Parkash Singh Badal
Parkash Singh Badal

Orissa cyclone be
declared national
calamity: Badal

CHANDIGARH, Nov 27: The Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), a constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance, today said the Union Government should declare the Orissa cyclone a national calamity. ....more

George Fernandes
George Fernandes

Centre will make use
of Latur rehabilitation
measures

MUMBAI, Nov 27: The Centre would make use of the measures....more

Ramvilas Paswan
Ramvilas Paswan

Paswan for speeding
up merger process

PATNA, Nov 27: Senior JD(U) leader Ramvilas Paswan today said the....more

 Jyoti Basu

HERE AND THERE
Dr Raina is ‘high-voltage literary transformer’

From B L Kak
A new expression has been coined for Dr SK Raina....more

Kargil: Inside Story – IV
Vajpayee Govt. spoke in different voices

From B L Kak
India knows – indeed, the entire world has.....more

G K Moopanar
G K Moopanar

TMC not to force
an election in
Pondicherry

CHENNAI, Nov 27: Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC)...more

Ashok Gehlot
Ashok Gehlot

Gehlot refutes oppn
charge on migration
of tribal population

JAIPUR, Nov 27: The Rajasthan Government....more

6 nabbed in Irfan
murder case

NEW DELHI, Nov 27: Six persons have been arrested......more

Orissa cyclone be declared national calamity: Badal

CHANDIGARH, Nov 27: The Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), a constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance, today said the Union Government should declare the Orissa cyclone a national calamity.

"The Centre should declare the disaster a national calamity as it has caused a great loss for people of the state, especially farmers," party president and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal told reporters after the swearing-in-ceremony of the new State Governor Lt Gen J F R Jacob at the Raj Bhawan here today.

Each State should adopt at least five cyclone-hit villages so as to speed up the rehabilitation process, he said, adding Punjab would send a special train carrying clothing, tarpulene, utensils and food stocks to the affected areas from Ludhiana. (PTI)

Centre will make use of Latur rehabilitation measures

MUMBAI, Nov 27: The Centre would make use of the measures undertaken by Maharashtra Government for the earthquake victims of Latur to rehabilitate the cyclone affected people in Orissa, Defence Minister George Fernandes said.

At a meeting held here yesterday with Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and bureaucrats from the Department of Rehabilitation, Fernandes lauded the relief and rehabilitation work initiated by the State Government at Jagatsingpur in Orissa.

Deshmukh proposed the state’s Action Plan II for Orissa, including adopting Ersama, Balikuda and Kujanga blocks.

Under the relief programme, temporary kitchens are planned for 15 days for 10,000 persons per day at the rate of Rs 20 per person, costing Rs 30 lakh, according to a release.

Polythene and tarpauline sheets worth Rs 300 lakh and 35,000 blankets worth Rs 52.50 lakh will be sent along with 2400 metric tonne of cattle feed costing Rs 144 lakh, it said.

Under the rehabilitation programme, 100 units of multi-purpose cyclone shelters are proposed to be built, with each shelter costing Rs 12 lakh, the release said, adding, repairs of school buildings, health facilities and restoration of drinking water facilities, construction of orphanage and provision of 150 power-tillers are also in the action plan at a total cost of Rs 521 lakh.

In addition, Rs 1780 lakh is proposed for water lifting diesel operated devices, 7000 quintals of paddy seeds and assorted vegetable seeds, green fodder seeds, one lakh coconut saplings and construction of 1000 model dwelling units in Jerailo village, it said. (PTI)

Paswan for speeding up merger process

PATNA, Nov 27: Senior JD(U) leader Ramvilas Paswan today said the merger process of Samata Party and Lok Shakti with the JD(U) should be expedited and deprecated anybody being projected as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the coming Assembly polls in Bihar.

I have repeatedly said the Chief Minister’s post is not important for me... What I want is uprooting the jungle raj of Laloo Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, he told reporters here.

The Communication Minister suggested that formalities for merger of the three parties be completed at the earliest in view of the Assembly election in the state.

The delay in formalising the merger is sending wrong signals among the people and the workers of the three parties. ... I fail to understand the reason for the delay when we contested the Lok Sabha poll on a common symbol and reaped rich electoral harvest in Bihar, he said.

On the reported statements of state BJP leaders that their party would contest 200 of the 324 seats in the Assembly elections, Paswan said views on seat-sharing should not be aired in public through the media. This will create unnecessary confusion. (PTI)

HERE AND THERE
Dr Raina is ‘high-voltage literary transformer’

From B L Kak

A new expression has been coined for Dr SK Raina. His outstanding contribution to Hindi-Kashmiri as a translator has prompted his admirers to describe him as a ‘high-voltage literary transformer’. Dr Raina’s literary journey which started from his birth-place, Srinagar, the capital city of Kashmir, in 1962 after he was declared 1st class 1st by University of Kashmir in his M.A. (Hindi) examination, did not stop in 1968 when he obtained Ph. D (Hindi) degree from Kurukshetra University.

Indeed, his literary journey has entered a new phase, with his selection as Fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. Based at the prestigious Rashtrapati Nivas, Dr Raina has been assigned the task of working on the problems of translating from various Indian languages into Hindi with special reference to Kashmiri-Hindi.

Dr Raina, who is preparing a list of persons who have translated some works from Kashmiri into Hindi, is keen on obtaining information about such Kashmiri works, classics and books that require to be translated into Hindi. "I won’t hesitate to welcome information, in this regard, even from educated secessionist leaders of Kashmir", he says.

Will he himself translate horror-filled woes of his Kashmiri brethren into Hindi or English language? Dr SK Raina’s reply: " Yes, I will. All that I need are necessary inputs in Kashmiri language about men and matters since the commencement of insurgency and militancy in my homeland". Dr Raina himself is not a migrant; he left Srinagar in 1962 for better career prospects outside Kashmir.

Dr Raina, who has already retired as Principal and Head of Hindi department, Govt. College, Bibi-Rani, Alwar (Rajasthan), developed his new roots at Alwar in 1965 after he obtained his M.A (English) degree from University of Rajasthan. He has the distinction of knowing four languages, namely, Hindi, English, Kashmiri and Urdu.

Dr Raina has so far authored 14 books and 100 papers. Happily for him, some of his books were released by India’s former President, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, former Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, and former Governor of Rajasthan, Mr Bali Ram Bhagat. Having a 25-year-long experience as a writer and translator, Dr Raina recently received ‘Divi-Vageesh’ award from Bhartiya Anuvaad Parishad, Delhi.

In 1996-97, Dr Raina was the recipient of first translation award instituted by Rajasthan Sihitya Academy, while in 1972 the Government of India’s Central Hindi Directorate awarded him prize and certificate of merit. This apart, he has also been honoured with ‘Sahitya Shree’, ‘Sahitya Vageesh’ and ‘Sahitya Gaurav’ by various literary organisations in India.

In 1983, he was awarded ‘Tamra Patra’ and cash award by Rajya Bhasha Vibhag, Patna (Bihar). In 1990, he received ‘Tamra Patra’ and cash award from Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan.

Dr SK Raina’s published works include ‘Kashmiri Bhasha Aur Sahitya’, Kashmiri Ramayan’, ‘Lala Ded’, ‘Habba Khatoon’, ‘Shaa-e-ri Kashmir: Mahjoor’ and ‘Kashmiri kavitriyan aur unkaa rachna sansaar’.

Bihar created a precedent when the Governor dismissed a Minister without even consulting the Chief Minister. Mr Rakesh Kumar Chaudhury alia Samarat Chaudhury, who is not a member of either the State Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council, was sworn into the Rabri Devi Cabinet in May. Since he did not acquire membership of either House, he would have ceased to be Minister anyway.

But Governor, Mr Suraj Bhan, thought it fit to sign the dismissal order just two days before the expiry of this deadline. Inquiries into this young Minister’s age brought out a variety of information – his school leaving certificate says Mr Rakesh was born in 1968; his horoscope shows him five years younger; and there is a sworn affidavit before the SDM which puts him as a 1979-born.

Kargil: Inside Story – IV
Vajpayee Govt. spoke in different voices

From B L Kak

India knows – indeed, the entire world has been told – that the first information of the presence of Pakistani regular troops in Kargil region of Ladakh in brigadestrength was given by a shepherd. And he reported what he saw on May 6, 1999. In this respect, the Kargil bungling is a repeat of the 1962 humiliation at the hands of the Chinese in north-east, when the political and military leadership were caught napping.

By the time India acted on May 26, the enemy was well entrenched. If the book titled ‘Kargil: Inside Story’ is any guide, the casual approach to the Kargil sector was exemplified by the fact that the battalions posted under 121 Brigade were not provided winter clothing and snow equipment. The tendency was since no one was going up the hills, the special equipment, supplied in plenty to troops bound for Siachen, was not needed in the Kargil sector.

In March 199, heavy snowfall forced troops of 4 Jat battalion, manning Bajrang Post, one of the few high altitude posts manned by 121 Brigade, to come down. It was, according to Mr AK Chakraborty, author of the book, immediately occupied by the Pakistanis, who had already come into the Indian territory. Mr Chakraborty has quoted aa staff officer who worked with Brigadier Surinder Singh in Kargil as saying: "Light snow in the first month of winter and unabated Pakistani shelling somehow made the Brigade Commander uneasy. He felt our defences in the sector were too thin. Indeed, a request for sending long range patrols up the mountains was ignored by Divisional Headquarters".

Mr Chakraborty has recorded: "The role played by the 15 Corps and the Northern Command is now open to scrutiny. The Srinagar-based brass were too engrossed in counter insurgency (CI) operations in the Kashmir Valley to look closely at any enhanced threat perceptions in the Kargil sector". Requests for more patrols were made in November 1999 and March 1999. "Mysteriously, neither the 3rd Division nor the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, commanded by Lt. Gen. Krishan Pal, took any action", Mr Chakraborty says and adds: "In fact, a Battalion on duty was asked to come down instead of providing additional forces to 121 Brigade".

The book has regretted that despite the clear warnings, Major General Budhwar did not take any overt action. At the Divisional Headquarters in Leh and the 15 Corps, the perception about Pakistani intentions in Kargil were based on a 27-year-old doctrine, namely, Shimal Agreement, which stipulated that there would be no trouble in the area. The thinking among the strategists at Kargil and Srinagar was based on the fact that since 1972 there was no major disturbance on this stretch of the LoC. If anything, the brass expected more trouble in other areas like Poonch, Rajouri and Gurez. So, the Kargil Brigade Commander’s communications were apparently treated lightly.

In the list of arms recovered from Pakistani Army in the Kargil sector were three 105 mm field guns. Each gun weighing over 1200 kg had been brought in at least four-to-five km inside the Indian territory by air and placed at an altitude of 15,500 ft undetected by the Indian Army. Officers in the Directorate of Military Intelligence admitted that the guns – brought in a systematically planned and perfectly executed operation by the Pakistani Army – were apparently dismantled and then flown in by helicopters unchecked by Indian security forces.

According to Mr Chakraborty’s book, these guns were then strategically deployed on peak 4833 between Dras and Mushkoh valley sub-sectors where for almost two months they played havoc on Indian Army installations and the Srinagar-Leh highway. Not only this, the enemy carved the mountains to make a flat surface at that altitude to make a gun position to deploy these guns. This actually shows that the Pakistanis were well aware of the terrain.

They must have carried out very extensive reconnaisance operations to know where to place the guns to inflict maximum casualties on the Indian Army. Secondly, they knew the terrain so well as to chart the flight path of their helicopters. The book has also quoted an Indian officer as having commented: "And they had all the time and peace of mind to do it". This also confirmed that Pakistani Army was extensively using helicopters in occupied territory to deliver arms and replenish resources. The Pakistanis used every innovative techniques in flying their helicopters in Indian territory undetected.

The book has criticised Mr George Fernandes for giving a clean chit to the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr Nawaz Sharief, when he himself had informed the Lok Sabha way back on August 5, 1998: "While our security forces have checked in the infiltrators, as if to give vent to its frustrations, Pakistan has started targeting not only our Army posts but also civilian inhabited areas, with Batalik, Kargil, Kanzalwan, Tangdhar, Keran and Uri becoming the main targets".

The book says that if one goes chronologically into the events preceding the Kargil conflict, one would be convinced that Defence Minister, Mr Fernandes, Home Minister, Mr LK Advani, and above all Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, knew of the heightened activity along the LoC but, mystifyingly, failed to attach any significance to the intelligence inputs made available to them. With the culpability at various levels, the Government, the book lamented, started to speak in different voices.
(Concluded)

TMC not to force an election in Pondicherry

CHENNAI, Nov 27: Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) is working out a strategy for effecting a change of Government in the Union Territory of Pondicherry without forcing an election on the people, TMC president G K Moopanar said today.

He told reporters here he was careful to ensure that he was not blamed for forcing an election on the people.

Asked whether he would give a guarantee that the DMK-TMC coalition in Pondicherry was not toppled by the TMC by withdrawing from the ministry, he said: I am not an MLA there and also not the president of the TMC unit and added party unit president P Kannan and MLAs would take a decision on that.

He denied Congress president Sonia Gandhi had talked to him about the Pondicherry ministry. She only enquired about my health on telephone, he said, adding he also did not meet any emissary from her regarding the Union Territory issue.

Moopanar said he would take a decision on the offer of friendship by AIADMK general secretary Jayalalitha as early as possible.

He said the party’s alliance with any other party would be guided by its basic policy of establishing ‘Kamaraj rule’ in Tamil Nadu by 2001.

TMC’s executive would meet here on December 5 to discuss the party’s strategy for the 2001 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. The executive would also go into the causes for the party’s debacle in the recent Lok Sabha elections, he added. (PTI)

Gehlot refutes oppn charge on migration
of tribal population

JAIPUR, Nov 27: The Rajasthan Government today refuted the opposition charge that unemployment and poverty were forcing people in the famine-hit tribal areas of the state to migrate to neighbouring Gujarat.

These allegations are white lies, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said reacting to opposition leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat’s charges that tribals in state’s Southern part had been forced to migrate to neighbouring states with their cattle as the State Government failed to provide employment and other help to them.

There is nothing unusual in this migration as people in rural areas traditionally move to Gujarat and other states at this period of the year, he said in a statement here.

The State Government had completed assessment of crop losses caused by the drought 10 days before the scheduled date and had sent a memorandum to the Centre seeking financial assistance for famine relief, the statement said.

Instructions to make arrangements for fodder and drinking water in the affected areas had also been issued to district collectors, it said.

Gehlot also denied the charge that the State Government was not taking any effective steps to curb the Naxal activities in the tribal areas.

The law and order situation in the entire state, including tribal areas, was fully under control, he said. (PTI)

6 nabbed in Irfan murder case

NEW DELHI, Nov 27: Six persons have been arrested from the capital in connection with the sensational murder of ‘Outlook’ cartoonist Irfan Hussein this March, police said today.

Police, which had been groping in the dark ever since Hussein’s highly decomposed body was found in a drain in the Gazipur area of East Delhi on March 13, made the breakthrough when Jammu and Kashmir police seized a stolen Maruti car from Anantnag, police sources said.

Subsequent probe led the investigators to the alleged killers, the sources said.

The accused allegedly used to accost drivers on lonely stretch of highways and other roads in Delhi and UP, rob their vehicles and dispose them off in Kashmir for Rs 50,000, they said.

The arrested criminals allegedly confessed during sustained interrogation that on the night of March 8 they accosted Hussein who was returning to his Mayur Vihar home from Laxmibai Nagar in South Delhi and tried to rob him, but when he resisted the attempt they brutally stabbed him to death.

The city police came under widespread criticism following the murder and it was widely believed that personal enmity was behind the murder on account of the 28 stab injuries inflicted on him. (PTI)

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