 |
Tuesday,
December 3, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
We need
Gorshkov: Navy chief Kanwal Sibal downplays
India-Russia-China ties |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lankan team calls on
Sinha Dec 6
‘day of sorrow’ for Muslims Arsenic in
drinking water proves lethal NORTH INDIA IN
PARLIAMENT Panel to
probe children’s death
Sanjay
Dutt giving away Hero Honda Indian Television Academy Award 2002 to
Mohnish Bahl, best actor drama (Sanjivni-a medical boon) in Mumbai on
Sunday. — PTI photo Manu
Sharma's bail extended
|
|
We need Gorshkov: Navy chief New Delhi, December 2 On the eve of the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India, naval officials here said that in the changed security scenario, the country needed not just one aircraft carrier but two to guard both the western and the eastern sectors. They pointed out that fully self-sufficient vessels were needed to guard the seas. Addressing the annual press conference ahead of the Navy Week, the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Madhavendra Singh, dismissed reports about the Russian aircraft carrier being junk and proposed that investment should be made to refurbish it. He said, “We need it. There is absolutely no doubt in our minds that we need Admiral Gorshkov.” He, however, admitted that the thorny price negotiations were coming in the way of clinching the much-awaited deal with Moscow. Replying to a question, he said he was not sure whether the Gorshkov deal would figure during the talks between the Russian President and Indian leaders, beginning tomorrow. He also outlined an ambitious plan to expand maritime capabilities as a long-term perspective, but refused to discuss the Navy’s nuclear capabilities and projections. The Admiral said the government had recently approved the building of an indigenous aircraft carrier and its construction would begin in 2003. The design for the carrier with a displacement of 37,000 tonnes was ready and the project would start at the Cochin shipyard next year. It will take 8 to 10 years for the ship to be complete, he added. The government had also approved the acquisition of the deep submergence vessel and modernisation of the IL-38
reconnaissance aircraft even as the force was looking for long-range maritime patrol aircraft. Replying to a question, the naval Chief said he was not aware of any reports that Russia had held up lease of a nuclear submarine to India and selling TU-22 aircraft until the Gorshkov deal was cleared. About the cloud of secrecy being maintained by the Navy on the leasing of the nuclear submarine and nuclear-related issues, he said the Navy was the strongest arm of the nuclear triad that the country must possess. “Any country that has declared itself a nuclear weapon state and has a no-first-use doctrine, must obviously have a nuclear triad and the strongest arm this triad is at sea. Not on at sea but underwater. It does not make sense to keep nuclear weapons on land because they could be targeted.” He said the Navy had submitted to the government for approval, one part of its Vision 2025 plan. A 15-year shipbuilding plan to achieve the requisite force level to meet the missions of the new millennium had been placed before the government. The Admiral said several inductions were planned for the coming year, including three Talwar Class state-of-the-art frigates which are now under construction in Russia. The ship will join the force in 2003, having been delayed because India was not very happy with one of the systems and that was being redesigned to the Navy’s specifications, he added. He said the Advance Light Helicopter (ALH) would be on board at sea in 2003. One Prabal Class missile corvette would be commissioned on December 18 and the KA 31 airborne advance warning helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vessels (UAVs) would be inducted early next year. The naval Chief said the Project 17 stealth frigate was under construction. Designed and being built by India it was now at the half-way stage and the first ship would be commissioned in 2006. The midlife update of the Ranvir Class ships and Godavri Class frigates would be undertaken. He said the government had approved the Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel. The Navy would tender for it soon and within a year, contract for it. “And a year or two after that we hope to have a state-of-the-art
submarine rescue vessel.” He said the indigenous construction of six French Scorpene Class submarines was in the final stages of government approval. This was part of the 30-year plan. A decision on the second submarine line after the Scorpenes had not been taken, but the Russian Amur was one of the contenders, he said. The naval Chief said India was hopeful that Russia would allow the Navy to deal directly with manufacturers there for spares. That the Navy was not allowed to deal directly with manufacturers but had to go through the Russian government was causing problems, he admitted. |
|
Kanwal Sibal downplays
India-Russia-China ties New Delhi, December 2 "There is no proposal for any strategic configuration among India, Russia and China," Mr Sibal said at a press conference here. Mr Sibal said India would take up the issue of Pakistan’s continued support to cross-border terrorism against India when the Indian and Russian leaderships hold talks during Mr Putin’s visit. Commenting on Mr Putin’s statement in which he expressed fears of Pakistani nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists, he said New Delhi had also been raising this issue for quite some time. "We have been expressing to the international community our concerns over fundamentalism, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Pakistan possesses all these three ingredients and it must be closely watched," he remarked. A number of important documents would be signed by the two countries during Mr Putin’s visit. The Russian President and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee would sign a "Delhi Declaration" on strengthening the strategic partnership. There would also be a declaration on expanding cooperation in trade, economic, scientific and technological fields. Besides, a joint statement would be issued on the visit. The agreements to be signed include a protocol on the protection and use of intellectual property rights for scientific and technological cooperation; a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on combating terrorism; a protocol on cooperation between Karnataka and the Samara region of Russia and an MoU on cooperation in telecommunications. Mr Sibal said defence issues had been dealt with at the meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Technical Cooperation recently. There was progress on the issue of the supply of T-90 tanks and the transfer of technology for 140 SU-30 MKI fighter planes. On the Gorshkov deal, he said negotiations were on between the two sides and he was not in a position to say more on this. Mr Sibal also charged Pakistan with seeking to increasing its interference in Afghanistan to thwart the process of normalisation and prevent a rapid stabilisation of the area. Mr Sibal apprehended that the success of fundamentalist parties in the elections in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Baluchistan, the two provinces bordering Afghanistan, might further fuel the Pakistani interference in the affairs of Afghanistan. |
|
Lankan team calls on
Sinha New Delhi, December 2 The delegation also shared with Mr Sinha its perception of the SLFP on the ongoing peace process, foreign office spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters. Mr Sinha assured the Sri Lankan MPs of India’s commitment to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. The other members of the delegation were: Dr Sarath Amunugama, MP and Special Adviser to President on Rural Affairs and Water Management, and Mr Mangala Samarweera, treasurer of SLFP and chief opposition whip. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Minister for Economic Reform and Science and Technology Milinda Moragoda called on Mr Sinha on Saturday to brief him on the recently concluded Donors’ Conference in Oslo and the three-day talks in Oslo which began today. This is part of the ongoing process of keeping the Government of India informed of developments in the peace negotiations. |
|
Dec 6 ‘day of sorrow’ for Muslims Faizabad, December 2 This was decided at a meeting of the community leaders here, Babri Masjid Action Committee chairman Mohammad Yunus Siddiqui said. The meeting decided to cover the minaretes of idgah with black clothes if Id falls on December 6, he said, adding that slogans demanding immediate construction of Babri Masjid would be put up on the minaretes. It was decided to ask Muslims not to embrace each other if Id falls on that day, he said. Traders had been asked to close their shops and business establishments in protest against the demolition. The BMAC also asked social and political organisations not to organise Id-milan functions or any service camp at the idgah.
PTI |
|
Arsenic
in drinking water proves lethal Patna, December 2 More than 20 residents of Semaria village have reportedly died during the past decade of arsenic poisoning. Officials admitted to at least 12 persons being afflicted with skin diseases, liver cirrhosis, first stage cancer, kidney, eye and mental illnesses. Villagers said the number of affected persons was 50, some of them critical. The officials admitted that arsenic had been found in ground water in the village and the situation was serious. The Civil Surgeon of Bhojpur district, Dr R.D. Ranjan, accepted that initial tests found 12 villagers afflicted with arsenic poisoning. "A team of five doctors has detected 12 cases of symptoms of arsenic poisoning and I have asked them to identify the affected ones for treatment", Dr Ranjan said. He said most patients were found to have skin problems, rashes and moles on their hands. Experts tested the ground water of Semaria village and in 204 hand-pumps they found traces of arsenic. The Bhojpur District Magistrate, Mr Sanjay Kumar, said 166 hand-pumps out of the 204 at the village were found to contain arsenic and had already been declared unfit for supplying water for human consumption. The villagers said the reason for the deaths of many villagers could not be ascertained till recently, adding that more than 20 persons died of arsenic poisoning during the past 10 years. This year Ashok Ojha of the village got his mother and father admitted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and the doctors suspected arsenic poisoning and diagnosed the two to be suffering from cancer. Ojha sent the water samples to experts at the School of Environment Studies, Kolkata, and these were found to contain arsenic. |
|
NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, December 2 Quoting a report of the Technical Group on Population, the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Mr A. Raja, told the House that the projected life expectancy between 2001-2006 in Punjab was 69.78 years for men and 72 years for women and in Haryana 64.64 years and 69.30 years for men and women, respectively. He also informed the House that in 2001, there were around 63,000 doctors in Punjab and Delhi and the ratio of nurses per doctor was 0.62 in Punjab, and 13.81 in Haryana. Agro and rural industries: The Minister of State for Agro and Rural Industries, Mr Nikhil Kumar Chaoudhary, told the Lok Sabha that the funds disbursed by the government to the Khadi Village Industries Corporation (KVIC) were Rs 166.94 lakh (grant) and Rs 18.64 lakh (loan) during the current financial year (up to October 31, 2002) for Punjab, Rs 84.50 lakh (grant) for Jammu and Kashmir, Rs 278.06 lakh (grant) for Haryana and Rs 100.19 lakh (grant) for Himachal Pradesh. Commerce and industry: Five industrial units in Himachal Pradesh and one each in Punjab and Haryana (provisional figures) were closed down in 2001, the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Dr Raman Singh, told the Rajya Sabha. Slum population: The estimated slum population in 2001 was 5.78 lakh in Ludhiana in Punjab, Mr Janardhana Poojary, Minister for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation informed the Rajya Sabha. Tourism and culture: Financial assistance provided to Chandigarh for the festival of gardens and the Chandigarh Carnival during 2000-01 was Rs 3.28 lakh. During this period, Haryana was given Rs 25 lakh for the Surajkund Craft Mela, Himachal Pradesh Rs 5 lakh for Kulu Dasehra and Jammu and Kashmir was provided Rs 25 lakh for the Sindhu Darshan Festival, the Tourism and Culture Minister, Mr Jagmohan, informed the Lok Sabha. Pending cases: Mr K. Jana Krishnamurthi, Minister for Law and Justice, informed the Rajya Sabha that the number of cases pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court was 2,33,370 where the sanctioned number of judges (as on March 1, 2002) was 40 compared to 26 judges in position. Information and broadcasting: The government has proposed two narrowcast TV stations in Punjab and one in Haryana and limited transmission has already been started from Patiala (Punjab) and Hisar, informed Ms Sushma Swaraj, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, in a written reply to the Rajya
Sabha. |
|
Panel to probe children’s death Lucknow, December 2 health minister Aridaman Singh has asked officials of the health department to carry out a thorough check-up of the affected children and submit the report immediately. Director- General (Health) Dr Gyatri Sharma has been asked to camp in Saharanpur to supervise the ‘mopping operation’. The disease has spread to the nearby Meerut and Haridwar district. “Mop-up operations have started to identify the affected children as well as the reasons which caused the disease,”
said the minister, adding that the DG, health, had been asked to stay put in Saharanpur till “the situation comes under control”. The officials have prima facie ruled out the disease to be Japanese encephalitis. |
|
Sanjay Dutt exempted from court appearance Mumbai, December 2 In response to a judicial directive the accused appeared before the court today along with their lawyers Farhana Shah and Subhash Kanse. On a plea made by defence lawyers Designated Judge P.D. Kode exempted the accused on conditions that they do not leave the jurisdiction of the court without permission and would ensure that they were represented by their advocates. The judge also warned them to refrain from maintaining contact with accused who were on the run. Outside the court fans of Sanjay Dutt gathered in large numbers to take a close look at the actor.
PTI
|
|
Manu Sharma's bail extended New Delhi, December 2 Disposing of his application for interim bail, Mr Justice R.C. Chopra said it was being extended further as prosecution had stated that it required more time to produce an important witness from Nepal before the trial court. The court said today that since there was no complaint against him for violating the bail conditions, his plea for extending the interim bail was allowed.
PTI |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
New Delhi, December 2
Video
