Wednesday, June 30, 1999
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N A T I O N |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Bodos blow up police
vehicles, 7 cops killed Sonia ‘should have attended
meeting’ |
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Fayyaz's contact arrested
Kargil-bound jawans booked Namibia backs India on Kargil
Army steps up watch in East,
North-East CBI to inquire into Harshad’s
charge Commissioning of aqueduct soon Nitish attends customer care
training WSC working criticised |
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Bodos blow up police vehicles, 7 cops killed GUWAHATI, June 29 (UNI) — At least seven police personnel were killed and 10 critically injured when suspected Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) militants set off a powerful explosion at Dholabari village in Assam's Kamrup district last night, official sources said. The victims, who were on a patrol, belonged to the Ninth Assam Police Battalion, the sources suspect the involvement of the BLT militants since they always target the Assam police. Five of the injured were admitted to Medical College Hospital here and the rest to the local Civil Hospital. The explosion occurred when the police party, travelling in two vehicles, was crossing a culvert. The vehicles were badly damaged in the explosion. Senior police and civil officials have rushed to spot. The BLT today observed the third death anniversary of their founder-chairman Chilagang Basumatary, who died of cancer in 1997. Those killed in the
blast have been identified as Sub-Inspector Tarun Kalita,
constables Sukleswar Roy, Laxmiram Hamreng, Krishna Mohan
Nath, Havildar Ram Saikia (all from 9th Assam Police
Battalion) constable Chandra Gohain from Ist Assam
Special Reserve Force and Havildar driver Sunmoni Kalita
from the Home Guards. |
Sonia ‘should have
attended meeting’ NEW DELHI, June 29 — The Bharatiya Janata Party today said the Congress President Mrs Sonia Gandhi, should have attended the all-party meeting convened on Monday to discuss Kargil developments. Briefing newspersons here, party national Vice-President, K.L. Sharma said Mrs Gandhi’s presence at the meeting would have helped her raise questions, clear doubts and make valuable suggestions. "It would have been nice if the Congress President were present at the meeting yesterday. She knows best why she did not turn up at the meeting. She should have postponed her programme. She should not have avoided this forum. This was the best forum where she could have asked questions, made suggestions and made clarifications." Mr Sharma said on the one hand the Congress President had been seeking information and on the other hand she had chosen to stay away from the meeting. Answering a question, Mr Sharma said the Congress stand that Mrs Gandhi’s programme could not be rescheduled at short notice was an unreasonable explanation. The party national Vice-President said it was absolutely wrong to say that political parties and masses were not being informed about the situation in Kargil. He said never before in history was the public so well informed about any conflict. "Twice, an all-party meeting has been held. Apart from this, a meeting of the Parliamentary Union was held. The political parties, newspapers and the public are well-informed. Nothing has been kept secret. All necessary information is being given. It is unfair to spread rumours of a secret deal with Pakistan." Mr Sharma said it was a good sign that political parties did not raise issues they normally raise at all-party meetings. "They expressed solidarity on the Kargil issue. The meeting of Chief Ministers of various States as agreed upon by all parties has been scheduled for July 7". Mr Sharma reiterated that the Indian forces were in a commanding position in Kargil. He expressed the hope that "Operation Vijay" would be a success soon. He pointed out that despite all efforts at diplomatic levels, Pakistan had not been able to gain support from any quarter. "All countries are in agreement with India’s stand of flushing out infiltrators from the Indian side of the Line of Control." Answering to a question,
Mr Sharma said the Kargil issue was a national issue and
should not be exploited by political parties for
political gains. |
Meeting to avoid RS session: Sonia NEW DELHI, July 29 (PTI) — Congress President Sonia Gandhi today said the all-party meeting convened by the Prime Minister yesterday to discuss Kargil was an excuse apparently not to convene the Rajya Sabha session. "The all-party meeting was an excuse (in the light of the demand for Rajya Sabha session). Nothing substantial has been said. What has been appearing in newspapers has been repeated", she told mediapersons at the AICC headquarters when asked about the meeting. Mrs Gandhi said the government citing reasons of national security for not convening the session was "an excuse and a well-planned strategy". Reiterating her party's demand for an immediate special session of the Rajya Sabha, she referred to a delegation headed by Mr Vajpayee in 1962 during the Chinese aggression to the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru to press the demand for a Parliament session. While Nehru's was a
"proper" government, Mr Vajpayee's was a
caretaker government and it was all the more necessary it
should call a Rajya Sabha session, she said. |
No tax on contributions to
NDF NEW DELHI, June 29 — The government today announced 100 per cent relief in income tax for contributions made to the National Defence Fund with effect from April 1, 1999. The contributions made to the fund would be used in the rehabilitation of soldiers, who are injured in the ongoing border conflict in the Kargil region of Jammu and Kashmir and their families. The Income Tax Act, 1961 will be amended through an ordinance and will be promulgated at the earliest, the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan told newspersons while announcing the decision made by the Union Cabinet today. “The Ordinance will be sent to the President in a couple of days for his assent”, he said. Presently, deduction at the rate of 50 per cent is allowed under the Act. Mr Mahajan said the measure is aimed at increasing the flow of funds to the National Defence Fund. Constitutional provisions state that for any amendments in the laws relating to the direct taxes, an approval by the Lok Sabha is required. However, since the Lok Sabha was dissolved in April, a presidential ordinance will be issued under Article 123 of the Constitution. The Union Cabinet today set the benchmark for the mega power projects in the thermal and hydel sector that would be eligible for various concessions. Under the new scheme, all such inter-state or inter-regional thermal power projects would be treated as mega projects whose power generation capacities would be either 1000 MWs or more and for the hydel sector it is 500 MWs or more. Mr Mahajan said the main criterion for availing the concessions is that the power from these projects should be shared by more than one state.The capital equipment that would be imported for these projects would be exempted from payments of customs duty. The State governments would be asked to provide relief in sales tax and other benefits. All these projects would be entitled to 10-year tax holiday from its last 15 years’ working. Price preference of 15 per cent would be given for projects under the public sector, while deemed export benefits as per the exim policy would be given to domestic dibbers for projects both under public and private sector.The domestic bidder would be allowed to quote in US dollars or any other currency of its choice. The policy is expected to benefit the Damodar Valley Corporation’s Khalgaon Stage II (1500 MW), Maithon Project (1000 mw). In addition, NTPC would be expanding four gas-based plants, namely Anta, Auriya, Kawas and Gandhar to an additional capacity of 1300 MW. The National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) would be taking up the inter-state projects of Koel-Karo (710 MW), Teesta -V ( 510 MW), Koldam (800 MW) and Parvati (800 mw). The government also approved a project by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to launch its INSAT-3A satellite involving a cost of Rs 352.7 crore. The Cabinet has approved the finalisation and placement of contract to launch the satellite by French agency Arianespace, Mr Mahajan said adding that the launch would be carried out by the middle of next year.It would cost about $83 million which is Rs 352.7 crore in the current exchange rate. The bank guarantee requirement for the launch has also been waived by the Cabinet considering the strong financial fundamentals of the space organisation, he said. ‘Balika Samriddhi Yojana’ - a programme for the uplift of the girl child belonging to families living below the poverty line(BPL) has been modified by the Union Cabinet and given the status of a centrally sponsored scheme. The scheme, announced by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, in his Independence Day address last year, provides for post-delivery grant of Rs 500 after the birth of every girl child to families belonging to the BPL category. The scheme, previously in the central sector, was said to be causing certain problems in its implementation by the state governments. The money would be deposited in a bank or a postoffice which would be given to the girl once she reaches the age of 18.Parents or guardians are not entitled to withdraw before the specified time frame except for the purpose of transferring the amount to the ‘Bhagyashree Balika Yojana’. The scheme also provides for an annual educational scholarship of Rs 300 for the junior level and Rs 100 in senior secondary school, Mr Mahajan said adding that the changes as approved by the Cabinet today would facilitate the disbursement of funds in proper way. The Union Cabinet also decided to transfer 200 sq meters of defence land in Pithorgarah in Uttar Pradesh to the state government.The land will be utilised by the U P Jal Nigam for laying underground pipelines, Mr Mahajan said. The Cabinet also cleared a revival package for the Jadav pur based National Industries Limited (NIL) in Calcutta to help the company modernise and upgrade its production facilities for telescopes, binoculars and wide range of railway accessories. As per the revival
package Rs 2.63 crore would be given for technological
upgradation, Rs 18.21 crore would be given to help the
company to carry out its voluntary retirement scheme and
Rs 161.26 crore to meet its other commitments. |
Fayyaz's contact arrested NEW DELHI, June 29 (UNI) — The Uttar Pradesh police has arrested a former constable of the Border Security Force, Jeet Singh, contact man for Pakistan High Commission staffer Dil Fayyaz, who has been expelled for spying. Jeet Singh, who was remanded in- to 14 days' police custody today, was arrested yesterday for suspected espionage near the Hindon air force base in Ghaziabad along with Mr Fayyaz, Mr Amar Nath Gupta, a spokesman of the Ghaziabad police said. Chief Judicial Magistrate A.K. Upadhytay remanded Jeet Singh into police custody, Mr V.K. Gupta, DIG, Meerut, said. Some important documents regarding details of Army units at Pathankot, Jaisalmer and Jammu were recovered from Jeet Singh. Mr Gupta said the two were nabbed yesterday by a special operations group of the UP police under SSP Devendra Singh Chouhan. The SOG had specific information that Jeet Singh worked for a foreign agent after quitting the BSF. Following the information Jeet Singh was kept under surveillance. Mr Fayyaz was brought to
the Chanakyapuri police station here from Ghaziabad and
handed over to the Pakistani High Commission after a
thorough medical examination in the presence of officials
of External Affairs Ministry. |
Kargil-bound jawans booked HOSHANGABAD (MP), June 29 (PTI) — The police has registered cases against Kargil-bound Army personnel for allegedly beating up the driver of a District Collector on Saturday, the police said today. The alleged incident occurred after a bus carrying the Army personnel from Pachmarhi to Itarsi on their way to Kargil fell into a 20-feet deep gorge near Matkuli, 100 km from here. At least 20 Army personnel were injured in the accident. Those who escaped unhurt tried to stop vehicles on the road to carry the injured to hospitals. They also stopped two vehicles in which the Collector’s family was travelling. This led to a dispute between the Army men and the driver of one of the vehicles. The driver, in his complaint filed at Pachmarhi, had alleged that he was beaten up by the Army men following the altercation. The police said cases
under Sections 341, 394, 323 and 147 of the IPC had been
registered against the Army men. |
Ajay Sharma new Delhi police
chief NEW DELHI, June 29 — In a major reshuffle, the Centre today shifted a senior Home Ministry official and appointed a new police chief for Delhi, of the UP cadre. Mr Ajay Raj Sharma, Additional Director-General of the Border Security Force, will be the new Police Commissioner of Delhi, in place of Mr V.N. Singh. A 1966 batch UP cadre IPS officer, Mr Sharma also served as the Additional DG, UP before joining the BSF. The Centre also shifted three other police officers of the AGMUT cadre. Mr Nikhil Kumar, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs has been appointed the Director-General of the National Security Guard. Mr Nikhil Kumar an IPS officer of the 1963 cadre will be succeeded by Mr Tilak Raj Kakkar who was heading the NSG. Mr Kakkar will be Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the ministry. Incidentally, Mr Nikhil Kumar came to the MHA after being head of the NSG. Mr Kumar, a former Delhi police chief, was succeeded by Mr Kakkar. Mr V.N. Singh, who succeed Mr Kakkar has now been appointed as Special Director in the BSF, a post that has been created for him. So far only two central
police organisations, the Intelligence Bureau and the
Central Bureau of Investigation have the posts of Special
Director. |
Namibia backs India on Kargil NEW DELHI, June 29 (PTI) — Namibia today backed the Indian stand on Kargil showing “complete understanding” of New Delhi’s resolute steps to evict Pakistani intruders from the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC). The Namibian view was conveyed by visiting Foreign Minister Theo-Ben Guriab during his meetings with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. Mr Jaswant Singh briefed him on the developments in Kargil and the sub-continent besides discussing other international developments, including the Kosovo crisis and economic issues. Mr Guriab, who is here on a five-day official visit at the invitation of Mr Jaswant Singh, reiterated that India and Namibia traditionally enjoyed close and warm relations. Namibia’s importance has been enhanced with its current non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council from January, 1999 to December, 2000. Significantly, the African group of countries has endorsed the candidature of Mr Guriab as the next president of the UN General Assembly as it is the turn of Africa to occupy the high office. The election of Mr
Guriab to the coveted post in August this year is only a
formality, External Affairs Ministry officials said. |
Dismiss DPS head, says NCW NEW DELHI, June 29 — The National Commission for Women has sought the dismissal of the Principal of Delhi Public School, Faridabad holding him guilty of sexual harassment. “The commission has found the Principal of DPS, Faridabad, guilty of sexually harassing women staff members, NCW Chairperson Vibha Parthasarthy said after releasing an inquiry report at a press conference here today. Acting on complaints by four teachers, the commission constituted a four-member committee comprising the Chairperson, Dr Syeda Hameed and officiating member-secretary Leena Mehendale. The commission recommended that the Delhi Public School Society be directed to implement a policy against sexual harassment and complaints procedure in compliance with the guidelines mandated by the apex court. The commission suggested that if the society failed to do so, its registration be revoked. The commission also recommended that the complainant who had resigned after the incident should be reinstated in the school as per original work conditions and terms with back pay for the time lost as a consequence of the sexual harassment suffered. The NCW said Chairperson the women had approached the commission towards the end of last year. The commission she said, had demanded enactment of a suitable legislation against sexual harassment of women at workplace as more cases of the kind were being reported. “The points which define sexual harassment should be notified as it also concerns safeguarding the fundamental rights of women under the Constitution,” she added. Releasing the findings of its inquiry here, Ms Parthasarthy said the commission had recommended that the school society terminate the services of Principal U.S. Verma in the larger interests of the institution and society, according to a UNI report. Coming down heavily on the Delhi Public School Society (DPSS), the NCW said the entire procedure of the DPSS inquiry committee, set up after prodding from the NCW, showed total disregard for transparency and justifiability. “The message projected by the authorities is highly reprehensible in terms of social values professed to be practised by a supposedly prestigious institution of learning,” the report said. The report noted that the DPS Society’s repeated failure over a period of four months to offer any single effective response to serious allegations of sexual harassment was “negligent and discriminatory”. The NCW’s inquiry
committee recommended a critical review of the school by
the authorities in the Education Department under whose
jurisdiction the school comes. |
Army steps up watch in East, North-East CALCUTTA, June 29 (PTI) — The Army has stepped up vigilance in the eastern and north-eastern region following interception of messages between northeast rebel outfits and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. Admitting ISI presence in the two regions, Chief of Staff, Eastern Command, Lt-Gen S.C. Chopra told newspersons at a ‘face to face’ programme here the Army was ever vigilant over the overall situation in the region where the rebels had been maintaining close contacts with the Pakistan intelligence agency. General Chopra said though the situation was not alarming it was definitely a cause of concern. “However, we should not loosen our guard”, he said. Asked about the factors responsible for fast spread of ISI tentacles in the region, General Chopra said porous borders, lack of proper policing, massive pumping of money to exploit local contacts and “availability of easy finance” helped the ISI to operate in the region. When asked whether the ISI was behind the recent blast in the New Jalpaiguri railway station, he said the Army had no specific information on the matter. To a question, he said
military intelligence needed to be supplemented properly
and timely by RAW, the intelligence branch and the state
police “and this is one of the principles of
acquiring accurate information”. |
CBI to inquire into Harshad’s charge MUMBAI, June 29 (PTI) — A special court, hearing the securities scam, today ordered a CBI probe into the allegation levelled by “Big Bull” Harshad Mehta that he had paid large sums of money in 1991 to prominent politicians, including the then Prime Minister, Mr P.V. Narasimha Rao, and Congress leader Sitaram Kesari. Mr Justice M.S. Rane directed the government to set up a three-member CBI team for probing the allegation. The court ordered the probe after Mohan Khandelwal, accused-turned-approver in the Maruti Udyog case, disowned his statement recorded by the CBI on June 15, 1993, wherein he had said he had withdrawn Rs 45 lakh from a Delhi bank on the advice of Mehta, who told him that he had a meeting with Mr Narasimha Rao. When confronted with his statement recorded by the CBI, the approver and former president of Mehta’s firm in Delhi denied it in toto. He said he had not mentioned a word about Mehta’s appointment with Mr Rao or about the “Big Bull” taking a bag containing cash to the house of the then Congress Treasurer, Mr Kesari, and the latter asking Mehta to scribble in a book that Rs 20 lakh was paid as donation to the party. Khandelwal was recalled
by the court on the plea of Mehta who alleged that the
approver’s statements on June 1, 1993, and June 15,
1993, to the CBI were “suppressed” from him and
the court. |
Commissioning of aqueduct soon NEW DELHI, June 29 — The aqueduct across supplementary drain near the Haiderpur Water Treatment Plant in North-West Delhi, the construction of which was allotted to the Haryana Government and subsequently taken over by the Delhi Government, would be commissioned shortly, the Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Minister, Mr Yoganand Shastri said here today. The 76-metre long duct having six spans of 12.5 metres each had been constructed by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the Delhi Government at a cost of Rs 90 lakh, Mr Shastri stated during his inspection to the site of aqueduct today. Dr Yoganand Shastri informed that initially the construction work of the duct was assigned to the Haryana Irrigation Department as a deposit work of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the Delhi Government. The work was started by the Haryana Government in November 1994, with stipulated period of completion as 12 months. Mr Shastri observed that up to monsoon in 1998 only work on abutments and land spans of the duct was executed and the remaining work was only up to the foundation level. At that time the estimated cost of the work was Rs 163.81 lakh which was deposited with the Haryana Irrigation Department by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the Delhi Government, he said. Mr Shastri said as a result of slackness on the part of the Haryana Government, Delhi had faced serious water crisis on two occasions during the last monsoon when the diversion canal had developed cracks due to settlement of pipes underneath. Thereafter, a decision was taken by the Delhi Government to get the balance work executed on its own and finally the balance work was assigned to the Irrigation and Flood Control Department. The minister informed
that the capacity of the aqueduct was about 1100 cusecs
(550 MGD), however, presently 200 MGD raw water would be
supplied through this duct to the Haiderpur Water
Treatment Plant. |
Nitish attends customer care
training NEW DELHI, June 29 — In an effort to underline the significance of customer care, the Railway Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, and the Minister of State for Railways, Mr Ram Naik, along with Members of the Railway Board, today attended a programme organised by the Customer Care Institute. Taking part in a meeting, he said the Indian Railways was committed to becoming more transparent in its functioning and sensitive in its dealings with customers. The minister and other senior participants were exposed to a special training programme meant for frontline customer interfacing employees and supervisors of the Indian Railways. The minister, at a separate function also released the new railway timetable. Apart from an attractive cover, it has been designed on the computer with colour bars to indicate the class of trains, the facilities available on each train, a route map with table numbers and designated station index. The commuter will also
get to know through the timetable whether a particular
train has a pantry car or not and the availability of
“Tatkal” on trains. |
WSC working criticised NEW DELHI, June 29 — The Secretary of the Delhi unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Mangal Singh, today criticised the functioning of the World Sikh Council’s Delhi unit. Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Mangal Singh demanded that the Chairman of the Delhi unit of the World Sikh Council, Mr H S Matharoo, should step down from his post “on moral grounds following a change of guard at Akal Takht.” The Delhi unit comprises
Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Mr
Mangal Singh also said that the letter issued by the
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee member, Mr
Swinderjit Singh Bajwa, stating that he was dissociating
himself from the SAD was of “no consequence”
since “he was never really a part of SAD”. |
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| New migratory route GUWAHATI: A new migratory route of the Siberian common crane has been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh. The new flying path runs between Siberia and Arunachal Pradesh via China and Tibet. According to noted ornithologist and the Deputy Secretary of the Assam Forest Department, Mr Anwaruddin Choudhury, the new migratory route lies over the eastern-most Himalayas starting from somewhere in the Assam-Arunachal region to Siberia in Russia. — UNI 1 lakh devotees witness
‘snan yatra’ Shirdi to be
airlinked WB to set up law
varsity HC: accepting
aid by schools illegal Nautical science
institute at Madurai FPM to put up
own candidates 2 held in fake
currency racket Pak intrusion
denounced |
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