New Delhi, June 22
On the eve of her departure for Islamabad, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao today said India has told Pakistan that recent ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops and the increase in infiltration from across the border could have a negative impact on bilateral ties.

“In the last few meetings that we have had (with Pakistan), we have drawn their attention towards the rise in infiltration and ceasefire violations…such incidents provoked for no reason do not contribute to creating a positive atmosphere between India and Pakistan’’ she said at a press conference here.

Her comments came after Pakistani troops violated the seven-year-old ceasefire on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir twice in the last few days.

The top Indian diplomat said she would once again impress upon Islamabad the pressing need to take ‘credible’ action against the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks when she meets her counterpart Salman Bashir in Islamabad on June 24.

Home Minister P Chidambaram would also take up this issue when he holds bilateral talks with Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Mailk on the margins of the SAARC Interior Ministers’ meeting on June 26.

Nirupama said India had always emphasised that Islamabad must take seriously the evidence provided by India on the involvement of elements in Pakistan in the Mumbai carnage and take substantive action.

India recently gave another dossier, 11th to be precise, to Pakistan containing additional information on those involved in the Mumbai attacks, including Jamaat-Ud-Dawa Chief Hafiz Saeed. It also provided a copy of the court judgment sentencing Ajmal Kasab, the lone captured terrorist in the terror attacks, to death.On the nuclear deal between Pakistan and China under which Beijing will supply two additional nuclear reactors, Nirupama said India was monitoring the debate and developments at the nuclear suppliers’ group (NSG), which is meeting in New Zealand.

The Sino-Pakistan nuclear agreement has attracted world-wide attention since it is in violation of NSG guidelines. The US has opposed the deal while other NSG members are also said to be agitated over it. India has taken up the issue with China, drawing Beijing’s attentions towards Pakistan’s inglorious non-proliferation record though it has not lodged any protest over it.

Jaipur, June 22
“We have escaped from jaws of death. After seeing saw an entire Uzbek family being butchered to death in our neighbourhood, we thought we would never be able to get out from there alive,” says Trapta Gupta, an MBBS student, who returned to her home in Jaipur last evening from trouble-torn Kyrgyztan.

Talking to The Tribune, Trapta dubbed the experience as a nightmare. “It all started right on June 11. A blood-thirsty mob armed with sophisticated weapons came knocking at our doors looking for Uzbek families. However, when we told them we are Indians they left. After some time, we saw the group slaughtering a family next door. We were petrified,” recounted Trapta. “Food stores and shopping malls, most of which belonged to Uzbeks, were burnt down, and gunshots could be heard round the clock for the next few days. The supply of power and cooking gas to the entire town was snapped. We could not even drink water, as there were apprehensions of it being poisoned. We somehow managed to survive for four days in Osh with whatever little we had in our hostel rooms before the Indian embassy shifted us to Bishkek,” she said. A mob even fired at the military truck in which they were travelling while being taken to a safe place.

Trapta, who was among 100 Indian students to be rescued, said the Indian embassy took a long time to evacuate them. “While countries like Pakistan and China safely evacuated their students soon after the violence broke out, the Indian embassy curtly asked us to manage on our own,” claims the girl. Unlike Nepal, China and Pakistan governments, who provided free plane services to their students, the Indian students were charged $350 for a ticket.

“My daughter misplaced her ATM in the chaos. So, she had no other option but to sell her laptop to buy rued Susheela Gupta, Trapta’s mother. 

New Delhi, June 22
Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Toronto from June 25 to attend the G-20 summit, India has drawn Canada’s attention towards the activities of ‘pro-Khalistan’ elements operating in that country.

“We are cognizant of the activities of ‘pro-Khlistan’ elements…we have drawn the attention of our Canadian interlocutors to the fact that such undesirable activities do not contribute to the (bilateral) relationship,’’ Vivek Katju, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs said at a press briefing on the PM’s visit during which India and Canada will also sign an agreement for civil nuclear cooperation.

Replying to a question, he said New Delhi was in the know of a motion moved in the Canadian Parliament recently asking the Canadian Government to declare the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India as ‘genocide’.

“We are aware of the petition…even the leader of the party which gave the petition has dissociated himself from it,’’ the Indian official said. The motion was moved earlier this month by Sukh Dhaliwal, MP for Newton-North Delta on the suburbs of Vancouver, who was joined by Andrew Kania, MP from the Punjabi-dominant constituency of Brampton West on the outskirts of Toronto. Both the MPs belong to the main opposition Liberal Party whose leader Michael Ignatieff distanced himself from the motion.

Katju, however, was quite cautious when a question was asked about the recent visa row between India and Canada in which the Canadian authorities refused to grant visas to Indian nationals associated with security agencies, like the BSF, questioning the legitimacy of work carried out by these institutions. He said India had strongly taken up the matter with Canada after which the Canadian Immigration Minister had regretted casting aspersions on Indian security forces. 

New Delhi, June 22
In what could prove to be an embarrassment to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, a member of the National Advisory Council (NAC), headed by her, wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday,accusing the UPA government of working under US pressure and protecting the interests of American companies.

Well-known activist Aruna Roy, who was inducted into the NAC for the second time when the body was reconstituted recently, is among a host of civil society representatives, who sent a joint letter to the Prime Minister and members of the Group of Ministers (GOM) on the Bhopal gas tragedy, to protest the recent judgement on the 1984 industrial disaster.

Coming together under the banner of National Alliance of People’s Movements, Roy and others said it is a shame that the government ‘continues to baulk under pressure from the US government and tirelessly works towards shielding the interests of US corporations.” In this connection, the signatories listed the power-purchase agreement with Enron, the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Cooperation deal and the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill in its current form.

While realising that Aruna Roy wears many hats and it is in her capacity as an activist that she was inducted into the NAC, members of the GOM were, nevertheless, surprised that she had signed such an accusatory letter against the government to which she is an advisor. Since NAC is headed by Sonia Gandhi, its members enjoy a special status in this government while their views are taken seriously even if there are many in the ruling dispensation who do not endorse their left-of centre leanings.

The letter by Roy and others , sent yesterday just as the GOM was firming up its recommendations, has demanded that Dow Chemicals, which bought Union carbide in 2001, should be held liable for damages incurred and the cost of cleaning up the toxic waste at the abandoned factory site.

“Perhaps our government should understand the diplomacy and duplicity of US in applying double standards in dealing with the BP oil spillage on one hand and the Bhopal gas tragedy on the other,” the letter said.

Furious with the light sentence handed out to those responsible for the Bhopal gas leak, Roy and her friends have urged the government to undo the gross justice by pressing more severe charges on the accused and bringing the Union Carbide chief warren Anderson and others to book. The letter has also asked the Centre to set up an empowered commission on Bhopal to look into matters of relief and rehabilitation.

Stating that the recent judgement makes a mockery of the concept of justice, the letter has asked the PM to create a special prosecution cell in the CBI for effective action on the extradition of the foreign accused including Anderson and constitution of a of a high-powered monitoring committee to oversee timely distribution of relief and delivery of justice. 

New Delhi, June 22
Dormant since the start of the year, Influenza-A H1N1 virus is back with a vengeance, riding the monsoon wave. From May 10 to date, 632 fresh swine flu cases have been reported across the country, and 58 deaths recorded, the highest in Kerala, which was the first to receive monsoon showers earlier this month.

Of the heightened monsoon burden of swine flu mortality, Kerala accounts for 43 per cent (25 deaths out of 58), followed by other southwestern states that have been on the edge since the monsoon outbreak.

Maharashtra has witnessed 22 deaths, Karnataka 10 and Andhra Pradesh one in over the past month, indicating the tendency of the flu virus to consolidate in monsoon conditions.

Health experts have advised people to watch out for severe flu-like symptoms and seek the preventive H1N1 vaccine at the slightest hint of trouble.

Pregnant women and high-risk groups like those with severe respiratory and cardiac disorders must be especially careful in the monsoon through to the winter season, considering the virus, like all other Influenza viruses, gathers strength in this climatic period. Last year, between June and December, India saw over 7,000 swine flu cases.

Recent deaths in Kerala indicate that why the high-risk groups must exercise caution. Of 25 deaths reported hitherto in the state, 10 involved pregnant women.

The state has now requested for the Centre’s help to procure 34,080 vials of Vaxiflu-S, the first indigenous H1N1 vaccine, on priority, besides declaring medical emergency and setting up a special control room. A Health Ministry team even visited Kerala.

Vaccine stocks have been dispatched to the state and to other southwestern parts of the country where the monsoon is setting in. “These stocks have mainly gone to Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi,” TS Parmar, vice-president, Business Strategy, Cadila Healthcare, Ahmedabad, which has developed the Vaxiflu-S vaccine, today confirmed to The Tribune.

He said Cadila had written to one lakh doctors across the country about the vaccine’s nuances, its procurement details and its usage. Only a doctor can prescribe the monovalent vaccine for swine flu.

The Health Ministry, meanwhile, said the states that had not finished using the 15 lakh vials of imported swine flu vaccine (which was bought when the H1N1 outbreak 
happened earlier last year) are now using the pending stocks, following which additional demand for vaccines was expected.

Cadila has 20 lakh vials ready in bulk apart from 4.5 lakh filled stocks, of which 70,000 have been dispatched for use. Lifting is likely to intensify as monsoons spread across the country, Parmar added.

As for H1N1 load - in the past week alone (June 15 to 20), 233 new swine flu cases were reported; 177 in Kerala and 28 in Maharashtra. Thirteen people died; 9 in Kerala. A week earlier (June 8 to 14), 168 cases and 14 deaths had been recorded.

India has 32, 458 confirmed swine flu cases as of today. The figure was 31, 826 on May 10 - a confirmation of the increasing monsoon load of the flu. As for deaths, as against 1,509 on May 10, they were 1,567 as of today.

Bhopal, June 22
The survivors of the world’s worst industrial tragedy that hit the Madhya Pradesh capital in December 1984 do not have “much hope” from the new Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15,000 million) relief package announced by the government and doubt whether it will be “distributed among families of the victims honestly”.

The Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram on the Bhopal gas tragedy yesterday recommended that the government should press for former Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson's extradition from the US and earmarked Rs 1,500 crore (over $300) as relief package for thousands of people in the tragedy.

Ruksana (62) of JP Nagar, which is located close to an abandoned pesticide plant of the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) that leaked lethal methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas that wiped out her six-member family, along with an estimated 20,000 persons over the years, said: “Since the date the tragedy hit us, we everyday hear that we will get a massive compensation amount, but it hardly reaches the real victims.”“I doubt whether the new relief package will be distributed among the families of the victims honestly,” she said.

She added: “The money comes only for leaders and VIPs, the real sufferers are still suffering and the government seems to be doing its best to add to our agony, I do not have much hope from the new package.She was largely expressing her anger over a Bhopal court verdict on June 7 that sentenced seven Indian executives of UCIL to two-year in jail. The officials managed to get bail within an hour of the verdict. This sparked outrage in the country in general and Madhya Pradesh in particular.

Rehan (38) of the JP Nagar area who has serious breathing problems and can hardly walk for even five minutes since the tragedy struck his 11-member family, said: “I have no hope at all from government, neither from the Central nor from the state government. Everyone is playing politics, and those who are playing with our sufferings and sentiments will be punished by god.”

In its final report submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the GoM has recommended Rs 10 lakh to the next of the kin of the dead, Rs 5 lakh for the permanently disabled and Rs 3 lakh for those disabled partially.

“It’s good that after 26 years, the government is trying to understand the difficulties of the massive population hit by the tragedy,” said a prominent activist Abdul Jabbar, convenor of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sanghatan. — IANS

New Delhi, June 22
Terming the recommendations of the Group of Ministers on Bhopal gas tragedy as “weak” on grounds of compensation and liability, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) today demanded an all-party meeting on the issue before the Union Cabinet takes a final decision on June 25. The party sought representatives of gas leak victims to be also taken into confidence.

The demand was today made by party general secretary Prakash Karat in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and separately by the CPM Politburo which questioned the GoM’s silence on Dow Chemical Company’s liability in the leak and its dependence on “flawed” data for calculating final compensation for victims.

The Politburo statement said there were two serious problems with the GoM recommendations. “The compensation package offered is based on flawed estimation of deaths and injuries and the amount of compensation offered remains meagre. There is no serious effort to make Dow Chemical Company, which took over the Union Carbide, liable for damages and compensation. Entire expenses for remediation and environmental clean up at the Bhopal factory site should be borne by the Dow,” the party said.

New Delhi, June 22
India will scale down its role in UN peacekeeping operations as far as the contribution of the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters are concerned. A total of 15 IAF choppers are in UN operations in three African countries and these are to be requisitioned back to India in a phased manner to meet the needs here.

The Ministry of External Affairs, working on the request of the Defence Ministry, has started to work with the UN authorities for a “phased withdrawal” of IAF choppers.

Observing that the Defence Ministry had raised the issue of withdrawal of its helicopters from the UN operations with MEA foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said today that the ministry was in touch with India’s permanent mission to the UN in New York and officials of the global body for the “phased withdrawal”.

IAF, had told the Defence Ministry that it was running short on choppers due to increased duties like evacuation and relief efforts in Naxal areas.

The Home Ministry was looking for helicopters for the movement of paramilitary forces during anti-Naxal operations and even was looking to lease choppers like the Mi-17, medium lift, that can drop up to 22 men in one sortie for a targetted operation. About 15 such IAF choppers are deployed in UN operations.

Mumbai, June 22
Muslim organisations in the country are demanding that the Government of India follow in the footsteps of the UK and curb the activities of preacher Zakir Naik and his television channel, Peace TV.

Raza Academy, a Mumbai-based organisation, is demanding a ban on the Peace TV and public speeches by Naik on the grounds that he promotes disharmony between various religious groups.“Naik is misinterpreting Islam and spoiling the image of the religion,” said Saeed Noorie of the academy.

The academy has officially welcomed the move by the UK government to ban the entry of Naik into that country.

A delegation led by the body’s representatives met officials of the British High Commission on Monday.

Lucknow, June 22
Around 12 persons are feared to have drowned when their boat capsized in the Saryu river in Bahraich today.

The accident occurred near Ekghara ghat under the Kairighat police station in Bahraich on the Indo-Nepal border when a boat carrying around 35-40 persons capsized midstream.

According to police sources, 15 persons were rescued and one body was fished out. Divers had been pushed into service who were continuing their search in the river till late evening in the supervision of senior district officials.

Chief Minister Mayawati, while expressing grief over the deaths, announced a financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh each to the next of the kin of the deceased.

New Delhi, June 22
Reacting to the decision of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) to have gold-plated walls for the historic Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, a Delhi-based Sikh forum has shot off a letter to the DSGMC asking it “to reconsider the decision” to use gold on the walls of the gurdwara.

In his letter, forum secretary RS Chatwal has asked DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna to “instead give a proper direction to the community and utilise this money on education and rehabilitation of the (anti-Sikh riot) victims”.

The forum, that was founded by the hero of the 1971 war, late Lt Gen JS Aurora, opined that the biggest problem being faced by the Sikh community was the declining standard of education and proper rehabilitation of the victims of 1984 carnage.

The letter said the Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) at Amritsar was the only place where the walls of the sacred place are built in gold. By having “walls of gold” at the Bangla Sahib, the uniqueness of Harmander Sahib will be affected.

The Uttar Pradesh Mid-Day Meal Authority (UPMDMA) has nearly completed appointments under the recently promulgated GO that had made it mandatory for the cook to be a mother, grandmother, sister or aunt of a child studying in the school. Almost 70 per cent new cooks are mothers of wards.

After the training and orientation, they would take up their new assignments when the new academic session begins from July. An UPMDMA official said: “The idea is to ensure that the cook does not treat the task a chore, rather gives it the love and attention as they do while cooking at home.” This has been a long-awaited demand of the students’ wards as there have been frequent cases of food poisoning due to lack of hygiene while cooking or serving the meal.

Under the new system, the cook would be paid an honorarium of Rs 1,000 per month, of which 75 per cent would be contributed by the Centre and 25 per cent by the State. 

To ensure that the cook should not be overburdened, there will be a provision of one cook for 25 children and two for 100. There can be up to seven cooks in a school if its strength is over 1,500 children.

In fact, a panel of cooks would be maintained. In case the regular cook falls sick or has to take leave, another cook from the panel would take up the duty and would be paid Rs 45 per day that would be deducted from the salary of the regular cook.