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Doors open for talks, Sonia tells Naxals
Curfew in Sagar town;
2 killed in police firing
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After Pervez, now mother to visit Nehar Wali Haveli
Gill wants Rlys’ North Zone bifurcated
Kamal Nath meets BJP leaders on patent Bill
SC reserves verdict on medical admission quota issue
Smriti Irani faces threats
Government tightens grip on money launderers
Nirupam quits RS
Slain Sikh cleric’s son floats party
Age limit for pilots now 61
Writer Pramod Sharma dead
No decision on troop withdrawal, says Pranab
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Doors open for talks, Sonia tells Naxals
Hyderabad, March 16 Addressing a public meeting organised by the Congress at Parade Grounds here, she made a special reference to the extremist problem in the state and said violence would not solve any problem. “Without peace, there is no development,” she said during a brief visit to the city marred by opposition protests against the naming of the new international airport after Rajiv Gandhi. The talks between various Naxal groups, including Maoists and the state government ran into rough weather recently, triggering a fresh round of violence and bloodshed between cops and ultra-left revolutionaries. Three police constables were gunned down today by extremists at Choutuppal in neighbouring Nalgonda district. Striking an emotional chord, Ms Gandhi said she understood the pain and agony of those affected by extremist violence, having lost “two dear ones in her own family to violence.” “Our doors are open for talks. Our government is keen to find a solution through a dialogue,” she said. In her 15-minute speech in Hindi, Sonia also touched the sensitive Telangana issue and said she was aware of the aspirations of the people. “We are focused on finding solutions to the developmental issues of the region,” she said without committing to a separate state. Earlier, addressing a meeting after laying the foundation stone for the Rajiv Gandhi international airport at Shamsabad, Ms Gandhi recalled her late husband’s association with Hyderabad and said that he underwent pilot training at the Central Training Establishment here. Without referring to the furore over naming the airport after Rajiv Gandhi, she justified the government decision, saying that flying was close to his heart. In an unexpected reference to the P V Narasimha Rao at the public meeting, the Congress chief paid rich tributes to the late Prime Minister for his contributions to the country in various positions. Meanwhile, opposition TDP leaders, including former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, courted arrest after staging a dharna at NTR Ghat here, protesting against the refusal of the government to name a terminal at the new international airport after N T Rama Rao. Mr Naidu and his party men were released later in the evening.
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Curfew in Sagar town;
2 killed in police firing
Bhopal, March 16 A member went to the extent of demanding the registration of a criminal case under Section 302, IPC, against Chief Minister Babulal Gaurand his entire Council of Ministers for the murder of the two boys. Mr Ram Lakhan Sharma (CPI) said tension had been building up there for several days but the Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues did not take any action and they should thus be held responsible for the murder of the two boys. The matter was raised through an adjournment motion by Mr Satyadev Katare (Congress) and others. Mr Katare, a former Minister of State for Home, had, along with the Leader of the Opposition, Ms Jamuna Devi, and two other party members, Dr Gobind Singh and Mr Sajjan Singh Verma, rushed to the scene of the police firing immediately after the incident for first-hand information. Ms Devi was the Deputy Chief Minister while Mr Gobind Singh and Mr Verma were ministers in the Digvijay Singh government. Speaking on the admissibility of the motion, Mr Katare said illegal mining in the area was at the root of the trouble and it had led to the murder of a youth, Makkhan Singh Lodhi, on March 13 by a group led by a nephew of the Minister of Jails, Mr Harnam Singh Rathore. On March 15, the agitated people of the area submitted a memorandum , demanding the arrest of the murderers of Lodhi. The Congress member said that an eight-year-old boy, Anikesh, had come to the balcony of his house attracted by the noise. A police bullet hit him in the forehead and he tumbled onto the road. His dazed father rushed down and picked him to take him to the doctor without realising that the boy’s head had been ripped off. The police fired at the father, too, who was struggling for life. A 16-year-old boy, Pappu, was killed by the police bullet on the other side, Mr Katare said. He said that the curfew was imposed in the area only afterwards. Member after member demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister and a judicial inquiry into the police firing. A subdued Mr Gaur, however, announced only an inquiry by an IAS officer of the level of Additional Chief Secretary. Mr Harnam Singh Rathore urged the Chief Minister to hold an inquiry by whichever agency he chose. If his involvement was found in the unsavoury incidents, he would resign from the Assembly, he said. |
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After Pervez, now mother to visit Nehar Wali Haveli
New Delhi, March 16 “When are they coming?” he wants to know and wonders what to gift them. “We would like to gift her something but it would be nice if we knew her taste…,” his voice fades away as kids of the household gather around him and womenfolk peer out of adjoining rooms, eager to listen to the conversation about the Musharrafs. Recalling that day in 2001 when President Musharraf visited the haveli prior to the historic Agra Summit, Jain says the interaction barely lasted 20 minutes. “We could not see or hear much because of the security paraphernalia but we managed to present him a silver memento with a picture of the haveli in it.” Like Jain, Shakeel’s family hopes the security does not come in the way of an extended interaction with President Musharraf’s family this time. “It is a matter of pride that we will get to host them again after President Musharraf’s visit in 2001…. Their visit will add a dash of colour to the Holi festivities here,” he observes. “My friends in school did not believe I was here when President Musharraf visited…. This time I will make sure I have a photo to show them,” says an excited 11-year-old Lakshay Murarka. “We have received many people from Pakistan…. They were all curious to see the place,” the families remarked on it becoming a tourist attraction. The haveli located in the bylanes of Daryaganj is spread over 2,700 sq yds. Today it is home to around 10 families and houses a commercial complex too. The Jains bought two plots here that were auctioned in 1960. “My grandfather bought two plots in my mother’s name. My brother Raj and I live here now,” says Jain. “We have tried to retain the original structure of the haveli,” Jain says pointing to the seven-foot-high “purdah” wall on the terrace, “but we constructed rooms and repaired the walls to make it habitable. We began living here in 1961. Over the years our families have grown and space has become a constraint.” The guests, however, will have a challenge to face should they decide to visit the haveli. The task is to placate a “very angry” Anaro Bibi, the woman who raised President Musharraf as a child. “You tell him that Anaro is angry,” she says, upset that the President and his family have not cared to remain in touch. “He became a grandfather and did not even care to inform me. I am like his mother and deserve to know that much. I would have distributed sweets here had he informed me,” she says. Ask her if she wants to meet the President’s mother and her mood changes drastically. Almost in a shy whisper she murmurs “yes”. Then adds: “I want to see them all, but will they come ?” |
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Rice meets Patiala students
New Delhi, March 15 Dr Rice, who is on a six-nation tour of Asia, met Abhishek Agarwal, Aditi Kaushik and Jyotika Singh at Roosevelt House, the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in New Delhi. The students presented her with a Punjabi shawl. After this meeting, Dr Rice departed for Pakistan, which is the second stop after India in her March 14 to 21, six-nation tour of South Asia and East Asia. Abhishek, Aditi and Jyotika were among the 17 students from Patiala who represented India in the Space Settlement Design Competition organized in July, 2004, by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Boeing sponsored the competition. The 17-member team from the Buddha Dal Public School and the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology in Patiala earned the distinction of being the first Indian team ever to qualify for this prestigious competition. Members of the team also participated in the Indo-U.S. Conference on Space, Science, Applications and Commerce sponsored by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum, and AIAA. Abhishek, Aditi and Jyotika are 2nd year students at Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala. The Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum, which invests in the future of U.S. -India science and technology engagement, sponsored the travel of the three students to Delhi. |
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Gill wants Rlys’ North Zone bifurcated New Delhi, March 16 Participating in the general discussion on the Railway Budget in the Rajya Sabha, he said the creation of the new zone would help in running trains in the region more effectively. He said the Northern Zone controlled a rail network of about 7000 km, whereas the average jurisdiction of other zones extended to roughly about 3,000 km. He said in the last half a century the country had added only 10,000-km rail network from 53,000 km in 1953. Mr Gill said this was no great achievement. Mr Gill said raising Rs 40,000 crore resources for the improving the rail network should not be a major problem as the government could tap the FDI or bond market. Considering the important role the Railways played in transporting commodities, he called for establishment of a dedicated goods line between different metros and trading centres.
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Kamal Nath meets BJP leaders on patent Bill
New Delhi, March 16 The effort of Commerce Minister Kamal Nath to impress upon the BJP to support the Bill, originally drafted during the NDA regime, failed as the leadership of the main opposition party in one voice insisted on referring the Bill to the Parliamentary Standing Committee. Mr Nath, who held a meeting with Leader of the Opposition and BJP President L.K. Advani and other top BJP leaders on the issue, however, maintained that there was no question of referring the Bill to the Standing Committee, as it would take long time for it to submit its recommendation. “We are not in favour of referring the Bill to the Standing Committee as it will take long time for it to submit its recommendations...it can take one month, two months or even six months to complete its task,” Mr Nath, who was visibly upset, said. Mr Nath, who is expected to meet leaders of Left parties tomorrow, further said the BJP leaders had given certain “procedural suggestions” relating to the Bill, which he would discuss with his party and also place it before the Cabinet. Emerging out of the meeting, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesperson V.K. Malhotra told newspersons, “We have categorically said we will not support the ordinance. Let it be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee.”
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SC reserves verdict on medical admission quota issue
New Delhi, March 16 A seven-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice R. C. Lahoti reserved the judgment after a marathon hearing on several petitions by various private colleges, individuals and associations of such institutions, which had sought clarifications on these aspects in view of the conflicting interpretations of the apex court’s two earlier judgments on the issue. The different interpretations of the 11-judge Constitution Bench judgment in the TMA Pai as well as the five-judge Bench verdict in the Islamic academic case by the state governments and even by various high courts, had resulted in a virtual chaos regarding admission for these courses. The Chief Justice had sent the matter to a seven-judge Constitution Bench under him to settle the issue with a view to streamlining the admission process. The All-India Medical and Engineering Colleges Association (AIMECA), a body representing over 1,500 private colleges across the country, mainly in southern states, had sought fixation of a certain percentage of management quota and holding of separate all- India CET for the same. It had contended that due to uncertainty about the management quota seats and no provision of CET for it, over three lakh medical, engineering and other professional seats had remained unfilled last year and lakhs of students were deprived of admissions. On the other hand, minority institutions run by various religious trusts, had contended that it was their prerogative to fix quota for minority students which had been upheld by the apex court in the TMA Pai case if such a minority institution had been functioning for the past 25 years. The state governments had taken a stand that it was purely their discretion to fix the quota whether it was a minority institution or run by a non-minority organisation. The Centre had also taken the identical stand, stating that the quota could only be fixed by the Union Government or the state government or any agency and authority specified by them depending upon the nature of the institution, whether it fell under the jurisdiction of the Centre or the state.
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Smriti Irani faces threats
Mumbai, March 16 she complained of being stalked by a telephone caller. Ms Irani told reporters that she had asked for police protection after the caller trailed her movements for two weeks. The small screen star, who contested the last Lok Sabha poll from the Chandni Chowk constituency in Delhi, said the caller kept track of her movements minutely and pestered her by relating her day- to -day activities. She said the caller increased his frequency of calls in the past two days, forcing her to register a police complaint seeking protection. ”I called the police after the stalker called me while shooting at a Goregaon studio and threatened
me,” Ms Irani said. The police who tapped her phone have traced two voices. According to Mumbai’s Deputy Commissioner of Police Amitav
Gupta, Ms Irani’s complaint was being probed. Some of the calls were obscene in nature, he told reporters. |
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Government tightens grip on money launderers New Delhi, March 16 The two-hour-long Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also approved setting up of an adjudicating authority and Appellate Tribunal under the PMLA, an official release said. The Sections to be amended are 28, 29, 30, 44, 45 and 73 of the Act. It also approved assigning the work of investigation, attachment of property or proceeds of crime relating to scheduled offences and filing of complaints before special courts under the Act to the Directorate of Enforcement. In a series of other measures, the Cabinet approved the introduction of the Navy (amendment) Bill, 1997 in the Rajya Sabha within three weeks, which would make it compatible with the civil and criminal law of the country. It also approved proposals to construct a building and other infrastructural facilities for the National Fire Service College, Nagpur, at a cost of Rs 83.6 crore in three annual phases from 2005-06. The Cabinet gave its ex-post-facto approval for further extension till February 9, 2005 of the tenure of the Justice Nanavati Commission of Inquiry set up to go into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and other parts of the country. The approval was given as the report of the Commission was ready by January 31, 2005, but its presentation to the Home Minister could only be arranged on February 9. The Cabinet also approved for extension of the tenure of Justice R.J. Kochar Commission of Inquiry by six months, which had been set up to probe into the collapse of the Daman Ganga Bridge linking Nani Daman and Moti Daman on August 28, 2003. The tenure of the Commission expired on March 12 this year. The Cabinet today decided to include extension, renovation and modernisation of major and medium projects under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme. The Cabinet decided to include these projects to speed up development of tribal and drought-prone areas. It also decided to delegate the Water Resources Ministry powers to carry out minor modifications in the AIBP after concurrence of the Finance Ministry and Planning Commission. It also approved the signing of the SAARC agreement on mutual administrative assistance in customs matters.
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Nirupam quits RS
New Delhi, March 16 “I have tendered my resignation from the Rajya Sabha,” he told mediapersons. Mr Nirupam, who had developed sharp differences with the Shiv Sena leadership after he was prevented from raising the issue of alleged allotment of Reliance Infocomm shares to a person close to BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, had quit the party on March 9. He raised the issue of allotment of Reliance Infocomm shares to “fake” companies in Rajya Sabha yesterday. In response to his question, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram stated that the Centre was looking into the issue of whether law had been violated in the allocation of one crore Reliance Infocomm shares to three unlisted firms at the rate of Re 1 each. Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma and NCP leader Tariq Anwar both have denied reports over the possibility of Mr Nirupam joining their party. |
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Slain Sikh cleric’s son floats party
New Delhi, March 16 Backed by several top Sikh clerics and leaders opposed to SAD chief Parkash Singh Badal, the new Shiromani Akali Dal Panthak (Jathedar Santokh Singh) decided to act on numerous issues’’ facing the Sikhs. “Take for example Delhi, home to the largest Sikh population outside Punjab. The present president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna, joined hands with Mr Badal in order to cling to religious power that he had won barely two years ago after levelling serious charges of corruption against the Akali chief,” Mr Manjit Singh, son of the late Jathedar and head of the new party, said at a news conference here. He recalled how his father refused ‘’political dictations’’ from Punjab while managing affairs of the Sikhs in Delhi. The Jathedar Santokh Singh Akali Dal had the ‘’blessings’’ of former Akal Takht Jathedar Ranjit Singh and Akali Dal (Longowal) president Prem Singh Chandumajra, both fierce critics of Mr Badal, Mr Manjit Singh said.
— UNI |
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Age limit for pilots now 61
New Delhi, March 16 A note issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation said to overcome the shortage of pilot, the decision to permit professional pilots beyond the age of 60 had been taken by the DGCA. “Professional pilots up to age of 61 years shall be permitted beyond the DGCA’s earliest stipulated maximum age limit of 60 years under its rule 28A of the Aircraft Rules 1937,” the press note said. A notification to this effect was issued today by the DGCA. |
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Writer Pramod Sharma dead
New Delhi, March 16 He started his social career through stage and was bestowed the second prize for his radio play “Santola” in Itlay. He won the All-India Radio Golden Voice Award in 1978. His documentary “Shoshan Se Mukt Hamare Gaon” was awarded the Indira Priyadarshni Award. He wrote scripts for more than 100 documentaries for Doordarshan (DD). The programme “Khaas Mulaqat” anchored by him became very popular on DD. He also was a prominent DD news reader. He started his own monthly magazine “Safal Bharti” in 1986. Besides, he wrote several syndicated columns for various newspapers and magazines. He authored a number of books and wrote screenplay for many plays. Some of his popular works include: Soonee Deewarein, Heer Ranjha, Dheergh Nishwas, tukra - Tukra Aurat, and Avshesh.
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No decision on troop withdrawal, says Pranab
New Delhi, March 16 “Talks were held between India and Pakistan in August, 2004 on issues relating to Siachen,” Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. He, however, said no decision was taken regarding withdrawal of troops from both sides of the border. Mr Mukherjee said the decision to reduce troops was based on a thorough assessment of the situation on the ground after improvement in the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir due to efforts of security forces to contain terrorism. He said the government had taken adequate measures to ensure that troop reduction or readjustment was not exploited by terrorists. |
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MSP for jute
announced New Delhi, March 16
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