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| Sunday, February
18, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Work suspended in CIL mines Budget session likely to be stormy Poll in 5 states likely on April 30 Trinamool, Cong may have tie-up Hindoli byelection |
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Jaya: CM struck
deal with Veerappan US Nagar being neglected? ICARE at doorstep of needy poor Gujral writes to SAARC leaders IMA cadets’
jogging stopped Poll in 5 states likely on April 30 12-yr dharna lifted Trains to have
more coaches for summer Intimidate wife,
face dismissal Three poachers nabbed Jail sans proper
facilities Bus driver still at large
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Work suspended in CIL mines New Delhi, February 17 Stating this Minister of State for Coal Syed Shahnawaz Hussein told reporters that all dangerous mines were being resurveyed before restarting mining operations. He said rescue operations were hampered by incorrect survey maps, leading to drilling of holes in coal seams rather than galleries. The minister also ordered suspension of three officials allegedly responsible for the tragedy, including mine surveyors and colliery agent. He announced the setting up of an internal inquiry to fix responsibility adding that labour ministry would set up an independent inquiry headed by a retired high court judge. Mr Hussein said all dangerous mines would be shut down and no mining activity would be undertaken at the cost of human lives. CIL has announced temporary suspension of operations in four mines namely Baragarh, Alkhisa, Bhuja Bhandh and Jalgoda, which have been found to be unsafe. On the issue of fixing responsibility for the tragedy, he said “no one who is found guilty would be spared.” Praising the efforts of the naval divers whose help was sought for the first time, he said 25 bodies had been recovered while four others remained to be found. Mr Hussein announced that family members of all but one of the deceased had been given employment.
PTI Budget session likely to be stormy New Delhi, February 17 The principal Opposition party, the Congress, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have already given notice of their intentions. According to the Deputy Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Mr Madhavrao Scindia, the party would embarrass the government over the Ayodhya issue, its failure to act in time to provide relief and rehabilitation in Gujarat, the farmers’ issue and political upheaval in some of the north-eastern states. The CPM has already reacted on the government’s proposal to present a “hard” Budget, saying on the pretext of Gujarat, the Finance Minister was, in fact trying to plug the fiscal deficit. Any hard measures are bound to be challenged on the floor of the House. Every party is expected to draw the maximum mileage from the Budget session as Assembly elections to four states and the Union Territory of Pondicherry are to be held in April. From the government’s point of view, the session is crucial as the Budget would shape the second phase of economic reforms. It has identified 36 Bills which would be given top priority during the session. Apart from the General Budget and the Railway Budget, important Bills which would be accorded priority include one on protecting domestic industry from the flood of imports, protection of plant varieties and farmers’ rights, insurance laws, prohibiting smoking in public places, inter-state water disputes and electricity. Several Bills, which have been referred to various parliamentary standing committees will also come for approval in Parliament. These include the Forward Contracts (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 1998, the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Bill, 2000, and the Freedom of Information Bill, 2000. In the last session, proceedings in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha had come to a virtual halt for several days with the Opposition demanding the resignation of Central Ministers charge-sheeted in the Babri Masjid demolition case. The Ayodhya issue would continue to stalk the BJP-led coalition in this session too. Mr Scindia has said that the Congress will not only demand that the government categorically states its position on the construction plans of a temple at Ayodhya by the VHP, but make sure that each of the allies state their position separately.  |
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Poll in 5 states likely on April 30 Kolkata, February 17 The Election Commission and the respective state governments have tentatively agreed to hold the elections on that date, but a final decision would be taken at the commission’s meeting with the states’ Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in New Delhi on March 2. Of the five states, the CPM-led Left Front governments have been in power in West Bengal and Kerala. However, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry are ruled by the regional non-Congress (I) governments. The Chief Election Commissioner, Mr M.S. Gill, is learnt to have conveyed to the Home Ministry about his desire to hold the election on a single day simultaneously in the five states and announce the results accordingly on a specified date to which the ministry has no objection. The other proposed dates for elections clashed with various examinations. The commission wants to hold the elections through the electronic voting system. However, Mr Gill will take a final decision in this regard after his meeting with the state CEOs.
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Trinamool, Cong may have tie-up New Delhi, February 17 After two rounds of talks with AICC general secretary Kamal Nath, Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Saugata Roy, MLA, said the AICC accepted a request made by the West Bengal delegation of Congress MLAs in this regard. The delegation also met the Trinamool chief and made a similar request. “Ms Mamata had agreed to our proposal and said she was prepared for talks on the issue with the AICC, if she was requested by it,” Professor Roy told newspersons here today before leaving for Kolkata. Welcoming the decision, Professor Roy also welcomed the reported statement made by Mr Kamal Nath that to defeat the Left Front government in the state the Congress was prepared to have electoral alliances with all parties except the BJP.
UNI Hindoli
byelection Jaipur, February 17 The outcome of the byelection in the constituency is hardly of any consequence numerically, but its political fallout is going to be immense. With this in view the Chief Minister, Mr Ashok Gehlot, has left no stone unturned to ensure that his party retains the seat. Several steps have been taken to keep the voters on the right side of the government and Congress party. While violent demonstrations by farmers to protest against indiscriminate power-cuts leading to drying up of their crops have become order of the day, farmers of the Hindoli constituency are getting round-the-clock power supply. In fact, the farmers of Hindoli had never had such plenty of power. Another major irritant for the farmers in the constituency had been non-payment of dues by the Keshoraipatan sugar mills for sugarcane purchased from them. As the mill is closed, the farmers were sceptical about the fate of the standing crop too. Both major irritants have, however, been removed the payment of arrears has begun and the Chief Minister has assured the farmers that the sugarcane crop will be purchased even while standing in the field. Never in any bye-election such a large contingent of ministers had been pressed into campaigning by any party. Ten ministers are camping in the constituency along with a dozen MLAs. In fact, the Chief Minister had asked 50 MLAs to stay in the Hindoli constituency till the polling was over. Besides, a former MLA of the constituency, Mrs Rama Pilot, on whose resignation the Hindoli seat has fallen vacant, constantly toured the constituency for many days. Mrs Pilot had resigned after she was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Dausa constituency which had fallen vacant due to the demise of her husband Rajesh Pilot. Mr Gehlot and the PCC chief, Ms Girija Vyas, too have toured the constituency extensively.
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Gujarat heading for severe drought Chandigarh, February 17 Mr Oza, who has retired from active journalism, however, continues to bring out perhaps the country’s only newspaper on water in Gujarati called “Jal Sewa”, which is published three times a month. He was here to attend the two-day conference-cum-workshop on District Disaster Management Plan organised jointly by the high powered committee on the Disaster Management of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) here. Mr Oza, who is now a part of the Janpath Citizens’ Initiative, representing 200-odd NGOs engaged in relief and rehabilitation operations in Gujarat, says that the worst hit by the water famine would be the quake-tormented Saurashtra and Kutch regions. “The only redeeming feature has been some improvements in the water table in the Kutch region. It is said that Indus river is reverting to its original course and thus partially moving closer to India now. It is a good news if it is true. Those supporting this theory say that some of the salty water wells in the Kutch and Saurashtra region are now giving sweet water,” says Mr Oza. Talking about availability of drinking water, he says that people in Punjab or Chandigarh cannot imagine what the “tanker culture” is like where daily supplies of potable water are received through tankers. In Ahmedabad, per capita of water supplied by the Municipal Corporation was 140 litres of which 132 litres goes down the gutters. In the absence of any scheme for recharge or recycle of this water, it also goes waste. Not only that, little has been done to utilise water of Narmada river, which, if properly managed, can quench the thirst of both Kutch and Saurashtra regions for 10 years. In the Bhal area, which lies between Bhavnagar and Ahmedabad, there are 52 villages facing the famine-like situation. The villagers suggested a solution to their perennial problem. They say if they have tanks and get two inches of rainfall a year, their problem of water will be permanently solved. To construct 8010 such tanks at a cost of Rs 10,000 each is not a big task, but the State has done nothing so far to solve this problem, he says. “My idea of bringing out a newspaper on water was primarily to focus the attention of not only consumers but also of the state government, the local bodies and even the village watershed committees on harvesting of rain water, water management, tackling problem of water pollution and environment. Gujarat is one state where good quality water has always been a problem. Unfortunately, the state government has neither a water policy nor any water budgeting. “After Dam on Narmada, water user bodies for rationalisation of water distribution have started coming up. There is peoples’ activism on the issue,” adds Mr Oza. The Janpath Citizens’ Initiative has come out with an interim report on the January 26 earthquake in the state. Mr Oza says though there is no doubt that the local machinery failed in the aftermath of the quake but then there has been the other side of the picture also. “ In one district, of nearly 7,000 employees of the district administration, 4,890 were directly affected by the quake for either their houses were damaged or some one from their family was affected. The water, power supply and telecommunication services were completely snapped. One of the District Collectors had his residence and office damaged . It was only on the third day that 15 per cent of the district staff reported back on duty. “The political leadership also totally failed. Initially, there was no coordination between defence forces and the civil administration,” he said, maintaining that during his visit to the quake-ravaged areas, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Mr Jagmohan, reminded the Gujarat Government of the warning he had issued 18 months before about the impending “disaster”. Also in Chandigarh for the conference-cum-workshop was Professor Gyana Chandra Kar, Director, Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies, to share experiences of the great cyclone of Orissa of 1999. Compared to an affluent Gujarat state, says Professor Kar, Orissa is poverty-stricken. While the coastal region is being ravaged time and again by cyclone, the North or Western part of the state is a chronic drought affected region. “Though in the great Bengal famine, majority of the people who perished were from Orissa, but the tragedy has been identified with the name of a more affluent neighbouring state. This is just to indicate the bias we face everywhere. We have little or no identity of our own because Oriya people are mostly docile. As many as 43 per cent of our population belongs to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. While in our case the worst affected were poor people, in the case of Gujarat it was mostly middle or upper middle class ravaged by the quake,” says Professor Kar, revealing that the state is yet to recover from the 1999 disaster. Camping in makeshift tents Trambo (Kutch), February 17 Like many other Kutchies, Viju Maharaj of this village was anxiously waiting for the drought relief. “I was to get Rs 40 daily from the government as relief but now I have to start from zero”, he said while talking to The Tribune team. He like many other inhabitants of this once prosperous village are camping in makeshift tents set up by the relief teams of the Haryana Government. At least 35 deaths have been reported from this place having a population of 3500. Help in the form of eatables, tents and other daily use items reached in the first week of February. It was home to rich families of Jains, Brahmins, Patels and Rajput communities. The rich had migrated to Mumbai and
Ahmedabad but their elders remained there to look after the ancestral property. The maximum casualties have been among the old who were in their homes when the earth shook with savage energy. Those who can afford have left for Mumbai and Ahmedabad. But the poor are the worst hit. Already forced by two years of drought, Viju has lost the only tubewell installed in his field last year after taking a loan. The tremors damaged the bore, he says adding: “If it does not rain this season I will migrate to some other town”. His concern is shared by several members of his community. A similar uncertain future awaits Vajeypur, Virajrani, Belasar, Jesal and other villages of Kutch within a 150 km radius. After Viju Bhai ends his tale of woes, The Tribune team takes a round of the place only to realise how indeed deep the tragedy has been. The eerie silence in the town is broken by the barking of dogs and chirping of sparrows. Mr R.S. Doon, a coordinator of relief operation by the Haryana Government, explains that seven JCBs had to be requisitioned to clear the debris from the lanes. “These people do not allow us to pick up the rubble of their houses and want that it should not mix with others. A makeshift school is being run from a tented accommodation right in front of the collapsed structure of a primary school. As the residents of Trambo prefer to live in transit camps of the Haryana Government till they are rehabilitated at a new place, the wait for final rehabilitation phase of the Gujarat Government continues.
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Jaya: CM struck deal with Veerappan Chennai, February 17 In a statement here, she said the recent arrest of TNLA leader and a close associate of Veerappan, Maran, was being viewed by many as an indication that Karunanidhi government was at long last meaning business vis-ŕ-vis Veerappan. Questioning why the police did not follow the “elementary practice” of demanding police custody for Maran, she said it appeared that the police did not feel the need to ask for police custody as they had already completed interrogating him and that he had been apprehended several days before February 15. Ms Jayalalitha said Maran was not in the jungles. It was apparent from the fact that he had given interviews to two Tamil magazines which were published on January 12 and January 31.
US Nagar being neglected? Dehra Dun, February 17 No MLA or any other political figure from Udham Singh Nagar is neither a minister nor a chairman of a corporation/board. Although, Mr Tilak Raj Behar, an MLA as the Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Seeds and Terai Development Corporation (UPSTDC) about two months back but so far the legal implications have kept Mr Behar away from assuming the office of the Chairman. Political observers say the GM announced his appointment without going into the ground realities, with the sole idea to calm down the growing anti-BJP wave in the area. The Uttaranchal Government has no control over the corporation as the assets are yet to be transferred to the new state by the UP Government. Mr Niranjan Singh, a supporter of Mr Behar says, the announcement of Mr Behar as the Chairman of the UPSTDC was just an eye-wash to divert the attention of the people from their problems. The lack of a proper “mandi” has ruined the farmers. The agencies have not picked up potatoes from the farmers. Thousands of tonnes of potatoes lying in the fields have turned rotten. As the UPSTDC is under the direct control of the UP government, no efforts have been made by it to look into the problems of the farmers.” The new state lacks proper storage facilities. The UPSTDC is the only agency to look into the problems of the Terai area. As the officers working in the corporation are aware of the present situation, they take no interest in the work. Despite repeated requests by the Uttaranchal Government, the UP Government has given no response to either solving the problems or transferring the control of the UPSTDC to the new state. When contacted, Mr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Finance Minister or Uttaranchal said, he had visited Lucknow last week to discuss this particular issue with the authorities of the UP Government. He met Mr Rajnath Singh, CM of UP, who assured him of the transfer of UPSTDC as early as possible and even clear the appointment of Mr Behar as the Chairman. But no timeframe was fixed during the discussion.
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ICARE at doorstep of needy poor New Delhi, February 17 For over a decade, a team from ICARE Charitable Eye Hospital has been holding camps in remote villages in northern India to identify and treat patients who need eye care. The initiative dates back to 1984 when the Director and Chief Surgeon of the hospital, Dr Sushil Choudhry ,began picking up patients from Govindpuri, a slum in South Delhi, Kathputli Colony in West Delhi and a village ahead of Chattarpur Mandir and operated upon them at his clinic free of cost. They were provided free lodging and meals and dropped right at their door- step after recovery. Little reason then that such beneficiaries look up to this eye surgeon as a messiah. Dr Choudhry’s benevolence has prompted him to initiate a Rural Outreach Programme (ROP) to attend to the visually handicapped section of the population. ``Our endeavour is to reach people who can never reach us. About 2.2 million people in India go blind every year due to cataract. Of these 5,00,000 go untreated every year. Invariably, almost 95 per cent of the people suffering from cataract are poor. They have no access to facilities and are dependent on their children for intervention. When they come to hospitals, they are sent back due to shortage of beds. Ultimately, they go to quacks in adjacent villages in makeshift hospitals who work in compromised
conditions. The results are ,therefore ,very poor and fail to restore optimum vision.’’ Dr Choudhry says he is inspired by the charitable service rendered by L. V. Prasad Institute in Hyderabad, Arvind Eye Hospital in Madurai and Shankar Netralaya in Chennai. He is in debt to HelpAge India, Help the Aged, UK, Maons Unidas,Spain, Caritas in
Germany, Spain, Smithkleen Beecham Consumer Healthcare Ltd, Samtel Group and Bharat Vikas Parishad for their consistent help. At present, the ICARE teams are functioning from setups called rural peripheral centres. It is here that patients are screened and transported in the hospital’s vans to the main campus in Noida for pre and post-operative care. After the surgery, the patients are sent back to their villages. The ROP services are presently confined to villages within a radius of 200 km from Noida Hospital. The RPCs are in Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. ``We would like to set up at least four rural peripheral centres so that we can operate on them there instead of transporting them.’’ In addition to free eye camps for the rural population, the 111-bed hospital runs a paid wing which supports a large chunk of free eye services for the under-privileged. ``Paid category only constitutes 10 to 12 per cent of our total work in the hospital. We reach out to more than a lakh ruralites and are able to do about 8,000 surgeries every year. We identify patients through spot OPDs and those who have undergone surgeries also seek replenishment of medicines. Patients who are admitted through camps do not have to pay any money. There is, however, a category of self-sponsored surgeries where patients who can afford treatment pay about Rs 1,000 ,’’ says Dr Choudhry. Mrs Alouka Das, a voluntary worker at the hospital, says the hospital also gets corporate help from time to time to sponsor cataract surgeries. The hospital has got help from Samtel, Smithkleen Beecham and Hindustan Petroleum. She said in the past financial year, the hospital carried out 6,554 surgeries in the aforesaid villages and hopes to achieve a target of 8,000 surgeries by March- end this year. The team follows a schedule chalked out for surgeries in each village. The hospital’s future plans include setting up an eye bank, a retinal unit and a research and development centre. The hospital has recently been accredited to the National Board of Examination, Delhi University, and is now authorised to run postgraduate courses for opthalmic surgeons and opthalmologists. The hospital has already started short-duration courses in phaco-emulsification and Extra Capsular Cataract Extraction and Intra-ocular Lens Implantation and the Diplomate National Board courses. |
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Gujral writes to SAARC leaders New Delhi, February 17 A South Asian Community (SAC) of prominent political and civil society leaders of all SAARC countries had been set up last December with an objective to revive the SAARC process, Mr Gujral said at a seminar on “Secular Democracy in South Asia — a Futuristic Vision.” Mr Gujral has also written letters to all seven governments in the region urging them to revive the SAARC process in the interest of regional security, cooperation and democracy. The first meeting of SAC had already been held in Colombo. Referring to the South Asian Initiative for Human Rights
(SAIHR) which had been set up in July last year, Mr Gujral said it was dealing with the plight of fishermen, trafficking in women and plight of prisoners. The second meeting of SAIHR is scheduled in November. Speaking at the seminar, Mr Gujral called for reviving the SAARC which would help strengthen the democratic process in the South Asian countries. He said there was no contradiction between being secular and religious. A man could be deeply religious while being secular, he said. Mr Gujral said during his tenure as Prime Minister he and the then Pakistan Prime Minister Mr Nawaz Sharif had agreed on certain steps which would have helped reduce tension between the two countries. Mr Gujral also stressed the role of the media in bringing awareness about secular democracy. Prof R.R. Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University, emphasised the involvement of all citizens in deciding major political issues which would help overcome problems of sectarianism. He called for inculcating basic values of democratic culture. Welcoming the speakers, Prof
K.N. Pandita said the world had several theocratic states which also claimed to be democratic. Citing examples of Pakistan and Iran in this context, he said the touchstone of democracy in theocratic states was the manner in which they treated their minorities. The one-day seminar, in which several academics participated was organised by the Asian-Eurasian Human Rights Forum. |
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IMA cadets’
jogging stopped Dehehra
Dun, February 17 Disclosing
this to The Tribune here on Thursday evening a senior official of the
IMA said when the cadets were on routine jogging on the road between
the FRI and the IMA, they were suddenly stopped by private security
guards of the FRI. They came in a Gypsy and blocked the way of the
cadets. On the other hand, when contacted Dr Paramjit Singh, PRO of
the FRI, said he was unaware of the incident, but claimed that the
road being used by the IMA belonged to the FRI. |
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Poll in 5 states likely on April 30 Kolkata, February 17 The Election Commission and the respective state governments have tentatively agreed to hold the elections on that date, but a final decision would be taken at the commission’s meeting with the states’ Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in New Delhi on March 2. Of the five states, the CPM-led Left Front governments have been in power in West Bengal and Kerala. However, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry are ruled by the regional non-Congress (I) governments. The Chief Election Commissioner, Mr M.S. Gill, is learnt to have conveyed to the Home Ministry about his desire to hold the election on a single day simultaneously in the five states and announce the results accordingly on a specified date to which the ministry has no objection. The other proposed dates for elections clashed with various examinations. The commission wants to hold the elections through the electronic voting system. However, Mr Gill will take a final decision in this regard after his meeting with the state CEOs. |
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12-yr dharna lifted New Delhi, February 17 Dr Rajkiran Singh, who is one of the persons sitting on dharna, said the NDMC officials along with the police came to the site yesterday and took away their belongings. Dr Baldev Vanshi, founder -president of the sangathan described the dharna as the “the longest in the world for a national cause.’’ Trains to have
more coaches for summer New Delhi, February 17 Apart from this, Northern Railway has decided to augment the passenger carrying capacity of some trains to clear the rush of passengers in summers. A press note issued by Northern Railway today said the 4095/4096 Himalayan Queen Express will be augmented by one additional chair-car coach from April 10 to June 30. Other trains which will be augmented by one additional AC chair-car coach during the same period are the 2001/2002 New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express, the 2003/2004 New Delhi-Lucknow Shatabdi Express, the 2005/2006 New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express, the 2011/2012 New Delhi-Chandigarh
Shatabdi Express, the 2013/2014 New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express, the 2015/2016 New Delhi-Ajmer Shatabdi Express, the 2017/2018 New Delhi-Dehra Dun Shatabdi Express and the 2031/2032 New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express.
Intimidate wife,
face dismissal Jaipur,
February 17 After a high-level meeting in the chairmanship of the Chief Minister Gehlot yesterday, the government declared intimidation of wives as a punishable offence for its employees. It has been decided to amend service rules to give effect to the decisions. As per the decision, the employee found guilty of intimidation, may have to face punishment in the form of suspension from service, withholding annual increments and even termination of service. The government may even make deductions from the salary to be paid to the wife and children dependent on the accused employee. Three poachers nabbed Dehra Dun, February 17 Some vital clues were obtained from them regarding the killing of tuskers in the park in the past one-and-a-half-month, they said. The three had allegedly killed an elephant for ivory on February 18, 1999, in Nainital district. PTI |
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Jail sans proper
facilities Hanumangarh, February 17 The construction of a workshop, where prisoners could work, has not started even after its financial approval a year ago. Jail sources revealed that presently only those inmates who could make chairs and durries were given assignments. Lack of a dispensary in the jail was another problem. Though for the construction of the dispensary, Rs 8.90 lakh was allocated , yet nothing was done and the allocated budget had lapsed. A post of a doctor was also established but without a dispensary it was of no avail. The sources said, in emergency cases problem arose as according to the rules only the police staff was allowed to take prisoners to the hospital, which was 6 km away from the jail. The police lines was 5 km away from the jail. With the construction of a dispensary, minor illness could be treated in the jail. Lack of a good vehicle was another problem as the vehicle presently being used for transporting prisoners was 15 years old, which at times remained out of order, the jail sources said. Irregular electricity supply was yet another problem. Bus driver
still at large Bareilly, February 17 “We have so far not been able to arrest the driver of the bus involved in yesterday’s accident,” a senior official at the Fatehganj (East) police station told The Tribune today. |
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