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Thursday, September 12, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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Troops not for ‘menial’ jobs: Army
chief
Train mishap: rescue work ‘slow’ |
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Problem in MiG fuel supply
system?
India can’t be cowed down
by Pak: George Met satellite launch today TN moves SC against CRA decision Assess demand of drought-hit states: Advani Dec 13: Afzal admits to links with JeM
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Troops not for ‘menial’ jobs: Army
chief New Delhi, September 11 “The state governments must carry out relief in a systematic way. Unfortunately, once the (media) cameras are switched off, people are left to fend for themselves,” General Padmanabhan said, addressing a seminar on “Disaster Management and the Armed Forces — A National Effort”, organised here by the Army Headquarters and Institution of Engineers. “The bulk deployment of the Army in disaster relief must stop in a fortnight’s time and it may not be used for menial tasks,” he said, adding that at times civilian authorities even expected jawans to fill sand bags in flood relief operations. The Army chief pointed out that the disaster management plan which had been planned in coordination with all ministries and departments was still pending for final approval with the Home Ministry. The plan envisaged, among other things, provisions, state-of-the-art equipments to clear debris, specialised equipments which would be classified under different heads for specialised units to be earmarked for drought, cyclone, floods, etc and stationed at Jammu, Chandigarh, Tezpur, Pune, Secunderabad and other places, he said. In January this year, the Army properly codified a “Blue Book” manual incorporating anticipatory measures and steps to be taken during and after disasters. He suggested that industries may also raise their own Territorial Army battalions to deal with such disasters. The Army chief said though Army columns were among the first to reach the spot of the Bihar train tragedy, they were not equipped with iron-cutters and other tools which could have saved some more lives. He said 85 per cent of the country’s land area was prone to disasters while 190 districts were prone to multiple disasters. On the worldwide attention towards the September 11 attacks, he said: “We have got enough disasters at home. We have to deal with them in the light of Indian realities.” He regretted that instead of going for home-tailored constructions like the ones designed by Laurie Baker, there was a craze for raising Manhattan-type skyscrapers “with our tremendous ability of cutting corners.” Defence Minister George Fernandes was also present at the seminar. In his keynote address, the Director of the Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management, Mr R.K. Bhandari, called for “innovative and effective solution which follow nature in letter and spirit.” The Engineer-in-Chief, Lt-Gen Hari Uniyal, and Mr Pradeep Chaturvedi, Chairman of the Institution of Engineers, Delhi State Centre, also addressed the seminar. In his address, Mr Fernandes said the training of people at all levels in the backdrop of nuclear and terrorism-generated disasters was indispensable and not being prepared would be a grave blunder. “Terrorists are set to equip themselves with more disastrous weapons. If people are not equipped for this then disasters are going to overlap us,” he said while inaugurating the seminar. Asserting that training should not be closeted to the Army, government and other agencies, he said it should be extended to the local levels as they were these worst-hit. “If people are not trained, disasters can emerge at any time in the post-September 11 period,” he said. |
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Train mishap: rescue work ‘slow’ Rafiganj/Gaya/Patna, September 11 Mr K.S.Alam of Mumbai said: “Somebody (apparently RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav) came on a helicopter and started blaming the Railway Minister for the accident. Then he flew off. Why didn’t he offer the helicopter for the safe shifting of seriously injured passengers? If he was so concerned he should have stayed at the site and supervised the rescue and relief work.” The care for the injured was pathetic. At the Rafiganj primary health centre, less than 2 km from the accident site, passengers had to face hardships. Hundreds of injured were made to lie down on the ground for hours and were offered little first-aid. Police personnel were prompt in telling every one that the bridge was very old (made in 1916 by the British) and this caused the accident. Railway officials at Gaya station and on the spot maintained that the truth would come out only after investigation as there were chances of sabotage (fish-plate removal). The DGP of Bihar, Mr R.R. Prasad, even got a case lodged with the Aurangabad police against the Railway staff and the driver of the train. He said: “The accident has no possibility of sabotage and it was the result of a human error. A case under different Sections of the Railway Act and the IPC has been lodged at the Aurangabad Railway police station and the Additional Director-General (Railway Police) J.K. Sinha will head the investigations into the case”. The villagers were, however, very upset. They complained that despite their efforts to rescue the injured, passengers complained of theft of their belongings. They maintained despite all odds, they rushed to the accident site. Some of them even risked their lives to enter the compartments to help the trapped passengers who were crying for help. And, in return, they were now being termed as thieves. At the Gaya hospital, the scenario was grim. The injured passengers had a lot to complain. At the Gaya railway station, around 10 am on Tuesday, there were only 10 to 12 stretchers for the injured. The medical staff and Army personnel were waiting for the special train to arrive any time from the accident site carrying the injured. There was a virtual lack of information and coordination even 12 hours after the accident. The Gaya District Magistrate, Mr Brajesh Malhotra, when asked about the toll, said: “We are still awaiting confirmation from the accident site and we have received message of only nine dead and 24 injured.” Meanwhile, a train accident took place at Darbhanga railway station (130 km north of the state capital) early yesterday. No casualty or injury was caused. Railway officials, on the condition of anonymity, say the bridge was made in 1916 and could be weak. A senior official at Danapur railway division said: “There has been much hue and cry before over the rail safety aspects that include strengthening of rail bridges and upgradation of unmanned railway
crossings, but owing to political considerations and popular demands, the railway expansion work has got priority over the safety aspect.” |
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Problem in MiG fuel supply
system? New Delhi, September 11 The fuel supply system is being suspected to be the main trouble maker now as the upgraded engines of the fighter aircraft were fully checked during the earlier grounding of the aircraft. The earlier checks had been carried out along with the Russian manufacturer of the aircraft and then cleared for flying. The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy, while commenting about the two MiG crashes on Monday at Ambala and Jodhpur, today said there was definitely nothing wrong with the main engines of the MiGs. However, the IAF was now looking at the auxiliary fuel system to locate the faults which are resulting in the engine failures. The Air Chief said that a preliminary report on the auxiliary fuel supply system was expected at the Air Headquarters in a week’s time. Only after that would the IAF be able to reach any conclusion about the prevailing trouble with the MiGs. The two MiG crashes on Monday had left the IAF red in the face on a second occasion in recent months as the fighter aircraft had only recently been cleared for flying after weeks of grounding. The two crashes took the total number of MiG crashes this year to six. It was on May 3 last that the fleet of the MiG-21s had been grounded after two flameouts in a month. It had led the Air Headquarters to take the decision in view of reinstating the confidence not only among its pilots but also the general public. |
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AICC team, Vaghela meet Kalam New Delhi, September 11 Meanwhile, a Congress delegation led by AICC General Secretary Kamal Nath and consisting of Mr Vaghela, Political Secretary Ahmad Patel, AICC Secretary Naresh Rawal and Leader of the Opposition in Gujarat Amarsinh Choudhary called on President APJ Abdul Kalam and submitted a memorandum urging him to impose the President’s rule on the state. Addressing a crowded press conference at Press Club of India, Mr Vaghela accused Mr Advani of taking Gujarat on the path of destruction and leading the state to economic ruins. The Deputy Prime Minister had been ignoring and continuing to ignore rather overlook Mr Modi’s hate-speak that had disturbed the social peace in the state. As promoter, protector and mentor of Mr Modi, the Deputy Prime Minister was responsible for dividing the state and people on communal lines, Mr Vaghela pointed out, adding that Gujarat today was not only hurt and wounded but a blot of deep shame on the head of every self-respecting Gujarati and representative of the state at home and abroad. Since Mr Advani was well versed in constitutional matters, Mr Vaghela said, asking if the Deputy Prime Minister was right in ignoring Mr Modi’s determined effort to project Gujarat as it was separate from India. “Such exaggerated identities have created problems for the Indian Union in the past”, he informed saying that “Gujarati Asmita cannot be separate from the Indian Asmita”. Describing Mr Advani as a past master of turning a non-issue into an issue, Mr Vaghela alleged that the issue of foreign origin of Congress President Sonia Gandhi was being raked by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and Mr Modi at the behest of the Deputy Prime Minister. Mr Vaghela said this was a ploy to divert people’s attention from issues of poverty, hunger and unemployment. He challenged Mr Advani to raise the issue directly in the people’s court instead of firing it from other’s shoulders and observed that Mrs Gandhi had been approved by the people of 14 states where the Congress was ruling. The Congress, under her leadership, was elected by the people. Stating the Congress was not opposed to Mr Modi’s Gaurav Yatra but if it led to communal violence then his party and he would oppose it with all the might, Mr Vaghela said. |
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India can’t be cowed down
by Pak: George New Delhi, September 11 He declared that India was determined to ensure that free and fair elections were conducted in Jammu and Kashmir. Pointing to heavy shelling from across the border, he said “The incidents in Kargil and Dras over the past two days indicate that the Pakistanis wants us to retaliate so that the elections could be disrupted and a fear psychosis could be created among the Kashmiris”. He said “These are signs that even Pakistani forces are getting involved in moves to disrupt the poll”. Mr Fernandes was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar “One year in our fight against terror—implications for Indo-US relations”, organised by FICCI. The Defence Minister said India would not get trapped into the Pakistani “game-plan” and would ensure adequate security for the people as well as the poll personnel to make the elections successful. |
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Met satellite launch today Bangalore September 11 The 7th flight of PSLV with its passenger METSAT will be the first launch to take place at Srihari Kota lauch range after the space complex in the East coast of the country is named after eminent scientist Prof. Satish Dhawan. The Thursday’s launch exercise has some unique technological feature as regards both METSAT and PSLV. This is the first time that the weather cameras are taken out from the multipurpose INSAT communication satellite network and a separate meteorological satellite system is being commissioned for constant servalance and watch of the caprecious weather conditions. It may be recalled that India could not forecast the cyclone havoc that hit coastal Orissa in 1999 because of the lack of exclusive
satellite system for meteorological observations. The METSAT has been fitted with a Very High Resolution Radio (VHHR) meter and a Data Relay Transponder (DRT). It is also for the first time that a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle is used to take an Indian Satellite to Geostationery Transfer Orbit (GTO), from where the small rocket engines fitted into the METSAT will take it to the Geosynchonous Stationery final slot. India, thus will be the first country to enhance its indigenous technological perfection in utilising PSLV class of launch vehicles for such a complex mission. According to ISRO sources the METSAT/PSLV lauch programme is cost effective and it will cost the country approx Rs 75 crores. |
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TN moves SC against CRA decision New Delhi, September 11 The application prayed for a direction to Karnataka to continue the September 3 order of the Supreme Court till the end of October so that the samba crop sown in 300,000 acres in the state was saved.
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Assess demand of drought-hit states: Advani New Delhi, September 11 Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh told reporters that eight states had asked for a total of 14 lakh tonnes of foodgrains and once the reports of Central teams which had visited these states were received, assistance in terms of input subsidy would be given. Till now only the report from Rajasthan had been received. The team had returned from Uttar Pradesh but had not yet given its report. Complete information as regards the drought situation in all states would be available by month-end of the month, Mr Ajit Singh said.
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Dec 13: Afzal admits to links with JeM New Delhi, September 11 The accused told Special Judge S.N. Dhingra during the recording of his statement that one of the slain terrorists, Mohammed, had come to Delhi along with him at the instance of Ahmed. He, however, denied the allegation that he had brought the other four slain militants Raza, Hamza, Rana and Haider. The accused also denied the allegation of his association with Pakistan-based JeM commander Ghazi Baba, who reportedly acted as the chief coordinator of the plan between the JeM activists and the ISI. Afzal confessed that he knew Ahmed since 2000.
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