Lucknow, August 6
Within weeks of firing the Bundelkhand University Vice-Chancellor, Governor T.V. Rajeshwar has now sacked Meerut's Chaudhury Charan Singh University's Vice-Chancellor Dr Ram Pal Singh, thus sending out a clear message that he means business.

The Governor, in his capacity as Chancellor, dismissed Dr Ram Pal Singh "for misusing his position and for wilfully acting against the provisions of the UP State Universities Act, 1973 Statutes and Relevant Ordinances".

Responding to the complaints of grave financial, academic and administrative irregularities allegedly committed by Dr Ram Pal Singh, the Governor had ordered an inquiry on March, 11 under Section 12 (12) of the UP State Universities Act, 1973, by senior IAS officer and Principal Secretary, Agriculture, G.B. Pattanaik.

The inquiry indicted Dr Ram Pal Singh for illegally constituting inspection panels for affiliation of various institutions at his level and for recommending affiliation of institutions to the government and Chancellor's office in flagrant violation of the prescribed procedures and norms.

Inquiry also found him guilty of permitting at least 18 institutions, running B.Ed courses, to admit students under "management quota" against prescribed norms for monetary gains.

Financial irregularity to the tune of Rs 18 crores was detected in the construction of several buildings on the campus.

After receiving the report on June 7, Governor T.V. Rajeswar had served a show-cause notice to Dr Ram Pal Singh asking him to explain as to why action should not be taken against him.

At the same time, pending the Vice-Chancellor's response, the Governor had refrained him from performing his duty.

The Commissioner, Meerut Division, Mr Mohinder Singh, had been directed to discharge the functions of the Vice-Chancellor and would now do so till further orders.

While the student leaders and members of the governing body expressed relief at the removal of the controversial Vice-Chancellor, who had started his tenure in March, 2003, the teachers community was still cautious in openly airing their views.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior teacher revealed that much of the irregularities were committed with the aid and abetment of a caucus of around four senior colleagues.

"While the Vice-Chancellor has been shown the door his comrades- in-arms are very much there," he added.

Similarly, on July 16, the Vice- Chancellor of Bundelkhand University in Jhansi was given marching orders by the Governor when an enquiry had found VC Prof Ramesh Chandra guilty of irregularities in evaluation of answer sheets of CPMT-2002 examinations.

He was also found responsible for conferring Ph.D degrees against the prescribed rules.

The enquiry had confirmed the charges received by the Governor regarding Prof Chandra appointing close relatives on the faculty, including his wife, sister and nephew.

Many more irregularities in appointing of both teaching and non-teaching staff were detected.

The pro-active involvement of the Governor in institutions of higher education started within weeks of his taking over charge in July, 2004.

His determined stand by not signing on the dotted line to allow the formation of the Jauhar Urdu University at Rampur last August having State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Azam Khan as the life-long pro-chancellor led to much shadow boxing throughout the year.

On the orders of the Governor, eight of the 21 state universities are already under the scanner for irregularly running distance-learning centres outside the state.

Principal Secretary Environment Vinod Malhotra is conducting the enquiry.

When these irregularities were brought to the notice of the Governor, he immediately suspended these courses after a preliminary enquiry.

The Vice-Chancellors who have been found guilty prima facie belong to Chaudhury Charan Singh University, Meerut, Vir Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University, Jaunpur, Mahatrma Jyotiba Phule Ruhelkhand University, Barielly, and Bundel Khand University , Jhansi. Two of them have since been removed.

Besides, three agricultural universities were also found to be involved in the bungling in distance education.

They are the Chandreshekhar Azad Agriculture University at Kanpur, Narendra Dev Agriculture University at Faizabad and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Agriculture University at Meerut.

New Delhi, August 6
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has come in support of workers in Ludhiana, who have been demanding that their unions be registered, and warned that failure to recognise unions will be more detrimental for the future of Punjab and its people.

“The massive rally in Ludhiana on July 31 served the notice to the government and the concerned authorities that the failure to recognise unions will be more detrimental for the future of Punjab and its people,” the CPM mouthpiece People’s Democracy said in its editorial.

The factory owners in Ludhiana have been resisting the registration of the unions and the state government and its labour commissioner continue to play their tune.

The factory owners have in fact gone to the extent of petitioning the state government not to allow the registrations of the unions lest Ludhiana becomes another Kolkata, it said.

The party argued that on the contrary, it would do Ludhiana and Punjab a lot of good if it transforms into another Kolkata. “If the Japanese corporations have their largest investments in India in West Bengal, while following strictly the labour laws why cannot foreign and domestic capital do the same in Ludhiana? The law of the land is equally applicable to Kolkata as it is to Ludhiana or anywhere else in the country,” it said.

Highlighting the workers agitation in Gurgaon, farmers movement in the Ganganagar-Hanumangarh-Bikaner belt, the CPM said, “All these popular movements point only in one direction. And that is the failure of the respective governments in meeting the genuine requirements of the people. Clearly, if the governments continue to protect those who violate the law of the land and continue to renege on their own previous agreements, then the people are left with no choice but to mount militant struggles.”

Indicating the party’s strategy to be adopted to strengthen its mass base in country, the party said “these struggles will have to be strengthened in the future all across the country in the defence of people’s interests and India’s economic sovereignty.”

The popular unrest unfolds a golden opportunity for the Left parties particularly CPM and CPI, which have been making an attempt to expand its base in north India, as envisaged in the respective party congresses.

New Delhi, August 6
The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, reviewed the energy situation in the country and said the recent steps taken in the field of nuclear energy should increase the share of nuclear energy in the overall energy mix of the economy.

“We have to ensure that we build-up adequate energy security to insulate the economy from any future shock”, the Prime Minister said in the first meeting of the newly constituted energy coordination committee (ECC)

Emphasising the importance of tapping all sources of energy, including petroleum, natural gas, coal, biomass, solar, hydro and nuclear, the Prime Minister advised ministries to ensure that adequate investments were made keeping in mind the expected growth in demand arising out of higher rate of economic growth and the modernization, urbanization and commercialization of economic activity.

Senior members of the Union Council of Ministers dealing with energy sector, senior officials and economic policy advisors participated in the two-hour meeting here today.

The Prime Minister said in the light of the continuing rise of international oil prices, India must diversify its energy supplies, manage energy resources more economically and pursue rational pricing policies.

The Prime Minister said that India must invest in nuclear energy and the recent steps he had taken to end India’s global isolation in this regard should help the country increase the share of nuclear energy in the overall energy mix of the economy.

New Delhi, August 6
The Supreme Court yesterday asked the Election Commission (EC) to submit its reply by Monday to the two petitions seeking deferring of elections in Bihar till the final decisions by the court on the issue of dissolution of the Assembly.

Issuing notice to the EC, a Bench of Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti, Mr Justice G.P. Mathur and Mr Justice P.K. Balasubramanyan sought EC affidavit after Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam submitted that the Union Government’s affidavit was ready and would be filed before the matter was taken up for hearing on Monday.

Among a bunch of petitions on the issue of Bihar Assembly dissolution, two petitioners — Independent MLA Purnima Yadav and lawyer Viplav Sharma — had sought a direction to the EC not to issue election process till the matter was decided by the apex court.

Their petitions are separate from the one filed by four NDA MLAs on which notices to the Centre and Governor were issued earlier.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Ms Yadav, said as per the apex court’s ruling in Gujarat case on Presidential reference, the election had to be held within six months from the date of dissolution of the Assembly, which in Bihar’s case was May 23 and hence there was still sufficient time for holding the poll.

Supaul (Bihar), August 6
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and his bete noire Nitish Kumar today locked horns over a Rs 323 crore railway bridge over Kosi river in Bihar with each claiming credit for the mega project and accusing the other of dirty politics.

“Faced with rapidly shrinking public support, Lalu Prasad is indulging in politics of fraud by trying to cash in on the good work done by the previous NDA government at the Centre,” Kumar, Lalu’s predecessor in the Railway Ministry and NDA’s chief ministerial candidate in the state, said.

Kumar accused the Railway Minister of claiming credit for the project whose foundation was laid by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, drawing sharp reaction from RJD chief. — PTI

Mumbai, August 6
The Opposition Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party combine are demanding a huge compensation for Maharashtra in a bid to beat the demand for separating Mumbai from the state.

Both parties insist that offering funds to the state and beefing up Mumbai's local government systems would help the city cope with last fortnight's monsoon disaster.

Echoing Mr Thackeray, BJP leader L. K. Advani demanded that the Central Government should provide Rs 5,000 crore for carrying out relief and rehabilitation work in the state. Addressing reporters, while touring the flood-hit areas of Mumbai today, Mr Advani said Rs 500 crore provided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the city was inadequate.

"The Centre should also expeditiously set up a National Disaster Management Authority to tackle such emergencies in future," Mr Advani said.

He noted that the setting up of such a body was proposed by the National Disaster Management Committee, headed by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Mr Advani reminded the ruling Congress-NCP coalition that Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar was the committee's vice-chairman when the recommendation was made.

He visited the city's worst-hit areas, including Andheri, Kalina and the landslide hit Rawalpada area.

The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha also announced that the BJP-ruled states would rush financial assistance to Maharashtra for relief work.

Mr Advani also urged the state government to prepare an Infrastructure Development Plan for the city.

Shiv Sena leader Raj Thackeray too demanded a strong compensation for Mumbai and said the Central Government's relief to the state should be similar to that provided to Tamil Nadu after last year's tsunami.

New Delhi, August 6
The Supreme Court has stayed defamation proceedings against Himachal Pradesh Finance Corporation (HPFC) chief before a Kolkata Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) in an industrial dispute case pertaining to taking over the possession of the paper units of two Kolkata-based companies at Barotiwala and Kala Amb by the state government after they failed to pay the dues in respect of the industrial unit purchase agreement.

The Kolkata-based companies, Napa Paper Ltd with its unit at Barotiwala and Oriental Remedies and Herbals Ltd at Kala Amb, had filed three complaints against HPFC Chief General Manager Hitendra Sharma before a Kolkata MM, accousing him of harming their reputation by bringing out public notices against them for recovery of money with regard to the purchase agreement for setting up paper mills in the state.

Accepting the contention of Himachal Pradesh Additional Advocate-General (AAG) J.S. Attri that the public notices were issued by the HPFC and the Himachal Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (HPSIDC) as part of inspection proceedings of the assets of the two companies, a Bench of Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Mr Justice P.P. Naolekar said the proceedings before the MM would remain stayed till the disposal of Mr Sharma’s special leave petition (SLP) against the Calcutta High Court order, declining to stay the trial proceedings.

The interim relief from the Supreme Court came as a major relief to the HPFC chief, who had only performed his duty to protect the interests of the state, Mr Attri said.

Mr Sharma in his SLP contended that the public notices were issued with a view to saving the assets from being damaged in the industrial units of the two companies, which were closed, and many of them were removed in the interim period and the directors of the companies had failed to respond to the communications sent to them.

The HPFC chief contended that the high court had declined to stay the defamation proceedings before the MM with respect of two complaints of the companies directors even when an identical third complaint was dismissed by him.

As per the public notices, the HPFC and HPSIDC had to recover Rs 61.42 lakh and Rs 1.19 crore from Napa Paper and Oriental Remedies and Herbals, respectively.

It also had alleged that the two companies had become defunct, electricity to them was disconnected and their buildings were in a bad condition.

The HPFC and HPSIDC in their public notices had said that since the two firms had not cleared the dues, they did not hold any legal title over the properties and assets established by them in Barotiwala and Kala Amb industrial areas.

The public notice had further said that anybody dealing with the directors of the two companies in respect of their properties without the consent of the HPSIDC and HPFC would be doing so on their own risk and any such dealings would not affect the rights of the two corporations of acquiring these properties.

But the two companies took the public notices of January 27, 1997 as defamatory to their reputation and had chosen to proceed against the HPFC chief.

Bangalore, August 6
Though former Prime Minister H.D. Dewe Gowda has won round one of his fight against senior party leader Siddaramaiah who was removed from the post of Deputy Chief Minister of the Congress – J.D.(S) coalition government in the state, the battle seems to be far from over. Mr Siddaramaiah, who was expected to join the Congress or form a regional outfit of his own, today claimed he was with the Janata Dal and would stay put in the party.

Mr Siddaramaiah was removed from the post of Deputy Chief Minister last night after Speaker Krishna upheld the petition of he majority section of the JD(S) which had appointed Mr Prakash as the leader of the legislature party in place of the Deputy Chief Minister. The fate of Mr Siddaramaiah and two other rebel ministers —Dr H.C. Mahadevappa and Mr Satish Jharkiholi —were sealed along with him last night when the JD(S) was able to prevail upon Chief Minister Dharam Singh to drop them from the Cabinet.

The sacked Deputy Chief Minister does not seem to be in any mood to go down yet. Talking to newsmen here today, he said there was no question of his leaving the JD(S). He said he had been instrumental in building the JD(S) along with Mr Deve Gowda and could not understand the treatment being meted out to him.

However, upon questioning, he said Mr Deve Gowda’s ambition to further the political careers of his sons had cost him dear. He also charged the former Prime Minister with playing caste politics. He said before the formation of the coalition government, JD leader Sharad Yadav had during a breakfast meeting asked Mr Gowda to ask for the post of Chief Minister and also assured him that he would get it for his party. “However, Mr Gowda opted for the post of Deputy Chief Minister because he did not want to make me, a Scheduled Caste, Chief Minister of the state”.

The sacked leader has decided to go to the people to make Mr Gowda more uncomfortable and test the political waters. He announced today that he would address a rally of backward castes at Tumkur on August 20 which would be followed by rallies and meetings throughout the state. Mr Siddaramaiah’s supporters are also orchestrating protests throughout the State with two buses being burnt by his supporters in Hoskote yesterday. The sacked leader, however, tried to distance himself from these protests and asked his supporters today not to resort to violence.

Meanwhile, rapid political developments occurred in the city. Today, NDA leader George Fernandes met Mr Siddaramaiah. The sacked leader, however, claimed that he was not being lured into the NDA fold. Yesterday and even today, Mr Siddaramaiah met certain Congress leaders also. A section of the Congress is keen that he join the party as the party would get a fillip among the weaker sections as Mr Siddaramaiah represents the Karuba community in the state.

Sources said Mr Siddaramaiah is, however, keen to make Mr Gowda uncomfortable in his own party before shifting base. He also announced today that JD (S) national vice-president C.M. Ibrahim would address a press conference on Moday. This is also likely to be important and could signal the start of a revolt in the JD(S) as Mr Ibrahim was also seen to be uncomfortable with Mr Gowda in the recent past.

Dibrugarh (Assam), August 6
The North Korean concept of "mothers` clubs" introduced in Assam has considerably improved the lot of women working in the tea gardens here.

The women labour force employed in tea estates, almost 8 lakh strong, forms one of the biggest workforce in the entire nation employed in an agro-based industry.

A recent survey in some tea estates of upper Assam showed such "mothers’ clubs" have succeeded in improving the condition of rural women. Most of these clubs were formed in late nineties.

"The main problems in our tea gardens are lack of awareness about basic health and hygiene, childcare and nutrition, education, and alcoholism. Now we have decided to take on all these problems and we are getting a good response," said Ramani Nayak, a member of the mothers` clubs at Maijan tea estate in Dibrugarh.

Each club holds regular meetings in which members discuss day-to-day problems and those related to the community.

P.Khound, a medical officer working in the tea estate, said: "This is a North Korean concept which was first introduced in the tea gardens of Dooars in West Bengal. After the successful implemention in Dooars, the gardens in Assam also decided to introduce the same."

“The clubs also help women to bargain with the garden owners and management for their just demands,” he added.

Jaipur, August 6
In its effort to streamline the police administration, the Rajasthan Government has embarked on a rigorous programme of removing those officials whose performance was not up to the mark and their integrity was doubtful.

Pursuant to this, the Director General of Police, Mr A.S. Gill, issued orders yesterday giving compulsory retirement in the first phase to as many as 75 tainted policemen, including sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors posted at various places.

Senior officials had recommended the termination of as many as 86 police personnel.

Action is also being taken to remove the remaining 11 cops. The work of scrutinising the service record of police officials for giving compulsory retirement in the second phase is going on.