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August 6, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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CPM seeks Sinha’s resignation Bhatnagar’s death
‘not’ to affect Bofors case Army to have Infantry Combat Vehicle Warrant
against Dilip Kumar stayed till Aug 9 45 lost sight at eye camps in Gujarat Five
injured as DTC bus catches fire |
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Joshi drinks acidic water, taken ill PAK HINDUS-III Fasting employee takes pesticide Approver to be examined in
Gulshan case
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CPM seeks Sinha’s resignation New Delhi, August 5 Addressing a press conference here, CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury alleged that over Rs 2 lakh crore worth of public money had been “looted” since February, 2000, through the “nexus” between financial institutions like the UTI and market manipulators. The CPM leader said that in the latest scam, “the UTI is alleged to have collaborated with market manipulators” and that “out of the 1,426 companies the UTI invested in, only 81 have shown appreciation and 654 are non-traceable or not tradeable.” “That the collaboration was substantive is proven by the fact that the proposed merger of Global Trust Bank with UTI Bank had to be abandoned,” Mr Yechury said. After the scam, the government was trying to bail out institutions like Madhavpura Bank, and the IFCI, “through the taxpayers’ money which these companies had looted earlier with the help of speculators,” Mr Yechury said. The volatility of the Indian stock markets was much more than that of leading global markets like the New York Stock Exchange or the London Stock Exchange as the financial system was created to assist the “hijacking of entire savings of the society and handing it over to speculators,” he said. “It is now clear that Mauritius is emerging as a vital hub in the speculative activities in the Indian stock markets and the Finance Minister is an active accomplice,” he said. He claimed that there was “clear evidence” that alleged scamster Ketan Parekh used certain overseas corporate bodies — Brentfield Holding, Kensington Investments, Wakefield Holdings, European Investments and Far East Investments — located in Mauritius “to siphon off funds out of the country.” Mr Yechury said the net difference between the inflows and outflows during the past year through these companies was “to the order of Rs 2,900 crore,” while the paid-up capital of these companies put together was “a paltry total of $ 16,720 US”. He wanted the Finance Minister to clarify whether the political establishment played a role in reversing the UTI’s decisions to invest in ventures of scam accused, Johri brothers, “as they were key RSS functionaries” and owned the Cyberspace Technologies in which the UTI had invested. He also suggested that the government must impose a minimal transaction, tax on all stock exchange transactions, which would amount to crores of rupees and could be utilised for bailing out these companies. He said that if need be, the terms of reference of the Joint Parliamentary Committee probing into the share market scam, now entrusted to probe the UTI muddle also should be adequately modified so that it can summon the “high and mighty, including those in the Prime Minister’s Office” for questioning. |
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Bhatnagar’s death
‘not’ to affect Bofors case New Delhi, August 5 Bhatnagar, who died here last night, was the Defence Secretary when the Rs 1,437-crore gun deal was signed between the government and Swedish company A.B. Bofors. Subsequently, he found himself in the dock as an accused. CBI spokesman S.M. Khan said his (Bhatnagar) death would have no effect on the trial except that the case against him would not be pursued. Bhatnagar had approached Delhi court, challenging the separation of his trial from that of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrochi and former Bofors chief Martin Ardbo. A special court here had ordered separate trial of Bhatnagar, three Hinduja brothers, former Bofors agent Win Chadha and A.B. Bofors company from that of Quattrochi and Ardbo on May 25.
PTI |
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Army to have Infantry Combat Vehicle Mumbai, August 5 The design work for the technology demonstrator of Abhay has been completed and the fabrication of hull and turret for the first mild steel prototype is under progress, according to an annual report of the Defence Ministry. A series of several other new creations of the Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) are in the pipeline. The newer weaponry to join the arsenal of the three services includes the first airborne sonar and an advanced experimental torpedo. The first airborne sonar, Mihir, has successfully completed all aspects of user evaluation except the active track function. Sea evaluation of the Light Weight Torpedo
(LWT), the Advanced Experimental Torpedo (AET), which could be launched from ship and helicopter for anti-submarine warfare, has been completed. Five designed and engineered models of the
AET, under fabrication by Bharat Dynamics Ltd at Hyderabad, would be subjected to further trials before entering the production phase. The electronic warfare (EW) programme ‘Samyukta’ for the Army, the core system demonstration of communication segment, is in final stage, the report stated. Of the five
EW systems envisaged under the Sangraha programme for the Navy, one system has been fully flight tested on two airborne platforms and another system has been installed on an on-board surface platform. A war game software package at an Infantry division level, Sangram, has been developed and is under test at user premises. Technology for the manufacture of Low-Vulnerability Ammunition gun propellant based on cellulose acetate and fine
RDX as main ingredients, has been developed indigenously. The report said the bulk production for various nuclear-biological-chemical
(NBC) protection systems such as integrated field tester, small and large respirator, leak tester and integrated hood mask has been initiated.
UNI |
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Warrant
against Dilip Kumar stayed till Aug 9 Nashik, August 5 The non-bailable warrant was issued yesterday as Dilip Kumar did not turn up in the court despite six summons. Chief Judicial Magistrate S.V. Deshpande, who ordered the issuance of the warrant, however stayed his order on a plea made by Kumar’s advocate M.Y Kale late last evening. A widow, Meerabai Borate, had filed a case in the district court on May 14 this year, alleging that Dilip Kumar in collusion with his brother Ehsan Khan and two others, had grabbed 19 acres of land belonging to her freedom fighter husband Shivram Borate on a token payment of Rs 3,000 after making a provisional agreement in 1964. However, Dilip Kumar had not completed the legal formalities of a final agreement and had grabbed the said land, she alleged. She also alleged that the actor, had in connivance with a local circle officer Ratnakar Shirsath and Talati Sukhdeo Tajanpure got the land registered in his name and later transferred the same in his brother Ehsan’s name.
UNI |
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45 lost sight at eye camps in Gujarat Ahmedabad, August 5 Neither a police case has been lodged nor has any victim been paid compensation, even as poor and illiterate people continue to flock to these eye camps little realising the possible consequences. Loss of vision to various degrees of at least 33 elderly citizens here last month has come as an eye opener regarding the mass operations at various eye camps and eye hospitals, run by voluntary organisations in the state. The state government’s probe report in to the matter is likely to be submitted this month. This was not an isolated case and if government sources are to be believed, more than 1500 eye surgery camps are organised every year in Gujarat. Lakhs of people undergo cataract surgery at these camps. According to an official report, more than 1.2 lakh cataract operations were carried out at such camps in the state during the past one year. Out of these, 12 persons lost their sight completely after operations. Noted city-based ophthalmologist Dr Parimal Desai, who is also vice-president of the Gujarat Ophthalmic Society, said conducting so many eye-camps under the guise of helping the poor, without observing a minimum level of sanitation, amounted to gross violation of human rights of the poor. “In most of the eye-camps and voluntary organisations-run eye hospitals no proper sterilisation procedure was followed properly,” alleged Dr Desai, who had himself been present at many eye camps.
UNI |
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Five
injured as DTC bus catches fire New Delhi, August 5 It was the first incident of its kind since the launch of the CNG buses in the Capital. Three of the injured, including a woman, were admitted to Safdarjung Hospital while two were rushed to Aggarsen Hospital. The victims were discharged following first aid, police said. The bus (DL1P-B-1192), route number 926, was plying between Tikri border and Fatehpuri. When the engine caught fire, it was going towards Fatehpuri. When it reached Punjabi Bagh, people noticed the fire. The driver stopped the bus and all passengers alighted from it. However, five of them received minor injuries. By the time fire tenders reached the spot, the bus was completely burnt, the police said. |
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Joshi drinks acidic water, taken ill
Kancheepuram, August 5 Dr Joshi vomited twice and also developed giddiness after drinking the chemical. He was speaking at the function to mark the 10th anniversary of Sankara Arts College at Eenathur, a few km from here. BJP state headquarters in Chennai said Dr Joshi was examined by a panel of doctors at the government guest house in Kancheepuram and his condition was stable. He was administered glucose. Dr Joshi was being brought to Chennai to be admitted to Sri Ramachandra Medical College Hospital tonight for further treatment.
UNI |
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PAK HINDUS-III Kaalian, August 5 Elders said their forefathers migrated mostly from the present day of Barmer and Jaisalmer districts during the great Rajasthan famine of 1901-02 and settled down in Pakistan because of the fertile land and the prosperity, it entailed. Things went on well till partition, but the rise of religious fundamentalism afterwards ensured that their days in Pakistan were numbered. Migration started in earnest after the 1971 war when the community was ruthlessly hounded by the mullahs and the successive military regimes. Hundreds of Hindus were forced to convert. Except for a sizeable Hindu population in Sindh, there are few members of the community left in other provinces today. The old timers told this correspondent that they had been fulfilling every condition under the Citizenship Act, 1955, for the past 25-30 years. Most of the bulky files shown by them run into more than 200-300 pages. In case of a complication, the number of pages in the forms of affidavits and police reports are even more. They are intrigued by the condition that they should get their passports validated from Pakistan. “It is a cumbersome procedure and in many cases the Pakistan Government refuses to validate our documents because of our long absence from the country. Other clauses, in the form of sworn affidavits, stipulate that they cannot submit representations, form or join a political party or a forum for redressal of their grievances. Besides, every member has to produce a guarantor who has to give in writing that he will pay Rs 50,000 in case the migrant indulges in any mischief. Although temporary permits had been given to us, they had no legal standing. Besides, we could not travel in the country freely and had to remain confined to the earmarked areas, they said. Elders recall that during their efforts to prove that they had roots in this border district, they have come across old ‘bahis’ (account ledgers) of money-lenders and zamindars which bear their forefathers’ names. Similar records have been found with the ‘pandas’ at Hardwar where cremations were performed in old days. Many families had left their arid lands then, but now find that the land has been encroached upon by influential people. We were economically not strong enough to initiate legal proceedings. Even if we did so, we were barred from owning property in India, they said. Interestingly, many rich and influential Hindus who migrated from Pakistan and settled down in Mumbai have been able to secure citizenship after staying there for five years. “Why this discrimination against poor people like us staying in Rajasthan?”, they questioned. That they are caught in a Catch-22 situation can be gauged from the incident narrated by a migrant who recently returned from Pakistan after attending the marriage of a relative. “I was held up for questioning and the interrogators repeatedly alleged that I was a spy from India. The intervention of some influential persons saved me,” he said. He commented in a spirit of resignation that it was nothing but their misfortune that they were labelled as Pakistani spies while in India and vice versa. “All this for no fault of ours”, he added. The only silver lining for them now comes in the form of a directive from the Centre to the state government to initiate steps for granting them the much-awaited citizenship. But the community is cynical about the move and elders commented that they would count their blessings when they were finally Indians
officially. Concluded |
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Fasting employee takes pesticide Pondicherry, August 5 The employee, Arumugham, a heart patient, consumed pesticides. He was immediately taken to the nearby Government General Hospital and was stated to be in a serious condition. Meanwhile, the Pondicherry unit of the NDA criticised the Congress-led government for its reluctance to invite the fasting employees for a
discussion. UNI |
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Approver to be examined in
Gulshan case Mumbai, August 5 Mohammed Ali is all set to step into box after three days for a thorough examination-in-chief to be conducted by special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.
PTI |
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