New Delhi, July 14
Security threats in the wake of the London tube blasts notwithstanding, the first 10 days of the underground operations of the Delhi Metro have been rather good, with the prized mass transit system earning a cool Rs 25 to 40 lakh per day, besides making a substantial operational profit as well.

Ever since the opening of its new underground section between the Central Secretariat and Delhi University, the number of commuters travelling by the Delhi metro has been steadily increasing.

What is more interesting is the fact that the July 7 London blasts produced a rather contrary effect and last Sunday saw close to three lakh passengers using the Delhi Metro.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) daily ridership figures reveal that the number of people using the facility actually increased since July 7, the day the blasts took place in London, when 2,30,999 passengers (1,04,074 on Line-1 and 1,26,925 on Line-2) used the state-of-the-art metro facilities.

But the security of the mass transit system has been a major concern of the Centre as well as the state government ever since the terrorists struck in Ayodhya, followed by the London tube blasts.

In fact, after specific intelligence inputs to the Union Home Ministry about terrorist plans to attack the metro, specifically the underground section between the Delhi University and Central Secretariat, Delhi Police stepped up its security.

A decision was taken by the Centre to provide a Central Industrial Security force (CISF) shield for the metro.

But till the time that happens, there are views which suggest that security arrangements at metro stations are not sufficient and random baggage and frisking exercises carried out by security personnel not enough to thwart any terrorist attempt.

However, the DMRC chief E. Sreedharan feels otherwise. As per Mr Sreedharan, X-ray machines have been installed and a disaster management plan is very much in place.

Manual frisking, he says, is very effective, adding that in case of any eventuality, stations can be evacuated in six minutes flat though lessons can be learnt from London blasts to make the Delhi Metro more secure.

Meanwhile, Delhiites' romance with the metro continues. Ever since the Rs 22-billion new section till the Central Secretariat became operational, the ridership on the elevated Line-1 between Shahdara and Rithala as well as the underground Line-2 has been increasing day by day.

While the weekday figure was highest on July 4, the very first Monday after the inauguration when 2,65,882 commuters used the metro, last Sunday, on July 9, saw a record 2,95,547 passengers use the Delhi tube.

With the July 7 London tube blasts not managing to scare people away, on July 8, 2,51,530 persons traveled on the Delhi Metro, a day later, the figure rose to 2,77,672.

Though everything is not as smooth for passengers as they would like them to be.

For one, lack of traffic regulation and parking blues are two very real problems for people trying to reach stations located in crowded areas, which the civic authorities and the Delhi Government are still trying to solve.

Another problem is the lack of feeder buses, which means there are no further means of transport available on stations.

New Delhi, July 14
The Union Cabinet today approved a proposal to exempt those war disabled pensioners from the payment of contribution under the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), who were disabled due to injuries received during proclaimed wars or any other encounters that had been specifically accorded such status.

The decision seeks to provide comprehensive medical care to around 6,000 war disabled pensioners and their dependents on the pattern of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), free of cost.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), in its meeting held on October 16, 2002, considered the note from the Ministry of Defence for providing comprehensive medical care to ex-servicemen, war widows and their dependents and approved the proposal for introduction of the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).

Based on the CCS approval, the ECHS was introduced with effect from April 1, 2003.

The scheme envisages setting up of 227 polyclinics at 104 military and 123 non-military stations. The scheme also provides for empanelment of hospitals and diagnostic centres to which the patient can be referred to by polyclinics.

The ECHS is a contributory health scheme on the pattern of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). The contribution under it varies from Rs 1,800 to Rs18,000, depending on the pension/family pension.

It is compulsory for retirees with effect from April 1, 2003. Those who had retired prior to that date have been given time till March 31, 2008, to exercise their option. The scheme would become fully operational in 2008.

“The scheme has already become functional with 162 polyclinics set up in Army clinics/temporary structures,” an official statement said.

Subsequently, war widows were exempted from paying contribution for joining the ECHS following a decision taken by the CCS in its meeting held on December 19, 2003.

New Delhi, July 14
The Union Cabinet today approved an assistance package of Rs 1984 crore for Bhutan, as a contribution towards its IXth five-year Plan, for the period running from July 2002 to June 2007.

It comprises development subsidy of Rs 710 crore, project-tied assistance of Rs 734 crore and other subsidies and refunds of Rs 540 crore.

The package would be funded from the non-Plan budget of the Ministry of External Affairs.

An official statement said, " The decision would lead to continued strengthening of India-Bhutan relations based on our strategic and economic interests in an area of high geo-political sensitivity."

Economic cooperation, particularly in the hydro-power sector, represents a win-win situation for both countries with India receiving an assured supply of cheap and clean energy and Bhutan receiving a significant revenue stream," the statement said.

"The 336 MW Chukha and 60 MW Kurichhu projects, which have already come on stream, and 1020 MW Tala project nearing completion are symbols of India-Bhutan friendship and cooperation," it added.

The cooperation has paid rich dividends on the security front also as demonstrated by the successful operations undertaken by the Royal Bhutan Army to flush out the Indian insurgent groups based in Bhutan in December 2003 and January 2004.

The Cabinet also approved the creation of two posts in the Directorate-General of Shipping. It also approved the up-gradation of two posts of Senior DDG to the post of Joint Director-General and Deputy-Chief Ship Surveyor to the post of Chief Ship Surveyor.

The Cabinet also approved the construction of the Chancery, residences and common community facilities for the Embassy of India in Kathmandu within the India House Estate at a cost of Rs 125.36 crore.

New Delhi, July 14
Facing criticism for not taking permission of the PMO before his private visit to Dubai recently, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to explain his position.

The Chief Minister also apprised the Prime Minister of the security situation in the state in view of the arrest of some Babbar Khalsa activists.

Capt Amarinder Singh told the Prime Minister about the reasons behind the Punjab Government’s move to give free power to a section of farmers. The Prime Minister has expressed his reservations over such freebies as these affected the finances of states.

Talking to mediapersons later, the Chief Minister said there were many issues concerning the state which he had to discuss with the Prime Minister. Capt Amarinder Singh said he met the Prime Minister regularly to apprise him of various state issues.

The Chief Minister had said yesterday that his visit to Dubai was purely private. He had said permission of the PMO was required only for official visits abroad.

Jaipur, July 14In view of the increasing number of foreign tourists and the flourishing trade of local jewellers with Europe and America, Jaipur airdrome will shortly be developed into an international airport. Vigorous efforts are already afoot in this regard.

The airport authorities have asked the state government to allot sufficient land for raising the new terminal in tune with the international standards. The proposed terminal for international flights, which is to be developed adjacent to Jawahar Circle, would be four times bigger than the present one.

The new terminal would meet the international standards of aviation having enough ground for the landing of an Airbus carrying about 300 passengers as also the capacity for receiving a number of planes at a time.

The terminal will have duty free shop, money exchange counter and immigration office and other facilities necessary for travellers. A proposal is under consideration to reserve the old terminal exclusively for the VVIPs.

Sources said the new terminal would have all distinct features highlighting the Pink City’s cultural heritage. 

New Delhi, July 14
The Centre and Uttar Pradesh Government today decided to put in place a high-tech security cover in temples at Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura and the Taj Mahal in Agra by next month and favoured construction of a protective shield over the sanctum sanctorum at Ayodhya to prevent a grenade attack on the make-shift Ram Lalla temple there.

As a short-term measure, Central para-military forces along with Uttar Pradesh police would strengthen and augment their security arrangements wherever necessary to pre-empt any terror attack.

A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting of top Uttar Pradesh and Central Government officials, under the chairmanship of Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal, here to review the security in major religious and historical places in Uttar Pradesh.

According to sources, the officials generally felt that construction of a iron-mesh shield or a bullet-proof glass shield, “would not be violative” of the Supreme Court’s order stating that “status quo” should be maintained on the disputed site.

However, they felt that legal opinion should be sought and if needed, Supreme Court’s permission be taken before moving in that direction, sources said.

Meanwhile, Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal, flanked by Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Neera Yadav, told newspersons that experts committees of both Centre and state governments would first assess the “security shortcomings and requirements” in the four sensitive places and submit a detailed report for implementation on or before August 6.

“First an experts committee of Uttar Pradesh Government will conduct field surveys in Ayodhya, Mathura, Kashi and Agra and submit a preliminary report to the Centre by July 24 or 25 and then the Centre, after vetting it, would depute a Technical Experts Committee to study the technological/technical requirements in these places before finalising the report,” Mr Duggal said.

Asserting that the security of these important places is collective responsibility of both the Centre and state government, Mr Duggal said while the UP Government would implement the security steps that were to be ensured at their end and the Centre would implement the steps that needed to be done on its 
part.

Mr Duggal assured that if the Uttar Pradesh Government needed financial assistance from the Centre for meeting some of the expenses towards enhancing security in these important places, the Centre would extend ‘special financial package’ or through the Police Modernisation Scheme as per the requirement.

During the meeting, officials from Uttar Pradesh and Director Generals of CISF and CRPF, insisted on having a high-tech security system in all these places. They called for installation of CCTVs, X-ray machines, alarm system, proper flood lighting in the surroundings, etc.

Besides Mr V.K. Duggal and Ms Neera Yadav, the meeting was attended among others by UP Director General of Police Yashpal Singh, the state Principal Secretary (H), Mr Alok Sinha, and the Special Secretary (IS) in Union Home Ministry, Mr Anil Chaudhary.

New Delhi, July 14
Reminding the Centre of its duty to protect the country from any attack from outside, the Supreme Court has termed the large-scale migration of Bangladeshis to India, particularly to bordering states like Assam, as external “aggression” while striking down the Illegal Migrants Act which, it said, negated the constitutional mandate due to the influx of Muslim population in the state had risen by 77.42 per cent since 1971.

Quoting the figures supplied to the court by the Union Home Ministry, based on Intelligence Bureau sources up to August, 1998, the court said under Article 355 of the Constitution “the foremost duty of the Union Government is to defend the borders of the country, prevent any trespass and make the life of the citizens secure.”

Defining the scope of “aggression” under Article 355, a Bench of Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti, Mr Justice G.P. Mathur and Mr Justice P.K. Balasubramanyan said the word had a wide import…and included … “an assault, inroad, practice of setting upon any one; an offensive action or procedure; the practice of making attack or encroachments; the action of a nation in violating the rights especially the territorial rights of another nation; overt destruction; covert hostile attitude.

“The provisions of the IMDT Act (applicable only to Assam for the determination of the status of Bangladeshis) and the rules made thereunder clearly negate the constitutional mandate contained in Article 355 where a duty has been cast upon the Union Government to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance. But the IMDT Act contravenes Article 355,” said the court in a 114-page strongly-worded judgement, copies of which were available to the media today.

Reminding the modern-day rulers about the duty of the state as defined by Kautilya in his “masterly work Arthashastra”, the court said the Constitution under Article 355 had made the Union Government bound to protect every state against any kind of external aggression and internal disturbances.

Describing the IMDT Act as a complete failure, the court said the legislation in fact had “facilitated” continued stay of Bangladeshis in Assam, affecting the language, scripts and culture of the local people.

Rejecting a counter petition by the Jamait Ulama-e-Hind for extending the Act to other states, filed in the process of the main public interest litigation (PIL) of the Asom Gana Parishad MP, Mr Sarbananda Sonowal, the Court said there was no need for such a law in any state as the Foreigners Act already existed.

The court said the IMDT was discriminatory to Assam as it violated Artice14, which dealt with equality before law. 

New Delhi, July 14
In an effort to ensure smooth functioning of the Lok Sabha, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee will host a series of lunch and dinner meetings next week for leaders of all political parties.

Since he took over the post, he has been holding such meetings with party leaders in a bid to sort out contentious issues that have the potential of disrupting the functioning of the House.

The Speaker would first meet the BJP leaders on July 20 for lunch. Those invited include former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and BJP chief L.K. Advani and senior party leader V.K. Malhotra, sources said.

On July 22, the Speaker would host lunch for leaders of non-Congress UPA parties like the RJD, the Lok Janshakti Party, the DMK and the MDMK. The same evening, he has invited non-BJP NDA leaders from parties including the TDP, the JD(U) and the Shiv Sena.

He would host lunch for leaders of the parties supporting the government from outside like the Left parties, the Samajwadi Party on July 23.

New Delhi, July 14
The seventh Osian’s Cinefan Film Festival (OCFF), scheduled to begin here on Friday, provides cinema lovers an opportunity to watch a variety of martial art films, some dating back to the 50s.

This is the first time that films on martial arts are being screened at this festival.

Organised by Osian’s Connoisseurs of Art, the seventh OCFF is a major step forward as part of an attempt to create enlightened audience for Indian and Asian cinema.

The 10-day film festival at the Siri Fort in South Delhi will be inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The festival opens with the screening of Wang Xiao Shuai’s “Shanghai Dreams” that won the Prix du Jury Award during the recently concluded Cannes film festival.

A total of 120 films from over 30 countries will be screened during the festival.

According to Aruna Vasudev, Director of the festival, every film in the martial arts section is worth watching.

The martial art films that are scheduled to be screened during the festival are “An Actor’s Revenge”, a Japanese film, “Arahan” and “Out Live” from Korea, “Blood and Bones” and “Hidden Blades” from Japan, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” from the USA, “Fight, Zatoichi, Fight” from Japan, “Fong Sai Yuk”, “From the Highway”, “Escorts over Tiger Hills”, and “The Valiant ones” from Hong Kong, “Tiger from Tjampa” from Indonesia and “A Monk’s Awakening” from Vietnam-France.

New Delhi, July 14
The CBI, which had claimed that the dreaded poacher and smuggler Sansar Chand had confessed to his activities, today faced some embarassment when he told a Delhi court that he had not admitted anything despite being “threatened” by the agency’s sleuths.

“Maine kaha ki meine koi bayan nahi di. Dhamkane ki bavjood bhi maine kuch nahi kaha (I told that I did not say anything despite being threatened) Chand told Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Manoj Jain who asked what he told the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate earlier in the day after his alleged confession before the CBI.

Chand, against whom the CBI has invoked the stringent MCOCA to “unravel his organised poaching syndicate” was called inside the chamber of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate for the “confirmation proceeding” as specified by Section 18 of the Act.

The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate had to put the query to the accused himself as when the CBI counsels were asked about it, they merely said “The Chief politan Metropolitian Magistrate’s order is in a sealed cover and we are yet to see it”. — PTI

New Delhi, July 14
In an order that could benefit landlords against tenants who stay beyond the contracted period, the Supreme Court has ruled that mere acceptance of rent after the expiry of the lease period does not amount to the renewal of the lease.

“On the expiry of the period of lease, mere acceptance of rent for the subsequent months in which the lessee continued to occupy the lease premises cannot be said to be a conduct signifying ‘assent’ to the continuance of the lease even after the expiry of the lease period,” the court said.

This ruling was given by a Bench comprising Justice D. M. Dharmadhikari and Justice B. N. Srikrishna which dismissed an appeal filed by Ms Shanti Prasad Devi claiming that the acceptance of rent after the expiry of lease period for running a petrol pump amounted to giving consent to continuance of the lease.

In the present case, the landlord had not replied to the legal notice given by the tenant for the continuance of the lease even after the expiry period. As the lessee continued to remain in use and the occupation of the leased premises, the landlord had accepted the rent for the period of overstay. — PTI 

Hyderabad, July 14
The next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations will be held here from January 7 to 9, 2006.

The Union Minister of State for Non-resident Affairs, Mr Jagdish Tytler, yesterday met the Chief Minister, Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy, to discuss the smooth and successful conduct of the three-day divas celebrations.

The event, which is expected to attract a large number of non-resident Indians (NRIs), will also provide an opportunity to showcase Andhra Pradesh as a promising destination for foreign investments and open up new business opportunities, a government press statement said.

Mr Tytler, who called on the Chief Minister in his chambers in the Secretariat, said in fact, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram and Gurgaon were flooded with investments after the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was celebrated there.

Nagpur, July 14
BJP leader Uma Bharti today met the RSS leadership at the Sangh headquarters here to apparently discuss strained BJP-RSS relations and strategy for polls in Bihar, but declined to make any political statements.

“I will not make any political statements here. We haven’t discussed politics,” the feisty leader said emerging from the meeting with RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan and general secretary Mohan Bhagwat.

“I had come to invite Sudarshanji for a wedding ceremony in (my) family,” the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said, adding, “I keep coming to Nagpur whenever I find time and make it a point to meet Sudarshanji.”

RSS sources said Bharti rushed here to discuss the present situation in the wake of attack on the RSS by NDA convenor George Fernandes and to discuss the electoral strategy for the forthcoming Bihar Assembly elections, where she is in-charge of the party’s campaign.

Ms Bharti had yesterday attacked Mr Fernandes for his “unsolicited” advice to the RSS. — PTI

Panaji, July 14
Mr Shantaram Naik of the Congress today won the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Goa as the BJP termed the action of the returning officer in not allowing UGDP MLA Mathany Saldanha to vote as illegal and indicated it would challenge the result.

Mr Naik polled 20 votes against his BJP rival Sanjeev Desai’s 14. All 36 MLAs eligible to vote participated in the election but two votes were declared invalid, one of them reportedly cast by disgruntled NCP minister Francisco Pacheco.

Speaker Francisco Sardinha had yesterday passed an interim order barring Mr Saldanha from voting in the election until the final judgement was delivered in a disqualification petition against him.

Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar questioned the wisdom of the returning officer in not allowing Mr Saldanha to vote when he had not received any intimation from either the EC or the Speaker. — PTI