Wednesday, May 5, 1999

Appliances to display noise levels
BANGALORE, May 4 — Soon it will be made compulsory for all appliances and equipment ranging from a tractor to a juicer to display the level of noise produced by them so as to enable consumers buy products which are least noisy.

Win-cih virus to return
NEW DELHI, May 4 — Variants of the Win-cih virus that attacked thousands of computers worldwide, wiping out invaluable data, are bound to strike again on the 26th of every month and April 26 every year, experts warn.

Joined at birth
KALYANI (WB), May 4 — Like all 29-year olds they are fun-loving, enjoy good music and take part in festivals. Like many youths they do exercise their voting rights and still share an aversion to present day politics.

Yet another dowry death?
GREATER NOIDA, May 4 — A newly-wed woman was murdered allegedly for bringing inadequate dowry, in the Dhaulana police station area, last week.

Cabinet gives green signal to Salal project’s renovation
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, May 4 — The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today took several important decisions, including a proposal for renovating and modernisation of the Salal Hydro-Power Project Stage-I in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The proposal for the setting up of an exclusive venture capital fund for the Information Technology sector, a gas processing complex at Gandhar in Gujarat by GAIL, renaming of a scheme for older persons and a financial package for a loss making State unit were also approved by the CCEA.

The Salal Stage-I project, entailing an investment of Rs 61.47 crore and having an installed capacity of 345 mw, will have a debt-equity ratio of 1:1, the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan, told reporters after the CCEA meeting.

The project is designed to generate around 2038 mega units per annum.

The CCEA also approved the setting up of an exclusive venture capital fund for the Information Technology sector. The setting up of the fund is expected to give a further boost to the sector in the coming years, especially in the small scale sector, Mr Mahajan said.

The fund would have a base of Rs 100 crore and the Small Industry Development Bank of India (SIDBI) would float a fully owned subsidiary trustee company to run the fund, Mr Mahajan said.

The meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, felt that the setting up of the fund was necessary to provide start-up capital to the entrepreneurs, especially software professionals, who do not have sufficient funds.

The CCEA also approved the Gas Authority of India Limited’s proposal for setting up a gas processing complex at Gandhar in Gujarat to augment LPG production.

The project costing Rs 333.40 crore, including a foreign exchange component of Rs 25.40 crore, would produce LPG gas and augment the domestic cooking gas supply by 14 million cylinders in a year.

The project would ensure a foreign exchange saving of Rs 120 crore in a year by minimising the import of LPG.

A proposal to rename the scheme of assistance to voluntary organisations for programmes relating to the aged as "Integrated Programme for Older Persons" was also approved by the CCEA. An expenditure plan of Rs 78.87 crore was also approved for the scheme during the Ninth Plan.

The government also approved a financial rescue package for the loss making Pragya Tools Limited of Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh.

The unit would be provided Rs 10.49 crore equity support to make up its cash disbursement losses.

The tools units would also be given Rs 9.95 crore to meet its statutory obligations. Another Rs 8.55 crore would be made available from the National Renewal Fund for manpower restructuring.

Heat wave unabated in capital
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, May 4 — Marginal drop of one degree drop in temperature failed to bring any relief in the region reeling under the heat wave.

After nearly a fortnight of heat wave like conditions in the region, the marginal drop in temperature is unlikely to bring respite as major power crisis loomed large over the capital.

The meteorological office said that the maximum day temperature in Delhi was 43.2 degrees celsius, approximately one degree less than yesterday’s temperature of 44.2 degrees celsius.

There has been a drop in temperatures in North India, especially in Punjab and Haryana, which have been experiencing high temperatures, Mr S.C. Gupta, Director, Meteorological office said.

Late last night squall followed by an early morning drizzle for a brief period over some areas in Delhi led to marginal drop in day temperature, a Meteorological official said.

Feeble western disturbances during this period has led to the high temperature over North India. This year, 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 said.

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

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

The capital experienced its hottest April day since 1941 on April 29 with mercury shooting up to 43.8 degrees celsius.

The high temperature in Delhi continued with mercury rising sharply to 44.4 degrees celsius on Saturday even as the city began having power cuts and short supply of water in many areas.

He said that the record for the month of May was 47.2 degrees on May 29, 1944.

No additional generating capacity is likely to be available to the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) in next two to three years during which the peak demand would continue to increase by about 150-200 MW every year, a study conducted by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) on “Power position in Delhi”.

Power supply position in the coming years will therefore become serious unless steps are taken to control the system demand and also make long term arrangements to purchase power from the neighbouring states, the study states.

In its suggestions on the power sector reforms package for Delhi, the chamber has proposed that the “Delhi Power Generation and Transmission” company should be registered as soon as possible under the Companies Act to manage the existing and planned generating stations as well as EHV transmission network of 400 KV and 220 KV system.

Wooden houses safer in quake-prone areas

Dehra Dun, May 4 (UNI) — Scientists of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehra Dun, the Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee and the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehra Dun, have come forward with suggestions which would minimise the damage caused to human life and property by earthquakes.

At a conference held in Hardwar on Sunday, well-known geologist and Vice-Chancellor of the Roorkee University, Mr Jaikrishan, said in his inaugural address that society as a whole has had a major responsibility in coming to the help of the poor affected by natural disasters.

It was also the duty of various scientific institutes to see to it that the houses in quake-prone areas were built in a manner which would make them quake-resistant. It had been noticed that old houses in which wooden frames had been used had not been damaged much in the recent earthquake in the Garhwal hills, he said.

The FRI’s Director, Mr Jagdish Rawat, said at the meeting that the FRI had conducted a survey at Chamoli and Rudraprayag after the recent quake there to find out how much wood had been used in the houses that had been damaged. It was found that houses which had less wood in them had been damaged more, he added.

Dr M S Virdi of the WIHG said that some areas of the Himalayan region were sinking while others were rising. Pressure of population was leading to large-scale deforestation resulting in soil erosion and landslides, he added.

Dr Virdi said a relief plan should be prepared to counter such disasters and a permanent relief committee should be constituted comprising representatives of the government, the scientific community and social organisations. Gram panchayats and NGOs should also be closely involved in this work, he added.

Urgent relief measures were required in the case of natural calamities like quakes and these can be made available only if a strong task force was trained in advance to meet these situations at local and regional levels, Dr Virdi said.

A K Pachauri of Roorkee University said there was no coordination among the government, scientists and the people regarding natural hazards. The government had never asked Roorkee Engineering University to carry out specific studies on landslides and earthquakes, he said.

Appliances to display noise levels

BANGALORE, May 4 (ANI) — Soon it will be made compulsory for all appliances and equipment ranging from a tractor to a juicer to display the level of noise produced by them so as to enable consumers buy products which are least noisy.

Mr M.L. Munjal, Chairman of the National Committee on Noise Pollution Control (NCNPC), set up by the Central Pollution Control Board, said a gazette notification to this effect would be introduced within six months.

Mr Munjal, professor of mechanical engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (IIS), said the move was aimed at forcing manufacturers to adopt noise-abatement technologies to produce appliances that would be quieter.

The “non-noise” techniques developed at the IIS has already been introduced in the Indica, the car being produced by Telco.

Win-cih virus to return

NEW DELHI, May 4 (PTI) — Variants of the Win-cih virus that attacked thousands of computers worldwide, wiping out invaluable data, are bound to strike again on the 26th of every month and April 26 every year, experts warn.

“Win-cih is a family of four computer viruses infecting programme executable files. Three of them contain a destructive pay load that activates on the 26th of April in one variant and the other on 26th day of the month,” an Internet site on the deadly computer glitch cautioned.

However, some Internet experts in India were of the opinion that Win-cih would not get activated every month and termed it as an annual disaster striking computer installations only on April 26, commemorating the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986.

According to analysts, the virus affects hard disc drive of Windows 95 and 98. exe files primarily via Internet and pirated software. Network Associates Inc, said Windows NT was not affected.

Joined at birth

KALYANI (WB), May 4 (PTI) — Like all 29-year olds they are fun-loving, enjoy good music and take part in festivals.

Like many youths they do exercise their voting rights and still share an aversion to present day politics.

And like all young girls they blush when asked about marriage and love.

But unlike the rest these twins cannot go to movies because of their strange physical contortions, Yes Akher Atun and Zaher Atun are twins, their bodies entwined below the waist, their elder brother Eman Ali says.

Nicknamed Ganga and Jamuna, they have been in the show business under Ali’s guidance answering to queries from a bemused audience at each show.

"We have been at places like Ludhiana, Gangtok, Silchar. But we simply love hills the most," the two ecstatic girls, who have been "showing off" their physical deformity from a very young age, say.

Having received no formal education, the two girls, who have been in such a state ever since their birth at Keshabpur village in North 24 Parganas district, are left with little choice but to continue the nomadic life they are leading now.

Yet another dowry death?
From Our Correspondent

GREATER NOIDA, May 4 — A newly-wed woman was murdered allegedly for bringing inadequate dowry, in the Dhaulana police station area, last week.

Mr Ranjit Singh, father of the victim, lodged an FIR with the police stating that daughter, Kiran had been harassed by her in-laws for bringing inadequate dowry immediately after her marriage to Jitendra in July 1998. Her in-laws demanded a colour TV set and Rs 51,000 in cash. Mr Ranjit Singh said he had given Rs 21,000 to his daughter’s in-laws some time back but they continued to beat and torture his daughter. He alleged foul play in his daughter’s death.

The FIR names the husband, mother-in-law, father-in-law and brother-in-law of the victim as suspects.

Sculptor in search of sponsors
BHUBANESWAR: A sculptor selected for the Scheveningen International Sand Sculpture Festival in Holland, as the lone representative from India, has been running from pillar to post for sponsors. Hailing from a poor family, Sudershan Pattnaik (23) of Puri has knocked the doors of government officials and politicians for financial help, but in vain. While the Orissa Government has refused to sanction any amount for his visit to Holland, stating that there was no such provision, the state tourism department has outrightly rejected his appeal to bear the air expenses even though Sudershan and his sand art on Puri beach has been well projected in the colourful brochure prepared by the department. Commercial banks too have rejected his application. — UNI

States emulate Delhi drug programme
NEW DELHI: The rational use of drugs programme, launched in the city in 1994 to tackle the chaotic situation prevailing in Delhi Government-run hospitals due to the non-availability of medicines, is now being emulated by other states. While the Governments of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Tamil Nadu introduced the Delhi model, which has been hailed by the WHO as a major breakthrough in controlled drug use, in July, last year, the latest to follow suit is the Government of West Bengal. Under the programme, being implemented in collaboration with the WHO, bulk procurement of drugs has been centralised to ensure quality and competitive prices. — UNI

12 injured in clash
MIDNAPORE: At least 12 persons were injured in a clash between CPM and Trinamool Congress supporters at Kusunda and Benjora villages in Midnapore district on Monday, the police said. The clash was a sequel to a tiff about harvesting of high-yielding crops on a disputed land. The injured were admitted to a hospital at Dantan. — PTI

Cartoonist detained
GUWAHATI: A cartoonist of a Assamese daily, Utpal Talukdar, was picked up by the police while he was returning home after work on Tuesday and his residence was searched on the basis of information provided by Gitika Bora and Animesh Kakati, two ULFA leaders arrested three days ago. The police said a raid was also conducted at a local pager service station after the two ULFA activists disclosed that pagers were used by the ultras for passing on information. — PTI