|
|
Advani skips Liberhan NEW DELHI, Mar 5: Union Home Minister L K Advani today once again failed to appear before the.......more
Parmanand
reiterates CHANDIGARH, Mar 5: Haryana Governor Babu Parmanand today reiterated State...more Police to file MUMBAI, Mar 5: Police will file a supplementary chargesheet in Gulshan Kumar murder....more |
|
Buddhists stage
protest against destruction of statues by Taliban NEW DELHI, Mar 5: A large number of Buddhist monks, women and students today staged a protest march in the capital against the destruction of ancient statues of Buddha by the.....more Sex workers meet KOLKATA, Mar 5: Is sex trade immoral? does it amount to violence against women? or is the profession a....more War decorated soldiers’ CHANDIGARH, Mar 5: War decorated soldiers of the country, winners of Param Vir Chakra, Mahavir.....more Bihar minister PATNA, Mar 5: Bihar’s Finance Minister and senior RJD leader Shankar Prasad Tekriwal today spoke the......more NCP leads fourth GUWAHATI, Mar 5: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will be leading the fourth front in Assam in the....more |
Advani skips Liberhan hearing once again NEW DELHI, Mar 5: Union Home Minister L K Advani today once again failed to appear before the Liberhan Commission probing the sequence of events leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in ayodhya on December 6, 1992. The minister’s counsel told the Commission that Mr Advani had to leave for Andaman and Nicobar to attend an urgent meeting at Port Blair. Inspite of his best efforts he could not avoid the visit to Port Blair because of the importance of the issue involved, he pleaded. The Commission then fixed April 10 and 11 for the appearance of Mr Advani and elicited an assurance from his counsel that his client would depose before it. Earlier Mr Advani’s scheduled hearing before the Commission on January 22 and 23 had to be adjourned in view of his visit to the northeast because of the special situation prevailing there at that time. The hearing of noted Gandhian Nirmala Deshpande, who was to appear before the Commission on April 10 and 11, has now been postponed to April 19 and 20. Union Sports Minister Uma Bharati and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu would depose before the Commission on March 15 and 16. Ms Uma Bharati had already appeared before the Commission on January 15 and 16 but her deposition remains conclusive. The hearing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief K S Sudarshan is scheduled on March 21 while Union Human Resource Development Minister M M Joshi’s appearance is slated for March 22 and 23. Former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, who had appeared before the Commission on February 19 and 20, would continue his deposition on April 9. (UNI) |
 |
Parmanand reiterates commitment
to complete CHANDIGARH, Mar 5: Haryana Governor Babu Parmanand today reiterated State Government’s commitment to complete the long-pending construction of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal in Punjab and taking its justified share of water from the Ravi-Beas rivers and territorial issues like transfer of Chandigarh and left out Hindi speaking areas in Punjab. Great injustice had been done to the people of Haryana with regard to Chandigarh the remaining Hindi speaking areas in Punjab , the Governor said while addressing the opening day of the budget session of the State Assembly here. He said that the apportionment of the river waters issue was pending before the Supreme Court and the State Government was strongly pursuing it. Mr Babu Parmanand’s maiden address to the Assembly was marked by a half out by a Congress member, Raghubir Kadian. As the Governor started reading about the progress made in the field of electricity, Dr Kadian was on his feet protesting against hike in the power tariff and non availability of power and water to the agriculture sector. His stand was supported by his party member Mr Dharamvir, while the party leader Mr Bhajan Lal was seen pacifying him. The interruption by Dr Kadian evoked strong protest from treasury benches. As the Governor continued his speech, Dr Kadian waving the copy of the address staged a walk out. All that Dr Kadian said was lost in the din of protests from the treasury benches. The Governor, continuing his address said that the Haryana Government was making all out effort for the construction of storage dams in Upper Yamuna river basin. Mr Babu Parmanand reiterating his Government’s resolve to root out corruption at all level announced to launch a frontal attack in all manifestations in the working of Government, semi-Government institutions to provide clean, transparent and efficient administration. He expressed the hope that assent of the president would shortly be received on the Lok Ayukta Bill passed by the State Assembly in its earlier session so that a Lok Ayukta could be appointed at the earliest. He said that with a view to provide a responsive administration at the grassroots level, his Government had ushered in a new era of accelerated development through an innovative programme of Sarkar Aapke Dwar. Of 15,846 development works undertaken in two phases of this ambitious programme, 8,006 had been completed till date to benefit rural people and those belonging to backward classes. He said that as part of the Government’s maximum emphasis on enhancing agricultural production, efforts had been made to maintain a tempo of sustained growth (in the agriculture sector). As a result foodgrains production during 2000-2001 was expected at 133.44 lakh tonnes. Similarly, targets of sugarcane, cotton and oilseeds had been fixed at nine lakh tonnes in terms of gur, 12 lakh bales and 10.20 lakh tonnes respectively for the current year, he added. He said that crop loans worth Rs 1,133.16 crore were distributed during the kharif-2000 against Rs 1,021.60 crore disbursed during kharif-1999. For the current rabi season, it has been planned to disburse crop loans upto the tune of Rs 1,220 crore against Rs 1,016.63 crore during last rabi season. He claimed that keeping in view farmers’ interests, haryana had fixed price of different varieties of sugarcane at Rs 104, Rs 106 and Rs 110 per quintal during the current crushing season, which was the highest in the country. To encourage judicious use of scarce water, use of sprinkler irrigation system continued to receive a very high priority of his Government. This financial year, 5,000 sprinkler sets were likely to be installed totalling to 79,660. The Governor, enlisting achievement of his Government said that special attention to irrigation, power, education and industry sectors had ushered in a new era of progress and prosperity of the people of Haryana. He said that the new industrial policy had not only checked migration of capital but had attracted sizeable investment from multinational companies, large business houses, foreign investors, Non-Resident Indians and small-scale entrepreneurs. He said that to absorb industries, being shifted from non-conforming areas in the national capital territory of Delhi, Haryana Small Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) alloted land in different industrial estate of Haryana to 1,218 eligible applicants out of a total of 1,410. This had helped in catalysing an investment of over Rs 7,000 crore with a potential employment opportunities for about one lakh persons directly and many more by way of a quantum fillip to the economy of the state in the allied and services sector, he added. He said that his Government had a plan to set up new industrial estates at badli (500 acres), Bahadurgarh (900 acres), Kundli-Rai industrial complex (500 acres), all skirting the national capital and Manesar extension (1,000 acres) in Gurgaon district. He said that development works at Rai were in progress and the Government through its developmental agencies had planned to invest Rs 1,200 crore in the creation of industrial infrastructure in these estates over the next two years. The Governor said that as a part special priority be given to the power sector during the past 19 months, on an average, 49 lakh units additional electricity had been made available to the consumers daily compared to the corresponding period earlier, which amounted to an increase of 13 per cent. He said that Haryana’s own thermal units generated nine per cent extra power during the year 1999-2000. With the completion of 432 mw gas-based thermal station of Faridabad, the people had started getting nearly 100 lakh units daily from this project. He said that his Government was striving hard for increasing power availability in the near future. The construction of 210 mw sixth unit of Panipat thermal station was likely to be synchronised by April next. Modernisation of Panipat and Faridabad thermal stations had been initiated and for this haryana had sought centre’s financial assistance under the accelerated power development programme. He said that new transmission schemes had been formulated, at an estimated cost of Rs.475 crore taking 220 kv sub-station as the nucleus in various parts of the state. He said that more than 5000 new distribution transformers had been added in the system to remove overloading of the transformers and to prevent damage to distribution transformers. Besides replacement of worn out electricity cables had also been taken up in a big way. (UNI) |
|
Police to file addl chargesheet in Gulshan case MUMBAI, Mar 5: Police will file a supplementary chargesheet in Gulshan Kumar murder case on March 21 regarding involvement of Abdul Rauf Daud Merchant, arrested in Kolkata recently, a sessions court was informed today. Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam stated this before Additional Sessions Judge M L Tahilyani who adjourned the case to March 28 to enable the prosecution make fresh submissions. Thereafter, the court will frame charges against the accused. The court adjourned the bail plea of co-accused Faiyaz Chougale to March 20 as the prosecution sought time to verify whether he was suffering from liver cancer. The accused prayed through his lawyer Majeed Memon that he be released on medical ground to undergo treatment in a private hospital. The judge, however, observed that the papers did not disclose that the lump on his liver was malignant. Hearing a plea of another accused, Nawab Sharif, the judge directed the authorities to shift him from Thane jail to central prison in Mumbai. His lawyer J G Bhanushali submitted that the accused had to be frequently taken to JJ Hospital here as he was suffering from severe backache. (PTI) |
|
|
|
|
Bihar minister flays Laloo rally PATNA, Mar 5: Bihar’s Finance Minister and senior RJD leader Shankar Prasad Tekriwal today spoke the dissidents language when he charged Laloo Prasad Yadav with organising yesterday’s ‘gaon bachao, desh bachao’ rally to divert people’s attention from problems facing the state. The minister who did not attend the rally told PTI that he absented in protest and wanted attitudinal change in the party leadership for all-round growth of the state. "Nothing has been done for Bihar during the past ten years...We want attitudinal change in leadership...We should continue to work for consolidation of the state," Tekriwal, once close to Laloo, said. Stating that he would continue to raise his voice for development of the state, Tekriwal, who also holds the portfolio of Minor Irrigation, said "agar sach kahna bagawat hai to samjho ham bhi bagi hain" (if telling the truth is revolt then you should understand that I am also a rebel.) To a question whether he sided with the dissidents led by Rajya Sabha member and RJD working President, who favoured change in the state leadership, Tekriwal said he was not revolting against the party leadership. "I am opposed to poor development...I want concerted efforts to bring Bihar back on rails of development," he said. Tekriwal said he would not leave RJD and would continue to mount pressure on leadership for all-round growth of Bihar. "People should first rebuild Bihar and then ponder on saving the country...The rally was aimed at diverting people’s attention and I did not attend the rally in protest," he said.(PTI) |
|
||
NCP leads fourth front in Assam GUWAHATI, Mar 5: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will be leading the fourth front in Assam in the coming Assembly election. Although no name has been decided yet for the new front, NCP chief P A Sangma today announced that at present it includes the Asom Jatiya Sanmelan (AJS), the Asom Gana Sangram Parishad (AGSP), the Purbanchaliya Loka Parishad (PLP), the Janata Dal(S) and the Assam Labour Party. Addressing newspersons here this morning, Mr Sangma said some more parties are being roped in to form the front to fight the AGP and the Congress led front. Asked why he was did not take the BJP, he said,"I do not think the BJP is a force to reckon with in Assam." The most notable face of the new front is Mr Bhrigu Kumar Phukan, the former Home Minister and bete noire of Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who once split the AGP and put the party in the opposition. He is the president of the AJS. Mr Sangma said that under the front they would be contesting 90 seats and the AJS will be contesting under the NCP symbol. Mr Phukan, speaking about his party’s decision to join the NCP led front, said both the Congress and the AGP had destroyed Assam in the past while the BJP had proved that they were not serious about this state. "I am convinced that the NCP wants development in Assam and hence we have decided to join it," he said. The new front sought to kick off their political campaign in the constituency of Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta at Berhampur yesterday. However, the AGP supporters allegedly vandalised the stage and microphones and did not allow them to hold the meeting. The AGP workers had not only vandalised but also beaten up NCP workers mercilessly and the police and the district administration was a silent spectator to the whole thing, alleged Mr Sangma. "This is because the AGP are shaky as they have realized that the people of Assam now want a change and they will be wiped out this time in the hustings. In fact they did not even provide me adequate security " said Mr Sangma alleging that the law and order had completely collapsed. "We have witnessed the role of the district administration with our own eyes and we do not have much of expectation" said Mr Phukan and alleged that Assam Governor Lt Gen S K Sinha was protecting Mr Mahanta. Mr Phukan was the second to Mr Mahanta in the AGP and was the Home Minister before he fell out. (UNI) |
||
|
||
|
| home | state | national | business| editorial | advertisement | sports | |
