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100 held outside Orissa CM house
7 more die of dengue, 54 cases in Haryana
Agra summit did not discuss any draft: Yashwant
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Maoists set afire 3 railway engines
George to campaign for Mulayam
Move to upgrade labs hailed
No party backs ban on colas: CM
Pervez’s book trailing Mukhtaran Mai’s in popularity
Chartered helicopter service launched
Speaker leaves for Geneva
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100 held outside Orissa CM house
Bhubaneswar, October 15 Shouting slogans against the Chief Minister and the state government, the protesters demanded that Patnaik should come out to “explain the wisdom of allowing the foreign firm to set up a project in their area which would displace a large population.” “We had come here only to submit our memorandum. The police first tried forcibly to stop us on the way and the Chief Minister did not come out to listen to the people,” Ms Patkar told reporters even as the police was trying hard to convince them to vacate the area. The NBA leader said, “Police acted in an undemocratic manner and many of the protesters were injured in the scuffle. It seemed the South Korean firm was nearer to him than the people living in his state.” Reacting to her allegation, Mr Patnaik said, “I was informed at 9 am this morning about their proposal to discuss with me and submit a memorandum. Even I had invited Ms Patkar and Dr B.D. Sharma (Bharat Jan Andolan leader) to my residence for discussion.” “They seemed not willing to discuss. This is not the right way to come for discussion. There are certain legal provisions for holding demonstration outside Raj Bhavan, state secretariat and Chief Minister’s residence, they should have kept this in mind,” he said. Ms Patkar had set an 18-hour deadline for the government to respond as a group of protesters had been sitting on a dharna for the past three weeks now demanding an open discussion on the fallout of the Posco project. “When the deadline expired, we decided to come here,” she said. The Chief Minister claimed that the state had formulated an “excellent” rehabilitation and resettlement policy, which was considered to be the best in the country. “I hope all problems would be solved under the policy framework,” Mr Patnaik said, adding “We are always open to discussion.” Meanwhile, four agitators injured in the scuffle have been admitted to the Capital Hospital
here. — PTI
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7 more die of dengue, 54 cases in Haryana
New Delhi, October 15 The total number of dengue cases across the country has increased from 4,875 to 5,090. Although the official figure on the total number of dengue cases till 10 am on Sunday was 5,036, sources in the Health Ministry said 54 more cases had been reported from Haryana. The total number of dengue cases in Haryana has increased from 113 on Saturday to 167 today. According to the control room of the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme
(NVBDCP), 161 fresh cases have been reported from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in the past 24 hours. While 92 fresh cases have been reported in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), 69 fresh cases have been reported in Uttar Pradesh. While the number of dengue cases in Delhi and the NCR has increased from 1,373 on Saturday to 1,465 on Sunday, the number in Uttar Pradesh during the same period has risen from 349 to 418. According to data compiled by the
NVBDCP, 49 fresh cases of dengue have been reported in the national Capital and another 43 cases have been reported by Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida and Sonepat. Apart from the New Delhi Municipal Council, which has reported three fresh cases of dengue, eight municipal zones have reported 46 fresh cases. The maximum increase has been reported by the central zone (12 cases) followed by the western zone (eight cases). AIIMS has reported three dengue deaths and 61 fresh admissions in the last 24 hours. Dr D.K. Sharma, Medical Superintendent of RP Centre at AIIMS, said 30-year-old Manoj Singh died in the casualty ward within hours of being brought to the institute. He was a resident of
Gurgaon. Mujaffar Iqbal (60) and Kumwar Singh (70) also died of dengue. Iqbal belonged to Muzaffarnagar and Kumwar Singh hailed from Rajapuri in Delhi. Both had been admitted to the institute for treatment. Dr Sharma said at present, 192 dengue patients had been hospitalised at the institute. Of these, nine were in the Intensive Care Unit. Another 170 patients were under observation. He said 61 fresh dengue admissions had been made since Saturday. Besides AIIMS, a large number of persons from Delhi and the NCR are also going to Ram Manohar Lohia
(RML) hospital. Sources in the RML Hospital said they had admitted 76 patients with febrile illness in the past 24 hours. Of these, two were confirmed cases of dengue. At present, 299 persons have been
hospitalised at the RML Hospital. These include
both confirmed and suspected cases.
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Agra summit did not discuss any draft: Yashwant
New Delhi, October 15 “The fact of the matter is that the Prime Minister did not discuss any draft with General Musharraf at Agra,” the BJP leader wrote in the party journal ‘BJP Today’. Also, Mr Sinha said there was only one draft and not two as the Pakistani leader had claimed. “The draft was discussed between the two foreign ministers and then the final Pakistan offer was brought for the consideration of the Prime Minister,” Mr Sinha said. The whole cabinet committee on security (CCS), except for the Defence Minister, was present in Agra to assist the Prime Minister, he recalled. “The document was discussed at the informal meeting of the CCS and was not approved. General Musharraf’s effort to hustle the Prime Minister into accepting the unacceptable failed miserably,” he said in his review of “In the Line of Fire”. The BJP leader, who insisted General Musharraf had arrived in Agra with hopes to “conquer” India, said Indian leaders were also ready to return home without a joint statement during the 2004 summit in Islamabad if their concerns were not fully met.
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Maoists set afire 3 railway engines
Rourkela, October 15 The Maoists had also called for Orissa-Jharkhand-Bihar bandh yesterday demanding unconditional release of MCC area commander, Sobha, alias Budhuni Marandi and her two associates, arrested from Ramjodi under Lathikata police station of Rourkela police district on October 7. Official sources said though a police team was camping at Kbalang apprehending trouble during the bandh, additional police force was rushed to the spot soon after the snatching and arsons. — UNI
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George to campaign for Mulayam
New Delhi, October 15 Coming out after an hour-long meeting with the senior BJP leader, Mr Fernandes, one of the founders of the NDA, the only non-Congress coalition to complete its term at the Centre, said there was “no contradiction” in his stand because the NDA was a “platform of political parties.” He also said the issue did not figure in the meeting. Mr Fernandes said he would campaign for the SP if the JD (U) went ahead its proposed alliance with the Apna Dal of Mr Sonelal Patel in UP Assembly election. His announcement is not only a message to the BJP but also to his own party JD (U). But observers said Mr Fernandes was only bring the issue of an alliance between the JD (U) and the Apna Dal because he would like to give a ideological colour to his decision of campaigning for the SP so that he could justify it morally and ideologically. Mr Advani’s meeting with the NDA convener was the first after the CBI named Mr Fernandes in the FIR place in connection with the purchase of Barak missile system for the Indian Navy. Mr Fernandes’ announcement comes after a day of the BJP’s full backing to him. The BJP said yesterday only that nobody could find fault with his personal integrity. The meeting also takes in the background of Mr Fernandes’ recent remarks that he would ‘happily leave the NDA’ if he was not wanted after the reports that the JD (U) had asked the NDA to remove him from the post of convener. He had also attended the meeting, convened by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav yesterday at Lucknow, marking the death anniversary of veteran socialist leader Late Ram Manohar Lohia, where he had announced that he would campaign for Mr Yadav’s party. With this development, the NDA is in a piquant situation in UP where the BJP is fighting on its own battle while its partner, the JD (U), has announced its intentions to fight with the Apna Dal led by Sone Lal Patel. Mr Fernandes has now announced he would side with the Samajwadi Party.
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Move to upgrade labs hailed
New Delhi, October 15 Dr P.L. Joshi, Director of the National Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) said the government plans to create, by the end of this year, a network of Central surveillance laboratories for chikungunya, dengue and other vector-borne diseases. For this, states have been asked to identify 79 laboratories. Apart from this, 12 laboratories in different institutes across the country have been identified for upgradation for advance diagnosis of vector-borne diseases. These include BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, PGI, Chandigarh, King’s Institute of Preventive Medicine, Chennai, National Institute of Communicable Diseases and All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh, Institute of Preventive Medicine, Hyderabad and National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, State Institute of Virology, Kerala, SGPGI, Lucknow and National Institute of Virology, Pune. “We want to strengthen laboratories in these institutes so that the surveillance system is improved,” NVBDCP Director told TNS. Experts at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi, are optimistic that the move would reduce the burden on the NICD and the National Institute of Virology, Pune. “These two institutes have been getting the maximum blood samples from various parts of the country,” sources in NICD said. Dr Shobha Broor of the Department of Microbiology at AIIMS said that although they haven’t received any notification on laboratory upgradation for vector-borne diseases, it is a welcome move. Professor A.K. Mukhopadhyay, Head of the Department of Laboratory Medicine at AIIMS, said that laboratory upgradation for advance diagnosis of vector-borne diseases will help in identification of different strains of virus.
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Kalam celebrates 75th birthday with spastic kids
Bangalore, October 15 The President cut a cake made by children of the Spastic Society of India in the presence of Karnataka Governor T.N. Chaturvedi and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy here before flying to the Billigiri Rangana hills to be among the Soliga tribals. The Soliga tribals collected in thousands at the Vivekananda Girija Kalaya Kendra, around 50 km from Mysore, to felicitate the President. During a function at the kendra, children sang birthday songs in Kannada, Tamil and English and presented bouquets to Dr Kalam. He later inaugurated the silver jubilee celebrations of the kendra and administered an eight-point oath to the tribals.
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No party backs ban on colas: CM
Lucknow, October 15 However, no political party seconded the idea, not even the BJP and the RLD that had initially raised the question. And the matter fizzled out like a stale cola. Responding to a query jointly raised during question hour by BJP MLA Laxmikant Bajpai and RJD MLA Ajay Kumar, the Chief Minister declared that he was well aware that these drinks were harming public health. Offering to negotiate with the traders not to sell these drinks if the elected representatives were in agreement over the issue, Mr Yadav requested the House to “find a way out” as he was keen to avoid the pitfall that happened in Kerala where the high court overruled the state government’s ban of bottling and sale of these cola drinks in the state. Accusing the US of not drinking what it sells to countries like India, the Chief Minister said that his government was getting samples tested. “But whether we get it tested or not it is beyond doubt that these drinks are harmful. Show me the way and I am ready for the ban”, he categorically stated in the House. Explaining how these drinks were harming the interests of the Indian farmers, the Chief Minister asserted that if people do not consume these drinks they might drink juice or eat fruits. “Our farmer in Himachal would have benefited greatly if these drinks are banned.” he quipped. Giving an example of the power of these multinational companies, the Chief Minister referred to the JPC appointed to review the issue in which his MP son Akhilesh Yadav was representing the Samajwadi party. “When the time for voting came strangely the majority vote went in favour of the MNCs. Such is the clout of these companies which sell soft drinks”. Earlier, raising the question the BJP and RLD MLAs wanted to know if pesticide was present in the cola drinks sold in the state and if the state government was considering to ban them if pesticide was indeed found. Deputy Leader of the Vidhan Sabha Ambika Chaudhury informed the House that eight samples of the drink had been sent to the government laboratory in Mysore since August this year after the report of the Centre for Science and Environment appeared.
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Pervez’s book trailing Mukhtaran Mai’s in popularity
New Delhi, October 15 Simon and Schuster, leading international publishers who published Gen Musharraf’s autobiography, “In the Line of Fire”, are coming out with another memoir from a Pakistani: Mukhtaran Mai, the world celebrated gang rape victim who was voted Woman of the Year 2005 by Glamour magazine. Mai’s book, aptly named “In the Name of Honour”, is already way ahead of Gen Musharraf’s bestseller. Her book has already been translated into 20 languages, including Hindi, while the translation rights of Gen Musharraf’s books are still at negotiating stage. In June 2002, journalists throughout the world began to hear of the gang rape of a Pakistani woman from the impoverished village of Meerwala. The rape was ordered by a local clan known as the Mastoi and was arranged as punishment for indiscretions allegedly committed by the woman’s brother. Mai, a woman of the peasant Gujar caste, not only fought back but single-handedly changed the feminist movement in Pakistan. Her decision to stand up to her accusers was an act of bravery unheard of in one of the world’s most adverse climates for women. Mai’s 12-year-old brother, Shakur, was accused by farmers of the powerful Mastoi caste, of having “spoken” to Salma, a 20-year-old woman of their clan. To avenge their lost honour, members of the Mastois gang raped the errant boy’s elder sister, Mukhtaran Mai. And the victim cannot even raise a finger because “the Mastois decide, and the Gujars obey.”
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Chartered helicopter service launched
Bangalore, October 15 HAL Chairman Ashok K. Baweja formally inaugurated the operations of Vayu Vahan at the Rotary Wing Academy situated in Bangalore Airport. The helicopter is designed to undertake emergency evacuation of patients from areas around Bangalore to the main hospitals in the city, which are equipped with a helipad. “We are extending this facility to all persons, organisations and hospitals,” Mr Baweja said. Lauding the efforts of the Rotary Wing Academy, the only helicopter academy in India, Mr Baweja said that with the launch of Vayu Vahan, HAL is committed to its corporate social responsibility. HAL will charge Rs 25,000 per hour for all planned and unplanned medical evacuations. The cost of normal charter operations is fixed at Rs 55,000 per hour. Mr Baweja also announced that HAL’s Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, would soon be pressed into service as part of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services.
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Speaker leaves for Geneva
New Delhi, October 15 The assembly would discuss the issues of cooperation between parliaments and the United Nations in promoting world peace, particularly from the perspective of fight against terrorism and energy security, a Lok Sabha Secretariat press note issued said. The session would also discuss the role of parliaments in overseeing the achievements of the millennium development goals, particularly with regard to the problem of debt and the eradication of poverty and corruption. The assembly, besides taking up a panel discussion on “Committee on Human Rights of Parliamentarians: 30 years of defending free speech”, may also include any event of international importance. After the conclusion of the assembly, the IPU will hold a special conference on “Parliamentary Broadcasting”. |
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