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Saturday,
July 6, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Mamata firm to stall
bifurcation move Editors divided over FDI
issue France revises travel
advisory Kalam seeks support of all in electoral college Cong to contest VP’s
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Vijay Anand presents
Chetan Anand’s will IAF to participate in ARMEX
2002
Power lust drove politicians to riots in Maharashtra:
panel India to train
Afghan cops Powell, Straw
congratulate Sinha Dr Kohli is honorary radiologist
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Mamata firm to stall
bifurcation move Kolkata, July 5 Ms Banerjee said her rejoining the Cabinet was a secondary issue and she would not accept any portfolio till the bifurcation issue was settled. She said now her main task was to stop the bifurcation and then think about rejoining the Cabinet. She declared Trinamool MPs would raise a storm inside the House during the forthcoming session of Parliament. She invited all MPs from Bengal to jointly protest and pressurise the Centre to reverse the decision. She also appealed to MPs of other states to protest against the bifurcation. Ms Banerjee hoped that she would get support from all Left parties on the issue. She also expressed hope that Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, who would meet Mr Advani in New Delhi tomorrow, would stick to their stand of opposing the bifurcation move. An all-party delegation of MLAs, led by Transport Minister, Subhas Chakraborty, would leave on July 9 to meet Nitish Kumar to protest against the bifurcation of Eastern Railways. Trinamool Congress MLAs, which initially decided to take part in the delegation, had now reversed their stand. The Chief Minister said he was going to Delhi with an open mind to amicably settle the issue. He said he did not know in which context the decision of bifurcation of several zonal railways had been be taken by the United Front government in 1996. It was clear that the bifurcation would affect several states and hence the decision should be reviewed again, he added. Meanwhile, CITU, INTUC, the TMC and trade union leaders of the Railways opposed the bifurcation of Railways. They gave a call for a nationwide railway strike against the decision. |
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Editors divided over FDI issue New Delhi, July 5 However, two dominant views which emerged at a seminar here, organised by the Indian Women’s Press Corps, were that the implementation of the decision could take a “long time” and that there was not going to be “stampede” in the print media scene here as suggested by Outlook Editor-in-Chief Vinod Mehta and Dow Jones chief representative Suman Dubey, respectively. Veteran journalist and former Editor Statesman Kuldip Nayar moderated the seminar, which was also addressed by the Managing Editor of The Times of India Dileep Padgoankar, Business Standard Editor and Publisher T.N. Ninan, Dainik Jagran Group Chairman and Editor Narender Mohan and Mainstream Editor Sumit Chakraverty. Kuldip Nayar advised the younger generation of journalists to seriously ponder over the goverment’s decision to permit 26 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in print media as it involved their and the countrymen’s fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. Predicting a “lengthy process” for implementing the decision which reversed the 1955 resolution on preventing entry of foreign media, Mr Mehta said “Indeed the government would appoint a committee to examine the issue following the submission of representations by the media organisations.” Vinod Mehta was categorical and emphatic in saying that if the foreign players wanted to come to India, they would like to wield full control of the Press. “I have my reservations about the safeguards provided in the decision. I don’t understand what is meant by 26 per cent equity. Murdoch and Blackwill would like to have control- lock, stock and barrel.” While reiterating that the FDI in print media was not going to happen for “a long time”, the eminent journalist cited reasons saying that the government had to face the people in 10 Assembly elections next year and that the BJP had “by and large a friendly media in the country.” Initiating the discussion, Suman Dubey said categorically that the multinational companies did not favour “minority stakes”. He cited various reasons which included the collapse of the dotcom companies, the dwindling of advertisement revenues worldwide, ignorance about the financial position of Indian newspapers and the continuing tension on the Indo-Pak border. Dileep Padgoankar said the government’s decision simply demonstrated its “cynical disregard for democratic norms, the public opinion and opposition from the entire political spectrum and the media bodies — the Press Council of India, the Editors Guild of India and the Indian Newspaper Society.”
UNI |
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France revises travel
advisory New Delhi, July 5 The latest French travel advisory says: “In view of the evolution of the situation on the Indo-Pak border, travel to India can be again considered.” “It is, however, advisable to avoid, in any case, the border regions between India and Pakistan, from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat, and to be cautious in the other regions of north India,” the advisory says, while asking the French nationals and their families presently in India to keep themselves informed of the political situation in the region. Japan has discontinued its earlier recommendation, asking all Japanese nationals, except those who have compelling reasons to stay back, to leave India. It says: “Those Japanese nationals who have remained in or are returning to India are advised to be prepared for swift evacuation in case of emergency and to keep in touch with the Japanese Embassy or the Consulates General to seek most updated information”. |
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Kalam seeks support of all in electoral college
New Delhi, July 5 He also said the basic structure of the Constitution was “unalterable”. In a seven-page appeal to his voters - all MPs and MLAs cutting across party lines, Mr Kalam, the father of India’s missile programme, who had played a key role in the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, emphasised that national security had to be recognised by everyone as a “national priority” along with speedy development aimed at elimination of poverty and unemployment. Sharing the concern and outrage of the entire nation on cross-border terrorism, he said Islamabad’s policy aimed at destablisation and dismemberment of India “is doomed”. “Jammu and Kashmir was, is and shall always remain an inseparable part of India,” Mr Kalam said in the letter despatched to members of the electoral college over a fortnight ahead of the July-15 presidential election in which he is pitted against Left party nominee Lakshmi Sahgal.
PTI |
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Cong to contest VP’s
post New Delhi, July 5 Deploring the “confrontationist approach’’ of Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani on the question of the election of Vice-President, Congress chief spokesman Jaipal Reddy said the party had all along been keen on getting a consensus on the post. “Since Mr Advani has ruled out consultations with the Opposition, we will be fielding our own candidate,’’ Mr Reddy said. He said the Congress would hold consultations with all secular Opposition parties before a candidate was chosen. Mr Reddy indicated that the Congress would name its candidate after the NDA announced its nominee. Asked about the possibilty of the party extending support to Vice-President Krishan Kant, Mr Reddy said the party would not like to comment without knowing the preferences of the NDA. “I would not comment on names,’’ Mr Reddy said when asked about the possibility of Ms Najma Heptullah becoming the party candidate. To a question, he said the party would not contact the NDA allies on the issue as the alliance was dominated by the BJP. Mr Reddy blamed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the demolition of a mosque in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, saying that the orders had been given to the Municipal Commissioner by the state government regarding demolition and the Congress-ruled municipal corporation had been kept in dark. He alleged that Mr Modi wanted to keep stoking fires of communal fire in Gujarat until the Assembly elections.
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Vijay Anand presents Chetan Anand’s will Mumbai, July 5 However, Sessions Judge S.P. Nikam discharged Vijay Anand after accepting the will. He was neither examined by the prosecution nor cross-examined by defence lawyer Satish Maneshinde. Prosecutor Kiran Makasare said Mr Anand was being treated as a production witness and there was no need to examine him. According to prosecution, Vijay Anand was the executor of the will of his brother Chetan Anand and hence its contents could not be proved through him because he was not present when the will was made. The court allowed the prosecution’s plea to examine P. Harikishan and Pramod Chopra who are witnesses in the will. They will be summoned in due course. Priya, a close friend of late Chetan Anand, was found murdered on March 27, 2000, in the Juhu bungalow of the latter. The prosecution has alleged that sons of late Chetan Anand, Ketan and Vivek, had conspired to kill Priya to deprive her of the one-third share in the property. Ketan and Vivek are also accused in this case, along with their domestic servants Mala Choudhary and Ashok Chinaswamy.
PTI |
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IAF to participate in ARMEX
2002 New Delhi, July 5 Armex is a field experiment conceived to provide database for understanding the physical processes responsible for the monsoon variability on different time scales. The IAF is providing two AN-32 aircrafts and its scientists who would be carrying out experiments and collating information to understand the coupled ocean atmosphere and land processes, involved in the genesis and intensification of the systems responsible for intense rainfall events on the West Coast. Another oceanographic experiment would be carried out from October onwards. Briefing media here, the Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Met), Air Vice-Marshal K.I. Trivedi, said the intense weather conditions would be studied with a purpose of using the gaps in it for operational purposes, specifically during a crisis situation. He said the studies carried out by the IAF would also help in serving the long-term interests of the country, specially since the Indian economy was predominantly dependent on the monsoon. Experiments are to be carried in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology. There has been a limited participation by the IAF earlier in MONEX-79 and Montblex. Two IAF AN-32 aircraft with GPS have been modified to take airborne observations. As part of the experiments, the low level troughs and vortices would be studied off the Karnataka and Maharashtra coasts. Besides organised convection in the Arabian sea would also be studied. The IAF personnel would be attempting to bring down the aircrafts to the level of about a km from the ground level during the intense weather conditions and fly up again with the purpose of creating a three dimensional picture to study the climatic conditions. As part of the operation, the aircraft are already flying from Yelahanka as per predetermined flight tracks and so far six missions have been flown. A met officer and one met assistant are flying as supernumerary crew in these missions to record in-flight observations. They are also making use of digicam and handicam to record the weather radar echoes on board. Special surface observations are being taken up at Vadodara, Belgaum and Sulur. Upper air pilot ballon observatories have been set up at Vadodara, Belgaum and Sulur, as part of observation network. Each observatory is taking three ascents per day. One Automatic Weather Station has been installed at Sulur and another one is being sent for installation in an Indian Naval ship for taking special observations. The data collected during the experiment will be compiled and handed over to the Department of Science and Technology for research purposes. |
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Power lust drove politicians to riots Ahmednagar, July 5 “Rumours were deliberately spread to create communal tension, keeping an eye on elections to the Local Bodies”, a member of the Minorities Commission, Mr Munal
Hakim, alleged at a press conference here. “People of all communities in the state want peace and harmony. But some communal political parties and organisations are creating tension to regain political power in the state”, Mr Hakim alleged. He appealed the media and the people to verify the facts about sensitive issues. Other members of the Commission, including Mr
D.M. Bhalerao, Mr Iqbal Sheikh and Mr Rashid Khan, were also present at the conference. Commission Chairman Mohammad Amin Khandwani and his team that visited the district to hear the grievances of the people, especially from the minority community, received about 150 complaints from all over the district, they said.
PTI |
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India to train
Afghan cops New Delhi, July 5 The Afghan cops would be given special training in 11 courses at specialised institutions like the Criminal Detective Training School, Chandigarh, the Haryana Police Academy, the BSF Academy, the National Crime Records Bureau, the CBI Academy, Ghaziabad and the National Police Academy, Hyderabad. Giving this information, a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs today said the development added “a new chapter” in the Indo-Afghan relations and demonstrated New Delhi’s commitment to develop strong friendly ties with Kabul. The Indian help to Afghanistan was also in consonance with the international community’s efforts towards rebuilding security structure of Afghanistan as part of the country’s reconstruction. |
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Powell, Straw
congratulate Sinha New Delhi, July 5 A spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs told reporters today that both the foreign dignitaries, in their brief conversations, said they looked forward to working with Mr Sinha. Mr Powell and Mr Straw agreed with Mr Sinha to remain in frequent touch to monitor developments and see how the current situation in South Asia develops. |
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Dr Kohli is honorary radiologist New Delhi, July 5 A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said Dr Kohli had been appointed as honorary radiologist with effect from June 29 for the duration of the tenure of Mr K.R. Narayanan as President. Dr Kohli had been earlier working as radiologist in the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and G B Pant Hospital here. Presently, he is operating the Kohli Imaging and Diagnostic Centre at East of Kailash in South Delhi. His area of interest is vascular radiology and mammography which is helpful in detecting early breast cancer. He is a national-level polo player and has represented Indian teams in international tournaments in the USA, the UK, Italy and Brunei. |
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