 |
|
EC announces constituencies in Bihar,
Jharkhand
Vivekananda Memorial not affected by tidal
waves
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cong, BJP legislators
to donate salary
US provides
Rs 44 lakh for tsunami victims
Karnataka gives Rs 5.5-cr relief
Gujarat to give Rs 10 cr
‘Water table along east coast may be hit’
Tsunami
can hit TN, Pondy again
7 die in another hooch tragedy
Madhya Pradesh CM sacks Sunil
Nayak
NCW seeks proper probe in Anara
case
Hearing on seer’s bail plea to continue today
|
|
EC announces constituencies in Bihar,
Jharkhand
New Delhi, December 27 In the first phase on February 3, 64 Assembly segments in Bihar and 24 constituencies in Jharkhand would go to polls. In the second phase on February 15, electorates in 86 Assembly constituencies in Bihar and 29 Assembly segments in Jharkhand would cast their ballot. In the final phase on February 23, 93 Assembly segments in Bihar and 28 Assembly seats in Jharkhand would go to polls. The poll panel, while announcing the poll schedule, had stated that the constituencies covered in the different phases of polling would be announced later. Critical and the extremist infested areas of Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana would go to polls in the first phase. “We will ensure free and fair elections and any violation will be noticed by the commission”, Chief Election Commissioner T. S. Krishna Murthy said. Special measures are being taken, particularly in Bihar and Jharkhand, to ensure free and fair polls, he said. Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami said the force deployment would be “double” that of the general elections, held in April and May early this year. The CEC said all three states had been asked to execute non-bailable warrants, nab anti-social elements and launch a drive to unearth illegal arms. He said Central Paramilitary Forces would be deployed in all three states and for this consultations with the Union Home Ministry had been completed. The counting of votes for Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand would take place on February 27 and the election process would be completed by March 5. The term of the 90 member Haryana Assembly was to expire on March 8 and the term of 243 member Bihar and 81 member Jharkhand Assembly were to expire on March 6. |
|
Vivekananda Memorial not affected by tidal
waves
Kanyakumari, December 27 “The memorials are all safe. There has been no damage to them,” Additional Superintendent of Police, Kanyakumari, M Sundaram said. However, the state-owned Poompuhar Corporation’s boats and jetty, used to ferry tourists to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and the Thiruvalluvar statue, 500 from this mainland point, were completely damaged in yesterday’s
tsunami waves. About 1,500 tourists were stranded on the Vivekananda Memorial yesterday as the Corporation could not run the boats. Finally, private fiber glass boats had to be pressed into service to bring the tourists, including Supreme Court Judge C.P. Mathur and his family members, ashore. The Rock Memorial and the Thiruvalluvar Statue have been declared out of bounds for the tourists for the time being. If the government did not make alternative ferrying arrangements, the tourist visits would remain suspended till the Poompuhar boats and jetty were repaired, Mr Sundaram said. The sea, meanwhile, was calm today even as the beach was strewn with the remains of cheap seashell curios, normally sold by local children and women to the tourists. — UNI |
|
|
Omar Abdullah safe in Thailand
New Delhi, December 27 Mr Abdullah and his family were holidaying at tourist resort of Khosomaih, one-hour air journey from Thai capital Bangkok, his aide said. An External Affairs Ministry statement also confirmed that Mr Abdullah was safe in Thailand. More than 800 persons were killed and hundreds rendered homeless in Thailand alone after the devastating tsunami raced across Indian ocean, causing death and destruction on its path. — UNI N-scientist among tsunami victims CHENNAI: Nuclear scientist Dr A Selvaraj, who was attached to the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam, was among those killed in the tsunami tidal waves which struck the coastline in the area. Atomic energy sources said the body of Selvaraj had been identified. — PTI Tsunami brings along snakes NAGAPATTINAM (TAMIL NADU): After facing the wrath of the Tsunami, fisherfolk in several coastal areas are now facing the possibility of being stung by venomous sea creatures, which have entered the land. The police said a 7-year-old boy died after being bitten by a snake at Tranquebarlast on Sunday. — PTI |
|
|
Cong, BJP legislators
to donate salary
New Delhi, December 27 The Congress has set up a high-level party committee to supervise the relief operation in the quake-affected areas. The committee comprising AICC general secretaries and its treasurer had its first meeting this morning before Congress President Sonia Gandhi left for Andaman and Nicobar Islands to make an on the spot assessment of the situation, party spokesperson Girija Vyas told reporters here. A control room has been set up at the AICC headquarters to monitor relief measures, Ms Vyas said, adding that it would keep in touch with the control rooms set up by the party in affected states and districts. Congress committees in affected states have been converted into state relief committees. All the state units of the party have also been advised to help the affected states by way of financial support, providing relief material and other humanitatian assistance, she added. The BJP President, Mr L.K. Advani, who is on a visit to several Tsunami-hit areas, today instructed all party MPs and MLAs to contribute one month’s salary towards the relief and rehabilitation of people affected by the natural calamity. The party Vice-President, Mr Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, said the party chief had also asked all BJP-ruled states to provide “all possible” assistance to the affected people. Meanwhile, the Railways have offered all possible assistance, including transferring relief material to the affected regions. Railway doctors have been deputed to reinforce state government’s health facilities, provide services of Railway Scouts and Civil Defence personnel as volunteers to support local relief operations and assistance of essential items from the Railway Minister’s Welfare and Relief Fund at specific locations, an official press note today said. The Railways will also assist in transportation of relief material to affected sites from various parts of the country besides giving priority to booking and transportation of relief personnel. |
|
US provides
Rs 44 lakh for tsunami victims
New Delhi, December 27 In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today, Ambassador Mulford expressed on behalf of the people and government of the USA his sincere condolences to the people of India in the face of the earthquake and
tsunami in the Bay of Bengal. This preliminary contribution will go to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Indian Red Cross. Ambassador Mulford added that the USA was willing to assist India in any other way that would be helpful, US embassy said here in a statement. The funds have been made available from the Ambassador’s Humanitarian Relief Fund and are provided through the US Agency for International Development’s Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance. |
|
Karnataka gives Rs 5.5-cr relief
Bangalore, December 27 Tamil Nadu, the most affected state, will get Rs 2 crore while Andhra Pradesh and the Andaman & Nicobar islands will get Rs 1 crore each while Kerala, Pondicherry and Lakshadweep would get Rs 50 lakh each, Chief Minister Dharam Singh said here today. The families of those killed in the Karavali region of the state will get Rs 1 lakh each as ex-gratia. The current estimates of those killed from Karnataka stand at 30. |
|
Gujarat to give Rs 10 cr
Ahmedabad, December 27 Announcing the breakup of the package from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said Rs 5 crore will be given to Tamil Nadu, Rs 2 crore to Andaman and Nicobar and Rs 1 crore each for the states of Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry and Orissa, official sources said here. Moreover, around 50 metric tonnes of immediate relief packages comprising food, clothing, blankets and tents would leave tonight from Bhuj to Chennai, sources added. The state government had yesterday announced assistance from the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority to all the affected states as well as Sri Lanka. —
PTI |
|
‘Water table along east coast may be hit’
Visakhapatnam, December 27 Because of rise in water in the Bay of Bengal there is a possibility for thrust of saline water reducing the available fresh water near the coast up to three to four km, according to Prof Bhanu Kumar, Head of the Department of Meteorology and Oceanography, Andhra University. He said the east coast was a rift margin containing transform faults and the adjustment might give rise to earthquakes. During any such vertical displacement there was a possibility that the seawater might encroach upon the land. —
UNI |
|
Tsunami
can hit TN, Pondy again
Chennai, December 27 People in the low-lying areas in the above region are advised to be on the alert and move away from the coast as a precautionary measure, Met office sources said. They are also cautioned not to remain in partially damaged buildings and move around close to the coast. Shipping vessels were advised not to venture into the sea. The sources said 15 to 20 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale had been reported in Sumatra and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands region in the past 24 hours. The impact of aftershocks were likely to be witnessed, they added. —
UNI |
|
7 die in another hooch tragedy
Mumbai, December 27 The police said at least 40 persons from the Indira Nagar slum suffered vomiting and diarrhoea after consuming the liquor on Sunday night. Today’s incident follows the death of 18 persons from drinking hooch on Christmas eve. Meanwhile, DCP (Zone VII) Dilip Bhujbal and DCP (Zone III) Ashok Dongre have been transferred for today’s deaths. |
|
|
Madhya Pradesh CM sacks Sunil
Nayak
Bhopal, December 27 It is believed that Mr Nayak’s recent statement demanding re-instatement of Ms Uma Bharti as the Chief Minister besides his anti-Babulal Gaur activities had necessitated the action. According to political observers, this bold step to maintain discipline would send a signal to others who had given vent to similar feelings. According to party sources, a resignation
had earlier been sought from Mr Nayak but he had refused following which the Chief Minister sent his recommendation for the removal of
the Minister to the Governor. Mr Nayak said he was leaving for New Delhi to meet the party general-secretary and state incharge, Mr Arun
Jaitley. Mr Nayak had led the victory rally in the state Capital after the reinduction of Ms Uma Bharti in the BJP fold recently. —
UNI |
|
NCW seeks proper probe in Anara
case
New Delhi, December 27 After a meeting with Anara’s mother Rajrani Gupta, uncle Sanjay Sachdeva, brother and aunt today, NCW Chairperson Poornima Advani said the family members submitted to the commission the proofs of documents and VCDs in which Anara had allegedly been filmed and reiterated their lack of faith in the law enforcement agencies of the state, demanding a CBI probe into the matter. “However, certain procedures have to be followed. The commission is not in a position to conduct fresh investigations in the case as the matter is sub-judice. Moreover, the NCW also does not have any jurisdiction in Jammu and Kashmir, making it difficult for us to intervene in the case,” said Ms Advani. She said Anara should be allowed to come to Delhi so that she was able to present her case before the commission in person. “ It is a sensitive matter. I feel she will be able to represent her case before the NCW in a much better way if she is allowed to come here. I received a hand-written letter from Anara three weeks back. I have also studied the application submitted by the family on Saturday. The way the family was kept in the confinement for 11 days was wrong. Till date, an FIR has not been lodged against those involved in the illegal detention of five members of the family. If what has happened is true, then it is important that the dignity of the victims be restored,” she said. She lamented the fact that despite the Indecent Representation of Women’s Act in place, the police department had been unable to take action against pornographic VCDs, openly being sold all over the country. The former Miss Jammu was allegedly involved in the making of a pornographic VCD with one Narinder Kohli. Anara’s mother Rajrani Gupta told The Tribune that she had submitted two VCDs, one of a television programme done by Anara and the other containing the obscene shots, to Ms Advani. |
|
Hearing on seer’s bail plea to continue today
Chennai, December 27 The abrupt adjournment around 3 pm came as senior Supreme Court advocate K.T.S. Tulsi, appearing on behalf of the prosecution, was arguing against the grant of bail to the seer. —
PTI |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Videos
