New Delhi, May 21
everal survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy were arrested today when they chained themselves around Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence here to demand that the government must address their grievances.

Forty survivors, including 15 children and 23 women, had chained themselves to the fence around the Prime Minister’s residence in Race Course demanding speedy resolution of their demands.

They are asking for legal action against Union Carbide and Dow and an empowered commission for rehabilitation of Bhopal victims. According to the police, the protesters had chained themselves to the railings opposite the Prime Minister’s residence.

Some such as 11-year-old Yasmin Khan are among 50 persons who reached Delhi on March 28 having walked 800 km from Bhopal. Survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide disaster and victims of water contamination have been on dharna in New Delhi for 55 days. The first request for a meeting with the PM was sent in January.

They charged the Prime Minister for being personally insensitive to the plight of the victims and their children and for breaking his promise. They said in April, 2006, the Prime Minister had met a delegation of Bhopal padyatris and promised to do all within his power to rehabilitate them, and all within law to hold the corporations to account.

Protesting under the banner of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Karmachari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangarsh Morcha and Bhopal Group for Information and Action, the protesters sought legal action against Union Carbide and Dow Chemicals and better rehabilitation of the Bhopal victims.

New Delhi, May 21
A recent reality check on Panchayati Raj institutions in Punjab has shown that actual decision making and financial powers are yet to reach that level and the concept of democratic decentralisation continues to be more on paper in the state.

This despite the fact that one of the major problems Punjab is facing today is stagnation in agricultural production and the problem of rural income generation can only be addressed by the panchayats.

The Panchayati Raj in Punjab enjoys good reputation, but it could not live up to expectations till today, i.e. strong, viable and responsive solidarity among large number of masses, says the latest assessment of the panchayats in all states by the Institute of Rural Development.

The survey says by merely amending the Act the situation has not improved. An interaction with elected members of the panchayats, government officials and civil society shows that bureaucracy and the state government are reluctant to devolve functions and functionaries as envisaged in activity mapping done by the government.

In devolving functions and functionaries, there is a mention of seven departments but in reality this has happened only in healthcare, education and animal husbandry. “Even though the secretary is accountable to the gram panchayat, quite opposite is happening in Punjab. The secretary for all practical purposes is being controlled by the BDPO rather than the gram panchayat,” the survey states.

The gram panchayats are getting funds from state and centrally sponsored schemes, but have little or no control and independence in the utilisation of these funds. At times, even the funds are not sufficient.

There is also lack of awareness about the role and responsibility of the panchayats among people. A majority of elected representatives of the panchayats are not aware about their role and responsibilities. There is also overburdening of secretaries, with the ratio of secretary and gram panchayats being almost 1:5. Most secretaries are contract employees without requisite qualification to carry out stated responsibilities.

Also, there is poor participation of women and SCs in the affairs of the gram sabha.

“Most panchayats have a poor fiscal base. There is an immediate need for helping financially poor gram panchayats,” the survey says, recommending that the panchayats should be made more active and responsive "otherwise the devolution of power to the panchayats in Punjab as envisaged by the Panchayati Raj Act will remain more on paper than reality".

New Delhi, May 21
Lack of skills and access to information are hampering the performance of women in Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs), shows the latest study by the Centre for Social Research (CSR).

Supported by the National Commission for Women, the study proves that only 26 per cent (one fourth) of the women at Gram Panchayat level in Gujarat could take up an initiative to solve Panchayati Raj-related problems. The study bares fundamental issues affecting participation of women in these institutions in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

It shows that in Himachal Pradesh, the initial euphoria over constitutional provisions to strengthen PRIs as an instrument of local self-government has diminished. All 25 women representatives interviewed here were found to be associated with one political party or the other. While 20 expressed affiliation to the Congress, five were with the BJP.

All interviewees, former pradhans and panchayat samiti members, who were interviewed, said elected representatives even for ward level had to disclose political linkages to get jobs done in various departments. Independent candidates said they had a difficult time getting schemes approved.

The findings for Gujarat are no better. They show that very few women representatives have become PRI members out of interest or self-motivation. Most (61. 6 per cent) entered the system because they thought reservation was available; only 24 per cent became part of PRIs out of interest for village development. In most cases, women are considered figurative members of the panchayat while work is done by family members.

At gram panchayat level, only 13.6 per cent women thought of Panchayati Raj as “government of the people, by the people and for the people”; 44.8 per cent women were unaware of the concept while 41.6 per cent related it to village development.

New Delhi, May 21
After getting Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to pay for the use of official helicopter for election work, the Election Commission of India today hauled up the recently removed DC of Amritsar K.S. Pannu for submitting wrong information to the commission.

The EC today said Pannu, before he was removed as the DC of Amritsar, in his reports stated that the Chief Minister of Punjab never visited Amritsar South Assembly constituency by helicopter and stated that he came to Amritsar by road.

Pannu stated that no instance has ever been reported where SGPC employees have been found to be deployed for performing various elections related activities by the SAD. The documents subsequently made available to the commission indicates that Pannu made no effort to get the information required by the commission resulting in suppression of the information and withholding it from the commission.

In spite of a positive direction of the commission, the DC made no contribution to assist the commission in finding the actual position in the matter. The lacklustre attitude in such important matter is undesirable and the commission has considered that such undesirable act tantamount to concealing of the facts and dereliction of duties. Pannu has been asked to furnish an explanation as to why action should not be taken against him for such conduct on his part. Pannu has to reply by tomorrow.

New Delhi, May 21
The nation today remembered Rajiv Gandhi who was assassinated on this day in 1991 by a woman LTTE suicide bomber while campaigning for the general elections in Tamil Nadu.

President Pratibha Patil, vice-president Mohd Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi led the nation in paying homage to the architect of IT revolution and modern development in India at his samadhi Vir Bhoomi.

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra also paid respects to their father at Vir Bhoomi. Several union ministers, including Shivraj Patil and A.K. Antony were present on the occasion. Coming a day prior to the beginning of the final year of the UPA government in office, this day assumes special significance and is being observed as Anti-Terrorism Day.

The Mahila Congress organised a blood donation camp at the AICC headquarters here.

Undeterred by incessant rain, a large number of party workers and people from all walks of life came out to pay tributes at the samadhi.

The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) organised a function at Rajiv Bhawan here where thousands of Congress workers and senior Party leaders paid homage to the late leader. — UNI

New Delhi, May 21
With its rival Samajwadi Party being invited to the fourth anniversary bash of the UPA government tomorrow, the BSP today decided not to attend the celebrations.

Party MP Ambeth Rajan said: “BSP MPs, who have been invited to the event at the Prime Minister’s residence, will not attend it.”

However, the Congress put up a brave face saying it was its duty to call all supporting parties and it was up to them to join or not.

“It is our duty to call them. We cannot complain if they don't come,” party spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters when asked about possibility of the Mayawati-led BSP not participating in tomorrow’s bash.

Tewari said the Samajwadi Party had been invited for the celebrations as the party was among those which are supporting the Congress-led coalition and dismissed suggestions that the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led party had formally withdrawn support to the government last year.

The Samajwadi Party had been extended invitation for tomorrow’s celebrations and the party had not withdrawn the support formally to the government last year, he said.

He noted that though the party last year ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls had announced it, they had not done so officially. “They did not give it to the President,” he said.

SP leaders like Mohan Singh have said the party would be attending the celebrations.

While leader of the three Left parties are likely to attend the dinner, the CPM leadership may not take part in the event as their veteran leader Hakishan Singh Surjeet is admitted to the hospital. — PTI

Dehra Dun, May 21
Gaurav Sood, a student of Doon School, has brought laurels to Uttarakhand by securing first position in the ISCE Class XII Examination. He achieved 99 per cent marks and topped the board in Science stream.

Son of a marine engineer, Gaurav has always been a sincere student. Earlier in ICSE Class X Examination he secured 94 per cent marks.

Gaurav got 99 per cent score in best four subjects i.e. Physics (98), Mathematics (100), English (98), and Chemistry (100). He scored 94 in music and 95 in environment education.

The little champ aims to become a guitarist instead of taking up a career in medical, engineering or business field.

Gaurav told The Tribune, “My interest lies in becoming a guitarist. I am happy about my achievement and I feel proud that I have brought laurels to my school and to my state”.

Kanti Bajpai, principal, Doon School, was enthralled with the performance of Gaurav and other students. He said, "It is a matter of great pride and esteem that a student of this school has topped the board examination. I would like to congratulate him, his parents and especially the teachers who helped the student in securing commendable position in the examination”.

Dehra Dun, May 21
The Uttarakhand police chief says the state police has made elaborate arrangements to ensure that the Char Dham yatra progresses peacefully.

Speaking to The Tribune, DGP Subhash Joshi denied the reports wherein it was stated that central intelligence agencies had sounded the Uttarakhand government about the possibility of terror strikes in the state, especially in Hardwar.

The DGP though claimed that elaborate security arrangements had been made for the yatra, but added, “so far, we have not received any specific communiqué from the central intelligence agencies. As far as security arrangements are concerned, it is a routine exercise and whenever yatra gets under way, security is reviewed and beefed up.”

It is pertinent to mention that as a precautionary measure, for the first time the state government has installed CCTVs in major shrines.

Joshi, however, refused to comment on media reports that SIMI activists were active in the state.

According to highly placed sources, a considerable number of Bangladeshis reside in the state, who are involved in criminal activities.

Meanwhile, inquiries revealed that in the wake of the recent threat given by some militant outfits to carry out more blasts at tourist places in India, threat perception for the state, known for its religious and tourist importance, cannot be ruled out. Mussoorie, Rishikesh and Hardwar are the most preferred destinations for tourists and could be vulnerable to evil designs of militants. Keeping this in view, the state police has deployed a company of the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) at Har-ki-Pauri in Hardwar.

Besides, in Dehra Dun, the major central and defence organisations, including the Indian Military Academy (IMA), the Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory (DEAL) and the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing etc, could also be susceptible to perceived threats.

Lucknow, May 21
Four persons were arrested from two cities in Uttar Pradesh by the Special Task Force for making false calls about possible bomb explosions at Gorakhpur railway station.

While Babloo, alias Abdul Azeem, and Anis, both residents of Colonelganj in Kanpur, were nabbed by the field staff this evening, two others - Kamlesh Kumar Verma of Kushinagar and Sunil of Gorkahpur - were picked up from Gorakhpur city. Two mobile phones bearing SIM cards from which these calls were made have also been recovered from them, informed STF sources.

On May 18, the PRO of the North-East Railways, Alok Srivastava, had received a call from mobile number 09307112784 informing him that the Gorakhpur railway station and Disney Land, an amusement park nearby, would be blown up within half an hour.

The matter was reported to the police. The railway station and its compound were immediately cordoned off. The amusement park was closed down and the dog squad and bomb disposal squad were put in operation.

On May 20, the PRO received another call, this time from mobile number 9839436806 threatening him with dire consequences for informing the police. Within a few minutes, he received another call from a third number asking details about his address and phone numbers of his family members.

Taking cognisance of these calls, the STF swung into action and put the phone numbers under surveillance following which the arrests were made.

According to the sources, the two persons arrested from Kanpur had made the first call. The second call was made from Gorakhpur for which two persons had been arrested there. The third call was made from a PCO in Nanpara in Bahraich on the Indo-Nepal border, but the person could not be found.

Lucknow, May 21
Heaping praise on Congress President Sonia Gandhi and AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, senior leader and HRD minister Arjun Singh declared that the Congress party was fortunate that the vacuum created by Rajiv Gandhi's death was ably filled by the leadership provided by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

He was speaking at a function organised by the Backwards Cell of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee to observe the 17th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Giving the credit of the 27 per cent reservation for the OBC to Rajiv Gandhi, Arjun Singh said it was as per his wishes as he was a crusader for the rights of the marginalised, women and the minority.

"If three lakh women are active in the panchayats across the country today then we must acknowledge Rajiv's Gandhi's contribution in making this possible,” he observed.

Hitting out at opposition parties for asserting that the Congress made no contribution to make 27 per cent reservation in educational institutions a reality, the minister claimed that it became possible due to the sustained efforts of the Congress alone.

According to him, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress chief had ensured that these sections should not remain deprived of this facility.

Making light of reports that the Congress lacked support within the UPA on the quota issue for the backwards, he said the legislation received Cabinet's full support and was passed unanimously in Parliament.

Accusing some parties of indulging in caste-based politics, the HRD minister said creating conflicts could help them temporarily, but it was certainly not in country's interests.

Lucknow, May 21
Four persons were arrested from two cities in Uttar Pradesh by the Special Task Force for making false calls about possible bomb explosions at Gorakhpur railway station.

While Babloo, alias Abdul Azeem, and Anis, both residents of Colonelganj in Kanpur, were nabbed by the field staff this evening, two others — Kamlesh Kumar Verma of Kushinagar and Sunil of Gorkahpur — were picked up from Gorakhpur city. Two mobile phones bearing SIM cards from which these calls were made have also been recovered from them, informed STF sources.

On May 18, the PRO of the North-East Railways, Alok Srivastava, had received a call from mobile number 09307112784 informing him that the Gorakhpur railway station and Disney Land, an amusement park nearby, would be blown up within half an hour.

The matter was reported to the police. The railway station and its compound were immediately cordoned off. The amusement park was closed down and the dog squad and bomb disposal squad were put in operation.

On May 20, the PRO received another call, this time from mobile number 9839436806 threatening him with dire consequences for informing the police. Within a few minutes, he received another call from a third number asking details about his address and phone numbers of his family members.

Taking cognisance of these calls, the STF swung into action and put the phone numbers under surveillance following which the arrests were made.

Chandigarh, May 21
Girls fared better than boys in the Class XII examination conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The results for the states of Punjab, Haryana, HP, J&K and Chandigarh region were declared today.

According to a press note issued by the CBSE, the subjectwise pass percentage for girls was 85.98 per cent as against the pass percentage of boys which stood at 77 per cent. The overall pass percentage was 80.80 per cent.

“Around 90,000 students had appeared in the examination from these four states and Chandigarh. In school-wise performance, Kendriya Vidyalaya got a pass percentage of 91.65 per cent, government schools got a pass percentage of 80.94 per cent, while Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and independent (private) schools have a pass percentage of 91.14 per cent and 80.57 per cent, respectively,” D R Yadav, Joint Director, CBSE, Panchkula region, said.

The detailed results of the examination would be available on CBSE's website www.cbseresult.nic.in or www.cbse.nic.in. “The result sheets and marks sheets have been dispatched to the outstation schools” said Yadav.

Chandigarh, May 21
Troops deployed in inhospitable, snow-bound terrain continue to be deprived of appropriate gear. Unscientific and ad hoc evaluation and selection procedures has resulted in about 60 per cent of special clothing and mountaineering equipment procured for the Army in the past four years being rejected either during receipt inspections or by the end-users.

Another 20 per cent of the said equipment was accepted after re-inspection or by levying penalties for defective items supplied by the vendors concerned.

Despite the fact that Army Headquarters has been procuring special clothing and equipment for extreme cold climatic conditions such as Siachen, for over two decades, the procedure for formulation of technical specifications, evaluation of offers and selection of vendors has not been streamlined.

Revealing this, the latest report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pointed out that of the 10 contracts worth about Rs 50 crore concluded between 2002-06, items worth about Rs 30 crore were rejected. Items worth another Rs 10 crore were defective but were accepted after levy of penalty.

The Army’s annual expenditure on the procurement of special clothing and equipment is Rs 34 crore. Of the 55 such items authorised fro troops, 19 critical items are imported, as no indigenous sources are available.

“Problems related to procurement of special clothing and equipment, including insufficient availability and poor quality have persisted over the years. No satisfactory solution has, however, emerged so as to mitigate the suffering to which troops have been subjected on this account,” the CAG observed. Data reveals that during the past five years, 388 casualties have been reported due to cold weather injuries like frostbite, chill-blinds, etc.

Pointing out that procurement was conducted by the Defence Ministry and the Army without regard to the basic norms of procurement, the CAB observed that the whole process was marked by arbitrariness and delay. This neither ensured quality nor timely availability of critical items, thus compromising safety as well as comfort of troops deployed in harsh conditions.

“Concerns regarding procurement of special clothing have been raised by the Kargil Review Committee, Standing Committee on Defence and the CAG. Yet the ministry and Army HQs have not taken a hard and dispassionate look at the systematic issues underlying the procurement problem,” the CAG remarked.

Boots and woollen socks procured from various foreign vendors approved during trials were later found to be defective or unsuitable in certain climatic conditions. The CAG also found that down jackets were selected despite weighing more than the stipulated specifications, only to be rejected by quality control later. A consignment of trousers was rejected as the down filling was found to be uneven.

Evaluation of a contract for sleeping bags revealed mismatch of specifications stipulated in the request for proposals, contract and those used during inspection, selection of vendors without comparing specifications and clearance of samples during evaluation even when they were found unacceptable.

Mumbai, May 21
Atomic and space scientists today rejected the pay structure recommended by the Sixth Central Pay Commission (SCPC) as the pay sclaes were very low.

The scientists and technologists pointed out that commission scales were not tenable with the growth of high-tech department and they sought an appointment with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to intervene and rectify the anomalies.

“In any case, the recommendations are nowhere comparable with IT and IT-enabled sectors and we summarily reject the pay structure recommended by SCPC,” president of Confederation of Atomic and Space Scientists and Technologists (COAST), Josheph Winston of Indira Gandhi Centre, said in a release.

The COAST met on May 17 and reviewed the SCPC at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu and reviewed in detail the anomalies of the recommendations, he said.

Winston said the poor package offered in the SCPC report would not attract the younger scientists and the result was a braindrain and remorse amongst those who continue with these organisations. Later, these scientists would try to leave these departments and join MNCs or private sectors.

“The investments made by these organisations would help in making them as training grounds for professionals, who later join other companies after successful contractual period recommended by SCPC, thereby bringing a huge loss and set back to the scientific programmes in the country,” COAST's vice-president R. Rama Varma, VSSC (Trivandrum) said.

The COAST has demanded that extension of services to the scientists and medical specialists, recommended by the SCPC, should be uniform for all scientists of DOS and DAE as these premier research institutions functioned with robust knowledge base. — PTI

BRIEFLY

WB aid for Orissa to continue
Bhubaneswar: Despite taking “serious” exception to reports of irregularities in implementation of the health development project in Orissa, the World Bank has decided to fund the state's development projects. “We at the World Bank look forward in continuing our support to Orissa in facing challenges ahead,” World Bank's representative V J Ravishankar said here on Tuesday. The bank had decided to invest Rs 172 crore in new projects in the state. — PTI

Rail project: Demand for relief
ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh public works department (PWD) and urban development minister Nabam Tuki has urged the North-East Frontier Railways (NFR) to pay adequate compensation to the families and departments affected by the railway project for Harmutty to Naharlagun railway line. The minister has asked for the compensation of agriculture and housing land, besides private buildings and government assets, while laying the railway lines. The NFR had asked the state government to hand over the land by September this year, sources said on Wednesday. — UNI

Tension over Shivaji’s missing bust
NASHIK: Tension prevailed in Sinnar town of the district after Chhatrapati Shivaji’s bust was stolen in the town on Wednesday. Angry over the incident, the Sainiks observed a 'rasta roko' at Sangamner Naka. However, assurance of strict action by government officials eased the tension to some extent. Meanwhile, the police has beefed up security in the area. — UNI

Underground groups for peace talks
KOHIMA: The joint forum of the Gaon Burahs Federation and Dobhasis Association will renew its peace efforts with the various underground factions from May 27, 2008. The declaration was made by the forum at a peace rally at Dimapur on Tuesday. The ceasefire agreement signed between various underground groups on December 7, 2007, would expire on June 7 this year, the forum said. The forum has invited representatives of all the underground groups to discuss the ceasefire. 
— UNI