Rs 50,000 each to next of kin of the deceased while the state government has chipped in with Rs 20,000 each. The state government has sent a preliminary report to the Agriculture Ministry, a copy of which has also been dispatched to the Prime Minister’s Office. Meanwhile, train services from Calcutta to North Bengal and neighbouring districts remained disrupted for the seventh day today. An Eastern Railway spokesperson said 15 pairs of train, besides seven up trains had been cancelled today, including the Ganadevta Express, the Shantiniketan Express, the Kanchanjunga Express, the Darjeeling Mail, the Gour Express and the Teesta-Torsa Express. To help stranded passengers, Indian Airlines has decided to operate additional flights on the Calcutta-Bagdogra-Calcutta sector. Bihar floods toll
rises to 107 PATNA, Sept 24 (UNI) — Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters continued dropping food packets for the marooned people in the flood-ravaged areas of Bihar as the natural calamity had claimed 107 lives in the state so far. Official sources said here today maximum number of deaths were reported from Sitamarhi district, where altogether 31 persons had lost their lives, while 20 persons died in Munghar district. Sources said 12 deaths were reported from Muzaffarpur district, while 10 deaths were reported from Samastipur district followed by eight in Sheohar district, six each in Saharsa and West Champaran districts, five in Darbhanga district, three each in Purnea, Katihar and Bhagalpur district. Eastern Railway sources said here the repair work on the flood-affected tracks on the Kiul-Jhajha section was in progress on a war footing under the direct supervision of Divisional Railway Manager of Danapur S.P. Vatsa. Sources said the “up” line would be restored by tomorrow and it might take another two or three days for the restoration of normal train services on the section. The Up Howrah-Amritsar Mail was diverted to Grand Chord line and Up Howrah-Danapur Express via Gaya-Patna line. Other trains, which were diverted, included Down Chapra-Tata Express via Gaya-Patna-Barauni line, Up Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express via Grand Chord and Up Toofan Express via Grand Chord. Several trains were also cancelled due to the impact of the floods. The trains which had been cancelled included Up Purbanchal Express, Up Mithila Express, Up Sealdah-Mughalsarai Express, Down Mughalsarai-Sealdah Express and Down Danapur-Bhagalpur Intercity Express. A Kahalgao report quoting District Magistrate of Bhagalpur Udaya Pratap Singh said IAF choppers were dropping food packets in the district. He said IAF helicopters had dropped nearly two tonnes of relief materials for the marooned people in Jagdishpur, Sanhoula, Sultanganj, Nathnagar, Sakund, Kahalgao and Goradih blocks today. Central Water Commission sources said here the Ganga had crossed the danger mark at Kahalgao and Farakka by 89 cm and 190 cm, respectively, while the Punpun river was overflowing the danger mark at Shripalapur by 177 cm. The Kosi river overtopped the danger mark at Baltara and Kursaila by 141 cm and 111 cm respectively. Sources said the Burhi Gandak and Bagmati rivers were also overflowing the danger marks. Local weather office sources said here light to moderate rain was likely to occur in the catchment areas of major rivers in the state during the next 24 hours.
|
|
MP guidelines for Chhattisgarh BHOPAL, Sept 24 (PTI) — The Madhya Pradesh Government has issued guidelines laid down by the central government for allocation of personnel of the state government to proposed Chhattisgarh state. As per the Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2000, the central government will allocate the personnel and the departments will only prepare proposals for this purpose, an official press note said here today. The central government will issue separate orders for distribution of officers of All-India Services. Similarly, the personnel posted for special projects in a particular area will be considered allotted to the state in which these special projects come. The employees of “mantralaya”, state Assembly, state public service commission, judicial services, head of the departments of offices will be allotted between the new states on interim basis in accordance with the number of districts coming under each of the states. Chhattisgarh state will get 26.23 per cent posts under the formula while the vacant posts will also be allocated in accordance with this ratio. As per the principle recognised for allotment of personnel of various services of the state
government, those who are posted at Janpad, tehsil, subdivision, district, division and regional offices coming under the territorial area of proposed Chhattisgarh state will be deemed to have been posted by the Chhattisgarh state government from November 1, 2000. The personnel of “mantralaya”, and state services had already been given a choice for opting for any of the states. Separate lists of various categories of posts in every cadre will be prepared for general, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other Backward Classes. The final allotment of personnel will be made on the basis of the option given and their home district. A balance will be maintained in allotment of personnel belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other Backward Classes in all cadres. The personnel opting for Chhattisgarh state will be given the first priority in allotment of state. |
|
MP to bar persons
with 3 kids from contesting poll NEW DELHI, Sept 24 — Persons with more than two children will not be allowed to contest local elections in Madhya Pradesh from March 2001, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Digvijay Singh said here yesterday. Addressing delegates at the three-day international population summit here, he said an element of coercion was needed in the population control programme. The Chief Minister said a combination of the Chinese model of coercion and the Kerala model of literacy for population stabilisation would be ideal in the Indian context. He said that Madhya Pradesh would focus on coercion and literacy as a right approach for containing the population growth. |
|
AIIMS may reopen ayurveda centre NEW DELHI, Sept 24 — An out-patient department ayurveda clinic and research centre at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences is likely to be re-opened. The clinic was reportedly locked two days after its inauguration in 1998. Professor P. K. Dave, Director of AIIMS, told TNS that the institute would favourably consider a proposal for re-opening the OPD clinic "within the constraints of space." The clinic inaugurated by the former Secretary, Indian System of Medicine and Health, at AIIMS on January 14, 1998, was locked within two days, according to sources in the Indian System of Medicine and Health, Ministry of Health. The centre aims at focussing on difficult cases of cancer, heart and kidney. An ayurveda centre at Safdarjang and a unani centre at RML which were inaugurated simultaneously have been doing well. Sources in ISM&H said that the clinic planned as a six-day OPD clinic and research centre was reportedly locked and has never been opened again despite repeated verbal requests and written representations to the Director and the medical superintendent. Professor Dave said that the unit was closed down as the department wanted more space. "There was no question of the unit being locked up. A geriatric clinic was running there. We are bursting at the seams and hardly have much space. So, we changed the time of the geriatric clinic to accommodate this unit.’’ The Secretary, ISM&H, Mrs Shailaja Chandra, told TNS that the department had brought the matter to the notice of the Union Health Minister. "He is receptive to our demand. We plan to pursue the case with the ministry and the AIIMS authorities to ensure its revival." Mrs Chandra said that the
homoeopathy and ayurveda clinics at Safdarjang and the unani and homoeopathy clinics at RML
had got a good response from patients. Speaking on conditions on anonymity, an ayurved consultant who examined patients at the clinic in AIIMS, said, "I remember having examined one or two patients in a room provided to us in the Rajkumari Amrit Kaur OPD block. There was no proper seating arrangement and the unit was closed down abruptly." Dr S. K. Sharma, Adviser, Ayurveda, Department of ISM&H, said that ayurveda derived from the Vedas is said to have been documented in 5000 B.C. The Charak Samhita and Sushurata Samhita date to 1000-500 B.C. "The prescriptions mentioned in these ancient texts are time-tested and are very much in use today in all states of the country. For instance, the Rasayana Shastra (geriatrics —the science of ageing) is a special branch of ayurveda. |
|
Life term for
3 kidnappers NEW DELHI, Sept 24 (PTI) —Testimony of a child, kidnapped and kept in illegal confinement for over two-and-a-half months for a ransom about five years ago, has been solely relied upon as evidence by a city court which sentenced three persons to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000 each. “The testimony of a single witness, if it is straight forward, cogent and believed, is sufficient to prove the prosecution case”, Additional Sessions Judge B.S.Mathur ruled while convicting accused Harnam Singh, Pappu and Vijender. Though the child was the sole material witness, the court believed his testimony as “nothing contradictory could be elicited as to impeach the credibility and trustworthiness of his evidence” during his lengthy cross-examination. |
| Prasad takes
over as VC NEW DELHI, Sept 24 — Prof V. S. Prasad has taken over as the officiating Vice-Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University. Professor Prasad was Pro Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU before taking over as the VC, a university press note said here on Sunday. A recipient of the Andhra Pradesh government’s best teacher award in 1991, Professor Prasad has taught for more than 30 years in various universities in formal and distant education systems. He obtained his postgraduate and doctorate degrees in public administration from Osmania University and started his career as a lecturer in 1966. Professor Prasad has been associated with the development of the first open university in the country — Dr B. R. Ambedkar university — and has held many important academic and administrative positions. He has also visited several countries, including Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, China and Sri Lanka in connection with academic activities. |
|
Step to convert hospital into sectt flayed BHOPAL, Sept 24 — The Government of India has issued the notification on the establishment of the Chhattisgarh state. The new state comes into existence on November 1. The Raipur administration has identified 566 government buildings/offices, which would be acquired and converted into offices/residences of ministers, secretaries, heads of the departments and other functionaries of the new government. Mr Ganesh Shankar Mishra, who has been appointed Estate Officer of the new government, has started issuing notices to present occupants asking them to vacate the buildings. Between 60 and 70 offices are expected to be set up at Bhilai, about 30 km from Raipur. The Raipur district administration has sought Rs 65 crore for renovations and furnishings of the offices/residences which will be the “temporary” capital of the new state. The Madhya Pradesh Government has sanctioned only Rs 12 crore so far. Meanwhile, several organisations, mainly those of the health workers, of Chhattisgarh, have opposed the acquisition of D.K. Hospital for setting up the Secretariat of the new state. Member of the Raipur Municipal Corporation from the Hospital ward Sunil Bandre has called the decision as arbitrary and dictatorial and said the hundreds of families living on and around the premises would have to be uprooted. The Chhattisgarh unit of the Madhya Pradesh Swasthya Karamchari Sangh has opposed the acquisition of the building on the same ground and says that several employees residing on the premises will have to vacate their residences. Besides, there are two nursing hostels and large number of nurses will be rendered homeless. The people will be faced with a lot of inconvenience because of the security arrangements for the Secretariat and traffic congestion in front of the building. The Sangh feels that if the Secretariat is housed in the “new hospital”, it will be less expensive and more convenient. An interesting argument advanced against the conversion of the building into the Secretariat is that there is a mazar of “aspatal wale baba” and a large number of devotees come to pay their obeisance every day. Disregarding the opposition from various quarters, the local administration has started renovating the building. It has 117 rooms and all ministers and secretaries of major departments are expected to have their offices there. The renovation and furnishing of the building is expected to cost Rs 3.5 crore while the expenditure on renovation and furnishing of the bungalows for the Chief Minister and other ministers has been estimated at Rs 3.75 crore. |
|
SC to penalise
colleges NEW DELHI, Sept 24 (PTI) — Taking a strong view of the mushrooming educational institutions admitting students throwing all rules and regulations to the wind, the Supreme Court has proposed imposition of damages against such institutions for playing with the careers of students. “It is time that the courts evolve a mechanism for awarding damages to students whose careers are seriously jeopardised by unscrupulous management of colleges/schools which indulge in violation of all rules,” a Bench comprising Mr Justice M. Jagannadha Rao and Mr Justice Doraiswamy Raju said. This recent judgement came on a case pertaining to
MLR Saraswati College of Education, which had admitted 80 students in excess of the strength sanctioned by Maharshi Dayanand University. |
|
Delhi to have brain
research centre MADURAI, Sept 24 (PTI) — The Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, today said a national brain research centre, linked to all leading medical institutions, was being established in Delhi. Delivering the academy oration-2000 on “Neurology and medical science: challenges” at the annual meet of the India Academy of Neurology here, he said the Centre would deal with neuroscience research, covering a wide spectrum of human intelligence. Research would be directed towards molecular, cellular, intercellular processes mediated through electrochemical signals in the nervous system,
integrated to submerse behaviour. Quoting the Chairman of Rehabilitation Council of India, formed to rehabilitate spinal-injury patients, he said the council would create a network connecting all such centres to expeditiously deliver benefit of technology and governmental support to the needy. Stating that stroke was a major
disease, he said 10 per cent of these cases occurred due to narrowing of neck vessels. He suggested that coronary stent be developed indigenously and adapted as a corotid stent. Dr Kalam opined that clinical workup in epilepsy, including video EEG, neuro-imaging and neuro-psychological testing should be made cheaper. He also suggested that indigenous options be developed by a consortium of laboratory-hospital and industrial houses. Stressing the need to integrate teaching of neuro-anatomy, neurophysiology and neuropathology, he said rapid developments molecular biology, recombitant DNA technology, genetics and molecular immunology now permitted investigations up to molecular level. |
|
Men ignore wives’ health care: report NEW DELHI, Sept 24 (UNI) — Men, who
are more likely than women to be literate and to have better access to
information, lack interest in educating themselves on reproductive
health issues because it is considered a woman’s concern and real
men do not bother about such matters. The assumption in many societies that contraception, pregnancy, childbirth and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) are exclusively women’s concerns reinforces men’s lack of involvement in safeguarding reproductive health, both of their own and that of their partners, says the just released “The State of World Population 2000” report of the United Nations Population Fund. This year’s report focusses on the persisting gender inequalities, especially where male dominance is the basis of family life. Aptly titled “Lives Together, Worlds Apart: Men and Women in a Time of Change”, it calls for bringing gender inequalities fully into the light and treating it as a matter of urgency affecting both human rights and development priorities. Male involvement in reproductive health, maternity and child care leads to more support for safe pregnancy and delivery and breastfeeding. In this context, the report refers to a study of married adolescent couples carried out in India. The women felt strong pressure to conceive early in marriage while the men did not know much about family planning. Male respondents accompanied their wives to their first check-ups to confirm a pregnancy, but wives did not expect or want further visits with their husbands. Clinic workers seeking to shield other women did not encourage them. The husbands surveyed ignored women’s health care during pregnancy except for appreciating the need for a nutritious diet. While they advised women to reduce their workload, they generally did nothing to help, except in some cases where they assisted with household chores. Childbirth was seen as women’s concern and men were generally unaware of any problems. Traditional beliefs also undermine reproductive health. The report cites another project in India where traditional beliefs about semen and sexuality were found to lead to reduced protection from STDs. Concerns about sexual inadequacy among young men led to family violence and discouraged them from using contraception. One of the main reasons for continued gender inequality is the assumption that change in the political sphere will be reflected in changes in individual attitudes and behaviours. Unfortunately, this expectation does not extend to the private sphere so what while society may change, gender roles are not expected to change with it, the study observes. Many cultures maintain a traditional patriarchal system in which men are the primary decision makers in family and social relationships. This arrangement reinforces men’s sense of power while myths and misconceptions perpetuate the power structure and weaken women. Economic growth by itself will not eliminate inequalities. Societies that promote women’s rights and gender equality along with growth are more effective in reducing gender disparities than societies that focus on growth alone, it notes. |
|
Don’t visit Pak: DSGMC NEW DELHI, Sept 24 (UNI) —The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee today described private pilgrimages to Pakistan as violative of the religious authority of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, which at present holds no control of Sikh historical shrines there. Reiterating his criticism of his political opponents for having proposed a pilgrimage to Pakistan, dsgmc chief Avtar Singh Hit urged Sikhs not to make any religious tour to that country till its military junta disbanded the Pakistan Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and re-transferred the management of Sikh historical shrines of that country to the sgpc of Amritsar. “I appeal to the faithfuls to show their respect for the sgpc, one of the highest and widely recognised institutes of the Sikh religion, and boycott such private pilgrimage proposals till Pakistan shifts control of our shrines to the sgpc of India,” he said. “Besides, such short-sighted proposals — which overlook the present diplomatic situation between the two countries — do not stand in the larger interest of the Sikh community,’’ he added. The dsgmc head, a staunch loyalist of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, also vowed to tighten financial management of the committee which he took over on May 12 from political rival Paramjeet Singh Sarna of the Gurcharan Singh Tohra camp. “Stern legal action will be taken against those who are found guilty of misusing dsgmc funds — reports of which we are receiving in bulk. We have come to know that a number of fake purchases have been made in the last year even as serious financial discrepancies were brought to light in the dsgmc’s printing department alone,” he said. |
|
Vajpayee unequivocal
leader: Thakre RAIPUR, Sept 24 (PTI) — Former BJP President Kushabhau Thakre today hailed the NDA foreign policy in isolating Pakistan from the helm of world map and said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has emerged as a great and undisputable leader of the country. ‘‘Pakistan which was earlier at the helm of the world map is now isolated due to the best foreign policy adopted by the National Democratic Front Government’’, Mr Thakre told reporters here. With the recent visit to the USA, Mr Vajpayee has emerged as unequivocal leader of India, he said. To a question, Mr Thakre said the situation in Bihar and West Bengal was ‘‘precarious’’. |
|
|
Karsan sold NFL urea to China NEW DELHI, Sept 24 (PTI) — In a new twist to the Rs 133 crore urea import scam, Turkish firm Karsan has contested the CBI’s claim that it did not ship fertiliser to India despite taking the entire contract amount in advance from National Fertiliser Ltd (NFL) and said the shipment it sent to India was bought by China after the NFL refused to accept delivery. In its petition before the Supreme Court, Karsan said the company had, of the two lakh metric tonnes contract quantity of urea, sent a cargo of 9000 tonnes to Bhavnagar port on September 17, 1996. But NFL declined to accept the consignment on the ground that it was not in accordance with the specifications of the contract, the Turkish firm said. “Therefore, in any case, it is not correct that Karsan did not ever supply even a grain of urea under the contract as alleged by CBI,” it said. The petition, filed by two executives of Karsan, Tuncay Alankus and Cihan Karanci who are at present lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody, said “notwithstanding the huge loss suffered by Karsan on account of freight and demurrage owing to non-acceptance of consignement by NFL, the said urea was gladly accepted by Government of China on a much higher price against 100 per cent cash payment.” The executives of the Turkish firm alleged that this showed that “the Government of India at that point of time, for whatever reasons, was not interested in urea but in the persecution of Karsan or for that matter the petitioners.” NFL, by its letter dated September 21, 1996 gave the last opportunity to Karsan to supply the contractual quantity of 2,00,000 metric tonnes of urea in conformity with the contractual specifications before October 4, 1996. |
|
|
Mysore exempted
from bandh call MYSORE, Sept 24 (UNI) — Some Kannada organisations which have given a call for a Karnataka bandh on September 28, have exempted Mysore city from the bandh to enable a smooth start of the Dashera there. The bandh call was given by various organisations, including the film industry, to draw the attention of the union government towards the delay in securing the release of Kannada mega star Dr Rajkumar and three others held hostage by Veerappan since July 30. At a meeting here today, Mr Raghavendra Rajkumar, son of Dr Rajkumar, said the bandh would not affect the start of the Dashera festivities in Mysore and necessary instructions to this effect would be given to bandh
organisers. |
 |
| 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 | |
