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Ahead of verdict, surface calm at Ayodhya
PEACE MISSION: Leaders take part in a harmony rally ahead of the Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suit, in Bhopal on Wednesday. — PTI |
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Be cautious while reporting, media urged
No SC hearing on Ayodhya likely before Friday
PC appeals for peace
Rallies banned in UP
Public response sought on anti-torture Bill
Mamata ignores Buddha, Left leaders at Prez function
Delhi ready to call Pak
bluff on Kashmir at UN
IPS officer sacked for misuse of power
Yeddy’s confidante back in Cabinet
Cautious end to Ganesha festivities
Interim report of wage boards for journalists by Oct 31
Assam among second green revolution states
XLRI to set up Hyderabad campus
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Ahead of verdict, surface calm at Ayodhya
September 22 But venture deeper and tension starts appearing as the city, like the rest in the state, braces for the fear of the unknown. “There’s an unexplained anxiousness all around. We don’t know what will happen day after when the court pronounces the verdict. So far, everything appears under control. But we are prepared for the worst,” Sartaj Hussain, an employee of the UP Tourism Department told The Tribune. Across the old alleyways of Lucknow, Sartaj’s sentiment finds a voice as people go about stocking essentials assuming that curfew is unavoidable. That explains the near 30 per cent rise in the prices of vegetables in the state, which is also witnessing unprecedented floods. “Until a week ago, we were buying the lady’s finger for Rs 10 a kg. Today it is priced Rs 40 a kg. Same is the case with onions, potatoes, tomatoes, wheat flour and rice,” Haji Murad of Kaiserbagh, one of the hyper sensitive areas of Lucknow, says, admitting to having stocked vegetables for a month. The fear runs deep despite absence of causes for alarm. So much so that people have been making queries about when the curfew would be clamped. “That’s the nature of anxiety. In these communally sensitive areas, you can’t tell how the tides turn. You never know who is trying to gain political mileage out of the issue and how,” Daya Ram Tripathi, another state government employee said on the day when appeals for calm were issued again from all quarters. Appeals apart, confusion was at its peak today after BJP-ruled Karnataka declared holidays in educational institutions on the day of the verdict. Back in Lucknow, school authorities spent the day asking the administration if institutions had been ordered shut. “No such orders have been passed. We have in fact asked everyone to run their routines as always,” the UP home secretary said. District Magistrate, Lucknow, Anil Sagar, added that industrial and trade organisations had been formally asked to appeal to their affiliates to maintain normalcy ahead of the September 24 pronouncement. Interestingly, district magistrates across UP have also been holding special meetings of peace committees to defuse anxiety, home department officials have been touring the state to assess the situation and CM Mayawati has personally been chairing review meetings. Further, for the first time, the state machinery has trained civil defence personnel (from within the community) to spread peace among people and counter rumours ahead of the D-Day.
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Be cautious while reporting, media urged
New Delhi, September 22 EGI's attention has been drawn to formulations on the subject issued by the New Broadcasters Association Authority, chaired by former Chief Justice of India JS Verma. The media have been asked to take extra caution in the dissemination of news and opinion on this sensitive issue and desist from publication of photographs pertaining to Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992. The Guild has reminded the media practitioners of the need to be accurate in reporting news so that no speculations on the judgement are undertaken beforehand that could whip up communal frenzy. The release stresses the need for, as far as possible, a verbatim reportage of the judgement without resorting to inflammatory opinion or interpretation. Besides, the media have also been called upon not to present any depiction of the celebration post verdict in order to avoid communal disharmony in the nation. The media have been exhorted to observe the highest standards of secularism.
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No SC hearing on Ayodhya likely before Friday
New Delhi, September 22 Justice Kabir also made it clear that he did not know which Bench would hear the matter or when it would come up as the CJI had the prerogative to allot it to any Bench. The case does not figure in tomorrow’s “mentioning list” which contains litigations that would be considered for urgent hearing.The petitioner, retired bureaucrat Ramesh Chand Tripathi, wants the HC to defer the verdict in “larger public interest” after taking into account the safety and security of the people in the light of the prevailing situation in various parts of the country. Among the reasons cited in the petition are next month’s Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi, the October-November assembly election in communally sensitive Bihar, the law and order situation in the Kashmir Valley, Maoist violence, and the shortage of armed forces in Uttar Pradesh to effectively check any possible flare-up.
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PC appeals for peace
New Delhi, September 22 “I would like the media to reserve judgment and not make hasty pronouncements,” Chidambaram told reporters here this evening. The minister read out a statement and did not answer any questions on the subject. The Home Minister said it is possible that there will be one or more judgments delivered by the Bench.
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Rallies banned in UP
Lucknow: In yet another endeavour to maintain peace after the Babri Masjid title suit verdict, the Mayawati government today issued a government order prohibiting public meetings, processions, rallies, display of fireworks and firing in the air. “At times, caste and community-specific decisions are taken by courts, government and administration which are welcomed by the supporting parties by holding public rallies, meetings, display of fireworks and firing in the air. This can prove provocative for the other party,” observed the government order.
Secretary (Home) Deepak Kumar said the state government had directed the divisional commissioners to issue necessary directions to strictly enforce the government order.
— TNS
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Public response sought on anti-torture Bill
New Delhi, September 22 It has asked members of the public to submit their responses. The responses can be sent to Mahesh Tiwari, Joint Director, room No. 212 A, Parliament House annexe, New Delhi, or send these at mtiwari@sansad.nic.in. Chairman of the committee Ashwani Kumar told reporters today that the committee aimed to complete the task by the first week of November. “We are looking at a comprehensive legislation. The 13-member committee will seek to hammer out issues of defining what is torture, compensation and punishment before finalising its report on the Prevention of Torture Bill ahead of the forthcoming Winter Session of Parliament,” Ashwani Kumar said. The Bill, which seeks to provide punishment for torture inflicted by public servants, was passed by the Lok Sabha in May this year. However, following differences among members of the Rajya Sabha over the wording of the Bill, it was referred to a select committee of the Upper House. Ashwani Kumar, a Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, said there was a general feeling among members that the definition of “torture” was not clear in the present laws. There had been 16,836 reported deaths in police and judicial custody between 1994 and 2009 besides a large number of cases of custodial torture and cruel treatment, he said. To a question on whether the proposed pan-India law would be applicable to areas under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, he said there was “no confrontation” between the two. “No special or general law in the country is beyond Constitution... and no law allows torture as a means to extract information,” he said. He said, “If an Army personnel is accused of torture, he is tried under the Army Act...and if a civilian public servant is accused of torture in an area where AFSPA is in force, he can be tried under this standalone law once it is passed by Parliament.” Kumar said the Bill would also seek to ensure that the power of sanctioning prosecution under the proposed law lies with a senior officer to ensure transparency. “To stall any delay a time frame is also proposed to be set to ensure that sanctioning of prosecution is not delayed. The sanctioning authority will have to give in writing reasons for denying or approving the sanction,” Ashwani Kumar added. The proposed standalone law will help India ratify a UN Convention on prevention of torture that it signed in 1997. Due to lack of an enabling domestic legislation, India has so far not been able to ratify it.
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Mamata ignores Buddha, Left leaders at Prez function
Kolkata, September 22 The Chief Minister said that he had not received an invitation but the Transport Minister said that he did receive the invitation, but around 4 pm yesterday. So, he decided the boycott the function in protest. Chief Secretary A Sen, Home Secretary Samar Ghosh and Transport Secretary S Chowdhury also said that they received the invitations at the last minute and had decided to skip the function. The Chief Minister had also not been invited during the extension of the Metro rail from Tollygunj to Garia on August 22, 2009. No state representative had been present then also. Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the function had lost its glamour or importance in any way in the absence of any state ministers or officials. “We eight central ministers, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, were present and we all belong to the state. Moreover, Governor MK Narayanan, who heads the state, attended the function,” Mamata said. The CPM leadership, however, was visibly annoyed. “It is an ugly gesture. The Railway Minister has deliberately insulted the state government,” alleged CPM party secretary Biman Bose. It is customary to invite the state Chief Minister to any official function of the President and his seat on the dais is allotted next to the President’s chair. “Mamata Banerjee has broken the tradition at today’s function,” Bose said. Though the Chief Minister did not comment on the episode, he attended the presidential dinner at Raj Bhavan hosted by the Governor, which Mamata skipped. Laying the foundation of the Metro Rail project, the President praised Mamata’s dynamism and her sincere efforts in speedy developing of the country’s railways. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee admired Mamata for adopting four new Metro Rail projects in the city and promised all assistance to the railways in quick implementation of these projects. The 16.2 km Joka-BBD Bagh Metro Rail Project would be completed in 2013. From Joka to Majerhat, the line would run on the surface, at times elevated, and later go underground till BBD Bagh. There will be 13 stations between Joka and BBD Bagh, some of which will be named after legendary singers Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, footballer Gosta Pal and others. ‘No forcible land acquisition’Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that no land for the project would be acquired forcibly. “Land owners have already come forward to hand over lands to the railways. They would not only get adequate compensation, but also jobs in the railways, if necessary,” she said.
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Delhi ready to call Pak
bluff on Kashmir at UN
New Delhi, September 22
“It would be naïve on our part not to expect the issue to be raised…it is a possibility and we are prepared for it,” official sources said today even as they acknowledged that efforts were on to fix a bilateral meeting between External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmud Qureshi on the margins of the UN meet. On Qureshi’s reported statement asking the US to intervene between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, the sources made it clear that there was no scope for third party or international mediation on it. “Our position on Jammu and Kashmir is very well articulated and known to international interlocutors that it is an integral part of India…if there are any issues, they can be addressed bilaterally (by India and Pakistan),” they added. India has taken exception to the statements on Kashmir made by the Pakistan Foreign Office last week and the two Houses of the Pakistan Parliament yesterday, alleging human rights violations there and calling for international intervention. Despite the exchange of sharp words over Kashmir, the two countries are working on arranging a meeting between the two foreign ministers. Both Krishna and Qureshi will be together at several meetings on the margins of the UNGA during their nearly 10-day stay in New York. These include the meetings of the representatives of SAARC, NAM, G-77, Commonwealth, Asian Cooperation Dialogue, bio-diversity and Conference on Disarmament, among others. Apart from that, they also will be attending several receptions being organised by delegations from different countries. As of now, there is no bilateral meeting scheduled between Krishna and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi although the two could hold informal consultations on the sidelines of various multilateral engagements. Krishna will attend a reception hosted by US President Barack Obama in honour of the visiting leaders from all over the world tomorrow. He will also have a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at which the issue of American nuclear suppliers having reservations about the civil nuclear liability Bill, which was recently passed by the Parliament, is expected to figure prominently.
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IPS officer sacked for misuse of power
Hyderabad, September 22 Following a departmental inquiry by the BSF authorities into some specific allegations that brought disrespect to the
organisation, the IPS officer was suspended from services on November 15, 2006. Later, a 11-member committee of the Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC) conducted an independent inquiry into the allegations and recommended his dismissal from service. On the basis of the UPSC report, the Union Home Ministry sent a communication to the state government recently informing its decision to remove Tiwari from the
service. Tiwari, who is presently posted as Inspector General (Organisation), denied all the allegations and said he would move the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), challenging the dismissal order. Sources close to him said he would seek a stay on the implementation of UPSC recommendations, contending that the charges against him were baseless and motivated. After his suspension from the
BSF, he was sent back to Andhra Pradesh but denied a promotion. Tiwari (57) is no stranger to controversies. His name had figured in the controversy pertaining to fake claims for Gallantry Medals. Tiwari and two other IPS officers of Andhra Pradesh cadre were issued charge memos by the state government for allegedly making false claims regarding their role in an encounter in Karimnagar district.
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Yeddy’s confidante back in Cabinet
Bangalore, September 22 A Narayanaswamy, CH Vijayashankar, CC Patil, V Somanna and SA Ramadas were the other ministers who were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor HR Bhardwaj at the Raj Bhavan here on Wednesday morning. While Vijayashankar and Somanna are MLCs (members of the Legislative Council), the remaining four sworn in today are MLAs. Karandlaje was Panchayat and Rural Development Minister when she was forced to quit following pressure from the Reddy brothers, who accused her of interfering in the departments handled by other ministers. Somanna, too, was a minister and had to resign after he failed to win an Assembly bypoll. Four others inducted today are all new entrants in the Cabinet. With this, the strength of the Karnataka ministry rose to 34, the maximum allowed under the guideline laid down by the Supreme Court. Last two days were marked by an unprecedented show of discontent by the ministers facing the axe. Not to be left behind, MLAs aspiring for ministerial berths also organised demonstrations to press their demand for inclusion in the council of ministers.
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Cautious end to Ganesha festivities
Mumbai, September 22 Since Monday, the police were seen going door-to-door in residential localities on roads leading to the sea requesting residents to move their vehicles parked on the roads. The movement of two-wheelers and even bicycles were banned. Even garbage bins were not spared and civic-workers were pressed in all of last night and the wee hours of Wednesday to dismantle the facilities to prevent explosive devices from being planted in them. Central intelligence agencies warned of terror attacks in the wake of the shooting outside Delhi’s Jama Masjid. The anti-terror squad of the city police is also on the lookout for two foreign terrorists who suddenly disappeared from the sights of investigators tracking them. The state government ordered schools to close today while business establishments were given a half-day holiday.
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Interim report of wage boards for journalists by Oct 31
New Delhi, September 22 Chairman of the wage boards Justice G R Majithia said this when he met Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge along with several other members of the boards. "A commitment was also given by the delegation to submit the final report by December 31 when the term of the boards come to an end," said general secretary of the Confederation of Newspaper and News agency MS Yadav. Yadav said the drafting process of the report was underway and that all the hearings had been completed. He said the minister assured members of complete support from the Ministry in preparing the report after they expressed some concerns. The term of the wage boards, which had expired on May 23 this year, was extended till December 31 after the Government came out with a notification in June. The boards were constituted three years back, in accordance with the provisions of the Working Journalists and Other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955, for the purpose of fixing or revising rates of wages in respect of working journalists and non-journalists and other newspaper employees.
— PTI
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Assam among second green revolution states
Guwahati, September 22 Assam’s Agriculture Minister Pramolia Rani Brahma informed that Assam was initially not included among the eastern states to be covered by the second green revolution. However, the Union Agriculture Ministry finally decided to include Assam in the list of “second green revolution states” after Gogoi had written a letter to Pawar requesting him to do so, Brahma said. Among the eastern states Assam has received the best performance award for the National Food Security Mission (NFSM)-rice in the 13 NFSM districts of the state. The mission aims at increasing the production of rice.
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A do-or-die battle for Lalu this time
Patna, September 22 Between 1990 and February, 2005 Lalu held undisputed sway over Bihar's caste-dominated politics by deftly manipulating minority votes and the Mandal dynamics. In the last year's Lok Sabha elections, Prasad entered into an alliance with LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan for staging a come-back, but instead suffered serious reverses.The RJD chief will try his best to exploit secular votes."Our aim will be to garner as many secular votes as possible," party general secretary Ramkripal Yadav said.
— PTI
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XLRI to set up Hyderabad campus
Hyderabad, September 22 Ranked among the country’s top five B-schools, XLRI zeroed in on Hyderabad after three years of negotiations with the Andhra government and a personal invitation extended by Chief Minister K Rosaiah. A delegation headed by XLRI Director E Abraham called on Rosaiah yesterday to thank him and sought 75 acres from the government to develop the institute. The Chief Minister said land would be allotted at Jawahar Nagar on the same terms and conditions as applied to BITS, Pilani. With the new campus, the institute will be able to augment its intake of students.
— TNS
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In the old city areas of Lucknow, UP’s capital city, there’s an unusual buzz 48 hours before the historic Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid verdict. All shops are open, all businesses running and there’s no visible sign of anxiety. On the surface, there’s calm.
But venture deeper and tension starts appearing as the city, like the rest in the state, braces for the fear of the unknown.
