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Saturday,
May 11, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Mayawati
govt in danger Normalcy
in Gujarat at all costs: Advani Former MPs
seek pension benefits NORTH INDIA IN
PARLIAMENT |
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Railways’
drive against encroachers fails Jagmohan:
need to reform tourism sector Centre to
extend term of MDMA Manu seeks
extension of interim bail Bill to
repeal UT laws in LS Goa Dy CM
quits govt, BJP
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Mayawati govt in danger New Delhi, May 10 The BJP high command had summoned Gujarat ministers here and pulled them up for questioning the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, sources said adding that the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, met the Gujarat minister, Mr Sureshbhi Mehta. But the ministers like Mr Mehta and Mr Ashok Mehta reportedly told Mr Advani that they were ready to tender their resignations but cannot work with Mr Modi who does not share any decision with his Cabinet colleagues. On the other hand, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, is under tremendous pressure from the NDA allies to change Mr Modi. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Chandrababu Naidu, who met Mr Vajpayee today, also reminded the Prime Minister of his understanding over Mr Modi. Sources said Mr Vajpayee had given a sort of promise to Mr Naidu that the Gujarat Chief Minister would be removed after the ongoing session of the Parliament. Meanwhile, the RSS has also given its green light for removal of Mr Modi, the sources said adding that the RSS was of the view that the Gujarat Chief Minister had outlived his utility. Mr Naidu also sounded Mr Vajpayee on the issue of the President’s election which was due in July. In another turn of events signalling a crisis, the week old BSP-BJP Government is in bind as BJP MLAs are threatening to rock the boat. Anticipating the impending crisis, Ms Mayawati, has approached the Governor, Mr Vishnukant Shastri to start the Assembly session with his address even before she seeks the vote of confidence to prove her majority on the floor of the Assembly. The MLAs are asking the BJP high command to ensure them ministerial berths as they have won even in adverse political circumstances. With adverse political winds blowing, the BJP high command is in no position to initiate disciplinary action against the rebellious MLAs. |
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Normalcy
in Gujarat at all costs: Advani New Delhi, May 10 Addressing the members at the Parliamentary Consultative Committee (PCC) meeting here, the Home Minister said “even if there had been no resolution in the Rajya Sabha on the Gujarat issue, Article 355 casts upon the Central Government a constitutional duty to protect a state in times of internal strife or external threat.” “The Rajya Sabha resolution has only made the government more conscious about this obligation,” Mr Advani said. In reply to the concern expressed by some members about winding up of some relief camps in the troubled state, the Home Minister said the Gujarat Government has not taken any such decision. He pointed out that this issue of Relief Camps had been brought before the Gujarat High Court recently. On May 3 the high court pronouncing the decision had observed that “in view of the positive stand of the state government regarding the camps it is not in dispute that the existing camps in question are not going to be discontinued till June 30. At this stage no further interim order regarding continuation of the camps after May 31 is required to be granted in view of the positive statement given by the learned Additional Advocate-General.” On the appointment of Mr K P S Gill as Security Adviser to Gujarat Chief Minister, the Home Minister said it was the state government which had taken the decision, but in consultation with the Centre. “The Cabinet Secretariat is also monitoring the situation with regard to relief and rehabilitation of riot victims,” he added. Participating in the meeting, members, cutting across party lines, expressed concern on the continuing violence in Gujarat and the plight of the people staying in makeshift camps in the gruelling summer. Some members even wanted the Central Government to monitor the relief announced by the Prime Minister. They also hailed the government for the Rs 150-crore package for the Gujarat victims as announced by the Prime Minister. |
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Former MPs seek pension benefits New Delhi, May 10 The association, which met today in the Central Hall of Parliament, adopted a resolution asking the government to treat former MPs like a government servant who receives 50 per cent of the last salary. Talking to TNS, Secretary-General of the association Har Dayal Devgun said a committee of former MPs would seek a meeting with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to impress upon the government that former MPs suffer from a grave injustice as MPs after the fourth Lok Sabha who did not complete four years do not even get pension. The committee would urge the government to correct the anomaly by accepting that all MPs irrespective of the years that they served in Parliament would be entitled to a pension which would be 50 per cent of the salary of the serving members, former Congress MP Bhanu Pratap Singh said, adding that the government should also allow the association members to travel in AC class I if they were travelling alone. At present a former MP is allowed to travel in AC class IInd with two attendants, Mr Bhanu Partap Singh said, adding that the government thus would have two seats free for the general use giving the railways revenue. |
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, May 10 The areas which have particularly registered the maximum progress are Srinagar,
Budgam, Pulwana, Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur and Doda. The major contribution of the handloom sector is the well-known raffal pashmina and kani-jamawar shawls, lois and blankets, khadi and woollen cloth, the Minister said. The Minister said the handloom sector in Jammu and Kashmir has made a considerable progress during the past three years, with the production of fabric increasing from 57.33 lakh metres in 1999-2000 to 153.70 lakh metres in 2001-02. The value of the sector has increased from Rs 5137.29 lakh in 1999-2000 to Rs 22279.34 lakh in 2001-02. The number of beneficiaries covered under the insurance scheme increased from 650 in 1999-2000 to 1412 in 2001-02. The new handlooms provided increased from 62 in 1999-2000 to 159 in 2001-02, the Minister told the House. Wheat procurement: A procurement target of the FCI for wheat for the rabi marketing season 2002-03 for Punjab has been fixed at 34 lakh tonnes, the Minister of State of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution told the Lok Sabha in a written reply today. The vacant space with the FCI in Punjab as on April 1, 2001, stood at 22.39 lakh tonnes, while the stocks held by the FCI stood at 109.42 lakh tonnes as on April 1, 2001. The total storage capacity of the FCI (CAP/owned and hired) in Punjab was 131.81 lakh tonnes, the Minister told the House. As per the information received from the Government of Punjab, as on May 6, 2002, the state government and its agencies are holding 167.40 lakh tonnes of wheat. About 80 per cent of these stocks are stored on pucca plinth and remaining 20 per cent on
kutcha, the Minister told the House. The Minister said that though there are movement constraints due to the limited storage space in the recipient states yet the FCI has been able to move 12.3 lakh MTs of wheat lying with the state procuring agencies from Punjab between October, 2001 and January, 2002. Further, the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation has been given sanction to create an additional storage capacity of 46.01 lakh tonnes under the seven-year guarantee scheme. During the current Annual Plan ( 2002-03), the FCI has proposed to construct its own storage capacity of 5,000 MT at Malout and 23,340 MT at Tanda in Punjab, the Minister said. Field officers of the FCI have been delegated full powers for hiring of additional storage capacity from state agencies like State Government/Central Warehousing Corporation/State Warehousing Corporations and from private parties as when required, the Minister said. |
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Railways’
drive against encroachers fails Kolkata, May 10 The Green Bench of the Kolkata High Court will be formally conveyed in a day or two by the Eastern Rail authorities about their inability to execute the court’s order on the removal of encroachers from the Railways’ land between Ballygunge and Tollygunge stations to make Ballygunge Lake pollution-free. The decision followed the Prime Minister’s meeting with his Deputy Minister in the PMO, Mr Vijay Goel, who had flown down to Kolkata to talk to Ms Banerjee and resolve the crisis over the eviction of the encroachers, the Trinamool Congress leadership claimed. Ms Banerjee also spoke to Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee on the phone from Kolkata, requesting him to intervene to stop the eviction drive. She claimed that about 30,000 people had been living there for the past over 20-25 years. On Saturday, Ms Banerjee organised a dharna near the Lake Garden stations and foiled a joint attempt by the Railways and the state government to dismantle the unauthorised constructions on the railway land near the track. The police had to fire a few rounds in the face of bomb attacks by angry Trinamool Congress workers and supporters and other encroachers. They were demanding that rehabilitation should precede the eviction drive. There were pitched battles between the police and the encroachers which lasted for several hours, in which several persons, including Trinamool Congress leaders and workers and policemen were injured. The Railways had to suspend the eviction drive to avoid any further trouble. Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya regretted that the encroachers on the railway land could not be evicted due to the “organised criminal acts of resistance” by Ms Banerjee. |
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Jagmohan: need to reform tourism sector New Delhi, May 10 Speaking at a conference organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), Mr Jagmohan said tourism was not an isolated sector. “There is a need for total reform of the system”, he said even as he assured all support in the form of resources from the Centre to the states. Mr Jagmohan said there was an ample scope for coordination and collaboration between the industry and the Department of Tourism. This would yield maximum results at minimum costs. All archaeological monuments and temples in the historic places would be renovated. A composite infrastructure plan would be drawn up and the Centre would help the state governments in this endeavour, he added. Mr Jagmohan said in spite of having various laws there was a serious lacunae when it comes to implementation. There had been no enthusiasm to rebuild the nation whereas developmental activity requires commitment and motivation. Northern regions could also consider signing MoUs with each other and the Government of India for tripartite agreements to develop and promote tourism. |
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Centre to extend term of MDMA New Delhi, May 10 This was revealed by Union Home Minister L.K. Advani while addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee (PCC) meeting here today. In reply to a question by senior Congress leader Arjun Singh on the precise status of the inquiry being conducted by the
MDMA, Mr Advani said even after the Jain Commission’s inquiry into the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case some doubts remained unanswered and therefore the government constituted the
MDMA. “The term of the monitoring agency was to expire on May 31, but the government has agreed to extend it for one more year,” he said. The
MDMA, constituted in 1998, have been submitting progress reports periodically to the designated court at Chennai and will submit its final report to the government after getting the permission from the court. |
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Manu seeks extension of interim bail New Delhi, May 10 Mr Justice R.C. Chopra issued the notice, returnable by May 28, on Manu’s petition seeking extension of his 10-week interim bail, which expires on May 28. On March 20, nine days after the expiry of his six-week bail period, the court had granted a 10-week interim bail to Manu, who surrendered before the trial court on March 11 after the expiry of his earlier bail. The judge had given the bail conditional upon Manu executing a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties of the like amount to the satisfaction of the trial court.
UNI |
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Bill to repeal UT laws in LS New Delhi, May 10 According to the Statement on Objects and Reasons of the Municipal Corporation (validation of electricity tax) and other Laws (Repeal) Bill, 2002, an experts’ group in the Union Home Ministry has gone through the recommendations. It also recommended that 19 Acts of Punjab in force in Chandigarh had outlived their utility. Hence, these should be repealed.
UNI |
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Goa Dy CM quits govt, BJP Panaji, May 10 “I hereby tender my resignation from the post of Deputy Chief Minister from the Council of Ministers of the caretaker government of Goa headed by Mr Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister, with immediate effect,” Mr Naik said in a communication today addressed to Governor Mohd Fazal and Mr Parrikar.
PTI |
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SSP suspended Muzaffarnagar, May 10 Mr Rai, who had already been transferred from the district, was placed under suspension by an order of the state government, the sources said.
PTI |
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