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NDA presses EC for early Bihar poll
ATR on Nanavati report likely to be placed before Cabinet today
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Vohra meets Manmohan
Naga Hoho justifies blockade; puts condition for talks
Resentment in Nagaland over extension of armed forces Act
Rajiv Gandhi Murder Case
Segregate civil and criminal cases: SC
Meat shop owners respect Jain sentiment
Nankai’s struggle in quest of justice
MPs decry judicial interference
BJP flays Patil for showing ‘unverified’ letter in LS
Flutter in RS
Amritsar SEZ comes to standstill
State of AIDS in Uttar Pradesh — I
France allows ‘patka’ in schools
After flood, epidemic
threat
Zaheera accuses Setalvad of force
Haryana assures SC on illegal mining ban
HC moved over Mumbai deluge
Provogue owner in police custody
Woman hurt in Ayodhya attack dead
No outsourcing of passport work
Govt told to reconsider arms supply to Nepal
263 pilots sought premature retirement
‘Make harvesting of rain water mandatory’
Stupa with Buddha hair found in Orissa
Cases of NRIs deserting brides being probed
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NDA presses EC for early Bihar poll
New Delhi, August 3 The NDA delegation, led by JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, spent over half-an-hour with the Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon and Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswamy, after which they told
mediapersons that they had suggested to the poll body to “keep an eye on the postings of senior police officials.” “This is especially vital in districts in which officials were posted on the orders of the EC as it means that the Commission had acknowledged their sensitive nature,” Mr Kumar said. Bihar Governor Buta Singh had ordered the transfer of 17 Superintendents of Police without consulting Chief Secretary G.S. Kang after which the latter proceeded on protest leave. The Election Commission had yesterday directed the Bihar Government not to transfer district collectors and poll-related officials without its consent but did not make any comments on the transfer of the police officers. Terming as “doctored” reports of Bihar administration that polls could not be held before October or November, the six-member NDA delegation asked the EC to hold elections in Bihar as early as possible, preferably in September this year. “Elections have been held without problem in Bihar in September before also. The
administration had earlier said that the poll could not be held in July because floods were likely, but now we have seen that no such thing happened,” Mr Kumar said. On the issue of voter identity cards, which have been made mandatory for the coming Assembly elections, he alleged that “some mistakes are deliberately introduced into the identity cards so that some voters are rejected at the booths.” He also pressed for the inclusion of officials from Central Government and other states in preparation of voter cards but added that it not be used as an excuse to delay the poll. The JD(U) leader also suggested that EC observers and all political parties be consulted before declaring any polling booth sensitive or hypersensitive. The JD(U) leader said the EC should have a say in the deployment of paramilitary forces. He said the deployment during the relatively trouble-free third phase of the poll held in February-March should be used as a model. The others in the delegation included BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Bihar BJP Chief Sushil Modi, and JD (U) leaders Sanjay Jha, Lallan Singh and Prabhunath Singh. |
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ATR on Nanavati report likely to be placed before Cabinet today
New Delhi, August 3 The ATR lists about 400 riot cases and the action taken against nearly 300 persons, including some politicians and public servants, sources said. Asserting that Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has already assured Parliament on the tabling of the said report along with the ATR before the “stipulated time”, sources said it is likely to be tabled in Parliament on August 5 or latest by August 8. Since the Justice G.T. Nanavati Commission had submitted its report to the Union Home Minister on February 9, sources maintained that the six-month period before which the report needs to be tabled before Parliament ends on August 8. However, the Opposition NDA has demanded that the report should be tabled on or before August 5. The Nanavati Commission, had during its nearly five-year-long proceedings, examined hundreds of witnesses and several Congress leaders against whom there were allegations of “organising and instigating” the attacks on Sikhs after Indira Gandhi’s assassination. Prominent Congress leaders examined by the commission, include former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao who was the Home Minister in 1984, Vasant Sathe, Kamal Nath and three Delhi Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and Dharamdas Shastri against whom there were allegations of “active involvement in instigating” the mobs against Sikhs. Mr Sajjan Kumar had faced trial in a case, but was acquitted by the Sessions Court. Another Congress strong man from Delhi, H.K.L. Bhagat, who also faced trial in two cases but was acquitted due to the key witnesses turning hostile, refused to appear before the commission on health ground. The commission, which was given at least eight extensions to complete its inquiry, has also examined several top Delhi police officers, including Special Commissioner Seva Das, who was then the DCP, East Delhi, where maximum people were killed, Joint Commissioner U.K. Katna, then DCP West Delhi, another area of major violence and Goa police Commissioner Amodh Kanth, who was then DCP, Central Delhi. The panel had also examined the then Commissioner of Police S.C. Tandon and Joint Commissioner Gautam Kaul. |
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The Bharatiya Janata Party today demanded the immediate tabling of the Nanavati Commission Report on the 1984 anti-Sikh rots and alleged that the UPA government was trying to cover up the involvement of the Congress. “The government is deliberately sitting on the report which might put the Congress party in the dock on the killing of hundreds of Sikhs in the riots that followed the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,” BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra charged. — TNS
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Vohra meets Manmohan
New Delhi, August 3 Mr Vohra, who was with the Prime Minister for about 30 minutes, apprised him of the latest developments in the state on all fronts, including political and militancy-related, official sources said. Hurriyat’s desire to hold talks with the Centre is also understood to have figured during the meeting. After the Hurriyat signalled its desire last month to hold talks, consultations have begun at the top level in the government in this regard. A number of meetings have been held here recently involving Mr Vohra, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and other top officers of various ministries to discuss all aspects involved in such talks, including the modalities and ramifications. More meetings are expected to take place in the coming days, sources said. Hurriyat leaders, after their return
from Pakistan, said they wanted to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “We are informally in touch with New Delhi. We have conveyed to the Government of India that we are ready to carry forward the peace process,” Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had said in Srinagar last month. “It is for the Government of India to decide when and where they want to hold the talks,” he said. The Hurriyat Conference leaders have so far held two rounds of talks with the previous BJP-led NDA government. The dialogue process was discontinued after the UPA led by the Congress assumed power at the Centre in May 2004. The Hurriyat leaders are awaiting a response from the Centre to their offer. During a recent visit to Kashmir, Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal had assured that the moderate Hurriyat Conference, will soon “get the dates” of the next round of talks with the Prime Minister. “If they (Hurriyat leaders) are waiting for the dates...let me assure you that they will soon get the dates. The talks will be definitely held,” the Union Minister had said. |
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Naga Hoho justifies blockade; puts condition for talks
New Delhi, August 3 "The blockade is a democratic expression...We do agree that the month-long blockade by Naga students would have caused difficulties to some people in Manipur, but you should appreciate that we (Nagas) have been facing problem for the past 60 years," said Neingulo Krome, general secretary of the Naga Hoho, an amalgam of various Naga student outfits. Reacting to the appeal made by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil asking the Naga outfits to hold negotiations with the Manipur Government, Mr Krome told newspersons here that "if the Manipur Government wants to understand us then we are ready to understand it... But talks should be held in the presence of Central representatives preferably in Delhi or Senapati." The Naga Hoho leaders, who were here in the Capital to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr Patil, Congress President Sonia Gandhi among others, said the Naga groups were committed to support the ongoing Indo-Naga political talks and
would consistently endeavour to mobilise public opinion for creating an atmosphere conducive for "honorable and acceptable" solution to the Naga territorial issue. While expressing displeasure over the slow pace of the "peace process", the Naga Hoho leaders insisted that integration of the Naga-inhabited areas in Manipur, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh was the essential basis for a "negotiated settlement". Referring to the recent extension of the ceasefire between the NSCN(I-M) and the Centre for six months, instead of the usual one year, Mr Krome said, "After eight long years of hopes and uncertainties, the extension of the ceasefire by six months could probably range
from frustration to determination." |
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Resentment in Nagaland over extension of armed forces Act
Kohima, August 3 This has been done despite the current ceasefire between the Centre and both factions of the NSCN — the NSCN (IM) and NSCN (Khaflang). The AFSPA is in force in the north-eastern states of Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Tripura (26 police stations) and Arunachal Pradesh (in Tirap and Changlang
districts). During his visit to Manipur last year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had promised to review the Act and appointed a five-member committee headed by a retired judge, Justice Jeevan Reddy, to review it. The committee recently submitted its recommendations to the Union Home Ministry and even before the Centre could take a decision on the committee’s recommendations, the term of the AFSPA was extended in Nagaland. Last month, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio opposed the extension of the Act. The apex body of Naga organisations, Naga Hoho, was also opposed to the extension, but the Centre did not pay heed to it. A senior official of the state Home Department apprehended that the extension of the Act might have an adverse impact on the ongoing peace process with the NSCN (IM), as the Centre had contradicted its own stand of ceasefire and prevailing peace in the state. The Naga Hoho has already started mobilising public opinion against the AFSPA. The North-East Students Organisation (NESO), a conglomeration of student bodies of the North-East, has flayed the Centre for extending the Act in
the state. NESO Chairman Samujjal Bhatacharyya has demanded the withdrawal of the AFSPA from the North-East, as it amounted to discriminatory attitude of the Centre towards the region. The Centre, in its communication to the state government, has justified its decision stating that it has been done so because of clashes between activists of the NSCN (IM) and the NSCN (Khaflang) and activities of other insurgent groups in the border areas of the state. It may be recalled that last year the Apunba Lup, an apex body of 32 organisations in Manipur, had organised protests against the AFSPA in the state after Manorama Devi, a Manipuri woman, was allegedly raped and murdered by jawans of the Assam Rifles for protesting against the AFSPA. The protests had paralysed normal life in Manipur, forcing the Prime Minister to review the Act. The recent extension of the term of the Act in Nagaland and its continuation in Manipur has not been taken kindly by even democratically elected governments of the North-East, let alone other organisations. This might result in snowballing of the issue into a major controversy in the near future. |
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Rajiv Gandhi Murder Case
New Delhi, August 3 A Bench of Mr Justice Ashok Bhan and Mr Justice S.B. Sinha passed the order on special leave petition (SLP) by CBI Director against the Madras High Court order for the release of Vasanthakumar and R. Lingam. The duo were not among the 21 accused in the Rajiv Gandhi murder case, but were declared as suspects by the Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), set up in the wake of Jain Commission recommendation for further probe in the conspiracy aspects of the case. The high court had in April last ordered their release from a special Sri Lankan refugee camp in Tamil Nadu. The court had last week given two weeks to the Union Government to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan authorities, which according to the Centre’s counsel had not been responding to the letters rogatory of a Chennai court for probing their role in the Island nation, before they migrated to India in 1991, few days prior to the murder of Gandhi. The MDMA, headed by the CBI Director, had alleged that the duo had provided logistic support to main accused in the Rajiv Gandhi murder case, but their role has to be probed in Sri Lanka before coming to India. |
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Segregate civil and criminal cases: SC
New Delhi, August 3 The civil suits for maintenance, divorce, child custody, visitation rights, grant of letters of administration and succession certificate, rent and eviction would be put in track one, while all money suits based solely on negotiable instrument law, would be put in track two. Similarly the track three would include suits for partition, property disputes, trademarks, copy rights and intellectual property matters whereas all remaining civil cases would be bracketed in track three, a Bench of Mr Justice
Y.K. Sabharwal, Mr Justice D.M. Dharamadhikari and Mr Justice Tarun Chatterjee said in its land mark judgement, ordering sweeping changes in the 1999 Civil Procedure Code (CPC) amendments. Fixing time limit for disposal of civil cases clubbed in different tracks, the court said “efforts shall be taken to complete hearing of track one and two matters in 9 and 12 months respectively and those in track three and four within 24 months.” The criminal matters have been directed to be classified in five segments with cases of murder, rape, dowry deaths be kept in track one, other non-bailable offences in track two, those relating to mass cheating, economic offences, illicit liquor tragedy and food adulteration in track three. The court said the offences which were tried by special courts under special laws like POTA, TADA, NDPS Act, Prevention of Corruption Act, should be kept in track four and the remaining criminal offences in track five. “The endeavour should be to complete the trail in track one crminal cases in nine months, track two and three in twelve months and track four within 15 months,” the 98-page judgement laid down. The amendments in the rules were ordered by the apex court on the basis of three reports of a five-member committee, headed by former Law Commission Chairman Mr Justice
M.J. Rao, set up by it after the CPC amendments had run into rough weather as lawyers all over the country had opposed the changes. In a bid to curb the tendency by lawyers to seek adjournment on flimsy ground to delay the trials, specially in civil cases, the Supreme Court has restricted the number of adjournments to three that too with some solid reasons. “When a suit is listed before a court and any party seeks adjournment, the judge shall have to verify whether the party is seeking adjournment due to circumstances beyond its control,” the apex court said. It has taken care of false deposition both by the litigant and witness and said “if the trial judge was of the view that any of the parties or witnesses have willfully and deliberately uttered blatant falsehood, he shall consider (at least in some grave cases) whether it is a fit case for launching prosecution for perjury.” The court clarified that in case of any inconsistency between the rules suggested and the CPC or the
Cr.PC, or any other statute, the provisions of the CPC, Cr.PC and the statute “shall prevail”. |
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Meat shop owners respect Jain sentiment
Gandhinagar, August 3 A spokesman of the Qureshi Jamaat, an organisation of meat shop owners, has appealed to all its members to respect the sentiments and refrain from doing business during the sacred period for the Jain community. “We have made a plea to the people involved in this trade and we are confident that they will respond with magnanimity”, says Rizwan Ahmed, a leader heading a local organisation of meat shop owners. Most of those involved in the trade welcomed the decision of the Gujarat High Court which had upheld their right to carry on their business unhindered even during the period of Paryusan but also felt that rights apart, there was need amongst communities to be sensitive to each other’s beliefs. “Mutual respect and love is the need of the hour and we have responded in this spirit,” he said. Earlier, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had provided a new dimension to the debate over the high court decision when its general secretary Praveen Togadia said that Hindus and Jains would not allow the killing of animals during the holy period. He had also urged the meat shop owners to voluntarily keep their establishments closed during the period. A Bench of the Gujarat High Court comprising Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr Justice A. Dave, had in their judgement in Ahmedabad last week, observed that slaughtering was a business and under Article 19 of the Constitution, one had the right to carry on with one’s business subject to law. The judgement was a sequel to a number of petitions filed before the court challenging the resolution of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the state government banning animal slaughter during Paryusan. The judgement noted that the ban imposed on the slaughterhouses concerned the sentiments of a small religious group during a festival and a restriction on account of sentiment was violative of the fundamental rights, besides loss of business which was not in public interest. It was in 1993 during the Chimanbhai Patel government in Gujarat that an eight-day ban on slaughterhouses in Ahmedabad was imposed by a resolution of the municipal corporation. In 2000 following representation by the Jain community, the ban was extended to 18 days.Over the next four years, the area of the ban was extended to cover panchayats, nagarpalikas and other municipal corporations across Gujarat. The order was challenged in court in 1993 itself. The high court ruled that ‘closing down a business for satisfying the religious sentiments of a particular community cannot be said to be in public interest. It held that the slaughter of animals was an occupation guaranteed under the Constitution and did not fall in the category of reasonable restrictions which could be imposed on the fundamental rights of the citizens.’ The Lok Adhikar Sangh had challenged the AMC decision and noted advocate Girish Patel had contended that the ban on slaughterhouses violated the fundamental rights of members of the other communities. Advocate General S.N. Shelat defending the ban argued that the Supreme Court had upheld the ban on slaughterhouses in the Rishikesh case last year. Meanwhile, Jain philanthrophic organisations are working to find a way to compensate the meat shop owners, the bulk of whom belong to the poor and the middle class. Almost 200 shop owners in Ahmedabad stand to lose substantially in terms of business by keeping their establishments closed for the eight-day period. |
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Nankai’s struggle in quest of justice
Lucknow, August 3 Today Nankai’s case personifies the troubles a citizen encounters in accessing justice. This was no common citizen either. At least half a dozen prominent health and women’s organisations rallied around this survivor facilitating her meetings with ministers, senior officials and the media. The media relentlessly followed the case for weeks. It was even raised in the Vidhan Sabha. Yet, after bravely running from pillar to post, Nankai has received precious little. The inquiry conducted by the Lucknow Chief Medical Officer, Dr J.P. Yadav, suspended an ANM. Even she was reinstalled after a few months. When the survivor’s mother, Kalawati, met the CMO to demand action against the guilty, he asserted that the guilty had already been punished. For further action she had to meet the Director General, no less, he informed her. The compensation that had been promptly promised to the survivor by the then Lucknow DM Aradhna Shukla also never came. When case workers of Humsafar, a crisis centre for women, following up the case, met the DM, she said since the survivor’s marital village was in Rae Bareli, district she should approach the authorities over there for compensation. “This response left us aghast,” admits Renu Mishra who is following the case. The DM has since then been transferred. The progress on the legal front has been equally tardy. Despite endless trips to the Mohanlal police station the case workers have not been provided a copy of the FIR and the post mortem report of the still born child. The survivor’s mother Kalawati had approached the state SC/ST Commission where she has filed a case. This was to bring her speedy justice. A parallel case is going on in the lower court. She has been appearing before the commission after a gap of two to three months. The case had been registered under Sections 315 and 316 of the IPC pertaining to violence against pregnant women causing death of the unborn child and 3(2) 5 under the UP Harijan Act for discrimination against a Dalit. The trail is yet to begin. Mohanlalganj MLA and state’s Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs R.K. Chaudhury had personally taken interest in the case. He had visited Nankai when she was later admitted at Dufferin hospital and given Rs 500 to her to tide over her crisis. He also called the DG Health and the DM to follow up the case. Still nothing happened. Speaking to The Tribune Susheela Singh of the Kriti Resource Centre said, “After Nankai’s case there were at least five similar cases across UP where the survivors did not want to take any action. How can we blame them when after a year the courageous one is still struggling for justice?” Healthwatch UP, Bihar representative Shakuntala informs that it was now getting to be an uphill task for Nankai’s family. The husband never took her back after the incident and she is now completely dependent on her mother. “Even to contact us the mother has to think twice as she has to spend Rs 2 out of her meager resources and trudges two kilometers to reach the nearest PCO”. Under such trying circumstances it remains to be seen how the survivor keeps her indomitable
spirit alive. |
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MPs decry judicial interference
New Delhi, August 3 Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Devendra Prasad Yadav (RJD) and Rupchand Pal (CPM) said the judiciary and the legislature were different pillars of democracy and cannot interfere in the functioning of each other. The members were referring to the Supreme Court’s direction that it would consider an amended petition against “tainted” ministers in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cabinet. RJD member sought a ruling from Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and a resolution to stop this “interference”. “We are not going to tolerate this,” the RJD MP asserted in the Lok Sabha. “We have to do whatever we can to stop this. A resolution should be passed by parliament and we need a ruling from the speaker.” Yadav said it was a very serious issue and showed the direct interference of the judiciary in the Prime Minister’s prerogative to induct his ministers. “We should decide whether the Supreme Court should be given powers to decide who should select ministers to the cabinet,” he said. “If they continue to interfere in this manner, what will happen to the legislature? People will consider it incompetent. There should be a limit to it.” CPM MP Rupchand Pal said it was the prerogative of the Prime Minister to choose his Council of Ministers and the Apex Court could not interfere in the process. He reminded the house that a former chief justice of India had said 20 per cent of India’s judges were corrupt. “There is a need for a discussion on this,” said Pal. |
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MP House adjourned amid Oppn protests
Bhopal, August 3 The Opposition members had met last evening at the residence of PCC president Subhash Yadav and decided to seek an apology from Mr Rohani and, on his refusal to do so, move a motion of no-confidence in the Assembly. As the session started this morning, the Opposition members raised the issue of the Speaker’s “misbehaviour” towards the Leader of Opposition in particular and the entire Opposition in general. Mr Rohani adjourned the House till 11-30 am. It was the same story again when the House reassembled, to be adjourned again for half an hour. Thereafter the Speaker went ahead with the completion of the day’s work, which included “passing” of over half a dozen amendment bills even as the combined Opposition went on shouting slogans near the Speaker’s podium. Mr Rohani then adjourned the House sine die. Meanwhile, a new dimension has been added to the campaign of sleaze against Chief Minister Babulal Gaur by the release of an affidavit by a BJP activist alleging that Mr Gaur had seduced his wife and was having immoral relations with her. Some time back an English weekly had published a piece along with the photographs of a few women, subtly hinting at Mr Gaur’s undue interest in those women but without making any specific allegations. Then a Hindi monthly magazine carried the same photographs with similar hints. Mr
S.A.Kabir, 60, who was Mr Lal Krishna Advani’s driver for part of the way in Madhya Pradesh during Mr Advani’s 1989 Somnath to Ayodhya
Rathyatra, today released to the Press a notarised affidavit alleging that Mr Gaur had seduced his 45-year-old wife Shagufta and was sexually exploiting her. Mr Kabir says in the affidavit that he had divorced his wife but Mr Gaur was “exerting pressure” for the revocation of the divorce with an eye on his property. |
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BJP flays Patil for showing ‘unverified’ letter in LS
New Delhi, August 3 “It was shameful to see the Home Minister first flashing it in support of his argument and later disowning it”, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman V.K. Malhotra said here. Mr Malhotra said the Supreme Court had issued notices to the Centre and the state Governor in the case pertaining to the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly as it had found “prime facie” evidence. |
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Flutter in RS
New Delhi, August 3 Deputy Chairman, K Rahman Khan, directed his officials to find out who the “stranger” was after Congress member Anand Sharma voiced concern. Rajya Sabha officials said the visitor was BJP Lok Sabha MP Mahesh Kumar. Under the rules his entry was considered to be that of a “stranger.” Mr Kumar later tendered an apology, saying he was unaware of the rules, the officials said. |
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Amritsar SEZ comes to standstill
New Delhi, August 3 The state government has urged the Centre to subsidise the acquisition cost, claiming that otherwise it would be difficult to attract industrial units in the proposed SEZ. Replying to a calling attention motion introduced by Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu, BJP MP from Amritsar, Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath told the Lok Sabha today, “the ministry is still waiting for acquisition of 1000 hectares of land by the state government though, in principle, the Centre has agreed to grant SEZ.” Mr Sidhu urged the Centre to direct the state government to acquire 1000 hectares of land to set up multi-product SEZ that will provide employment to over 75,000 youth and give a fillip to the economy of the border state. “The city has paid a heavy price during the terrorism, and heavily suffered during the two wars. Since it is gateway of India for huge potential of trade with Pakistan and other Central Asian countries, the Centre should take up the responsibility to fulfil the Prime Minister’s promise.” It is understood that like the Bathinda refinery project, the project is likely to be delayed for a long time due to higher costs of land acquisition and subsequent mismanagement by the state government. The Commerce Minister said, “The minimum area requirement for a multi-product SEZ is 1000 hectares and above. There is, however, no such area requirement for product specific or port/air-based SEZs” The Punjab Government, he said, has expressed its helplessness in acquiring 1000 hectares ( about 2400 acres) of land due to high costs for setting up multi-product SEZ in Amritsar in a meeting held in March this year in the inter-ministerial committee. Rather, the state has desired to set up a sector-specific SEZ. “The proposal has been recommended for grant in-principle approval. Once the Government of Punjab identifies the specific product group of the proposed SEZ, the proposal will be processed for grant of necessary approval,” he said. Meanwhile, Punjab Finance Minister Surinder Singla told The Tribune that it was not easy for the state government to acquire over 2400 acres of land to set up the multi-product SEZ, since the land prices in Amritsar were very high. Unlike states like Maharashtra and MP, where barren land can be acquired at a lower price, the cost of land is much higher in Punjab as almost all the area under the project would be agricultural land,” he said. “Six parties had initially come forward to set up the project, but after finding the high cost of acquisition of land, they have expressed apprehensions about the economic viability of the project,” said Mr Singla. Principal Secretary, Industry, Punjab S.C. Aggarwal said, “The state government has scrapped the idea of setting up multi-product SEZ and would soon submit a proposal to set up product specific SEZ.” In a letter written to the Prime Minister and subsequent meeting last month, he said, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has urged the Centre to subsidise the cost of acquisition of about 1000 acres of land to set up product-specific SEZ. |
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State of AIDS in Uttar Pradesh — I
Lucknow, August 3 The suicide note that he left behind, along with the medical reports, mentioned that because of a mistake committed seven years ago, he had contracted the dreaded disease. He had confessed to his wife who did not want to live without him so they were both committing suicide. Raghunath was the fourth person to die within a year because of AIDS in this village alone. The others who returned to die in their native village are 40-year-old Dharmendra Pandey and his wife and 37-year old Rangi Lal Dubey. Both Dharmendra and Rangi Lal had been working in Pune as truck drivers. They were among the 50-odd truck drivers from this village working in Pune and Mumbai. However, these deaths are not part of the state’s official HIV positive statistics. When minister of state for Health and Medical Jaiveer Singh admitted on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha last week that there were 10,896 HIV positive cases in the state, Raghunath and the others who succumbed to the disease in Razapur Saraiya did not figure. This is because they had got themselves tested in Pune and Mumbai, and are not part of the state’s official statistics. In the case of Raghunath, he had undergone the test twice. Once in Pune on June 7 and then again in Mumbai on June 12, 2005. Even the minister admits that in the absence of authentic data, the true picture in the state cannot be ascertained. Officially there is no Sant Kabir Nagar AIDS data, available with the state government. This recently bifurcated district has no Voluntary Counselling and Treatment Cell (VCTC) from where district-level data can be compiled. Presenting a hypothetical view, the UP State AIDS Control Society (UPSACS) Joint Director, Dr Yogesh Chandra, said the people from Sant Kabir Nagar must have been going to the neighbouring district of Basti for getting the HIV positive test done. Therefore, they would most likely be reflected in the 145 HIV positive cases reported from Basti, claims Dr Chandra. While UP as a whole is considered a ‘low prevalence’ area, the minister informed the Vidhan Sabha that the state government has identified five high prevalence districts in the state. They are Varanasi (1442 cases), Allahabad (793 cases), Lucknow (750 cases), Agra (648 cases) and Gorakhpur (255 cases). According to data provided by UPSACS, which was formed in 1998 to implement the National AIDS Control Programme- Phase II, there are certain districts like Balrampur, Badayun and Deoria that have not registered a single HIV positive case. In districts like Ambedkarnagar, Barabanki, Mahoba, Lakhimpur Khiri., Sitapur, Pilibhit, Shajehanpur, Rampur and Sonbhadra they are in single digits. However, Dr Chandra admits that the process of collecting the data is completely voluntary. It means that in 59 of the 70 districts as well as the nine medical colleges there are VCTCs. Anyone can go there and get an AIDS test done free of cost. Those tested positive become part of the state’s official statistics. The rest don’t. Considering the level of alertness regarding health issues and the health seeking behaviour of an average citizen, let alone a resourceless migrant labourer, it can well be imagined how many cases may not be reflected in the official statistics. Speaking to The Tribune, Mr Jaiveer Singh declared that the state was a ‘carrier’ of the disease. The migrant labour working in other more prosperous parts of the country were bringing in the virus and due to lack of awareness, spreading it indiscriminately. Dr Chandra informs that UP has 1,614 full blown AIDS cases which is a minuscule 1.47 per cent of the 1,09,349 full blown cases in the country. However, in the absence of authentic data, nothing can be sure. The first baseline survey would be conducted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the districts of Sultanpur and Rae Bareli, informed Dr Chandra. The fact that both these districts are not high prevalence districts, as identified by the state government, is immaterial. Their claim to fame is being the stronghold of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Mr Jaiveer Singh informs that the five key components of the UP State HIV prevention programme in the state are: (1) targeted intervention for communities at high risk like truckers and commercial sex workers; (2) prevention of HIV transmission among low risk groups like young couples, secondary level students etc; (3) providing low-cost AIDS care to patients; (4) strengthening institutional capabilities and (5) intersectoral collaboration among public, private and voluntary sectors for an expanded response to the epidemic. Despite claims to the contrary, the performance of UPSACS on all these counts has been dismal as substantiated by the latest report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India. |
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France allows ‘patka’ in schools
New Delhi, August 3 “The last meeting was held in July and the French officials informed us that some school authorities and Sikh religious leaders have derived a formula that would allow Sikh boys to wear patkas,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said. He said the Indian Government was still pursuing the matter with the French authorities as students in some government schools have rejoined, but there are few others who are boycotting. The problem, said the minister, persisted in some schools. “We are trying to sort it out.”
“We have been meeting French officials,” Azad told the Lok Sabha. Shiromani Akali Dal MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, raising the issue under Rule 377 after question hour in the Lok Sabha, said, “The ban on Sikhs wearing turbans to school has insulted the community. Our boys are prevented from attending schools. What is the government doing about it?” Turban is part and parcel of the Sikh identity and the members of the community cannot be and should not be
separated from turban, he said. France had passed a law debarring display religious symbols in government-aided schools. Accordingly Christians were not allowed to display a big cross, Jews were not permitted to wear hats and Muslims were not allowed to wear headscarves. |
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After flood, epidemic
threat
Mumbai, August 3 Though the worst is over, heavy rains continue to lash parts of Maharashtra forcing the state administration to evacuate people living close to dams. Volunteers from several non-government organisations, government officials, the Army and the Navy are still distributing food, water and essential supplies to villagers, who are living in makeshift camps outside Mumbai. So far more than 84,000 people in different parts of the state are living in camps across the state. Organisations like the Red Cross are appealing for emergency supplies like medicines, blankets, clothes and disinfectants for the flood-hit people. Though life in Mumbai is fast returning to normal, residents in many parts of the city and suburbs are complaining about the lack of transport facilities. Roads and railway services in many parts have been shut as floods destroyed infrastructure. In the suburbs of Mumbra and Dombivli along the Central Railway lines, residents came out on the streets and stoned trains after the railway authorities decided not to halt trains at these stations. The trains bypassed these stations since the tracks had been damaged in the rains. Angry commuters, who were unable to get to work descended on the tracks and halted passing trains and pelted them with stones. The police said the mob of more than 3000 persons chased away police personnel before going on a rampage. Officials of the Western Railway reported that tracks along the platforms of Vasai station were damaged forcing trains to bypass this stop as well. However, no incidents of violence have been reported from this areas. Meanwhile, sanitation workers from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are working overtime to remove garbage and carcass of animals to prevent an epidemic hitting the city. So far 500 tonnes of garbage have been collected and the dumping grounds outside the city have been filled up, officials say. In Kalina, where water levels rose 15 feet last week, garbage is being dumped along the streets since the dumping grounds are far away. The civic authorities are planning to pour disinfectent on them to prevent an epidemic. However, the Indian Airlines colony near the airport has still not been touched by the civic bodies since the place continues to be waterlogged. Civic officials are still struggling to drain out water. Meanwhile,
Maharashtra’s Irrigation Department has ordered the release of water
from dams near Nashik town following heavy rains. More than 35000 cusecs
of water from Gangapur and Darna dams had been released since Tuesday
evening. Thousands of people living in downstream areas were evacuated. |
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Zaheera accuses Setalvad of force
Ahmedabad, August 3 Zaheera appeared before the Commission, probing the Godhra train carnage, for cross-examination without her advocate Atul Mistri, after getting several warnings from the panel for failing to appear before it. Zaheera, a survivor and crucial eyewitness of the Bakery carnage, maintained she had not filed any affidavit before the Commission even as she admitted that
the signature on the affidavit dated May 20, 2002 was hers. During the cross-examination by advocate Mukul Sinha, she said that she was “coaxed” and taken to the Vadodara circuit house by three persons at the behest of Setalvad and also “made” to sign court documents. But she denied that she had filed any affidavit. In the affidavit, Zaheera has described the entire attack by violent crowd on Best bakery and also named seven of the accused persons who were part of the rioting group who attacked their premises on March 1, 2002. To a question by Sinha as to who were the three persons and at whose behest they were working, Zaheera gave their names as Mohammed Vora, Munna Mallik and Arif Mallik and said they were “following instructions of Setalvad.”
— PTI |
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Haryana assures SC on illegal mining ban
New Delhi, August 3 The assurance was given by Solicitor General G.E. Vahanvati, appearing for the Haryana Government, to a Bench of Mr Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Mr Justice B.N. Srikrishna and Mr Justice P.P. Naolekar, hearing a PIL on the issue of illegal mining. Mr Vahanavati said as per the action plan, a three-pronged strategy provided to check illegal mining at source, prevent transportation of the extracted material out of the area and stop its sale to prospective consumers. The Haryana Government’s response came in the wake of allegations by amicus curiae Ranjit Kumar that despite the court order, illegal mining was continuing in the region with impunity. He also placed on record photographs taken recently, showing trucks carrying mined material out from Aravali hills of Faridabad and Gurgaon districts in Haryana and Alwar district in Rajasthan. The court had earlier taken the Faridabad Deputy Commissioner and the Range Inspector General of Police to task for their failure to implement the ban order. The PIL seeking complete ban on mining in the region, had been filed by environmentalist lawyer M.C. Mehta, contending that protection of Aravali ranges from environment degradation was necessary to stop expansion of the Thar Desert eastward. |
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HC moved over Mumbai deluge
Mumbai, August 3 The PIL was filed by the Project Smita, an NGO established in the memory of late actress Smita Patil, by film maker Mahesh Bhatt, producer-director Ashok Pandit, theatre personality Aleque Padamsee and other film personalities, including Raman Kumar, Vinta Nanda, Soni Razdan and Anu Ranjan. The PIL, filed through lawyers Majeed Memon and Mihir Desai, would come up for hearing in due course. Besides the Centre and state government, other respondents are the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, the Commissioner of Police, the Railway authorities and the India Meteorological Department. The PIL prayed for a direction to the respondents to disclose steps taken by them to rehabilitate flood victims.
— PTI |
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Provogue owner in police custody
Mumbai, August 3 Chaturvedi was arrested yesterday for allegedly trading in cocaine at the night clubs owned by him. The court today summoned Senior Police Inspector M B Katade after Chaturvedi’s lawyer Amit Desai alleged that the police had planted three vials of cocaine in the toilet of his house. The police, however, insisted that the vials of cocaine were found in his house. The cocaine ring was busted earlier this year when an employee of Provogue Allwyn Sequeira sent a parcel containing cocaine to company director Vishal Meghnani in Chennai. Meghnani is said to have implicated several Bollywood personalities including actors and music composers, and some prominent media personalities. The Provogue lounges in Mumbai, which turn into party joints at night, too have been raided after Meghnani said some of these drug transactions took place at this venue. Meghnani also allegedly told the police that party organisers usually sprayed some mind-altering substance through the air-conditioning systems of the Provogue lounges so that revellers could party all night without getting exhausted. Among those arrested include two police officers who allegedly tampered with the parcels of cocaine and attempted to substitute the cocaine with spurious substitutes. Two Tanzanian nationals who allegedly supplied cocaine to Mumbai’s swish set too have been held following the Provogue bust. |
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Woman hurt in Ayodhya attack dead
Ayodhya, August 3 The police here said Shanti Devi (40) had suffered bullet injuries during the attack and was later admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow. She succumbed to injuries yesterday and her mortal remains were consigned to flames here today. Meanwhile, Shanti’s husband, Ram Chandar, a vegetable seller rendered jobless due to the dismantling of his shop during a recent anti-encroachment drive, has appealed for help to his family, that has become penniless due to the costly treatment of Shanti. “We have not received any assistance from the Centre or the state for the treatment of Shanti and are presently squeezed of all our finances. If the government did not come to our help, we will be in great trouble,’’ he added. Meanwhile, the UP police today brought the four terrorists, arrested in Jammu and Kashmir in connection with the July 5 attack, to Faizabad. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Avinash Chandra told UNI here that the ultras would be produced before a Faizabad court tomorrow. The terrorists were being kept under tight security. — UNI
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No outsourcing of passport work
New Delhi, August 3 The government had also decided to reissue passports within 10 days to applicants, who had lost their documents or whose documents were destroyed, Minister of State for External Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh said in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour. Replying to questions from the members, Mr Rao Inderjit Singh said the specified time period for the issue of fresh passports under the Tatkal Scheme had been revised from 1-10 days and 11-35 days to 1-10 days and 11-20 days, respectively. Besides, the Home Ministry had been requested to instruct the state governments to expedite the police verification process and send reports to the passport offices within two weeks, he added. The government had already given instructions for the issue of passports within 30 days subject to the receipt of clear police verification report. The government will open passport offices at Dehra Dun, Raipur and upgrade the existing collection centre at Shimla. |
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Govt told to reconsider arms supply to Nepal
New Delhi, August 3 “We have pointed out that if these supplies continues, it would legitimise the authoritarianism of the King,” said Nepal Democracy Solidarity Committee formed by the Nine
political parties. The committee also decided to organise a convention on August 26 to seek immediate
restoration of multi-party democracy in the Himalayan Kingdom besides other issues. CPM leader Sitaram Yechury and NCP’s D.P. Tripathi told reporters here that the parties also decided to establish a forum called Parliamentarians for Democracy in Nepal to mobilise national and international opinion on the issue, during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament. The party leaders said several Nepali citizens, who recently crossed over to India through the open borders for medical treatment, were being “harassed” by the police especially in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on suspicion of being Maoists. Yechury and Tripathi said the Solidarity Committee would shortly meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Shivraj Patil to raise these issues. |
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263 pilots sought premature retirement
New Delhi, August 3 Mr Mukherjee told the Rajya Sabha that requests for acceptance of premature retirement from the Air Force pilots were considered according to rules. He said majority of pilots seek retirement after putting in 20 years of service. He admitted there were opportunities in the civil aviation sector. “When avenues are available, people would like to go there,” he said. Responding to supplementaries, Mr Mukherjee said there was no major variation in the trend in the number of pilots who have taken premature retirement in the last three years. He said the present policy of premature retirement was quite commensurate with the requirement. |
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‘Make harvesting of rain water mandatory’
New Delhi, August 3 The Ministry of Urban Development, in consultation with Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), modified building byelaws, 1983, to incorporate mandatory provision for roof top rain water harvesting in all new buildings of 100 sq m and above in Delhi. Similar steps to make rooftop rain water harvesting mandatory have also been taken in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, said Minister of State for Water Resources Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha yesterday. He said the government was aware that due to growing population, the per capita water availability was reducing year after year. The government, he said, was providing assistance to state governments through various programmes for developing water resources, improving water use efficiency through proper water management, including artificial recharge of ground water, restoring the traditional water bodies. |
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Stupa with Buddha hair found in Orissa
Bhubaneswar, August 3 Orissa Culture Minister Dr Damodar Rout told mediapersons today a number of plain railing pillars were also discovered from the site, five of which were inscribed — three in early Brahmi characters and two in proto Oriya and Oriya script. One of them, which has been inscribed as “Kesa Thupa” could be containing eight strands of Lord Buddha’s hair, which he gave to his devotee Tapusa, according to the Buddhist text “Anguttara Kikaya.” The other two pillars, have “Bheku Tapasu Danam” and “Kalinga Raj” inscribed and throw light upon the donation by Bhiku Tapasu, who was once a known merchant of Utkal, for the construction of Stupa at Tarapur. According to archaeologist Debraj Pradhan who undertook the excavation, the ruins of the “Kesa stupa” were in a square structure made of laterite blocks, burnt bricks, railing pillars and cross bar.
— UNI |
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Cases of NRIs deserting brides being probed
New Delhi, August 3 Out of these, one case each from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan; two cases each from Haryana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, have come to the notice of the government, said the Minister of State (independent charge) for Overseas Indian Affairs, Mr Jagdish Tytler. Mr Tytler said that the state governments had been asked to take remedial measures, including the creation of separate cells, to provide free legal counselling for the prospective brides. |
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