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Orissa Violence
‘Azadi’ not a viable solution for Kashmir: Omar
Kosi Fury
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Sonia calls on PM, congratulates him
Fight against N-deal not over: Karat
Govt shouldn’t interfere in appointments of VCs: Panel
India to set up 509 more border outposts
Carcass of elephant found
Save Ganga Drive
You’ll find a friend in India, PM to Zardari
Gujjars to contest 40 Assembly seats
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Orissa Violence
Thirty companies of paramilitary forces today stood guard along the 80 km route that links Kandhamal’s district headquarters to a place called Chakapadh. It is here at an ashram that the slain Swami Laxmananda Saraswati is resting in peace, his memory still driving a force the authorities are finding hard to tame.
Today, more than 4,000 people defied curfew and heavy security presence across the area to attend their leader’s last prayer meeting at the ashram. VHP's international general secretary Praveen Togadia did not come. Many others, however, had walked 100 km to reach the place, which could be accessed only by foot. Vehicle-loads of people were being stopped at the first entry point by the security personnel (4,050 in all) on duty, and no one was being allowed to travel in groups. It seemed a war-like situation. ”We are under instruction to let one person walk by at a time. Security-cleared vehicles are being allowed to pass through only if the travellers have curfew passes,” a senior police official today told this correspondent, who had to cross 20 check-points to reach Chakapadh. The hamlet wore a saffron colour and resonated with sounds of chants and chimes. Inside the ashram, however, discordant notes of discontent filled the air, and the anti-Christian sentiment seemed loud and clear. “Christian missionaries must give up their policy of converting Hindus or leave Orissa. We will fight to death the conspiracy to make Orissa a Christian state. Swamiji died because he was fighting conversions and cow slaughter,” Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s state joint secretary Manoj Kumar Pati alleged, further accusing a former Rajya Sabha MP from the state of conspiring to kill Saraswati. He said the organisation had evidence to prove the ex-MP’s involvement in the case; the police, for their part, said the investigations were in preliminary stage and the possibility of Naxal attack on Saraswati was still being probed. At Chakapadh, however, the conclusions have already been drawn, with VHP state secretary Pramod Acharya and all 40 visiting priests declaring that the present situation in the district was a reaction to Swamiji’s killing. They said the Christians started it all by seeking to convert Hindus, in the first place, and asked: “Religious riots have occurred in several places at several times. How is it that these riots have attracted so much international attention?” Unwilling to accept blame for the brutal violence meted out to Christians in the state, the seers and state VHP leaders demanded strict implementation of the Orissa’s Freedom of Religion (anti-conversion) Act, arguing that most present-day Christians in Kandhamal are formerly Hindus. The district collector’s report on the subject, however, mentions that only two Hindus have ever converted to Christianity in Kandhamal, both of them willingly. With the issue of conversion still raging, it is hard to see peace returning to Kandhamal any time soon. No wonder the area remains under an indefinite curfew, with security forces admitting the situation was not fully under control. “It is true that some Christians are still in the jungles; some bodies may also be lying there,” a CRPF personnel said, adding that locals had scant regard for the state police, which means the central forces will have to stay put. The locals for their part are learning to live with new realities. They say they had not heard of words like "curfew" and "relief" until last December. “But it seems we will now have to go far with these terminologies,” Sonjoy Behera, a local Hindu trader said.
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‘Azadi’ not a viable solution for Kashmir: Omar
New Delhi, September 7 Abdullah was speaking to Karan Thapar for his weekly interview programme, Devil’s Advocate telecast at the CNN-IBN TV news channel. He told Thapar, “I do not believe that independence for Kashmir is a feasible or viable option and I stand by that.” He explained his perception of the overall situation in this respect saying, “I believe you can give Kashmir independence but you cannot give Kashmir freedom under the circumstances that prevail within the subcontinent - India , Pakistan and China . Even if India and Pakistan were to somehow decide and give the state its independence, it will never be really free.” Asked if he would say that in public on the streets of Srinagar where hundreds and thousands were raising the slogan for ‘Azadi’. He said, “Be that as it may, it’s not my job to follow the popular mood. It’s my job to tell the people what I believe is in their interest and I sincerely believe that it is not in their interest. It is not a viable alternative to suggest azadi or even accession to Pakistan.” However, Omar Abdullah felt that India had lost a golden opportunity to settle the Kashmir issue with former Pakistan President General Parvez Musharraf and said, “India flunked it.” The NC chief said, “I had said that we will not have an opportunity like this. I also said that the door is closing, its not going to remain open forever and lets grab this opportunity now or we’ll lose and it might be the only opportunity of my generation” and added “We have lost it.” Abdullah described Musharraf as “a single window system we had to deal with in Pakistan. That window has gone,” he said and added, “We flunked it. All of us, we all played a part in it.” Abdullah supported the recent agreement between the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samitiand and said, “The bottom line for me is that if you don’t agree with this agreement you might also turn around and say that you are against the yatra because there is nothing in this that should give anybody a cause for concern.” But simultaneously he also dismissed allegations of any ISI involvement in the recent agitation in the valley and described it as a genuine expression of alienation among the people of the valley.
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Kosi Fury
There are no official relief camps for flood refugees, thousands of who have been pouring into the state capital from the five worst-affected districts of north Bihar.
Whatever relief is being disbursed is that being provided by the voluntary organisations, the Railways and a couple of political parties which have set up counters at the Patna junction and are distributing polythenes containing chiwda, sattu and clothes to those arriving by special trains coming from Saharsa. A few NGOs have also put up makeshift camps after railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav started 18 special trains to evacuate flood victims from affected areas to Patna. Officials said from August 28 till Saturday, as many as 3.25 lakh persons from flood-hit areas had arrived in the state capital. In all, the counters at the railway station are providing temporary relief to those who want to move on to places in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and elsewhere in search of livelihood. Close to the railway station is the Hanuman mandir, which is running a kitchen to feed 100 to 150 flood victims everyday. Among those standing in the queue is Harinder Kumar Singh, a farmer from Murliganj block in Madhepura district- the district that suffered the worst at the hands of the turbulent Kosi. Singh claimed that he owned around 60 acres of land along with his four brothers in the Dumaria village and said he had to flee from the fury of Kosi along with 25 members of his family with just Rs 500 in pocket. Recalling how in one stroke Kosi changed his life forever on the fateful morning of August 19, Singh said his 20 acres of paddy and 12 acres of jute were all washed away. “There was a huge rumbling sound, followed by people shouting. Initially, I thought that an earthquake has hit the village,” said Singh, who is camping in a rented room at Boring Road with seven members of his family. He is lucky as all other members of his family have also managed to survive. “I am in touch with all of them, including my uncle Rajinder Singh and his wife, who decided to stay back in the village.” Rajinder Singh is paralysed and could not move. His wife decided to stay back to look after him in the 20-room house that the family owns in the village. Vivek Kumar from Purnia has not been so lucky. Lying listless in the Hanuman mandir verandah, he looked blankly when asked about his plight. A bare mumble is what emerged from his lips as he tried to explain that he did not know where his father, mother and brother were. Experts believe that the killer Kosi will not just leave lakhs displaced, but also leave behind acres of barren farmland after it recedes, full of silt and rubble. The fact is the mother of all floods has been the cause of biggest displacement in the history of independent India that has set back a backward state like Bihar by three to four decades. In a high-profile operation, the Bihar government has begun plugging the 1.7-km-long breach near Kusaha in Nepal. And as the Nitish Kumar-led JD (U) and railway minster Lalu Yadav’s RJD exchange allegations as to who is responsible for the Kosi misery, a thought should go to farmers, who would be the worst affected for years to come.
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Sonia calls on PM, congratulates him
New Delhi, September 7 Senior Congress leaders, including union ministers and CWC members Janardan
Dwivedi, Oscar Fernandes, Ambika Soni, Digvijay Singh, Mukul Wasnik, Urmila Singh and Prithviraj
Chauhan, accompanied the Congress president to 7, Race Course Road, according to an AICC announcement. The Prime Minister thanked Sonia Gandhi and his other party and ministerial colleagues for her support as well as endorsement of his stand by the
CWC. He is reported to have specially appreciated the role played by minister for external affairs Pranab
Mukherjee, who played a stellar role in negotiating on behalf of the government, both here in India with the Left parties as well as abroad. Earlier, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi met Congress president Sonia Gandhi with 15 party leaders, including party general secretaries, to congratulate Sonia Gandhi at her residence for the deal after which Gandhi led them to the Prime Minister’s residence.
Dwivedi later told mediapersons that their party chief and CWC members considered this a milestone achieved under the leadership of the Prime Minister.
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Fight against N-deal not over: Karat
New Delhi, September 7 “We will work to see there is a different government after the elections and that government terminates the agreement. There is a provision in the agreement itself that either of the two parties can terminate the agreement after giving a notice of six months,” Karat said. He dismissed all the self-congratulations the Congress party has been indulging in over the NSG waiver and said: “The waiver given by the NSG is all in conformity with the Hyde Act of US. This waiver has been organised by the US through a cartel setup by them. The claims of this Government are not of much consequence.” He reiterated his charge that the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has entered into a quid pro quo with the US administration for entering into defence framework with the US. “This agreement will lead to an alliance with the US on defence, economy and strategic affairs as well,” said Karat. “The battle for us is not in Vienna, nor in Washington. We know we have to fight this battle here with this government, with this coalition,” he said.
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Govt shouldn’t interfere in appointments of VCs: Panel
New Delhi, September 7 Zero interference from the government in appointment of vice-chancellors and providing autonomy to the proposed universitys’ authorities to finalise fees are among the few suggestions the panel made to the University Grants Commission (UGC) recently. The NKC has sent a letter with its recommendations to the UGC, which is preparing a blueprint for the proposed universities, and suggested incorporation of certain critical issues in the concept note for these institutes. The government has decided to set up the world-class central universities in Pune, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Mysore, Vishakhapatnam, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Patna, Bhopal, Kochi, Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati and Greater Noida. The panel, while suggesting that these institutes should have the autonomy to fix the students’ fee, said they should be given power to raise funds from industries and overseas sources. Moreover, the universities should be allowed to use their facilities and alumni network for raising funds, the NKC said. The universities should follow the policy of ‘needs-blind admission’ to ensure that an applicant’s ability or inability to pay should not influence admission decisions. The NKC, headed by Sam Pitroda, has suggested a host of scholarships, free-ships, bursaries and awards for the economically disadvantaged students. The panel also advocated for revision of the syllabi of these institutes every year to keep up with the changes and current developments in different disciplines. To ensure quality, a mechanism should be in place to monitor and evaluate the performance of teachers. There should be provision for enabling salary differentials between the universities and among different disciplines within the universities, the NKC suggested.
— PTI
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India to set up 509 more border outposts
New Delhi, September 7 “The idea behind the setting up of 509 additional BOPs is to reduce inter-BOP distance along the 4,097- km Indo-Bangladesh and 3,323- km Indo-Pakistan borders,” a senior official said. While 383 BOPs will be set up along the Indo-Bangladesh border, the remaining will be created along the Indo-Pakistan border to maintain close vigil on the international boundaries, he said. At present, there are 802 BOPs on the Indo-Bangladesh border and 609 BOPs on the Indo-Pakistan border. Besides, in order to provide better connectivity to BOPs along the 1,751 km Indo-Nepal border and 699 km Indo-Bhutan border, the home ministry proposes to undertake construction of about 1,400 km roads along the international boundaries passing through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam. Meanwhile, about 1,912 km of fencing and 1,861 km of floodlighting work have been completed on the Indo-Pakistan border.Similarly, fencing work on 2,590 km and construction of roads along 3,295 km had been completed on the Indo-Bangladesh border. “The government has also decided to provide floodlighting along the 2,840 km border passing through West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram and Tripura by 2011-12 at a cost of Rs 1,328 crore,” he added. Fencing along certain stretches on the Indo-Bangladesh border has been delayed because of Dhaka's objection to construction work within 150 yards of the international border. Noting that it is not possible to strictly follow Bangladesh's suggestions on the issue, New Delhi has sought Dhaka's permission to allow construction work within 15 yards of its ambit. On the issue of construction of border fence within 150 yards of the international border, the Bangladesh side has said that the matter will be further examined during joint visits to the vulnerable sections of the border. Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) on its part has requested the Border Security Force (BSF) to take the responsibility of maintaining boundary pillars, which is now done by the respective state governments.
— PTI
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Carcass of elephant found
Dehra Dun, September 7 The state forest officials found a carcass of the elephant aged between 5 to 6 years from an agriculture field in the Chaturawla village area. Confirming the death of the elephant Uttar Pradesh chief wild life warden B.S. Patnaik disclosed that no physical injury was visible and the cause of death could only be ascertained after the post mortem report. “We have sent the carcass for a post-mortem examination following which the causes of the death could be ascertained”, Patnaik told The tribune over the phone. Meanwhile, forest officials, who are already facing flax over such frequent incidents in the Corbett park in the recent times are also trying to enquire into the incident. However, the forest officials on both sides do no deny the death linked to poison killing. The forest area that falls in the western circle of Uttarakhand Forest Department has in the past witnessed growing incidents of man-elephant conflict. There have been repeated incidents of elephants destroying standing crops of farmers and even attacking them on the Uttar Pradesh side. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand chief wild life warden Srikant Chandola held that the details of the incident were being sought from the counterparts in Uttar Pradesh. Divisional forest officer Lansdown (Uttarakhand) Nishant Verma too confirmed that he had sent his rangers to Chaturawala village to get the details of the incident.
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Save Ganga Drive
Dehra Dun, September 7 Mahender Singh Negi, a senior VHP functionary, today announced that keeping in view the religious and cultural value of the Ganga, it should be made a national river and conserved. A high-powered "Ganga Conservation Authority', having eminent scientists, environmentalists and religious scholars, be formed. The memoranda further demanded a total ban on any kind of polluted water from the towns and cities on the banks of the Ganga falling into the river. The VHP demanded that throwing industrial waste and carcasses should be a punishable offence and all adjoining cities and towns should compulsorily have soak pits in the houses. Moreover, the VHP demanded that continuity of the Ganga should be maintained and a high-powered committee should be formed to ensure that the river is diverted to Rishikesh and Haridwar before Tehri dam.
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You’ll find a friend in India, PM to Zardari
New Delhi, September 7 “As you assume this high office, I convey to you the desire of the government and people of India to build close ties of friendship and partnership between our countries that respond to the aspirations of people of the two countries,” Manmohan Singh said in a felicitation message to Zardari. “We have the political will to work with you to seize these opportunities and transform our relations. In your new office, you will find a friend in India,”he assured the new President of Pakistan.
— IANS
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Gujjars to contest 40 Assembly seats
Dausa (Jaipur), September 7 The mahapanchayat was convened here by Gujjar leaders - Attar Singh Bandana, Prahlad Gunjal and Ram Veer Singh Vidhuri - to challenge the group of Col
Bainsla.
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‘Captive Asiatic elephants under threat from TB’ Plea to preserve Gokhale Hall Notorious dacoits killed 
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