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| Friday, September 29, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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German Foreign Minister arrives today NEW DELHI, Sept 28 — The German Deputy Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Mr Joschka Fischer, will arrive on a three-day visit to India tomorrow. During his visit, Mr Fischer will hold talks with his Indian counterpart, Mr Jaswant Singh. JMM bribery case verdict today Central team to visit Bengal Cable operators call off stir Sporadic incidents mark
Karnataka bandh |
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| Overdose killed lion: Maneka NEW DELHI, Sept 28 — Animal rights activist and former Minister for Environmemt and Forests, Maneka Gandhi has said that an overdose of tranquillisers led to the death of the lion who was being moved from Orissa’s Nandankanan zoo to Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Fake currency racket
busted, 5 held Beauty contest on Oct 12 Year-old boy weighs 35 kg! Panipat man gets Jamnalal award
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German
Foreign Minister arrives today NEW DELHI, Sept 28 — The German Deputy Chancellor and Foreign Minister, Mr Joschka Fischer, will arrive on a three-day visit to India tomorrow. During his visit, Mr Fischer will hold talks with his Indian counterpart, Mr Jaswant Singh. He will also call on Mr Brajesh Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, and will also pay a visit to Jaipur, where he would meet the Chief Minister, Mr Ashok Gehlot. Mr Fischer will be accompanied by five Members of Parliament — Mrs Monika Griefahn, Chairperson of the Cultural Committee of German Parliament, Dr Norbert Lammert, Mrs Hanna Wolf, Dr (Mrs) Angelika Koster-Lossack and Dr Heinrich Fink, besides prominent representatives of the German cultural and intellectual community. The highlight of his visit will be the inauguration of the German Festival in India. The festival will be opened on September 30 jointly by Indian and German Foreign Ministers. This will be followed by a gala performance of the Bavarian State Ballet. The six-month festival will be held in 26 cities throughout India and would include music concerts, dance performances, theatre, film festivals, lectures and other cultural activities. In addition to cultural programmes, the festival will have workshops, an Internet quiz, seminars on industrial design, fashion and other areas of particular interest to the younger generation. The ensuing visit would be the second visit of Mr Fischer to India this year. During his visit in May, Germany and India finalised the “Agenda for the Indo-German Partnership in the 21st Century” — the programme for Indo-German bilateral relations in the years to come. |
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JMM bribery case verdict today NEW DELHI, Sept 28 — A Delhi Court will deliver its verdict in the JMM bribery case tomorrow against former Prime Minister, Narasimha Rao and others. Additional Sessions Judge Ajit Bharihoke had reserved his judgement on May 30 at the end of a three-year-long trial during which virtually all key witnesses, among the 100-odd who deposed in the court, had turned hostile. The case, the first against a former Prime Minister filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), 1988, relates to the alleged bribing of Opposition MPs to defeat the July 28, 1993, no confidence motion against the then Congress government headed by Mr Rao. Of the three CBI cases filed against Mr Rao, he was still facing trial in the $ 100,000 Lakhubhai Pathak cheating case, but has been discharged in the St. Kitts forgery case. The 10 other accused in the JMM case are V. Rajeshwara Rao, a relative of the former Prime Minister, former Union Ministers Buta Singh, Satish Sharma and Ajit Singh, former Chief Ministers Bhajan Lal (Haryana) and Veerappa Moily (Karnataka), former Karnataka ministers H.M. Revenna and Ramalinga Reddy, Bangalore-based liquor barons M. Thimme Gowda and
D. K. Adikeshavalu. The CBI, in all filed three charge sheets between October, 1996, and January 1997, naming 21 as accused. While one of the accused, Shailendra Mahato, was allowed to become an approver, nine were discharged in the light of a Supreme Court order on Aril 17, 1998, ruling that MPs taking bribe to vote in Parliament enjoyed constitutional immunity against prosecution. Subsequently, the CBI also scaled down the number of the witnesses from about 250, stating that most of them had become irrelevant in the light of the apex court verdict. The nine accused, who were discharged were the three former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MPs — Mr Simon Marandi, Mr Shibu Soren and Mr Suraj Mandal (besides Mr Mahato who was also a JMM MP) and the former break-away Janata Dal (A) MP, Mr Ramlakhan Singh Yadav, who was also a Union Minister, Mr Abhay Pratap Singh, Mr Anadi Charan Das, Mr Ram Sharan, Mr Roshan Lal and Mr Haji Gulam Mohammed. During the final arguments in the trial court, the CBI contended that the “summary of clinching evidence/incriminating circumstances presented” had made it clear that “there was sufficient evidence” against all 11 accused. The accused, in their individual personal statement and arguments through their counsel, however, maintained that no witness had deposed against them. |
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Central team
to visit Bengal NEW DELHI, Sept 28 — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, said today the Centre would send a high-level team to West Bengal to assess the damage caused by floods there. Describing the widespread destruction due to the flood as a “national loss,” Mr Vajpayee said the Centre had sought a status report from the West Bengal Government on the flood situation in the state. Talking to reporters after the Conference of Directors-General of Police and Inspectors-General of Police at Vigyan Bhavan here, Mr Vajpayee said the Centre had no idea of the actual losses in the state as the state government had not sent any report. The Congress, meanwhile, charged the Centre with not taking the flood situation in West Bengal seriously. On Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s one-day visit to the flood-affected areas in the state, Congress spokesperson Ajit Jogi said the Centre had not sanctioned grant-in-aid even as the situation in the state was grave. Blaming the West Bengal government with “total failure’’ in dealing with the situation, BJP spokesperson Venkaiah Naidu, who met the Prime Minister today after a tour of the flood-affected areas, demanded that an all-party meeting be convened by the state government to decide about the distribution of flood relief. Mr Naidu said a central team would be visiting West Bengal after return of the Agriculture Minister Mr Nitish Kumar from Patna. |
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Cable operators
call off stir NEW DELHI, Sept 28 — Cable TV operators in the Capital called off their three-day strike today following talks with the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley. The Cable Operators United Front, which is spearheading the strike, said the Minister had agreed to issue an executive order stating that the operators would not be held responsible if any satellite TV channel showed material violative of the broadcasting and advertising code. The operators had gone on strike protesting the “lopsided” amendments to the cable Act. The operators and Mr Jaitley held two rounds of talks before taking a decision to call off the strike. The forum had alleged that the “lopsided” amendments to the Cable TV Network Act on the advertisement and programme codes would hit the operators hard but not regulate the satellite channels beaming the content. |
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Sporadic incidents mark Karnataka bandh BANGALORE, Sept 28 (PTI) — Sporadic incidents of violence marked the 12-hour statewide bandh today called to
protest the delay in the release of Kannada thespian Rajkumar from the captivity of forest brigand Veerappan, the police said. Three Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation
(BMTC) buses were stoned and their window panes smashed in Sheshadripuram and Rajajinagar areas, a police spokesman said. Some people also attempted to block roads in Rajajinagar by putting afire a heap of tyres. An uneasy calm prevailed in the rest of the state during the shutdown organised by the Rajkumar Fans Association and the Kannada film industry and some pro-Kannada outfits to “express agony” over the prolonging two-month long hostage crisis. Shops and business establishments downed shutters and autorickshaws were totally off the roads with auto unions backing the protest which began at 6 a.m. Banks were open while government offices reported thin
attendance. The BMTC ran skeletal services in the city. Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order)
M. D. Singh said the bandh was total in the districts of Hassan, Mandya, Davangere, Raichur, Koppal, parts of Kolar and Chikamagalur from where no untoward incident was reported so far. Citing early reports, the police said the bandh was partial in Gulbarga, “60 per cent” in Mysore, despite being exempted from it in view of Dasehra festivities, and “75 per cent” in Chitradurga, while it was business as usual in Dakshina Kannada. CHENNAI:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi today expressed the hope that special emissary
R. R. Gopal, who is talking to outlaw Veerappan in the jungles, would return this time with Rajkumar and three others. |
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Overdose killed lion: Maneka NEW DELHI, Sept 28 — Animal rights activist and former Minister for Environmemt and Forests, Maneka Gandhi has said that an overdose of tranquillisers led to the death of the lion who was being moved from Orissa’s Nandankanan zoo to Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Contradicting the explanation of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Mrs Gandhi said that the lion was six years old, according to persons living near Nandankanan. “Fifty per cent of all animals in India die in movement as nobody in India is trained to use tanquillisers. The weight and age of the animal must be considered before giving tranquillisers. An overdose can also result in kidney failure over a period of time.” Reacting sharply to the Environment Ministry’s contention that the lion was not of much value, Mrs Gandhi said, “If it has no economic value, why do you put it in a zoo? How is it that each time a lion dies, the Ministry of Environment says it has no value. Can we underestimate the value of one lion when only 300 lions are left in the country? She said the animal did not die of stress or strain as projected by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Mr T. R. Baalu, on the other hand said the lion died due to old age and stress and strain. He ruled out any probe into the death of the lion saying: “Where is the need? Why should we have any probe when the lion died due to stress, strain and exhaustion?” Additional Inspector General of Forests (Wildlife), S.C. Sharma told TNS that the lion which died was hybrid and genetically not of much value. Mr Sharma said the resistance to shifting of tigers and lions by the Save Nandankanan Committee comprising inhabitants of 62 villages near Nandankanan is unnecessary. “Nobody is trying to understand that we are trying to take care of congestion in zoos. We are only doing something which is logical. Sentiments and regional feelings should not take precedence over decisions related to animal welfare. Professionals should be allowed to work in a free and independent manner,” he said. Mrs Gandhi said if they are talking about decongesting zoos, there is no point sending them to more crowded zoos in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad. “Nandankanan is not overcrowded. It is the largest zoo in India but is badly managed. It can be managed better. The same people who had given the doctors a clean chit for killing those tigers and had wanted to put the blame on overcrowding are bureaucrats out to save their jobs. The Central Zoo Authority, unfortunately, has too many powers and very little responsibility . They take no action against any zoo and even if they want to, they cannot because they know nothing. They refuse to learn from experts.” |
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Fake currency
racket busted, 5 held NEW DELHI, Sept 28 — The Delhi police claimed to have busted a racket of counterfeit currency with the arrest of five persons from different areas of the Capital. The fake currency of Rs 500
denominations are being pumped into India by a Pakistan ISI agent through his Nepal connections, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ashok Chand said. The special cell of the Delhi police received a tip-off that Lalit Garg, alias Munna, would come to Karol Bagh with the counterfeit currency. A trap was laid and he was arrested with Rs 2000 counterfeit currency notes of Rs 500 denomination were recovered from him. The DCP said following his interrogation Sanjay alias Kittu, Neeraj, Anil Jain, leader of the gang and Dinesh Garg were arrested. Counterfeit currency worth Rs 5000 were seized from Anil Jain and Rs 8000 from Sanjay. Anil Jain was given the fake currency by Adishwar Jain, alias Rinku Jain, of Kathmandu who obtained this from Salim, a Pakistan national, the DCP said. During interrogation Anil Jain disclosed that he had circulated about Rs 25 lakh in Indian markets, the DCP said. |
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Beauty contest
on Oct 12 NEW DELHI, Sept 28 — The Shimla beauty contest, which traces its history to 1833, will be held at Shilon Bagh Resorts near Shimla on October 12. Announcing this here, Mr Yogesh Kochhar, president UG Hotels and Resorts, said the forms for participants would be available at 450 Archies outlets across the country. He said efforts would be made to encourage local talent. The finalists would be selected on October 4 in New Delhi and would be groomed in various modules for three days. During their stay in Delhi, they would also take part in two sub-contests. Another contest would be held in Chandigarh where the participants would reach on October 10. The final would be held at Shilon Bagh Resorts on October 12. The Shimla beauty queen would be taken to London where she would take part in charity shows. Mr Kochhar said the contest began in 1833 when Shimla was the summer capital of India. |
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Year-old boy
weighs 35 kg! ITANAGAR, Sept 28 (UNI) — Nguri Rebia is just 12-month-old but weighs a hefty 35 kg much to the wonderment of the people of the remote Chambang in lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. The parents, Nguri Kumar (30) and Nguri Ampung (25), are at a loss to explain the phenomenon. They say that the birth weight of the boy was 4.8 kg. The delivery on September 13 last year at General Hospital here was normal. However, soon afterwards, his weight started increasing even though he was taking only mother’s breast milk till the 11th month of his birth. Thereafter, he is being fed boiled rice besides mother’s
milk. Unfortunately, because of his weight, Rebia could not even crawl like other kids of his age. |
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Panipat man gets
Jamnalal award MUMBAI, Sept 28 (UNI) — South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Bhaskar Hirji Save of Gujarat will be among the recipients of this year’s Jamnalal Bajaj awards to be given away by President K.R. Narayanan. Desmond Tutu gets the international award for promoting Gandhian values outside India, while Mr Save is being conferred the award for application of science and technology for rural development. The other award winners are Mr Somdutt Vedalankar, secretary, Khadi Ashram, Panipat (Haryana), for his contribution in the field of social work. Mrs Vidya Devi of the Balika Vidyalaya Trust at Lakhisarai, Bihar, gets the Jankidevi Bajaj award. |
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