Excelsior... Nation

V P Singh lashes
out at ‘anti-poor’
reforms policies

GHAZIABAD, June 17: Launching a frontal attack on the economic polices of the NDA Government, former Prime Minister V P Singh today burnt a ....more

Mohammad Yunus dead

NEW DELHI, June 17: Mohammad Yunus, a former diplomat and a close friend of Nehru family, died here this morning after protracted illness. He was 85. ...more

Panchayat polls in Assam likely by year-end: Gogoi

NEW DELHI, June 17: Assam Government is proposing to hold panchayat elections by this year end, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said here. ....more

TTA project fails to
supply uninterrupted
power

LUCKNOW, June 17: The much-hyped ambitious environmental protection scheme, the Taj Trapezium Area....more

2-member CBI team probing AI case

NEW DELHI, June 17: CBI’s preliminary probe into the role of former Air India Managing Director M P Mascarenhas and others in allegedly hiking the ...more

Catch the cops! mail
to PO Box No 171

NEW DELHI, June 17: Erring cops beware! somebody can report your misconduct or abuse of baton without actually walking into a police station, ...more

15,000 people get
infected by HIV virus
in a day

KOCHI, June 17: With no cure in sight, the dreaded AIDS disease continues to haunt the world over with about....more

Gulshan Kumar trial
begins today, eye
witness to depose

MUMBAI, June 17: The Gulshan Kumar murder trial, delayed by four years due to extradition proceedings initiated...more

V P Singh lashes out at ‘anti-poor’ reforms policies

GHAZIABAD, June 17: Launching a frontal attack on the economic polices of the NDA Government, former Prime Minister V P Singh today burnt a bonfire of ‘Videshi’ clothes and gave out a war cry to weavers, farmers and the working class to join together against the floodgates of imports opened by the Vajpayee regime.

Inaugurating the ‘Maha-Sammelan’ of the All India Weavers’ Morcha here, the former Prime Minister said the present policies of the NDA Government were aimed at destroying the working class, including farmers and artisans.

He said all these sections must join together and build a movement against such oppressive policies. "Rich are being pampered while the working class sidelined. How do you remove poverty in this country like this ?" he asked.

Supporting subsidies for the farmers and the working class, the former Prime Minister demanded a white paper on the subsidy. "Let it be known who gets how much subsidy," he said. Rich nations pay even more subsidy than the developing countries. The USA, Japan and Europe pay their farmers subsidy worth 330 billion dollars, he said.

On the one hand, the Government was allowing unrestricted imports and on the other hand, it was not making any effort to make the Indian weaver competitive. "While the Government increase the customs duty on imports, the weavers should be given cheap yarn, electricity and market support to be competitive," Mr Singh said.

Justifying the demand for loan waiver of up to Rs 10,000, Mr Singh said the NDA Government was interested in helping only the bigtime industrialists. "The Government has reduced interest rates for big industrialists who owe more than Rs 80,000 crore to banks. It would buy land from farmers at the Government rate and use it for commercial purposes," he said.

He said the liberalisation of the Government policies were meant for helping those owing mobile phones, motor cars, televisions and airconditioners. (UNI)

Panchayat polls in Assam likely by year-end: Gogoi

NEW DELHI, June 17: Assam Government is proposing to hold panchayat elections by this year end, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said here.

"We are planning to hold panchayat elections by the end of this year," Gogoi, who was here to attend a conference of Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states, told PTI in an interview.

He said he was also planning to introduce the Right to Information Bill in the Assembly in a bid to make his Government and the administration more transparent.

In a bid to beef up administration at the grassroot level and ensure fiscal discipline, Gogoi said he had conveyed to the District Collectors and Development Officers to chalk out five-year plans at the block levels.

These plans would be monitored every three months to see the progress made in implementation, he said.

The Chief Minister said he also planned to bring about a citizen’s charter to make the people aware of their rights and duties.

Gogoi said his Government had already drawn up plans for development of agriculture sector, with special emphasis on marketing and cold storage.

On the power sector, he said he wanted to make the state self-sufficient and take innovative steps to achieve that goal.

On the law and order front, the Chief Minister, who met Home Minister L K Advani here yesterday, expressed his strong resentment at the extension of the area coverage of Centre’s ceasefire with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) saying that it would lead to "heightened" extremist activities in the state where problem was on the decline.

"Though we are not opposed to the extension of ceasefire, but the extention of its area coverage will create problems for us. They (NSCN-IM) already have established camps, there are cases of extortions and now they can do all this freely and legally," Gogoi said.

Gogoi said the NSCN(I-M) had not only been supporting ULFA and other extremist outfits in Assam, but were supplying them with arms and ammunition. He also referred to recent cases of extremist violence including the one in which nine Assam Rifles jawans were killed earlier this week.

"Now that the decision to extend the ceasefire has been taken, we cannot act against these elements even if we want to," Gogoi said, asserting that he was "not taken into confidence when this decision was taken." (PTI)

TTA project fails to supply uninterrupted power

LUCKNOW, June 17: The much-hyped ambitious environmental protection scheme, the Taj Trapezium Area (TTA) project has failed to supply uninterrupted power in the area eventhough short and medium term measures have been completed. The project was initiated as per the Supreme Court’s directive in April 1996 for undertaking environmental protection of Taj Trapezium Zone covering Agra, a part of Mathura, Hathras (Aligarh), Ferozabad and Etah districts.

Under the project, the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited would strengthen the transmission, transformation and distribution system at an estimated cost of Rs 189.64 crore for uninterrupted supply of power in TTA.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in its recent report for the year 1999-2000, pointed out that non-synchronisation of transmission and distribution works, various flaws in procurement and utilisation of material, execution of works and operational deficiencies led to non-completion of the project within the stipulated time period and thus the envisaged benefits could not be achieved.

The report said that though the short and medium-term measures under the project have been completed, yet there was no perceptible improvement in power supply. This had also envisaged 30 per cent improvement in power supply in Agra Mahanagar alone.

The report said that against the estimated expenditure of Rs 124.61 crore, the actual expenditure incurred was only Rs 100.82 crore. Against the provision of Rs 58.76 crore under the long-term measures, the department had already spent Rs 55.33 crors till June 2000.

The major flaws behind the failure of the project have been line losses of Agra Mahanagar which were 37 per cent prior to the completion of measures but rose to 45 per cent afterwards while the consumption of power, which was 126 units per kilowatt/per month in 1996-97, was 133 units per kw/month in 1999-2000 showing a marginal increase of 5.5 per cent against the projected improvement of 30 per cent.

The CAG, in its report, further said that 40 works valued at Rs 3.10 crore were carried out without preparation of estimates during 1997-2000, in violation of the norms. While the wide variation in executed quantities were not approved from competent authority.

Besides, the electricity transmission division of Agra and Aligarh incurred an expenditure of Rs 1.10 crore on works not covered under the project. (UNI)

2-member CBI team probing AI case

NEW DELHI, June 17: CBI’s preliminary probe into the role of former Air India Managing Director M P Mascarenhas and others in allegedly hiking the Productivity-Linked Incentive (PLI) to a Britain-based General Sales Agent of the airline has taken a fresh turn with two CBI officers being sent to Mumbai to investigate various angles in the case.

CBI, which registered a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) on June seven, has based its registration report on the complaint sent to it by the Civil Aviation Ministry, which, however, is yet to file a chargesheet against Mascarenhas.

CBI, in its preliminary probe report, has accused Mascarenhas, former Commercial Director H S Uberoi, former Regional Director P K Sinha and former Commercial Manager Capt K Behari of frequently revising the PLI upwards to favour the London Agent, M/s Welcome Travels, which led Air India to bear a loss burden of over Rs 57 crore, agency sources said.

Stating that Air India "was put to financial loss to the extent of Rs 57.02 crores over the period 1986 to 2000", the CBI PE report said the conduct of these officials and the agent "is required to be enquired into in detail".

However, Mascarenhas, who has filed a petition in Mumbai High Court challenging his suspension, has argued that the pli to welcome travels was cleared by both the internal auditors of the airline as well as the external auditors appointed by the Government.

Mascarenhas’ petition said about 15 officials were involved in connection with the payment of PLI between 1992-93 and 1997-98 and established parameters followed while paying commission.

It stated that Mascarenhas was never called by the Government for any discussion over the reply filed by him in response to the enquiry conducted by the then Chief Vigilance Officer M B Sagar.

Mascarenhas also challenged the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), which, his petition said, had taken into account PLI paid over 14 financial years, from 1987 to 2000. Normally, CAG reports are restricted to a single financial year, the petition added.

However, the CBI’s preliminary enquiry report said "the PLI of three per cent was increased to five per cent in may 1993 by Mascarenhas, the then commercial director, of Air India", despite objections by the finance and accounts department.

The CBI report said in 1996-97, the PLI was fixed at five per cent for the highest revenue slab of 14 million pounds. In July 1997, on the basis of a representation of welcome travels citing reduction in capacity, cancellation of flight etc., the PLI was raised to above five per cent and the ceiling fixed at seven per cent in case the total revenue generated by the agent was above 19 million pounds.

Later, "the slabs for the entitlement of five and seven per cent PLI were respectively reduced from 14 million pounds to 11 million and 19 million pounds to 15 million, with a view to cause undue pecuniary advantage to the firm," the report said. (PTI)

Catch the cops! mail to PO Box No 171

NEW DELHI, June 17: Erring cops beware! somebody can report your misconduct or abuse of baton without actually walking into a police station, courtesy the three-digit wonder address floated by Delhi Police Commissioner Ajay Raj Sharma.

The address "PB No. 171", a brainchild of Sharma and set up in Delhi last year, has led to actions against 19 policemen so far, reveal the statistics at the police headquarters.

The City Police Commissioner introduced the novel channel whereby anyone could complain directly against a policeman or provide a tip-off to the department’s top brass.

"The concept was floated last year by the Police Commissioner with an idea to have a greater and more transparent participation of the common man in ensuring better law and order situation in the national capital", says Jt Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Amod Kanth.

The Delhi Police received 1746 complaints last year which included 300 complaints against police personnel out of which 19 faced disciplinary action.

"Last year out of 1764 complaints, 300 were against our men...And later after assessing the gravity of allegations levelled, appropriate actions were taken against 19 policemen", DCP (Vigilance) S K Gautam told PTI.

He said, this year "we have received about 55 complaints against them... Mostly relating to non-registration of cases or firs but none of them has so far been substantiated".

"When a complaint against a policeman is found to be authentic or substantiated, we conduct an unobtrusive inquiry into it", Jt Commissioner of Police Satish Chandra said.

"The department appoints a senior or an official of the same rank to probe the allegations in such matters and on verification one may face actions varying from de (departmental enquiry) to transfers or simply a show-cause notice depending on the nature of the complaint", Chandra said.

However, he said, a majority of the complaints were found to be fabricated where anonymity of the complainant did not help the matter either.

But Chandra adds hastingly, "at times there are genuine cases too where a complainant chooses not to come forward simply because he fears that later the same policeman might avenge himself by harassing him... We take care of such possibilities as well".

Chandra feels that the idea of a post box has equipped the police with a "wider and more transparent information channel" enabling the department to have a "better crime-control in the national capital".

The address has also been widely used for tips-off, registering complaints, and giving information about unlawful activities such as illegal constructions, sale of liquor, unauthorised parkings and prostitution, while allowing the complainant the freedom to maintain secrecey, if so desired, DCP Gautam said.

Complaints against unauthorised construction and illicit sale of liquor top the graph, he said.

However, every step has a flip side too. Though on an average, the police headquarters receive 100-125 letters a month only a tenth are found to be genuine.

"As per our own data only 10 per cent of all these complaints were found to be genuine", Gautam said, though admitting that the majority chunk of the genuine complaints were against the cops only.

The department, indeed, has high expectations from the box number.

"The no is the first and only of its kind in the country so far and figures prominently in the fortnightly crime review meeting of the police top brass", says Kanth. (PTI)