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tourism shine New Delhi, March 2 The unprecedented demand for tickets for the India-Pakistan cricket series and visas has given a big boost to the tourism sector in both countries. Tour operators here claim that though Pakistan has announced to issue about 10,000 visas for cricket fans of India, yet the actual number of cricket fans desiring to visit the neighbouring country is anywhere between 50,000 and 1 lakh.
Alvi to expose Mayawati’s tacit deal with
BJP
JD(U), BJP meet today on seat
PIO’s removal: CPM, RJD petition EC
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Talks with Hurriyat by March-end, says Advani
Basu, Laloo urge secular parties to join
hands
Yatra can disturb peace, says Laloo
Separate polling queue for senior citizens sought
BSP expels Rashid Alvi
Ajay has not joined BJP, says Naidu
VHP to hold Ram mahayajna IBSA Dialogue Forum to meet in Delhi
tomorrow
Loading of trucks to Mumbai
stopped
PM, Pervez urged to honour Olympic truce
India, Russia begin talks on new missile
Amendment sought in criminal
laws
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Cricket series to make Indian tourism
shine
New Delhi, March 2 They claimed that after the visits of various business delegates of India and Pakistan recently to both countries, this mega event would give a fillip to the tourism sector. At
present, mostly Sikh jathas visit Pakistan to participate in their religious ceremonies annually and Muslim families from there come to India to meet their family members. Industry observers disclosed that expecting a heavy rush from India, Pakistan had announced to sell tickets through online booking only. Enquiries revealed that most tickets had been sold out and people were making last-minute efforts to reach there. Business delegates from the Lahore and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, currently on a visit to India, maintained that after 1999 India- Pakistan series held in India, it would be a major event to boost the tourism sector. Mr Rafiq M. Khan, one of the delegates, said, “One will have to pay on an average Rs 1,500 rent per day to stay for a night in a decent hotel in Lahore or Karachi. Rent has already been increased by 10 to 15 per cent in view of the likely heavy rush from India,” he said. He added that taxi operators were expecting to make a quick buck as most cricket fans from Delhi, UP, Haryana and Punjab would take the road route to reach the Wagah border. From there, they could take taxis to reach Lahore or other cities. Mr Khan, who had visited Chandigarh in 1999 to watch an India-Pak match, said, “At that time, a special train was run from Lahore to Chandigarh. Over 1,500 persons had come to watch the match. I remember, enthusiastic people were sitting on the roof of the train.” Mr Surinder Singh, a cricket fan going to Pakistan, said, “On an average we will spend Rs 10,000 during our stay in Pakistan. If allowed, I would have preferred to watch all one-day matches.” However, Mr Avdesh Sharma, General Manager, Touchwood Tour Operators, said, “Had the cricket series been held in the winter season and people allowed to move freely in Pakistan, the tourism industry would have gained more. Indeed, the movement of people across the border on such a large scale after a long gap would create an environment for the promotion of tourism in the near future.” He added that unlike Europe tours, tour operators would not earn much from this business. Commenting on the potential of the tourism sector, Mr Arun Jaitley, Minister for Law, Justice and Commerce, said today’s visitors would become tomorrow’s investors and traders. He was of the opinion that factors such as geographical proximity, socio-cultural similarities and common economic targets could be leveraged to each other’s advantage. |
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Alvi to expose Mayawati’s tacit deal with
BJP
New Delhi, March 2 Soon after he was removed from the primary membership of the party, Mr Alvi said he would expose the deal struck by Ms Mayawati with BJP leader L.K. Advani and others and the compromise arrived at to stall the CBI pressure on her in the Taj Corridor case. Mr Alvi said on Wednesday he would expose all tacit deals struck by the BSP leader with the BJP. As the BSP leader Ms Mayawati addresses a rally in Jalandhar tomorrow to galvanise the party cadre in Punjab and seek support for the party in the state, the “Muslim” face of the BSP in Parliament would expose the misdeeds of the party and the tacit understanding reached by the leadership to save its skin from the investigating agency. The expelled leader said “I was confident that Ms Mayawati would look into the criticism and rectify her wrongdoings but she could not tolerate the truth.” On the next course of action, he said “I will work to strengthen the secular forces.” Mr Alvi said he would meet his friends and supporters and announce the future course of action shortly. He said “Mayawati is working under the influence and pressure of the BJP, whether is because of the CBI cases against her or any other issue.” Mr Alvi denied report of joining the BJP, by stating that “the BJP is a communal organisation and creates tension in the country and there is no question of joining it, especially after the Gujarat riots.” Accusing the BJP of spreading false propaganda to pressurise him, Mr Alvi said he had been approached by senior BJP leaders including the Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj this morning. The sitting Amroha MP, Mr Alvi alleged that the BSP leader took Rs 1 crore from an aspirant to give the party’s ticket for the parliamentary seat. On the allegation level by the party that Mr Alvi had not utilised Rs 4 crore of MPLAD fund, the expelled leader said he had utilised Rs 9 crore out of the allocated Rs 10 crore and the details were available in the records of Parliament and also with the local district collector. He said the recent statement of Ms Mayawati that the BSP would act as a balancing force in the post poll scenario, and her remarks that Congress should be kept out of power were leading to a confusion. He said his second objection against the BSP leader was that she had openly taken money while alloting seats for the Lok Sabha elections. In keeping with the party ideology of ensuring the defeat of communal forces, it would be good for the party to align with the Congress, he said. “If the BSP goes it alone in the Lok Sabha elections, it will mean that she (Mayawati) is indirectly supporting and helping BJP,” Mr Alvi added. |
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JD(U), BJP meet today on seat sharing in Bihar
New Delhi, March 2 Insisting on contesting 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state, JD(U)’s initial parleys with the BJP ran into trouble as it was not inclined to leave as many out of the total 40 seats left in the state after the creation of Jharkhand. To break the deadlock, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee convened a meeting at his residence on February 25 to iron out the issue regarding the sharing of seats between the two parties. Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu represented the BJP while the JD(U)’s cause was taken up by its President George Fernandes and senior party leaders Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar. According to sources, JD(U)’s insistence to contest 25 seats on the basis of its performance in the last Lok Sabha elections was creating a stumbling block in reaching an accord. However, to smoothen the rough edges, senior BJP leaders Pramod Mahajan and Arun Jaitley will hold talks with JD(U) leaders at Patna tomorrow. The JD(U) is likely to be represented by its senior leader and Railway Minister Nitish Kumar along with some state leaders. |
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PIO’s removal: CPM, RJD petition EC
New Delhi, March 2 In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthi, CPM General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet observed that the order to put Sahib Singh on compulsory wait and give the charge to Shakuntala Mahawal was issued after the announcement of elections. Mr Surjeet said the post of PIO was “very important as the duty of the officer is to provide information to the public about the performance and views of the government”. “The post assumes more importance at the time of elections”, he said and urged the EC to “intervene in the matter”. In his letter, RJD General Secretary and Rajya Sabha member Ramdev Bhandari asked the EC to take action against the government for “blatant violation” of the Model Code of Conduct. |
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Talks with Hurriyat by March-end, says Advani New Delhi, March 2 Mr Advani’s remarks came even as Hurriyat Conference chief Molvi Abbas Ansari recently threatened to pull out of talks with the Centre over alleged human rights violations in the state. The first round of talks between Mr Advani and a five-member Hurriyat delegation was held here on January 22. The Hurriyat team was represented by Molvi Ansari, Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Ghani Lone and Fazal Haq Qureshi. After the meeting, Mr Advani had announced he would be holding second round of talks with the Hurriyat by March-end despite his involvement in the campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, Union Home Secretary Anil Baijal is likely to attend the meeting of Unified Headquarters (UHQ) on March 4. The meeting, called by state Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, will be attended by the Corps Commanders of Kashmir-based 15 Corps and Jammu-based 16 Corps besides the Northern Army Commander. The UHQ meeting assumes significance in the wake of recent Bandipora incidents, which were followed by alleged killing of a youth in custody at Tral and the subsequent threat by the Hurriyat Conference to withdraw from the talks with the Centre. The sources said the meeting would discuss follow up of the steps taken at the meeting of security force chiefs, chaired by Mr Advani to prevent violations of human rights by security personnel in the state. Mr Baijal, who is going to Jammu tomorrow, will also review the implementation of packages announced by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his visits to the state. |
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Basu, Laloo urge secular parties to join
hands
Kolkata, March 2 Both Mr Basu and Mr Yadav stressed that all secular parties, irrespective of their political and ideological differences, should stand together and fight against the BJP and other communal forces for the country’s national interests. Mr Basu had already publicly declared his party’s acceptance of Ms Sonia Gandhi as more an acceptable leader than Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Mr
L.K. Advani. The former chief Minister said the CPM had agreed to sacrifice the prestigious Kolkata NW seat to the RJD in exchange of Samastipur and Madhubani in Bihar to their candidates to which Mr Yadav had agreed. He said the CPM general secretary, Mr H.K. Surjeet, had been requested to hold further talks with Mr Yadav in this connection in the Capital tomorrow. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee gave a call to all anti-CPM parties to form a “mahajot” in West Bengal against the party in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. But so far, neither the Congress (l) nor the PDS or any other parties has responded positively. On the contrary, some TMC leaders and workers, including a few MLAs who had opposed the TMC rejoining with the BJP, expressed their willingness to return to the Congress (l), claimed Dr Manas Bhuia, one of the Congress (l) general secretaries in the state. Mr Biswas said they would give moral support to the sitting MP, Mr Sudip Bandopadhyya, to contest from Kolkata NW seat where he had been denied TMC ticket by Ms Banerjee. Mr
Bandopadhyya, however, said he would finally decide his stand in a day or two after the announcement of the TMC’s list of candidates for the elections. |
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Yatra can disturb peace, says Laloo
Patna, March 2 Mr Yadav told reporters after his party’s central parliamentary board meeting that if any attempt was made to disturb communal harmony in Bihar the government would not remain a mute spectator and action would be initiated in accordance with the law. He said Mr Advani had also taken out a Ram rath yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya in 1990, which left in its trail communal riots which took over 10,000 lives and ultimately culminated in the demolition of Babri Masjid. Mr Yadav said by taking out the yatra the BJP had made it clear that they were still pursuing the hidden agenda of the construction of Ram temple. —
PTI |
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Separate polling queue for senior citizens sought
New Delhi, March 2 In a representation, Agewell, an NGO committed to the needs and concerns of the older people said those above the age of 60 years
constituted 8 per cent of the total population in the country. ''With increasing life expectancy, the number of older persons is ever increasing, and in the coming years they would constitute a much larger number among actual voters. ''Hence, they should be allowed to cast their ballots through a separate queue so that they do not have to wait too long, standing in the common queue,'' the NGO said. It appealed to the Commission to classify older persons as a separate group, and said the use of electronic voting machines and photo identity cards in the Lok Sabha elections would make it easier for polling officers to include one more column in their reports to cover the number of older persons who exercise their franchise. —
UNI |
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BSP expels Rashid Alvi
Lucknow, March 2 BSP national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra told newspersons that the step was taken following Mr Alvi’s utterances against the party and its president Mayawati. He claimed that Mr Alvi had also failed to utilise his local area development fund worth Rs 4 crore to develop Amroha. Earlier today in New Delhi, Mr Alvi, who was denied renomination from Amroha, alleged that Ms Mayawati was “auctioning” the party ticket to people aspiring to contest the coming Lok Sabha poll. “The way Ms Mayawati is functioning and taking money for giving ticket is detrimental to democracy,” Mr Alvi told reporters in the Capital. The BSP was in danger of winning not even five seats in UP, he predicted. Till recently a close lieutenant of Ms Mayawati, Mr Alvi was particularly disappointed by the denial of the BSP ticket from Amroha. Mr Alvi, who was asked to contest elections from Sambhal, alleged that Ms Mayawati had taken Rs 1 crore from an aspirant for the Amroha seat. He also charged his party leader with succumbing to “BJP pressure” and supporting communal forces. “I initiated talks with the Congress but Ms Mayawati abandoned them, which is not good for secular polity,” he said. Mr Alvi, however, said he had no plans to join a “communal party like the BJP. The BJP is sending feelers to me but I have declined to join it.” On the denial of ticket to Mr Alvi from Amroha, Mr Mishra said, “Locals from Amroha had complained to Ms Mayawati on the issue.” Further investigations later revealed that Mr Alvi had been demanding high commissions from contractors for utilisation of the funds.—
UNI |
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Ajay has not joined BJP, says Naidu
Bhopal, March 2 Mr Ajay Singh is now the MLA from Churhat, his hometown, in Sidhi district. He was aspiring for the post of the PCC president or the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. As the two posts went to Mr Subhash Yadav and Ms Jamuna Devi, respectively, Mr Ajay Singh was left sulking. |
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VHP to hold Ram mahayajna New Delhi, March 2 The Sangh Parivar outfit, which has been adopting a hardline approach on the Ayodhya issue, hinted that the occasion will be utilised to mobilise its cadre for the construction of grand Ram temple. “Yajna is always performed to ‘get together,’ ‘think together’ and ‘act together’,” senior VHP leader Acharya Giriraj Kishore said here when asked whether it was an attempt by the VHP to raise the Ayodhya bogey ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha poll, in which the BJP is trying to make a comeback. The Ram mahayajna, which will be performed for 12 days beginning March 21 as part of the Ramnavami celebrations, is expected to be participated by about five lakh activists in batches, Mr Kishore said. |
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IBSA Dialogue Forum to meet in Delhi
tomorrow New Delhi, March 2 The nine-month-old grouping, known as IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) Dialogue Forum, has already leap-frogged into becoming a loose coalition of three major developing countries from as many continents in the fields of economic diplomacy and contentious issues like the WTO. According to diplomatic sources, the grouping has of late acquired a strategic angle as New Delhi, Brasilia and Pretoria have expanded their cooperation in sensitive areas such as defence and maritime security. External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and his Brazilian and South African counterparts — Celso Amorim and N.C. Diamini-Zuma — would set up a trust fund for the removal of poverty and alleviation of hunger, Foreign Secretary Shashank said today. During the two-day trilateral joint commission, which will have seven sessions, the IBSA Dialogue Forum will draw up a “New Delhi Plan of Action” on specific steps of cooperation. Within three months of the forum being formally launched on June 6 last year it tasted its first diplomatic success at the WTO ministerial meet at Cancun, Mexico, where the the IBSA countries successfully stalled adoption of trade issues which the developed world has been pushing at the cost of developing countries. China, which also has similar views on the WTO-related issues, was so impressed with the performance of the IBSA Dialogue Forum countries at Cancun that it is now keen to join the it. Mr Shashank agreed at the press briefing today that China was keen to join, but cautioned that “this does not mean we are going to expand and become like a G-77 group.” The deepening of IBSA interaction and inclusion of strategic and defence affairs in its ambit was clear from Defence Minister George Fernandes’ visit to South Africa last month for participating in a defence exhibition. Mr Fernandes’ Pretoria visit got transformed into a major event as he and his Brazilian and South African counterparts met and deliberated on strategic issues. However, on the political level a minor irritant remains, sources point out. Each of the three IBSA countries is a strong contender for the UN Security Council seat, which is to be expanded in near future. Since the three countries belong to three different continents and since the council expansion is likely to have an equal representation from every continent, the IBSA countries can back up each other’s claim. India and Brazil have already bilaterally decided to back up each other’s claim for the UNSC, but South Africa has not yet disclosed its position on the issue, sources said. |
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Loading of trucks to Mumbai
stopped
Mumbai, March 2 The truckers' decision to avoid Mumbai was taken by the Delhi-based All-India Motor Union Congress (AIMUC), which claims the allegiance of over 1,600 truck unions across the country, truckers here say. Transporters in Mumbai are awaiting a decision by the Bombay High Court on the ban on plying of trucks more than eight years old in the city. Apprehending a strike by truckers just before the Lok Sabha poll, the Maharashtra government has made arrangements to transport essential commodities to the city by train. Acting on petitions filed by environmentalist groups in the city, the Bombay High Court has ordered that trucks more than eight years old may be allowed to enter Mumbai only if they were converted to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). According to truckers, more than 70 per cent of trucks plying in Mumbai were more than eight years old and run on diesel. They have further submitted before the Bombay High Court that they need time to convert the vehicles to run on CNG or LPG. Truckers who insist that the CNG and LPG kits are expensive and often not available are also demanding cheap financing from lending institutions to fund purchase of new vehicles. |
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PM, Pervez urged to honour Olympic truce
New Delhi, March 2 Recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize, the IPPNW is making the same appeal to leaders of all nuclear weapon states, including China, France, Israel, Russia, the US and the UK. IPPNW president Ronald S. McCoy has reminded the two leaders that the ideals of the Olympic Games are “as much about peaceful relations among the people of the world as they are about athletic competition and prowess.’’ The IPPNW has drawn the attention of Indian and Pakistani leadership to a resolution introduced by Greece on September 26,2003. The resolution to the United Nations “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”, calls for a 16-day ceasefire in all armed conflicts in the world from August 13 to 29 when the games will be held in the Greek capital. Endorsing the call for revival of the Olympic truce, the IPPNW has proposed dealerting of nuclear weapons as a meaningful way for the most powerful nations in the world to honour the letter and spirit of the resolution which was adopted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly on November 3. The IPPNW president further said that the Olympic Games had been visited by violence in the past. |
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India, Russia begin talks on new missile
New Delhi, March 2 The missile, so far simply known as R-172, is currently beyond the drawing board stage and is being developed by the Russian guided weapons builder, Novator. The missile is to be integrated with the fifth generation aircraft Su-35. The Indian involvement in the project is by way of investment and technical participation, official sources said. The new missle is aimed at engaging high asset air-borne targets such as AWACS aircraft, air to ground surveillance and mid-air refullers. The latest project comes close on the heels of the two countries’ joint development of Brahmos missile. Significantly, the naval variant of the 290-km range Brahmos missile has been approved for installation on all surface warships of the Indian Navy. |
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Amendment sought in criminal
laws
New Delhi, March 2 “We are seeking amendment to the Legal Services Authority Act to include the offences of petty crimes in the ambit of the legal services. If that materialises, we can extend legal aid to undertrial prisoners languishing in jails for a long time,” the Executive Chairman of the Delhi Legal Services Authority Mr Justice B.A. Khan told reporters here today. Mr Justice Khan, a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court, said he would call upon the media to contribute in giving a wide publicity about the availability of free legal aid for poor people, having an annual income less than Rs 50,000 so that they could secure justice if caught in any dispute, which otherwise would be denied to them due to the economic disadvantage. “Though the idea behind the Legal Service Act is to make justice accessible to all, but our limited experience is that even when some social welfare provision is available, people are not aware of it. They have to be made aware of it,” Mr Justice Khan said. He said their targetted groups were women and children, members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, victims of human trafficking, communal violence and natural disaster, physically challenged persons and industrial workers. The Legal Services Authority would pay more attention towards the people infected with HIV/AIDS because of their social discrimination due to stigma attached to the disease. “It will pose a major challenge of the infringement of human rights in future,” |
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