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Sunday,
September 16, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Call to join hands against terrorism
‘Keep Pak-Taliban nexus in mind’ |
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CBI to set up core group on terrorism Singhal: Don’t allow India to become battlefield Student thrashed
for speaking against Laden India may have to hike petrol price
SC rejects Jaya’s plea on early hearing VHP to intensify temple movement Karnataka's no on Cauvery
waters Dunes give way to greenery MC Chairperson loses no-confidence vote
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Call to join hands against terrorism New Delhi, September 15 Condemning the strikes, the Ambassador of Japan, Hiroshi Hirabayashi said that 23 Japanese were still reported missing in the attack besides death of two in the hijacked planes. Recounting experiences of his country, the Ambassador for Japan expressed sympathies with condolences to the members of the families who had lost their kin in attacks. The Japanese Ambassador condemned the ongoing terrorist activities in the Jammu and Kashmir and said that India and his country were in the same frame of mind on the issue today. Former Foreign Secretary, Mr S.K. Singh deplored Pakistan for strategic expansion of territories and the assistance it was getting from Taliban for it. Resident Director of United Nations in India, Feodor Starvevic described the recent attacks in the USA as an act of war in one of the most internationally advance cities of the world. Mr Starvevic said that terrorism could have no just cause for it itself destroys the cause which espoused. Tolerating for terrorism, he added, was the greatest support and called for all possible measures to contain it without further delays. AIATF Chairman M.S. Bitta wondered that terrorism had spread all over the world and demonstrated the havoc it was capable of playing nations like the USA. Mr Bitta called upon all nations to join hands for fighting this menace and deplored celebrations witnessed in parts of the world. The AIATF Chief said that terrorism flourished because politicians patronised it for the sake of power and vote bank unconcerned of its long repercussions on the society. Mr Bitta observed that Pakistan and Afghanistan today have been caught in the web of their own misdeeds. |
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Children question futility of
war New Delhi, September 15 Displaying peace notes and placards bearing slogans as “We wish to live in hope, not in fear”, children from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Delhi backed the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude (SAACS) in its pledge to make the world free of violence, hatred, terror and fear. The little messengers of peace also kept a candlelight vigil in memory of those who lost their lives in Tuesday’s terrorist strikes in the USA. Mr Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson of SAACS said that he proposes to write to world leaders to set up a special fund to safeguard the future of children rendered homeless by terrorism and war. “We are proposing that one of the UN agencies co ordinate this kind of effort. We will appeal to the Prime Minister to take the lead because India has the largest number of destitute children who are victims of terrorism.” Mr Satyarthi said that the objective of bringing children together was to remind the society that they were always the worst victims of war, terrorism and carnage and left to fend for themselves. “The idea is to bring the question of children to the centrestage of discussion on terrorism and war. We must resist the temptation of tackling violence with violence,” he said. He said that a survey carried out by SAACS on the impact of Kargil war on children showed that children suffered indelible psychological scars. “Shocked and traumatised, children living in border areas complained of sleeplessness and anxiety. They carry feelings of agony, revenge and hatred for the rest of their lives.” Children from Ludhiana who lost their parents in terrorist attacks told The Tribune that they were not in favour of war as a solution to the
strife. Prince Khanna, (14) of Chander Nagar, Ludhiana recalls with horror the day in 1992 when his father, a hawker, was gunned down by militants. Although his elder brother works as a plumber and the family gets a monthly pension of Rs 2500, it is not enough to make both ends meet. Prince has two sisters, one of whom is married. His mother, Pawan says that getting pension is not easy. “ It sometimes takes two to three months before the pension is cleared. The authorities in the SDM office are rude and address me as ‘Widhwa’ (Widow),” she said. Neeraj Kumar, (15) from Punjab supports his family by selling candies in Meena Bazar, Ludhiana. Having lost his father in a terrorist attack in Badhawar, Neeraj shudders at the thought of the future of children orphaned by terrorist strikes in the USA. |
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‘Keep Pak-Taliban nexus in mind’ New Delhi, September 15 “The security scenario in this part of the world cannot disregard the fact that over the last decade or more, the Taliban and Pakistan have been working in tandem to promote terrorism and have openly given refuge and asylum to those who have been indulging in terrorism,” Union Home Minister L.K. Advani told newspersons on the sidelines of the 30th Annual Training Conference of the Border Security Force (BSF) here. “Any strategy (to counter terrorism) should take this factor into account,” the Home Minister said. The US Administration and the people know that the Taliban and terrorist leader Osama bin Laden were guilty of Tuesday’s tragedy that befell the Americans, he said, adding that Bin Laden was the hero of the Pak-sponsored terrorists who had been perpetrating violence in Jammu and Kashmir for the past 10 years. “The photographs of the dreaded terrorist had been found in the pockets of several infiltrators gunned down by Indian security forces,” Mr Advani said. Referring to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s controversial remarks equating terrorism with freedom struggle, he said, “Those who want to understand terrorism must reject such theories that what is terrorism for one person can be a freedom struggle for another... That’s what we heard at Agra.” Asked about his meeting with US Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill last evening, Mr Advani said, “he was extremely grateful to India’s offer of cooperation and he was particularly wanting that we widen our interaction in the field of intelligence.” Earlier, addressing BSF officers, he said though New York and Washington, where the terrorists struck on Septemeber 11, may be far away, the South Asian region was going to be the most affected in the coming days. “What shape it (the ongoing crisis) will take finally, I cannot say, but we would have to face the challenge of the new scenario,” Mr Advani said. The Home Minister said the latest developments had vindicated India’s consistent stand that terrorism was a threat to world peace and civil society. The killing of innocent people in itself was not terrorism as it happened during World War II, he said, adding that terrorism was “deliberate killing, maiming and menacing of innocent citizens to achieve political goals...It is a war in which you do not know the enemy.” The NDA government, he said, had been trying to mobilise world opinion against terrorism and the country’s efforts had been “reinforced” by the happenings of September 11 in a “manner never imagined.” |
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CBI to set up core group on terrorism New Delhi, September 15 This was decided at a meeting of senior CBI officials at the agency’s headquarters here, chaired by its Acting Director P.C. Sharma, CBI spokesman S.M. Khan said here. The core group would be constituted tomorrow, he said. The CBI had vast experience of investigating terrorist attacks and crimes including the Bombay serial blasts in 1993, various explosions in Jammu and Kashmir, North-East, Punjab and other terrorism-related crimes, he said. The senior officers observed that the agency could also provide help to other law-enforcing agencies in various ways in preventing such crimes. |
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Singhal: Don’t allow India to become battlefield Hubli, September 15 Talking to newsmen here, he said though India could extend its wholehearted support to the USA and other countries to launch a campaign against terrorism, the country should not allow itself to become a battlefield. Welcoming the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s stand on the US terrorist attacks, he said it was time for all countries opposing jihad to stand united and fight it. The 100 crore Hindus would support it. Strongly condemning the terrorist attack on the US, he said the growing terrorist activities should be curbed at any cost. He was however, evasive when asked about the bonafides of the USA in taking a lead in combating terrorism as it had encouraged it earlier.
UNI |
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Student thrashed
for speaking against Laden Suri (WB), September 15 The teacher got so infuriated on hearing the student, Koushik Dey’s remarks against Laden yesterday that he pounced on him and thrashed him in a high school in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, they said.
PTI |
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India may have to hike petrol price New Delhi, September 15 The brave front put up by the Government immediately after the terror attacks in the USA is only a temporary phenomenon as sustained high in the oil prices in the international market is bound to break the back of the domestic oil economy, a senior official of a State-owned oil company said. India decided to dismantle the administered price mechanism of petroleum products like petrol from April 2001 and is in a hurry to wind up the oil pool account. With increased price deficit in the oil pool account has been rising and there are estimates that it could cross Rs 15,000 crore by the financial year end in March 2002. According to the Petroleum Ministry, every one dollar increase in the price of a barrel of crude oil is expected to shoot up India’s oil pool deficit by Rs 500 crore on annual basis. Petroleum Minister Ram Naik has said that in the remaining months the impact on the oil pool deficit was estimated to be around Rs 200 crore per month for every dollar hike. The Ministry is also under pressure from the oil companies which want their dues to be cleared. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, the Indian Oil Corporation and other companies have sought an early clearance of the dues as they want to restructure before the market becomes a “free for all” from the next financial year. The ONGC has sought international prices for the crude oil produced by it to raise resources for its expansion and restructuring programme. The Government has been paying much less to the ONGC for every barrel of crude oil produced by it. Indian Oil too has been struggling to raise resources for expansion plans and has been pressurising the Ministry to clear its dues. With the elections to several State assemblies due next year, the Government was finding it difficult to take unpopular decisions. However, with the recent attacks in the USA and the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee calling for tightening the belt, it is expected that the bitter pill may be pushed down consumers’ throats in the name of the US war. As of today, officials said they were closely monitoring the international oil scenario. Meetings were being held on a daily basis to review international market prices. India has about one month’s petroleum product inventory and crude oil supply contracts have been firmed up by Indian Oil Corporation, the canalising agency for oil imports, till November. India imports 70 per cent of its oil requirements and oil price fluctuations have a major impact on its economy. |
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SC rejects Jaya’s plea on early hearing New Delhi, September 15 A three-Judge Bench comprising Mr Justice S.P. Bharucha, Mr Justice Brijesh Kumar and Mr Justice Ashok Bhan dismissed her application seeking modification of September 7 order of the apex court transferring the appeals to a new Judge in the High Court to start hearing them afresh not before October 1. “Raising the same plea for the second time is not on,” the Bench said, dismissing the application through which the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had sought advancement of the hearing date from October 1 to September 25. Ms Jayalalitha, in her application submitted that her tenure as Chief Minister would end on November 13 as she was not an MLA and that she had to get elected to the Assembly before that if she had to continue. She pointed out that in the Pleasant Stay Hotel case her sentence was only for one year, indicating that this did not disqualify her from contesting elections as the law for disqualification provided for sentence of more than two years.
PTI
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VHP to intensify temple movement New Delhi, September 15 The “jalabhishek” programme would formally commence at the historic Gauri Shankar temple in the Capital’s Chandni Chowk area in the presence of senior religious leaders led by Jagadguru Ramanujacharya Vasudevacharya and would continue till October 16, VHP senior vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore told reporters here. Asserting that the Sangh Parivar outfit had no plans to suspend the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in view of the terror strikes in the USA and consequent developments, Mr Kishore said the “jalabhishek” would be followed by a 65-day-long “Ram naam jaap yagya” (chanting of Ram’s name) across the country, beginning November 18. Over 10,000 ‘siddha kshetras’ (holy places) would be chosen for the ‘yagya’, he said, adding that it would be followed by a ‘chetavani yatra’ (warning march) of religious leaders from Ayodhya to Delhi beginning January 20. “No power on the earth would be able to stop the reconstruction of the temple,” Mr Kishore asserted.
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Karnataka's no on Cauvery waters New Delhi, September 15 The delegation, led by Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, met Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee for 45 minutes while it held a 30-minute discussion with President K.R. Narayanan. The delegation is in response to a similar exercise by Tamil Nadu. Briefing mediapersons after meeting the Prime Minister at his residence, Mr Krishna said while his state was very sympathetic to the needs of Tamil Nadu farmers, it could not be oblivious to the requirements of its own.
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Dunes give way to greenery Raziasar, September 15 The three districts — once known to have the most arid expanses after the deserts in Africa — are presently home to productive farmland. It is the success story of the ingenuity of man — the lift canal system — aided by the waters of the Sutlej and Beas, which has resulted in the greening of the dunes. Water now flows freely where vast green expenses were a mirage. Cultivation was unheard of and the people moved from place to place in search of water. But now water is pumped up to many feet into a network of canals built at a higher elevation in accordance with the terrain. Such a technique has reportedly not been tried even by the water harvesting savvy people like the Israelis. The enormity of the project can be gauged from the fact that the length of the canal from the Harike barrage in Punjab to the southernmost tip in Jaisalmer is 649 km. Sources stated that after the death of Indira Gandhi, the name of Rajasthan canal was changed to the present day Indira Gandhi Nehar Pariyojna. The pumping stations, located a distance of 30-40 km from each other are at Raziasar, Malkisar, Khag and Husansar. The length of the canal is about 150 km and serves the irrigation and drinking water needs of Raziasar, Lunkaransar, Mahajan, Arjansar, Pamnawali, Bikaner, besides 210 villages in the countryside. At the Raziasar pumping station, the first of the many along the way, it is a real treat to watch powerful motors pump water, 245 cusecs of water everyday, to another canal constructed at height of 58 feet. It is pertinent to mention here that places in Bikaner are about 250 feet higher than the Birdhwal head in Sriganganagar, the place from where the canal water is pumped. Huge 500 hp and 900 hp motors run round-the-clock to pump water. Employees revealed that they have been running continuously for many years since any fault could mean damage to the canals where a certain amount of water has to flow all the time. A separate power supply line supplies electricity to a grid. The surroundings have trees and other plants since the temperature of the station has to be lowered to protect the motors. A staff of 25 to 30 persons work in shifts to man the station. A failure of one station could mean the end of the canal, they pointed out. The only time the stations cease to function are when some major maintenance work is in progress. Otherwise, the motors run round-the-clock. So far the stations have never failed once in 25 years. Work on the Sahwa lift canal project is currently underway in Hanumangarh. Once completed, it will meet the irrigation and drinking water needs of Churu district. Similarly, work on Gajner lift canal scheme and the Bangarsar scheme is also going on. Work on six pumping stations of the Kolayat scheme is in full swing near Bajju. Work on eight pumping stations is underway, which once completed will meet the needs of the people of Falodi and Pokharan tehsils of Jodhpur. Sources said all schemes would in all likelihood be completed by 2002 and green the arid areas of the three districts. Roads were first constructed in these areas since carrying material for the canals would have been impossible. Hence, a fine road was constructed from Birdhwal head to the end of the last canal in
faraway border district of Jaisalmer. For people of these places the construction of the network of canals are a life-line and is nothing short of a miracle. |
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MC Chairperson loses no-confidence vote Hanumangarh, September 15 It may be recalled that on August 22, the opposition BJP councillors along with dissidents of the ruling Congress had met the District Collector regarding the no-confidence motion against the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairman. Following it, the District Collector had fixed September 14 for a debate on the no-confidence motion against the Chairperson and September 15, against the Vice-Chairman. The debate on the motion against the Chairperson started at 11 a.m. yesterday. During the debate the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairman highlighted their achievements in the 23-month rule of their party. The Chairperson said the Opposition had stalled the budget proceedings. On this, the BJP MLA of the area, Dr Ram Partap, said if the Congress counted to pass the budget the Chairperson should have approached him and he surely would have directed his party workers in this connection. After one-and-a-half-hour debate, the Opposition demanded voting over the motion to which the ruling party councillors agreed.
Twentyeight members, including the MLA and Congress dissidents, cast vote in favour of the motion and the motion was passed by a margin of 28-13. The motion was passed by show of hands. The SDM was appointed the returning officer. From the ruling group, only the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairman took part in the debate, while 11 members of their group remained absent from the voting, whose vote, according to rules, is considered in favour of the Chairperson. Probably, it was the first instance in the history of the state that an MLA cast his vote in the no-confidence motion brought on the floor of Municipal Council. The vote proved crucial as it took the tally of total number of votes cast in favour of the motion to 28, the number required to pass the motion. Meanwhile, the motion brought against the Vice-Chairman was defeated today, as Opposition councillors did not turn up for voting. The Vice-Chairman, Mr Yadvendra Sharma, would act as the Chairman for a maximum term of six months and before or after the completion of this term the elections to the Municipal Council would be held. |
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