New Delhi, January 10
The Supreme Court today ordered inquiry by its Registrar General (RG) into the allegation that NGO activist Teesta Setalwad had filed a petition regarding Best Bakery case in the apex court without an affidavit of Zaheera Sheikh, who had accused the former of coercing her to change her statement in the court.

A Bench of Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice H K Sema directed that the RG would also look into the allegations of Teesta that Zaheera had been pressurised by some persons to change her stand in the case after it was transferred to a Mumbai Special Court for retrial.

The RG was directed to appoint an officer of the IG rank from the Delhi Police to assist him in the probe and submit its report within three months.

The court after two-hour-long heated arguments between Zaheera’s counsel P N Lekhi and Teesta’s counsel Anil Diwan passed the direction on the affidavit issue.

While Lekhi demonstrated from the record that Zaheera had never filed an affidavit as it was Teesta who had filed it with a statement that the former had given a “vakalatnama” for the same, which was against the rules and procedure of the apex court.

He also alleged that Teesta had kept Zaheera in illegal confinement for seven months and used the case “for minting money from various foreign sources”.

Lekhi also said that Zaheera had not given any authority to Teesta to move the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Anil Diwan, on the other hand objected to it, saying that the entire process was aimed at “scuttling” the trial in the Mumbai Special Court. But Lekhi said the matter was brought before the apex court by Teesta not Zaheera, where was the question of scuttling the trial.

But the apex court said that RG’s inquiry into the matter would not come in the way of continuing with the trial proceedings.

A Bench, headed by Mr Justice Pasayat, had last year ordered fresh trial in the Best Bakery case in Mumbai allowing the petition of Zaheera. But Lekhi said the order had come on a petition in which the so-called key witness Zaheera Sheikh had not filed any affidavit. This amounted to “trampling” with the entire apex court proceedings in the matter, by the NGO activist, he said.

Rae Bareli, January 10
Congress President Sonia Gandhi today stressed on politics for the betterment of the people and said political stability and social peace and harmony were necessary for progress and development.

Addressing a function after inaugurating the Rajiv Lifeline Medical train here, Ms Gandhi said a politician, particularly the people’s representative, should focus on people’s needs and not just do politics for elections. “Politics is of no use if it cannot serve the people,” she stated.

“It is true that sometimes we are not able to bring the results which we actually want to deliver,” she said.

While refraining from openly criticising any political party, she said those who call themselves as “people’s representative” should work for the welfare of the masses.

She said the Manmohan Singh government was trying to bring faster development.

While making several announcements for the development of her constituency, she said Rs 10 crore had been sanctioned for equipping the district hospital here with all the basic requirements while Rs 105 crore had been approved for the construction of roads.

She said Rs 6 crore had been sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s Rural Employment Scheme and under the food for work scheme Rs 28 crore would be released annually for five years.

Ms Gandhi said a proposed scheme worth Rs 235 crore for the cleansing of the canals in Rae Bareli was presently under the Centre’s consideration. Also, a big factory would be set up here in the automobile sector while a gas pipeline would be laid from Jagdishpur to Rae Bareli, she added.

Stating that the development of tourism in the country could generate enough job opportunities, the Congress leader added the bird sanctuary and the Dalamu ghat here would be developed as tourist spots.

Meanwhile, the lifeline train would be in Rae Bareli till February 8 and is expected to serve about 6,000 patients, performing 1,000 surgeries. This is the first time that the train has come to Rae Bareli.

It had earlier conducted service in the Jayas area of the district in 1994 and 2004. A total of 70,000 surgeries have so far been conducted in the train while five lakh people have already taken its services. About 60,000 doctors and nurses have provided their services free of cost as a part of this train.

The train forms the part of the 29th camp of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation while the lifeline train itself has so far conducted 71 camps. — UNI

Kolkata, January 10
Two CPM politburo members — Mr Prakash Karat and Mr Sitaram Yechuri, at a joint press conference at the end of the party’s three-day central committee meeting here, declared today the party would have to re-think on its support to the UPA government in the present form.

They made it clear they were not at all happy the way the Manmohan Singh government had been running . The CPM was dissatisfied that the UPA government was following the same wrong economic and fiscal policies of the NDA government, both leaders alleged.

Mr Yechuri said after the 2006 Assembly elections, the party would once again consider if any third front minus the BJP and the Congress could be formed in the country.

Mr Karat alleged the UPA government was now selling the country’s economy to the capitalist lobby and the World Bank, which the CPM would oppose tooth and nail. He, however, hoped that good sense would prevail among the Congress leadership and it would run the government as per the common minimum programme.

Incidentally, both Mr Karat and Mr Yechuri were making statements opposed to the advice of Mr Jyoti Basu and Mr Harkishen Singh Surjeet. These leaders has yesterday asked the party’s present leadership to have patience and not publicly criticise the Congress now and then so as to avoiding any misunderstanding in the minds of the people about their relations with the UPA.

The central committee today unanimously finalised the draft of the political resolution for the forthcoming 18th party congress to be held in New Delhi in April.

According to the party, both Congress and the BJP and so-called bourgeois parties had been “unacceptable” to them. But now the CPM would not hesitate to make alliances with the Congress against the BJP and communal forces, if necessary.

However, the main intention would be to form a third front minus Congress and the BJP and contest the forthcoming State Assembly elections and the next Lok Sabha poll to come to power at the Centre.

On the economic front also, the party would reverse its present “dogmatic policy” and adopt a new policy more realistic and feasible in the new situation, said the CPM leadership.

Mumbai, January 10
After Bihar strongman Laloo Prasad Yadav, its the turn of Mr Sharad Pawar to raise dissenting voices against the Congress.

“While the Congress has only 145 members, the UPA has more than 300 members in the Lok Sabha. I hope the Congress realises that 50 per cent of the alliance members are those other than from the Congress supporting the UPA Government,” Mr Pawar said.

Mr Pawar demanded that the Congress-led alliance should allot seats for the NCP in Jharkand, Bihar and other states failing which his party would contest on its own.

“It is most unfortunate that the Congress has taken a decision of contesting the Jharkand elections in alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) without consulting the RJD, the CPI, the CPM and the NCP — all alliance partners in the UPA Government,” Mr Pawar said.

UNI adds: Mr Pawar said he met RJD president and Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav last evening and discussed the political situation in Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana. “We would like to support the Congress in these Assembly elections. But, if there is no change in the Congress stand, we will contest the elections without the Congress,” he said.

Mr Pawar said the Congress had formalised its seat sharing with the Shibu Soren-led JMM in Jharkhand and left five to seven seats for “others”.

“Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav cannot be counted as “others” in Jharkhand and Bihar. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had contested in these states with the help of the RJD and the JMM,” Mr Pawar said, adding that his party would contest a limited number of seats in these states.

While stating that Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav was ready to accommodate the Congress in Bihar, the NCP supremo said the Congress should not act in a manner that would help the BJP in the elections.

He was quick to add that the UPA partners did not wish to take any step that would be detrimental to the UPA Government at the Centre. “The Congress should take the initiative to talk to Mr Yadav to resolve the issue,” he said.

Replying to a question on reports that Mr Yadav had softened his anti-Congress stand after HRD Minister Arjun Singh discussed the issue with him yesterday, Mr Pawar said: “Mr Arjun Singh met Mr Yadav in the afternoon while our meeting took place late last evening.”

About Maharashtra, Mr Pawar made it clear that his party would not contest the January 24 byelection to the Solapur (South) and Nagpur (South) Assembly constituencies. He said both these seats belonged to the Congress and “my party whole-heartedly supports the Congress candidates in these constituencies”. NCP spokesman Vasant Chavan, during his weekly press briefing, had said his party would contest both these seats if the Congress did not clarify its stand regarding its alliance with the NCP.

Mr Pawar said the Congress-NCP coalition in the state was doing fine and there was no question of any dispute, differences or misunderstanding.

Mr Pawar rejected media reports that he was at loggerheads with Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. “In fact, I met Mr Deshmukh for the first time today since he took over as the Chief Minister. Even he was of the view that both parties should exercise restraint.”

Shillong, January 10
Last-minute intervention by party President Sonia Gandhi not only resolved the 18-day-long crisis affecting the Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), but also helped Chief Minister D.D. Lapang save his scalp.

After continuous parleys with disgruntled ministers and MLAs of Lapang’s Cabinet, AICC observer for North–East Ramesh Chinnithala told this correspondent that the MLAs had accepted the continuation of Mr D.D. Lapang as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya.

For the past many days ,a section of the MLAs of the ruling MDA, particularly the lobby opposed to Mr D.D. Lapang, which is close to former Chief Minister E.D. Marak, was demanding the removal of Mr Lapang from the post of Chief Minister for having failed to fulfil the promises made to the electorate The disgruntled MLAs were hell bent on removing Mr Lapang till Mrs Sonia Gandhi intervened yesterday through Mr Ramesh Chennithala with a compromise formula.

According to the formula worked out by the AICC, a coordination committee would be formed, headed by Mr E.D. Marak, not only to ensure better coordination between the party and the government but also to put forward suggestions for various developmental activities.

Mr Chennithala told this correspondent that he had asked Mr D.D. Lapang to submit time-bound projects to the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre to fulfil the aspirations of the people in the state as well as to ensure greater transparency in running the government, as desired by Mrs Sonia Gandhi.

The coordination committee, comprising two MLAs, two MPs and some other non-Congress partners of the alliance, would meet at least once a month. Mr Chennithala himself would be present in such meetings.

It was learnt that the crisis was a direct fall-out of the downsizing of the ministry in the state recently as part of the nationwide exercise to limit the number of ministers to one third of the elected representatives.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Urban Affairs Minister Friday Lyngfoh resigned yesterday understably to pave the way for Mr D.D. Lapang to reshuffle the ministry in consultation with the high command to accommodate some disgruntled MLAs.

Bijapur, January 10
At least 57 persons, including 20 women, were killed and nine injured when a state road transport corporation bus fell into a canal of the Alamatti Dam across the Krishna river in Bijapur district of north Karnataka early today.

Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh has expressed shock over the incident. Mr Dharam Singh along with state Transport Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge rushed to the accident spot by a helicopter.

The police said 57 bodies had been recovered from the canal at Nedugundi village of the district.

The bus, carrying 67 passengers, was proceeding to Chitapur in Gulbarga district from Hubli when it fell into the Left Bank canal of the Almatti Dam. The accident occurred at around 2.30 am.

The KSRTC has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. The corporation will also bear the treatment costs of the injured who have been admitted to Government Hospital here.

Mr Kharge said a detailed investigation would be conducted into the accident.

According to a Gulbarga report, the bus driver probably lost control of the vehicle which plunged into the canal, flowing with over 3,500 cusecs of water when the accident occurred. — UNI

New Delhi, January 10
The Election Commission today announced that byelection for the Ajnala Assembly seat in Punjab and three other Assembly constituencies in Meghalaya would be held on February 23.

Stating that the model code of conduct would be applicable to the whole of Amritsar district from today, the poll panel said the notification for the poll would be issued on January 29.

The EC asked the political parties, state and Centre from making any poll promises which would be concerning the Amritsar district.

The seat had become vacant in May last year and the poll panel had announced election to the seat along with Maharashtra Assembly polls. However, it had to postpone the polls, in view of the election petition pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

As the petition has been dismissed, the poll panel has decided to conduct the elections in the Assembly segment.

Along with Ajnala, the EC also announced byelection to three Assembly segments in Meghalaya - Mawprem, Songsak and Selsella.

For the electoral rolls revision, the Commission said the current elector roll revised as per January 1, 2004 would be the qualifying date.

The EC said EVMs would be used in all polling booths. It said the photo identity cards would be compulsory for casting the ballot. However, those who have not been issued the I-cards, the poll panel said, would be required to produce identification proof.

Meanwhile, filing of nominations opened today for February 3 elections to Naxalism-affected 64 Assembly constituencies in Bihar and 24 in Jharkhand and all 90 seats in Haryana.

Dehra Dun, January 10
The ramparts of the imposing Doon School campus are still not likely to make way for the other sex in the institution that prides itself in its tradition of being a high-end male domain. Brushing aside the possibility of admitting girls to arguably the country’s most prestigious boys’ school, the Doon School Headmaster, Mr Kanti Bajpai, denied that the school would open its gates to girls.

Even as the campus has been abuzz with the debate for a few months now, Mr Bajpai told The Tribune that the issue of making the school co-educational was taken up in the board meetings only twice, in the 1940s and the 1980s. However, according to Mr Bajpai, the school might look at admitting girls in 11th and 12th standard but that is his personal opinion and not that of the Board of Governors.

Sparked off with the school consulting various stakeholders on introducing International Baccalaureate (IB), the hot debate has found a place in the school’s newsletter ‘The Circle’. Interestingly, an internal opinion poll among the students published in the newsletter says that over 80 per cent of the students want girl students around. Mr Karam Vir Lamba, a senior Dosco, feels it is ironic that a Dosco can achieve the highest accolades in the fields of academics, sports and cultural activities, but finds it a Herculean task to hold a normal conservation with the opposite sex.

According to Mr Bajpai, the school has always taken student opinion into account in its governance and was perhaps the first school to institute a student council way back in the 1930. At the same time, it is firm on discipline and an austere lifestyle, and it does not rely on “opinion polls” of the students in these matters, he adds.

A student of the outgoing batch, Tushant Singh, says girls in the campus would make the place very formal and cut down on the ease among the students. Besides, the idea is not in line with the vintage tradition of the school and once it turns co-educational, it will become just another school, he adds. Another student, Aditya Narayan Roy, says the Doscos can really do without girls because once they are in, the campus would have restricted areas and would not remain half as liberal as it is now.

New Delhi, January 10
Mr Ranjit Singh Mooshahary today took over as the new Director- General of the BSF.

Mr Mooshahary, an IPS officer of the 1967 batch, headed the elite National Security Guard for nearly three years before being shifted to the BSF. The Kerala cadre officer has served in the CRPF, besides the state police forces of Assam, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan.

He took charge from BSF Additional Director-General A. K. Mitra, who had been officiating as the DG since the retirement of Mr Ajai Raj Sharma on December 30.

Mr Mooshahary told reporters after taking over that the force would continue to perform the role of counter-terrorism, besides guarding the borders. His predecessor had been advocating that the BSF was mainly a border-guarding force and should be confined to that role because counter-terrorism duties took a heavy toll on the annual training programme of its personnel.

New Delhi, January 10
A profile of women work force indicates that more than 80 per cent of women workers are engaged in the agriculture sector in rural India. Some figures indicate that 75 million women are involved in agricultural activities as compared to only one million men. However, contributions of women are largely unrecognised and mostly under-valued. Hardly any strategies have been planned to either improve their health or economic status.

A report, released today by the National Commission for Women (NCW) on the National Task Force on Technological Empowerment of Women in Agriculture, has stressed the need for a policy which is people oriented, specifically women-oriented, and a sound strategy to implement it. The report reiterates the need for the participation of women at every level in decision making, programme formulation and implementation.

The report, already submitted to the government, says women face several barriers in attaining economic autonomy and sustainable livelihood for either themselves or their dependents due to legal and customary obstacles to ownership of land or access to land natural resources, capital, credit, technology and other means of production.

According to NCW Chairperson Poornima Advani, whether it is pre or post-harvest technology, animal husbandry, poultry farming or fisheries not enough efforts have been made to reduce the drudgery of women engaged in various farm operations.

Jaipur, January 10
As a sequel to the unplanned and indiscriminate expansion of technical education in Rajasthan, there would be around 35,000 engineering graduates seeking appropriate employment by the end of June this year.

While approximately 30,000 engineers are already awaiting suitable jobs in tune with their training, 5,000 more will join them on the expiry of the current academic session.

The depressing scenario on the employment front was largely due to the increasing number of private colleges, said Mr B.R. Dhetarwal, President of the Unemployed Engineers Association. Till 1999-2000, there were a little over 2,000 seats in the 12 engineering colleges of the state while after privatisation, this number has skyrocketed to over 13,000 seats in the year 2004-2005.

According to a spokesman of the Institute of Applied Manpower, government and private colleges together would be churning out about 14,000 B.E. graduates aggravating the problem of proper employment.

Only about 1,500 unemployed engineers are likely to get jobs this year he observed.

It may be mentioned that on an average an expenditure of about Rs12 lakh has to be incurred on an engineering incumbent.

Mumbai, January 10
“Though 20 years have passed since the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the establishment is uncomfortable with even a mention of the role of the state in the carnage,” says Shonali Bose on her debut film, Amu.

Starring Konkona Sen Sharma, Brinda Karat, Ankur Khanna, Yashpal Sharma, Loveleen Mishra, the film looks at the riots through the eyes of a young non-resident Indian woman on a voyage of self-discovery in her homeland.

Bose, who took several years to make the film, alleges that the Censors forced her to drop seven lines in the film that would make the political establishment squirm.

“Minister hee tho the. Unhee ke shaye yeh sab hua”, “Saare shamil the...police, afsar, sarkar, neta, saare” were lobbed off. Just as another line about a minister in “dark glasses” who orchestrated the massacre of Sikhs in Delhi. To add insult to injury, says Bose, the film was given an ‘A’ certificate even though there is no sex or violence in it. “Why expose young children to such chapters of history which is best forgotten, I was told”, says Bose.

Rather than take on the establishment, Bose chose to accept the cuts and reshoot parts of the film. However the original version of the film is making the rounds of the film festivals, including the Internatinal Film Festival of Mumbai, presently on here. Bose has also written a novel based on her film which is being published by Penguin.

The 102-minute film shot at a cost of over Rs 2 crore attempts to make the point that violence which goes unpunished begets more violence. The last part of the film shows the protagonist watching the news of the Gujarat riots on television.

Shonali herself says she was a 19-year-old student in Delhi when the riots occurred and had worked among the victims in refugee camps. “All these riots happen only with the complicity of the state. Left to themselves people protect one another,” says Bose from her experiences 20 years ago.

Kolkata, January 10
Nimesulide, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), has been found safe and effective in the treatment of fever and a wide range of inflammatory and painful conditions even for children, provided it is taken in the right dosage as prescribed by the paediatrician.

These are the findings of a post-marketing surveillance (PMS) study conducted at 25 centres in India on 1,000 children in the age group of 6 months to 12 years to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Nimulid Suspension (nimesulide) in upper respiratory tract infection. The controversial drug has been banned in the USA and a number of European countries for causing hepatotoxicity and liver damage, but it is widely used in over 50 countries, including India. Even in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, nimesulide is not allowed to be marketed.

In India, there are over 70 brands of nimesulide paediatric suspensions, including nise of Dr Reddy’s Labs and nimulid of Panacea Biotec, a company based at Lalru, near Chandigarh. Both account for over 50 per cent of the market. Panacea Biotec is a major player in the market with an annual turnover of Rs 300 crore.

The government and the companies had to face severe criticism in 2002, when social activists demanded a ban on the drug. However, the Drug Controller-General of India and the Indian Academy of Paediatricians have given it a clean chit. It was introduced in India in 1994. The companies have reported a fall in the sales of nimesulide, that has an annual domestic market of over Rs 2,000 crore.

Dr A. Swain, Assistant Professor of Paediatrics, Sardar Vallabhbai Patel Post-Graduate Institute of Pediatrics, (SVP-PGIP) Cuttack, head of the study, presented the findings in the national symposium on “ NSAIDs as antipyretics in the current scenario” in the 42nd National Conference of Indian Academy of Paediatrics, Pedicon 2005, held here from January 6-9.

Elaborating the results, Dr Swain said, “Within three days of treatment with nimulid fever was relieved in a majority of the children. Besides, it is highly effective in reducing other symptoms of infection like redness of throat, swelling of tonsils, nasal discharge and nasal obstruction, in a majority of the children.”

The study has found the drug highly safe in children with 96 per cent of children reporting no side effects. “ A majority of side effects were in mild in nature and did not require discontinuation of therapy,” said Dr Swain.

In 99 per cent of the children, there was no evidence of liver damage (hepatotoxicity) and in only 1 per cent, there were mild transient elevations of liver enzymes, which were adjudged to be clinically insignificant and did not require any treatment, he added.

Highlighting the results of the study, organised by Panacea Biotec, Dr Swain pointed out that kidney function was also found to be normal in 100 per cent of the children during the course of treatment.

Reacting to the reported side effects of the drug, Dr S.Vasanta Kumar, Co-author of the study said, “the overdose of drug can be injurious for children. In fact, for fever among children, paracetamol should be the drug of first choice, and NSAIDs like nimesulide should be used with caution for children above one year age when there are definite signs of inflammation.” Dr P. Mishra, Assistance Professor at the SVP-PGIP, said, “I have been using Nimulid for many years with no complaints from patients.

Jaipur, January 10
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and AICC General Secretary Ashok Gehlot, in a rare gesture, to help tsunami victims, put about 200 mementoes in his possession on sale here yesterday and collected Rs 40 lakh.

The auction was conducted at a special function organised for the purpose by an NGO, Bharat Seva Sansthan, in the presence of Governor, Pratibha Patil at a local school. Mr Gehlot was also present along with his wife, Mrs Sunita Gehlot.

The money collected through the sale of mementoes received by Mr Gehlot from time to time would be deposited in the Rajiv Gandhi National Relief Fund for helping the tsunami victims. It may be recalled that Mr Gehlot, in similar ventures, had collected Rs 32 lakh and Rs 22 lakh during the Kargil war and when an earthquake rocked the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.