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Delimitation: Congress for status quo in Uttaranchal
Andhra Pradesh opens gates to Bacchus lovers
Cong confident of good performance
Sonia in search of a Surjewala in Assam
Meghalaya minister in save-cave drive
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Call to boycott Valentine’s Day celebrations
Power tariff policy by next month: Sayeed
Karat likely to be new CPM Secretary
Birds’ paradise under threat
Body of
80-year-old to be exhumed
Sarojini Naidu remembered
Varsity apathetic towards centre on Sikh studies
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Delimitation: Congress for status quo in Uttaranchal
Dehra Dun, February 13 The delegation, led by the state party in charge Motilal Vohra, met top Congress leadership to register their reservations against the delimitation, which they said was against the very idea of carving out the hill state. The delegation said the state government would soon send a proposal to the Centre. Either there should be an amendment to the Delimitation Act to bring geography into account besides the population or it should be left to its present state, said former Minister and legislator from Tehri Kishore Upadhyaya. After delimitation in Uttaranchal in 2002 that had been carried out on the basis of 1971 census, from the 70 Assembly seats the plain districts of Dehra Dun, Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar got 25 seats while the rest of the 45 seats went to the 10 hill districts making Uttaranchal a ‘hill state’. However, the present delimitation process is based on the 2001 census as per which most of the population is concentrated in the plains. This would give the plains nearly 10 more seats, which the hills would lose out on. After the delimitation of Assembly segments based on population as is scheduled, the political powers would shift from the hills to the plains. The changed political equation could also rework the political leverage enjoyed by the ruling Congress and the BJP in the state in favour of the BSP and the SP. A number of state Congress leaders also dismiss the exercise of delimitation as redundant. According to state Congress President and Rajya Sabha MP Harish Rawat, the present delimitation ought to be stopped since delimitation was undertaken in Uttaranchal just four years ago. The delimitation would only aggravate the problems of the hill state, said Mr Rawat demanding that the process be stopped. However, even within the Congress camp there are leaders who favour the present process. Some of the ministers and legislators from the plains would rather have the delimitation continued. State Health Minister Tilak Raj Behar from the plains of Udham Singh Nagar favours the process calling it democratic. Democracy is about people and if there are more people in the plains, they had better have more representation in the Assembly, said Mr Behar. |
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Andhra Pradesh opens gates to Bacchus lovers
Hyderabad, February 13 Under the new policy, even villages having sizable population but not notified as municipalities will be allowed to grant bar licenses. At present, bar licenses are granted only in municipalities, corporations and tourism notified areas. Further, the government has also decided to allow liquor permit rooms in villages having 5,000 or more people. Consequently, another 1,000 liquor shops would be added to the present 6,800 operating in the state, apart from 1450 bars. The liberal policy would fill the coffers by an additional Rs 800 crore in the next excise year. The latest move is a far cry from the historic anti-liquor agitation by women in the state in the 90s that forced the then newly elected N.T. Rama Rao Government in 1994 to opt for total prohibition. N. Chandrababu Naidu, who took over in 1995, continued the policy till 1997, when he relaxed the ban to allow liquor vends. The policy was further relaxed to open bars and pubs, though country liquor continues to be banned. Not unexpectedly, opposition Telugu Desam Party denounced the move saying it was aimed at benefiting the Congress cadre at the expense of the public health. The Congress promised in the previous polls that it would re-introduce prohibition in a phased manner, but is now going against its manifesto, former TDP Minister T. Sitaram alleged. Finance Minister K. Rosaiah defended the new policy, arguing that the initiative would help check liquor syndicates, even while generating revenue for the government. “We have only corrected some anomalies. Unlike TDP, we have decided to create funds for campaign against liquor consumption,” he said. |
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Cong confident of good performance
New Delhi, February 13 Internal assessment by the Congress indicated that the party was likely to show up good performance and indications are that it could increase its vote share in both the states. With the exit polls after the first round of polling, marred by violence, predicting erosion in the vote bank of the RJD, today issued veiled threat to the UPA government. Bhola Prasad Singh, an 83-year-old political veteran who is considered close to the RJD chief and Railway Minister Laloo Prasad, reportedly said that “if the Congress creates any stumbling block in the formation of a RJD-led secular government after the assembly elections, the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre will not last long.” In an apparent reflection of her party’s uneasy relations with the RJD, Sonia Gandhi, addressing a string of election meetings, voiced concern over the law and order situation in Bihar. She said the Congress would work for the formation of an alternative government in the state after the elections. In Bihar, Railway Minister Laloo Prasad’s ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress and central minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) are friends as well as enemies. The Congress is in alliance with the RJD and the LJP in several seats but will be clashing in many more. |
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Sonia in search of a Surjewala in Assam
Guwahati , February 13 The total bandh in Assam on Friday at the call of the BJP sounded the alarm bells for Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. The bandh was held in protest against the alleged anamolies in the recent recruitment of over 5,000 constables in the Assam Police against over six lakh applicants. State minister of home Rakiybul Hossain , alleges the BJP, not only discriminated against genuine candidates in the selection process, but also used religion as a parameter to select over 70 per cent candidates from among the
minority Muslims. Sources in the state congress disclosed to this correspondent that Mrs Sonia Gandhi had asked AICC member Digvijay Singh, in charge of Assam, to submit a detailed report on the recruitment issue. Mr Gogoi was reportedly snubbed by Mrs Gandhi during his stay in Delhi on
Tuesday. Mrs Gandhi is reportedly unhappy with the way Mr Gogoi depended completely on three of his young Cabinet
colleagues, who let the government down in the state. The young brigade comprised state minister for home, Rekiybul Hossain, Social welfare minister Gautam Roy and
revenue and finance minister Hemanta Bishwa Sharma. Social welfare minister Gautan Roy is already on the
verge of receiving a show- cause notice for encouraging factional politics in Silchar against union heavy Industry Minister Santosh Mohan Deb. Mr Hossain has already invited a bad name for the congress government on the
recruitment issue. Mr Hemanta Bishwa Sharma is known for his high-handedness and invited criticism for imposing an additional tax burden on the people of the state recently. It was reliably learnt that Mrs
Gandhi is now reposing faith on rural development minister Ripun Bora and not seniors like Assam Pradesh Congress chief Bhubaneswar kalita as the future mascot of her party in the state. The BJP leadership in the state is understandably elated on the successful
bandh, with the tacit support of the All-Assam Students’ union
(AASU). The AASU has already given the state government 10 days to cancel the existing list of recruits. The Guwahati High Court, too, had issued a stay order on the recruitment putting a question mark on the credibility of the Tarun Gogoi government. All these factors ,along with the infiltration problem across the Bangladesh border and related threat from the ISI, have added to the discomfiture to the congress high command. Sources claim that it is only a matter of time when Mrs Gandhi finds a Surjewala for the Assam unit of the party to replace Mrs Gogoi. |
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Meghalaya minister in save-cave drive
Shillong, February 13 The cement factories have been allowed at Lumshmong in the Jaintia hills district, where the 21.56 km-long Kotsani cave, that combines smaller caves to form a 35 km-long network, is located. It has been the epicentre of a major controversy with environmentalists contemplating to file a public interest litigation against the government. Meghalaya Chief Minister
D.D. Lapang has ordered an inquiry into the case. Reacting on this issue the Chief Minister has already promised to fix responsibility for lapses, if any, in sanctioning the plants. The state unit of the BJP, in consultation with the Assam unit, which is close to Meghalaya, has also stepped up a campaign against
D.D. Lapang government for succumbing to pressure put by a section of business lobby by allowing the cement plants to come up near this longest cave. Understanding the public ire on this issue, Mr Mukul Sangma has been put into action by none other than the Chief Minister himself. Talking to this correspondent Mr Sangma said, “We cannot destroy the environment that supports
us. Therefore, we must find out how clearance was given to these cement plants, ignoring the age-old caves and the overall bio-diversity”. Mr Sangma, who is also in charge of forest and environment portfolio, said he was unhappy to learn about the destruction of “fragile caves and forest reserves”. He described the areas as “tourism treasure”. Admitting that the clearance to set up the plants was given by a committee, Mr Sangma said government was ready to dig out the facts as suggested by the Chief Minister. On their part the environmentalists argued that the Kotsani network, as the cave is known as, would cease to exist if the cement factories were allowed to run “full-steam”. The environmentalists and speleologists (cave researchers) have come up with evidence of how limestone quarrying has destroyed some portions of the cave. They claimed that most of the limestone was meant for the two cement plants — Meghalaya Cements Limited and Cements Manufacturing Company Limited. The Meghalaya Adventure Association, which was instrumental in mapping some of these cave systems, has decided to submit a memorandum to the Union Forest and Environment Ministry in this regard. |
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Call to boycott Valentine’s Day celebrations
Imphal, February 13 Said a college student here, “What is Valentine’s Day without roses? But that is exactly what is happening here, under the shadow of a boycott call.” The two social organisations said in a press note, “Youths are indulging in a culture alien to their state. Over the years, the tradition and social values of the people of Manipur have been eroded. We thus want to boycott the Valentine’s Day celebrations.” Over the past few years, Valentine’s Day celebrations had spread in Manipur too. But this time, youths in Manipur have been compelled to celebrate their love in secret. The Ethno Heritage Council
(Hericuon) wanted young boys and girls to stop all forms of celebrations and merry making on this day. The group also asked gift-shop owners not to sell roses, restaurant owners to close shop and parents not to give extra pocket money to their children on Valentine’s Day. The Manipur Forward Youth Front issued similar instructions. It even went a step forward, banning young lovers from gathering in public places. |
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Shiv Sena threat not to dampen spirit
Mumbai, February 13 The Shiv Sena has already deemed public display of affection on February 14 un-Indian and threatened a crackdown on hotels and gift shops. However, most shopkeepers and restaurant owners are undeterred. “The Shiv Sena does it every year. They burn a few greeting cards in public and go away,” says Velji Maru, a shopkeeper in North Mumbai. Other shopkeepers say Shiv Sena activists are paid off to look the other way. “They target businesses which do not pay them off,” says a shopkeeper. Incidentally, establishments owned by Shiv Sena leaders are planning to usher in Valentine’s Day in a big way. “Special offers for tomorrow include candle-lit dinners for two and special sea-food platters with wine,” says the manager of Chef, a restaurant at Dahisar
in North Mumbai owned by former Mayor Hareshwar Patil of the Shiv Sena. The employee, however, refused to In Pune, shopkeepers have come together to observe Valentine’s Day as ‘Vasant Utsav’ to beat the Hindutva outfits in their own game. Officially, the Shiv Sena has threatened to halt Valentine’s Day celebrations across the state. The party has warned college principals from permitting Valentine’s Day celebrations on their premises. However, students say they do their own thing outside classrooms. Mumbai’s big shopping malls have come up with a number of innovative ideas. At the Crossroads mall with two outlets in the city, outlets selling diamond jewellery have come up with specially created offerings for the occasion. |
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Power tariff policy by next month: Sayeed
Kolkata, February 13 Talking to newspersons, Mr Sayeed said necessary appellate tribunal, comprising four members, had already been constituted to formulate the national power tariff policy in accordance with the national electricity policy. However, for arriving at a total consensus before the introduction of the new electricity tariffs, the Power Ministry had been holding several rounds of talks with all
constituents of the UPA Government, particularly with the Left parties, to seek their opinions and sort out differences on some issues like the use of cross subsidies, the Power Minister said.
— UNI |
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Karat likely to be new CPM Secretary
Kolkata, February 13 With Karat’s appointment, some new faces are likely to find their way in the
new Politburo and the central committee. However, officially it was stated that the Politburo discussed on the political resolutions and other organizational matters to be raised and debated at the party congress. The Politburo today reviewed the proceedings of the recently held three-day conference of the party state committee in West Bengal as well as several matters to be discussed in the two more ensuing party conferences in Tripura and Kerala, respectively.
— OC |
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Birds’ paradise under threat
Bharatpur, February 13 Siberian cranes of the central flock, which winged to the Keoladeo National Park for wintering, have stopped coming here in the last two years. In just one year, the population of the migratory and resident birds have dwindled one third to a mere 5,000 this year after the state government “blocked” the flow of river water to the famed fresh water wetland, which once attracted 400 species of birds and tourists from across the world. “Release of a mere 500 million cubic feet river water from the Panchana dam on the Gambhir river during the monsoon season can revive the cacophony of the winged migrants and maintain the fragile ecosystem of the 29 sq km wetland,” environmentalists and nature lovers say. Different environmental groups, including Tourism and Wildlife Society of India, after trying in vain to garner political support for the release of river water, are optimistic that the central empowered committee of the Supreme Court, which started hearing the petitions of bird lovers, will come to the rescue of the park. Mr Suresh Kumar Sharma, a former legislator from Bharatpur, reminiscing his childhood experience, recalled that “it used to become dark as thousands of birds took to the sky on even a minor disturbance of their habitation. But such an experience is now a thing of the past”. Echoing similar sentiments, honorary wildlife warden and an advocate Krishna Kumar Gupta says “till a decade ago, we used to enjoy boating in the wetland, which resounded to the cacophony of chicks”. As part of voluntary effort, crane counting was started two decades ago and it was continuing even now, though a major part of the shallow waterbody has turned to grassland due to decrease in rainfall and the stoppage of regular flow of river water.
— UNI |
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Body of
80-year-old to be exhumed
Thiruvananthapuram, February 13 The difficulties being faced by private medical colleges in
Kerala to obtain cadaver for practical studies for students have added
fuel to the suspicion that the body was stolen from the coffin. “We
are examining all aspects,” Pathanamthitta SP said. The body would
be exhumed from the Mar Sleba Orthodox Church at Kaviyoor near
Thiruvalla in the presence of his relatives on February 15. “We are
seeking the presence of the son of the deceased and other family members
when the body is exhumed,” he added. — UNI |
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Sarojini Naidu remembered
New Delhi, February 13 Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal and Leader of Opposition L. K. Advani paid floral tributes at the portrait of Ms Naidu in the Central Hall of Parliament. A booklet containing the profile of Ms Naidu, who symbolised the sufferings and sacrifices of the women of India during the freedom struggle, brought out by the Lok Sabha Secretariat on the occasion was also presented to those present on the occasion. |
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Varsity apathetic towards centre on Sikh studies
Jaipur, February 13 So much is the alleged negligence of the authorities that imprints on a signboard put up on the inaugural ceremony are reported to have faded. Mr Jasveer Singh, member of the State Minority Commission, said to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa Panth, the state government had sanctioned Rs 10 lakh. The Sikh Samaj, through its austerity measures during the celebrations, saved a sum of Rs 7 lakh and gave it to the university for the setting up of the centre under the aegis of its Department of History and Indian Culture. The proposed centre is yet to become a reality, he commented. |
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