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| Saturday, March 31, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Jolt to Uttaranchal Govt Tehri oustees hold demonstrations Bid to forge
anti-CPM alliance BJP may go it
alone in WB |
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Detention
beyond maximum time illegal Where monsoon brings crime
Scribe’s car stolen from Shastri Bhavan Non-bailable warrant
against Uma GSLV relaunch by May likely India, Nepal discuss
bilateral ties Jaswant’s US trip next week Bodo leaders meet Advani
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Jolt to Uttaranchal Govt Dehra Dun, March 30 Talking to The Tribune, he said the state government under the leadership of Mr Nityanand Swami had failed on all fronts. The young legislator from Tehri has been one of the front-ranking rebels ever since the formation of the new state with Mr Swami as its first Chief Minister. He left the MLA hostel with bag and baggage yesterday. Agitated over the Centre and the state government’s inability to meet the demands of the Tehri Dam oustees, he said the decision to vacate the state guest house (MLA hostel) was taken to draw the attention of the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, on the issue. It is worth mentioning that the Union Minister has been in the capital for the last two days and held a closed-door meeting with the party MPs, MLAs and office-bearers of the state unit of the BJP yesterday. Interestingly, Mr Swami and some of his loyal ministers, including Mr Mohan Singh Rawat, Mr Ajay Bhatt, Nirupma Gaur, Mr Narayan Ram Dass and Mr Prakash Pant (Speaker) did not attend the meeting, presided by Mr Murli Manohar Joshi. On the other hand, the legislators from Tehri Garhwal region who attended the meeting demanded the delay in the shutting of tunnels until the oustees were provided with adequate rehabilitation facilities. These were, Mr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Finance Minister, and Mr Matbar Singh Kandari Forest Minister. According to the party insiders, those present in the meeting vented their rage Mr Narayan Singh Rana, the Chief Minister’s favourite minister. Those who have not been given plum posts in the Swami government pledged their support to Mr Lakharam Joshi. As the party men of the ruling BJP were busy in the meeting discussing about VHP supremo Ashok Singhal’s threat to go on fast unto death, the Chief Minister was shown black flags out on the streets of the capital. Some congress men blocked the cavalcade of the Chief Minister near Ballupur in protest against the non-performance of the state government and lathi charge on their colleagues at Haldwani recently. |
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Tehri oustees hold demonstrations Tehri (Uttaranchal), March 30 More than 2,000 oustees gathered amid heavy rainfall and held demonstrations at various locations near the dam demanding adequate rehabilitation for the residents of the Tehri valley before the tunnels were closed to enable filling of water. The tunnels, at a height of about 600m, if closed tomorrow according to construction schedule, would leave only two other openings (tunnel 1 and tunnel 2) below the sole bridge linking the old Tehri town with rest of the world. There was panic in this town that closure of the lower tunnels would eventually lead to submergence of thickly populated urban and rural settlements even before they were evacuated. The oustees, who were led by local leaders, assembled in open space near the market later in the day. While on his way to Tehri from Hardwar this morning during a brief half at Rishikesh, Mr Ashok Singhal, VHP leader, told The Tribune that he had been assured by the Prime Minister to constitute a committee of experts for scientific management of the flow of the Ganga. This committee of experts would submit its report to the central government within three weeks. The VHP leader further threatened that if solution to the problem was not brought out within the framed time period, they would go ahead with a nationwide agitation to preserve holy sanctity of the Ganga. He demanded that until report of the committee was finalised, the construction work on the dam should be stopped. The Tehri Hydro-electric Development Corporation officials, when contacted, maintained that since tunnels 1 and 2 at a height of 632 m would remain open in any case, there was no ground in talking about the holy river being blocked by the dam. Meanwhile, after having closed-door meeting with noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna, Ganga Raksha Samiti chairman Swami Chinmaya Nand and representatives of dam oustees late in the evening, Mr Ashok Singhal, president of the VHP, has decided to go ahead with his indefinite fast from tomorrow.  |
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Bid to forge
anti-CPM alliance Kolkata, March 30 In Delhi, state Congress leaders met Ms Sonia Gandhi and obtained her clearance to team up with Trinamool to defeat the CPM-led Left Front government. Mr Kamal Nath said the main purpose of the talks was to defeat the CPM and end the party’s “misrule”. He said the Congress was ready to work out a compromise acceptable to his party and the Trinamool Congress. Ms Banerjee, however, still kept silent on the issue of the number of seats to be allotted to the Congress. However, she gave another call to all anti-Left parties to join hands against the CPM. The Trinamool leader agreed to share 40-50 seats with the Congress and was reluctant to give any of the 223 seats that she had already allotted to her party candidates, including about 30 Congress MLAs who had recently joined her party. Ms Banerjee said she would agree to share 39 seats earmarked for the BJP and 14 others allotted to the JMM and the KPP. But she was not ready to allow Mr Somen Mitra, former WBPCC president, to contest from Sealdah, a constituency he has been representing for 25 years, and Mr Atish Sinha, MLA from Kandi (Murshidabad). |
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BJP may go it alone in WB Chennai, March 30 Initially, the BJP and the Trinamool Congress were negotiating for an electoral pact and the former was ready to contest 39 seats, Mr Krishnamurthy told reporters here. However, after the exit of the Trinamool from the NDA, its leader Mamata Banerjee had started talks with the Congress for a possible electoral tie-up in West Bengal. The BJP had also contacted Mamata and was awaiting a reply from her, he said. “If we have to go it alone we will then work out a strategy. Let Ms Mamata announce her decision. We are ready to contest on our own”, he said. On reports about some parties’ plan to form a third front, Mr Krishnamurthy said there was now no possibility of it. Flaying Left parties, he said the Communists were under the impression that there could be instability at the Centre following Trinamool quitting the NDA in the wake of the Tehelka expose. But unfortunately for them, nothing like that happened and Mamata chose to open up a dialogue with the Congress, he said. Asked why the BJP was confident that the Tehelka issue would not affect it in the coming assembly polls, Mr Krishnamurthy said the party was “sure of our innocence. We are confident of getting support from our partners and people at large”. |
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DMK snaps ties with MDMK Chennai, March 30 On a day of swift political developments, a peeved Mr Karunanidhi, addressing a press conference here declared that the MDMK was out of the DMK-led front now. He also ruled out any further negotiations with the MDMK on the vexed issue of identification of constituencies for the coming Assembly elections in the state. Mr Karunanidhi who had declared earlier in the day that the MDMK was free to go it alone if it so desired, ruled out any compromise with that party, saying he was no more interested in appealing to the MDMK to mend its ways. He said a decision to snap ties with the MDMK was taken only in the interest of both the parties.
UNI |
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Detention beyond
maximum time illegal New Delhi, March 30 “When the law provides that the Magistrate could authorise the detention of the accused in custody up to a maximum period, as indicated in Sub-Section (2) of Section 167, any further detention without filing of challan by investigating agency would be subterfuge”, the court held. The court added that such detention would not be in accordance with law and in conformity with the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code, and as such, could be violative of Article 21 of the Constitution. A three-Judge Bench comprising Mr Justice G B Pattanaik, Mr Justice U.C. Banerjee and Mr Justice B.N. Agarwal delivered the above ruling by a majority. Mr Justice Agarwal delivered a dissenting judgment. “So long as the accused files an application and indicates in the application to offer bail on being released by appropriate orders of the Court then the right of the accused on being released on bail cannot be frustrated on the chance of Magistrate not being available and the matter not being moved, or that the Magistrate erroneously refuses to pass an order and matter is moved to the higher forum and a challan is filed in interregnum”, the majority Judges stated. Delivering the judgment for the Bench, Mr Justice Pattanaik said, “This is the only way how a balance can be struck between the so-called indefeasible right of the accused on failure on the part of the prosecution to file challan within the specified period and the interest of the society, at large, in lawfully preventing an accused of being released on bail on account of inaction on the part of the prosecuting agency.” The judgment allowed the appeal of Uday Mohanlal Acharya against a judgment and order of the Bombay High Court denying his release on bail even though challan had not been filed against him under 60 days, as provided in law, and the appellant had moved his application for offer of bail. |
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Where monsoon brings crime Sriganganagar, March 30 The Raziasar police station, which covers a majority of the 61 drought-hit villages, in this district is one such place where cops watch rain clouds apprehensively since their advent signals busy days ahead. It is also one of the most under-staffed police stations in the state with a staff of just 15 covering 45 villages spread over 100 sq km on either side of the Sriganganagar-Bikaner National Highway, nearly 100 km from the district headquarters. On one side is Surjansar, about 45 km away, while the farthest on the other side is Jaisa Bhatti, more than 55 km away. One is near the Sribijaynagar police station while the other is closer to the Rawatsar police station but for reasons unknown have been out under jurisdiction of Raziasar. Built with the contribution of the villagers with no grants from the government, this station was shortlisted under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) a few days ago and will be a model police station. All constables and head constables posted henceforth will be matriculates while ASIs and above will be graduates. In lighter vein, officials point to that fact that their "fortunes" are inevitably hitched to the rain gods. The registration of cases has seen a downfall during the past two drought years. While the number was 285 in 1998-99, the figure fell to 226 in 2000. The number is expected to be a record low this year too, an official opined. The reason: no fighting over land demarcations. While nobody cares for the vast barren lands in a drought year, a good rainfall changes everything. Pitched battles to usurp the areas covered with crop are a common occurrence. Being a rain-fed area, a green patch means the difference between living through the year with relative ease or fall back and let the others take it away. Serious injuries and even murders are not uncommon during a rainy spell, an official revealed. “Bumper harvest translates to killing time for some. Many a running feud have been settled with the assurance that the kin behind would have adequate money to get the accused out on bail,” an official commented. Reported cases include accidents on the national highway, besides those reported from the Suratgarh Super Thermal Power Plant, the Bidharwal Head and the Army’s Mahajan Exercise and Firing Ranges. The staff here say the workload is less, but covering the entire area is a nightmare. The problem is compounded by the shortage of personnel and the recurring drought for the third consecutive year. People living outside may not realise the problem, but merely reaching the villages following an incident is a problem in itself. The reason: sand dunes and non-existent roads. With only one vehicle — a ramshackle jeep — at their disposal, it is an impossible situation. They have to make do with walking large distances or are at the mercy of camel-drawn carts , that is if they can find any going in their direction. “Most of the time is spent in just reaching their destination even if they have to deliver court summons. A task which should not take a couple of hours takes the whole day. The situation during summers, when the mercury touches 50° C, is sheer torture,” laments an official. Although Sriganganagar and the adjacent Bikaner are well connected by canals, this area seems to be bereft of drinking water and people have to depend on rain water or from other sources. Villagers travel large distances just to bring drinking water. The crop sown in the hope of a good monsoon has withered away and whatever the people managed to save would barely be enough to subsist. However, the station is an important relay station and the wireless staff are busy. A majority of the messages from the higher authorities are relayed here for onward transmission to Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh district headquarters. Mr R. P. Singh, SP, said efforts were afoot to provide various amenities, besides providing additional staff. But a financial crunch was one of the major stumbling blocks, he added. |
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SC firm on March 31 deadline New Delhi, March 30 The government had sought a special sitting of the court to consider the plea which was declined by Chief Justice A.S. Anand, heading a three-judge Bench. “It is not possible to hear the application and the March 26 order which had set the deadline has to be complied with,” the Chief Justice observed. Under the order, those who fail to file the affidavit would not be able to ply their vehicles in the city from April 1. Additional Solicitor-General Kirit N. Raval, appearing on behalf of the Delhi Government, said it had already ordered about 2,800 new CNG buses, and orders for conversion of 350 buses had been placed with Nugas. In addition, orders had been placed for 9,000 three-wheelers from Bajaj Auto and for the conversion of 4,000 autos with authorised conversion agencies. Mr Raval said permits had been directed to be issued by transport commissioner Ashok Pradhan and issuance of such permits by one individual within the time prescribed would be impossible. Hence, Mr Pradhan might be permitted to authorise two other officers to issue such
permits. UNI |
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DTC gears up to face traffic crisis New Delhi, March 30 A senior DTC official said the
situation would be clear by tomorrow evening when details of the exact number of CNG buses registered in the Capital would be available. The DTC will have a meeting of senior officers of the department concerned tomorrow to review the situation and formulate a plan for route management. Traffic managers of the DTC would identify routes which would face a shortfall in the number of buses due to the non-registration of CNG buses and these routes would be covered by DTC buses, he said. |
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Scribe’s car stolen from Shastri Bhavan New Delhi, March 30 Since the vehicle bearing such parking levels are allowed inside the Parliament complex, the New Delhi police is taking no chance and are making allout efforts to trace the vehicle. The vehicle bearing registration number DL-3 CF 7175 was stolen from parking lot of Shastri Bhavan on March 22. The vehicle belonged to a scribe working with The Telegraph, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), R.S. Krishnia said. The police has launched a special drive to trace the vehicle. It has also informed police of other Delhi districts to trace the car. To prevent the misuse of the vehicle, the district police has informed the security officials posted at the Parliament House about the theft. The local police has also beefed up security in and around the parking lots adjoining important government vehicles and has been checking motorists. Two gates of Shastri Bhavan have been closed after seeing the sensitiveness of this incident. Personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force have been deployed in and around Shastri Bhawan to prevent such incident in the area, the DCP said. An official of the district police said that vehicle bearing parking stickers of Parliament could be used by militants to commit any untoward incident. |
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Non-bailable warrant
against Uma Hubli, March 30 Judicial Magistrate, First Class, Vipula Pujari passed the order yesterday regarding the case relating to violent incidents during the agitation for hoisting the National Flag at the controversial Idgah maidan here on August 15, 1994. The order said Uma Bharati was alleged to have instigated the people to hoist the National Flag at the disputed ground. It said summons and non-bailable warrants issued in the past had been returned to the court. Uma Bharati is the first in the list of 22 accused persons in the case. The Idgah maidan was at the centre of a controversy then following persistent futile attempts by the BJP as part of its agitation to hoist the National Flag but the issue was sorted out amicably a few years ago after a Muslim trust agreed to unfurl the flag itself.
PTI |
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GSLV relaunch by May likely New Delhi, March 30 The GSLV mission was aborted just a second before it was to liftoff as one the strap-engines failed to derive adequate thrust. Replying to questions after a press conference here on Friday, Dr Joshi said the failure in the launch of India’s first geo-synchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) from Sriharikota on Wednesday was “not a setback” to India’s scientific and technological capabilities. “There is nothing unusual about it. I am glad that our scientists were able to detect the snag well in time. It will take a few weeks for the defect to be rectified.” |
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India, Nepal discuss
bilateral ties New Delhi, March 30 Mr Bastola, who arrived here yesterday, held talks with Mr Jaswant on bilateral, regional and international issues, a spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs said. He said they reviewed all aspects of bilateral ties, particularly the implementation of decisions arrived at during the visit of Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to India last year. They noted that since then, Secretaries dealing with water and Foreign Secretaries have met, the
spokesman said, adding: “We anticipate that Home Secretaries and Commerce Secretaries of the two countries would meet as early as possible”. |
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Jaswant’s US trip next week New Delhi, March 30 Mr Jaswant Singh, who would arrive in Copenhagen on April 2, would discuss with Danish Foreign Minister Mogens Lykketoft bilateral, regional and international issues, a spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs said, adding that the External Affairs Minister would also call on Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmessen. From Copenhagen, he would proceed to Swedish capital Stockholm, where India-EU troika talks are scheduled to be held on April 4. While Mr Jaswant Singh would lead the Indian delegation at the talks, Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh would represent the EU Presidency. An Indo-EU summit was held for the first time in June last year in Lisbon which was attended by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. |
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Bodo leaders meet Advani New Delhi, March 30 BLT leaders — Vice Chairman Kamal Muchahary and Publicity Secretary Mainao Daimary — who held a 30-minute meeting with the Home Minister though expressed happiness over the steady progress in the talks, indicated that any agreement on the greater autonomy issue is “mostly unlikely” before the Assembly elections. |
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CBI gets nod to prosecute Laloo Patna, March 30 |
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Report on
Yadav sought New Delhi, March 30
Bagasse worth 8 cr
destroyed in fire Bangalore, March 30 The Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Mr M.D. Singh, said the blaze spread rapidly because of strong winds in the area. He said there was no damage to the company.
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