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Extension sought for medically grounded pilot
RJD leader
Tiwari held, freed on bail
Illegal immigrants’ parents seek NHRC’s intervention
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India hopeful of solving border dispute with China: Patil
PM briefs BJP leaders on China, Pakistan
Ghising demands separate state for Nepali-speaking people
Dacoit Seema Parihar’s screen debut angers Nirbhay
CM seeks clearance of visitors to Pakistan
Several PCC heads
may roll
Uma upset over Naidu's induction
Shiv Sena leader murdered
Big cats out of sight in Kela reserve FIR against
Teesta,
five others
4 BJP chief ministers meet RSS chief
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Extension sought for medically grounded pilot
New Delhi, April 9 This has sent shock waves in the aviation industry especially when there are several other highly capable pilots with better rating of Instructor and Examiner who can easily fit the bill of the CFOI. Capt Kharkar has a few months remaining before his contract expires and lobbies have been activated to retain him for another year. Authoritative sources explain that as Capt Kharkar is medically grounded, he has been compelled to play the role of a check pilot only from the jump seat of a B-747 aircraft. It is highly perplexing especially when Capt Kharkar has been categorised as a non-flying person due to medical reasons. There are complaints of widespread adhocism in the inspection of airline pilots undertaken by the Flight Inspection Directorate of the DGCA as there are no proper systems of how many checks have been carried out by the check pilot, instructor or examiner. When contacted, the Director-General of the DGCA, Mr Satindra Singh, refused to take any questions on the ground that he is not authorised to speak to mediapersons. “Our conduct rules are such that only the Ministry of Civil Aviation can have a direct interface with the media,” he observed and politely excused himself. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel or senior officials in the ministry were not immediately available. Aviation industry experts wonder if the DGCA has made any serious effort to shortlist possible CFOIs from other private carriers who are equally qualified and experienced rather than restricting themselves to aviators from just Indian Airlines and Air-India. They are of the opinion that as the Union Government has taken a decision to allow pilots to fly up to the age of 61, the DGCA might have taken the easy way out of seeking a year’s extension for Capt Kharkar instead of taking recourse to perspective planning.
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RJD leader Tiwari held, freed on bail
Siwan, April 9 The magistrate released Tiwari on bail when he was produced before him at a high school. Tiwari was arrested in Patna minutes before he was to leave for Siwan disobeying the ban order on his entry into the district limits for making a “provocative” speech against the magistrate for externing his party MP Mohammed
Shahabuddin. Earlier, Tiwari had rejected the request of Chief Secretary K.A.H. Subramanian and DGP Narayan Mishra, who called on him last night seeking to defer his Siwan visit by a week to facilitate them to review the District Magistrate’s order. |
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Illegal immigrants’ parents seek NHRC’s intervention
New Delhi, April 9 In a complaint filed before the commission with the help of Lok Bhalai Party leader Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, the aggrieved persons from Punjab have said that they are “distressed and depressed over the refusal of the Indian Government and the Indian Embassy in Madrid to issue passport/police clearence certificates” to their stranded sons in Spain for their regularisation and permanent citizen status. Mr Ramoowalia told mediapersons here on Friday that hundreds of Indians, most of them from Punjab, are among “tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants who have to get their paperwork in order before the May 6 deadline for signing up for regularisation.” The letter-petition addressed to NHRC member R.S. Kalha reads, “Our sons in Spain don’t have travel documents with them as they lost their origonal passports at the hands of fraudulent travel agents. The Government of Spain has now announced general amnesty for all aliens living in Spain without travel documents. We understand that there are about eight lakh such aliens from 12 different countries living in Spain. The amnesty is for three months effective from February 7 and the deadline for applying for regularisation is May 6, 2005. In the absence of new passports/police clearence certificates, our sons are not able to apply for regularisation and are stranded there.” They have alleged that the Indian Embassy in Madrid has refused to issue passports to their sons in lieu of their lost passports and is not even accepting their passport application forms. “The worthy Indian Ambassador is indifferent and his consular staff is hostile and insulting. Our stranded sons fear that if they don’t get passports/police clearence certificates immediately to meet the deadline before May 6, 2005, they would be uprooted and ruined financially and face prosecution, jail and deportation to India. Some depressed stranded Punjabi youths have threatened to commit suicide.” The anxious parents have further alleged that in contrast to the adamanat attitude adopted by the Indian Embassy in Madrid, many other countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan and Philippines, have been liberal in issuing new passports to their nationals to protect their interests. Pleading innocence of their children, the petitioners have clarified. The petitioners have argued that if a foreign government can grant one-time general amnesty to all illegal aliens in Spain then “why cannot the Indian Government give one-time relaxation to its own nationals- a few hundreds only.
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India hopeful of solving border dispute
New Delhi, April 9 "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr Jiabao will discuss on several important bilateral issues, including the border problem, trade and how to maintain peace, etc," Mr Patil said after distributing gallantary awards to 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel on the occasion of Valour Day and Investigure Ceremony here. "We are going on the right path and in the present cirumstances, we are very hopeful (of resolution of border dispute)," the Home Minister said cautioning against pinning too much hope on the parleys between the leaders of the two countries. "We should not expect that talks will be of help today and tomorrow there will be results," Mr Patil. China had recently renewed its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, saying it was a "disputed area" between the two countries. Earlier, addressing the CRPF officers and jawans on "Valour Day", Mr Patil said the valour, grit and determination shown by the CRPF men in repulsing a brigade-level attack of Pakistan Army in Rann of Kutch on April 9, 1965 has no parallel in History. Investiture of Achievers with Medals provides enough inspiration and encouragement for others to follow suit, he said. Lauding the role of the force, Mr Patil said because of its flexibility, adaptability, versatality, secular outlook, impartiality, dedication and discipline, there is constant demand from every nook and corner of the country for deployment of the CRPF. Explaining the significance of Valour Day, CRPF Director General J. K. Sinha said inspite of enemy's numerical and armament superiority, a small contingent of 2nd Battalion of the CRPF repulsed the attack and brought pride to the force and the country as well. In this battle, on April 9, 1965, 34 Pakistan soldiers were killed while six brave jawans of the CRPF laid down their lives at the call of duty, Mr Sinha said. |
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PM briefs BJP leaders on China, Pakistan
New Delhi, April 9 The Prime Minister made the move just before the two crucial visits of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. The four-day India visit of the Chinese Premier, which begins this evening, is of crucial importance as about 12 bilateral agreements are likely to be signed and a crucial breakthrough is expected on the boundary dispute. Dr Manmohan Singh, who was assisted by External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, briefed the BJP leaders on various dimensions of the Sino-Indian relations and nuances of the talks that he is scheduled to hold with Mr Wen during his stay in the Capital. India and China are very keen to enter into an intense phase of economic engagements with New Delhi and Beijing showing interest for evolving a framework for giving a boost to the economic ties. A free trade agreement or a slightly modified version of a FTA is going to be concluded during Mr Wen’s visit, sources said. Similarly, the Prime Minister also exchanged views on India-Pakistan relations in the light of the forthcoming visit of General Musharraf. The Pakistan President is arriving here on April 16 and will return to Islamabad the next day. Sources said Dr Manmohan Singh told the BJP delegation that Indo-Pak ties stood at an important juncture and more confidence-building measures were needed for consolidating the normalisation process further. The BJP delegation included party President and Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani and former External Affairs Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh. Mr Advani later told newspersons that the two sides discussed how the decisions taken during the tenure of the NDA government with regard to relations with China and Pakistan were being carried forward and their prospects. “On the dialogue process initiated by Mr Vajpayee during his January 2004 visit to Islamabad, the Government informed us on how it was moving forward in that direction and expressed the hope that that it would continue to make the process”, the BJP President said.
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Ghising demands separate state for Nepali-speaking people
Kolkata April 9 Ms Shanta Chhetri, the GNLF MLA and also a close aide of the GNLF chief claimed that the acting West Bengal governor, Mr Buta Singh had supported their demand. Mr Ghising also had been assured of granting of a proper legal status for Darjeeling by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and the Home Minister, Mr Sivraj Patil, claimed Ms
Chhetri, which, she hoped, could be either of a full statehood or quasi-statehood of Darjeeling. Mr Buta Singh who now looks after West Bengal in addition to Bihar had been, as the then union home minister, one of the main architects of the Gorkha Land Accord of 1984 which brought a settlement of the long standing hills disputes between Mr Jyoti Basu and Mr
Ghising. Kolkata Raj Bhavan sources, however, neither confirmed nor denied Ms Chhetri’s claim of Mr Singh’s support to their demands. Incidentally, on the eve of the last Lok Sabha elections Mr Buta Singh met Mr Ghising in Darjeeling as Ms Sonia Gandhi’s emissary and successfully persuaded him to support the
Congress (I) candidate, Mr Dawa Norbulla against the CPI (M), though in the past elections, Mr Ghising’s support was with the
CPI (M). And since then, Mr Ghising’s relations with the CPI (M) had embittered. State Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, met Mr Patil yesterday and demanded that the Centre should now persuade Mr Ghising to allow the state government to hold the hill council’s election within next six months. |
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Dacoit Seema Parihar’s screen debut angers Nirbhay
Lucknow, April 9 Speaking to mediapersons here yesterday, the director, Krishna Mishra, and the protagonist, Seema Parihar, who plays herself in the film, displayed copies of one of the letters reportedly written by self-proclaimed “Daku Samrat” of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, Nirbhay Gujjar. The letter sent at Mishra’s ancestral home at Bhadohi says, “I have learnt through my informers that I have been shown naked and being beaten up.” He threatened to kill both Seema and Mishra if they dared to screen the film. Gujjar proclaims that both government and the administration acknowledge his might and hence they should follow suit. Poking holes at his bravado Mishra says, “If he is as brave as he claims to be then why is he threatening from his hole. Why doesn’t he come out? The half-hearted response to the letters written to the President, the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and the Governor, the Chief Secretary and other relevant officials has also pained him. |
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CM seeks clearance of visitors to Pakistan
New Delhi, April 9 The Chief Minister had yesterday spoken to Home Minister Shivraj Patil for early clearence to names of persons who have been shortlisted for the “goodwill visit” so that they got enough time to prepare for their journey. Capt Amarinder Singh said he was still hopeful that the buses on a good mission will be allowed to go directly from Amritsar to Nankana Sahib as the Ministry of External Affairs was also keen on it. He said if permission for direct bus service was not received, the passengers will disembark at Wagah and will board vehicles after crossing the border for their onward journey. The Chief Minister said the SGPC had been sending only persons with affiliation to the Akali Dal in its jathas to religious places in Pakistan. He said Congress workers had not got opportunities to visit Sikh shrines in the neighbouring country. “We want others to go...Anyone is welcome,” he said. Besides the Punjab PCC, the Delhi Sikh
Gurdwara Management Committee has given names for the goodwill visit. |
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Several PCC heads
may roll
New Delhi, April 9 Among those who are likely to loose their jobs include Bihar and Jharkhand PCC presidents Ram Jatan Sinha and Susheela Kerkatia. Karnataka state unit chief Janardhan Poojary and Gujarat PCC president B.K.Gadvi are also expected to be removed. Congress sources said given the Congress party’s dismal performance in the recent Bihar and Jharkhand Assembly polls, changes in these states were long overdue. The AICC leadership, it is learnt, is most unhappy with Mr. Sinha ‘s conduct of the Bihar election campaign. Not only did he pursue a bitter anti-Laloo line but he subsequently failed to deliver in the polls. The party is equally disillusioned with Mrs. Kerkatia,who was named president of the Jharkhand PCC shortly before the Assembly polls. The party units in both these states were riven by factionalism and neither of the PCC presidents could succeed in bringing together the different groups. Consequently, the party had to pay a heavy price in the recent polls. Having learnt a bitter lesson this time, Mrs. Gandhi is now planning to place a senior party functionary in charge of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala which are headed for Assembly elections next year. GPCC chief
B.K. Gadvi also appears to be on his way out, ostensibly because he has failed to galvanise the cadres but primarily
because he is learnt to have fallen out with Mr Ahmed Patel, Congress president’s political secretary, who takes a special interest in Gujarat affairs as he is from the state. KPCC chief Mr.
Poojary, it is learnt, may be removed given his long-standing feud with Chief Minister Dharam Singh. Rajasthan PCC president Narian Singh was replaced by CLP leader
B.D. Kalla yesterday. Congress sources said Mrs. Gandhi has eventually taken time off from her responsibilities as UPA chairperson and turned her attention to party organisation matters. While the changes in the PCCs are likely to take place soon, a larger reshuffle in the party set-up could be undertaken after the organisational polls in May. This could coincide with the completion of UPA government’s one year in office. Besides celebrating the occasion, the Congress is also likely to review the performance of its Union Ministers. Congress insiders also indicated that Mrs. Gandhi is planning to revive the various party cells and departments which had been disbanded during the last July’s AICC reshuffle. In addition, the party plans to hold the next meeting of all Congress chief ministers in June either in Chandigarh or
Ponicherry.
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Uma upset over Naidu's induction
Bhopal, April 9 In a statement issued from Amarkantak, the former Chief Minister has appealed to the party workers and mediapersons not to disturb her during these nine days, as she wants to meditate and worship in quietude. "I shall speak to all of you on April 19", she has added.The sadhvi had retired to Amarkantak, the holy place from where the river Narmada originates, earlier this month. She had, at one stage, given up eating cereals and taken to maunavrata (vow of silence). She had suddenly moved into the deep forest only to return to the ashram at Amarkantak a day later. Her peace of mind seems to have been shattered by a series of developments in the party, the most "ominous" being the importance having been accorded to Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu in the party hierarchy. He had decided to resign as BJP president after an ugly exchange of words with Ms Uma Bharati over the telephone. When the BJP leaders met in Delhi earlier this week to deliberate upon the party's silver jubilee, Ms Bharati was at Amarkantak. The party president, Mr L.K. Advani, did not even ring her up as he had been doing in the past. Not only that, Mr Advani was said to have refused meeting with Uma's supporters who had gone to Delhi to plead for her proper rehabilitation.
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Shiv Sena leader murdered
Thane (Maha), April 9 Party’s Vibhag Pramukh of Ambedkar Nagar locality Jayendra Hazare was returning home about 2:30 am when he was killed on the spot by unidentified persons. The assailants were armed with choppers and swords, Police Commissioner D. Shivanandan told reporters here. In view of the civic poll in the township tomorrow, the police has deployed additional platoons of SRP and Rapid Action Force. Expressing surprise over Hazare’s murder as he neither had any previous criminal record nor was involved in any controversy, the police said “the motive behind the killing is still not known.” Ambernath police has taken into custody three suspects who are being interrogated in the police station there, Shivanandan said. Shiv Sena leaders, including district chief Eknath Shinde and party MP from Thane Prakash Paranjpe, rushed to Ambernath to take stock of the situation. Hazare’s body was taken out in a procession and cremeated at the local cremated in the presence of a large number of sainiks and political party leaders. However, despite the heavy deployment of additional personnel, the situation in the town still remains tense.
— PTI |
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Big cats out of sight in Kela reserve New Delhi, April 9 In Kela Devi, a part of the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, no big cats have been sighted for the past three months. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, voicing serious concern over the latest tiger scare, has shot off a letter to the Rajasthan Government, asking for a report on the issue. In the letter, the ministry expressed serious concern over the missing tigers in Kela Devi. While officials claim that the Kela Devi crisis is temporary as the tigers “come and go” and could have migrated to other parts of the reserve, wildlife experts pooh-pooh the claim , saying that tigers are not migratory animals but residential in nature and have a fixed territory. Kela Devi, the Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary and the Ranthambore National Park are all part of the main tiger reserve. And there have been no evidence of pug marks, droppings or kills in Kela Devi in the recent past, where in the past monsoon, six tigers and 41 leopards were spotted . Sources say, top officials, including the Chief Wild Life Warden and the Field Director of the reserve ,were aware of the situation. After Sariska, from where 15 tigers had reportedly gone missing, Kela Devi is second sanctuary in Rajasthan to lose its tigers and experts are terming it as worst crisis tigers have faced in India since Independence.
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FIR against Teesta, five others Vadodara, April 9 The offences were registered against the accused under Sections 153, 199, 149, 365, 344, 348, 386, 387, 467, 468, 471, 506(2), 120 (B) and 34 of the IPC, 135 of the Bombay Police Act 135 and 25(1) of the Arms Act at the J.P. Road police station here last night after a city court, earlier in the day, had ordered investigation into Zaheera’s allegations. Besides Teesta, the five other accused named in the PIL filed by an NGO are former Vadodara Deputy Mayor Mohammad Vora, Arif Malik and Munna Malik(both of Vadodara), activist Rais Khan (Ahmedabad) and Mumbai’s Ishaq.
— UNI
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4 BJP chief ministers meet RSS chief
Nagpur, April 9 The RSS chief is believed to have discussed good governance in their respective states besides giving a call for strenghtening Hindutva with a renewed enthusiasm, sources close to RSS said. The four chief ministers arrived this morning from their respective state capitals and spent nearly two hours at the Sangh building in Mahal, in eastern part of the city. They later reached the ‘Smruti Mandir’ in Reshimbagh to pay floral tributes to RSS founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
— PTI |
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President's greetings on Hindu New Year New Delhi, April 9 “I extend my greetings and good wishes to our people. The people of our country celebrate these joyous festivals in the beginning of the New Year. May we all welcome this season of spring time with resolve to work hard for growth, prosperity, wellbeing and brotherhood of the nation," the President said.
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