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Controversial Noida plots
Oppn corners govt over minister’s remarks
Sixth phase: 25 pc BSP candidates crorepatis |
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Candidates with criminal record under EC eye
Katara probe: 35 passports recovered
Elephant Corridor MPs’ absence irks Speaker
Nandigram: TC, Cong block traffic
Nandigram
Falling IAF manpower worries parliamentary panel
Govt policies draw flak in LS
Bookshop owners under Thackeray threat
We are females, protest eunuchs
Subbarao takes charge as secy eco affairs
Afzal withdraws plea on solitary confinement
Mumbai civic chief is new CS
Commission for SCs in offing
Karbala killing
PM’s RS seat
India to play active role in Antartica, says Sibal
Kedarnath shrine reopens
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Controversial Noida plots
New Delhi, April 30 “I never said there was any favouritism. I had levelled allegations against Yadav and the Noida authority and against no other person,” Sibal said, responding to questions by media persons that former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Y.K. Sabharwal had taken exception to the minister’s statement that his daughter was one of the allottees. At the same time, Sibal said if the draw of lots theory was to be believed, then how could it be possible that seven members of the Flex industries and 13 others (who had given the same address), four advocates general of UP, and only Samajwadi Party’s MPs and MLAs got the plots. “If this was done through the draw of lots, then it is a strange coincidence,” the minister stressed. Elaborating, Sibal said the Allahabad High Court had cancelled the draw of lots saying the entire process was a farce and pointed out that systematic fraud was committed. Sibal made it clear that he had never demeaned anyone in his political career. The question was of the principle involved and not any individual. Earlier, the Chief Minister had insisted that all this had arisen as it was election time and the allegations were aimed against him and his party.
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Oppn corners govt over minister’s remarks
New Delhi, April 30
He demanded a public apology from the minister or his dismissal from the Cabinet by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Members of the NDA trooped into the well and stalled the proceedings for over 10 minutes as the minister tried to justify his comments, stating that the use of such language as “jeebh khinchunga” (I will pull out your tongue) was a common and accepted idiom in rural areas and he had to resort to such expressions as the state government had raised doubts over the intentions of Central ministers. The Speaker said he did not approve of such words and urged the minister to withdraw those words. “Whatever may be the provocation, such language should have been avoided.” Raghuvansh said if he had used unparliamentary words then these could be expunged, but the Opposition led by BJP leader V.K. Malhotra maintained that there was nothing to be expunged as the minister had not made the comments inside the House and that he should withdraw the objectionable remarks. “I withdraw this idiom,” said the minister as the Opposition kept up its demand and stalled the proceedings. The minister said he had used such harsh language as the Bihar Chief Minister and other state ministers were accusing the Centre, whereas the state government had failed to utilise funds sanctioned by the Centre for national highway development programme, Rashtriya Samvikas Yojna and Backward Regions Fund.
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Sixth phase: 25 pc BSP candidates crorepatis
Lucknow, April 30 Its economic backwardness makes it a breeding ground for Naxal politics. Chandauli, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra are the epicenter of Naxal politics in the state and have forced the state government to give it a special economic package to combat Naxal unrest. Except for Sonbhadra that has some industrialisation in sectors like coal, power, aluminum, chemical and cement, there is virtually no industrialisation to speak of in any of the districts. In this socio-economic context, BSP, a party considered to be having Dalits as its core constituency has 52 candidates in this phase whose average asset works out to be Rs 1.18 crore. Thirteen of them are worth more than Rs 1 crore. Nand Gopal Gupta contesting on a BSP ticket from Allahabad (south) is the richest candidate in this phase having total assets worth Rs 15.33 crore. The second richest is BSP’s Ramchandra Maurya from Mirzapur having assets worth Rs 11.90 crore. Interestingly, the second phase that included relatively affluent districts (Mathura, Hathras, Aligarh, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur), exactly 50 per cent of BSP’s 58 candidates had assets more than Rs 1 crore and an average asset of Rs 1.36 crore. This emerging profile of the BSP is of significance for the polity of the state. Party chief Mayawati has not hesitated to declare that she has accepted money in return of party ticket. She claims this to be unavoidable as she does not accept money from the corporate world and has to run her party entirely on funds collected from ticket seekers and cadres. She also professes that the party takes care of all expenditure of poor candidates. But scanning the candidates’ profile it is clear that none of them were at the mercy of the party’s largesse. Correspondingly, the crime profile of the BSP, though slightly less murky than the Samajwadi Party, is still far from clean.
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Candidates with criminal record under EC eye
Mau (Eastern UP), April 30 Sitting controversial MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who is contesting the Mau assembly seat, and his brother, sitting Samajwadi Party MP Afzal - both accused in BJP legislator Krishnanad Rai’s murder case - have been in jail for nearly two years but this has not cramped their style.
Mukhtar, has been holding regular “durbars” with his supporters in jail and addressing periodic public meetings on his mobile telephone from prison cell. Realising that a free and fair poll was not possible as long as the brothers remained in this vicinity, the Election Commission swung into action and ordered that the two along with their equally controversial brother-in-law Ejaj-ul-Haq be shifted to a Jhansi district jail till the election is over. Although the order was challenged by the trio, they eventually ran out of luck and were moved out. “This will certainly make a lot difference to the election here. You don’t know the influence of the Ansari brothers… they have complete control over the district administration,” remarks
S.N. Dube, a shopkeeper in the Ghazipur market. He explains: “Mukhtar has unleashed such a reign of terror that one word from him ensures that people vote for the candidate of his choice.” In spite of his absence from the scene of action, Ansari’s supporters are running a well-oiled campaign but unlike previous years, it may not be a cakewalk for the local don this time round. According to Om Prakash Rai, a farmer in Mau, proximity makes a lot of difference. “It is one thing for a candidate to personally seek votes but it is not the same when supporters canvass for him,” he says. This also means that people will be able to vote without fear of any reprisal, he adds. Ansari brothers may be down but they are certainly not out. Their fan following among the dominant Muslim community remains undiminished, as they are being perceived not as criminals but as victims. On the other hand, their role in the riots two years ago has not gone down well with the Hindus, who are gradually veering towards the BSP in the Mau assembly segment, while the BJP candidate Alka Rai, whose husband was allegedly gunned down by the Ansari brothers, is riding a sympathy wave in Mohammadabad constituency, where their third brother Shivgatullah Ansari is contesting on a Samajwadi Party ticket. The brothers are not the only don-turned-politicians who have fallen foul of the vigilant commission. For instance, Madhumita murder case accused Amarmani Tripathi, who is contesting from Laxmipur in Maharajganj, is faced with a tough election. Similarly, local don Vijay Mishra, who is fighting from Gyanpur, is also in trouble. Atiq Ahmed’s brother Ashraf , a sitting SP MLA from
Allahabad West, Raghuraj Pratap Singh, alias Raja Bhaiyya, from
Pratapgarh, and Akhilesh Singh from Rae Bareli are all known for their criminal background and have been placed under the watchful eye of the commission.
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Katara probe: 35 passports recovered
New Delhi, April 30 The investigating officer gave this information when he was asked by additional chief metropolitan magistrate Kamini Lau of the outcome of Katara's 11-day custodial interrogation, which ended today. Katara, who was produced before the court today, was sent to judicial custody till May 4. Of the 35 passports recovered, six belonged to Katara and his family, the officer said. He added that they had probed several bank accounts, property transactions and other investment details of Katara. On being informed that no other parliamentarian, whose names have cropped up during the probe, had been questioned, the court said it was not good to catch one and leave another. It was not good for their case, the court said. Another accused in the case, betel-shop owner Sunder Lal Yadav, had on April 26 given a new twist to the trafficking case by naming three other lawmakers. Yadav had said he had introduced the accused travel agents to BSP MP from Sultanpur in UP Mohammed Tahir Khan, BJP MP from Bhayana in Rajasthan Ram Swarup Koli, and late parliamentarian Ram Awadh. Katara was arrested at the IGI airport here on April 18 while trying to sneak a woman Paramjeet Kaur and a 15-year-old boy to Toronto on the passports of his wife Shardaben and son Rajesh, respectively.
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Acquired land handed over to forest department
Arup Chanda Tribune News Service
Chennai, April 30 P. S. Easa, director for conservation, WTI, said, "This is the first successful attempt by an NGO in India to relocate people from a wildlife sanctuary, and we thank the villagers for their willingness to join in the conservation efforts." The 6-km corridor connects the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala and the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary in neighbouring Karnataka and forms an important pathway for the elephant population in the Western Ghat. The Edayurvayal village (one of the major human settlements) in the corridor has been successfully relocated with alternate houses and other civic facilities provided by WTI with support from the World Land Trust (UK) and the forest department. "The Edayurvayal settlement was in the middle of the corridor which connects the Wayanad and Brahamagiri Wildlife Sanctuaries. Elephants, gaurs, sambars and wild boars competed with the villagers for space, food and water," Easa said and added, "Complete relocation of the settlement was the only way out." The nine acres, surrendered by villages will now be under the jurisdiction of the department who would initiate conservation actions to restore its wild habitat. The "Gowda" community had been living here for four generations. About 50 people have benefited from this initiative, who had agreed to the relocation offer forwarded by WTI. Of late, human-elephant conflict has been on the rise in the corridor, and villagers had to live in constant threat, as wild elephants came and destroyed their crops and houses. Extensive farming, timber collection, cattle grazing and building of roads by villagers in the corridor had contributed to the increase in conflicts in recent times. To minimise conflicts, the forest department had dug trenches, installed electric fences and built stone walls, but these measures had never been foolproof. Heavy rainfall would fill up the trenches with mud. In some places, rocky terrain and natural streams made digging trenches unfeasible. The solar powered electric fences were either damaged due to trees falling on them or by angry elephants. During 2005 and 2006, the Kerala forest department had paid nearly Rs 5,63,329 to the farmers as compensation for damages caused by elephants. After the settlement was vacated by the villagers, a variety of wild animals have regularly started to use the corridor. The project was initiated following an in-depth study of the area, such as, different plant and animal species found, use of the corridor by wild animals, and forest cover by WTI. "Though, the settlement was on leased land of the forest department, WTI has compensated them with equal value of their land - with ownerships of land to all the affected families,” Sabu Jhas, senior field officer of WTI who is looking after the relocation project, said. "We have already seen elephants, gaurs, sambar and wild boars in the vacated area. Wildlife is quickly taking over the area," he added.
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MPs’ absence irks Speaker New Delhi, April 30 "Are we not inviting critical comments from the people of India," he asked after as many as 13 questions had to be skipped as members, who were supposed to have raised them, were absent. As many as 21 members, against whom these 13 questions were listed, were absent during Question Hour when it is imperative upon the government to reply. Last Thursday, nine questions were skipped, as 15 MPs were absent. The Speaker had then commented that this was the reason why “all kinds of comments" were made against Parliament's functioning.
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Nandigram: TC, Cong block traffic
Kolkata, April 30 Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress and the Congress took part in the “rasta and rail rook” agitation in the city and districts as a mark of protest against “the CPI
(M)’s fresh armed attack on Nandigram” and the subsequent violent incidents. Though both the CPI (M) and the Trinamool Congress claimed that three persons were killed in yesterday’s incident, official sources put the death figure at one. There was no fresh outbreak of violence at Nandigram today but tension prevailed in the entire area. Congress leader Somen Mitra stressed upon the need for an agitation jointly with the Trinamool Congress against the CPI (M) in the state as the situation was now so demanding. He said they would meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister on May 7 and persuade them for allowing the WBPCC to jointly fight with the Trinamool Congress against the CPI (M). He claimed that external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee had already given them the signal to launch the agitation. This morning several persons went to Alipore court and sought legal protection against the CPI (M) attack as they had been allegedly refused to lodge an FIR with the police against the CPI (M). The advocate appearing in the favour of the affected people said the SDJM,
Alipore, directed the district administration for taking appropriate steps for the protection of the affected people. CPI (M) local MP Sujan Chakraborty denied categorically that there was any attempt of acquiring land in the Canning area for Salim industries. He said the local panchayat had demolished several houses constructed illegally which had might have created some unpleasant incident in the area. He said there was no plan for any industrial development project in the Canning area by the Salim industries.
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Nandigram
New Delhi, April 30 BJP’s deputy leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra described the situation in Nandigram in West Bengal as “serious” and demanded a statement from the home minister. He sought Central intervention in West Bengal to check the continuing violence in Nandigram. Malhotra was asked by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee not to raise any state matter, to which Malhotra responded by putting a counter-question. As no response was forthcoming from the government, Malhotra led the NDA members out of the House in protest.
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Falling IAF manpower worries parliamentary panel
New Delhi, April 30 The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence in its 16th report tabled in the Lok Sabha has raised concern over the depleting force strength of the IAF and the major shortage being reflected in the CG. While the IAF has a force strength of 33 squadron against the authorised level of 39.5 squadrons, the CG is short in its force strength with only 42 ships, 18 boats and 45 aircraft. The committee said there were serious shortages in the CG specially in view of the assessed requirement of 154 ships, 93 boats and 105 aircraft. It also noted that there was inadequate surveillance with the CG in various fields. In regard to the IAF, the committee was upset over the stereotype reply of the Ministry of Defence that the RFP for the purchase of 126 multi-role fighter aircraft would be issued soon. The committee while pointing out that the same answer was being given for the past two to three years said the ministry should strive hard to expedite the procedure to facilitate the acquisition. The committee also noted that with delays in the clearance of mega defence deals like the purchase of 200 light helicopters and 400 giant 155-mm upgraded towed artillery guns for the Army, all procurement formalities should be completed before September each year. Pulling up the three services as well as the Defence Ministry, the committee recommended that all procurement formalities should be completed by September so that all deals are put on fast track. This will facilitate the Defence Ministry to allocate more funds for new schemes instead of earmarking larger capital acquisition funds for committed liabilities. The committee has also expressed concern over the declining trend in the share of Army in the defence budget, saying that from the share of 57 per cent in 2002-03, the Army allocation has plunged to an all-time low of 47 per cent in the current year.
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Govt policies draw flak in LS
New Delhi, April 30 The discussion on the finance bill also saw the Left and the Opposition, as also several other parties, finding fault with the government's policies. They alleged that the policies were widening the rich-poor divide and helping in increasing the Red Corridor of Naxalites in the country. RJD MP Vijay Krishna said it was high time the Congress-led coalition made meaningful efforts to bring down prices. Persons in villages do not understand what nine per cent growth rate means, but only talk about how prices of essential commodities have gone up, Krishna said, in an apparent dig at those in the government who speak glowingly of the growth rate. Krishna warned of more Nandigrams if the government failed to ensure that SEZs were set up only on barren lands. It is becoming difficult for people, even those defined as progressive, to defend what has happened in Nandigram, he stressed. Participating in the discussion, members asked the government to increase tax limit exemptions for the salaried class and middle-income groups and to reduce concessions given to the rich and the industry. Initiating the debate, BJP MP Harin Pathak sought raising the exemption limit for income tax purposes to Rs 1.50 lakh for men from Rs 1.10 lakh, as proposed in the Bill. The limit should be raised to Rs 2 lakh for women and Rs 2.50 lakh for senior citizens, Pathak said. Congress MP from East Delhi Sandeep Dikshit suggested if the finance minister found it difficult to raise the standard deduction, then this limit could be linked to a price index like inflation, which would enable people to get benefit automatically every year in proportion to the rise in prices. Dikshit said tax concessions given to the industry should be reduced as these were no longer required. He suggested that the income of senior citizens with no male heir should be made tax-free. CPM member Rupchand Pal warned the ruling UPA to tread cautiously or they would also face the same fate as the BJP-led NDA which sought to “cheat” the people through their India Shining campaign in 2004. He pointed out that the benefits of the government’s growth was not really reaching the poor. He made a strong case to bring the stock market under the purview of the right to information Act. BJP MP Vijayendra Pal Singh said the finance minister had missed an opportunity to take India to the next phase of growth by presenting a disappointing budget. Congress MP Madhu Goud Yashki said the government must ensure that increased fund allocations announced in the budget reach the intended targets. He said with the OBC quota in higher educational institutions not yet implementable, the allocated funds should be used as educational loans to students from backward classes pursuing technical
education.
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Bookshop owners under Thackeray threat
Mumbai, April 30 The book, “Shivaji - A Hindu King in Muslim India”, by historian James Laine's biography of Shivaji, was earlier banned by the Maharashtra government on the grounds that it contained derogatory references about the Maratha king. However, the Bombay High Court lifted the ban on the book last week thereby allowing the sale of the publication in Maharashtra. A swift reaction by Thackeray against the court order has ensured that readers do not decide on the contents of the book first-hand. "We have no plans to sell the book at the moment," the manager of Strand Book Stall told The Tribune. Even the retail outlet owned by the book's publisher, Oxford University Press, will not be stocking the
book. Avinash, an employee of the Oxford bookshop in South Mumbai, said the book was not available. He refused to say if the book would be available in the next few days. The Maharashtra government's notification banning the book was quashed by a full bench of Bombay High Court last
week. Thackeray, however, felt that the state government's counsel did not put up a strong case in support of the ban. The book was banned in 2004 after some fringe organisations protested against
it. The premises of the prestigious Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
(BORI) in Pune, where Laine had researched the book was burnt and precious manuscripts destroyed.
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We are females, protest eunuchs
Patna, April 30 Eunuchs in Bihar are unhappy with the State Election Commission (SEC) for de-recognising their "female" status. The move is depriving them of taking advantage of the promised empowered woman raj by the Nitish government. The SEC considers them as "males". This was despite the fact that voters’ identity cards issued by the Election Commission (EC) recognises eunuchs as females. Like the statewide panchayat polls held last year, for PMC, too, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decided to reserve 50 per cent seats for women. But the decision by the SEC to brand eunuchs as males have put them in trouble as they no longer can contest from any reserved seat for women. Protesting against the decision eunuch leader Kali Hijra said in the 2002 PMC election she was elected from ward no. 10 in Patna which was reserved for women. "But now instead of ward no.10, ward no.16 has been reserved for women. But I can not contest from ward no.16 because SEC considers me as a male", she alleged. The sudden change of their sex identity by the SEC prompted the eunuchs’ organisation here to lodge a complaint with the EC in Delhi requesting it to allow them to fight in the seats reserved for women. The SEC, however, is an autonomous body that is entrusted to hold panchayat and local body polls independently.
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Subbarao takes charge as secy eco affairs
New Delhi, April 30 Prior to this assignment, he was working as secretary to the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council. He has been appointed against the vacancy arising out of the retirement of finance secretary Ashok Jha today. Dr Subbarao was lead economist in the World Bank during 1999-’04 and worked on issues of public finance in countries of Africa and East Asia. While in the WB, he task-managed a study on decentralisation across major countries of East Asia.
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Afzal withdraws plea on solitary confinement
New Delhi, April 30 Afzal had last month moved an application before Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur seeking his transfer from a solitary ward in Tihar jail to a general ward. He had contended that his continuous solitary imprisonment was leading to “mental complications”. The court had issued Afzal’s death warrant on September 26, last year and he was lodged in solitary confinement since then as per jail manuals. However, Afzal’s execution was stayed after he had moved a clemency petition before the President. Afzal’s death sentence by the trial court, pronounced on December 18, 2002, has been confirmed by the Delhi High Court and upheld by the Supreme Court.
— PTI
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Mumbai civic chief is new CS
Mumbai, April 30 Prior to taking over as municipal commissioner of Mumbai, Joseph was principal secretary in the Chief Minister’s office. Joseph supersedes five senior IAS officers led by additional chief secretary (home) A.P. Sinha (1970 batch), Mumbai Port Trust chairperson Rani Jadhav (1970 batch), A.K. Dua and Charusheela Soni (both on Central deputation) and additional chief secretary Chitkala Zutshi (1971 batch) to become the chief secretary.
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Commission for SCs in offing
New Delhi, April 30 “Very soon, we are forming the commission. All appointments of chairman, vice-chairman and other members will be made most likely before the end of this Parliament session,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister P.R. Dasmunsi said in the Lok Sabha. Raising the matter during zero hour, Ramjilal Suman (SP) said the government of the day was not sensitive towards the SC community.
— PTI
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Three Indians identified
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 30 All three hail from Mumbai. The families of the deceased have been informed about the incident. The Indian embassy has also been informed that the bodies of the deceased had been buried in Karbala on April 20 as per the wishes of their families and the usual religious practice of burying pilgrims in case of their death in Karbala. The three deceased were part of a group of 12 Indian pilgrims.
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Election on May 24
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 30 Notification to this effect will be issued on May 7 and the poll process will be completed by May 28, the poll panel said. Manmohan’s term in Rajya Sabha is due to expire on June 14. Counting of votes will take place on May 24, after the polling is over. Election for another Rajya Sabha seat from the state represented by Indramoni Bora will also take place on May 24 under the same schedule.
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India to play active role in Antartica, says Sibal
New Delhi, April 30 Inaugurating the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM), which began in the Capital today, Sibal drew attention to the importance of polar region in the context of global climate change and its impact on environment. “International Polar Year 2007-08 will surely focus on these issues. Delibrations during the meeting would further steer us in
achieving goals necessary for reducing the human impact on earth systems and natural resources and to reverse the impact of global climate change,” he said.
— TNS
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Kedarnath shrine reopens
Gopeshwar (Uttarakhand), April 30 The chief priest (Rawal) opened the doors as a large number of devotees offered prayers. The doors to the Yamunotri and Gangotri were also thrown open. The holy Kedarnath shrine, one of the four “Dhams”, is situated at a height of 3,584 metres in the Garhwal Himalayas in Rudraprayag district. The Badrinath shrine is scheduled to reopen tomorrow.
— PTI
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