Tuesday, May 4, 1999

Give report on Yamuna, says HC
NEW DELHI, May 3 — The Delhi High Court today asked the Central Pollution Control Board to place before it an action taken report on the cleansing of the Yamuna which is the source of water supply to Delhi and several other towns on its bank.

Killing of Staines: two arrested
NEW DELHI, May 3 — The CBI has arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in the gruesome murder of Australian Missionary, Graham Stewart Staines, and his two sons in Keonjhar district of Orissa, the agency said here today.

JE dies in power substation fire
PRATAPGARH, May 3 — A Junior Engineer was burnt to death and another injured while trying to put out a fire in the power substation at Gopiamau, 6 km from here, yesterday, the police said today.

DMK, PMK form poll alliance

CHENNAI, May 3 (PTI) — The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and the DMK today struck an alliance to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

DMK President M. Karunanidhi and PMK founder Dr S. Ramadoss announced this at a joint press conference after a 40-minute meeting.

Mr Ramadoss said he had preliminary discussions with Mr Karunanidhi to formalise the electoral tie-up between the two parties.

The overwhelming majority of PMK’s district secretaries favoured an alliance with the DMK and today’s discussions were based on that, he said.

Both the parties would have detailed discussions on seat allotment later.

The decision would be formally ratified by the PMK’s general council and the executive very soon, Mr Ramadoss said.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said it was a good beginning and a good omen for the victory of the DMK-led front in Tamil Nadu.

The Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress (TRC) President Vazhapadi K. Ramamurthy was also present at the meeting.

Mr Ramadoss said Mr Karunanidhi and he were "very good friends" but they could not meet "politically" for some time. "But now everything has been settled", he said.

Asked whether he still held the opinion expressed earlier that he would continue to maintain friendly relationship with AIADMK, Mr Ramadoss said "I want to maintain friendly relationship with every party. Nobody is my enemy. I want to bring the culture of civilised politics to Tamil Nadu, which exists in north".

"Very glad," commented Ramadoss sarcastically, when he was referred to a report that the Congress had told the AIADMK that it could align with it on condition that the PMK was not there.

Later, Mr Ramamurthy said this coming together had paved the way for a grand alliance in the state. The "alliance is going to sweep the poll whether there is a Vajpayee sympathy wave or not", he claimed.

No early respite from heat wave likely
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, May 3 — There is no likelihood of early respite from the ongoing heat wave over North India, especially in Punjab and Haryana, the Met office said here today.

The feeble western disturbances during this period has led to the high temperatures over North India. This year, the frequency of the western disturbances is less. During the past 48 hours, a weak type of western disturbance was noticed in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr S.C. Gupta, director, Met office said.

He pointed out that the western disturbances normally have a cooling effect but this year the disturbances are yet to take place.

"The western disturbances originate from the Mediterranean sea, pass over Afghanistan and Pakistan, and effects western India, particularly Rajasthan and Delhi. These disturbances are re-energised by the North Arabian sea," he said.

Mr Gupta said that while Jammu and Kashmir had already witnessed an improvement with a marginal reduction of temperatures, Himachal Pradesh is also expected to see a marginal drop in temperatures in the next 24 to 48 hours.

However, Punjab and Haryana would continue to reel under the heat wave with no early respite in sight, at least for the next two days.

He said that heat waves had occurred in India in the past, notably in 1941, 1958, 1973 and 1994.

"All weather patterns have a self-controlling system which ensures that they normalise after some time, he said. In this case, western disturbances — a low-pressure weather pattern that originates in the Mediterranean and moves across Pakistan into north-west India — could bring relief", he observed.

Temperatures are known to soar during this period over India and what is happening this year is nothing unusual, Mr Gupta said.

Mr Gupta explained that the absence of rainfall in the Western region was a major reason for the current heatwave conditions. He said that the rainfall helped in the reduction of temperatures which lead to a lowering of temperatures in the surrounding areas.

Citing the case of Hisar, Mr Gupta said today also the temperature there would continue to hover at about 47°C bringing little relief to residents from the scorching summer heat.

The unprecedented heat wave sweeping the Capital has forced the Delhi Government to order closure of schools for summer vacations from May 3, a fortnight in advance.

The Capital experienced its hottest April day since 1941 on April 29 with the mercury shooting up to 43.8 degrees Celsius.

The Delhi Education Minister, Dr Narendra Nath, said that the government-aided schools have been ordered to close.

"The decision to close the schools for the summer vacations has been taken keeping in mind the unusually high temperatures during this period. We have also directed the public schools to advance the summer vacations", he said.

The high temperatures in Delhi continued with mercury rising sharply to 44.4°C on Saturday even as the city began facing power cuts and short supply of water in many areas.

A Met office official said that April, which saw 15 days of plus 40°C, has indicated an unusual summer. The average maximum temperature had been a "very high" 38.9 degrees.

He said the record for of May was 47.2°C on May 29, 1944.

Sorcar’s lonely lion needs mate

CALCUTTA, May 3 (IANS) — He must be wishing he could snap his fingers and make the ideal home for his favourite pet appear out of thin air, but that’s not quite happening for magician P.C. Sorcar Jr. For, the pet for whom he is looking for a home is his beloved Sultan, a strapping six-year-old African lion!

Sultan is currently unemployed and therefore lonely. Sorcar Jr., son of the late and legendary magician P.C. Sorcar, has dropped the lion act from the list of his tricks.

Sorcar says there is absolutely no problem for him continuing to keep the majestic animal. The magician says the animal is no burden to him as it consumes just eight kilograms of boiled meat daily. Sultan is now confined to an enclosure at the Sorcars’ Baruipur home in South 24 Parganas district. Sorcar’s concern is about Sultan’s loneliness.

Sultan is the offspring of a lioness that Sorcar Sr. had carefully selected and brought from Africa in the early seventies. It proudly figured in the list of his regular items for about 22 years. The lioness died a few years ago.

Sorcar says Sultan needs a mate to overcome his loneliness. But it is not easy these days to overcome legal hurdles and buy animals. Moreover, he says, he is always on the move and could not afford to carry two lions along. Besides, Sultan’s acceptance of any mate could not be guaranteed.

Sorcar contacted the authorities of the Nandan Kanan biological park in Orissa. But they said they could not take Sultan in as the park was already brimming over and was finding it hard to feed the inmates. Sorcar was keen on Nandan Kanan because of its open-air environs.

The authorities at Nandan Kanan suggested Bokaro zoo which, too, is open-air. Bokaro authorities at first showed keen interest and said they had as good as taken Sultan in. But they subsequently informed Sorcar that the Central Zoo Authority had told them they could not accept an animal that belonged to an individual.

Mr Adhir Das, director of the Alipore Zoo here, confirmed that no pet animal could be directly taken by a zoo from an individual. He said the owner would first have to appeal to the Chief Wildlife Warden and, on getting permission, a meeting could be held to take a decision on accepting a pet. He, however, added that since in this case the pet belonged to the famous magician, there should not be a problem in fixing up such a meeting.

But would Sorcar agree to hand over his dear pet to Alipore Zoo, where scarcity of open space is well-known and where the present inmates are already languishing as if in prison? “I do not feel encouraged to push my dear Sultan into such a place,” Sorcar says.

Give report on Yamuna: HC

NEW DELHI, May 3 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court today asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to place before it an action taken report (ATR) on the cleansing of the Yamuna which is the source of water supply to Delhi and several other towns on its bank.

A Division Bench comprising the acting Chief Justice, Mr Devinder Gupta, and Mr Justice K.S. Gupta said the report should give full details about the steps taken by various authorities to make the Yamuna water safe for drinking on the basis of deliberations at a meeting convened by the CPCB on April 9.

The CPCB had called a meeting of officials from Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Pollution Committee, pollution control boards of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to discuss the issue.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation which sought directions to the Centre and the Delhi Government’s various agencies to provide safe drinking water in the Capital.

Petitioner Advocate B.L. Wadhera quoting previous CPCB reports had stated that the Yamuna was “highly” polluted and its water unfit for human consumption.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Government in its affidavit said today that the issue of dissolution of the state pollution control board was pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court as board’s former Chairman R.A. Goel moved the court against its supersession.

The petitioner had alleged that the state government dissolved the board under pressure from industries as Mr Goel had initiated tough measures against polluting units.

Controversy over AIDS patients’ right to marry
Concealing HIV positive status an offence: SC

NEW DELHI, May 3 (PTI) — The Supreme Court’s recent order suggesting that it was an AIDS afflicted person’s duty not to marry has virtually triggered a debate over the court’s right to interfere in matters governing human relationships.

While the ruling clearly renders concealing of the HIV positive status a punishable offence and does not hold a doctor divulging such confidential information to others as a violation, two persons suffering from AIDS have sought a fresh interpretation of the judgement before tying the knot.

Certain activists have equated the “suspended right” to marriage of an AIDS (acquired immuno deficiency syndrome) person as “akin to a blanket ban” which rules out even consensual marriage. Other supporting it say the court has done the right thing.

“It’s a fundamental right to marry. You cannot deny somebody that. However, one does not have the right to cause harm but if one has informed one’s spouse there are ways and means of preventing the spread of the disease,” says noted Supreme Court lawyer, Indira Jaising.

According to advocate P.N. Lekhi, the Supreme Court judgement “cannot be faulted...AIDS affliction is like a disease which can spell doom for society. There is no cure for it as yet. The basic principle of law is that whatever is good for people in general is law. It is concerned not only with order but public good.”

The Supreme Court ruling points out that the marriage of an AIDS patient would be an offence under Sections 269 and 270 of the IPC, which relate respectively to negligent act and malignant acts likely to spread a disease dangerous to life. A violation could invite a jail sentence up to two years.

“If somebody knows that his partner is suffering from HIV and decides to marry, there cannot be a ban. The state cannot regulate the lives of individuals and right to marry is a consensual act”, clarifies advocate Kapil Sibal, also a Rajya Sabha MP.

“The issue really should be the choice of the infected”, says Dr Nalini Sahai, president of Torch, an NGO working for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, who sees the court ruling as preventing an AIDS afflicted from marrying.

“Why are we looking at only one method of transmission? There are a large number of people infected with HIV through other forms, mainly blood transfusion”, she says.

“There is no cure for schizophrenia or genetically transmitted diseases such as insanity. Does that mean there will be a ban on marriage for all these people too?”, she asks.

The ruling also provides a new direction to counsellors and doctors who earlier left it to HIV-positive persons about going public about their infection.

The court has held a doctor divulging such information to prospective relatives of a patient is only doing it in the larger good of the society.

Here the right to life of a prospective partner takes precedence over the patient’s right to privacy, it said.

AIDS activists like Dr Sahai say the apex court should have stressed another point — the patient’s right to know that he is HIV positive and tell his partner before the doctor or hospital made the disclosure.

The patient’s right to know is well established in the West. But the appellant in the Supreme Court had claimed damages against the hospital on the ground that confidential information about him being positive was disclosed illegally. The petition was dismissed.

But Mr Jaising maintains “a doctor has no right to tell other people of the disease his patient is suffering from”.

It’s a patient’s right to disclose or not disclose the information. If you have a right, it is your choice. Why should the doctor take upon himself to divulge the information”, asks Dr Sahai.

Killing of Staines: two arrested

NEW DELHI, May 3 (PTI) — The CBI has arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in the gruesome murder of Australian Missionary, Graham Stewart Staines, and his two sons in Keonjhar district of Orissa, the agency said here today.

The two, identified as Ojen Hansda and Chinchu Hansda of Manoharpur village, have admitted their involvement in the murder, CBI claimed in a release.

It said the two also told the CBI about the alleged involvement of prime accused Dara Singh and some others in the gruesome incident of January 22-23 at Manoharpur.

The CBI has also announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for clues leading to the arrest of Dara Singh. A cash reward of Rs 1 lakh each has also been announced for the arrest of Dipu Das alias Chitranjan Das and Kandha Nayak, it said.

JE dies in power substation fire

PRATAPGARH, May 3 (PTI) — A Junior Engineer was burnt to death and another injured while trying to put out a fire in the power substation at Gopiamau, 6 km from here, yesterday, the police said today.

According to the police, S.N. Pandey, the Junior Engineer in charge of the substation, died of severe burns while trying to douse the fire which had broken out in the panel boards.

Fellow engineer R.P. Singh, who suffered burn injuries while assisting Pandey, had been hospitalised.

MCC activists gun down 2
DEHRI-ON-SONE: Outlawed Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) activists gunned down two persons and injured three Home Guard jawans before looting 10 rifles and a huge amount of ammunition from the Madandarpur police picket under the Sarsengram police station in Rohtas district late on Sunday night. Official sources on Monday said two persons were killed by the ultras while they were returning home on a two-wheeler from a marriage party. Later, the ultras raided a police picket, looting 10 rifles and about 200 cartridges. — UNI

Mentally retarded girl raped
SRIGANGANAGAR: In a bizarre incident, six person allegedly raped a mentally retarded minor girl in Nohar town of the district on Sunday evening. According to the FIR lodged with the police, the accused induced the girl to a cremation ground where they raped her. Four of the accused have been arrested while two are still at large. The accused include Akbar, Shafi Mohammad, Yakub, Shamsher, Kadar Khan and Roshan Fann. — FOC

6 die after taking spurious liquor
MORADABAD: Six persons died and as many were taken ill after taking spurious liquor at a marriage party in Salatan village under Bilari town of the district on Saturday, official reports said on Monday. Delayed official reports said a magisterial inquiry had been ordered into the incident. The six persons who were taken ill were admitted to hospital. — PTI

Minor raped by teenager
AGARTALA: In a shocking incident, a three-and-a-half-year-old girl has allegedly been raped by her teenaged neighbour at Amtali village near here, the police said on Monday. The police said 19-year-old Gautam Chakraborty took the girl, his neighbour’s daughter, to a bush near their house and allegedly raped her on Sunday. The villagers, however, caught Chakraborty and beat him severely before handing him over to the police. — PTI

Monastry in Orissa village
BHUBANESWAR: Archaeologists are close to establishing the existence of a third Buddhist monastery in Ratnakari following the recent discovery of a Buddha sculpture and votive stupas from nearby Mahakalapada village. As many as nine votive stupas and brick wall structures were discovered from the backyard of a house in the village which archaeologists believe had come up on a buried Buddhist monastery. Two monasteries were earlier discovered from Ratnagiri Buddhist site. According to Dr B.K. Rath, Superintendent of the Orissa Archaeology Department, a systematic excavation would reveal the nature and period of the site. — UNI

Classical singer dead
KOLHAPUR: Noted classical singer Pandit Sudhakarbuwa Digrajkar died after a protracted illness at his residence here on Sunday, family sources said on Monday. He was 77. The singer had been bed-ridden for the past four months after an acute paralytic attack he had suffered at Hyderabad, where he was conducting music examination. Pt Sudhakarbuwa had his primary lessons in music from Pt Vamanrao Padhye and Pt Vishvanathbuwa Jadhav. From 1941 onwards, he started learning classical music under the guidance of Guru Pandit Nivruttibuwa Sarnaik. — PTI

100 head of cattle perish
JAIPUR: Nearly 100 head of cattle, mainly cows, perished after drinking suspected poisonous water at Sargaon village under the Luni panchayat samiti of Jodhpur district last week, an official said. “Due to scarcity of water in Sargaon village, 40 km from Jodhpur, the cattle had drunk suspected poisonous water and they started dying in batches”, an official of the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) said here. — PTI