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Tuesday,
May 7, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Upheaval in BJP
over ministerial berths Cong may contest Speaker’s post Mamata willing to play mediator |
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Undertrial dies for want of medicare
Tributes paid to Zail Singh Deported UAE national was held in Mumbai: CBI Homeless get quake-resistant homes BRO to construct Rohtang tunnel MEA: no let-up in infiltration NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT LS concern over MiG crashes
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Upheaval in BJP
over ministerial berths Lucknow, May 6 Two other senior party leaders, Mr Harish Chandra Srivastava and Mr Ganga Bhakaht Singh, had written letters to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, voicing anger over the list of leaders who had been made ministers. The two were ministers in the Rajnath government. Sources claim that Mr Srivastava’s name was there in the first list, but was dropped at the last moment. The upheaval has not stopped in the BJP, but has spread to the camp of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), its ally. The leaders are protesting against the inclusion of Ms Anuradha Chaudhry in the Cabinet overlooking seasoned legislators like Mr Virendra Singh and Mr Samarpal Singh. Not only this, said a legislator, senior party leader Kokab Hamid, who is leader of the RLD Legislature Party, has been given a less important portfolio of Rural Engineering Services against Ms Chaudhry’s PWD. The crisis in the RLD is under wraps but in the BJP it has reached a volatile stage. Bhinga MLA Raja Chandra Mani Singh, who had won sixth time in a row, claims that he was promised a ministerial berth this time. “It is betrayal of faith. If the party cannot keep its words, I am not bound to obey the orders of the party,” he told The Tribune today. Though the state president of the party, Mr Kalraj Mishra, feigned ignorance about the episode and said that so far he had not received any official protest, senior party leaders had made an attempt to salvage the situation. The Urban Development Minister, Mr Lalit Tandon, and former Chief Minister and in charge of UP, Mr Rajnath Singh, had spoken to him over the telephone. He is said to be Mr Rajnath Singh’s protege. Around five months back when Mr Rajnath had gone to Bahraich to address an election meeting, the BJP workers wooed him. They demanded delimitation of Bahraich district with Bhinga as the district headquarter of the newly created Sravasti district. Sources say Raja Sahib had then helped Mr Rajnath Singh to tide over the crisis and in return was promised a ministerial berth in the next government. Another section of the BJP leaders say that the anger of the Raja is manifested in fact that the party high command had given another BJP legislator from Bahraich, Mr AL Gaur, a place in the ministry turning a Nelson’s eye of the Raja’s claim. |
| Cong may contest Speaker’s post New Delhi, May 6 “Since no proposal has been mooted (by the ruling party), no option has been foreclosed.....We will not be caught napping”, party spokesman S. Jaipal Reddy said when asked whether party would field a candidate for the post. “The Opposition quiver is always full of arrows,” he replied to a question. He, however, said until the government takes any initiative, “We will not be able to make up our mind in this matter.” Mr Reddy said since it was an election to a constitutional office, ruling party had to take initiative. Asked whether the Congress would observe the convention of giving the post to the ruling party as the Deputy Speaker belonged to the Opposition, he retorted that the BJP had given the post of the Speaker to the TDP in 1998 “which is neither a ruling party nor an Opposition one” only to muster majority.
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Cong demands Singhal’s arrest
New Delhi, May 6 “We condemn the inflammatory statements made by Ashok Singhal in Lucknow yesterday. We believe he should be booked under law,” party spokesman S. Jaipal Reddy told reporters here.
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Mamata willing to play mediator Kolkata, May 6 Ms Banerjee said she had conveyed to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, about her ‘willingness to mediate’ with Mr Naidu for resolving the impasse created in the NDA following the Telugu Desam’s decision on the Speaker’s post. She said she was now waiting for the green light from Mr Vajpayee and then she would move accordingly. The Trinamool Congress leader said they too had differences with the BJP on the Gujarat issue and various other matters but still they would want the Vajpayee government to remain in power for a full term with the tacit support from all other NDA partners. Ms Banerjee said she appreciated the sentiment of Mr Naidu but still she would request him to remain in the NDA and allow his MP to hold the Speaker’s Chair for the larger interest of the country. The post has been lying vacant following accidental death of Mr G.M.C. Balayogi in an helicopter crash in January. At the time of formation of the NDA government, it was decided that the Telugu Desam would not join the ministry but would support the NDA from outside. However, the Telugu Desam agreed to nominate one of their MPs to hold the Speaker’s post and accordingly, Mr Balayogi became the Speaker of the newly-elected 13th Lok Sabha. But now following a rift between the BJP and the Telugu Desam over communal riots in Gujarat, Mr Naidu decided not to allow his candidate to hold the Speaker’s Chair once again. Telugu Desam MPs, totalling 28, sticking to their demand of removal of the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, also stayed away from the Lok Sabha when the voting on the Gujarat riots took place. |
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India may train Afghan troops New Delhi, May 6 Afghan Defence Minister, General Mohammad Qasim Fahim, who is a on a five-day visit to the country, today held an hour-long meeting with Defence Minister George Fernandes in which various issues came up for discussion. The two countries also held a delegation-level discussion with the Indian delegation being led by Mr Fernandes. Defence Secretary Yogendra Narain was also part of the discussions. General Fahim is leading a 12-member delegation from Afghanistan. Though officials were tightlipped about the discussions, General Fahim, highly-placed sources said, had mooted sending military personnel for training to India in the wake of a proposal to set up a new Afghan army. Currently US and British military personnel in Afghanistan are imparting training to the local military personnel. Washington and London are also proposing to send some Afghan officers for higher training to their military institutions. During his stay in the country, General Fahim will also be visiting National Defence College here and National Defence Academy, Kharagwasla. He is also slated to visit the HAL in Bangalore before returning to Afghanistan on May 9. |
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Undertrial dies for
want of medicare Patna, May 6 An undertrial Harinandan Paswan, who was shifted to Beur on April 26 died yesterday for want of proper medicare. He had a long case of tuberculosis and on April 30, the medical board of the jail had advised that he be shifted to Patna Medical College Hospital’s (PMCH) prisoner ward. The jail authorities, however, did not brother to pay heed to the advice. The inmates sat on fast and are demanding the removal of the Jail Superintendent, Mr Mahendra Bharati. The state government has not fixed responsibilities for the death of the undertrial. The inmates said political prisoners easily got into the prisoner ward and remained there at their will without actually having any disease but just because Harinandan was poor, he could not be shifted there. It may be mentioned that many legislators lodged in Beur jails are admitted to PMCH wards. The prisoners sitting on fast under the banner of the Prisoner Welfare Committee, alleged that in the past Ramvilas Ram, Chattu Paswan and many others had died in the jail owing to the neglect of the jail administration. The other jails of Bihar have also reported deaths of undertrials. The CPM-L party Secretary, Mr Gopal Ravidas, alleged that Harinandan was framed by the police under frivolous charges and was beaten up in the Fatuha police lock-up even when he was lying on bed in his home. Later, he was shifted to the Beur jail where his health deteriorated but he was not given any medicare. |
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Tributes paid to Zail
Singh New Delhi, May 6 Delivering the Giani Zail Singh Memorial lecture on ‘Electoral reforms — foremost priority of the nation,’ here today, he welcomed the recent Supreme Court verdict about the need for candidates to furnish information about their financial assets and any offences against them. Touching on the role of the President, he said the Head of State could not be seen as a rubber stamp and had great responsibility to protect, preserve and defend the Constitution. He suggested an amendment in the Representation of People Act to make it impossible for persons with criminal antecedents to enter legislatures and Parliament. Recalling contributions of the late President, Mr Krishnamurthy said that born in a mud-house, Giani Zail Singh rose to become the President of the country. Former Governors Bhisham Narain Singh and A R Kidwai paid rich tributes to Giani Zail Singh and recalled his qualities of head and heart. The memorial lecture was followed by a sufiana kalam by Madanbala Sindu and party. Several associates of Giani Zail Singh besides former-soldiers were present on the
occasion. In the morning, an all-religion prayer meeting was held at Ekta Sthal to mark the 86th birth anniversary of the late President. |
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Deported UAE national
was held in Mumbai: CBI New Delhi, May 6 Roshan had been charged by the UAE authorities with murdering her step-daughter in her house in Dubai about six months ago and the UAE on April 2 had requested the Ministry of External Affairs to deport her back as she was reportedly staying in India. A copy of the MEA order for her arrest was forwarded to various investigating agencies, including the CBI and the Mumbai police, and the Economic Offences Wing of the agency in coordination with the Mumbai police launched a hunt for Roshan. The CBI and the Mumbai police finally tracked her down in a house in Mumbai eversince she fled to India about a month ago. Roshan’s interrogation revealed that she had also visited certain cities in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in an effort to find a safe haven, the sources said. Roshan’s deportation comes nearly three months after prime suspect in Kolkata’s American Center attack case, Aftab Ansari, was deported to India in February. |
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Homeless get quake-resistant homes Satapar village (Gujarat), May 6 Villagers gathered in large numbers to hear Mr Dhindsa who was scheduled to visit the state last month. They were grateful to him for giving the green signal to IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited) to start
rehabilitation and reconstruction. Satapar is one of the seven villages adopted by Kisan Sewa Fund (KSF), a trust formed by IFFCO and the Gujarat Government to help quake victims start life afresh in new homes. The seven villages adopted by the trust in Kachch district are Modsar, Satapar and Varshamedi (Anjar Taluka), Padana (Gandhidham Taluka), Amarsar and Nani Chirai (Bhachau Taluka) and Kukma (Bhuj Taluka). Sabi Behn (26) told TNS she had been living in tents with her husband, children and in-laws for almost a year. She said she had got the documents for moving into her new home and was waiting for May 18 when the keys would be handed over to them. More than 70 per cent houses in Satapar came down like a pack of cards in the earthquake on January 26 last year. Three months later, the village gram sabha adopted a resolution requesting the KSF to take up reconstruction and rehabilitation work in their village. Sources in the KSF said 231 dwelling units had been constructed according to the criteria laid down by the government. The identified beneficiaries had been given plots according to their land-holdings pre-quake. For instance, 91 persons having more than four hectares of land had now got houses on plots measuring 50 square metres. Complimenting IFFCO and KRIBHCO for their consistent efforts in rebuilding homes for earthquake victims, Mr Dhindsa did not forget to make a special mention of the ‘progressive Kachchis’ known the world over to outperform others. He said the state had suffered a series of natural calamities dating back to the 1998 cyclone. He assured the villagers that their new homes were quake-resistant. Taking note of the suggestions, the minister promised to do something for Dalits rendered homeless after the earthquake. |
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BRO to construct Rohtang tunnel New Delhi, May 6 This was stated by the Director-General, Border Roads, Lt Gen Prakash Suri here today. He said the work on the project would begin this year and was expected to be completed in 10 years. He was addressing the Ground Reserve Engineering Force sammelan on the occasion of the 42nd raising day of the BRO. Besides the Rohtang tunnel the BRO has also been entrusted with the construction of an 18 km-long four-lane expressway between Jammu and Pathankot on NHIA. This is part of the North-South corridor of the prestigious National Highway Development Project. Referring to BRO’s participation in the infrastructure development in foreign countries, General Suri further stated that a team of technical experts would soon proceed to survey the 1,700 km road network in Afghanistan and assess the contribution of the BRO in the development of that country. The team would also visit Iran to assess the feasibility of the BRO’s role in road infrastructure development there. General Suri said the BRO had successfully completed 637.6 metre long permanent bridge at Noadhing in Arunachal Pradesh, which was the longest bridge constructed by the organisation. |
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MEA: no let-up in infiltration New Delhi, May 6 “As far as infiltration from across the Line of Control is concerned, we see no cause for satisfaction or complacency,” an External Affairs Ministry spokesperson told reporters. She was asked about comments given by US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage in an interview to a leading Indian English daily during which he was quoted as saying it was clear that “cross-border infiltration has gone down”. While stating that she would not like to comment on the interview, the spokesperson said “there is every need to be vigilant and infact reports will suggest that infiltration has in no way come down especially since the snow has started melting”. She said the current figures of infiltration from across the LoC “closely match” the figures of the previous year.
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, May 6 In Haryana, there were 4,916 women construction workers as per the 1991 census, while the corresponding figures in Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh were 3,963 and 1,675 respectively, the minister said in his reply. In the country as a whole, the minister said, according to the 1991 census, there were about 4.5 lakh women construction workers. To safeguard the interests of the construction workers, both male and female, the government had enacted the Building and Other Construction Workers ( Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996. The specific provisions in the Act and Rules made
there under to safeguard the interests of women construction workers included the fixation of maximum weight limit to be carried by hand or overhead or on the back, creches for children of women workers, maternity benefits to female beneficiaries registered with the Welfare Board etc., the minister said. Under the Act, there was a concept of appropriate government, the minister said, adding that no specific complaint regarding the exploitation of women construction workers in the central sphere had been reported. The facilities of dissemination of technologies in the areas of dairy production, dairy processing and dairy management, developed NDRI, had been created and these were being disseminated through Krishi Vigay Kendra/ Trainer’s Training and Consultancy Board, the minister of State of Agriculture, Mr Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, told the Lok Sabha in a written reply today. The minister said the government had established at the NDRI at Karnal facility to transfer technologies developed on the basis of research and development work in the areas of dairy production, dairy processing and dairy management on professional basis to other parts of the country. For the benefit of farmers and other stake holders, 2,777 training programmes comprising 50,882 participants on different aspects of animal husbandry, dairy production, dairy processing, agriculture, horticulture, bee keeping, fisheries and home science were organised on and off campus. |
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‘Visa on arrival’
scheme delayed New Delhi, May 6 Culture and Tourism Minister Jagmohan today informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply that the ministry had finalised the scheme for introducing visa-on-arrival for persons arriving from 16 countries but security environment had prevented its implementation. Initially, the scheme was to be introduced at the Delhi and Mumbai international airports and later extended to other airports, Mr Jagmohan said. |
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LS concern over MiG crashes New Delhi, May 6 The matter was raised during zero hour by Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar (Cong) who wanted to know whether the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had cited inferior spare parts as a reason for the crashes. If it was so, why no action was taken to prevent such accidents, he asked. Mr Ram Das Athawala (IND) said there was need to ban the use of MiG aircraft in the light of the accidents. At least Rs five lakh should be paid to the kin of those killed in the Jalandhar crash, he said. Mr Brar said more than 100 pilots had been killed in 383 accidents in the past nine years. |
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Buta Singh heads PAC New Delhi, May 6 Haribhai Chaudhary, M.O.H. Farooq, Dr Madan Prasad Jaiswal, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Dr K. Malaisamy, M.V.V.S. Murthi, Rupchand Pal, Prakash Paranjpe, Ramsagar Rawat, N. Janardhana Reddy, Chhattrapal Singh, Kirit Somaiya, Chinmayanand Swami, Dr Sahib Singh Verma form the Lok Sabha component of the committee. S.
Agniraj, Santosh Bagrodia, Prasanta Chatterjee, K. Rahman Khan, Bachani
Lekhraj, Dr Alladi P. Rajkumar, Prof Ram Gopal Yadav are the representatives of the Upper House.
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