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Friday,
July 18, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Pressure
mounts on IAF chief over MiG crash Hindujas
challenge CBI to produce proof Interpol’s
help sought on Quattrocchi Bengal CM
backs Vajpayee on Iraq CBI registers case on Taj corridor
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‘Charge sheet’ against Jogi UK offers
help, not mediation: Young Fresh probe into attack on pilgrims
Indian Youth Congress President Randeep Singh Surjewala points to the stocks of wheat, which were supposed to have been sent to drought-affected Rajasthan but were allegedly stopped by the Delhi Traffic Police.
— Tribune photo Mukesh Aggarwal Centre,
Haryana defend 2-child norm law in SC Cong
readmits 2 Haryana leaders UP MLA
gets life term Samata ministers to face Oppn ire 5 of
family among 17 killed due to rain Rs
600-cr relief for cane farmers
Revamp
AIDS control plan, says NCW Victim
deposes he saw Pandya in mob 13
wagons of goods train derail Sinha
calls on Advani
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Pressure mounts on IAF chief over MiG crash New Delhi, July 17 The very fact that the Chief of Air Staff has come out with a statement that he would attempt to make public the “confidential” inquiry report of the Monday’s crash and the consequent grounding of the Type-69 trainers reflects the pressure which is on the IAF to come out unscathed once again from this problem which has now almost become a bane of the air force. Although Air Chief Marshal Krishnaswamy has not defended the MiG-21s on this occasion, he has been forced to go public for the second time in less than a month in regard to the MiG-21s, which are the backbone of the IAF. Only late last month the Air chief had come out in defence of the MiG-21s, describing a ride in them to be safer than travelling on the Delhi-Chandigarh or Delhi-Jaipur highway. He had also reeled out figures in support of the MiG-21s, pointing out that its accident rate was the lowest in the series of fighter aircrafts with the IAF. However, defence analysts here point out that the latest crash in Srinagar has brought back the focus on the safety aspect of the MiG-21s. This fact has been recognised by the Chief of Air Staff also and has prompted him to say that he would attempt to make the report public, they said. He made this statement while attending the funeral of W. Cdr R. Rastogi here yesterday. “Certain documents relevant to inquiry are confidential, but in this case I would seek the permission to make those available to the public,” he said. The statement came on the day when reports also suggested that the IAF had also decided to ground this particular series of aircrafts. Although officials suggested that the MiG-21s as such had not been grounded and only those with the particular squadron had been put on hold from flying. If the inquiry report is made public it would set a precedent as it could lead to disclosing of certain facts which could prove to be detrimental not only to the air force’s image but also might expose certain other aspects which form part of the up keep of the aircraft. |
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Hindujas
challenge CBI to produce proof New Delhi, July 17 Senior counsel and former Law Minister Ram
Jethmalani, representing the three Hinduja brothers before Mr Justice J. D.
Kapoor, claimed that there was no evidence that his clients had received money on Rajiv Gandhi’s behalf. Mr Jethmalani said Rajiv Gandhi could not have sanctioned procurement of a ‘bad’ gun simply to enable Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrochi get kickbacks of Rs 10 crore.
Quattrochi encashed on the ‘inside’ information he had about the purchase deal, Mr Jethmalani said, asking why the authorities allowed him to leave the country if he was crucial to the case. Mr Jethmalani was arguing for the Hindujas against the special court’s November 2002 order, framing charges in the Rs 1,437-crore Bofors gun deal case. The three Hinduja brothers —
Shrichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand — alleged that the charges were different from what had been pleaded by the CBI in the trial court. They also claimed that a procedural error had been committed by the court by not recording statements of the witnesses and giving them a chance to cross-examine the witnesses.
— UNI |
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Interpol’s help sought on Quattrocchi New Delhi, July 17 CBI spokesperson G. Mohanty told The Tribune here that the agency had also requested the Indian mission in Italy to help it verify the address. The CBI in a communique to the Interpol, Italy, had asked to verify an address at Sungontenere Milan in the suburbs of Rome and the latter had assured to act on it. Mr Quattrocchi was facing an extradition trial in Malaysia. However, after the CBI’s appeal was quashed by the lower court and the high court in Kuala Lumpur, the Italian businessman left that country saying that he would be back after finishing his work. |
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Bengal CM backs Vajpayee on Iraq Kolkata, July 17 Talking informally with his long-time party colleague, Mr Viren J Shah, now the Bengal Governor, Mr Vajpayee has stated that the decision was taken after long deliberations and considering all aspects, concerning national and international interests, sources at Raj Bhavan said. The Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, who met Mr Vajpayee twice during the day, congratulated him for taking the right decision of not responding to the US request and sending troops to Iraq. Mr Bhattacharjee requested him to immediately sanction adequate funds for protecting Murshidabad , and vast areas of Hooghly district from the erosion being caused by the Ganga. He urged upon Mr Vajpayee to sanction all pending development schemes of the state, now lying with the Centre. The Governor was present during the meeting. The Trinamool Congress chief, Ms Mamata Banerjee, led a delegation to the Prime Minister and submitted a memorandum demanding the Centre’s intervention for restoring democracy in Bengal which had been “destroyed” by “misuing” of official power and the police by the CPM during the panchayat elections. The state BJP President, Mr Tathagata Roy, and a Union Minister, Mr Tapan Sikdhar, also met Mr Vajpayee separately and lodged complaints about the state’s law and order situations. |
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CBI registers case on Taj corridor
New Delhi, July 17 Agency sources said the apex court order was officially communicated to the CBI in the evening today and soon a case was registered. The premier investigating agency has been given two months’ time by the Supreme Court to complete the probe. The probe into the case is expected to progress quickly as the agency is to submit an interim report within a month. The sources indicated that a team of agency officials would visit Agra in a day or two for a first-hand stock of the situation before launching a full-fledged probe into the case in which the role of the Uttar Pradesh Government has come under serious scrutiny. As part of the project, entertainment parks, restaurants and shopping malls were to be built behind the Taj, a 17th century Mughal monument.
— UNI |
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‘Charge sheet’ against Jogi
Raipur, July 17 Releasing the 63-page “charge sheet”, a day before the party’s national executive meeting here, BJP General Secretary Pramod Mahajan said, “It contains all misdeeds of the Jogi government.” In the presence of Chhattisgarh BJP chief Raman Singh, leader of the Opposition Nand Kumar Sai and others, Mr Majahan said, “It is the charge sheet by the BJP’s state unit against the autocrat, corrupt and undemocratic Chief Minister.” Asserting conversion would be an important issue in the coming state Assembly poll, Mr Mahajan said, “Change of religion is an important factor in many parts of the state and is a key issue.” To a question, Mr Mahajan said the BJP would not forge alliance with any party for Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi Assembly poll.
— PTI |
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UK offers help, not mediation: Young
New Delhi, July 17 “There is no question of mediation. Kashmir is an issue between India and Pakistan and has to be resolved by the two countries. But if the United Kingdom can help to reduce tensions and create the right conditions for productive dialogue, we shall,’’ British High Commissioner in India Rob Young said. Kashmir used to be a bone of contention between India and the UK, he said, adding that the Indian Government was suspicious and critical of the British Government’s position. “But mutual concern about terrorism and the need to work for an end to support for cross-border terrorism, have brought the two governments together,” Mr Young said while delivering a lecture at the British Council here last night. “I believe this issue is now adding another layer of confidence and trust to the relationship,” he added. Speaking on “India and the UK: Reflections on a Modern Partnership”, the British envoy said both India and the UK had suffered the terrible effects of terrorism. Pointing out that India and the UK were working together on a number of regional issues, including Afghanistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Mr Young said action against terrorism was the cornerstone of the partnership. Mr Young said India and Britain stood out as a model of two countries with a shared agenda to tackle global challenges such as poverty, ill health, climate change, weapons proliferation, drugs and terrorism. “It was not surprising, therefore, that Mr Blair had listed India, along with China and Russia, as key countries with which we need to have a strategic engagement,” he added. “I don’t think I am being complacent or starry-eyed when I say that relations between India and Britain have never been stronger. There is genuine trust and confidence between us.” “The natural partnership is blooming because of a growing convergence in our international interests and objectives, plus the political will to tackle today’s international challenges together,” said Mr Young, who retires in October after nearly four decades of service, the last five years as envoy to India. |
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Fresh probe into attack on pilgrims New Delhi, July 17 The direction of the NCM came after the commission Chairman Tarlochan Singh held a meeting with representatives of the state government and representatives of the Sikh Sangat here. Asking why FIRs were filed only against the Sikh pilgrims, the commission directed that the sections under which the FIRs had been filed should be re-examined, especially the provisions under dacoity. Directing state Chief Secretary Madhukar Gupta to monitor the matter carefully so that communal harmony was maintained, the NCM felt that necessary steps should be taken so that future pilgrims were given protection and security.
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Govt playing politics with relief, says Surjewala New Delhi, July 17 Mr Surjewala said the IYC had collected 50 truckloads of wheat for the drought-affected areas, which were to be flagged off by Congress President Sonia Gandhi on July 19. “However, the New Delhi police has denied us permission,” he said. Blaming Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani for denial of permission, he alleged that the decision had been taken under influence of Rajasthan BJP chief Vasundhra Raje with an eye on assembly elections in the state. Describing the denial of permission as unjust, Mr Surjewala narrated instances when the police had given permission to the IYC to send trucks carrying relief material for the needy in various parts of the country. Meanwhile, Mr Surjewala announced members of the National Council of the IYC. The 17-member council, constituted after over eight years, includes Mr Ajay Maken, Mr Ashfaq-Ullah-Khan, Mr Ashok Tanwar, Mr Ashok Chaudhary, Mr Bilal Mia, Mr C. R. Kesvan, Ms Deborah C. Marak, Mr E. Valasraj, Mr Himmatsinh Patel, Mr Hari Singh Champavat, Mr Manish Tewari, Ms Neetu Verma, Mr Randeep Singh Nabha, Ms Ranee Narah, Mr R.P.N. Singh, Mr Satyajit D. Gaekwad and Mr Shakeel Ahmed. |
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Centre, Haryana defend 2-child norm law in SC New Delhi, July 17 "The panchayati
Raj institutions will be important in implementing the small family norm and the law passed by the state is in consonance with the spirit of the policy to send a message to the people that their representatives in panchayats are practising the same norm," Attorney-General Soli J.
Sorabjee, appearing for the Centre, told a three-judge Bench. The Bench, comprising Mr Justice
R.C. Lahoti, Mr Justice Ashok Bhan and Mr Justice Arun Kumar, reserved its judgement on a bunch of petitions filed by nearly 200 panchayat members and pradhans from Haryana, who had been served notices by the state government for removal for "violating" the two-child norm or concealing the fact at the time of filing nominations. Section 175(1) of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, disqualifies a person with more than two living children from contesting and holding a post in panchayats, block samitis and zila
parishads. The panchayat functionaries, who had been served notices for removal, had challenged the Act on the ground that it violated the right of equality, as had been guaranteed in the Constitution. They also contended that the Act was discriminatory against panchayat functionaries because there was no such ban on MPs and MLAs. |
Cong
readmits 2 Haryana leaders New Delhi, July 17 AICC sources said that decision to readmit them was taken by a AICC committee comprising Mr Motilal Vora, Ms Ambika Soni and Mr Ahmed Patel. Mr Chand Ram, a former MP, belongs to the Dalit community. Mr Sharma, a former General Secretary of Haryana Congress, had contested the last Assembly election as an Independent after having been denied the ticket. |
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UP MLA gets
life term Lucknow, July 17 Vijay Singh, an Independent legislator, is supporting the BJP-BSP alliance government in the state. It is the first time in Uttar Pradesh that a sitting legislator has been awarded punishment. The sessions court, however, gave one month’s time to Vijay Singh and his accomplice to file a petition in higher court. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Kalimullah also sentenced his accomplice Sanjeev Maheswari to life imprisonment. Five others were acquitted for lack of evidence. Those acquitted included son of former BJP MLA Urmila
Rajput. |
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Samata ministers to face Oppn ire New Delhi, July 17 Mr Nitish Kumar has been under attack for the past few months following a series of rail accidents. The Opposition has been demanding his resignation. Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi has convened a meeting of Opposition leaders. |
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5 of family among 17 killed due to rain Lucknow, July 17 "With these deaths, the rain-related toll in the state has gone up to 66 in the past six days," he said. Five members of a family died in a village in Mainpuri district while the roof of their house collapsed on them when they were asleep. Three persons died of lightning in
Etawah, the spokesman said. Rukhsana (5), and her infant brother died at Shahajahanpur when a wall of their house collapsed. Three members of the family sustained injuries. They have been shifted to hospital, he said. A majority of the deaths reported so far in the state were due to house collapse, Agriculture Production Commissioner
(APC) S.N Jha told this reporter. The APC monitors relief and rehabilitation programmes. |
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Rs 600-cr relief for cane farmers New Delhi, July 17 The financial assistance would be paid for accruing out the difference between the higher state advisory price (SAP) and the statutory minimum price (SMP). This was announced by Union Agriculture Minister Rajnath Singh after an hour-long meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Union Finance Minister Jaswant Singh. The amount, drawn from the Sugar Development Fund (SDF), would be provided by the Centre to the state government for onward disbursement to the cane growers. While Uttar Pradesh is the largest cane producer with about 35 per cent of the total annual production in the country, Haryana and Uttaranchal contribute about 3 per cent each. Of the total production of 299.21 million tonnes in 2001-02, Uttar Pradesh contributed 106.59 million tonnes. Mr Rajnath Singh said that this would be one-time financial package. Talks with respective states were on and details would be finalised within seven to 10 days, he added. The package would also be applicable in states which announce their own state administrative price for the crop. Today’s meeting was the third in a series necessitated by the path of agitation chosen by farmers from Uttar Pradesh over the non-payment of SAP fixed by the State government and millers insistence to pay lower SMP, fixed by the Centre at Rs 69.50 a quintal. The farmers were agitating for the payment of SAP at the rate of Rs 95 a quintal of sugarcane, which is also given by the adjoining state of Haryana. The sugarcane arrears due to farmers countrywide are estimated at around Rs 2,000 crore of which the major share is owed to the Uttar Pradesh farmers. |
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Vivek Oberoi
operated upon Mumbai, July 17 Vivek, was brought here from Kolkata and admitted to Hinduja Hospital at Mahim in central Mumbai. Orthopaedic
surgeon, Dr Sanjay Agarwala, who operated on popular actor this
evening, said he would be fixing the fracture with nails and screws -
an “interlocking system” procedure. This procedure would permit
ambulation and mobility, he said, adding that “we expect him to
stand up in a couple of days with crutches and walk more and more with
support.” However, the wound would take at least three months to
heal. Dr Agarwala also said Vivek was in good mood and his pain was
under control with injections.
— PTI |
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Bollywood stars pay for recklessness Mumbai, July 17 Both accidents occurred due to the stunt coordinator’s miscalculation, once again putting the spotlight on safety at film sets. Do Bollywood stars take too many risks with their lives in pursuit of providing their fans with thrills? Some years ago, Aamir Khan decided to do a James Dean in Vikram Bhatt’s “Ghulam”. Like the reckless Hollywood actor who died young, Aamir got into a leather jacket, raced towards a hurtling train and moved out of the way a split second before the impending collision. The scene got Aamir his quota of kudos. But was the risk worth it? Aamir shakes his head. “It was only when I saw the film that I realised how risky the shot was. Perhaps if I had known I wouldn’t have done it.” Many years earlier, Amitabh Bachchan had done a similar sequence of jumping across the track in defiance of a speeding train in Ramesh Sippy’s “Shakti”. He got away with it. But he wasn’t as lucky on the sets of Manmohan Desai’s “Coolie”. The year was 1983. While shooting an action scene, small-time actor Puneet Issar landed a blow on Amitabh Bachchan that sent him crashing on a table. The edge of the table hit Bachchan’s stomach causing near-fatal internal injuries. Millions of fans prayed for the icon’s recovery as he battled with death and finally emerged victorious. But was it at all necessary for the country’s busiest showbiz icon to endanger his life for fleeting shot? “No,” says Akshay Kumar who was laid down for almost a month after a serious back injury he acquired during the shooting of “Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi”. “But we actors are suicidal. We want to push ourselves to the edge, challenge fate. After “Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi” I swore to be careful. But the thrill of doing my own action scenes is tremendous. In “Khiladi 420” I climbed on top of a flying aircraft even though both the producer and director were against it. But I didn’t tell my mother or my girlfriend about it.” Fortunately, Akshay’s back problem was completely cured. Sunny Deol and Shah Rukh Khan paid a heavy price for their heart-in-the-mouth stunts. Khan recently underwent spinal surgery and is on the way to full recovery. But Deol has a perennial back problem that acts up intermittently forcing him into bed. Actress Lara Dutta nearly lost her life while shooting a romantic song with Akshay Kumar on the treacherous rocks of a beach in Cape Town. “We wanted the waves to splash us. But we didn’t realise how slippery the rock on which we were perched was. I slipped off and would’ve drowned if Akshay hadn’t pulled me up,” shudders Lara. Aashish Chowdhry, who made his debut in Harry Baweja’s “Qayamat” broke his leg while taking a 30-foot plunge on the first day of shooting. “I hobbled and limped my way through the film. After every shot I’d go and cry in corner. I’m paying the price for my negligence. My ankle swells up after 20 minutes on the treadmill,” says Aashish. The question is do our stars really need to take so many risks to create an illusion of bravado? In Hollywood stars are so heavily insured that no one ventures into anything even remotely dangerous. Naseeruddin Shah, who recently shot for “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman”, recounts how he was not allowed to do some Kung Fu stunts. “I just learnt the postures of the martial art and created an illusion of doing Kung Fu. Isn’t that what acting is all about?” he asks. Do some of Bollywood’s more adventurous stars realise that?
— IANS |
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Revamp AIDS control plan, says NCW
New Delhi, July 17 “She was allowed to die in bitter criminal and shameful neglect. If not by shameful commission, by systematic omission the HIV-positive woman was made to die,” the NCW said here. The NCW, taking suo motu cognisance of the media reports of HIV-positive woman Pavanamma allegedly being stoned to death at Kuppam village of Chitoor district in Andhra Pradesh, had sent a four-member team there. Launching a scathing attack on the HIV/AIDS prevention programme of the government, the commission has decided to hold a meeting of NGOs working with HIV-positive women, funding organisations, including the National AIDS Control Organisation and Health Department officials in this regard. It has asked the government, which was spending Rs 220 crore annually for AIDS prevention, treatment and care facilities, to review the present programme so that incidents like this were not repeated in future. NCW Chairperson Poornima Advani, who led the delegation, said “The social isolation of Pavanamma was complete. she lay there unattended, uncared for, placed outside the house in criminal neglect and all, including her mother and brother, waiting for her to breath last. The neighbourhood pressurised her family that the “stinking, bleeding and wretched” woman was a burden not only financially but socially and they should do something to get rid of her. Her brother paid Rs 600 to three sweepers who wrapped her in a mat, put her on a push cart and cremated her.” Stating that the ‘’callous, indifferent, insensitive and inhuman’’ way the living woman was treated during the last few hours before her death almost making it appear that she was pushed into the jaws of death, Dr Advani said Pavanamma was allowed to decay and decompose even before her clinical death.
— UNI |
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Victim deposes he saw Pandya in mob
Ahmedabad, July 17 “It was his (Pandya’s) presence which “instigated the rioters even more,” Dr Yunus Mohammed Usman Bhavnagari, a dentist residing at the Paldi area here, told commission members Justice (Retd) G T Nanavti and Justice (Retd) K G Shah. He said he was “forced” to open fire at the rampaging mob which shot his son Dr Amir Bhavnagari in the chest from outside his house. Several policemen were also present in the mob, he said.
— PTI |
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13 wagons of
goods train derail Raipur, July 17 “No loss of life has been reported in the incident which occurred at around 1.30 A.M. between Korba and Kusmunda stations of the SECR, about 97 km from Bilaspur,” Divisional Railway Manager (Bilaspur) Vinay Mittal said. The 58-wagon goods train derailed at bridge No 46, 13 of these fell off the bridge.
— PTI |
Sinha
calls on Advani New Delhi, July 17 Mr Sinha was with Mr Advani for about 75 minutes. The two are understood to have deliberated on the security issue.
— PTI |
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