 |
|
|
Ludhiana Blast
Fix accountability, demands BJP
Advancing of HP Assembly elections
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Cong in dilemma on
Gujarat BJP rebels
High vigil in Assam during festive season
Centre yielding to communal pressure: Left parties
Fixing pay scales, govt’s prerogative: SC
‘India, China must fight global warming’
NSG celebrates Raising Day today
Defence minister on four-day visit to Russia
Pramod Mahajan’s daughter breaks down in court
Youth offers tongue to goddess
S.D. Burman’s wife dead
Passports hard to get in N-E
Lalu banks on development agenda to corner Nitish
5 killed in road accident in TN
Tough days for corrupt officials
Ajmer blast: Toll rises to 3
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Ludhiana Blast
New Delhi, October 15 “The police on its part always increases the vigil but certain laxities do occur which can be plugged by the security that could be in place from these owners,” union home secretary Madhukar Gupta told newspersons here. The home secretary refused to prejudge involvement of any terror outfit in last night’s bomb blast in Ludhiana and the terror strike at Ajmer couple of days back. “I do not want to prejudge anything,” he added. Minister of state for home Sriprakash Jaiswal said the state intelligence units would have to pull up their socks to prevent Ludhiana or Ajmer-type incidents in the future. “The state intelligence machinery are not functioning up to the mark. But I am sure they will activate themselves and be more effective,” he said obviously targeting the BJP government in Rajasthan and the SAD-BJP government in Punjab. Meanwhile, minister of state for industry Ashwani Kumar said the bomb blast in Ludhiana resulting in loss of innocent lives is a dastardly act of terrorism intended to disturb peace and communal harmony in Punjab. “While the state government must strengthen its vigil, the people of the state need to remain calm and united to defeat the nefarious designs of the enemies of our country,” he added.
|
|
Theatre officials to be trained
Kanpur, October 15 Under this programme, the police will train officials of multiplexes and malls on how to examine and identify suspicious objects and people, DIG (Kanpur range) H.S. Shukla told PTI. He added that officials would also train their employees.
— PTI
|
|
|
Fix accountability, demands BJP
New Delhi, October 15 “He (NSA) is only acting as a scare monger. What concrete and specific steps are being taken to effectively counter terrorism? It is high time that responsibility be fixed,” BJP President Rajnath Singh said here reacting to last night’s bomb blast in a cinema hall at Ludhiana in Punjab. “The entire country is worried about the rise in terrorist violence across the country. This is because terrorists believe that India is a soft state under the Congress-led UPA government. The security forces and the intelligence agencies are feeling hamstrung and their hands are tied in spite of having credible intelligence that demands prompt action,” the BJP chief said. He sought to remind the UPA government that under the NDA 300 sleeper cells of terrorist outfits were completely destroyed by the security and intelligence agencies because they were given a free hand. Left flays blast The Left parties on Monday asked the government to uncover the terrorist outfits and their network in the country and their links abroad, while condemning the blast in Ludhiana. “It is not sufficient to try and track down the culprits after such attacks are mounted. It is more important to identify and uncover the terrorist groups and networks operating within the country and their links abroad. The intelligence and security agencies will have to be geared up for this task,” said the CPM in a statement. The CPI urged the Centre and the state government to work in coordination to identify the culprits and to streamline the intelligence network. “All efforts must be made to uproot the terrorists and contain the growth and spread of terrorism,” it said. This terrorist attack coming within a few days of the blast in the Ajmer Sharif Dargah shows that there is a concerted bid by the terrorist network to wreak violence and havoc around the country.
|
|
Advancing
of HP Assembly elections
New Delhi, October 15
They are likely to take this step if the representation of the Congress to the
Election Commission submitted today raising objection to early elections in the
state does not yield any desired result.
Since the term of the state Assembly comes to an end on March 9, 2008, and the elections originally ought to have been held in February, the MLAs see the advancement of the poll schedule by the EC to November 14 in the three tribal constituencies and December 19 in other 65 seats as curtailing their right of enjoying the full five-year term. Though the Congress and the BJP both submitted their representations to the EC today seeking the reconsideration of its decision and sticking to the announced schedule respectively, it would take some time for the poll panel to take a decision, particularly when the full commission was visiting Shimla today to hold discussions with political parties and the administrative authorities. The main argument being given by the Congress MLAs is that the Himachal Pradesh High Court had only issued directions for advancing elections in the three tribal seats of Kinnaur, Lahul-Spiti and Bharmaur for reason of heavy snow fall in winter, but it had not said the elections in other 65 constituencies should also be advanced. “The prudent course for the EC would have been to advance the elections in the three tribal seats and hold them as per the normal schedule in February for the others and declare the results simultaneously,” the MLAs who are contemplating to move the apex court said. They said since the party had put its case before the EC they would wait for its decision. But the MLAs said the EC by announcing that December 31 would be the last date for completing the election process, it virtually had curtailed the tenure of their membership by more than two months, which according to them was not contemplated in the Constitution except in the circumstances when the Assembly is dissolved due to some other reasons. But legal experts and sources in the legal cell of the EC said there was nothing legally or constitutionally wrong with the EC decision. “The mandate of Section 15 of the Representation of People Act is clear that the commission has the power to announce the election to any state Assembly six month ahead of the end of its tenure,” the sources said. The EC sources also said the decision to advance the elections was taken after the panel had held discussions with political parties in Shimla earlier on the issue of simultaneous elections in all 68 constituencies in the state as none of them wanted deferred polling in the three tribal areas in May or June. “No petition against the EC decision will withstand judicial scrutiny as there are at least four Supreme Court’s judgements on the question clearly laying down the law on EC’s power to advance the election date within six months of the remaining tenure of the Assembly,” the sources said.
|
|
Cong in dilemma on
Gujarat BJP rebels
New Delhi, October 15 Senior BJP leader and former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta had met Congress leaders on Sunday to decide on their strategy for the December assembly polls. The deliberations remained inconclusive though both sides agreed their main objective is to defeat Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. AICC general secretaries B.K.Hari Prasad and Prithviraj Chavan will be in Vadodra and Surat for twodays from Wednesday to meet senior state leaders to get their assessment. Hari Prasad said a decision on admitting the BJP rebels in Gujarat will be taken after Dasehra. AICC sources said though the Congress is not averse to the admission of some key BJP rebels who have a clean image, but there are some apprehensions about admitting suspended BJP legislator Gordanbhai Zadafia, who was the home minister during the Gujarat riots and had played a proactive role in the violence which followed the Godhra carnage. It will be very difficult for the Congress to justify the presence of such leaders in their fold as it could alienate the minorities. At the same time, the Congress is tempted to admit the BJP rebels as most of them are from the Saurashtra which is its weakest region. However, there is a section in the Congress which believes that the rebels should form a new front or a party, as this will be more effective in taking on Modi. Eleven BJP MLAs and two MPs Vallabhai Katheria and Sombhai Patel have raised a banner of revolt against Modi and have expressed their willingness to work in tandem with the Congress to bring down the Gujarat government. While the Congress is still to take a decision, the BJP rebels themselves may help resolve its dilemma. It is learnt that Suresh Mehta has told the AICC leaders that he will not join the Congress but will share a platform with its leaders during the election campaign. Meanwhile, the Congress has begun preperations for the crucial Gujarat polls. It has entrusted the charge of the four regions of the state to three senior AICC leaders each which includes Digvijay Singh, Prithviraj Chavan, Renuka Chaudhary, Subodh Kant Sahay and Kantilal Bhuria. At the same time, the party is continuing with its efforts to woo the tribals back to the party fold and it is in this connection, it is holding a tribal rally in Valsad on October 18. The party is also hoping to draw in younger voters with the help of its youth icon Rahul Gandhi. AICC in charge of Gujarat B.K.Hari Prasad called on Gandhi today to formally convey the state unit’s request that he should participate in the assembly poll campaign.
|
|
|
High vigil in Assam during festive season
Guwahati, October 15 According to security sources, forces in Assam mounted vigil against possible subversive attacks by fundamentalist organisations especially those operating from across the international border with Bangladesh, in the aftermath of the recent Hyderabad serial blasts, which was allegedly masterminded from across the country’s borders. Former director general D.N. Dutta had gone on record, while he was in office saying that fundamentalist forces inimical to India and from across the border were out to foment trouble in the North-East region, especially in Assam taking advantage of the international borders. He said what the Army all along had been warning about. Security agencies alleged that the proscribed ULFA which had triggered blasts in the state was hand in glove with fundamentalists forces out to destabilise the country. Frontline students’ organisations of the North-Eastern states under the banner of the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) have warned of the increasing activities of Pakistan’s ISI-sponsored religious fanatics in the region, posing a threat to the country. A senior police official said additional armed jawans and paramilitary force personnel were posted outside prominent mosques as a precautionary measure on the occasion of Id, which passed of peacefully.
|
|
Centre yielding to communal pressure: Left parties
Chennai, October 15 Though they did not take the name of Hindu god Ram, they echoed the feelings of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and said stalling a developmental project in the name of the ‘epic heroes’ was harming the country’s interest. Karunanidhi had earlier questioned the very existence of Ram when the BJP and other Hindu organisations had raised a furor over SSCP claiming that it would destroy the ‘Ram sethu’, which is known as the Adam’s Bridge in the Palk Bay between India and Sri Lanka. The Left leaders felt that the Centre should expedite the proceedings before the Supreme Court and implement the SSCP taking into account the opinion of scientists, experts and various government agencies. They pointed out that any other alignment would affect marine ecology and livelihood of fishermen which was the duty of the government to protect and such was not acceptable. Replying to a question whether they were supporting the DMK’s putting pressure on the Centre for speedy implementation of the SSCP, Pandian said, “It is not a project of a political party but a national project.” Commenting on AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa’s charge that even if the canal was dredged only small ships could enter, Pandian said, “Dredging a canal at least for the entry of small ships will be better than doing nothing. If Jayalalithaa becomes Prime Minister, she can deepen the canal and the communists will not object.” On issues raised by many groups about the livelihood of fishermen, Varadarajan and Pandian said, “We are continuously working with the community throughout the state to ascertain the fact and know the ground realities.” Since the Left parties had been critical of the ruling DMK on many issues, the Left leaders were asked a barrage of questions about developing a state common minimum programme and that the DMK was implementing only its own programme ignoring the Left, but they were all praise for the state government saying, “It is commendable that a party is implementing its manifesto. The DMK is a reliable ally when fighting communal forces. Also, the DMK is fighting for developmental projects like the SSCP, which we support.” To reinforce their stand on the Indo-US nuclear deal they said the CPI and CPM would hold a joint campaign from October 20 to 25, demanding that the deal be completely scrapped and instead the Centre ensure speedy of the implementation of the SSCP.
|
|
Fixing pay scales, govt’s prerogative: SC
New Delhi, October 15 “The judiciary must exercise self-restraint and not encroach upon the executive or legislative domain,” a Bench, comprising Justice A K Mathur and Justice Markandeya Katju, observed, upholding an appeal filed by the union government against the orders of the Guwahati High Court and the central administrative tribunal (CAT). The Centre had filed an appeal against the orders of the High Court and the CAT, which directed the government to fix the pay scales to the senior auditors in the office of the accountant-general, Assam and Meghalaya on par with the assistants working in the Central Secretariat. The orders were passed on the petition filed by Hiranmoy Sen and other senior auditors in the office of the accountant-general, Assam and Meghalaya, seeking parity in scales with assistants in the Central Secretariat. The claim was decreed by the CAT vide its order dated January 19, 2001 and the order of the tribunal was upheld by the Guwahati High Court, following which the Centre had appealed. However, the apex court had cited its ruling in the S.C. Chandra and others vs State of Jharkhand, wherein it was held that the court cannot fix pay scales as that was purely an executive function. It had also held that the principle of equal pay for equal work was not applicable unless the two groups were identical. Moreover, the apex court had said that even if the nature of work was identical and the considerations similar deserving equal pay, the matter should be sent for examination by an expert committee, appointed by the government, instead of the court itself granting the higher pay scale. — PTI
|
|
‘India, China must fight global warming’
New Delhi, October 15 “If the Himalayan glaciers start melting at a faster pace, these cities could face serious flooding due to a rise in the sea level,” Pachauri, who heads the panel that has been named for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, said here today. “India and China will also face serious water scarcities if global temperatures continue to increase at this pace,” he told a seminar held by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Pachauri welcomed the recent initiatives of European countries like Germany for targeted reductions in the carbon emission levels through the implementation of programmes to raise the share of renewable sources in their energy mix. Addressing the conference earlier, power minister Sushilkumar Shinde reiterated India’s commitment to support the global effort to fight the menace of greenhouse gas emissions. He said although India was not in a position presently to cut its dependence on coal as fuel for power generation, measures were being taken to make coal-fired power plants more environment friendly by adopting latest technologies. — IANS
|
|
Canada joins Asia-Pacific Partnership
New Delhi, October 15 The projects were approved at the second ministerial meeting here today at which Canada joined it as the seventh member The projects include cleaner fossil energy; renewable energy and distributed generation; power generation and transmission steel; aluminum; cement; coal mining; and buildings and appliances sectors.
|
|
NSG celebrates Raising Day today
New Delhi, October 15 Besides, its counter-hijacking and counter-terrorism role, the NSG, raised as an elite specialist force to combat terrorism, has also been tasked to provide mobile security to dignitaries at high risk and provide sky marshals on selected domestic and international flights. The NSG commandos, popularly known as ‘Black Cats’ are drawn from the Army and the CPFs after meeting stringent criteria. They are put through strenuous pre-induction training wherein they are exposed to various facets of counter-terrorism, counter-hijacking, VIP security drills as well as bomb detection and disposal techniques. Besides, performing the duties of VIP security and providing sky marshals wherein a large number of personnel are committed round-the-clock, the gamut of responsibilities of the NSG is widening day-by-day due to the enhanced threat posed by terrorism coupled with the menace of Left Wing extremism. NSG commandos will present an operational exercise before the Union home minister, who will release NSG journal “The Black Cat” and address officers and jawans. NSG director general Jyoti Krishan Dutt will also address the gathering.
|
|
Defence minister on four-day visit to Russia
New Delhi, October 15 This is part of a structured mechanism which exists between the two countries with the meeting of the IRIGC being chaired by the defence ministers. Even as a partial list of defence trade items between India and Russia is estimated to be worth around $ 10 billion by 2010, Moscow has Russia has also lobbied for increasing the price of deals that had already been signed. On its part India is concerned about Adm Gorskhov or INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier deal, which has been facing cost overruns and potential delays. During his stay in Moscow, Antony, accompanied by a high level delegation of officers from the ministries of Defence and External Affairs, will hold discussions with his Russian counterpart Serdyukov Anatoly Eduardovich and go round important defence installations, including the Tactical Missiles Corporation and The Federal State Unitary Enterprise. For more than three decades Russia has been India's largest trading partner and is now beginning to face competition from Western armaments manufacturers and Israel. The remaining few months of this year with Duma elections due in December and a change of guard in the Kremlin in early 2008 can prove crucial for Indo-Russian ties. A sense of apprehension in the Kremlin and South Block prompted President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to set up a joint study group (JSG) in 2006 to give fresh impetus to bilateral trade. Defence ties too suffered a major blow when Russian firms attacked the Brahmos Aerospace joint venture that makes cruise missiles. Just last week, Union external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee was in Moscow primarily to assure Russia that India's time tested relationship with that country will not be at the cost of New Delhi's strategic relationship with the US. Officials said Antony's visit is indicative of the commitment of the leadership of both countries to consolidate and strengthen the excellent defence relations that exist between the two countries.
|
|
|
Pramod Mahajan’s daughter breaks down in court
Mumbai, October 15 The message said “ab na hogi yachana, na hogi prarthana, ab ran hoga, jeeevan vijay ke saath ya phir maran hoga” ( Now there will not be any plea nor any prayer. Now there will be a battle in which either victory or death will occur)”. The number from which the message was sent was that of Pravin, Poonam told the court. All this was recorded in the panchnama but Poonam’s statement did not say that she had taken possession of her father’s personal belongings, defence lawyer Harshad Ponda told the court. The mobile phone was in Poonam’s custody, who told a Sessions Court here today that she kept her father’s personal belongings after his death and had not disclosed the same to police as she was not questioned about it. During her cross-examination in the court of Additional Sessions Judge S P Davare pertaining to the attack on Pramod, allegedly by his brother Pravin following which he died, Poonam said she had taken her father’s watch, mobile phone and wallet after his death and kept it in her house. Between April 12 and 13 this year, she received a phone call from her mother Rekha, asking if she had any idea as to where Pramod’s mobile phone was. Poonam searched for the same in her house and handed it to the police on April 15. Police then asked Poonam to check if there was any text message in the said phone sent by accused Pravin, which she found. — PTI
|
|
|
Youth offers tongue to goddess
Lucknow, October 15 The youth fell unconscious and remained in that state for around half an hour in the temple as others present there were busy in singing ‘kirtan’. Later, the youth was taken to hospital where his condition was stated to be serious.
— PTI
|
|
S.D. Burman’s wife dead
Mumbai October 15 “I had just brought her from Lilavati Hospital, two days ago, to her Santacruz home. She passed away at 5.00 am this morning,” Meera’s daughter-in-law and noted singer Asha Bhosle told reporters here. Meera was born in Comilla in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in March 1923 and later settled in South-end Park in Kolkata. She was a music student of Amita Sen, who was trained in Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan.
— PTI
|
|
Passports hard to get in N-E
Guwahati, October 15 The police here take too long to verify the credentials of the passport applicants, irrespective of their categories, because of the insurgency. The Central government’s recent policy decision to ‘issue passport first and verify later’ is hardly followed in the insurgency hit the North Eastern states. To add to the problem of the applicants, the regional passport office (RPO) in Guwahati that caters to all the North Eastern states barring Tripura and Sikkim is crippled due to staff shortage.
|
|
Lalu banks on development agenda to corner Nitish
Patna, October 15 For the last 10 days, Lalu is camping in Bihar to lay the foundation stones for one after the other rail projects which are linked to both possible direct and indirect employment generations. Today he laid the foundation stone of the proposed Rs 1,300 crore locomotive factory at Madhepura. Stating that the project would benefit people in the Kosi belt, he said the unit would provide employment to hundreds of people. This was preceded by laying the foundation stone of the second largest diesel locomotive works factory in the country, in his parliamentary constituency, Chapra. Lalu said it was almost after 50 years that the country was going in for its second diesel locomotive works factory after the one in Varanasi set up in 1956. He said work on the factory would start within six months and production would start by 2009. The factory would produce 150 diesel engines per year, he added. Talking to mediapersons he ruled out the possibility of snap poll claiming that the stand-off between the UPA and the Left parties on the nuclear deal was already over, following the assurance given by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the leadership summit in Delhi last week.
|
|
|
5 killed in road accident in TN
Palani, October 15 A group of Muslim devotees hailing from Ernakulam district in Kerala were on their way to Erwadi Dargah at Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu, while the bus was proceeding to Udumalpet from here when the mishap occurred, the police said. The police officials rushed to the spot and rescued the injured trapped in the
mangled remains of the car and admitted them to the government hospital here.
— UNI
|
|
|
Tough days for corrupt officials
Patna, October 15 The development follows the notification issued recently by the Bihar government to set up a special court, in concurrence with Patna High Court, to conduct speedy trials of the cases against government officials arrested on bribery charges. Additional district and sessions judge, Patna, Qayum Khan has already been named as the special judge for the court. Perhaps, the first of its kind in the country, the special court is the result of the constant persuasion by the state vigilance investigation bureau. The court, expected to actualise by the last week of October, will conduct trial of
trap cases during 2006 and 2007.
|
|
|
Ajmer blast: Toll rises to 3
Ajmer, October 15 Two persons were killed and 18 others injured in the bomb explosion at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah during the Roza Iftaar. Meanwhile, security has been tightened in the Dargah with the installation of doorframe metal detectors at the main entrance of Nizam Gate.
— UNI
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Videos
