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Friday,
March 28, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Raids on
house of DDA Vice-Chairman Civil
aviation security to be strengthened
50 human
skulls found in field |
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Cong block
chiefs’ convention today Raza Murad
joins SP Brahmin Sabha burns Musharraf’s effigy Russia
asks Pak to stop cross-border terrorism
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Raids on house of DDA Vice-Chairman New Delhi, March 27 Agency sources said raids were carried out on the residential premises of Mr Sharma, a 1970 Union Territory cadre IAS officer, Commissioner (Land Disposal) Anand Mohan Saran, a 1990 Haryana cadre IAS officer, Commissioner (Planning) Vijay Rishivad and Director (Lands) Jagdish Chandra. The sources said the raids at 12 different destinations in the Capital started last night and was still continuing in some places. This is for the first time that raids had been carried out against the Vice-Chairman of the DDA. Mr Sharma, who was previously heading the New Delhi Municipal Council, was appointed as DDA chief recently in the place of Mr P.C. Hota. During the raids, Rs 44 lakh in cash, a Toyota Qualis, one Maruti Van, two computers, liquor bottles and locker keys were recovered. Two cases against the officials and five private persons were registered. The sources said Rs 36 lakh were recovered during searches at the residence of Mr Saran, while Rs 4 lakh were seized from the residence of Mr Rishivad. Another Rs 3.70 lakh was seized from the Toyota Qualis parked near the residence of Mr Rishivad which was captured after the driver tried to escape with the money, just as the agency sleuths swooped on his residence. The CBI of late has been carrying out special anti-corruption drive all over the country. The agency has filed several cases of corruption against DDA officials following raids against them. The sources said of the two cases, one pertains to a criminal conspiracy hatched by DDA officials with builders and businessmen on March 17 for granting undue favour to DLF Universal Ltd and receiving illegal gratification in a quid-pro-quo measure. The Vice-Chairman, Commissioner (Land Disposal), Commissioner (Planning), Director (Lands), Mr Ajay Khanna of the DLF, middlemen — Dharam Bir Khattar, Ravinder Taneja,
G. R. Gogia and Mukesh Saini — have been named in this FIR. The second case pertains to extending undue favour to Modern Public School Education Society in the matter of cancellation of about four acres of unutilised leased land. Besides the Vice-Chairman, others named in the FIR are Director (Lands), Dharam Bir Khattar, suspended Private Secretary to the Vice-Chairman Ashok Kapoor and Director of Modern Public School Education Society Amritlal Kapoor.
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Civil aviation security to be
strengthened New Delhi, March 27 Addressing the Parliamentary committee attached to his ministry the Civil Aviation Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussian said a proposal was already with the government for the restructuring the BCAS. “A number of steps have already been taken, and some are in the pipeline to strengthen the security mechanism,” he said. “There is an urgent need to have a fresh look at the manpower requirement of BCAS both at the headquarters as well as the field units,” he said. With the changes in the security set up in the country including the induction of the Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF), NSG Sky Marshals, it was difficult to carry out sensitive, time consuming security related tasks, he said. Under the restructuring proposal, four posts of Deputy Commissioner of Security (Civil Aviation) were to be created exclusively for four metros, Mr Hussain told the Committee. Considering the strategic importance of places, the existing Regional Offices of Deputy Commissioners of Security (RDCOS) were proposed to be relocated to Jammu, Guwahati, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, he added. Giving out the future plans, the Civil Aviation Minister said smart cards would be introduced for Airports to streamline and strengthen access control system. At hyper-sensitive and sensitive airports, Closed Circuit Television sets would be installed for surveillance and the present Door Metal Frame Detectors would be replaced with Multi-zone Door Frame Metal Detectors, he said. The Minister said the Government was also considering introduction of the Integrated Automated Registered Baggage Screening System which could hasten the process of registered baggage handling in a safe and secure manner. He said the introduction of Biometric-based Integrated Passenger Profiling System to screen identity of passengers, strengthening of the cockpit doors, state-of-the-art system inside the aircraft for communicating with the ground staff were some of the other steps were being considered, he said. Mr Hussain added efforts were also being made to set up a Civil Aviation Security Training Academy to meet the growing demand for trained manpower in the sector. “It will meet the requirements of all airport security units, airlines, Airport Operators and Ground Handling Agents,” he added. Participating in the discussion, members suggested the creation of a specialised force under a single chain of command to ensure discipline and fix responsibility for lapses, wherever found. The members also suggested that the security personnel should be trained to be courteous with the passengers. Some members expressed concern over the recent hike in the air fare but appreciated the smooth conduct of the Haj
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50 human skulls
found in field Patna, March 27 Villagers claimed that the number of human skulls was more than 100 and they were at least 100-year old. The Khagaria district Superintendent of Police, Mr Ajit Kumar Joy, has put the number officially at 40-50. “The human skulls have been sent for forensic test to ascertain how old they are”, Mr Joy told reporters. The police headquarters here has instructed the local police to look into the incidents of missing persons in the district though senior officials ruled out any foul play in the discovery of human skulls. The villagers said they suspected that a ‘tantrik’ might have used the skulls for his accomplishments. The skulls were found at depth of just three-four feet. |
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Cong block chiefs’ convention today New Delhi, March 27 The convention, to be inaugurated by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, will be addressed by PCC chiefs besides senior leaders of the party. The convention will be followed by a rally at Ramlila Ground in Delhi on March 30. The Block Congress presidents would give their inputs about the programmes to be chalked out for farmers, youth, women and weaker sections. Seen as one of the largest grass-roots exercise by the party, the convention would formulate a plan of action for the party keeping in view assembly elections in five states in November and Lok Sabha elections next year. |
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Mumbai, March 27 Murad said he joined the Samajwadi Party with the mission to serve the people. Mr Mulayam Singh, who is also the chief spokesperson of the party, said the party welcomed them even as hundreds of party workers cheered them. He is the second prominent film star to join the Samajwadi Party after Raj Babbar. Others who joined the party included Dr Khalil Memon, Mukhtar Hasan Shaikh, Ashokkumar Singh Yadav, Kishore Gaikwad, Kudruddin Shaikh, Badruddin Modak, Arif Hussain and Gurunath
Gaikwad. UNI |
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Brahmin
Sabha burns Musharraf’s effigy Pathankot, March 27 Mr Ashwani Sharma, president of the sabha, expressed concern over the “linient attitude of the administration, resulting in the carnage despite apprehensions expressed by Kashmiri Pandits” Activists of the sabha and others paid homage to those who died in the carnage. Mr Sham Behal, general secretary, PPCC, also expressed deep anguish at the brutal and barbaric massacre of 24 Kashmiri Pandits. In a press note issued today, he condemned the inhuman and savage act of the killers of humanity. |
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Russia asks Pak to stop cross-border terrorism New Delhi, March 27 “Pakistan must stop cross-border terrorism against India before a dialogue between the two countries can be started,” a Russian Embassy spokesman here told reporters. “There is no change in the position of the Russian Federation on the India-Pakistan issue,” he said. Observing that Moscow had received with “anger and pain” the terrorist killing of Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir, the spokesman said Russia “resolutely condemned” terrorism in any of its manifestation and supported the measures taken by India to counter it. “The aim of this crime is to exacerbate the situation in the state and to undermine the efforts of the Indian leaders and the local authorities to establish peace in J&K,” he added.
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