Excelsior... Nation

Minister of State for Commerce and
Industry Omar Abdullah

NC may leave if BJP fails
to condemn Bharat Sansad
decision: Omar

NEW DELHI, Jan 24: Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Omar Abdullah has threatened that the National Conference....more

Gulshan Kumar

Killer of Gulshan remanded
to police custody till Feb 5

MUMBAI, Jan 24: Abdul Rauf Daud Merchant, alleged killer of audio king Gulshan Kumar and sharp shooter of .....more

High alert in capital for
Republic Day celebrations

NEW DELHI, Jan 24: In view of specific intelligence inputs about possible militant attacks on the ......more

Law, Justice and Company Affairs
Minister Arun Jaitley

Arun Jaitley for more
pre-litigating remedies

NEW DELHI, Jan 24: Law, Justice and Company Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley today stressed the need for pre-litigating stage......more

Union Rural Development Minister
Venkaiah Naidu

Naidu asks Orissa to
speed up schemes sponsored by Centre

BHUBANESWAR, Jan 24: Union Rural Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu has asked the Orissa Government to speed up various centrally-sponsored developmental and poverty-amelioration schemes at the district level to ensure uninterrupted flow of funds.....more

Mr Sharad Yadav

Aviation Ministry examining FDI inflows
Security at airports to be
further tightened: Yadav

From B L Kak

NEW DELHI, Jan 24: The Government does not want to take any chance on the preparedness to protect airports in the country against possible hits by terrorists.....more

Sangh Pariwar has always
fooled countrymen: Cong

KUMBH NAGAR, Jan 24: The Congress today said the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s declaration to start work of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya.......more

Plans to erect Shivaji’s
statue outside Agra fort

AGRA, Jan 24: Plans are afoot for installation of a statue of Shivaji, the 17th century Maratha ruler, outside Agra Fort from where he had...more

NC may leave if BJP fails to condemn Bharat Sansad decision: Omar

NEW DELHI, Jan 24: Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Omar Abdullah has threatened that the National Conference may withdraw support to the Vajpayee Government if it fails to disassociate itself from the decision of the Dharma Sansad to take over the disputed site in Ayodhya next year.

Participating in ‘The big question’ on Doordarshan’s national network last night, Mr Abdullah said the BJP should ‘distance itself at the earliest’ from the decision of the Sansad.

Asked if this was the view of other alliance partners, he clarified that he could only speak for the party (National Conference) and the state he represented (Jammu and Kashmir). He added that his party cadre was largely representative of the minority Muslim community.

Both Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar of the Congress and Marxist member Nilotpal Basu also agreed that the Government should condemn the decision since the matter was in court.

The Dharma Sansad meeting in Allahabad had announced its decision to take over the disputed site and begin construction after Shivratri next year. (UNI)

Killer of Gulshan remanded to police custody till Feb 5

MUMBAI, Jan 24: Abdul Rauf Daud Merchant, alleged killer of audio king Gulshan Kumar and sharp shooter of Chhota Shakeel gang, was today remanded to police custody till February five by a Magistrate even as the prosecution appeared all set to open its case tomorrow in the trial court here.

Abdul Rauf, a ‘prize’ catch for Mumbai Police, was produced in ‘Burkha’ before Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Usha Iyer.

Public Prosecutor L R Salunke urged for police custody of the accused on the ground that he was absconding since a long time and hence had to be interrogated at length for his complicity in the crime.

The prosecutor contended that police had yet to find out the whereabouts of other absconding accused in this case and also had to recover weapons and cell phone used in the crime by Abdul Rauf who allegedly shot dead Gulshan Kumar on August 12, 1997 here.

The accused told the court that he had no complains against the police. He also said that he had nothing else to complain.

Rauf was arrested from a public call office in Kolkata on January 8 and remanded to custody by a court there till January 20. A Kolkata Court allowed Mumbai Police team to bring him here for interrogation.

He was brought here last night by the team led by Police Inspector Arun Bagadi.

Investigations have revealed that Abdul Rauf possessed a fake passport in the name of Bimal Das and was in the process of leaving Kolkata when he was arrested.

He has admitted to have received from Chhota Shakeel Rs one lakh as first instalment of contract amount for murder of Gulshan Kumar.

He was allegedly in constant touch with underworld figures Chhota Shakeel and Dawood Ibrahim based in Karachi who had recently given him contract to kill important persons in Mumbai.

Abdul Rauf had absconded after killing Gulshan Kumar and was advised by his gang to stay in a north-east state which would provide a safe haven for him. He then shifted his base to Kolkata along with his wife Minhaz.

The arrest has boosted the morale of Mumbai Police who suffered a setback after a London High Court discharged prime accused Nadeem Akhtar Saifee in an extradition case filed by Indian Government.

The approver in this case, Mohammed Ali Shaikh, has disowned his statement and sought withdrawal of pardon saying he wanted to be treated as an accused and not as prosecution witness because of alleged police excesses.

With Abdul Rauf’s arrest, the prosecution hopes to unravel the truth and pin down the main accused in Gulshan Kumar murder case. (PTI)

High alert in capital for Republic Day celebrations

NEW DELHI, Jan 24: In view of specific intelligence inputs about possible militant attacks on the Republic Day parade and some senior leaders, including Union Home Minister L K Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes, Central security agencies and Delhi Police have declared a high security alert and mounted tightest-ever vigil in the Capital.

Specific intelligence has also been received about possible threats to Union Human Resource Development Minister M M Joshi and Union Urban Development Minister and former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Jagmohan, a top Delhi Police officer told UNI.

Apart from the VIP areas in New Delhi district, vigil has been stepped up on the inter-state borders. "We are getting intelligence inputs by the minute and the threats are real," he said.

Asked about reports that a woman suicide bomber had entered the Capital, the officer said police was not discounting any information. "Anything can be expected," the officer added.

Police had yesterday released the sketches of four militants who are suspected to have sneaked into the capital ahead of the January 26 celebrations.

The militants have been identified as Ejaz Rasool alias Dinesh Sharma (24-26 years), Hashim Baig (28-30), Usman (30) and Sikandar (30).

Besides activating the Delhi Police strength of 58,000 personnel, 40 additional companies of various Central police organisations like CRPF, Rapid Action Force and CISF have also been posted at various points to ensure that the functions, which will conclude with the Beating Retreat on January 29, go without a glitch.

Apart from the 13-km Parade route, a three to five km area on both sides of the route from Vijay Chowk to Red Fort is being virtually fortified with intensive patrolling and surveillance equipment.

The Delhi Police and the Central paramilitary forces have posted their men at all strategic places, including the North and South Blocks, which accommodate a host of Central ministries, including the Prime Minister’s Office, other ministries and high rise buildings on the two flanks of the 13-km-long Parade route from Vijay Chowk to Red Fort.

Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi Range) Suresh Roy told UNI that security personnel would be posted three to five km deep on both sides of the Parade route with specially trained commandos at vantage points at regular intervals on the Raj Path.

"Two hundred commandos of the Delhi Police with elements from Central police forces will sanitise not only the entire route but also its vicinity within a radius of about five km. We are taking these measures to avoid being targetted by long-range weapons," Mr Roy said.

Mr Roy said the police have identified all the buildings which could be used as a base for any possible militant attack and sealed them completely. "We will have security personnel on all the windows opening towards the Parade and the rooftops of these buildings. They will be in constant communication with the forces deployed on the ground."

He said Raj Path which will see the congregation of a large number of the dignitaries, including the President and the Prime Minister, has been divided into 12 zones in which commandos will be stationed at every hundred yards.

"No traffic will be allowed on Raj Path from 1800 hrs on January 25 till the Parade is over. Besides, four quick reaction teams and about 5,000 personnel will be in a state of maximum alert in the New Delhi area."

Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) Ajay Chadha, whose area accounts for about 7 km stretch of the Parade, said about 2000 policemen will monitor the route. "If needed, we will requisition more forces."

To ward off any operation by foreign mercenaries to disturb the celebrations, the Delhi Police has also put cinema halls, hotels, clubs and farm houses under surveillance and mounted tight security around them.

The unprecedented security arrangements come in the wake of enhanced threat perceptions from Pakistan-based militant outfits, including the Lashkar-e-Toiba, which carried out a daring strike at an Army camp inside Red Fort on December 22 that left three people, including two Army personnel, dead.

Besides Lashkar, there have been inputs of threats of other outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad, Al-Badar and Hizbul Mujahideen, for carrying out strikes in the Capital.(UNI)

Arun Jaitley for more pre-litigating remedies

NEW DELHI, Jan 24: Law, Justice and Company Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley today stressed the need for pre-litigating stage remedies in order to create an environment for restricting appeals in courts in frivolous cases.

He said the Government’s moves in this direction or to strengthen alternative disputes redressal mechanisms was intended to develop a forum of specialised speedier justice and relieve the burden on courts. But this did not mean freedom from courts, he added.

Inaugurating a day-long All India Conference of Members of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal on the eve of its golden jubilee celebrations here, the Law Minister said more and more matters were being taken out of the normal courts and vested in regulators in the era of globalisation of Indian economy.

Lauding the contribution of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) during the last 60 years, the Law Minister called upon the ITAT to take measures for expediting disposal of over 2,41,000 arrears as on January 1, 2001. He, however, noted with satisfaction that the arrears had been reduced by more than 55,000 during the last three years.

Mr Jaitley suggested simplification of tax laws to rid such laws of ambiguities, removal of discretion and make judicial delivery system expeditious so as to attract investors from abroad. He also emphasised the need for shorter and clear-cut crisp judgements.

He affirmed the Government s resolve to strengthen judicial tribunals in general and ITAT in particular and urged them to show high degree of independence. He exuded confidence that quality of judgements rendered by itat would continue to inspire taxation administration as well as concerned people in the days to come.

Union Law Secretary R L Meena also affirmed that the Government did not interfere in functioning of the ITAT which was independent. He said in view of the efficient handling of the ITAT, known as the mother tribunal in the country, the Supreme Court of India in L Chandrakumar’s case observed that all the tribunals may be brought under the administrative control of the Law Ministry.

ITAT president V Dongzathang said the tribunal had grown from three benches in 1941 to 53 benches now with its seat in the headquarters of all the High Courts in the country. The ITAT was set up on January 25, 1941 under the Income Tax Act and placed under the administrative control of the Law Ministry. (UNI)

Naidu asks Orissa to speed up schemes
sponsored by Centre

"The Centre is totally sympathetic to the state’s cause and Orissa will get special treatment because of the special problems it faced," Naidu said at the end of his two-day visit to the state.

Orissa has to improve its spending capacity at the district level, he told reporters yesterday.

The minister, who reviewed the programmes being undertaken under centrally-sponsored schemes, said in certain sectors progress had been comparatively slower as the State Government was not able to arrange the 25 per cent matching grants to supplement the 75 per cent central allocation.

Though the state had sought central loan to meet this requirement, it could not be done for one state. "We have to discuss the matter with the Planning Commission," he said.

Replying to a question, naidu said the Centre was considering a proposal to float bonds to raise funds from the market to meet such requirements.

On the worsening drought situation in Orissa, he said the Union Government had decided to release an additional Rs six crore to the state under Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS).

An amount of Rs. 35 crore had already been sanctioned from the national calamity relief fund for drought mitigation, he said. (PTI)

Aviation Ministry examining FDI inflows
Security at airports to be further tightened: Yadav

From B L Kak

NEW DELHI, Jan 24: The Government does not want to take any chance on the preparedness to protect airports in the country against possible hits by terrorists. The Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Sharad Yadav, has admitted that a challenge has emerged for the powers-that-be after the recent abortive attack on the airport in Srinagar, the capital city of Kashmir.

Mr Yadav has said in an interview that the Civil Aviation Ministry is examining a set of proposals to ensure that security at airports is further strengthened without any financial burden falling on either the passengers or the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Aviation security in India is looked after by the State police, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the airlines and AAI, while the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security is supposed to coordinate, monitor and train personnel in civil aviation security matters.

Mr Sharad Yadav said: "We are looking at how we can balance beefing up security without burning a hole in the profitability of the Airports Authority of India. One thing is clear. Whatever decision we take, we will try and ensure that neither the profitability of AAI is affected nor is the passenger unduly burdened".

The Civil Aviation Minister declined to divulge whether the Government was considering imposing an additional fee on air tickets to fund the cost of beefing up security. He, however, pointed out that his Ministry would soon take up the issue of beefing up security at the airports with the State Governments.

The problem, at the same time, seems to have been complicated as several airports are non-profitable. This notwithstanding, the Government has conceded that the question of providing adequate security measures at these airports as well is equally important.

The Airports Authority of India handles airports in Ladakh, the North-East and Port Blair which are among some of the airports which, though not profitable, are important. The Aviation Ministry wants to ensure that the profits which AAI earns from services provided at the other airports are not affected by beefing up security.

Meanwhile, the Aviation Ministry’s attention has also been focused on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in the domestic aviation sector. The Ministry has not yet taken a final decision in this regard. The top brass of the Ministry, including Mr Sharad Yadav, would take a few more days before taking a view on the issue.

No proposal has yet been sent up to the Minister, Mr Yadav, calling for an upward revision of FDI. The Minister’s thinking on the issue is expected to be firmed up within the next few days when a final round of discussion is held between officials of the various departments connected with the sector on firming up the civil aviation policy.

At present, the draft civil aviation policy allows foreign equity up to 40 per cent, while non-resident Indian investment is permitted up to 100 per cent in the domestic air transport sector. A proposal for allowing FDI up to 49 per cent from the present 40 per cent might be considered.

Civil Aviation Ministry officials have refused to comment on the reported decision of the Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting approving raising the FDI level in d0omestic aviation to 51 per cent as the Ministry has not so far received the minutes of the meeting.

Sangh Pariwar has always fooled countrymen: Cong

KUMBH NAGAR, Jan 24: The Congress today said the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s declaration to start work of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya coinciding with the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh smacks of "opportunism" and "fraud".

The Sangh Pariwar has "always fooled" the countrymen and this was another attempt, Congress spokesman Anil Shastri said. "But people, who can see through these games, cannot be taken for a ride by the emotive issues being raised to win the Assembly elections in five states including up," he said.

He said his party condemned the Sangh Pariwar for indulging in divisive politics which might lead to communal frenzy in the country. The so-called ‘Dharma Sansad’ organised by the VHP was a farce as no important saint or religious leader participated in it, he said. It was, merely, a congregation of BJP, VHP and Bajrang Dal workers, he said in a statement here.

Since the Ayodhya issue was pending in the court, the Central and the UP Governments should prevent the Sangh Pariwar from taking law in their hands, the Congress leader said.

He said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance Government at the Centre has "failed on all fronts". The ruined state of Indian economy, rising rate of inflation, farmers’ problems, the sad state of affairs in Kashmir and several other burning problems have all erupted and sustained due to its "inexpedient and faulty" policies and decisions, he said.

Mr Shastri said there could not be a bigger joke than the claim of Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh that the Babri Masjid was demolished by the employees of the Public Works Department. (UNI)