Saturday, May 8, 1999
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Heatwave death toll 187 |
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Bihar NGOs call off stir Cong may prefer adjustments Cong-ADMK alliance likely Panel on minorities for
implementation of Art 30 SC ruling on Cauvery riots CPM meeting on poll strategy
begins Free rail travel for ex-MPs
restored |
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Heatwave death toll 187 NEW DELHI, May 7 (UNI) — Most of North India sweltered under the heatwave which claimed another 11 lives during the past 24 hours even as most parts of Kerala experienced fresh showers. The toll in the current heat wave has now touched 187. Five deaths reported were from Uttar Pradesh, where 41 persons have so far succumbed to the intense heat. Two persons reportedly died due to dehydration in Hamirpur and one each in Jalaun and Banda. In Kanpur, a 65-year-old woman died due to sunstroke yesterday. Allahabad continued to be the hottest place in the state, registering a maximum of 45 degrees. Apart from coping up with the heat, people in the plains also have to contend with an acute shortage of potable water. In Orissa, the toll went up by two to touch 56 with both Bhadrak and Nayagarha districts reporting one death each. Heat wave conditions are expected to prevail in some parts of the state during the next 48 hours. In Madhya Pradesh, four more persons, including a woman, collapsed due to the heat wave, taking the state's toll to 15. The deaths occurred in Raigarh and Korba districts. Khajuraho recorded a maximum day temperature of 47° celsius and the dry spell is expected to continue. In Andhra Pradesh, residents heaved a sigh of relief as rainfall in parts of the state brought the mercury down. In Tamil Nadu, citizens in the state capital Chennai sweated it out as the humidity level soared to 70 per cent. While some parts of Bihar continued to reel under the heat wave, the state capital and adjoining areas remained relatively cooler today. The maximum temperature of 44°C was recorded at Jamshedpur. Mercury plummeted in Rajasthan giving respite to people groaning under a sizzling sun. Kota, Churu and Ganganagar recorded the highest day temperature of 43°C each. Temperatures stayed above normal in parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh with frequent power cuts adding to people's woes. Hisar with 45.2°C was
hottest place in the region with the Met Office
forecasting dry days ahead. |
JD national council meeting
on May 24 BHUBANESWAR, May 7 (UNI) — Janata Dal President Sharad Yadav today said that he would convene the party’s national council meeting on May 24 and May 25 to take a final decision about electoral alliance with other parties. Mr Yadav told reporters here that state presidents of the party had been asked to submit their reports on ground realities in their respective states in the present political situation. The reports, which would also contain possible alliances would be placed before the national executive committee meeting scheduled to be held in Delhi. The state presidents would meet in Delhi on May 22 and May 23, he added. The presidents of all state units, Mr Yadav said, had been asked to move to the districts, interact with the office-bearers and workers and submit their reports to the party president. Mr Yadav said since the national council was the final authority, its meeting would be convened after the national executive committee meeting. Mr Yadav said his party was the third largest political force in the country and would not compromise or sacrifice its basic principles while entering into an alliance with other forces. He parried a question whether his party had received any feelers from other parties for electoral understanding stating that he would not disclose anything at this moment as revelation would jeopardise the party’s strategy. He regretted that no political party had taken note of the ground realities of the country. The Dal President said the party would like to bring an amendment or formulate a law so that Parliament could not be dissolved in less than two years. A resolution to this effect, would be incorporated in the party’s political manifesto. Mr Yadav, who presided over party’s Orissa unit meeting here yesterday to prepare the party’s stance in the coming elections, said the state unit was unanimous in passing a resolution to uphold the basic principles of the party. Mr Yadav said at the meeting some leaders favoured a tie-up with the "old friends’’ obviously referring to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) while others preferred to an electoral understanding with secular forces instrumental in pulling down the Vajpayee government. However, another section demanded that the party should contest elections on its own, added Mr Yadav. He also announced a core committee of party in the state with former Union Minister Srikant Jena, party legislative leader in the Assembly, Nurshingha Mishra, Mr Nalini Mahanty, Mr Prafulla Ghadei, Mr Judhistir Das and Ranendra Pratap Swain (all MLAs) as its members under the chairmanship of party president Ashok Das to strengthen the organisation. Mr Yadav declined to
comment on Union Minister of State for Coal Dilip
Ray’s recent statement that he (Mr Ray) was in
favour of the merger of the Janata Dal in the state with
the BJD. He, however, said he had given the state unit
‘’full freedom’’ to prepare the poll
strategy. |
Bus accident: 11 bodies identified BAHARAMPUR (West Bengal), May 7 (UNI) — Row upon row they lay in eternal sleep as relatives wailed inconsolably at the police hospital here today trying to identify the bloated bodies recovered from the Bhagirathi river. The pre-dawn accident yesterday killed at least 24 persons. Most of the victims were in the age group of 25-35. Only 11 of the 24 bodies recovered had been identified and handed over to relatives so far, relatives were still pouring in after hearing the news of the disaster. "How shall I live without them. It is all over, I have lost everything" subbed Amityansshu Ghosh, who lost his entire family — son, daughter and wife. Mr Ghosh, a North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) employee, was eagerly waiting for their return from a marriage function in Calcutta when he heard the shocking news. The ill-fated NBSTC bus was on its way to Malda from Calcutta. It crashed through a bridge railing on national highway no. 34 and fell into the river, killing all aboard. According to the passengers' list, the bus carried only 24 persons, Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjay Singh said. It is likely that all the bodies have already been recovered but some 30 divers are still searching since someone might have boarded en route, he said. Since bodies might have drifted downstream in the current, the district authorities in neighbouring Nadia have been alerted, he said. A review of the search operation would be done later today. The search would be called off if no more bodies were recovered during the day, district officials said. An operation was also on
to salvage the bus from the river. But divers were
reporting difficulty in reaching it some 30 feet under
water. The divers said their equipment was being
'disfigured' due to the strong water current. |
Bihar NGOs call off stir PATNA, May 7 (UNI) — The 116-day old strike by the Non-Gazetted Employees Federation was today called off following the Bihar government's decision to set up a committee to look into the grievances. The committee, headed by a sitting Judge of Patna High Court, will submit its report to the state government within six months. This was decided at a
meeting attended among others by Chief Minister Rabri
Devi, Finance Minister Shanker Prasad Tekriwal, Chief
Secretary S.N. Biswas and federation general secretary
Yogendra Prasad. |
Cong may prefer adjustments NEW DELHI, May 7 — The Congress party may prefer to have poll adjustments or understanding in some states instead of entering into a formal alliance with any regional party. At a two-day meeting with Presidents of the Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) and leaders of Congress Legislature Parties, the Congress strategy managers heard the views with a majority preferring that the party should go it alone. For the present, the possibility of arriving at some kind of understanding with regional parties in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh has been under consideration. In Bihar, the view is that the Congress could arrive at understanding with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, who had helped the Congress during the previous general election. The Bihar unit of the Congress was at one time vehemently opposed to any alignment with the RJD but after the two-day exercise the state leaders including the PCC chief, Mr Sadanand Singh, preferred to leave the decision to the high command, indicating a dilution in their opposition. A similar situation exists in Tamil Nadu. After the recent building of bridges between the Congress and the AIADMK, there is talk of possibility of arriving at some adjustment. A senior party leader Mr Sharad Pawar, had hinted that the Congress may have to look for a Dravidian ally. With the DMK already casting their lot with the BJP, the obvious choice could be Ms Jayalalitha’s party. The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President, Mr Tindivinam K Ramamurthy has said that the state unit will accept whatever the high command decides. In Maharashtra, the state PCC chief, Mr Prataprao Bhonsale while disfavouring an understanding with the Samajwadi Party, wants continuation of a tie-up with the Republican Party of India. In 1998, the three-way tie-up helped the Congress gain 33 of 48 seats with the RPI winning four seats. In Uttar Pradesh, the pradesh unit claims the fortunes of the party are on an upswing. Although there is a section that prefers a tie-up with the Bahujan Samaj Party, for the present the Congress is working towards an electoral understanding with the Lok Dal of Mr Ajit Singh, who has considerable hold in western Uttar Pradesh. On the other hand, the BSP’s Vice-President, Ms Mayawati, has ruled out the possibility of her party having any tie-up with the Congress or any other party. Meanwhile, the AICC General Secretary, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, indicated that the party could have adjustments rather than an alliance in some states. In a chat with mediapersons today, he said unlike the BJP, the Congress did not have any national-level alliance. He said by having adjustments with some secular parties, the Congress would be a ‘non-aggressor’ at some places although he did not identify either the party or the states. To a question as to how would the party counter the charge that the Congress had ignored regional aspirations which resulted in the growth of regional parties and sent their representatives to Parliament, Mr Mukherjee said it was for everyone to see what regionalism has resulted in. He said in the name of
regional aspirations, these forces had only created
instability in the country unlike the Congress, which as
a national party had provided stable governments. |
Cong-ADMK alliance likely CHENNAI, May 7 (UNI) — Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President Tindivanam K. Ramamurthy today indicated that the Congress would go in for an electoral alliance with the AIADMK led by Ms J. Jayalalitha. While declining to give a clear answer to the question of alliance at a press conference here, he, however, gave enough indication about a possible alliance with the AIADMK by saying that corruption was not an issue in the coming Lok Sabha election. The issue was religious fundamentalism and threat to secularism. Mr Ramamurthy, who returned here after holding talks with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and senior CWC members in Delhi, said that if the congress high command favoured an electoral tie-up with the AIADMK, the state unit would welcome it. Asked whether his party would have any problem in carrying on with the AIADMK without friction, he said his party would have no problem with anyone. The Congress would neither appease anyone nor allow itself to be blackmailed, he said. Mr Ramamurthy declined to give details of the talks with senior AICC leaders in Delhi. Asked about the
possibility of the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) having an
electoral tie-up or merger with his party, he said he had
already stated that all Congressmen who had left the
party, were welcome to rejoin it. |
Panel on minorities for implementation of Art 30 NEW DELHI, May 7 (UNI) — The constitutional rights of minorities to “establish and administer educational institutions of their choice” was systematically suppressed and rendered ineffective since Independence leading to their educational, backwardness, according to the National Commission for minorities. In its report, “Educational and socio-economic problems of the minorities in India” the commission says the gradual dilution and suppression of the rights guaranteed by Article 30 of the Constitution is the biggest reason for the total lack of educational development of the minorities. It says: “An effective restoration of Article 30 rights in letter and spirit is an absolute imperative,” for all-round development of the minorities. The commission proposes the setting up a minority educational institution commission and suggests that all minority professional institutions be provided direct affiliation to central universities. NCM Member James Massey, who is Chairman of the commission’s high-powered committee, said they have recommended to the Central Government that it should enact a law giving directions to the states on the implementation of Article 30 which mandates that all national minorities have the right to establish their educational institutions and impart instruction in their mother-tongue. The article also recognises their rights for the acquisition of property for educational institutions laying down that the Centre and State Governments cannot discriminate in granting aid to such institutions. Dr Massey alleged that minority educational institutions were subjected to executive regulations, denied affiliations by universities on one or other pretext and encounter hurdles in acquisition of property. He added that minority educational rights were deliberately confused and made to clash with the rights of Scheduled Castes and Tribes. The commission’s high-powered committee on minorities’ education set up two years ago, which conducted a study in 24 states and the union territory of Chandigarh, concluded that Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, Andaman and Nicobar Islands have totally ignored Article 30 while Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa have partially implemented it. Tamil Nadu was the only state that had taken the article seriously, Dr Massey said and urged that other states take a cue and enact special rules for minorities on the lines of the Tamil Nadu Minorities Schools (Recognition and Payment of Grants) Rules, 1977. He said special rights constitutionally provided to minorities were invariably interpreted and propagated as “pampering of them” by some vested interests overlooking the fact that the special rights were provided to ensure their “genuine equality” in a democratic set-up. NCM Vice-Chairman Prof
Bawa Singh said their visits to various states had shown
that even the seniormost officers of the state
governments were either ignorant or unconcerned about the
Article 30 and policy guidelines issued by the Human
Resources Development Ministry and the commission on the
implementation of the rights of the minorities. |
SC ruling on Cauvery riots KARUR, May 7 (UNI) — The Supreme Court has directed the Karnataka Government to constitute a “Cauvery Riot Relief Authority” (CARRA) on or before May 15 to invite claims from people affected in the December 1991 riots following a dispute over the sharing of the river water with Tamil Nadu. A copy of the Supreme Court judgement was made available to the press here today by Mr P.R. Kuppusamy, convenor of the Cauvery River Protection Committee (CRPC). A Division Bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Mr Justice S. Rajendra Babu and Mr Justice Phukan also directed that the CARRA, which would comprise three retired district judges, one of whom would be its chairman, would be headquartered at Bangalore and hold its sitting at any place in the affected area. The Supreme Court also said the authority shall invite claims from all persons affected, including those who have been paid reliefs/compensation by the Karnataka Government. The riots took place between December, 1991 and January 1992. The Apex Court further said any claim before the authority for relief which may become payable by the state of Tamil Nadu, on account of the incident having taken place in that state, shall be forwarded to the secretary, Public Department, Government of Tamil Nadu for necessary action. The bench said the members of CARRA would take the final decision with regard to claims for compensation on the basis of reports submitted by individuals and other materials. CARRA would complete its work within 12 months from the date of its constitution and submit its report/recommendation together with all materials to this court, it said. The Tamil Nadu
government should also invite claims from persons
affected in similar riots in the state and deal with them
in the manner as provided in the scheme with reference to
Karnataka, it said. |
CPM meeting on poll strategy
begins NEW DELHI, May 7 — The central committee of the CPM began its two-day meeting here today to chalk out its electoral strategy. The party is deliberating on possible pre-poll alliances with ‘secular parties prepared to fight communalism’ in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, party sources said. The BJP is the first target of the Central Committee meeting. The 73-member Central Committee is expected to focus on evolving tactics to defeat the BJP without alligning with the Congress. Sources in the party said that the Committee would consider ways of strengthening the Left Front and the third front as an alternative to the BJP and the Congress. The party was facing pressure from various parties to agree to form a third front government led by Jyoti Basu with outside support from the Congress. The CPM General
Secretary, Mr Harkishen Singh Surjeet, said he would talk
about the discussions at the meeting only after it
concluded tomorrow. |
Free rail travel for ex-MPs restored NEW DELHI, May 7 (UNI) — Former Members of Parliament can now travel free of cost along with one companion in air conditioned two-tier class by any train on the basis of their photo identity cards. This follows a Supreme Court order earlier this week staying an interim order of the Allahabad High Court of March 24 on a petition filed by one Squadron Leader HS Kulshrestha. The facility had been
made available to ex-MPs by the Railway board for free
travel on the basis of photo identity cards issued by the
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats. |
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| Office of leading Manipur
daily sealed IMPHAL: The Manipur police on Friday sealed the office of Sangai Offset Printers, who publish Imphal Free Press, the largest-circulated English daily here for allegedly printing the cover of a monthly of the undergrounds, official sources said. A police team raided the Press building after an arrested activist of the banned People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said the cover of the PLA’s monthly publication Monthly Collection, was being printed at the Press, the sources said. After searching for about one hour, the police found about 1,300 covers of the underground monthly publication, sources said, adding that the inside pages of the publication were printed at another Press. — PTI Mobile
phones banned at exam centres Two rupee coin
to portray Shivaji Payment of fines
by credit cards Top Naxal killed SP leaders join
Cong Two killed in
group clash |
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