EC directive to states on central forces

PATNA, Sept 1 (UNI) — The Election Commission has directed the states to physically deploy the central forces and not keep them as a "striking force."

It pointed out that keeping the central forces for striking purposes "actually defeats the very purpose of augmenting local forces." The commission regretted that there was a "tendency among some state governments to keep the central forces as a striking force only".

This tendency "defeats" the very purpose of augmenting local forces for ensuring peaceful election, the commission felt, and directed the authorities concerned to deploy the central forces.

The commission has also directed the states to ensure appropriate mixing of the state forces with the central forces for deployment. "Any effort on the part of the state governments to circumvent the directions of the commission will be viewed seriously", it added.

The commission also said particular attention should be paid for deploying the central forces in the constituencies and polling stations which had been identified as "sensitive". It said the directive on the issue should be "followed strictly".

The commission directed the state governments not to use Home Guards "in isolation" but along with regular police personnel for both static and mobile duties. The Home Guards "must be put under the command of senior police officers at the time of deployment".

It has also directed the states to utilise the services of those Home Guards who had been appointed before January this year.

It has, however, agreed to permit utilisation of ex-servicemen, retired policemen and central paramilitary personnel.

80 feared dead in air crash

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 1 (Reuters) — An Argentine passenger plane crashed on take-off from an airport near Buenos Aires’ city centre yesterday, ploughing off the runway onto a road, but officials could not confirm reports of up to 80 persons feared dead.

The Boeing 737 from private Airline Lapa, bound for Argentina’s second-largest city, Cordoba, with 95 passengers and six crew members on board, lost control on the runway of Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, careened through the perimeters fence in flames onto a busy road by Plate river and came to a halt in a golf course.

Rescue workers with dogs searched the charred, mangled wreckage for passengers and possible victims from cars hit by the burning aircraft. The air force said it was investigating the crash and already had retrieved the ‘‘black box’’ flight recorder.

Local media reports estimated that 80 persons could have died and city hospitals received 30 injured, including seven hurt on the ground. If that death toll is confirmed, the accident would represent the worst civil air disaster in Argentina’s history.

"We still have to cross-check the list of passengers who boarded the plane with the list of survivors in hospital," Argentine Security Secretary Miguel Angel Toma told reporters. "On that basis, we will be able to estimate a preliminary toll."

A Lapa spokeswoman said early today that 94 adults and one child were among the passengers aboard flight 3142. The spokeswoman said a head count of survivors was still sketchy.

"The only thing we have is what local media says: 21 passengers in the Fernandez (public hospital), three or four persons in the burn clinic, one in the Rivadavia (hospital) and (the pilot) Captain Sara in the Bazterrica (clinic)," the spokeswoman said.

Toma said authorities were still trying to determine how many passers-by were killed when flight 3142 hit the ground.

"I heard the turbines giving it speed. It rose half metre into the air, then all I heard was silence," survivor Fabian Nunez told reporters by the smoking wreckage. "Most people were on fire. Only one door opened."

"We were fighting to get out of our seat belts for a minute or a minute and a half, I saw fire, fire, more fire and people running. I reached the door and jumped onto the escape shoot. Lots of people fell with me," said Nunez.

Doctors said some of the victims had up to 96 per cent of their bodies covered in horrifying burns. Relatives of passengers thronged the entrances of hospitals in Buenos Aires and Cordoba to see whether their relatives were on lists of survivors.

An air force spokesman said the plane bounced along the runway onto Costanera Avenue. He could not confirm survivors’ accounts that the flight’s departure had been delayed as Lapa mechanics carried out checks on one of the engines.

President Carlos Menem and Buenos Aires Mayor Fernando de la Rua rushed to the airfield to be briefed on the accident, which local media were calling the worst civil aviation disaster in Argentine history.

"Injured people have been taken to hospitals, so there are survivors," Rua told reporters.

The airport itself was immediately closed and helicopters and ambulances rushed victims to hospitals while dozens of fire engines soaked the wreckage, part of which was still burning.

A Reuters photographer at the scene said the whole area was soaked in jet fuel while chunks of wreckage littered the site, at the gates of a riverside leisure-and-sports complex.

People playing golf there were among the first to rescue passengers and said only a few walked away unhurt. One coast guard member, who pulled from the wreckage mutilated persons who died almost immediately, said one woman walked from the plane with her hands and head burned: "She just knelt down to pray."

Boeing spokesman Sean Griffin said the plane dated from 1970 and had logged 67,400 flight hours. Griffin said the design goal for the plane was to last 20 years and 50,000 flight hours, although planes can and are able to operate beyond that period.

Griffin said Boeing was sending investigators to assist the crash probe. Griffin said the plane involved was a first-generation 737 and more than 900 of those planes are still in service.

Lapa has put two planes in service to fly passengers’ family members from Cordoba to Buenos Aires, the airline spokeswoman said.

"The company is dedicated to assisting passengers and everyone affected by this episode, as well as to the authorities in determining the causes and consequences of it," Lapa said in a statement.

Top scientist dead

CHENNAI, Sept 1 (UNI) — Dr S. Srinivasan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Thiruvananthapuram, died following cardiac arrest at a private hospital here today.

Dr Srinivasan was 58. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

He was admitted to Apollo Hospital here on Saturday and underwent emergency bypass graft yesterday.

Dr Srinivasan's condition worsened this morning and his heart was fibrillating. Attempts to revive him failed, doctors told UNI.

He had earlier undergone bypass graft on four vessels last year.

53 foundries near Taj to be closed down

NEW DELHI, Sept 1 (PTI) — To save the historic Taj Mahal from being further scarred by industrial pollution, the Supreme Court today directed Agra district authorities to close down 53 iron foundries around the monument.

A Division Bench of Justice S. Saghir Ahmad and Justice M. Jagannadha Rao, hearing an application moved by Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) against iron foundries, said "Out of 168, 53 iron foundries which have not agreed to accept gas have to be closed forthwith, if not already closed or shifted."

The bench also directed the District Magistrate (DM) of Agra and the city SP to "see that no coal coke is supplied" to another 78 cupola-based iron foundries with effect from September 15.

Of the rest 37 non-cupola based iron foundries, which had agreed to accept gas from GAIL, eight have made their furnaces natural gas based. The Bench said "from September 15, these 29 foundries will have no excuse for not accepting the natural gas from GAIL.

"The DM and SP of Agra will take steps to close down these industries by September 15. However, as and when these 29 non-cupola based industries take steps to receive gas, they shall be allowed to function," the Bench added.