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Ports to have all weather NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Surface Transport Minister Nitish Kumar today said....more
Rajiv’s assasins should be CHENNAI, Oct 30: BJP today said those responsible for the assassination.....more
Tohra rules out NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Former SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra....more |
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Government to
ensure conducive atmosphere during Papal visit NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Government today said it will ensure that full security is provided during the visit of Pope John Paul II commencing on November five and that it takes place in a conducive atmosphere. ......more Need to reduce pollution of MUMBAI, Oct 30: Union Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Suresh Prabhu has emphasised the urgency of reducing pollution of chemical factories and exploiting solid waste for fertiliser production. ........more DD to premiere new NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Doordarshan is to telecast live tomorrow morning a special music concert by ghazal vocalist Jagit Singh to mark the death anniversary of Mrs Indira Gandhi who fell to an assassin’s bullets on this day in 1984. .......more GANGTOK, Oct 30: Close on the heels of a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Sikkim Democratic Front(SDF) Government today effected a major shake up in the state’s police administration by transferring both senior and middle level officials.....more Positive swing of 3.64pc NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Registering a positive swing of 3.64 per cent....more |
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Ports to have all weather communication, says Nitish NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Surface Transport Minister Nitish Kumar today said he had directed all the ports in the country to immediately acquire all weather communication facilities in the light of the heavy damage suffered by the Paradip Port in the super cyclonic storm. All communications with the port still remained cut off due to which his ministry was in the dark about the extent of damage to the port, he said after inaugurating a new office-cum-research and development complex of the Inland Waterways Authority of India at Noida, near here. As the first step, the ports had been asked to equip themselves with satellite phones which had now been provided to all cabinet ministers. Mr Nitish Kumar said he would be visiting the Paradip Port after some time. He said the crisis management group headed by the Cabinet Secretary was in regular touch with the Orissa Government to ensure relief measures for the cyclone-hit people. On its part, the Surface Transport Ministry had dispatched a team of Engineers, including from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), to Orissa to restore the roads. Altough an exact assessment of the damage was yet to be done, preliminary reports indicated that it was "very heavy." Asked about development of Inland Waterways, Mr Nitish Kumar said the high potential was yet to be made use of properly. Private participation in such projects would be possible after an integrated transport policy was in place. He was taking up the issue with the Finance Ministry. "Development of this sector is upper most in my mind," he said. All forms of surface transport were complimentary to each other and as such the Inland Waterways Authority was coordinating with the railways. Efforts would be made to restore the Sone Canal in Bihar as an Inland Waterway, he said. On the cross-country highway project, he said work was progressing on the East-West and North-South corridors as well on the golden quadrilateral to connect the four major metropolitan towns. Besides the cess money, finances were being mobilised from the market as well as through external borrowings. Asked about renewal of highways, he said work on several stretches totally measuring 8,000 km would be completed during the current financial year. (UNI) |
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Rajiv’s assasins should be ‘mercilessly’ punished: BJP CHENNAI, Oct 30: BJP today said those responsible for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi should be mercilessly punished for the heinous crime. Our view is very clear. People who are guilty should be punished mercilessly as per the law. The Government is not in the picture in this. The court has given a final verdict. It is a heinous crime against a leader, BJP general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters at the airport here. Naidu, who was on his way to Tirupati, was replying to questions on some of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners’ remarks favouring commutation of death sentence into life imprisonment for the four convicts in the case. Answering another query on Union Home Minister L K Advani’s stance on the issue of inclusion of Rajiv Gandhi’s name in the CBI chargesheet in the Bofors case, he said Congress needed to answer why it had backtracked on a debate for which it had given a notice in Parliament. I do not know what Advani had in mind when he made the statement. It will be known when the Government makes a statement, he said. Naidu said the Vajpayee Government would take an appropriate decision on the issue after seeking legal opinion and added that the BJP wanted the Bofors case to reach its logical conclusion and the guilty punished. He said the CBI had done an excellent job as successive governments in the past had created hurdles. Therefore, any action of the Government should not weaken the case, he said. But the Government and BJP felt there was no question of showing disrespect to the late leader. There was no vendetta in the Bofors case chargesheet, Naidu asserted. On AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha’s criticism on the Centre’s moves to privatise the insurance sector, he said there was no need for him to respond to her ‘absurd’ charges as she had been always ‘inconsistent’. Naidu said in the BJP manifesto the need to privatise the insurance sector had been mentioned and people had given their approval for it by voting the NDA to power. The Government had come out with a policy decision and its priorities were faster development for the welfare of the country. We have to speed up reforms, strengthen infrastructure and take care of the weaker sections, he added. (PTI) |
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Tohra rules out reconciliation with Badal NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Former SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra today ruled out any reconciliation with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal until the latter apologised at the Akal Takht for using his office to foist control over the SGPC and to remove Akal Tkhat Jathedar Ranjit Singh. We have parted company with Mr Badal when, he being incensed with power, refused to lend ear to the party workers, ran party as his fiefdom and handed over the reins of state power to his family and select bureaucrats Mr Tohra told newspersons here. Things stand today as they were at the time of split in the party Mr Tohra said adding that they would continue to expose corrupt, inefficient and anti-people regime of Mr Badal which has pauperised Punjab and its people . After his removal from president of Sikh religious body Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee by the pro-Badal SGPC members, Mr Tohra floated his parallel Akali outfit Sarb Hind Akali Dal and put up his candidates in the recent Lok Sabha elections in Punjab. As consequent to split, the ruling Akali Dal, headed by Mr Badal which romp home with all the 13 Lok Sabha seats, lost to the Congress which rose its tally from zero to eight in Punjab. Mr Tohra sharply reacted to Mr Badal’s statement that their (Tohra’s) collusion with the Congress led to defeat of ruling Akali Dal candidates in the Lok Sabha elections and said I am dead against the Congress .... I cannot condone the excesses made by the Congress on Sikhs.... But Mr Badal could go to make any compromise with the Congress to remain in power. He reminded that Mr Badal started his political life as member of the Congress. He alleged that Mr Badal had burdened the people of Punjab with heavy dose of taxes, shielded the corrupt officials and failed to establish a rule of law in the state. (UNI) |
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Government to ensure conducive
atmosphere NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Government today said it will ensure that full security is provided during the visit of Pope John Paul II commencing on November five and that it takes place in a conducive atmosphere. The Pope, who will lead a high-power delegation, will hold wide-ranging discussions with President K R Narayanan focussing mainly on further consolidation of bilateral ties between the Holy See (Vatican) and India, an External Affairs Ministry spokesman told reporters here. Vice-President Krishan Kant and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will call on the pontiff during the two day State visit. As a host country, we will fulfil all our obligations and ensure there is a conducive atmosphere. Full security will be provided to ensure that the visit goes off smoothly, he said when asked about the protests planned by some Sangh Parivar outfits during the Papal visit. Asked whether New Delhi would voice its concern on the issue of conversions, being raised by these bodies, officials said it was not proper to anticipate what specific issues would figure in the discussions between the heads of State. To a query whether the Pope was expected to raise the issue of alleged attacks on Christians in the country, they said, there has been nothing to indicate any uneasiness on the part of Vatican. On the contrary, there had been genuine appreciation of India’s secular fabric and the constitutional guarantees it provided to minorities. The visit takes place amidst controversy triggered by statements made by RSS and VHP that the Pope should not proclaim Christianity as the only way of salvation and apologise for alleged atrocities committed by the church during inquisitions in Goa and other parts of the country during Portuguese rule in the 16th century. While the Vice-President will not be participating in a multi-religious programme to be addressed by the Pope as advised by the Government in keeping with precedent earlier practiced, official representation will be there at pastoral functions organised by the church. Government will be represented at these functions by India’s Ambassador to Switzerland and accredited to Vatican, K P Balakrishnan. Giving details of the pontiff’s programme, the spokesman said he would arrive here on the evening of November five and would be received at the Delhi Airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Kumar Panja. Unlike other State visits, where visiting dignitaries stay in Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Pope will be putting up at the Holy Nunciature (Vatican Ambassador’s residence) as is his usual practice during visits abroad. On November six, he will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan where he will be received by the President and the Prime Minister. Officials said considerable care had been taken to ensure that Pope gets adequate time to take rest keeping in mind his age and health. (PTI) |
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GANGTOK, Oct 30: Close on the heels of a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Sikkim Democratic Front(SDF) Government today effected a major shake up in the state’s police administration by transferring both senior and middle level officials. The reshuffle follows the recent transfer of some 42 senior and middle level bureaucrats. According to an official order released here today, state additional inspector general of police (headquarters) Yap Tshering Bhutia was transferred and posted as the chief fire officer in the Sikkim fire service. Additional Superintendent of Police(ASP), state Crime Branch, K B Gurung replaced Mr Bhutia as the AIGP (headquarters). Among the Indian Police Service (IPS) officials transferred were Superintendent of Police (SP) East Sikkim S D Negi who has been transferred to the state Crime Branch as SP replacing Mr Yurung. Commandant of Sikkim Armed Police(SAP) Akshaya Sachdeva took over as SP East Sikkim. ASP North Sikkim, Vinit Vinayak is the new commandant of the SAP, while SP state Crime Branch Luktuk Gyatso has been transferred and posted as SP check posts. Mr Gyatso replaces Mr Bhupendra Thapa who was transferred as officer On Special Duty (OSD) to the Sikkim Nationalised Transport(SNT) earlier this month. (UNI) |
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Positive swing of 3.64pc helps BJP-HVC sweep HP NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Registering a positive swing of 3.64 per cent the BJP-Himachal Vikash Congress cornered 58.64 per cent of the vote share to pick up all four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh, powered by the Vajpayee wave. The BJP retained the Mandi, Kangra and Hamirpur seats with a vote share of 46.27 per cent in spite of a negative swing of 5.16 per cent, while ally HVC wrested the Shimla (SC) from Congress with 12.37 per cent with a positive swing of 8.80 per cent, a PTI computer analysis shows. The Congress, which lost three seats in the last elections, lost Shimla(SC) as well this time, emerging runners up in all constituencies to witness a negative swing of 2.38. Former BJP Chief Minister Shanta Kumar regained the Kangra seat with a vote margin of 10,0742 votes, a vote share of 58.8 per cent against last year’s 52.65 per cent. Kumar’s party colleague Suresh Chandel retained the Hamirpur seat with a vote margin of 12,9247, a vote share of 60.52 per cent against last year’s 50.47 per cent. BJP candidate Maneshwar Singh also took the Mandi seat with a margin of 13,1025, a vote share of 62.05 per cent against 1998’s 62.44 per cent. HVC candidate Col Dhani Ram Chandil wrested the Shimla seat of the Congress with a margin of 46,930 votes, a vote share of 12.37 per cent against last year’s 3.57 per cent polled by the party. The JD(S) drew a blank polling 0.19 per cent votes against the undivided JD which had also failed to win any seat in 1998 with a vote share of 0.88 per cent. The BSP finished with 0.31 per cent vote share against last year’s 1.15 per cent indicating a negative 0.85 per cent swing. The CPI with 0.46 per cent against 1998’s 0.56 per cent showed a negative 0.11 per cent swing and the SP with 0.09 per cent against 0.16 per cent last year again showing a negative swing of 0.07 per cent. Among those who lost deposits were one each from BSP, CPI SHS, SP, two from JDs, three from NCP and five independent candidates. (PTI) |
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