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| Monday,
October 2, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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WB: PM’s no to President’s rule Nagpur resolution attacks NDA policies IA plane hijacking Pondy CM flays hike in
petro prices |
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Congress sweeps Gujarat local
bodies poll Patel backs JD merger moves Panel slams judicial set-up Sisir Bose dead SC dismisses teachers’ plea Shimla DD to start news bulletin Eye lens regenerated in tadpoles
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WB: PM’s no to President’s rule CALCUTTA, Oct 1 — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, has rejected the demand for the imposition of President’s rule in West Bengal under Article 356 as it is “neither feasible nor desirable”. Mr Vajpayee, however wants central forces to move in to and handle the law and order problems in the disturbed areas in West Bengal. The Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, has been advised accordingly. The BJP minister from the state in the Cabinet, Mr Tapan Sikdar, had also briefed his party colleagues accordingly. The Governor, Mr Viren J. Shah, a former BJP MP and party’s national committee member, has also ruled out the demand for the application of Article 356 on the question of law and order problems. The Governor, it is reliably learnt, in a recent report to the President, has not made any recommendation for the imposition of President’s rule in the state. On the contrary, he sought larger central forces and other assistance from the Centre to the state for better handling of law and order problems. Mr Sikdar told the party leaders after his meeting with Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani that the Home Ministry was considering what specific steps it could adopt to compel the state government to act rightly and to bring back the rules of law in the troubleprone districts. But the question of the imposition of Article 356 was out of question, he added. Sudden floods in several districts, including the five trouble-torn districts, has upset the Trinamool’s agitation programme in support of their demand for President’s rule. The Railway Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, also has been silent on the issue. But the demand has not been withdrawn and soon after the “puja festival” when the flood situation would get normalised, the Trinamool would once again launch massive agitation all over the state to reiterate their demand for President’s rule, Mr Pankaj
Banerjee, the Trinamool spokesman said. Mr Ajit Kumar Panja, Union Minister of State for External Affairs (Trinamool Congress), alleged that the Centre had been ignoring the rightful demand of the people of Bengal and for which they would have to pay the price in future. Participating at a seminar at Vishva Bharati on Thursday, Mr Panja said the Centre was constitutionally empowered to intervene in the state’s law and order matters as per section 1A of Article 356 of the Constitution but still they were sitting idle. The Congress which had opposed the Trinamool’s demand for President’s rule, submitted a memorandum to the Governor, demanding his “direct intervention” in the state administration for the large interest of the people. A section in the party’s state leadership still wanted formation of a ‘mahajot’ which would fight against the CPM in the nest Assembly election under Ms Mamata Banerjee’s leadership. |
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Nagpur resolution attacks NDA policies VARDHA (MAHARASHTRA), OCT 1 — The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today made a scathing attack on the Vajpayee-led NDA Government at the Centre for its failure to provide either “political or economic stability” and remained “non-committal” on the issue of a separate state of Vidarbha. “Despite gaining an absolute majority, the government headed by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee has failed to provide either political or economic stability,” a 21-page “Nagpur resolution” adopted by the party at its
extended National Executive meeting here said. Taking a dig at the NDA’s policies, especially its economic policies, the NCP dubbed the NDA as “an artificial formation with no ideological cohesion or commonality of approach.” “The modus operandi of the BJP-led government is either to move on the point of least resistance or to work on the basis of the lowest common denominator,” the resolution said. The NCP, which is under tremendous pressure from the people of the Vidarbha region, its stronghold, for making its stand clear on the issue of a separate Vidarbha state, however, conveniently omitted the issue from the resolution at the pretext of “elaborate” discussion on the issue. Presenting the party’s viewpoint on the present political scenario and governance, the party resolution expressed its sense of “disquiet and discomfort” both over the failings of the NDA government and the threats to the institutions and the process of democracy that are becoming more and more evident over the past few years. “The most worrisome aspect of the inner working of the BJP and the NDA government is that it is acting under the hidden veto of the organisations known collectively as the Sangh Parivar which are out and out communal outfits. Under their shadow, the country is witnessing an increasing communalisation of the body politic,” the resolution said. Stating that the threat to secular foundations of the Indian State is emanating from those who have State patronage, it alleged that “the BJP has no doubt accepted the NDA agenda but its deferred agenda, not to speak of hidden agenda, is creating a serious crisis of credibility of the regime presided over by a moderate Prime Minister.” The extended national executive was chaired by the Party Chief Mr Sharad Pawar, who was re-elected recently. Among other top NCP leaders from across the country who participated in the meeting were former Lok Sabha Speaker and the Party’s National General Secretary P. A. Sangma, Mr Tariq Anwar and Mr D. N. Dwivedi. On the Economic Scene, the NCP alleged that some of the decisions taken by the NDA government show either a lack of proper application of mind or seem to have been taken under pressure. “The handling of the nation’s economy by the present government is creating a negative image of the economic reforms, thus evoking resistance and positive opposition — a situation which could have been avoided,” the resolution said. It also took a dig at the BJP-led government for blaming the previous government for its failures. “The increasing tendency of the present government at the Centre to blame the previous governments for all the ills of the economy are intended to cover its own failings,” it said adding “The NCP expresses its concern over the ineptitude being displayed by the NDA government in handling the economic problems.” |
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IA plane hijacking NEW DELHI, Oct 1 (PTI) — The CBI said today that a red alert had been issued against the five hijackers of an Indian Airlines plane in December last and two of their accomplices. The agency had already approached Interpol for issuance of “red corner” notice against the five hijackers — Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter Sayed and Shakir — and two accomplices, Yusuf Azhar and Abdul Rauf, CBI sources said. Yusuf Azhar and Abdul Rauf are believed to be key conspirators behind the hijacking of the plane from Kathmandu to Kandahar in Southern Afghanistan on December 24. The alert had been sounded pending formalities which were yet to be completed by the international organisation. The sources Interpol had alerted airports, ports and major railway stations about the hijackers and their accomplices. However, the sources said there was little hope catching them even after the issuance of a “red corner” notice against the seven persons as several countries did not comply with the warrant from the international organisation. The sources said despite a resolution to make mandatory warrants of Interpol at its annual 1997 conference, held in New Delhi, several countries were yet to ratify it to make an appropriate law. The CBI on June 21 filed a charge sheet against 10 persons in the hijacking case which included these seven and three Indian nationals. The Indian authorities had also made a formal request to the Pakistani Government for the extradition of five hijackers and two of their accomplices responsible for hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane. The requests have been made under the SAARC and the Hague agreements under which Pakistan has the obligation to extradite them, CBI sources said. The CBI, which had approached through the Ministry of External Affairs the Pakistani authorities about the extradition of five persons, has, however, not yet received any
response from the Pakistani authorities. The three Indian nationals charge sheeted are Abdul Latif, alias Patel, Bhupalmar Damai alias Yusuf Nepali, and Dilip Kumar Bhujel, the sources said, and claimed that all three had confessed to their involvement in the case. All three are in CBI custody, while the other seven had absconded and were believed to be in Pakistan. The sources said the agency was also probing a mysterious call made to Amritsar airport when the plane had landed there briefly on December 24 before flying to Lahore in Pakistan. The caller identifying himself as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, had ordered the airport authorities to allow the plane to take off. They said it was difficult to trace the caller as there was no record available with the Amritsar Telephones Department as to where the call had been made from. While Athar is said to be a resident of Bhawalpur, other four hijackers and two accomplices are stated to be residents of the port city of Karachi, the sources said. The two accomplices — Abdul Rauf and Yusuf Azhar — are brother and brother-in-law, respectively, of Maulana Masood Azhar, one of the three militants released in exchange for the hostages, the sources said. |
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Pondy CM flays hike in petro prices PONDICHERRY, Oct 1 (PTI) — Pondicherry Chief Minister P. Shanmugham today criticised the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for hiking the prices of petroleum products. The ‘exhorbitant’ increase effected in the prices of cooking gas, petrol and other products showed that the Centre was following anti-people policies, he told a meeting of Congress workers here. Asserting that his government was “going strong”, he said only the Congress “could provide” a stable administration. It was going ahead with finalising welfare measures for the people and a package would be announced soon, he added. Referring to the recent violence in some parts of the union territory in the wake of an attack on a PMK leader, Dr S. Ramadoss, he said the arson and violence was the handiwork of some groups. The administration would come down heavily on the perpetrators of such violence. Cases had already been registered under the Arms Act against those who had carried lethal weapons during the violence, he said. Mr Shanmugham said his government had obtained an additional sum of Rs 25 crore from the Planning Commission for various schemes. |
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Congress sweeps
Gujarat local bodies poll AHMEDABAD, Oct 1 (PTI) — The ruling BJP in Gujarat suffered a major setback as the Opposition Congress swept the district and taluka panchayat elections in the state, winning in 21 of the 23 district panchayats and establishing a majority in 2,302 taluka panchayats. However, the BJP managed to win elections to four municipal corporations, lost in one while in another it was in close fight with the Congress, the state election office said today. With the completion of the counting process today, in district panchayats, the Congress captured 519 seats as against BJP’s 202 after announcement of all the 735 seats for which the poll was held, it said. Four seats went to the JD(U), three to the Samajwadi Party and seven to Independents. The Congress won in 21 of the 23 district panchayats. The BJP won the in Porbandar district panchayat while in Amreli both parties were neck and neck with the Congress winning 12 of the total 31 seats and the BJP bagging nine. Patel backs JD
merger moves BANGALORE, Oct 1
(PTI) — coming out strongly in support of moves to merge the two factions of the Janata Dal in Karnataka, senior
JD (U) leader and former Chief Minister J. H. Patel today said the two parties “will go nowhere unless they are united”. Mr Patel expressed confidence that the
JD (U) and JD (S), headed by former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, would merge soon at “state level”. “We want to fight the coming municipal elections in the state together”, he told reporters. On his party colleague and former Union Minister Ramakrishna Hegde firmly opposing the merger, Mr Patel said Mr Hegde “is an experienced and senior leader and knows well that without the merger we will be going nowhere”. Emphasising that he was trying his best for the merger, Mr Patel claimed he did not think Mr Deve Gowda and Mr Hegde were opposed to the coming together of the two parties.
Panel slams judicial set-up NEW DELHI, Oct 1 (UNI) — A parliamentary committee has slammed the country’s judicial set-up, saying that there are abysmally fewer members from the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes on the Bar in the higher courts and that it is “neither sympathetic nor unbiased to the cause of Backward Classes’’. There are only 15 SC and five ST judges among the 481 high court judges in the country as on May 1, 1998, and there was no judge from this particular social group in the Supreme Court (before the appointment of Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan in July, this year), says the committee on the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in its second report (1999-2000). “Judges take oath that they (will) uphold the Constitution and the laws. But the Supreme Court and a few high courts by claiming power over the constitution practice untouchability and are disobeying the constitution with regard to Article 16 (4) and Article 16 (4A),’’ says the 38-page report, bristling throughout with a strident tone and tenor. The report, prepared by a committee of 31 MPs from both houses, says the members of the judiciary have so far been drawn from the very section of society which is infected by ancient prejudices and is dominated by notions of gradations in life. “The internal limitation of class interests of such judges does not allow them full play of their intellectual honesty and integrity in their decisions. Their judgements very often betray a mindset more useful to the governing class than the servile class.’’ In an apparent attempt to debunk the widely held notion that judiciary is a “super
specialty’’ service with “merit’’ as its bedrock, the committee headed by Mr Karia Munda, a BJP MP, contends, “To argue that only those with merit have found a berth in the judiciary is specious. This presupposes that those from the weaker sections do not have enough merit. There is no scientific basis for such a view which can only be held by an incorrigible bigot.’’ Recommending the enactment of a judiciary Act, the report says social background has never been a consideration for the composition of the higher judiciary, obviously under the false view of its being communal representation.
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SC dismisses teachers’ plea NEW DELHI, Oct 1 — The Supreme Court has severely criticised private unrecognised educational institutions for allowing ill-trained teachers to teach children of impressionable age, contrary to prescribed norms. “We are of the considered opinion that before teachers are allowed to teach innocent children, they must receive appropriate and adequate training in a recognised training institute satisfying the prescribed norms, otherwise the standard of education and career of children will be jeopardized”, the court said yesterday. A
Division Bench comprising Mr Justice M. J. Rao and Shivraj V. Patil gave the observation while dismissing a group of petitions from certain candidates who were not given their teacher training diplomas as the institutions in which they underwent training were de-recognised after they had appeared at the required examination, in accordance with a
High Court judgement. Delivering the judgement for the Bench, Justice Patil further observed, “In most civilised and advanced countries, job of a teacher in primary school is considered important and crucial one because moulding of young minds begins in primary schools”. Dismissing the special leave petitions against a Madras High Court judgement, Justice Patil further stated, “in cases like these, interest of individuals cannot be placed above or preferred to larger public interest.” |
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Shimla DD to start news bulletin NEW DELHI, Oct 1 — Shimla Doordarshan will start local news bulletin of 15 minutes duration from November 1, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, said after meeting Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj here today. Prof Dhumal said the Rs 35 crore Shimla
Doordarshan Kendra would be provided uplinking facilities with an additional cost of Rs 5 crore shortly. He said the news bulletin would be transmitted by high-powered transmitter set up at Shimla and a low-powered one at Manali, Kulu, Dharamshala, Bilaspur, Mandi, Rampur and Sujanpur Tira with completion of uplinking facilities shortly. Mr Dhumal said the remaining areas would be covered by 30 VLPTs through satellite switchings in near future. According to an official spokesman, the Chief Minister met Union Finance Minister, Yashwant Sinha and told him that the state government had spent Rs 120 crore on relief and rehabilitation works in flood affected areas. Prof Dhumal said that old Hindustan-Tibet road had been made functional as a result of which alternative transport facility had been created on the Bangtu-Kalpa road. He said work on restoration of damaged roads had been started on a war footing. Flood-affected Kinnaur areas had been connected to the rest of the world through Spiti valley by connecting it through the Khab Bridge. |
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Eye lens regenerated in tadpoles BIKANER (Rajasthan), Oct 1 (PTI) — Biologists here have regenerated eye lens in tadpoles and mice, raising hopes of achieving a similar feat in humans, especially the blind. “The day is not far when eye lens transplantation in human being would be replaced by lens regeneration, said Dr O.P. Jangir, Associate Professor in biology at the Dungar College in Bikaner. Dr Jangir, who said this was the first case of eye lens regeneration in India, has published his findings in the Journal of Zoological Society of India. He said lens regeneration was an example of “transdifferentation” or how one type of cells with distinct pattern of metabolic activities can be transformed into another of completely different type. Dr Jangir’s team put the tadpoles under local anaesthesia and made a small fine longitudinal slit in the front portion of the cornea, leaving the iris at the back intact. The lens was extracted through the cut and vitamin A was injected into the operated animal. A new lens was developed in 93 per cent of the cases. In tadpoles not treated with vitamin A, lens regeneration was not observed. The new lens was found to be similar to the normal lens both in structure and biochemical composition, Dr Jangir said. The researchers achieved another kind of eye regeneration when they made tadpoles develop a third eye in the middle of the head. For this, they removed both the normal eyes in tadpoles. The scientists found that 95 per cent of the operated tadpoles developed a protuberance in the middle of the head, which developed into a third eye. In a few cases, fused median eyes were also reported. The third eye was normal in size, and its parts were similar to those in normal eyes. “It would be of vital importance for human welfare if the pineal gland could be activated somehow in blind persons. They too can develop a functional median eye,” Dr Jangir said. |
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Sisir Bose dead NEW DELHI, Oct 1 (UNI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has expressed grief over the demise of Dr Sisir Bose, nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. He also telephoned, Ms Krishna Bose, wife of Dr Bose and Trinamool Congress MP from West Bengal, and conveyed his condolence to her. Mr Vajpayee said, “Dr Bose will always be remembered for his selfless service as a renowned child specialist and for his contribution to the freedom struggle.” The efforts made by Sisirji in collecting and compiling material on Netaji as Chairman of the Netaji Research Bureau were praiseworthy, he added. Dr Bose passed away in Calcutta late last night. |
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Death toll in Bengal
flood touches 1,000 CALCUTTA, Oct 1 (UNI) — The death toll in the current wave of floods in West Bengal nearly touched the 1,000 mark today even as the overall situation improved further with major rivers receding. Official sources said altogether 765 bodies had so far been recovered while 232 more were feared to have been washed away by the flood water in nine affected districts. With the army personnel continuing a round-the-clock rescue operation the state government stepped up the relief measures for about 18 million people many of whom still remained marooned in the
inaccessible areas. |
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SC dismisses pollution
board’s plea NEW DELHI, Oct 1 — A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court while disposing of a special leave petition by the Haryana Pollution Control Board (HPCB) has permitted Haryana Organics, sealed for violating the board’s directions, to remove perishable goods from the premises of its factory at Samalkha. The Bench comprising Mr Justice S.P. Bharucha, Mr Justice N Santosh Hegde and Mr Justice V.K. Sabharwal while granting permission made it clear to Haryana Organics that in the process of revival no electricity would be consumed. |
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