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Sunday,
August 17, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Cabinet expansion likely by August-end 4 shortlisted for Foreign Secretary
post After Togadia, Kishore bundled off to
Delhi Sena warns against separating
Mumbai
Symbol of ’71 victory struggling to keep
afloat |
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Wolf scare in UP
villages SC’s ex-Judge to probe allegations against Hazare Samata for resolution barring foreigners in high
places Chandrika’s Adviser warns of ‘grave situation’ in Lanka
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Cabinet expansion likely by August-end New Delhi, August 16 Sources say that Mr Vajpayee has asked Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani to prepare a list of probables who could be inducted into the Cabinet. Mr Advani, who has been busy with the session of Parliament, has not yet been able to apply his mind fully and would complete the exercise in consultation with BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu. While the return of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to the Vajpayee government is certain, the exit of DMK ministers like Mursoli Maran, A. R. Raja and T. R. Balu is also on the cards. Pattali Makkal Katchi supremo Dr S. Ramdoss, who came here to in the wake of the NDA meeting today, is reportedly keen to get back a berth in the Council of Ministers which the PMK had to surrender ever since its Minister Gingee Ramachandran had to resign because of the involvement of one of his personal assistants in accepting bribe for transfer of some high custom officials. Dr Ramdoss is reportedly asking for a high-profile ministry. He is demanding a price for the role he has played in bringing Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa close to the BJP. With Ms Jayalalithaa warming up to the BJP, the DMK will step out of the NDA, thus paving the way for the entry of the AIADMK into the Union Cabinet. There is every likelihood of Mr Dinesh Trivedi, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP, being inducted into the Cabinet. Mr Trivedi was nominated by Ms Banerjee to visit Pakistan as part of the delegation of MPs and journalists which returned to India on August 12 after a four-day trip to Islamabad and Lahore. Defence Minister George Fernandes, who is also Samata Party chief, is reportedly under pressure from his party colleagues for more seats in the Vajpayee government. Facing serious divisions in the party, almost bordering on a split, Mr Fernandes has reportedly asked Mr Vajpayee to accommodate another Samata MP in the ministry. Sources say that the exercise is not going to be allies-specific. Some BJP faces are also likely to find a place in the Council of Ministers. |
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4 shortlisted for Foreign Secretary
post New Delhi, August 16 The shortlisted diplomats, according to sources, are Mr Shashank, Secretary (EAA) in charge of Europe, Asia and South America, Mr Dilip Lahiri, India’s Ambassador in Spain, Mr J. C. Sharma, Secretary in charge of NRI Affairs, and Mr R. M. Abhayankar, Secretary in charge of Asia and North Africa. Of the four, Mr Shashank is the seniormost and belongs to the 1966 IFS batch. Mr Lahiri and Mr Sharma are of the 1967 batch while Mr Abhayankar is of the 1968 batch. However, there could be a twist in the tale. Mr Kanwal Sibal may be given an extension not only because of his outstanding performance and his valuable contribution in shaping India’s foreign policy, but also because of the fluid situation on the Indo-Pakistan front. There is a view in the government that since hectic diplomatic activities are expected to take place vis-a-vis Pakistan towards the year-end, continuity is the need of the hour for the decision-making process. Towards the year-end, India will host two minister-level conferences of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries in the run-up to the SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad from January 4 to January 6, 2004. During his Islamabad visit, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is also expected to have a meeting with the Pakistani leadership, including President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali. Though the MEA has of late been against the policy of extending officials’ tenure — an unwritten law which Mr Sibal himself has stuck to — the recent extension given to a senior official may bolster the case for the extension of Mr Sibal. Ms Savitri Kunnadi, India’s Ambassador to France, is understood to have been given a six-month extension. A section of the official circles in the South Block feels that Ms Kunnadi’s extension is a precursor to the extension of some important diplomatic postings. |
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After Togadia, Kishore bundled off to Delhi Patna, August 16 Mr Kishore, who arrived at the Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan International airport by an Indian Airlines flight from Delhi on way to Muzaffarpur where he was scheduled to address a state-level VHP workers’ conference, was not even allowed to enter the airport terminal building. District Magistrate Deepak Prasad and Superintendent of Police O.N. Bhaskar met him at the tarmac, informing him about the ban imposed on his function at Muzaffarpur and asked him to receive the externment order. Mr Kishore expressed his dismay over the government’s action and received the order under protest, a top state police official said. The district administration purchased the return ticket for Mr Kishore, who was made to board a Sahara Airlines flight to Delhi. Mr Togadia, who was to participate in the Independence Day celebrations at a school in the communally sensitive Phulwari Sharif area yesterday, was also packed off to Delhi from the airport itself by the administration which had banned all his programmes. Barring bonafide passengers, the airport was out of bounds for all, including the media, and no vehicle was allowed in or out during the stay of Mr Kishore. Strongly defending the Bihar Government’s action, RJD President Laloo Prasad Yadav said anybody trying to disturb communal amity in the state would be sternly dealt with. “They are trying to turn Bihar, a symbol of communal brotherhood, into Gujarat. How can we silently watch them accomplish their sinister designs”, he told reporters at the official residence of his Chief Minister wife Rabri Devi. “Our campaign against VHP leaders will continue. Every time they come, they will be turned back. And if they persist in their misadventure they will be put behind bars in the Beur jail, in rooms without a fan” he warned. Meanwhile, the VHP today called a Bihar bandh on August 19 in protest against the “anti-democratic style of functioning” of the Rabri Devi government. This was announced by VHP state vice-president Mahadeo Prasad Jaisawal at a press conference here. MUZAFFARPUR: The district authorities, which imposed a ban on the workers’ training camp organised by the VHP which was to be attended by Mr Kishore, held some parishad workers while they were holding a meeting in defiance of the ban. District Magistrate
A.L. Meena said around 40 VHP workers were taken into custody for defying the ban and prohibitory orders promulgated under Section 144 of the
CrPC. Mr Jaisawal said more than 150 VHP activists were held when they were holding a meeting after the Saraswati Shishu Mandir venue for the programme was sealed by the administration. —
PTI |
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Sena warns against separating Mumbai Nasik, August 16 Mr Thackeray was speaking at a public meeting at Nasik Road after inaugurating the first flyover in the city last night. He said the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance in Maharashtra was driven by lust for power, while the one between the Sena and the BJP was based on the ideology of Hindutva. “Our alliance with the BJP has stood the test of time. It is continuing for the past 20 years,” he said. Mr Thackeray advised the younger generation to reflect on what the country had achieved after 56 years of Independence. Mr Thackeray said the flow of illegal Bangladeshis into Mumbai and other parts of the state was continuing unabated since 1995 and urged the government to stop this trend. He lashed out at Rashtriya Janata Dal President Laloo Prasad Yadav for visiting Pakistan. Launching a broadside against Congress President Sonia Gandhi, the Sena chief declared: “We will never allow her to become the Prime Minister of our country.” Shiv Sena leader Raj Thackeray, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Narayan
Rane, Opposition Leader in the council Nitin Gadkari, BJP MLA D.S.
Ahir, Sena MP Uttamrao Dhikale, MLA Arvind Aawant and Mayor Dasharath Patil also spoke on the occasion. —
UNI |
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Symbol of ’71 victory struggling to keep
afloat Mumbai, August 16 The Defence Minister has just sanctioned Rs 5 crore to the Western Naval Command (WNC) to enable it to carry out urgent repairs to the ship’s hull. Though this gives the ship, now christened Indian Museum Ship (IMS) Vikrant, hope for a new lease of life, Naval officers say this is just a drop in the ocean. De-commissioned in January, 1997, the ship has been converted into a maritime museum to project the maritime heritage of India and the role and operations of the present-day Navy. Since the idea to convert the ship to a museum was mooted, the Navy has been also been having a hard time to find a berthing place for it. It is now proposed to berth the ship at Oyster Rock, off the Mumbai harbour. “We need between Rs 125 crore and Rs 130 crore to undertake the complete project,” Chief of Staff, WNC, Rear Admiral J.S. Bedi, said. “It will have to be done in phases. The first phase will require between Rs 35 crore and Rs 40 crore,” he added. Naval officers say the government is also exploring the idea of negotiating with private companies and industrial houses to raise funds. The ship is expected to go into dry dock in January next year if space and workload of the dockyard permits, so that urgent repairs to its hull can be made to keep it afloat. Sea water is highly corrosive and eats away metal. A visit to IMS Vikrant has revealed that its flight deck as well as the superstructure are also in bad shape. The rear portion of the massive flight deck has bent out of shape. While the powers that be seem to have relegated the ship to its fate, it has has not lost popularity. Naval staff on board tasked to look after the ship said that when the ship was opened to the public some time ago, over one lakh visitors thronged the ship during the 10-day period. “We had as many as 14,000 visitors in a single day,” a sailor recalled. Presently, visitors on board are restricted. Sea Hawk, Alize and Sea King aircraft, which once operated from its deck, have been displayed along with their armaments on IMS Vikrant. Various sections such as flight control, compass room, briefing room, galley and engine room as well as different workshops on board have been reconstructed. Mannequins dressed up in appropriate attire have been placed in these rooms to depict the working of an aircraft carrier at sea. A complete section has been devoted to Indian Naval operations and history. The sinking of INS Khukri and the shirt of one of is survivors as well as the hatch of PNS Gazi, a Pakistani submarine destroyed in Indian waters, have been made a part of the museum. The ship’s quarter deck is devoted to the ship’s own colourful history, complete with its profile, portraits of its commanding officers, mementos, pictures of distinguished visitors on board, including heads of state of various countries, pennants and flags. Launched as HMS Hercules in 1945, the ship was sold to India in 1957 and it joined the Naval fleet in March, 1961. Vikrant’s finest hour was during the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. The then East Pakistan was cordoned off and the carrier’s aircraft pounded every enemy port, including Cox’s Bazar, Chittagomng and Khulna. For performance during the war, its crew earned two Maha Vir Chakras and 12 Vir
Chakras. |
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Wolf scare in UP
villages Lucknow, August 16 Chotu survived with gashes in his left arm and lower abdomen. He is recuperating in Chatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical College hospital, Lucknow. Chotu is lucky to survive the attack as many wolves are on prowl in at least 15 villages in Bahraich. The attacks by wolves have so far killed seven children and had left over 12 persons including elders, injured in last three months, forest official said. The last incident was reported on August 12, when Chotu was attacked. “It was dusk and he was sleeping in the courtyard. I was inside for daily household chorus when a wolf attacked my son,” Rama Devi told The Tribune. Her husband Paras Nath said villagers of the area were passing sleepless nights. Children had been asked not to venture out. People were scared. Some had even shifted their wives and children to their distant relatives in other parts of the state. The forest department had issued warning and declared wolves as maneaters. Shoot-on-sight orders had also been issued, said Mr A.P. Sinha, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Bahraich. A 25-member hunting party, including retired Army officials and forest rangers, had been formed to track and kill the wolves. “The beasts have shown peculiar characteristics when they go for a kill. They usually attack between 8 pm and 10 pm, take a breather and then attack again between midnight and 4 am,” Mr Sinha said. Foresters earlier thought it was the handiwork of one wolf. “As reports of wolf attacks started pouring in from different villages, we believed it could be a pack of wolves which has turned maneater,’ Mr Sinha said. The hunting party has so far killed three wolves and trapped two others. But still the attack continues. In last fortnight, four incidents of wolf attack had been reported. On August 7, a five-year-old boy was killed by wolves. On August 10, half-devoured body of a six-year-old-girl was recovered from forest in Mukalia village. The next day it attacked a woman in Chamanpurva and on August 12 Chotu was attacked in same village. Mr Ashok Singh, a retired Chief Wildlife Conservator of Forest, said usually wolves were afraid of human beings. They were gregarious animal and prefer to move around in a group. Some times they lose their home due to dwindling forest cover and come closer to villages. “With no food around they first attack small animals and then children,” Mr Ashok Singh said. Maize and sugarcane crop, which at this time of year grew aplenty in villages, could be a good hiding place for these animals. This vegetation, which stands at least three-feet high, could create problems for the hunting party, said Mr Ashok Singh. Wildlife lovers had, however, objected to killing of wolves. “Wolves are endangered animal as per the Indian Wildlife Act. Therefore, the foresters should try to trap these animals rather than killing them,” said Mrs Pushpa Ranganathan of the People for Animal Group. |
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SC’s ex-Judge to probe allegations against Hazare Mumbai, August 16 Justice Sawant would simultaneously probe allegations levelled by Minister Suresh Dada Jain against Mr Hazare for misusing funds in various trusts floated by him, Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, told reporters at the Mantralaya here. Soon after the government’s announcement to appoint Justice Sawant to probe the allegations of corruption, Mr Jain, who had also undertaken fast-unto-death along with Mr Hazare, called off his agitation. Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal personally conveyed the government’s decision to Mr Jain at Azad Maidan and urged him to break his fast. The government’s announcement to appoint Justice Sawant as the head of the committee to probe allegations of corruption against Mr Hazare and Jain comes in the wake of both resorting to fast at Azad Maidan. Mr Hazare said he was unhappy with the one-member panel to probe the allegations of corruption since it would take ample time, particularly in view of the impending Assembly poll in the state. Instead, he demanded, two separate commissions of one member each to probe these allegations. —
PTI |
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Samata for resolution barring foreigners in high
places New Delhi, August 16 Strongly criticising Congress President Sonia Gandhi for the long boycott of Mr Fernandes in Parliament, party spokesperson Shiv Kumar told newspersons that the Samata Party would soon launch a country-wide agitation to “expose” Ms Gandhi. Mr Kumar also said that Mr Fernandes would make intervention in the debate on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha next week and forcefully rebut all charges levelled against him by the Congress. Claiming that the Congress was afraid over its political future due to the success of the NDA coalition, the Samata Party spokesperson described the Congress as “spineless”. |
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Chandrika’s Adviser warns of ‘grave situation’ in Lanka New Delhi, August 16 Mr Kadirgamar, who was here on an invitation by the Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust, said at a news conference that the LTTE was making war like preparations to seize control of the strategic Trincomalee port and had introduced a “third navy”, besides that of India and Sri Lanka in the narrow sea. “The situation is grave, deceptively calm... don’t lull into thinking that peace is round the corner. Let me straightaway and bluntly say that it is not so,” Mr Kadirgamar said, while commenting on the Norway brokered ongoing peace talks. |
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