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Thursday,
February 14, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Panel on
madrasas gets extension Original
IA hijack documents arrive CCS meets
on Omar Sheikh’s deportation Advani’s
security beefed up Strike by
MP Govt staff Arunachal
Annual Plan outlay fixed at 676 crore |
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UNDP may
hike aid to India DD
ex-Controller convicted, fined
Advantage
BJP in Uttaranchal
Jaswantnagar:
‘pocketborough’ of Mulayam Singh Yadav Graphic: Polling today HC
reserves order on Andipatti byelection Uttaranchal’s
maiden Assembly poll today Triangular
contest in Bharthana
BJP
suffers jolt in Nagpur Tough
going for Maneka’s party in Pilibhit Manipur Speaker’s car set ablaze Order to arrest 17 polling officers
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Panel on
madrasas gets extension Kolkata, February 13 The extension, the second time in succession, is significant in the wake of the prevailing madrasa controversy following Mr Bhattacharjee’s recent remarks on madrasa vis-a-vis ISI activities which put the CPM in the dock in the Bengal politics. The committee set up on March 3 last year with an 11-point terms of references to deal with the problems of state’s madrasa education, had been given a six months time at the time of formation for submitting its final report. But on August 5, the committee was allowed a six-month extension. And now again, another four months’ extension has been granted. The committee has not submitted any report, the Chief Minister conveyed to the Home Minister, Mr L.K.Advani, when he inquired about the report after the publication of certain parts of the committee’s findings and recommendations in The Tribune on February 8. The committee’s member secretary, Dr Samsul Alam, also said they were hoping to submit the final report within the stipulated time. He added that the committee had been keeping the government informed about the progress of the inquiry. However, according to reports, Dr Alam had sent an interim report to the government with a prayer for allowing them another six months time for finalising the report. The Tribune carried certain parts of the report. Dr Alam’s request was granted with an extension of four months time. The Chairman of the state Madrasa Board, Dr Abdus Sattar, who is also member of the committee, said a similar committee headed by Md Mustafha bin Kasim which was formed in September,1982, had recently submitted its report. The committee also dealt elaborately with the problems of madrasa education. Dr Sattar said they were now dealing with the broader perspectives of the problems of madrasa education vis-a-vis its social and economic status. He admitted there were reports of communal and criminal activities in certain madrasas which should be rooted out immediately. He said they were now considering certain steps for solving the problems which the madrasas were now facing. These steps include preparing proper guidelines for granting recognition to unauthorised madrasas, revamping of the madrasa board at the district levels, removal of corruption and communal practices in madrasas, bringing in the all madrasas in the main stream of education and sharing of larger funds for the improvement of madrasa education at par with the school education. Dr Sattar admitted there had been mushroom growth of madrasas, especially, in the border districts which had been ignoring the existence of the Madrasa Board. He alleged that most of the madrasas were not even following the specified syllabi and curriculum of the Board, which could not be allowed. The six-member Kidwai committee includes Dr Abdus Sattar, president, State Madrasa Board, Dr Samsul Alam, member secretary, Md Rifautullah, director, Scert, Principal, Dr Kamaruzzaman (Basirhat College) and Prof Rahatullah ( Calcutta university) as members. |
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Original
IA hijack documents arrive
New Delhi, February 13 The Nepal Embassy informed the CBI about the arrival of original documents and assured of their submission during the next hearing of the case at a court in Patiala, CBI sources said here. The documents include detailed examination report of hotel staff where the five hijackers had stayed, besides examination of owners of public call offices from where the calls were made by the hijackers to Mumbai, Karachi and other places in Pakistan. The documents also give a detailed printout of the calls made by the five hijackers — Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter Sayed and Shakir — to their contacts Yusuf Azhar and Abdul Rauf in Karachi. Azhar and Rauf are believed to be key conspirators behind the hijacking of the plane from Kathmandu to Kandahar in south Afghanistan on December 24. India has already secured a Red Corner notice against the seven believed to be in Pakistan. They said the agency had managed to get the certified copies of the documents earlier but the original set could help in projecting the case of the CBI much better before the world community about the five hijackers and two of their accomplices.
PTI |
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CCS meets on Omar Sheikh’s deportation New Delhi, February 13 The government may decide to use the January 22 Kolkata shootout case as a handle against Sheikh as investigators on the trail of Aftab Ansari have uncovered a lot of evidence, including e-mails and telephone calls, incriminating Sheikh too, well-placed sources here disclosed. Union Home Minister L.K. Advani, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and top officials of Central agencies attended the meeting, which was presided over by Mr Vajpayee. The Vajpayee government is in a bind on the issue of deportation of Sheikh from Pakistan to India despite the fact that he is believed to be the current deputy head of the banned militant outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). Well placed sources here enumerated three difficulties in demanding Sheikh’s deportation: 1. No charges are existing against Sheikh as of today since all charges were dropped when he was released from jail and swapped in Kandahar with the hijacked passengers and crew of Indian Airlines’ IC 814. 2. His name does not figure in the List of 20 criminals and terrorists handed over by India to Pakistan. 3. There is no documentary evidence of his involvement in the December 13 terrorist attack on Indian Parliament which has put the government on a mode of diplomatic offensive against Pakistan. Sources, however, asserted that the government was going to keep up the pressure on Pakistan for deportation of Sheikh to India. |
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Advani’s security beefed up
New Delhi, February 13 A fresh circular issued by a top intelligence official to the police chiefs of the two states advised for stricter security system during the election campaign of Mr Advani following the intercept suggesting that Al-Furkan (new name of Jaish-e-Mohammed) along with some underworld people would target him during poll rallies, informed sources said here. The Sources said the note also indicated that some henchmen of the underworld, along with some militants, had managed to sneak into the two states from Nepal. Mr Advani’s security had already been beefed up amidst reports that ISI sponsored militant outfits planned to target him. The sources said that ISI and the militant outfits had also used the services of some disgruntled people residing in the Indo-Nepal border areas to provide logistic support during the operation.
PTI |
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Strike by MP Govt staff Bhopal, February 13 Chief Secretary P.K.Mehrotra had called leaders of the employees’ unions yesterday for a last-minute patch-up but the talks failed. The state government then directed all Collectors to take drastic action against the striking employees those participating in the strike could even face a break in their service. The employees had taken mass casual leave on January 31 for which the employees might lose one day’s salary. An official of the General Administration Department said the government had not sanctioned leave to the employees for January 31. |
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Arunachal
Annual Plan outlay fixed at 676 crore New Delhi, February 13 The core plan size was decided at a meeting between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K.C. Pant and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Mukut Mithi here. Mr Mithi briefed the commission on the initiatives taken by the state on fiscal reforms and mobilisation of its own resources. He said the government had plans to impose user charges on government housing, levy property tax and increase timber royalties. The process of downsizing the government, reduction of subsidies and cut in administrative expenditure were also in the pipeline. Measures were being taken to reduce time and cost overruns of ongoing projects and schemes. The Chief Minister said electricity tariff had been doubled, bus fare hiked and sales tax imposed as part of the ongoing reforms. Mr Pant said the state should promote eco and adventure tourism and create non-traditional employment opportunities in the rural areas. The state had to develop a coherent private sector to place it on the tourist map of India. The state had congenial conditions for development of horticulture.
UNI |
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UNDP may hike aid to India New Delhi, February 13 UN Assistant Secretary-General Hariz Pasha told newspersons after meeting the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Mr K.C.Pant that the assistance for the tenth Plan would be more than the $ 150 million (around Rs 720 crore) sanctioned for the current plan. He however, did not specify the new
amount. |
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DD ex-Controller convicted, fined New Delhi, February 13 Special Judge R.K. Gauba said Satish Chandra Garg was found guilty of offences under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act during his tenure from 1983 to 1986. He had been found guilty of possessing assets worth Rs 2.69 lakh disproportionate to his known sources of income, Mr Gauba added. In case of default in payment of fine, the convict would undergo a further one year rigorous imprisonment, the order said. The CBI had raided his residential and official premises on March 19, 1986, and found total assets worth Rs 6,46,438, including a DDA SFS flat in South Delhi. The investigating agency had filed the chargesheet in the court on
February 28, 1989.
UNI |
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Gen Myers to arrive on Feb 17 New Delhi, February 13 |
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Jaswantnagar: ‘pocketborough’ of Mulayam Singh Yadav Etawah (UP), February 13 Sainfai has everything what one normally expects in a town and beyond that too. The road to Mainpuri from Etawah, as soon as it approaches Sainfai, starts getting broader and smooth. Thanks to its son, who has been three times Chief Minister of UP and the country’s Defence Minister, Sainfai has an airstrip, a modern well-equipped sports stadium, 33 KV power substation for uninterrupted electric supply, a five-star inspection bungalow, a cooperative bank, a police station, tehsil headquarters and telecommunication facilities. An intermediate college named after the living legend Amtibah Bachchan disturbs many as schools, colleges and even roads are named after people who have died as per local custom and tradition but then why should Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav follow them, commented a local resident. If Etawah could have a stadium like this, it could possibly be put to better use, observed a local journalist. Barring wrestling matches held with fanfare, the stadium remained idle thus depriving the sports lovers of the district some national or international level competition, he said. The narration about this village would not be complete without describing the fortress like native residence of the socialist leader. The house, built over an area of not less than 2000 sq m, has a pond which is illuminated at night. Those who have seen the house from within vouch that it is equipped with all modern facilities. With an impressive gate, the house is looked after by Gram Pradhan Ranvir Singh Yadav, who is the nephew of Mr Yadav. Sainfai, falling under Jaswantnagar Assembly seat in Etawah parliamentary constituency, is sure to elect the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Shivpal Yadav who is the younger brother of the SP supremo. Travelling through the constituency of over two lakh eletorate shows that opposition to the SP appears to be non-existant as the entire stretch of about 18 km road from Etawah to Sainfai is decorated with SP flags, posters and banners. The SP election symbol, a cycle, can be seen everywhere. While it is true that Sainfai has succeeded in cornering the largest chunk of developmental cake in not only this Assembly constituency but in the Etawah and neighbouring Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency as well, under-development in other parts of Jaswantnagar surprisingly does not have fallout for the SP candidate. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an SP follower told TNS that while the party MPs and MLAs were expected to contribute to the development of Sainfai from their respective area development funds, the local population whose land came to be acquired by the state for raising the status of this hamlet to Tehsil level was paid compensation at double the rate of the prevailing land prices. For the record, the sitting MLA is facing a minor challenge from the BJP candidate Shiv Prasad Yadav who runs over 100 schools and colleges not only in the district but also in the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh. In the run are also the Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party candidates. |
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HC reserves order on Andipatti byelection New Delhi, February 13 Mr Justice Manmohan Sarin reserved orders after the conclusion of arguments by counsels for Mr
Sekhar, the Election Commission and Ms Jayalalithaa. Earlier today, EC’s counsel
S.K. Mendiratta said Article 329 of the Constitution imposes a blanket ban on the court to interfere with the election process between the period starting from 3 p.m. of the last day of withdrawal of nominations and declaration of results.
UNI |
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Uttaranchal’s maiden
Assembly poll today
Dehra Dun, February 13 Uttaranchal’s 5.2 million voters are expected to exercise their franchise tomorrow to elect 70 legislators in the state’s 13 districts. Of the 927 candidates in the fray, 345 are independents. Around 8,500 EVMs will be used in the state for the polling with 1,000 extra machines kept in reserve. The Kumaon region has some exclusive booths for women voters. Talking to UNI here, Mr Ravishankar said the 127 polling parties which left the valley would reach their destinations in the hill districts by late this evening or in the early hours tomorrow. There are 6,753 polling booths in the state and 4,804 polling centres. Those in Dehra Dun, Hardwar and Udhamsingh Nagar districts have been declared “most sensitive’’, while there are a total of 468 “sensitive’’ polling centres in the state, Uttaranchal DIG (Crime) Anil K. Raturi said. Shoot-at-sight orders have been issued by the Dehra Dun district administration in case of any attempts to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the poll process. About 12,000 policemen, 20 companies of para-military forces sent by the Centre, 14 PAC companies and 15,000 Homeguards from Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have been posted across the state to maintain vigil during the polling. Around 4,500 volunteers of the ‘Pradeshik Raksha Dal’ will also be on duty. The key constituencies of the state are Kapkot in Bageshwar from where Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari (BJP) is contesting, Lakshman Chowk (in Dehra Dun district) from where former Chief Minister Nityanand Swami (BJP) is in the fray, Thalisen in Pauri district from where state Finance Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank’’ is the BJP nominee, Bironkhal (in Pauri) from where Amrita Rawat (wife of Satpal Maharaj) is the Congress candidate and Doiwala (in Dehra Dun) from where SP state President Vinod Barthwal is fighting the poll. LUCKNOW: All arrangements are complete for the first phase of Assembly poll in Uttar Pradesh where over 2.24 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise on Thursday to decide the fortunes of 1,234 candidates in 92 constituencies. Prominent among those whose fates would be sealed in EVMs are the former Chief Ministers Mayawati and Kalyan Singh.
UNI |
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Triangular
contest in Bharthana Bharthana (UP), February 13 Bharthana, falling in Etawah district, is a part of the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency and is held by Mr Mulayam Singh’s son Akhilesh Yadav. A triangular contest is in the offing with the Congress being in reckoning in an otherwise SP-BJP stronghold. Congress candidate Vinod Kumar Singh Yadav, who is a younger brother of the deceased Samajwadi Party MLA Maharaj Singh Yadav, is challenging Samajwadi candidate Pradeep Kumar Yadav and former SP Lok Sabha MP Balram Singh Yadav’s son Ajay Singh Yadav. Mr Balram Singh Yadav is camping here to superviser, his son’s campaign. For him, the outcome of the election is important as his reputation is at stake. A question mark hangs over his political future as failing to get his son elected to the Assembly from his native place here would mean an end to his political career. Having travelled from the Congress to the SP and now in the saffron brigade, Mr Balram Singh would have almost no option left. His task has become all the more difficult as a former political rival from the Congress, Ms Sukhda Mishra, who is also in the BJP, is determined to finish him. She is discreetly mobilising Brahmin voters in this Assembly seat for the Congress candidate. The Congress managers in Delhi are aware of the BJP candidate’s weaknesses and are concentrating on Bharthana where already Chattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Subash Yadav and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s younger sister Rama Dhawan have come and campaigned. Ms Sheila Dikshit, who won the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat in 1984 and went on to become a minister in Rajiv Gandhi’s cabinet, is reportedly taking keen interest as she would like to nurse this constituency for herself. The SP which had held the seat in 1996 when the Congress candidate’s elder brother Maharaj Singh Yadav had won the seat for the party, is facing a tough battle as Bharthana is crying for development. Bad roads and lack of electricity in the farming season are the most potent challenge for the SP as opponents point out to resources spent in Mr Mulayam Singh’s native village of Sainfai. So much so, that in the last Lok Sabha byelection from Kannauj when Mulayam Singh’s son Akhilesh Yadav contested, Bharthana and the neighbouring Assembly constituency of Bidhuna gave him the winning margins, wiping off the lead his opponents had established over the SP candidate in the other three Assembly segments. While the SP candidate is leaving no stone unturned to repeat the winning streak for his party, the battle is indeed tough. |
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BJP suffers jolt in Nagpur
Nagpur, February 13 It will now be the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which would play a decisive role as to which party would rule this prestigious civic body in the state. The “elephant” the election symbol of the BSP, led by Mr Kanshi Ram, has surprised all local politicians of the major parties and even the Republican Party factions led by Mr R. S. Gavai, Mr Prakash Ambedkar, Mr Ramdas Athavale and Prof Jogendra Kawade by winning nine seats behind the Nationalist Congress party (NCP) and its allies with 12. The BSP has served a warning on the Republican Party faction leaders that they could not take the Dalit votes for granted as the results showed the followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar have rejected the factions and sided with the BSP. The emergence of the BSP on the political horizon of Nagpur gives rise to wide speculation that there would be heavy horse-trading since the BSP had said earlier that it would support any party if its member was appointed a Mayor. The counting of votes for the NMC, held at the Kalamna Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), about 15 km from here, made a record of sorts taking over 42 hours to complete the process in the early hours of today. The tally showed the BJP with 52 members and one independent it supported and two Shiv Sena seats which could have an effective strength of 55. On the other hand, if the Congress (50) takes the support of the Bharatiya Republican Party-Bahujan Mahasangh (BRP-BMS) with two members, one each of the Samajwadi Party and RPI (K) and that of leader of the Opposition Sekhar Sawarbandhe, an Independent, works out to 55.
UNI |
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Tough going for Maneka’s party in Pilibhit Pilibhit, February 13 “Don’t think you are voting for the Shakti Dal candidate. Think that you are voting for me,” he said at a corner meeting. The gathering was not very enthusiastic. The nascent Shakti Dal of Ms Maneka Gandhi, formed only a month before the Assembly elections, is finding the going tough here. Its seat-adjustment with the BJP is virtually on the rocks with the Shakti Dal contesting 14 seats against the allotted six. While there is an apparent fall in the popularity graph of Ms Maneka Gandhi, residents here are not enthused over the selection of candidates and there is a serious problem of rebels too. The feeling is that the Shakti Dal may be able to open its account in the state Vidhan Sabha from a seat in the neighbouring Lakhimpur district but not from Ms Maneka Gandhi’s Pilibhit parliamentary constituency. Bisalpur seat, which had been left by the BJP for the Shakti Dal, is among the prestigious seats for Ms Maneka Gandhi as her former OSD Ajay Bhardwaj is the party nominee here. However, angry at Ms Maneka Gandhi for violating the mutual pact, the BJP is giving open support to Mr Suresh Thekedar, an Independent, which is damaging the prospects of Mr Bhardwaj. Filmstar Hema Malini who was here yesterday to canvass for BJP candidates also sought support for Mr Thekedar. BSP’s Aneez Ahmed, MLA, and Ram Sharan Verma of the Samajwadi Party are the other strong contenders from Bisalpur. Ms Maneka Gandhi’s worries have not lessened at the Puranpur seat in Pilibhit where an estranged relative and former MLA B.M. Singh is cutting into the Shakti Dal votes. Four seats in the Pilibhit district witnessed a three-way split among the SP, BJP and BSP in the last Assembly elections. This time the scenario is more complicated with the entry of the Kalyan Singh’s Rashtriya Kranti Party (RKP) and INLD of Om Prakash Chautala. Observers here feel that the RKP has a strong chance in Barkhera where the party nominee is seven-time MLA Kishan Lal, who has since parted company with the BJP. In Pilibhit city, it is a fight between Mr B.K. Gupta of the BJP, the Riyaz Ahmed of the SP and Ms Rajrai of the Congress. Muslims account for about 35 per cent of the 2.2 lakh voters in the constituency. While the Kurmis are another dominant group in Pilibhit district having over eight lakh voters, about 10 per cent voters hail from Punjab. Residents here said Ms Maneka Gandhi and Varun Feroze Gandhi had spent a fortnight campaigning. While the position of the Congress is somewhat shaky in Pilibhit, the party is giving a keen contest to the BJP in four of the nine seats in the adjoining Bareily district. The INLD is also in a strong position in at least two seats there. The BJP is unlikely to repeat its 1996 performance in Bareily when it had won six of the nine seats. |
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Manipur Speaker’s car set ablaze
Imphal, February 13 The police said details of the incident are still awaited. Meanwhile, attacks on candidates continued unabated in the state on the eve of the first phase of polling as miscreants hurled a grenade at the residence of former Deputy Chief Minister and Congress candidate Amutombi at Mayang Imphal Konchik. No one suffered injuries in the attack.
UNI |
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Order to arrest 17 polling officers Kanpur, February 13 |
CROCODILE CAUGHT IN RESIDENTIAL AREA BOLLYWOOD SCRIPT
MOOSHAHARY TAKES
BAKAR ID TO FALL ON FEB 23 MPCC
OFFICE CLOSED DOWN INDEFINITELY |
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