Hyderabad, October 2
“The People’s War Group will have far better chances of capturing power through the democratic process than by following the path they have chosen,” said the report by the Prakash Singh Commission that went into the assassination attempt made against former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu by the militant group last year.

The state Cabinet on Friday accepted the report, which was submitted to the government in February.

Mr Prakash Singh, former DGP of Uttar Pradesh, was appointed by the Naidu government to go into all aspects of security loopholes and suggest remedial measures.

Mr Naidu had miraculously escaped the abortive bid made by the group with claymore mines while he was on his way to Tirumala hills on October 1, 2003.

Mr Prakash Singh, however, in his report dwelt more on the need to address the problems of the landless poor, unemployment and corruption than on pinpointing responsibility for the attack on the Chief Minister.

He even suggested that the government should enter into a dialogue with the group. Probably this was the reason why Mr Naidu was not happy with the report and did not bother to give formal assent to it.

Though the commission felt that there was an element of slackness on the part of the police that led to the attack, it made clear that absolute security was a myth.

“In the best of arrangements, with the best of forces, the most dedicated personnel and the most sophisticated equipment, there would still be some grey area,” Mr Prakash Singh, who led anti-terrorist operations in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland, remarked.

Stating that the long-term solution to the problem lay in addressing the causes that exasperate a person or a group to an extent where he sees no other way out except to eliminate the leader whom he considers responsible for the wrongs done. The report emphasised that Naxalism to the extent it espouses social and economic causes would continue to exist.

The Congress government, which discussed the report yesterday in the Cabinet, felt the commission was long on generalities and short on specifics of security issues.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajaskehara Reddy, as well as several ministers, were reportedly furious that Mr Prakash Singh chose to give lectures on politics and governance rather than delving into the lapses.

Mr Reddy, however, was said to have told his colleagues that it was better to accept the report than provide an opportunity to the TDP to rake up the issue.

New Delhi, October 2
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today launched the birth centenary celebrations of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, saying that the late leader’s qualities of sincerity of purpose and commitment to integrity in public life were needed in the collective effort to take the country on to the path of economic and social development.

Describing the late leader as a great patriot, a freedom fighter and a man of the people, Dr Manmohan Singh said Lal Bahadur Shastri’s brief tenure of 18 months were testing times for the country and required extraordinary courage and determination.

He said only a few leaders of any democracy could have endured so many trials in such a short period of time and the dexterity with which Lal Bahadur Shastri braved complex challenges remains inspiring.

“Shastriji’s innate sense of humility, sincerity and simplicity enabled him to establish a deep bond with people and to easily strike a chord of understanding,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the nation would always remember slogan in which he captured the nation’s pride in soldiers and farmers.

“The best way for us to pay tribute to Shastriji is to live by the principles of service to the nation and pursuit of truth with firm resolve, simple living and high thinking,” he further said.

Describing Lal Bahadur Shastri’s resignation as Railway Minister in the wake of a major accident on the tracks during his maiden tenure in the Cabinet in the early 1950s as a rare gesture, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it showed the high moral grounds of public leaders of a bygone era.

Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy said the year-long celebrations could inspire the younger generation to imbibe the qualities of the late premier.

The function was attended by a host of dignitaries, including former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and I.K. Gujral and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. HRD Minister Arjun Singh, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Earlier, tributes were paid to Lal Bahadur Shastri at his samadhi Vijay Ghat. School children dressed as soldiers and farmers were present in large numbers. Parliamentarians paid floral tributes to him at his portrait in the Central Hall of Parliament.

New Delhi, October 2
British Defence Minister Geoffrey Hoon will arrive here early next week to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Diplomatic sources told The Tribune today that apart from having talks with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Hoon would also meet External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh and call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Besides Mr Hoon, three more British ministers will visit India next week. They are, Ms Margaret Beckett, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (from October 4-7), Mr David Miliband, Minister of State for School Standards (from October 2-9) and Mr Gareth Thomas (from October 4-7).

During his visit, Mr Hoon would push his government’s case for the next generation Typhoon fighter aircraft, which was manufactured by a European consortium.

India is negotiating with a host of countries on the purchase of the latest fighter aircraft and has dropped enough indications that it is looking beyond the French Mirage 2000-5, an updated version of the Mirage.

The British ministers are visiting India close on the heels of the Indian and British Prime Ministers signing a joint declaration in London last week, which sets a new agenda for the bilateral relationship over the coming years.

The two sides have described this as the comprehensive strategic partnership and have identified policy areas like foreign and defence policy, home affairs, trade, science and technology, sustainable development and environment and education and culture.

The British High Commissioner here, Sir Michael Arthur told The Tribune that it would be his effort to implement the strategic partnership agenda.

“My personal role is to take forward the agenda in my contacts across the government in Delhi, and indeed with the state governments where appropriate,” he said.

New Delhi, October 2
The Supreme Court notice to Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, and his wife and Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi on a petition seeking cancellation of their bail in the fodder scam case, has the potential of creating more problems for the UPA Government, which has been facing pressure from the Left parties on various issues.

Legal experts feel that if the petitioner was able to establish with “clinching” evidence that Laloo had actually “misused” his position to interfere in the fodder scam cases and got Income Tax inquiry “scuttled” against him, the court might be forced to take “harsh” action against him.

“This has been evident from the fact that the apex court has taken tough stand against Mr Pappu Yadav, another leader of the RJD and cancelled his bail in CPML leader Ajit Sarkar’s murder case twice after finding him blatantly misusing his bail conditions,” the legal experts say.

Yesterday’s notice to the Centre, Laloo, Mrs Rabri Devi and the CBI by a Bench of Mr Justice S.N. Variava and Mr Justice H.K. Sema, nominated as a Bench to monitor the progress in the fodder scam, is seen as a major setback the Bihar strongman in legal circles.

Taking cognizance of a petition, seeking cancellation of Laloo and Mrs Rabri Devi’s bail for allegedly violating the bail conditions that they would not interfere with the trial proceedings, the court has sought replies from them, the Union Government and CBI within two weeks.

The notice was also issued to Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) allegedly disposing of an Income Tax Act “violation” case against Laloo and Mrs Rabri Devi recently in a “hurried” manner by deputing a special officer from Delhi to Patna for this purpose before he retired.

The issue was brought before the Supreme Court in a public interest litigation (PIL) by JDU MP, Rajiv Ranjan, who was the original complainant in the Rs 950 crore fodder scam.

Petitioner’s counsel Mukul Rohtagi told the court that Income Tax Department’s separate proceedings in the DA case recently were disposed of by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ATAT) “hurriedly” in favour of Laloo and the Income Tax Department had failed to file an appeal against in the high court. While Laloo is facing corruption charges in six cases pertaining to the Rs 950 crore fodder scam, Mrs Rabri Devi is a co-accused with him in a disproportionate assets case.

Mr Rohtagi said two Public Prosecutors, who were not convenient to Laloo, had been changed in the fodder scam case recently, which was “prejudicial” to the CBI, the prosecuting agency.

This was a serious matter as it would “adversly affect” the entire trial process in the fodder scam, in which Bihar Government had been cheated of hundreds of crore of rupees by the accused on “fraudulent transactions and falsification of accounts” of the Animal Husbandry Department, the PIL said.

It said Laloo, who has “substantial administrative control and political say in the functioning of the present government and publically claims to be in a position to destablise it at will” and had been using his position to pressurise the CBI and CBDT.

The petitioner has made specific prayers for cancellation of Laloo and Mrs Rabri Devi’s bail and a direction to the Income Tax Department to file an appeal in the high court against the ITAT order. He has also pleaded for monitoring of case by the apex court itself directly instead of the Patna High Court, which had been earlier delegated the power supervise the day-to-day proceedings in the case.

Patna, October 2
The dissolution of all consultative groups of the Planning Commission reflected the “autocratic” style of functioning of Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Plan panel’s Deputy Chairman, the CPI said today.

“The dissolution of all consultative groups of the Planning Commission when the Left parties had only sought the exclusion of so-called foreign experts from those bodies reflects the autocratic style of functioning of Montek Singh Ahluwalia,” CPI Secretary D. Raja said.

Terming the action as “unilateral”, he said the Left parties, whose support was crucial for the survival of the Manmohan Singh government, were not taken into confidence in the matter.

“Now that all consultative committees have been dissolved, the government should explain why they were constituted in the first place,” Mr Raja said, adding the Left leaders had brought up the issue during their meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday.

Asked if the Prime Minister had given them assurance that the government would reconsider the matter, the CPI leader said. “He did not spell out anything concrete but said a mechanism for proper consultation will be evolved.”

The CPI Secretary said his party wanted the UPA government to be “stable and performance-oriented and that keeping in mind the new balance of political forces, it should stop taking unilateral decisions on major policy matters”.

All 19 consultative groups of the Plan panel were dissolved on Thursday after the Left objected to the appointment of foreign consultants from the World Bank the ADB and Mckinsey and Co. — PTI

New Delhi, October 2
Achieving the second highest rank in the Indian Air Force (IAF) is not the only achievement in Air Marshal Padmavathy Bandhopadhyay’s life. She holds the distinction of being many ‘firsts’ in her career.

Commissioned into the IAF in 1968, Air Marshal Bandhopadhyay was the first Indian woman to go to the North Pole in 1989-90 as the part of an Indo-Russian project to study the physiological and psychological problems associated with the extreme cold temperature.

She also holds the distinction of being the first woman officer to be awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM). Earlier, along with her husband-an ex-IAF officer, they became the first couple to be awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) jointly in 1971 for the services rendered to the air force.

She was the first Indian woman to qualify in aviation medicine, which is the specialised branch of medicine and to undergo a staff college course. She became the first woman fellow of the Aerospace Medical Society of India.

She was also the first woman officer of the Indian Armed Forces to be awarded the prestigious Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award in 1995 for outstanding services.

She took over as the Director General Medical Services (Air) yesterday while becoming the IAF’s first woman three-star general officer.

Also the first woman in the IAF’s history to reach the rank of AVM in November 2002, she follows in the footsteps of Lt-Gen Punita Arora, who recently became the first woman Army officer to rise to the three-star rank.

The Air Marshal, who owes her rank to her medical background, hoped that the IAF would soon consider offering permanent commissions to lady officers.

“I hope the service considers granting permanent commissions to lady officers,” she told a news channel yesterday.

The 59-year-old Air Marshal Bandhopadhyay will serve as the DG for over a year before retiring in November 2005. A product of Kirori Mal College and the AFMC she says, “in India a woman can aspire for any post depending on her aptitude and capabilities. One should remember to go ahead despite the social pulls and pushes”.

Her two sons, Amiya and Ajit, are consultant psychiatrist and BE Computers from IIT, Kanpur, respectively.

Bangalore, October 2
With the Cabinet clearing last month the Rs 1,700-crore project to develop an airborne surveillance system, the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) in Bangalore is gearing up to revive an effort that tragically came to an end in January, 1999, when its modified HS-748 Avro, with a turning rotodome on top, crashed killing eight persons, including DRDO personnel, Air Force pilots and engineers.

DRDO sources told The Tribune that the new project involved the purchase of three Embraer aircraft from Brazil, known as the EMB-145, and the development of an indigenous radar system. Before this deal came through, the Russian IL-76 was also being considered. The purchase of the planes itself would cost Rs 600 crore, while Rs 550 crore has been earmarked for radar development.

The EMB-145 is actually a variant of the EMB-135, which the IAF is purchasing for VIP transport. The EMB-145 has a 48-seater length fuselage, and will come with strength reinforcements to enable a radar to be mounted on top. A key difference from the earlier project is that there will be no turning rotodome, with the radar scanning the target area by rotation. Instead, the radar will be a fixed, phased array radar, to be developed by the LRDE, where only the radar beam will rotate.

It may be recalled that in the 1999 accident near Arakkonam, the post-accident inquiry had revealed that the rotodome had come lose, and hit the tail of the Avro, resulting in the catastrophic loss of control. Many existing AWACS (Airborne Early Warning and Control System) like the American E-3, however, do successfully employ a turning rotodome.

The LRDE had continued radar and signal processing technology development, for the multi-mode radar (MMR) on the light combat aircraft. “All that work will be put to good use in developing a radar system for the surveillance project.

The project is expected to be realised in about seven years, with a year being set aside for user evaluation. The IAF, in fact, will be closely involved even in the development phase.

While CABS is planning some middle-level recruitment to build up a team for the project, many personnel will also be repositioned from within the DRDO. But another key difference in approach will be that a lot of private industry is likely to be involved at various levels. The fabrication, software and other support services for the aerospace industry are now being increasingly provided by the private sector in Bangalore, and almost all major aerospace projects, whether in the DRDO or the HAL are benefiting.

Jaipur, October 2
In view of its formidable financial crisis, the Government of Rajasthan has taken stringent measures to observe austerity.

Directions have been issued to restrict filling of vacant posts, tours undertaken by Officials within the country and outside and purchases by government departments.

Profit-earning public sector enterprises have been directed to give 10 per cent dividend equal to 10 per cent of equity or 20 per cent of allocable surplus after payment of tax, whichever is less.

Departments have also been directed to strictly comply with the instructions issued under the RAPSAR Act under which no appointment is permissible on daily wages.

The Act also provides for obtaining sanction from a competent authority for creation of posts, enhancement of salary, allowances and honorarium.

The creation of new posts and upgradation of the existing ones have been banned. For filling non-plan vacancies, permission of the Finance Department and the DOP would be required. Air travel and use of government vehicles for journeys undertaken outside the jurisdiction of the officer have also been banned.

Hardoi, Oct 2
Even as the dust over Gudia’s return to her first husband and Army man Arif has barely settled, another woman, this time a Hindu, has also abandoned her spouse to get back to her first one, who appeared on the scene a seven years after languishing in a Delhi jail without the knowledge of his family.

The woman, Sadapyari, had remarried two years after her first marriage to Mewalal. The latter had left for Delhi to earn a living a couple of months after his marriage. He went “missing” and was later presumed dead.

The similarity does not end here. At a time when Sadapyari was living happily with her second husband, Lakhan, along with their three offspring, Mewalal appeared on the scene after seven years.

Old bonds proved strong enough to blow out the latter one and on hearing the news of his return, Sadapyari left for Mewalal’s village, Peng, where incidentally her aunt also lives.

The couple saw each other at the aunt’s house and within no time Sadapyari took the decision of returning to Mewalal.

All this came to light when the couple approached the district court here to get their marriage registered, the police sources said. — PTI

New Delhi, October 2
The Delhi police has now trained its guns on doctors who are allegedly involved in the kidney-transplant racket that was busted recently.

The police has arrested three persons who sold their kidneys for a considerable amount. The police sources said the kidneys were sold in the Army Hospital, the Apollo hospital and Ganga Ram hospital.

While the police had traced the patients in the Army and Apollo hospital, to whom the kidneys were sold, no clue had still been found of the alleged buyers in Ganga Ram hospital.

The police strongly believed that the doctors of the respective hospitals were also involved in the kidney transplant racket.

The police sources said they were investigating into the matter and would shortly arrest the doctors who are involved in the racket. The sources also confirmed that one of the donors, Manoj, have confirmed that the doctors were aware about this racket and they even organised the entire thing.

These kidneys were available for Rs 70,000 to Rs 7 lakh and the racket was active for a long time.

In this case, the donors, reportedly, first contacted the doctors who further asked the patients. On their confirmation, the doctors, then, arranged the things. “We are still investigating into the matter and it is not possible to say anything concrete before the investigations are complete,” said a police official.

The police sources further confirmed that such donors could be seen begging near Hanuman Temple in Cannaught Place, railway stations and slums situated near railway line in the city and also at the Inter State Bus Terminal.

All these donors had cut marks at their lower abdomen and they had sold their kidneys for money. In many cases, such donors died, as they could not get proper post operation treatment.

Meanwhile the police has sent teams in the neighbouring districts to arrest more donors, who have earlier donated their kidneys in other hospitals.

“Teams have been sent to arrest more persons in this connection,” said DCP (New Delhi district) Anita Roy.

Mumbai, October 2, 2004
More than 5,000 litres of oil gushed out of an Indian Oil Corporation storage tank and into the sea off the coast of Goa, posing a threat to marine life and tourists.

The mishap happened when petroleum products were being transferred from the Shipping Corporation of India’s vessel “Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon PVC” to the IOC’s storage facility.

The leak was not noticed until after several hours when fishermen alerted the authorities, according to police sources.

Fuel discharged from the facility was washed ashore of the Kharewaddo jetty in the town of Vasco da Gama.

“Trawlers on the jetty were shifted to prevent any mishap and villagers moved away LPG cylinders in panic,” a police official said.

The police has taken into custody four senior officers of the Indian Oil Corporation, Jamnagar, who were overseeing operations in Goa.

Fire brigade and police officials used preventive measures for quick dispersal of the slick from the shoreline, sources said.

However, officials of the Goa State Pollution Control Board and the Murmagao Port Trust are still on the lookout for signs of pollution caused by the spill.

Chennai, October 2
The tearful pleas of 12-year-old Priyadarshini saved the lives of her parents who were contemplating suicide because their inability to pay a cooperative bank loan.

The eighth standard girl’s tears moved Salem District Revenue Officer (DRO) Rajesh, who postponed the auction of the family’s house for the next six months and waived the penal interest till that period.

Priyadarshini’s parents, Mr Kandavel and Mrs Thenmozhi, who were finding it difficult to face the burden of the loan amounting close to Rs 5 lakh, inclusive of the penal interest and were planning to end their lives, got a reprieve because of their daughter.

Mr Kandavel, a power loom owner and exporter had pledged his house in the suburbs of the textile town of Salem in Tamil Nadu to the tune of Rs 3 lakh a few years ago to meet business commitments. The textile industry in Tamil Nadu has been facing a downward trend for quite some while. Unable to meet his commitments, Mr. Kandavel moved to the neighbouring district of Namakkal with his family.

Attempts on the part of Mr Kandavel to resuscitate his flagging business, however, failed in the new environs.

Meanwhile, the bank foreclosed his loan and sent a notice to all members of his family, including Priyadarshini.

On Wednesday, Mr Kandavel discussed the possibility of the entire family committing suicide. Priyadarshini, who overheard this left for school as if nothing had happened, but reached the DRO’s office in Salem with the notice from the bank and a petition to waive the loan. Mr Rajesh pacified the sobbing girl and assured her that their house would not be auctioned. As she waited for her parents, he ordered that the girl be fed and also stopped the auction.

New Delhi, October 2
The Urban Development Ministry has initiated fresh moves to evict former ministers, including Mr Kanshi Ram Rana, Mr Vinod Khanna and Mr Ved Prakash Goel from the residences alloted to them as ministers.

Official sources said the ministry had served new notices to the former ministers asking them to explain by October 12 as to why they should not be evicted from their present accommodation.

Those served notice also include Mr Ananth Kumar and Mr Ramesh Bais.

The notices have been served under Public Premises (Eviction) of Unauthorised Occupants Act, 1971.

The Ministry had earlier sent notices to them last month after cancelling their accommodation on September 6.

Fourteen ministers in the Congress-led UPA Government were still awaiting allotment of the official accommodation, the sources said.

They said Urban Development Ministry has made alternative arrangements for the former ministers as they happened to be MPs.

New Delhi, October 2
Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed met Uzbek Deputy Minister I. Ergashev and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs soon after his arrival in Uzbekistan yesterday, India’s first ministerial level visit to the Central Asian country after the installation of the UPA government here.

During his talks with Mr Ergashev, Mr Ahamed reviewed progress on wide-ranging bilateral relations between India and Uzbekistan, Foreign Office spokesperson said here today.

Mr Ahamed also visited the famous Al-Beruni Institute of Oriental Studies where valuable manuscripts like “Baburnama” and “Akbarnama” are preserved.