Monday, November 8, 1999
|
N A T I O N |
|
weather  spotlighttoday's calendar |
 |
 |
|
Tripura extremists banned
|
 |
Disaster management: wanted a
change in perception NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — As a ravaged Orissa begins a massive rebuilding exercise in the wake of a trail of death, disease and destruction left by the killer cyclone, it has once again brought to fore our lack of preparedness to deal with natural disasters. |
|
Film festival to pay
tribute to Hitchcock Bombs recovered
Sikkim appointments |
||||||
 |
|||||||
Tripura extremists banned AGARTALA, Nov 7 (UNI) — The Union Home Ministry has banned the all Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), — the two militant outfits in Tripura — for their anti-national activities. An official release said here today that the ATTF in collaboration with other extremist outfits of the north-eastern region was trying to form an independent nation, uniting the seven north-eastern states — Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. The release, quoting the Union Home Ministry's notification said the NLFT was active to alienate Tripura from India and to constitute an ''Independent Borokland Tripura''. To achieve their aim both the rebel outfits were active in subversion, murder, kidnapping, extortion, collection of arms through neighbouring countries, setting up of training camps in the neighbouring countries and fomenting communal tension among the tribals and non-tribals. The ATTF and NLFT were
first banned in 1997 under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act, 1967. Both the outfits had established
a close coordination with the other militant outfits of
the region. They include the National Socialist Council
of Nagaland (NSCN) and the United Liberation Front of
Asom (ULFA). |
Disaster management: wanted a change in perception NEW DELHI, Nov 7 (PTI) — As a ravaged Orissa begins a massive rebuilding exercise in the wake of a trail of death, disease and destruction left by the killer cyclone, it has once again brought to fore our lack of preparedness to deal with natural disasters. Notwithstanding fairly accurate weather predictions, flood forecasting and extensive seismic mapping, hundreds of Indians perish in floods, cyclones, landslides and earthquakes every year "mainly because we don't heed warnings seriously and because our disaster management is focused more on relief than preparedness," say experts. In 50 years, independent India has been able to put up an institutional framework that takes care of preparedness for monsoon, but coping with other natural disasters largely remains reactionary and relief-oriented, barring a couple of states which have learnt the hard way. In the first three days of the October 29 super cyclone, the Indian air force airlifted about 250 tonnes of relief supplies and building equipment. Last year between April and October alone, the IAF had carried out 1100 sorties, 800 flying hours, and airlifted 7.5 lakh kg of relief supplies towards disaster management, which included the Kandla cyclone and the Malpa landslide tragedy. As the official toll of this cyclone hovers around 1500 dead and 12 million affected, Dr V. K. Sharma, a disaster management expert at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), says the loss in terms of man and material can be reduced greatly if preventive measures, like the construction cyclone shelters, are taken and locals are involved in such programmes. According to reports from PTI bureaux, states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have put up cyclone shelters and have special cells which have worked out relief mechanisms to the last detail. Andhra Pradesh, says Dr Sharma, reported nearly 10,000 deaths in 1977. In 1996, only 967 people died as a result of cyclones. That was because the state has 1,041 cyclone shelters and all are being used, says Dr Sharma, noting that besides the government, NGOs and women's organisations have also played a great role in mobilising people and involving them. The state government, says a senior official, has also been implementing a Rs 800 crore "hazard mitigation project" 68 per cent of which is funded by the world bank. Raising of plantations and distribution of seedlings has been increased along the 1,000 km coastline. In drought-prone regions, several watershed development projects have been taken up in the five districts of Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nellore, Chittor and Anantapur, the official said. In Tamil Nadu, which is also on the eastern side of the peninsula and is cyclone-prone, every year on the onset of monsoon, government machinery is geared up and a disaster management plan drawn. As part of long-term planning, the government has constructed more than 100 shelters along the 750 km coastline, where evacuees from low-lying areas are housed and fed during their stay. Ex gratia for those killed in rain or cyclone is Rs 15,000 while Rs 1,000 is given to hut dwellers for repairs. In 1997, the last major cyclone accompanied with heavy rainfall during two months claimed 234 lives, say officials. Similarly in Maharashtra, which is prone to earthquakes, high tide, landslides, cyclones as also lightning, control rooms were set up in every block after the Latur quake. All of them were connected through VHF and satellites and they are still functioning, says M H Sawant, Deputy Secretary, Relief and Settlement. A separate cell, headed by Secretary, Disaster Management, has been set up for earthquake and Rs 90 crore has been allocated to district officials with schemes in their hands. "Within three days of the calamity, the legal heir of the deceased will be given Rs 50,000. In case of lightning, it would be Rs 10,000. Rehabilitation in the form of houses and cattlesheds are done through a separate scheme. The affected would have to submit applications to the tehsildar, who would submit it to the insurance company, which would directly issue the cheques to the victim, says Sawant, adding that the state government has paid Rs 1,44,00,000 as premium to the company. But Dr Sharma notes that most of the states have such relief manuals in place, which again are guidelines on the measures to be undertaken after a disaster strikes. Even Maharashtra, for that matter, has detailed plans which are reactionary. Reports from Arunachal and Kerala say relief cells are set up in the wake of floods or landslides. In five decades, the states have been able to work out mechanisms of dealing with drought conditions and flood forecasting, which remains one of the best in the world. As a result of this, deaths due to drought have been mitigated to a great extent. This apart, the Ministry of Urban Affairs had two years ago compiled a "vulnerability atlas," detailing how susceptible was each district in the country to floods, cyclones, earthquakes and other natural disasters. The book also has guidelines on the kind of development and construction that conforms to the climate of the area and would keep the loss to a minimum in the event of a calamity. But the problem, says a senior professor of the Geo-research Centre, Delhi University, is that "we take warnings too lightly." Delhi, for instance, happens to be in a zone highly prone to an earthquake. Each building in the Capital is supposed to have a certificate on the seismic tolerance of its foundation. "How scrupulously this is being adhered to is anybody's guess. We are only lucky that a disaster hasn't struck." Similarly, floods, despite warnings, are increasing over the years because development is not in conformity with the terrain, notes Dr Sharma. A couple of years ago, Rohtak in Haryana witnessed flash floods because the highway built around it was at a higher level and the water collected in the city, being at a low level, just couldn't be drained out. States which are highly prone to disasters, like the eastern ones which receive 75 per cent of cyclones in a year, have better measures to cope and are slowly accepting that prevention helps, notes Sharma. He, however, adds that basically it all boils down to how the administration perceives the warning and how well it is able to mobilise people and save them. Says an IAF official involved in relief operations, poverty is a very important aspect. People who have only land and livestock as their assets would not move without them. This is why we are suggesting the construction of multi-storey and multi-purpose shelters, which can not only house people but also cattle and store food grains. They could be topped with large water tanks, to prevent the outbreak of water-borne epidemics that stalk an area in any disaster, says Dr Sharma, whose IIPA is the nodal agency for training govt officers in disaster management. It would be a wiser proposition to invest in wireless technology that would prove to be more cost effective, says the air force officer. People too have to be
educated and informed. "What we need today is a
change in the mind set, and efforts at preventing
tragedies," he says. |
Film festival to pay tribute to Hitchcock CALCUTTA, Nov 7 (IANS) — The fifth Calcutta International Film Festival, beginning November 10, will pay tribute to the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, in his centenary year and feature films by Italian filmmaker Gillo Pontecorvo and Russia's Sergei Parazadov in the special section. The Retrospective section of the week-long festival, which will see the screening of 170 films from 22 countries, will feature Turkey's Ali Ozgenturk and cameraman Subrata Mitra. A special package will include six video films based on the work of Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez under the title 'Dangerous Love' and anti-fascist films. In the Focus section, films of Yugoslavia, the Netherlands, France and Hollywood Classics will be shown. The festival, to be inaugurated by state Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, will open with Iranian Tahmineh Milani's `Two Women'. Pontecorvo, whose 'Battle of Algiers' created a ripple in the 1960s, and Shyam Benegal will be the chief guests at the opening ceremony which will also be attended by 30 foreign directors, including Ozgenturk, Autralia's Paul Cox and Ismail Merchant. Altogether 11 films of Hitchcock would be screened to pay tribute to the master thriller. The retrospective section will screen six movies of Ozgenturk and 12 of cameraman Subrata Mitra. Besides, two films of actor Marcelo Mastrioni, including `La Dolce Vita', would also be shown. West Bengal's Minister of Cultural Affairs Buddhadev Bhattacharya said 75 per cent of the proceeds of the festival would be donated to Orissa's Cyclone Relief Fund while the rest would go to Technicians Welfare Fund. However, the festival this year has been mired in controversy with organising body chairman filmmaker Goutam Ghosh reportedly resigning his post in protest against "inefficiency of the festival committee and large-scale politicisation of the body." The West Bengal Government has also decided to preserve the films, scripts, books, drama and letters of noted filmmaker Ritwick Ghatak as a mark of respect on his 75th birth anniversary. According to Bhattacharya, the government had been able to make a collection of the late director's films after much difficulty because of some legalities. Some of the prints of
his films had been destroyed. He said the government had
decided to preserve the works of Ghatak not only to
enable people to see his films, but also help researchers
working on Ghatak. The filmmaker's wife, Surama, handed
over some of his screenplays to Bhattacharya for
preservation. |
Bombs recovered FAIZABAD, Nov 7 (UNI) — The police has recovered 1,000 country-made bombs in the district and arrested five persons in this connection. District Magistrate Navneet Sehgal said here today that these bombs were being carried by four youths in a Maruti van from Rudauli. The police has also
arrested the manufacturer of the bombs. |
Bihar order on plastic carrybags PATNA, Nov 7 (UNI) — The Bihar Government has imposed a blanket ban on the use of carrybags or containers, manufactured from recycled plastics for storage or packaging food stuffs. A decision to this effect was taken following a notification of ''Recycled plastics manufacture and usage rules, 1999'' by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Official sources said the violation of rules would attract penal provisions of imprisonment up to five years or fine up to Rs 1 lakh, or both. Carrybags or containers made of recycled plastics for purposes other than storage and packaging of food stuff should use colour pigments and their thickness should not be less than 20 microns, in conformity with prescribed limits. The Bihar State
Pollution Control Board is the prescribed authority for
the enforcement of provision of rules relating to the
manufacture and recycling of plastics while District
Magistrates and Deputy Commissioners in the state had
been empowered to execute the provisions relating to
usage, collection, segregation, transportation and
disposal of such plastics, sources added. |
Sikkim appointments GANGTOK, Nov 7 (UNI) — The Pawan Chamling led Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government today appointed twelve new chairmen for various state-owned organisations, taking the total number of new appointee chairmen to eighteen. According to official sources here, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling while appointing the chairmen gave due consideration to their capabilities, qualifications and experience in different fields. Earlier, this week the government had appointed six new chairmen. The Chief Minister has
ensured that equal representation had been given to the
state's different castes and communities in these
appointments. Several senior ruling SDF party leaders
have also been accommodated as chairmen of various
different organisations, the sources added. |
 |
 |
