Excelsior... Nation

Army continue rescue, relief operations
45 killed, 10 mln marooned
in devasting floods in WB

CALCUTTA, Sept 21: At least 45 people were killed and about ten million marooned in devastating .......more

Dr M S Gill

Identity cards, EVMs to
be made compulsory

THURUVANATHAPURAM, Sept 21: Assembly elections in five States including Kerala, Tamil.....more

Ram Vilas Paswan

Telecom links to
eastern states
restored partially

NEW DELHI, Sept 21: Telecom links to eastern states were restored partially today, as the officers ....more

L K Advani

Advani asks WB
Govt to put an
end to violence

HYDERABAD, Sept 21: Terming West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu’s outburst against Railway .......more

EC to have more power
despite oppn from states

NEW DELHI, Sept 21: The Centre today informed the Supreme Court that........more

Panic in Bangalore
following rumours

BANGALORE, Sept 21: Fuelled by stray stone throwing incidents and wild rumours....more

3 slain in Barmer

JAIPUR, Sept 21: Unidentified assailants killed three people, .......more

‘Rajkumar’s wife better’

BANGALORE, Sept 21: The condition of Parvathamma, wife of abducted......more

Army continue rescue, relief operations
45 killed, 10 mln marooned in devasting floods in WB

CALCUTTA, Sept 21: At least 45 people were killed and about ten million marooned in devastating floods in eight districts of West Bengal as the Army jawans continued a grim battle for the fourth day today to carry out rescue and relief operations.

Official sources said 22 people were killed in the worst affected Birbhum district, while 12 people were killed in Bardhaman district. Three people each were killed in Murshidabad and Nadia districts, two each in North Dinajpur and Bankura districts and one in Howrah. Most deaths occurred in house collapse triggered by incessant rains for the past four days.

Sources said the Indian Air Force helicopters could not air-drop food packets because of inclement weather.

Though six columns of the Army had already moved into Birbhum, Murshidabad and Bardhaman districts, the jawans were yet to carry out relief and rescue operations in the badly affected areas of Kandi, Bharatpur, Salar, Baroan and Khargram areas of Murshidabad.

Rail and road communication between North Bengal and North Eastern states remained disrupted for the fourth day as tracks, national highways and expressways remained submerged.

Sources said the situation had worsened with the Massanjore Dam and Tilpara Barrage discharging more than 2,51,000 cusec of water.

Surging waters of the Bhagirathi submerged Baharampore, the district headquarters of Murshidabad, following incessant rains.

Bardhaman town also remained flooded following abnormal rainfall. Over 1000 mm rain was recorded in Birbhum, Murshidabad and Bardhaman in the past few days.

In Murshidabad 26 blocks were badly affected, followed by Birbhum (17 blocks) and Nadia (8 blocks). In Bardhaman the entire Katwa sub-division was flooded by heavy rains and surging waters of the Bhagirathi.

Besides, Kalna, Purbasthali, Nadanghat, Memary, Ausgram areas of Bardhaman district were flooded. Vast areas of Khanakul and Pandua in Hooghly district were inundated.

The sources said in Birbhum, Labhpur was the worst-hit area, followed by Rampurhat and Nalhati. Army jawans had been carrying out rescue operations with speed boats.

The Army said nearly one million people had so far been rescued by them and the district authorities. Truck loads of food, clothes and medicines were reportedly held up on the national highways.

The State Government had requested telecom employees to withdraw their strike in view of the grim situation. (UNI)

Identity cards, EVMs to be made compulsory

THURUVANATHAPURAM, Sept 21: Assembly elections in five States including Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal due next year would be held with voters identity card and Electronic Voting Machine, Chief Election Commissioner Dr M S Gill said today.

Addressing a press conference today here he said issuing of ID cards was progressing very well in Kerala and West Bengal.

About 70 per cent of ID cards had been issued in Kerala and 80 per cent in West Bengal, he said adding that distribution of ID card was slow in Tamil Nadu and it was only 50 to 55 per cent.

The work in Tamil Nadu needed some push to speed up the process of issuing ID cards, he added. The idea of the Commission was to make this election a model to the coming elections in the country, he said.

Referring to the Commission’s plan to introduce Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in total during the next Assembly elections, he said the Commission had in possession 1.50 lakh voting machines at present and Finance Ministry had sanctioned Rs 150 crore for acquiring more machines.

Another 1.50 lakh machines were under various stages of completion in two public sector undertakings in Hyderabad and Bangalore, he said.

All political parties in the country have expressed their opinion in favour of EVM, he added.

On a question, he said it was too early to announce a date for Assembly election. The Commission would decide the date after taking into consideration all aspects and discussion with political parties.

Gill who arrived here yesterday met representatives of various political parties and Chief Minister E K Nayanar. (PTI0

Telecom links to eastern states restored partially

NEW DELHI, Sept 21: Telecom links to eastern states were restored partially today, as the officers and engineers continued their work to rule agitation for the third day despite Communications Minister Ram Vilas Paswan threatening to take action against striking employees.

"Links to Calcuta and north-eastern states have been restored through alternatives routes since this morning", an official statement said. Long distance lines with Chennai and Mumbai were restored yesterday.

Paswan stopped over at Calcutta on his way to Patna last night and held an emergency meeting of eastern region telecom chiefs.

Meanwhile, Government is ascertaining whether the crucial Berhampur link failure that disrupted telephone connections to the eastern states was an accident or a sabotage by someone, official sources said.

Shyamal Ghosh, Secretary of Department of Telecom, said yesterday that Government had received a report from the concerned Chief General Manager (CGM) that the link was washed away by rains.

With the 4000-odd officers and 20,000 engineers sticking to their stand, Paswan said yesterday that strict action would be taken against the employees responsible for dislocation of services in the last few days. (PTI)

Advani asks WB Govt to put an end to violence

HYDERABAD, Sept 21: Terming West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu’s outburst against Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee as ‘intemperate and reflective of panic’, Union Home Minister L K Advani today asked the Marxist Government to put an end to political violence in the state to the ‘satisfaction of people’.

‘I am disturbed that the chief minister should use such intemperate language directed at my colleague (Mamata Banerjee). This is a manifestation of panic and jitters that Marxist hegemony is being effectively challenged’, he said in an informal chat with reporters here.

Advani was responding to Basu’s strongly-worded letter yesterday asking him to restrain the Trinamul Congress leader from ‘inciting violence’ in the state.

Pointing out that Basu did not deny the ‘basic facts’ about political violence prevailing in some parts of West Bengal, Advani said it was the responsibility of the State Government to see that violence comes to an end.

Advani was here to review the passing out parade of the 20th batch of Sub-Inspectors of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the National Industrial Security Academy (NISA) campus at Hakimpet.

Declining to field any questions on the Centre’s move in West Bengal, the Home Minister said ‘I had the opportunity to talk to the Prime Minister about the issue last night’.

Referring to the veteran Marxist leader’s remark that he need not satisfy Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on the steps to maintain law and order, Advani said ‘but he should satisfy the people of his state and reassure all democrats in the country at that democracy is safe and secure’. (PTI)

EC to have more power despite oppn from states

NEW DELHI, Sept 21: The Centre today informed the Supreme Court that it has agreed to give the Election Commission complete administrative control over the election staff on deputation for election duty despite majority of states opposing it.

A three-judge bench comprising Justice S P Bharucha, Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justice Ruma Pal disposed of the writ petition filed by EC in terms of the agreement reached between the Centre and the Commission.

Attorney General Soli Sorabjee with advocate Rajiv Nanda submitted that a meeting of the Advocates General of all states was called and except for five - Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura and Mizoram, which agreed in toto with the agreement reached between the Centre and EC, other states had some reservation.

However, Sorabjee said the Centre intended to go ahead and give effect to the agreement which said that "disciplinary function of the EC over officers, staff and police deputed to election period shall extend to suspending any officer/official/police personnel for insubordination or derelection of duty.

The power of the EC shall also extend to "substituting any officer/official/police personnel by another such person, and returning the substituted individual to the cadre to which he belongs, with appropriate report on his conduct."

The Centre has also agreed that EC could make recommendation to the competent authority for taking disciplinary action against an official for any act of insubordination or derelection of duty while on election duty.

"Such recommendation (of EC) shall bisciplinary authority, and action taken will be

communicated to the Election Commission, within a period of six months from the date of Commission’s recommendations," the agreement specified.

Majority of the states had opposition to a clause in the agreement which provided "the Government of India will advise the State Governments that they too should follow the above principles and decisions, since a large number of election officials are under their administrative control."

When the West Bengal Government said it was opposed to the last clause concerning advice by the Centre, the court said "how could the state have an objection to an agreement between the Centre and Election Commission."

"Moreover, it pertains to only advice," Justice Bharucha said and added "it was upto the states whether to follow the advice or not." (PTI)

Panic in Bangalore following rumours

BANGALORE, Sept 21: Fuelled by stray stone throwing incidents and wild rumours about the health of Parvathamma, wife of abducted Kannada film star Rajkumar, panic spread across the city today.

Miscreants pelted stones at some passing vehicles in Gandhinagar, the hub of Kannada film industry, soon after a silent procession by the entire Kannada film industry to seek early release of Rajkumar, passed.

Police Commissioner T Madiyal told PTI that some miscreants stoned vehicles in Gandhinagar and several shopkeepers downed their shutters in panic. Rumours were also spread about the health of Parvathamma, he said.

Parvathamma was admitted to a private hospital here yesterday after she complained of chest pain. Her personal physician Dr Ramana Rao said she was improving.

Rumours about Parvathamma’s health spread like wild fire across the city since morning and newspaper and news agencies were flooded with calls enquiring about her condition.

‘She is okay now’, Shivarajkumar said and appealed to the people to remain calm and maintain peace. ‘She (Parvathamma) has been under stress for the last 53 days (since the abduction of Rajkumar)+, he said. (PTI)

3 slain in Barmer

JAIPUR, Sept 21: Unidentified assailants killed three people, including a woman and her son, at an inn at Balotara in Barmer district last night, police said today.

The assailants slit the throats of the mother, son and the inn-keeper with a sharp-edged weapon while they were asleep, police said.

Another child sleeping in the same hall was, however, spared by the assailants who took away some jewellery and cash before fleeing, police added. (PTI)

‘Rajkumar’s wife better’

BANGALORE, Sept 21: The condition of Parvathamma, wife of abducted Kannada thespian Rajkumar, who was admitted to hospital yesterday after she complained of chest pain, ‘is improving’, her personal physician said today.

"She is better and improving. There are no complications," Dr Ramana Rao told PTI here.

Parvathamma, a hypertensive patient, has apparently been under stress since Rajkumar’s abduction by forest brigand Veerappan on July 30. She was rushed to the Mallya Hospital here yesterday following severe chest pain and profuse sweating.

The Rajkumar family has been passing through traumatic experience ever since he was abducted from his farm house at Gajanur in Tamil Nadu.

Efforts to secure his release have not succeeded so far despite three missions by journalist-emissary R R Gopal who has now ventured into the forests again in his fourth bid. (PTI)