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| Sunday, February
4, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Rescue
team enters mine, CM visits site 3.5 crore hit by
quake Travel
agents make hay in Ahmedabad Bhuj Collector
transferred We also
need aid, cry villagers IMA
airlifts mobile operation theatre to Bhuj |
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Relief
operations continue Multi-storeyed
buildings worst-hit Ahmedabad
devastation ‘man-made’
They mint money in name of quake Artistes also rise
to occasion Shekhawat to visit
Sriganganagar today 19,000 buildings in
Mumbai ‘unsafe’ 17
blind persons died in earthquake Shops open in
Bhuj, roads cleared Army razes unsafe buildings 4 NE states declared
unsafe Hearing
put off in Sukh Ram case Don’t change
statute, change system: Gill Hinduja file plea to
go abroad Red Fort again, but
hoax bomb call
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Rescue team enters mine, CM visits site LODDNA (Jharkhand) Feb 3 (PTI)— A 10-member rescue team today entered the Bagdihi mine where 38 miners have been trapped for over 26 hours now, as Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi held out hope for their survival. The team, wearing gas masks and equipped with a portable pump-set, entered the mine today after it was beaten back yesterday by “black damp gas” causing lack of oxygen in the mine shaft, bccl chairman-cum-Managing Director Ashok Kumar Mehta told newspersons here, 50 km from Dhanbad. Earlier in the day, Mr Marandi had to cut short his visit to the disaster site when a hostile mob of miners and relatives of those trapped inside shouted slogans, demanding that officials responsible for the mishap be “hanged” and prevented Mr Marandi from speaking to newspersons forcing the police to lathicharge them. Later, he told newspersons that he was “still hopeful” about the survival of the miners and the two bccl officials trapped 214 m below ground by a wall of water. “We are enquiring into the tragedy.” Mr Mehta, who was supervising the operations said, “The rescue team will try to puncture a hole inside the shaft to ascertain if there is life.” Seven pumps were deployed for dewatering operations, but water was still entering the flooded mine, bccl chief General Manager (coal washeries) Ramesh Khanna said. The number of those trapped was not clear as the authorities said they had 38 names. The number given yesterday was also 38, but later revised to 35. Mr Khanna,who is coordinating rescue efforts, said 60 million gallons of water gushed inside the mine breaching the barrier with adjacent Jairampur colliery at 12.15 p.m. yesterday. Coal India Limited acting Chairman-cum-Managing Director C. D. Ahra, who reached the site today said “top priority is being accorded to rescue those trapped.” Asked about the possible factors leading to the disaster, he told reporters that he was not there to “do a post-mortem of the accident, which is the responsibility of the Directorate-General of Mines Safety or an enquiry body.” Jharkhand Minister of Rural Development Bachha Singh was critical about the bccl management’s rescue efforts, saying that the accident was caused due to their “negligence”. “The accident could have been averted if the mine management had taken preventive measures,” he told reporters. Blaming bccl officials of “flouting” safety norms, the minister said a week ago a supervisor of the mine had reported that water was leaking into the mine, but the management took no action. He said he would recommend to the Centre regarding the improvement of safety standards in bccl mines, “which have gone from bad to worse.” 3.5 crore hit by quake NEW DELHI,
Feb 3 (PTI) — Around 3.5 crore people have been affected by the quake in
Gujarat where the estimated loss of property is nearly Rs 13,500 crore, an official statement said today. The number of completely damaged houses is 73,142 and partially damaged 1,42,180, it said. As many as 949 villages in 49 talukas of
Kutch-Bhuj, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar and Rajkot regions were the worst affected, the statement said. The official toll of confirmed deaths is 15,076 and of those injured 55,573. Rescue teams comprising 25,000 personnel are working in the state and medical supplies worth
Rs 5.7 crore have been sent. Meanwhile, road and rail traffic has been restored up to
Gandhidham and several special trains are running for the convenience of the people in the state. The international community has responded generously and 38 countries and organisations have sent teams, sniffer dogs, relief material and mobile hospitals, it said. |
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Travel agents make hay in Ahmedabad AHMEDABAD, Feb 3 (PTI) — On the picturesque highways of Gujarat, the business of scores of travel agents here is on an overdrive, thanks to the demand of vehicles by the government, NGOs and telecom companies. Not a single of the 4000 to 5000 tourist vehicles operated by these travel agents has lost a single business day since the quake caused widespread destruction and loss of lives in the state on January 26, said Mr Yagnik Patel a leading travel agent with a fleet of 18 vehicles. “Weekly earning, if one takes into account, that the agents got after January 26, has almost doubled per vehicle to Rs 5000,” said another tour operator Jasbir Singh. Most of the vehicles have headed for Bhuj of which a substantial number is hired by the journalists belonging to domestic and international media organisations. The travel agents are, however, not enjoying the windfall. “Wish we could do something to help the victims of the earthquake” was the remorseful reply of Mr Patel, when asked how he felt about the business generated by the quake. “It is a pity we do not have an organised effort to help mitigate the sufferings of the quake victims when even the railway coolies have organised free meal for them,” said Singh who started his business last year. And those, who drive these vehicles day in and day out to reach those visiting the state, either to cover the quake-affected areas or to help the victims, are an interesting lot. Ramesh, a Rajasthani employed with Mr Patel, does not know whether to feel good or bad. |
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GANDHINAGAR, Feb 3 (PTI) — The Gujarat Government today transferred Mr Kamal Dayani, Collector of Bhuj, the worst-affected town by last week’s earthquake, following a controversy involving him and the widespread reports of inadequate relief operations being taken up there. He was replaced by Baroda Collector Mr Anil Mukim. Dayani has been made Deputy Secretary in the Industries Department. Though the government did not give any reason, the transfer comes in the wake of media reports that Mr Dayani had written to the state government alleging “pilfering and diversion” of relief materials by armed forces to cantonment. Meanwhile, the government also decided to depute Mr S. Jagdeesan, a senior IAS officer, to assist Principal Secretary L. Mansingh to oversee relief and rescue operations in Kutch district. Mr Jagdeesan, who is on deputation at the Centre, has been called back to join the relief operations in the worst-hit Kutch region. Mr Mansingh has been given responsibility as chief co-ordinator for looking after the relief and rescue operations in the district immediately after the quake rocked the state. |
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We also need aid, cry villagers AHMEDABAD, Feb 3 — As truckloads of relief supplies speed through the national highway, one can spot groups of men, women and children dotting it, and screaming for help. A few sympathise and throw some packets of food, water pouches and clothes, others zoom away for rendering help to the “needy” in Bhuj, Bachau, Rapar and other places. “I stand on this highway for hours and plead for food and water. Sometimes, the people travelling on the relief trucks throw some packets,” said Noorcha Saiyyad, who lives a village about 10 km from Bhuj. “I take these packets back to my village and feed my family of three. Two of my sons died in the quake. I feel ashamed begging for food and water. But, I do not have any option,” Noorcha, a craftsman, said. Not just the state government, even aid workers also seem to have ignored the plight of these villages. The moment trucks carrying relief material throw packets, people are seen rushing towards it and fighting for it. The District Collector of Bhuj, Mr Kamal Dayans, talking to The Tribune, said there has been no communication about the fate of about 40 per cent of the villages in the district. The quake has destroyed roads, bridges and even the telecommunication links between them is disrupted. A tour of some of the villages by The Tribune brought out the pathetic state in which these villagers live and eagerly await the relief material as they have lost all hope of retrieving their loved ones from the debris. About a few kilometres from the village, the stench of the decomposed bodies is all-pervasive. Those who have survived the January 26 earthquake, camp near the destroyed homes, lest someone should steal their possessions. “Whatever we had, it has all been destroyed by the quake. We have been waiting for the government to provide us at least some food and water. But nobody seems to bother about us,” said Raachanbhai. He said, “We are at least better off than several others as our village is a few hours’ walking distance from the main highway. Think about the fate of other villages which are far off.” Villagers in Hitora, Saskhela, Hodka, Mithdi, Luna have been spending nights under the sky, with cold air blowing and hot sun draining their meagre strength during the day. With thirst and hunger, they wait for the government and other aid agencies to come to their rescue. “Nobody is bothered about us. Please tell the government that we also exist,” the villagers with hopes in their eyes told The Tribune. The national highway also presents the other contrast of plenty. As one nears Bhuj, Bachau and other towns, one finds that clothes have piled up on the sides with no one bothering to even look at them. Food packets in cartons and water in big drums dot the area and no one is bothering to queue up for it. Several towns, industrial units and communities organised themselves and dispatched aid to the quake devastated area. While some of the organisations had come with the motive of feeding villages not covered by anyone so far, they end up in going to places which have plenty. Those which manage to go to some obscure village, feel satisfied that they have done their work of feeding the “really needy.” Rajbir, an official with a steel firm based in Baroda, which has sent food material to the quake victims, said, “We don’t want to give the food packets to the government officials. We want to go to a village not visited by others. We want to prepare the food for them and feed them with our hand. Only then we and those who have entrusted the job with full confidence in us will be satisfied.” Villagers, however, state that a visit by a truck one day or other would not solve the problem. “One day a truck comes and feeds us. How can we survive like this? The government should do something about this.” The Bhuj Collector admitted that there needs to be lot more coordination amongst the aid agencies and the government. Can the quake victims wait till the government and aid agencies coordinate their activities and start sending the relief supplies to the needy, is the question which is concerning many. |
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IMA airlifts
mobile operation theatre to Bhuj NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — The Indian Medical Association (IMA), which has set a collection target of Rs 2 crore for disaster relief in Gujarat airlifted its first mobile operation theatre (OT) to Bhuj today. Sources in the IMA told TNS here today that the mobile operation theatre was is fully equipped to perform emergency surgeries on spot. It was being manned by a general surgeon, an orthopaedic surgeon, an anaesthetic, a cardiologist and a physician. The operation theatre and the team of specialists, nurses and technicians has been spared by the Escorts Heart Institute in response to IMA’s appeal to all private hospitals and nursing homes. Apart from this, the IMA has sent a truckload of medicines and surgical disposables for the earthquake victims. These included 200 external fixators for lower limb injuries, Thomas splints surgical dressing materials, suture material, 3,300 kg of plaster of paris, 1900 disposable gloves, 390 kg of cotton rolls and 24,000 pieces of bandages. |
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Relief operations continue NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — A week after the killer quake devastated Gujarat, relief operations in the state have picked up tempo, with focus shifting towards the distribution of material which has been pouring in from all over the world. Even as the Centre claimed that the situation in the worst affected Kutch district was under control, the two MPs from the region demanded a separate relief package for the district. The MPs, Mr P. S. Gadhavi (Lok Sabha) and Mr Anantray D. Dave (Rajya Sabha), who met the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, here, also apprised the latter about the “mess” created by the state government authorities by launching rescue and relief operations. UNICEF has already committed approximately $ 8 million for medical supplies in these areas. Moreover, in association with International Labour Organisation (ILO), it has drawn out a $-10,000 relief aid plan for the affected children. The World Food Programme (WFP) has already approved $ 200,000 for food supplies in the remote corners of the quake hit state. A WFP team is currently in Bhuj to oversee the operations. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has decided to support eight mobile health service units in the affected areas of Anjar, Bhachau, Rapar and Bhuj. The British Airways will operate a special flight for transporting aid workers and 36 tonnes of relief supplies from the UK to Gujarat. The flight is expected to land in Mumbai late tonight. Libya has said that it would send a plane-load of relief material for the earthquake victims of Gujarat. A team of orthopaedic and cardiac doctors from Escorts Heart Institute in Delhi is leaving for conducting an on-the-spot treatment of the injured survivors in Gujarat. |
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Multi-storeyed buildings worst-hit NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — The visual assessment and selective testing conducted by a specially deputed expert team of the National Council for Cement and Building Materials in Gujarat have revealed that the severe damage and collapse occurred mostly in multi-storeyed residential complexes. The NCB team that visited Ahmedabad immediately after the earthquake on January 26, was of the opinion that maximum damage had occurred to the multi-storeyed residential complexes which are supposed to be reinforced concrete-frame buildings. The team comprising structural engineers and architects conducted on-the-spot assessment and selective testing on damaged and partially damaged structures. Among the several factors which triggered the collapse and damage of these buildings, were irregular planning, discontinuation of important columns on the ground floor, inadequate structural design and detailing vis-a-vis the provisions in the Indian Standard Code. NCB mobile facilities for conducting tests on concrete and construction material at the work site would be placed at the service of construction and rehabilitation work in the state to expedite construction activities, the council said in a statement here. The NCB team has also emphasised the need to create awareness and generate methods of enforcement of codal provisions on seismic resistant design. Existing undamaged buildings should be subjected to seismic evaluation by testing and design checks, it said. Another NCB team of experts has also been deputed for assessment of tremor-struck heritage buildings and monuments in the districts of Bhuj, Junagarh and Jamnagar for possible damage consequent to the massive earthquake in Gujarat. |
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Ahmedabad devastation ‘man-made’ MUMBAI, Feb 3 (UNI) — Expressing dismay at the large scale devastation in the quake-affected Gujarat, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal today said the massive damages suffered in Ahmedabad were entirely “man-made”. Addressing a press conference at Sahyadri Guest House here, Mr Bhujbal, who toured the affected areas, including Ahmedabad, along with Nationalist Congress Party (ncp) President Sharad Pawar yesterday, said he had arrived at a conclusion after surveying the city that several old houses had survived due to their seismic resistance power, whereas the multi-storied and high rise buildings had collapsed like a pack of cards. “The loss of life and property due to the collapse of high rise buildings in the city, was due to the poor quality construction”, he said and welcomed the Gujarat Government’s decision to act against the guilty builders. Asked about the flak received by the Gujarat Government regarding the rescue and relief operations, Mr Bhujbal felt the magnitude of the devastation was so large that all efforts seemed inadequate. “What is more important is that the survivors should be helped to start life afresh. Even those in the administration like tehsildars and other government servants at Bhuj and Anjar, who lost their family members. It would have naturally taken them some time to overcome their grief and report for duty”, the Deputy Chief Minister said. Mr Bhujbal also admitted that debris in most parts of Bhuj and Anjar was yet to be cleared due to lack of proper roads and communication. Mr Bhujbal felt there was a need to regulate the flow of unneccessary visitors to avoid crowding of the areas. He recalled that during the rescue and relief operations at Latur, only the then Chief Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, and ministers from Latur and Osmanabad camped in Latur to monitor the rescue work. The rest of the ministers stayed back and monitored the situation. The police had blocked entry to the affected villages from all sides, he said. |
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They mint money in name of quake SRIGANGANAGAR, Feb 3 — It was a rude awakening for the local police when the Superintendent of Police, Mr R.P. Singh, was stopped by a group of youths ostensibly collecting money for the quake-hit in the city. According to sources, the officer was on a routine patrol when he witnessed a long queue of vehicles near the Sriganganagar-Suratgarh by- pass. He asked his driver to take his vehicle ahead only to be waved down by a couple of youngsters who were stopping every vehicle at the busy intersection for a donation. The “collectors” apparently did not see the police vehicle before stopping it. The SP got out and enquired why they were holding up traffic causing inconvenience to commuters. He also asked them to show him the registration number of their organisation and the receipts they were issuing. This is said to have unnerved the youths who tried to escape but were detained on the spot. The respective police station was informed and the suspects were arrested and booked. A sum of Rs 2,800 was recovered from them. Following this, vigil has been stepped up and the people have been asked to inform the police of such gangs operating anywhere in the district.
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Artistes also rise
to occasion SRIGANGANAGAR, Feb 3 — Local artistes will organise a cultural programme on February 11, the proceeds of which will be donated to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. ‘Sahayata kalash will be the combined effort of 40 members of a cultural troupe led by dance director Kamal Makkar. Talking to TNS, he said the two-and-a-half-hour show would be held at Shree Palace and would feature specially choreographed items. The items would be a humble attempt at reflecting the agony and suffering of the quake-hit people. He said the local MLA, Mr Radhey Sham, would preside over the function while Mr R.P. Singh, SP, would be the chief guest. In the meantime, a team of doctors of Baba Satnam Singh Charitable Hospital of Sacha Sauda Dera in Srigurusar Maudiya has left for the affected parts in the convoy of 45 vehicles carrying medicines and essential commodities. Sant Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh is leading group of sevadars who will help pitch tents and run community kitchens at various places. The local administration has so far despatched relief worth Rs 32 lakh to Gujarat. |
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Shekhawat to visit
Sriganganagar today SRIGANGANAGAR, Feb 3 — Former Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat will be in the city tomorrow. During his stay, he will interact with the district authorities and survey they damaged Indira Gandhi canal and the Gang canal. He will also interact with farmers residing along the canals and listen to their grievances in view of the drought and the lack of adequate water in the canals. |
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19,000 buildings in Mumbai ‘unsafe’ MUMBAI, Feb 3 (IANS) — Around 19,000 buildings in this commercial capital of India are unsafe, the civic authorities said after a survey conducted in the wake of last Friday’s devastating quake in Gujarat that killed at least 25,000 persons. The state government has now ordered that a safety review be conducted of these buildings, official sources said, adding that vulnerable structures might be ordered to be torn down and rebuilt. “More attention is paid to floor space index — the proportion of a plot of land on which a structure can be raised — than the need for precautions to construct quake-proof structures,” former Maharashtra chief minister Sharad Pawar told the media here. Experts, however, feel that Mumbai faces greater risk of a quake following the earthquake at Latur in Maharashtra in 1993 and the recent in Gujarat. Structural engineers in the city say it does not cost more than Rs. 7 per square foot to make a building quake-resistant. Extra steel fittings on the joints of beams and columns prior to laying of the RCC will help the structure withstand quakes of high intensity. Conversely, poorly constructed buildings are vulnerable to even minor tremors. |
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17 blind persons died in earthquake NASIK, Feb 3 (PTI) — At least 17 blind persons have been killed in the devastating earthquake that rocked Gujarat on January 26. Fourteen of them died in the worst-hit Bhachau taluka and three in Madhpur as per preliminary reports, Mr Ashok Bang, chairman of the Maharashtra unit of the National Association for the Blind (NAB) said here today. Most of the blind schools, hostels and training centres in Gujarat had been damaged, causing a loss of Rs 1 crore, he said in a release. In Bhachau city, a residential blind school, a professional rehabilitation centre and a “vridhashram” housing hundreds of blind women were destroyed in the quake, he said adding 14 bodies had so far been extricated from the rubble. Shops open in Bhuj, roads cleared BHUJ (Kutch) Feb 3 (UNI) — A few shops opened in Bhuj, for the first time after eight days, while all roads were cleared today by Army and paramilitary personnel who continued their gigantic task of mopping up the entire town that was turned into a virtual rubble by the January 26 powerful earthquake, epicentred just 25 km away. Signs of quake-ravaged residents trying to piece together their lives appeared when a few shops opened in some areas. Small shops opened at Bhind Bazar selling snacks and other eatables while the grain market also partially opened. As bulldozers and other heavy earth moving equipment continued to clear the debris, the people came back to the ruins of their homes to collect whatever belongings they could lay their hands on. Since being permitted to enter the area yesterday with no chances of survivors, they have cleared about 15-20 per cent of the debris so far. Army and other paramilitary personnel have cordoned off the area where debris clearance is in full swing in the presence of the residents to enable them to claim their belongings and leave out anti-socials elements. “It will take about two weeks to clear the entire area.
Army razes unsafe buildings AHMEDABAD, Feb 3 (UNI) — The engineer regiment of the Army, on request of the local civil administration, has began its operation of demolishing the buildings, which have been declared as unsafe-for-living, in various areas of the city today, an army press note said here. The army has allowed the residents of these buildings to retrieve their valuables from the rubble. So far, valuables worth Rs 2.65 crore had been recovered. Of them, the highest recovering worth
Rs 1.8 crore was from Shikhar apartment, followed by Rs 80 lakh from
Chandrama apartment and Rs 5 lakh from August apartment. The relief material continues to pour in from various cantonments of the country and is being dispatched regularly to the affected areas of the state. Loss put at Rs 20,875 cr.
Properties, including those of commercial establishments and industries, worth
Rs 20,875 crore were damaged in last week’s earthquake in Gujarat. The damage included household properties, public utility services and public infrastructure, industries and commercial establishments,
Principal Secretary to Chief Minister P K Laheri said today. The
Gujarat Government had earlier estimated loss to the properties to the tune of
Rs 10,000 crore. He said in the Kutch region, household properties worth rs 4,095 crore were destroyed while in other areas the damage was of rs 1,200 crore. In major towns like
Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Bhachau, Morbi, Rapar and Malia, it was
Rs 5,900 crore. Mr Laheri said while the damage to the commercial establishments was
Rs 3,000 crore, industries suffered a loss of Rs 500 crore, public infrastructure
Rs 1,080 crore and public utility services Rs 6,000 crore. He said till today, as many as 16,403 bodies had been recovered from debris in various quake-hit areas of
Gujarat while 60,000 people have been injured. |
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Ash-coloured liquid
oozed during quake KHAVADA, Feb 3 (PTI) — A mysterious ash coloured liquid streamed out from under the earth at Khavada town bordering Pakistan when the powerful earthquake rocked the subcontinent on January 26 and spread in puddles in a radius of 30 km. Experts from scientific institutions, including the Meteorological Department, have taken a sample of the thick ash coloured liquid which the people equate with lava. Though being close to the epicentre, the town has suffered minimal casualty with 70 of the total 40,000 having lost their lives. But, most of the houses have either been razed to the ground or developed cracks. The people of the town thank their stars for the miraculous escape. |
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Daler to perform
for quake victims NEW DELHI, Feb 3 (UNI) — Pop singer Daler Mehndi will perform in the capital as part of an effort to raise funds for the earthquake victims of Gujarat. “Daler has contacted me for staging the show in aid of the Prime Minister’s quake relief fund”, Mr Vijay Goel, BJP Member of Parliament from Delhi, told UNI today. The ‘Daler Mehndi Night’ will be supported by the business community of the Chandni Chowk area and the entire proceeds of the show will go towards the relief of the quake victims. The performer was in close touch with the Chandi Chowk MP, who has assured all help to him. |
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Gujarat orders legal action against officers NEW DELHI, Feb 3 (UNI) — The Gujarat Government has given orders to issue warrants against officers of local bodies, among others, for giving consent to builders of quake-devastated buildings, bypassing statuary laws. The case against them are to be framed under Section 304, IPC amounting to culpable homicide, spokesman for the Gujarat Government Prafulla Goradia, quoting State Home Minister Haren Pandya said here today. The officers include those from the Ahmedabad Nagar Nigam and the Ahmedabad Urban Development Corporation. Besides, the state government has also ordered legal action under the same Section against engineers and contractors along with the architects and “vaastukars” of the building that collapsed in the wake of the quake, Mr Goradia
informed. |
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Jogi on streets for quake victims RAIPUR, Feb 3 (UNI) — Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi today set out on the streets of the state capital to raise funds for the earthquake victims of Gujarat. In his inimitable style, Mr Jogi moved around in different localities with an appeal to all to donate “ek din ki roti, ek din ki roji’’ (one day’s meal, one day’s wages) for the quake-hit people.
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Foreign missions
cancel receptions NEW DELHI, Feb 3 (UNI) — Several public and private functions, including some by foreign missions in India, have been cancelled in view of the January 26 earthquake in Gujarat. The Iranian and Sri Lankan embassies in India have cancelled receptions to mark their respective national days. In several cases, the money to be spent on these functions had been diverted towards the Prime Minister’s Relief
Fund. |
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4 NE states declared
unsafe
KOLKATA, Feb 3 — Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh — the four states in the earthquake-prone north-east region, have been declared “unsafe”. Delhi and its adjoining areas are also not altogether safe. But Kolkata and other parts of south Bengal are considerably “tremor-free”. However, the hill town of Darjeeling falls in the danger zone. Experts of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), who have categorised the country into different seismic zones, have alerted the respective states to take adequate precautionary steps against any eventualities in the near future. The GSI’s Director-General, Mr Krishnan
Unni, now in the city, wants that the respective state governments and the civic bodies should immediately take the decision in redesigning and reshaping the building and structural rules for properly coping with sudden earthquakes and other natural calamities. He said the GSI had declared the entire north-eastern region, certain parts in UP, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and other areas in the northern region as “vulnerable”. But the most dangerous zones were located on the Arunachal-Bhutan border, between Nagaland and Myanmar and Bhuj-Anhar-Bachau of Gujarat. Hyderabad city Darjeeling and Mizoram’s capital Aizawl were also not safe, he said. Mr Krishnan Unni suggested that the respective governments and the local authorities, before sanctioning any new building plan, should consult the GSI experts. He said the GSI was not drawing a new map of different localities on the recommendations of the seismic experts and these maps would be made available for redesigning and constructing buildings.
Hearing put off in
Sukh Ram case NEW DELHI, Feb 3 (UNI) — The hearing in a case against former Communication Minister Sukh Ram for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income was today deferred to February 17 after his counsel argued before the special court claiming that all money recovered from his houses did not belong to him. Hearing arguments of both the CBI and Mr Sukh Ram, Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke said sanction on the charges would be given on the next date of hearing. On August 16, 1996, after an FIR was filed in the telecom scandal, the CBI raided his residences in Delhi and Himachal Pradesh and assets worth Rs 5.36 crore, including Rs 4 crore in casn, were seized. CBI counsel Baljit Singh argued that the known sources of income of Mr Sukh Ram from the year 1992 onward were not more than Rs 30.78 lakh and his likely savings during the period were just Rs 38.1 lakh The CBI had examined 88 witnesses, including former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and former Congress president late Sitaram Kesri, before the chargesheet was filed in the designated court. Mr Sukh Ram’s counsel Y.D. Sharma argued that the charges were false and concocted and a conspiracy was hatched to malign the political leader, who was now heading the Himachal Vikas Congress, an ally of the ruling coalition in Himachal Pradesh. Last week, the high court discharged Mr Sukh Ram in the telecom purchase scandal or the ARM case of 1996 due to lack of sufficient evidence. He was accused of favouring a party in the purchase of equipment worth Rs 30.20 crore in which the exchequer lost Rs 1.6 crore. In another case the CBI had also filed a chargesheet against Mr Sukh Ram in a Rs 33-crore contract for polythene insulated jelly filled cables (PIJF) given to Rohtak-based Haryana Telecom Limited (HTL). The company’s chairperson, Mr Devinder Singh Chaudhary, is a co-accused in the case. |
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Don’t change
statute, change system: Gill MUMBAI, Feb 3 (PTI) — Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill today urged the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre not to change the Constitution. “Do not go on changing the Constitution. It is a sacred document. All we need is to change the system”, Mr Gill said at a public function. He said we have a remarkable Constitution and it has served India well. Regarding the number of women in Parliament, he said it was time for all political parties to come together to pass the Reservation Bill for women in Parliament. |
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Hinduja file plea
to go abroad NEW DELHI, Feb 3
(UNI) — The Hinduja brothers, today filed an application before the Delhi High Court seeking permission to go abroad to carry out their multi-billion dollars business. The application will come up for hearing on Monday. Counsel for the three accused brothers —
S.P. Hinduja, P.P. Hinduja and G.P. Hinduja — filed the application today despite it being a holiday. |
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Red Fort again, but
hoax bomb call NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — A hoax bomb call was received by the Delhi police today that there was a bomb lying inside the Red Fort. The entire Red Fort area was combed by the police but no bomb was recovered from there, Assistant Commissioner of Police Ravi Sehgal said. The police received the call at about 12 noon and reached the Red Fort
immediatly. He said a person telephoned at the police station,
Kotwali, in north district, saying that a bomb was lying in the Red Fort. |
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Threat letters on explosions Ex-legislator’s factory raided Man kills wife for infidelity Helpline for students Panel chief refutes charges Patients avail free treatment 3 ULFA men killed in encounter Indian nominated to C’wealth panel Ex-Div Commissioner
remanded 2 die in head-on
collision |
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