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No quick solution to India-Pakistan problems: Advani
Gujarat dissidents to meet Advani
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Met Dept mulls over Sumatra quake
Digvijay Singh takes a swipe at Arjun Singh
Friendship delegation to
visit Pakistan
Cabinet nod for Mirage deal with Qatar
Philanthropist hits TN roadblock
India ‘ready’ to attend SAARC summit
Maharashtra to showcase Bollywood
as tourist attraction
Cong MLA suspended
Decks cleared for trial of TN Speaker
No plan to scrap IMDT Act in Assam
Smriti Irani received 56 threatening calls
Poaching behind missing Sariska tigers: probe
Relief package for militants mooted
Task force on scientific research set up SC extends fast track courts’ life by a month
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No quick solution to India-Pakistan problems: Advani
New Delhi, March 30 “There is no option to peace, cooperation and normal relations between India and Pakistan,” Mr Advani told the delegation led by former Pakistan Prime Minister and President of Pakistan Muslim League (Q) Chaudhary Shujat Hussain. Mr Advani’s remarks were in response to a query whether the BJP president supported the dialogue process between the two countries, a BJP press note said here. “Zamaana Badal Gaya Hai (Times have changes), who would have imagined that Europe would be reunited one day?” Mr Advani said but cautioned that “since the problem between the two countries have existed for several decades, there is no scope for quick solutions.” “What is needed is patience, perseverance and determination on both sides,” he said. During the meeting, Mr Advani, who postponed his visit to Pakistan during the inter-session recess due to the impending visit of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf next month, said he keenly looked forward to his forthcoming visit to Pakistan. Besides Mr Hussain, the Pakistani delegation which called on Mr Advani included Mr Mushahid Hussain, general secretary of the PML (Q), Mr Sheikh Wasim Sajad, leader of the House in the Pakistani Senate and several members of the Pakistani National Assembly as also Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Aziz Ahmed Khan.
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Gujarat dissidents to meet Advani
New Delhi, March 30 The meeting of the rebels was held at former Union Minister Kanshiram Rana’s residence and was attended by Mr Patel and Mr Suresh Mehta. Although the Gujarat rebel leaders avoided talking to media, one of them told The Tribune that they would be meeting Mr Advani with a “open mind” and would convey their “problems and feelings” with regard to the party affairs in Gujarat, especially the style of functioning of Mr Modi “without hesitation”. “We will not hesitate to call spade a spade and leave it to the wisdom of the Central leadership to take appropriate decision,” he said adding “our foremost concern is that no leader should be allowed to avoid and isolate party leaders and workers.” He said they would also impress upon Mr Advani to have an audience with the rebel MLAs to have a first-hand understanding about their problems. Besides the three rebel MPs, state unit president Rajendra Singh Rana, former party president M. Venkaiah Naidu and BJP’s in charge of Gujarat Om Prakash Mathur would also be attending the meeting tomorrow. Meanwhile, there were enough indications that the BJP high command could direct Mr Modi to go for the Cabinet expansion and fill vacancies in various state department boards to accommodate the rebels and other party colleagues.
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Met Dept mulls over Sumatra quake
New Delhi, March 30 Despite its magnitude, recorded between 8.3 and 8.7 on the scale as per different monitoring agencies, the quake caused a minor wave. The December 26 quake, that triggered killer waves across coastal areas in the South-East Asia, measured 9.0 on the scale. The IMD Director Seismology, Mr R.S. Dattatrayam, told The Tribune that occurrence of tsunamis depended on the type of faulting caused when two plates collided in a quake. “It is too early to say anything and we will be in a position to explain once we have the data from all sides and it is analysed and investigated. It is quite possible that fault caused by the movement of plates did not displace volumes of water, massive enough to trigger tsunami waves,” he added. As many as 17 tremors measuring over five on the Richter Scale have been recorded since the quake on Monday, and is the 247th aftershock after the December 26 earthquake in the same region. The quake occurred about 2,000 km away from the main coast in India and was centred further south on the same fault line as the December 26 quake. |
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Digvijay Singh takes a swipe at Arjun Singh New Delhi, March 30 This apparent indifference has not gone unnoticed as several senior leaders have questioned the delay in conducting a stock-taking exercise. While most leaders have voiced their concern over this indifference in private, Mr Digvijay Singh, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and AICC General Secretary, has come out openly to press for an introspection into the party’s disastrous performance in Bihar and Jharkhand. Mr Digvijay Singh’s public demand for an introspection, however, has an extra edge to it as his bete noire, senior leader Arjun Singh was the chief negotiater and key strategist for the Bihar and Jharkhand polls. Mr Arjun Singh who was assisted by Mr M.L. Fotedar, came under sharp attack from party colleagues soon after the results as they were seen to be responsible for the mess-up in these two states. The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister has another reason for seeking a stock-taking exercise. A marathon CWC meeting was held after the party lost in the last Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Mr Arjun Singh had taken an indirect swipe at Mr Digvijay Singh during the meeting when he maintained that the party lost as it failed to take a strong ideological position on secularism. He blamed Mr Digivijay Singh for taking a “soft Hindutva” line. |
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Friendship delegation to visit Pakistan
New Delhi, March 30 The annual event, which began in February 1998, is an attempt to build people to people contact between the two countries and pave way for a long-term relationship. A 100-member delegation will visit Lahore between April 2 and 4 and will proceed to Islamabad on April 5. The delegation will include former Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, noted journalist Kuldeep Nayar, MP and actor Raj Babbar, former cricketer Bhishan Singh Bedi and international president of the organisation Vikramjit Singh Sahney, among others. The delegation will also visit Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and the memorial of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Gurdwara Panja Sahib and Murriee, a hill station, and interact with members of the Lahore and Islamabad Chamber of Commerce. |
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Cabinet nod for Mirage deal with Qatar
New Delhi, March 30 According to reports here, the deal, which has been hanging fire for long due to objections raised over the fitness of the aircrafts, may finally come through as the negotiations over the price were in the final stages. The purchase of the 12 Mirage-2000’s would also help the Indian Air Force (IAF) in improving its plunging assets line also. Incidentally, another reason for objection against the deal was that the Middle East country had changed its mind about the aircrafts after purchasing them and the fighter planes have actually been standing in hangars for a very long time. The CCS last night asked the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to complete the negotiations with Qatar at the earliest. Reports now suggest that the price negotiations were at a very advanced stage and likely to be completed soon. All other tests and technical assessment processes have been completed. Apparently the IAF, along with a team of the aircraft manufacturers, had carried out a joint evaluation of the Mirages and since the Indian pilots are already used to flying these aircrafts it was considered appropriate to go ahead with the purchase. The IAF team had satisfied itself to their condition and operational status. IAF officials here said the force had been looking forward to the deal for some time. Though not the 2000-5 version, these Mirages are a step more advanced than the ones that the IAF has at the moment. The force is also getting a good package deal with spares included. Sources here said although the planes had been with the Qataris since 1998, they still have 80 to 85 per cent flying time left. Though the Qatari offer, made a couple of years ago, was seen as a mere ‘stop-gap’ measure, the Indian Government was actively considering the offer, prompted by the fears of the nuclear-capable platforms falling into the hands of “hostile powers”, with Pakistan understood to be one of the interested parties, along with Taiwan and the UAE, in case New Delhi said no.
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Philanthropist hits TN roadblock
Mumbai, March 30 According to Mr Shantilal Muthha, who heads the Bharatiya Jain Sangathan, the Tamil Nadu Government’s decision is proving to be a major hurdle in the rehabilitation, education and welfare of children affected by the tsunami. Mr Muthha has now filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court challenging the government’s decision. The Sangathan was among other NGOs which had approached the Tamil Nadu Government for permission to set up a centre to provide accommodation and complete education till graduation to more than 1200 children affected by the tsunami, Mr Muthha said. Mr Muthha came into the limelight in 1993 after the Latur earthquake in Maharashtra when he set up a centre near Pune to provide accommodation and educational facilities to 1200 boys from the quake-hit areas. “We could not adopt any girls because of the rural mentality which does not permit girls and women to be sent outside the community,” Mr Muthha said. Speaking to The Tribune, Mr Muthha said most of the 1200 children adopted by his centre following the Latur earthquake had completed their education. “The remaining will finish their education next month,” says Mr Muthha, who has now used the premises to accommodate needy children from other parts of the country. The Sangathan has gone on to take up relief work in Gujarat after the earthquake there. In June, 2001, 360 schools refurbished by the Sangathan were handed over to the then Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Apart from 250 children from the malnutrition-affected areas of Melghat, the centre also houses children from Jabalpur and other disaster-hit areas. According to Mr Muthha, it is not possible for children from outside Maharashtra to be accommodated in his centre near Pune. “There are problems of language and different syallabi which will make things difficult for him,” says the philanthropist. The Sangathan has more than 3,000 volunteers in different parts of the country. “We have now started a federation of Jain education institutions with 2500 schools across the country,” says Mr Muthha. According to him teachers in all these institutions have been trained in providing succour to children of disaster-affected areas. Undaunted by the attitude of the Tamil Nadu Government, the Sangathan has set up six relief centres covering 50 villages in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. However, the Sangathan has received some success from the administration of Andaman and Nicobar. “We are building 20 permanent schools in the south, middle and north Andamans. According to Mr Muthha, the Sanghathan has now taken up the effort to completely overhaul the education infrastructure in the islands. “We have also got permission to overhaul primary health centres even in the restricted areas of Andaman and Nicobar,” says Mr Muthha whose organisation is spending Rs 25 crore in the islands alone. Another Rs 10 crore has been earmarked for Tamil Nadu and more funds are expected if permission to set up residential centres in that state materialises, says Mr Muthha.
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India ‘ready’ to attend SAARC summit
New Delhi, March 30 Mr Gayoom said at a press conference here that he hoped that dates convenient to all for the twice-postponed SAARC summit would be identified soon. He said that he discussed the early convening of the SAARC summit with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his talks with him. “Both India and Maldives are ready to meet leaders of other countries any time,” he said. Mr Gayoom also reiterated his country’s support for India’s claim for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council to strengthen the world body’s efficacy and relevance. “We believe that the UN Security Council must reflect the realities of our times in order to strengthen its effectiveness and relevance. Maldives will extend its full support for a permanent seat for India in an expanded Security Council,” he remarked. |
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Maharashtra to showcase Bollywood
as tourist attraction
Mumbai, March 30 Now the Maharashtra Government has decided to turn Bollywood “darshan” into a regular tourist attraction. According to Tourism Minister Suresh Shetty, the Maharashtra Government will plug Bollywood and film shootings as a major tourist event. Tourists will be taken on a guided tour to Film City in the suburbs where viewing galleries would be set up for them to watch their favourite stars in action. “Though big stars usually do not shoot at Film City, a number of small and medium-budget films are made here,” says a senior official here. The state government is planning to set up restaurants and other infrastructure to keep visitors to this remote part of Mumbai in good humour. Already a few tourists have been brought to Film City on an experimental basis in the past few weeks. And the results have been mixed. Foreigners who came to see the shootings here went back bored after being unable to understand the dialogues or identify the cast of different film projects. However, these tours have turned out to be popular with Indian tourists, sources say. Also on the anvil are shopping festivals in Mumbai to showcase the country’s heritage. The Maharashtra Government has always been miffed by the fact that a few foreign tourists stay for long in the city though Mumbai is a gateway to foreigners. “Mumbai is a transit point to foreigners who prefer Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala and other places,” says a Tourism Ministry official. A number of initiatives have been started with mixed results. The Konkan Railway has a popular train patterned on the Palace on Wheels to take tourists through the Konkan region. However, the Maharashtra Government’s own initiative to run a train for visitors flopped miserably. Undaunted, the new government is planning to exploit Maharashtra’s heritage, marine life and environment for tourism purposes. A number of unexplored areas of Maharashtra are being opened up. The backwaters of the Koyna dam will be developed as a hill station while the beach fronts in the Konkan region will be promoted as the Indian equivalent of the French Reviera, sources said. |
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Cong MLA suspended
Jaipur, March 30 BJP chief whip Mahaveer Prasad Jain moved a motion seeking Mr Lodha’s suspension, which was passed by voice vote. Despite a great uproar by Congress MLAs, Mr Lodha was suspended for the rest of the budget session. Mr Lodha alleged that the resolution against him was a calculated move to prevent him from raising many serious issues relating to the misuse of office against Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on the floor of the House. His suspension was a blatant violation of the democratic norms, he added. |
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Decks cleared for trial of TN Speaker
New Delhi, March 30 Upholding the Madras High Court order that no sanction was required for his prosecution in the case, a Bench of Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice S.H. Kapadia said, “We do not find any infirmity in the high court order”. The high court had on March 13 last year reversed the judgement of the trial court discharging Kalimuthu in the case on the ground that there was no sanction for his prosecution after the CBI had challenged it in an appeal. The High Court had directed him to appear before the trial judge on April 16, 2004. |
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No plan to scrap IMDT Act in Assam
New Delhi, March 30 “The government has decided to retain the IMDT Act, 1983, and its application to the state of Assam in the present form. It has been noted that there has been laxity in the functioning of the tribunals constituted under the Act as out of 1,00,855 cases (of Bangladeshis identification), the tribunals have disposed only 23,524 cases,” Union Home Ministry in its action taken report (ATR), filed along with an affidavit said. The ATR also said despite the government took up the issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh and other related problems, including the security concerns of India, particularly the activities of North-East insurgents with Dhaka but “there is no visible action on the ground”. The affidavit was filed by the ministry following a direction by a Bench, headed by Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti earlier this month, asking the Centre to make its stand clear on the IMDT Act as well as the 2002 report of the then Assam Governor Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha that settling of a large number of illegal migrants from Bangladesh in the border districts of the state, had posed a grave threat to the country’s security and integrity. The constitutional validity of the controversial Act had been challenged in the apex court in a batch of petitions, including the one filed by former All-Assam Student Union (AASU), leader Sarbananda Sonowal, seeking the quashing of the legislation. The main petition by All-India Lawyer Forum for Civil Liberties (AILFCL) has sought a direction to the Centre, Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Tripura and Delhi Governments to deport Bangladeshis staying in the country illegally. The population of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh has been estimated to be nearly three crore in the country.
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Smriti Irani received 56 threatening calls
Mumbai, March 30 The police said the telephone calls spread over 10 days totalled more than 20,000 seconds of conversation. Two persons, Irani’s colleague Rekkha Modi (28) and junior artiste Rashmikant Kapadia (51), have been arrested for threatening the actress. Rekkha Modi, who is scriptwriter with Balaji Telefilms which produces television serials starring Smriti Irani, has, however, denied the allegations. Modi, who is out on bail, continues to work at Balaji Telefilms. Even as police officials insist that Modi has confessed to making the threatening calls, the journalist-turned-scriptwriter alleged that she was beaten up in police custody. According to the police, Kapadia pretended to be a Muslim while making the calls on behalf of Modi. Kapadia also made the telephone calls from various Muslim localities to keep up his pretence, according to the police. The police suspects that relations between Modi and Irani, who used to work closely, soured over the past several months. Modi also claimed to have scripted Irani’s political speeches before the two fell out recently. The police says Kapadia, a real estate agent, played bit roles in Balaji’s television serials and was miffed with Irani after being sacked from one of the shows.
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Poaching behind missing Sariska tigers: probe
New Delhi, March 30 The team, which will present the report to the Secretary of the MoEF, Dr Pradipto Ghosh, met in the Capital yesterday to finalise the draft. The report will be submitted on March 31, as per the instructions of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the National Board of Wildlife meeting on Sources in the MoEF told The Tribune it could not be ascertained whether the poaching had taken place in connivance with the staff of the reserve. “The time period given to establish the connivance link between poachers and reserve officials was not sufficient. However, definite negligence on the part of officials and staff has been established,” he added. In view of the alarming reports about the disappearance of tigers from various national parks in the country, Dr Manmohan Singh, during the meeting on March 17, decided to constitute a task force on the status of tigers in wildlife parks and told the CBI to probe the case of missing big cats from Sariska. It was also decided to set up National Wildlife Prevention and Control Bureau, on the lines of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to gather intelligence and stop poaching and illegal trade of wildlife in the country. A gang of suspected poachers had reportedly confessed to killing at least 10 tigers in Sariska in Rajasthan between 2001 and 2004, of which five were killed during the monsoon of 2004.
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2 MLAs scuffle in WB House
Kolkata, March 30 While Mr Hore strongly defended the sale of loss-making undertakings to the private sector, Mr Roy blamed the Left Front for serving the interests of businessmen and other vested interests. After a heated exchange of words, Mr Hore was seen rushing towards Mr Roy menacingly. Mr Roy got up from his seat and dragged Mr Hore to the well of the House, leading to a scuffle. Chief whip Rabin De and some other MLAs rushed to the well of the House and tried to pacify the two MLAs. Some TMC and Left Front MLAs, instead of controlling the situation, started blaming each other. Speaker Hashim Abdul Halim tried several times to control the two warring groups but failed. He then adjourned the House for the day at 2 p.m. Chief Minister Buddadeb Bhattacharjee and his Cabinet colleagues witnessed the drama helplessly. The Speaker later called the two MLAs to his room and scolded them.
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Relief package for militants mooted
Imphal, March 30 “We have apprised the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister of our concern. We have also furnished documents for framing the policy”, the Chief Minister said. His government was keen to ensure a proper rehabilitation package for already surrendered militants which would attract others too who were still underground, he added. The year-long agitation, blockade and other demonstrations by the Apunba Lup for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, as well as various activities by militants had affected the state‘s economy badly. The rehabilitation package should ensure employment opportunities and various self-employment schemes for the militants.” They can also be inducted into the security forces too if they fulfil the required criteria”, the Chief Minister said. |
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Task force on scientific research set up New Delhi, March 30 The task force, headed by Prof M.M. Sharma, will suggest solutions and strategies to retrieve and enhance the excellence of universities in the areas of scientific research and training, an official press statement said yesterday It would also make an assessment of the resources required both in physical and financial terms to implement these solutions and their modalities. The other members of the task force are Mr G. Mehta, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Mr Kota Harinarayana, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad, Mr S.P. Thyagarajan, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras and Mr P. Rama Rao, ARCI, Hyderabad.
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SC extends fast track courts’ life by a month New Delhi, March 30 “We have been monitoring the matter on the government assurance that finances would be provided for them. If the Finance Commission has not agreed to grant funds, the matter should have been brought to our notice. We would have passed some order. See the chaos it would create,” a Bench of Mr Justice S.B. Sinha and Mr Justice S.H. Kapadia said, while issuing notices to all states seeking their replies on the issue. The court told Solicitor General Goolam E. Vahanvati that the Union Government had every time given an impression to it that funds would be made available to for the fast track courts for another five years. “The government has only made a reference to the Finance Commission not recommendation and that makes a lot of difference,” the Bench observed. In the wake of impending closure threat fresh public interest litigation (PIL) was moved by the Chennai-based All Media Journalists Association (AMJA) stating that the closure would delay the justice to thousands of under trial prisoners whose cases were being dealt by the fast track courts. The Bench took cognizance of the PIL and directed that standing counsel of all states in the apex court be served with the petition within a week and consequently the state governments would file their replies a week thereafter. Mr Vahanvati, who had on Monday assured the court that he would take up the matter with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, told the Bench that he could not discuss the issue with him. But the government wanted the fast track courts to continue and the Law Ministry had sent a “recommendation” to the Finance Commission for funds as well as opening of 1,500 more such courts, he said. At this the Bench interjected to say that the government had only made a “reference” to the Finance Commission and not a “recommendation”. The Solicitor General said the 11th Finance Commission had made a provision of Rs 509 crore for the 1734 fast track courts in 2002 but the 12th Finance Commission had not granted any money. At present, 1699 such courts were functioning in 28 states, he said. To a specific query by the court whether the sanctioned money had been spent, the Solicitor General said nearly Rs 83 crore was still balance with the Centre. The court said in this year’s Budget a provision of Rs 27,000 crore had been made for the states and the Centre could have told the states to spend some amount out of it on the fast track courts. The Solicitor General said he would not make any commitment about it as the budgetary allocation was entirely the domain of Parliament. |
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