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Lord Paul faces protests at Singur
India poor in rural water safety
De-boarding of Kerala MP turns into a major row
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Tikait-Maya battle rages on
Jaya, Karuna clash over Hogenakkal
Tibetan refugees shave heads
Rizwanur Case
Bihar lawyers’ strike enters 8th day
Election Symbol
Ostracised for not supporting Cong in Assembly polls
Inflation: Rajnath fires salvo
at UPA govt
N-Deal
Cong to protest Maya’s remarks
Godhra Riots: SIT starts investigation
‘Sarod Rani’ dead
Army for enhanced cooperation from private sector
Talks on hold over inclusion of UGDP MLA
CBI raids Mumbai company for EPF evasion
Actress slaps man for ‘misbehaviour’
Culling begins in Tripura
Undertrial in jail for 34 yrs
Indo-German naval exercises begin
5 SIMI activists
held in MP
All PILs not bad: SC
Not married, say Sanjay, Manyata
3 kg RDX seized
near Siliguri
150 Mizos die of AIDS
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Lord Paul faces protests at Singur
Kolkata, April 8 The undaunted Lord Paul, however, boldly faced the protests and performed the bhumi puja with usual religiosity. The state Speaker, Hashim Abdul Halim, and a team of all-party MLAs were present at the puja. Trinamool Congress MLAs were, however, not in the team. Later talking to media persons, the Lord Paul said he was determined to invest funds at Singur for setting up two units of the Caparo steel plant since he was sincerely wanting a rapid industrial growth in the still backward West Bengal for solving the state’s present acute unemployment problem. He said he would invest funds in other states, including his home-state of Punjab and Haryana. The Lord Paul said the present industrial climate in West Bengal was favourable for new investments and he hoped that several other NRls settled in the UK and the US would now be keen to invest in Singur and other places where an infrastructural development was taking place following the setting of the Tata Motors factory. He felt Singur people themselves, irrespective of their political affiliations, should come forward and help grow new industries at Singur. The Trinamool Congress and the local Bhoomi Rakhsa Committee (BRC), however, reiterated that they would not allow any more acquisitions of farm lands in Singur for industries. Incidentally, the Lord Paul today performed the bhumi puja on a small plot of the government-acquired khan land. But the process of acquiring about 2,000 acres for the entire project was being conducted by the state government after a consensus opinion at an all-party meeting excepting the Trinamool Congress. In the morning today, around 10, the Lord Paul, accompanied by a group of NRI industrialists operating in the UK and other European countries and the state Industrial Development Corporation officials, drove down to Singur from Kolkata to be present at the bhumi puja ceremony of the proposed Caparo industries plant. A large contingent of CRPF personnel and the state police was escorting the business team. On reaching the project site, they faced black flag protests organised by local people, comprising mostly women and children. They were protesting against the use of the farm lands at Singur for industries. The police, however, swung into action and forced the demonstrating people to leave the place. Afterwards, under police protection, the Lord Paul could perform the puja.
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India poor in rural water safety
New Delhi, April 8 However, independent source WaterAid India says that “these figures state just the presence of infrastructure and not the functionality of resource”, quoting some starling facts and figures on the basis of data sourced through various agencies. Consider this-India has 4 per cent of world’s water availability and 15 per cent of the world’s population to sustain. Of the limited water resources available for human consumption, 70 per cent is not potable. And when it comes to quality of drinking water, it ranks 120th in the list of 122 countries. Rs 6,700 crore is annually spent on treatment of water-borne diseases by poor people in rural India. WaterAid country representative Depinder Kapur says that 50 per cent of villages in India do not have protected drinking water. Annually 37.7 million people are affected by water-borne diseases, 1.5 million children are estimated to die of diarrhoea and 62 million people are at the risk of suffering from fluorosis due to excessive flouride in ground water. Kapur adds that water will be the world’s scarcest commodity by 2020. “It is a challenging task for the governments to tackle the problem. It has to be a collective exercise by all -the government, civil society, experts and the private sector, keeping the community in the center”. The NGO is attempting to highlight the rural drinking water scenario in India through a three-day conference in Delhi. Attended by experts from Afghanistan, Africa, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the conference aims to bring together key stakeholders on a single platform to discuss and share their success stories and future plans and work on an actionable plan. Rural India has more than 700 million people residing in about 1.42 million habitations spread over diverse ecological regions. Meeting drinking water needs of such a large population can be a daunting task especially with non-uniformity in level of awareness, socio-economic development, education, poverty, practices and rituals and water availability add to the complexity of the task, says Kapur. The country has already spent an estimated Rs 1,105 billion on providing safe drinking water since the First Five Year Plan launched in 1951 yet the disease burden continues to be high, indicating that the problem needs to be addressed from different perspective.
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De-boarding of Kerala MP turns into a major row
Dubai/Thiruvananthapuram, April 8 Charges flew thick and fast and denials followed with Rajya Sabha MP P.V. Abdul Wahab alleging “rude” behaviour by the pilot and the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) claiming that the IUMl leader “opened the cockpit door, entered inside and abused the pilot”. But the MP, who was a resident of the UAE for the past 32 years, and shifted residence to Kerala after becoming a Rajya Sabha MP, told PTI after reaching Dubai he never entered the cockpit. An Air India official also denied that the pilot had spoken rudely. Wahab and his wife were to fly from Kozhikode to Kochi from where they were to catch a connecting flight to Dubai but were ordered to disembark. The pilot also reportedly questioned an airline official why the plane was being delayed after they allegedly reached late. The couple reached Dubai by another flight. Supporting the pilot, Capt Rajat Rana the ICPA said it would protest if any action was taken against him. ICPA general secretary Capt Vikram Yadav told PTI that the MP was asked to disembark from the aircraft only after he “entered a totally restricted zone which is illegal.” The passenger was abusing the pilot by calling him “a glorified driver” even on ground and had threatened to get him “grounded”, he claimed and asserted that “if any action is taken against the pilot, the ICPA will fully back him”. When contacted, an Air India spokesperson said: “We are ascertaining the facts in view of different versions coming out on the incident”. Captain Rana told reporters “I did whatever keeping flight security in mind. It had nothing to do with any personal remarks or anything”. Earlier, an official of the airline in Kozhikode said: “The MP had disembarked from the aircraft on his own after an argument with the pilot”. Denying that the pilot had behaved rudely towards Wahab, he said the MP had verbally complained about the matter and did not give anything in writing. Wahad told PTI in Dubai that he would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the civil aviation minister Praful Patel and apprise them of the incident. “I will also meet my leader (E Ahamad of the IUML) and then decide on the future course of action. After the meeting, we may decide to take the complaint or drop the matter,” he replied, when asked about his reaction on his course of action if the airline tenders an apology. “If this is the kind of treatment that a Parliament member has to face then what would be the experience of the common man,” he added. According to him, the issue is of arrogance of the pilot. “My only crime has been to defend the airport manager who was been humiliated by the pilot,” added Wahab. — PTI
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Tikait-Maya battle rages on
Lucknow, April 8 Tikait, who was arrested on April 2 under the provisions of Dalit Act for making casteist remarks against the Chief Minister and later released on bail, did not seem to relent. The Mahapanchayat had participation of Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav, RLD leaders Ajit Singh and Ms Anuradha Choudhary, BJP leader Hukum Singh and Congress leader Avtar Singh Badhana, who expressed their solidarity with the BKU leader and vowed to join hands against Mayawati-led BSP government in the larger interest of the farmers. The speakers at the rally discussed various issues concerning the farmers and decided future course of action against the “injustice” rendered to the farming community in the state. Although the rally was expected to focus on various issues related to farmers and the state of agriculture, the political circle widely believed that the idea had political move behind it to corner the Mayawati government on farmer’s issues. Since March 30, all political parties had come out in the open in support of BKU leader condemning the Mayawati government for its action against him. Though Tikait had tendered his apology for using objectionable language against Mayawati, by organising the ‘Mahapanchayat’, he had given the message loud and
clear that he would wage a battle against the BSP government. The rally also appeared to be a realignment of forces against the BSP and aimed at breaking down Mayawati’s Dalit-Brahmin-Jat combination in Western UP, which was instrumental in getting her to power in the last Assembly polls. Mahapachayat, was of the view that all the parties should come together, otherwise the Mayawati government would continue to target individuals like it did to Tikait.
Various political parties, which were trying to win favour from the Jat community by forging an alliance with BKU leader much ahead of General Election in the country, assured him of support if required at the time of polls.
— UNI
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Jaya, Karuna clash over Hogenakkal
Chennai, April 8 But Karunanidhi refuted the charge asserting there was no link between the project being halted and the possibility of Kanimozhi getting a berth and wondered whether anybody in Karnataka has powers to induct her into the Union Cabinet. Despite strong speculation, Kanimozhi, a Rajya Sabha MP, did not get a ministerial slot. “I am a Tamil and interested in protecting Tamils everywhere. Normally elections should be held without any violence. But when the seeds of violence have been sown, elections in Karnataka will not be peaceful. Only to avoid this did I announce my decision,” he said. Jayalalithaa, who staged a walkout of the Assembly today along with party members, after being denied permission by Speaker R. Avudaiyappan to move a special adjournment motion on Hogenakkal, told reporters later that the project was put on hold by Karunanidhi, expecting a ministerial berth for Kanimozhi in the April 6 Union Cabinet expansion. “We are not bothered whether she gets a minister’s post or not; we are more concerned about the drinking water needs of the people of two districts (Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri) where people are suffering from fluorosis due to consumption of water mixed with high levels of flouride,” she said. Jayalalithaa said Karunanidhi had “failed” the people of the state by putting on hold the project, leading to “shock and anger” in Tamil Nadu.
— PTI |
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Tibetan refugees shave heads
Guwahati, April 8 About 550 Tibetan refuges, including a large number of women, have come from different north-eastern states to take part in the three-day protest that began here this morning. The protest has been organised by the Tibetan Solidarity Committee, north-east India. Besides demanding more active role from India in finding a solution to the Tibetan tangle, the protesters wished that no Indian sportsperson would carry the Olympic torch while it passes through India, as a mark of protest to gross human rights violation committed by Chinese forces in Tibet. A larger section of Tibetans in exile who were participating in the rally, voluntarily tonsured their heads at the venue to register their protest against Chinese oppression of Tibetans and demanding ‘more active role from India in facilitating talks between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government to find a solution to Tibet problem. “Some of the protests have volunteered to shave their heads. Even three Tibetan ladies tonsured their heads at Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh yesterday to register their protest,” said Tashin Norbu, a spokesman of the Solidarity Committee. Member of Tibetan Parliament in exile Dawa Tsering said, “We are here to highlight the demands of Tibetans and express solidarity with our suffering countrymen in Tibet at the hands of Chinese forces and called upon the Government of India to play a key role to facilitate dialogue between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government on the Tibet issue." “If Tibet dies, a very important and ancient culture in India will also die along with it,” he said. Tsering also said, “Those who believe in peace and have respect for human rights should voluntarily refrain from carrying the Olympic torch in India to register their protest against what the Chinese government is doing to protest Tibetan masses. We, however, are not opposed to holding of the Olympics in Beijing.” The Tibetan Solidarity Committee, north-east India, demands immediate dispatch of independent fact-finding representative to Tibet, end to brutal crackdown in Tibet and release all arrested political prisoners, immediate lifting of ban on media to facilitate free movement of press in Tibet and immediate medical attention to injured protesters in Tibet. The Tibetan protesters displayed photographs depicting the atrocities and brutalities inflicted on Tibetan demonstrators in Tibet. The committee claims that the photographs of the atrocities were e-mailed to it by their suffering compatriots from Tibet. The three-day protests by Tibetans in exile include hunger strike, candlelight procession and funeral procession in memory of those Tibetan demonstrators, who have been killed so far in Tibet by Chinese forces. The north-east India has over 5,000 Tibetan refugee population.
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Rizwanur Case
Kolkata, April 8 Justice Dipankar Dutta asked advocate-general Balai Roy to produce by April 22 the records, including Todi’s police complaint on August 31 last year, wherein he had alleged that his daughter Priyanka had gone missing. Justice Dutta also asked the regional director of Doordarshan, Kolkata, to produce the unedited video tape of the then Kolkata police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee’s media conference on September 23, two days after Rizwanur’s body was found beside a railway track. At the press conference, Mukherjee had reportedly justified the police intervention in the case. Rizwanur had married Priyanka against the wishes of her father, under the Special Marriage Act on August 18 last year and the couple started living together at Rizwanur’s residence from August 21. It was alleged that the couple was summoned to the Kolkata police headquarters, Lalbazar, thrice at the behest of Todi and his relatives and Rizwanur was intimidated by senior officers. Priyanka went back to her father’s home on September 8 following a written assurance by her uncle that she could return to her in-laws house after a week. However, she failed to return.
— PTI
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Bihar lawyers’ strike enters 8th day
Patna, April 8 Hundreds of lawyers held a demonstration at Ambedkar Chowk here and shouted slogans against the government for not revoking hike in the court
fees. Patna High Court Advocates' Association President Yogesh Chandra Verma said the lawyers had resolved not to hold a dialogue with the government unless the demand of the "steep, irrational and anti-poor Bihar Court Fees Amendment Act 2007 was withdrawn". A six-member ministerial committee headed by deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi had appealed to the lawyers to reconsider their decision as their demand was under consideration. Modi, away in Delhi on an official trip, appealed to lawyers' associations to withdraw the strike as the next meeting of the ministerial panel constituted by chief minister Nitish Kumar would meet on April 10, to discuss the objections raised by them on the hike. The office-bearers of the 122 bar associations invited by the Bihar State Bar Council had an extraordinary two-hour meeting yesterday and decided to continue with the strike, which paralysed court proceedings across the state. The advocates also held sit-ins and demonstrated in different parts of the state as part of their mass awareness campaign on how difficult it would become for people to secure justice due to the
hike. State Bar Council sources said as a result of the strike, over 38,000 cases could not be heard in the courts across
Bihar. — PTI
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Janata Party moves SC
New Delhi, April 8 A Bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhan and Dalveer Bhandari issued notice to the Election Commission on Swamy’s petition challenging the Delhi High Court verdict holding that the political party cannot claim an exclusive right over an election symbol. The Election Commission, through its September 27, 2000 order, disallowed the JP to exclusively use the election symbol after it lost its status as a national party due to its poor performance in the general election of 1996. Swamy has contended that the JP, recognised as a national political party for 20 years with a reserved symbol “Chakra Haldhar”, cannot be deprived of its right to exclusively use the symbol only because of poor performance in one general election. The petition submitted that the Election Commission order fails to address the genuine problem of parties like the JP which, despite a long tenure of political activity, have lost their status as a recognised party. He said there was no reasonable reason or public interest that enabled the Election Commission to deny such a party its reserved election symbol even if it was derecognised, nor can it offer the symbol to contestants not connected to party in any way. The petition said giving away the symbol to any other party or individual would mislead genuine supporters of the party who are accustomed to associate it with the symbol. — PTI
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Ostracised for not supporting Cong in Assembly polls
Shillong, April 8 The residents of Wahiajer village in Jaintia hills district face boycott for different periods ranging from three years to five years, during which the council called Dorbar Shnong locally would not help them in case of death, suffering or assault. According to the Dorbar norms, the victims would also lose the right to avail of residential certificates, besides being barred from using the resources of the village. Confirming the incident, Jaintia Hills deputy commissioner Fr Kharkongor said the administration has asked a magistrate to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the matter after receiving verbal complaints. Interestingly, among the victims are a former state Cabinet minister, a defeated candidate in the assembly elections, two deacons of a local church and three children of the secretary of the influential North East India Christian Council
(NEICC). A few of the victims doing business in the area have also been asked to vacate their shops. The deputy commissioner, who has convened a meeting to resolve the matter tomorrow, said imposing a social boycott is unconstitutional and if inquiries found the allegations true, legal action would be taken against those involved. NEICC has also termed the village council's action as unfortunate and unwarranted. Most of the victims did not report the matter to the authorities fearing retribution from the council and it came to light only after a district council member took up the matter with the administration.
— PTI
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Inflation: Rajnath fires salvo
at UPA govt
Basti, April 8 “The inflation rate has almost doubled in recent times. Such extraordinary situation is presently not witnessed by any country in the world,” Rajnath Singh maintained addressing an election meeting at Bakhira (Sant Kabirnagar) of the Khalilabad parliamentary segment. He also claimed the UPA has failed on every front. “During the present rule, the wheel of development has gone stagnant...the government has done nothing to check inflation, corruption and terrorism. No one is happy be it farmers, weavers, students, labourers or youth. “A burnt child dreads fire...therefore, people who were looking for a change chose Mayawati, but she has even left behind erstwhile CM Mulayam Singh Yadav in corruption. Both have embezzled mass wealth,” he underlined. LUCKNOW:
The CPI on Tuesday announced to launch a statewide agitation on April 17 against sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities. “Workers of 20 western UP districts will take part in ‘Sansad march’ in New Delhi, whereas other party workers will stage demonstrations in their respective districts,” CPI assistant secretary Girish said. Criticising the UPA government, he said the Centre had failed to check inflation due to which the public is posed with hardship.
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Left unflinching in opposition: Raja
New Delhi, April 8 “Our position on the 123 Agreement remains the same. Left will hold the dialogue with the UPA government on the issue after April 15,” he told mediapersons on the sidelines of a The deal was not in the national interest, he said adding that “We have told the government not to proceed to operationalise the agreement.” Raja, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, said increase in prices was a major concern and the Left would launch a nationwide agitation on April 17 and April 18 against inflation. The UPA government had failed to initiate long and short-term strategy to contain the hike, he said. There has neither been focus on increasing the agricultural production in the country nor the government has done enough to strengthen the Public Distribution System (PDS). “The government should ban futures trading and amend the Essential Commodities Act,” he said. — UNI
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Cong to protest Maya’s remarks
Lucknow, April 8 This passive form of protest announced by UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi today came in response to the BSP supremo’s statement during an election rally in Khalilabad yesterday where she had claimed that AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi underwent ritual cleansing after meeting the Dalits. Calling Mayawati’s statement completely uncalled for, Joshi said the party would protest against it in its own way by observing ‘sadbudhi diwas’ on April 11. Meanwhile, BJP national president Rajnath Singh has also termed Mayawati’s statement, regarding Rahul, as “utterly baseless”. Addressing an election rally in the same district of Sant Kabir Nagar today he said, “Ye sab betuki batein hain” (all this talk is baseless). He wondered, “How can Mayawati know what soap Rahul is bathed with? Has she seen him bathing?” He charged the BSP chief of doing precious little for the Dalits in the state despite claiming to be their leader.
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Godhra Riots: SIT starts investigation
Ahmedabad, April 8 The five-member team headed by former CBI chief R.K. Raghavan spent almost entire morning visiting the sites, sources in the police department said. The team, which includes former DGP of Uttar Pradesh C.D. Sathpathy and three IPS from Gujarat -- Geeta Johri, Shivanand Jha and Ashish Bhatia -- had an extensive meeting at the Meghaninagar police station after visiting the contentious sites, the police sources said. On March 26, the Supreme Court had directed the state government to set up an SIT within 10 days to "inquire and investigate" the post-Godhra riot cases. The team was also asked to investigate the Sabarmati train carnage, where the S6 coach of the train was burned, leaving 59 dead. The SIT was in Gandhinagar yesterday to check out the logistic arrangement made by the state government for the team. The team has to submit its report to the apex court within three months.
— PTI
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‘Sarod Rani’ dead
New Delhi, April 8 A disciple of great music maestros Ustad Allaudin Khan and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, she belongs to the Maihar Senia gharana and was hailed by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as the cultural ambassador of India. Rani, a Padma Bhushan awardee who created new ragas, was the first musician to travel abroad and record with major music companies in the United States and Britain. The author of "The Divine Sarod: its Origin, Antiquity and Development in India since 2nd century BC", she was an avid collector of rare instruments and set up Sharan Rani Backliwal Gallery, displaying nearly 450 classical instruments. She was awarded the title 'National Artist' by the government for her lifetime achievements and was also conferred awards by Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi government's Sahitya Kala Parishad Award and Rajiv Gandhi National Excellence award among others. A set of four postage stamps featuring four instruments from her gallery were also released in 1998.
— PTI
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Army for enhanced cooperation from private sector
New Delhi, April 8 The Army Vice-Chief, Lt-Gen M.L. Naidu, while speaking at the seminar said the private sector must play a bigger role in helping the armed forces to develop futuristic communication and IT-related applications as electronic warfare systems would be critical to meet security challenges facing the nation. “The synergy between the armed forces and the private sector must be harnessed to increase IT-enabled applications which would be vital in meeting security challenges in the future,” said General Naidu. He said the country’s IT sector must extend its expertise and involvement to meet the Army’s futuristic requirements, as future wars would involve applications of it in a bigger way. Noting that future warfare would be intense and flexibility and mobility of forces would hold the key to the outcome, General Naidu said communication and information systems would play a vital role. Lt-Gen Avadesh Prakash, director-general of information systems, ministry of defence, said communication support for battlefield management systems would have to further enhanced to increase and improve the lethality of the soldiers in war zone. The two-day seminar, organised by the CII and the Army, will try to evolve an ideal system to enable the armed forces to integrate means of surveillance and means of engagement through an automated decision support and command and control systems.
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Talks on hold over inclusion of UGDP MLA
Panaji, April 8 All-India Congress Committee general secretary B. Hariprasad had air dashed to Goa on Monday after severe Opposition within the Congress cropped up to induct Monserratte in the
Cabinet. Hariprasad held several rounds of meetings with leaders like Chief Minister Digamber
Kamat, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Fransisco Sardinha, home minister Ravi Naik and others, including
Monserratte. “Everything is being discussed. We have not finalised anything,” Hariprasad told reporters emerging from the meeting at the Congress House here
today. Hariprasad, who held several rounds of talks on Monday, continue the series today in a five star hotel and later held another meeting with the GPCC chief at the Congress House. “These were routine meetings,” Hariprasad said conceding that Monserratte’s induction issue cropped up during the meeting.
Monserratte, an influential legislator, is lobbying hard to get himself inducted in the Digamber Kamat led Cabinet. The MLA has been camping in Delhi since last week and held several meetings with the Congress leaders. The Congress leaders in Goa oppose to induct Monserratte as on of their minister will have to be dropped to pave way for his induction. Earlier, last month, Congress legislator Pandurang Madkaikar had to leave his ministerial berth to allow an alliance partner Maharashtrawadi Gomantak party legislator Ramakrishna Dhavlikar in the Cabinet. The Congress will have to seek another head for the sake of
Monserratte. — PTI
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CBI raids Mumbai company for EPF evasion
Mumbai, April 8 The CBI conducted searches at seven places in Mumbai which included premises of Hiranandani groups and one of the official of the RPFC for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy for the purpose of cheating and preparing bogus details of PF contributions of five companies. The CBI had registered a case against Regional PFC (I) M R Yadav (now retired), Rajnikant and K Gopalan (Assistant PFC) and Directors of Hiranandani Group of Companies Niranjan Hiranandani and Surenadra under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act. Reacting to the CBI action, Niranjan Hiranandani said a team of 30 member team from CBI “came to our office to find details of some provident fund payment. The inquiry is going on and we are fully cooperating with them. As a company, we believe we have complied with all provisions of law.”
— PTI
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Actress slaps man for ‘misbehaviour’
Tirupati, April 8 Sharan, who starred opposite superstar Rajnikant in the film, said she was taken aback when a person, who was standing behind her while she was talking to newsmen, misbehaved with her in the wee hours of Monday. The actress then slapped the man who was identified as Hari, a cleaner at a nearby mutt, according to sources. The man was later pinned down to the ground by the attendants of the actress. Shreya has reportedly not filed any complaint with the police. “When I was coming out of the temple after my prayers a man who was standing behind me misbehaved. I think women should stand up for such misbehaviour,” she said.
— PTI
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Culling begins in Tripura
Agartala, April 8 The culling operations would continue for the next three days at Mohanpur and seven village panchayat areas of Kamalpur subdivision of the district, where about 3000 chicken had died during the past fortnight, official sources here said. A team of doctors from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reached the spot and villagers were cooperating with the rapid response teams. Measures are in place to control the spread of the disease and an isolation wing was opened at Kamalpur hospital to treat any case of infection. An alert has been sounded across the state prohibiting import of poultry, including from neighbouring Bangladesh with which the state shares 856 km-long border. The BSF has sealed the border and is maintaining a strict vigil so that no poultry from outside enters the
state. The avian virus was found in samples of dead chicken sent from the area to High Security Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Bhopal.
— PTI
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Undertrial in jail for 34 yrs
New Delhi, April 8 The case involves one
Prabhunath, a resident of Pattakhori village of district Basti in UP, who has been languishing in the district jail of Sriganganagar for the last 34 years. During the course of his detention, he lost his balance of mind and is now under treatment for mental
illness. Prabhunath was arrested on May 14, 1974, along the border for suspicious activities. At that time, he was barely 20 years old. He was booked under the Indian Passport Act and the local court sent him for remand till May 18, 1974. Thereafter, he was sent to judicial custody by a local court.
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Indo-German naval exercises begin
Kochi, April 8 The exercises, lasting for about 10 hours, will include seamanship exercise, communication, exchange of personnel and flying exercises, sources in southern naval command said. About 300 personnel from the Indian Navy and 700 officials including women from the German Navy, are participating in the exercises. Commander of the 2nd Flotilla Rear Admiral Karl-Wilhelm Bollow is also here to review the exercises. After the basic exercises with the southern naval command, the vessels will move to the Goa coast for exercises with the western naval command for more advanced and technical exercises, including anti submarine exercises. Indian naval vessels INS Tir and INS Krishna would be participating in the
exercises. — PTI
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5 SIMI activists
held in MP
Guna (MP), April 8 They were detained by the police yesterday from a hideout. However, four of their associates managed to escape from the spot. The five activists, identified as Ubeid Shah (25), Abdul Mubeen (28), Farid Khan (31), Mohammad Zaheer (22) and Abdul Qadir (18), have accepted their links with the banned organisation since 1999, Chanchoda police station incharge L.K. Shrivas told reporters, adding that they have also confessed to contributing money for carrying out activities of the organisation. Police has recovered literature associated with the SIMI which was published from Ujjain, news reports about the organisation published in two newspapers, an identity card of a Narsinghgarh-based person identified as Sibbi Asgar and a cell phone having details of persons associated with the SIMI, Shrivas said.
— PTI
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All PILs not bad: SC
New Delhi, April 8 A Bench comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran also observed, “It is stated that about Rs 1,400 crores have been wasted in cleaning the Yamuna river. Has there been any study conducted to find out the areas in which PILs have had positive effect and the areas where these PILs have not had the desired effect?” The apex court also said, “We cannot say that PILs are bad. These PILs have tremendous effect.'' Justice Markandey Katju of the Supreme Court had recently called the river Yamuna “a stinking drain”. He had said that over Rs 1,400 crore have gone down the drain and the orders issued by the Supreme Court during last over a decade have also failed to rectify the situation. The court also said, “Irrespective of heavy workload, we spend considerable time in hearing PILs. We cannot outrightly reject them.”
— UNI
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Not married, say Sanjay, Manyata
Mumbai, April 8 Challenging the allegations of bigamy levelled by
Manyata’ s first husband Meraj Rehman, an undertrial, the couple had claimed that there was no material to show the validity of their marriage in the eyes of law. In an application filed before the Sessions Court yesterday challenging the order of issuance of process against the two, Dutt and Manyata had stated that their reported
marriage in Goa is a nullity. — PTI
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3 kg RDX seized
near Siliguri
Kolkata, April 8 A raid was conducted in the Mallaguri area following the interrogation of Dipen Rai, who was arrested in connection with the April 3 blast. Army and CRPF personnel searched the entire area throughout the day for other explosives. No further arrests were made today.
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150 Mizos die of AIDS
Aizawl (Mizoram), April 8 The legislators were told yesterday that out of 50,042 people whose blood samples had been taken for tests, 2,497 were found to be HIV positive, Mizoram State Aids Control Society
(MSACS) officials said. — PTI |
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Old building collapses, 20 injured 3 men net crocodile
while fishing 8 killed in Maoist attack CAG indicts revenue dept
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