High vigil along Assam-Bhutan border

SAMDRUP JONGKHAR (BHUTAN), Dec 18: The Assam-Bhutan border is a virtual fortress with the gates of entry between the two countries sealed and visitors to the area subjected to intense frisking to prevent north-east insurgents from sneaking into India in the wake of ongoing military operation against them by the Bhutanese Government.

"Welcome to Samdrup Jongkhar" says the yellow on red plaque at the entry gate to the Himalayan kingdom but no unauthorised person enters or leaves as the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) here and the Indian Army across the border patrol the area round-the-clock.

This correspondent who visited Samdrup Jongkhar today saw the area as a battle zone with gunshots heard as the RBA troops exchanged fire with the ULFA, NDFB and KLO insurgents who set up camps here to train their cadres and a safe haven.

The Bhutanese soldiers in full battle fatigues atop armoured vehicles and on foot were seen patrolling the area and physically frisking authorised Indian daily wage workers and Bhutanese business people crossing the border for working here and conducting petty business in Assam respectively.

Convoys of both Bhutan and Indian trucks move in single file with massive troops build up on both sides as the RBA is engaged in flushing out the separatist insurgents from its soil and Indian Army providing complementary assistance with logistic support in airlifting their wounded army men for medical treatment.

The Indian Army has also formed a virtual wall along the international boundary sealing the border to prevent the fleeing extremists from sneaking into India.

The royal Bhutan police were also checking the wares of traders here opening each item piece by piece from their cartons.

So tight is the security that this correspondent, despite making prior arrangements with the Bhutan Government to enter the kingdom, had to undergo intense body check, frisking of belongings and a lot of paperwork for over an hour before he was allowed to enter the country.

Samdrup Jongkhar is the southern district of the kingdom on the Bhutan hills where the king’s beautiful summer palace is located.

The smaller 10 feet iron gate away from the main gate, which connects this place with Darranga in Assam has also been locked since the Army operations began on Monday causing the otherwise thriving border trade to dry up.

Samdrup is a town deserted by civilians and has been converted into a virtual Army cantonment with unprecedented security. (PTI)

NSCM developing science museums abroad

MUMBAI, Dec 18: After gaining expertise in making science musuems, the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) is now taking up projects on a turn-key basis in foreign countries.

"We have enough expertise and are now helping foreign countries in making museums," NCSM Director-General I K Mukherjee told UNI here.

Mr Mukherjee said that the NSCM had developed one museum in Brisbane, Australia.

Besides this, he said, the NCSM, which comes under the umbrella of ministry of tourism, had also supplied exhibits to countries like Israel, Turkey, Bangladesh and Singapore.

A large-scale project is also in offing in Mauritius.

He revealed that neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal had also approached the NCSM for developing museums in their countries.

"Rather than full-fledged museums, many of the countries are asking for exhibits to various themes," said the NCSM Chief, who was here for the inauguration of ‘hall of aerospace’ at the Nehru Science Centre at Worli here.

The exhibition was inaugurated on Wednesday by the world-renowned aviator and Raymond Ltd’s Chairman-Emeritus Vijaypat Singhania.

The NCSM currently runs about 28 science centres across the country and also runs 22 museo-buses in several places to take science to the rural areas.

He said that on December 22 a gallery on bio-technology will be inaugurated at Kolkata. For the next year, two major projects involve the completion of galleries on pre-historic life and electronics at science musuems in Delhi and Bangalore.

Mr Mukherjee said that the planned expenditure sanctioned by the Centre to the NCSM is around Rs 6.5 crore and the non-planned expenditure is around Rs 13 crore, while for the new projects it may get Rs two to five crore as per the need. (UNI)

SC clears POTA case against Raja Bhaiya

NEW DELHI, Dec 18: The Supreme Court today made it clear that the POTA case against notorious criminal Raja Bhaiya and his associates cannot be withdrawn by the Mulayam Singh Yadav Government without the consent of the Central Government which had legislated the anti-terrorism law.

A bench comprising Justice S Rajendra Babu, Justice A R Lakshmanan and Justice G P Mathur adjourned the hearing on a petition charging the Uttar Pradesh Government’s decision to withdraw POTA charges against the three accused saying until and unless Central Government’s consent was obtained for the withdrawal the POTA charges the case against Raja Bhaiya cannot be withdrawn.

The petition filed by witnesses in certain criminal cases filed against Raja Bhaiya, his father and a relative had alleged that if Raja Bhaiya was released from the jail after the withdrawal of POTA charges their life and liberty would be in jeopardy.

Right at the beginning of the hearing, the bench read out a provision of POTA which specified that POTA charges can not be withdrawn againt any accused without prior consent of the Union Government.

Then Chief Minister Mayawati had invoked POTA charges against Raja Bhaiya and others in May this year.

However, immediately after Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav took over as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in September this year, the State Government directed the Public Prosecutor to withdraw the stringent charges.

Referring to the provision of POTA on prior consent of Union Government, the bench said that the direction of the Uttar Pradesh Government to withdraw POTA charges "is a futile exercise".

The State Government, through senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, conceded that a trial Court cannot order withdrawal of the POTA charges against Raja Bhaiya and others unless the State produced thhe Central Government in this regard.

The bench said the trial Court could not act on the application filed by the Public Prosecutor as the same was not accompanied by the Central Government’s consent.

"State Government has no business at all to withdraw POTA charges," the bench said referring to its recent judgement upholding the Constitutional validity of the anti-Terrorism Law.

The Court in its recent judgement had ruled that Parliament alone was competent to frame anti-terrorism laws like POTA and the State Legislatures could not frame such a law in view of the wide spread nature of the menace of terrorism.

The bench directed the matter to be listed for hearing after the vacation as and when the State Government obtains the Centre’s consent for withdrawal of POTA charges against Raja Bhaiya and others. (PTI)

Govt non-committal over reservations for Muslim Dalits

NEW DELHI, Dec 18: The Government today remained non-committal over granting reservations to Dalits who have converted to Islam and Christianity after several opposition members called for parity for them in benefits enjoyed by Hindu Backward Classes.

During a call attention moved by former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, his brother Ram Chander Paswan, Rajesh Ranjan (alias Pappu Yadav) and Hannan Mollah (CPI-M), the members said more than 95 per cent of Indian Muslims and Christians were originally Hindus who they added switched to Islam and Christianity to break free from rigid casteism and untouchability.

The "Shudras" converted to other faiths in order to secure equality, social mobility and human-level treatment in their day-to-day life and not just for the sake of "state power or other benefits", the members said.

They, therefore, deserve reservation benefits particularly so because the Government had already given reservation rights to Dalits among the Sikhs and Buddhists in 1956 and 1990 respectively, Mr Paswan added.

A different treatment to Muslim and Christian Dalits on the basis of religion amounted to clear discrimination by the Government and a violation of constitutional principles, Pappu Yadav said.

Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Satyanarayan Jaitya was frequently interrupted by agitated members when he tried to brush aside the issue quoting Supreme Court directions that reservations could not cross the 50 per cent limit.

The reservation to this extent has already been enjoyed by Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, Mr Jaitya said.

Mr Paswan objected to the minister’s argument, saying it was an oft-repeated "official line" and pointed out that population of SC/ST and Backward Classes had already crossed that limit, warranting more people from these categories to be brought under the reservation net.

However, the minister sought to justify reservations for Hindu Dalits, saying that those people who suffer social and economic discrimination on eleven counts, including untouchability and ban on entry to religious places, were entitled to reservations.

But the minister’s second line of argument too evoked a sharp reaction from the members who insisted that Dalits among Christians and Muslims were still subject to untouchability, known by their sub-castes, and were economically at the lowest rung of society.

They, the members said, were still engaged in the same socially degraded occupations as that of their counterparts among the Hindus.

The minister was not able to read out his statement which irate members dubbed a "bureaucratic document".

Mr Jaitya abruply ended his speech, saying there was a specific procedure for enlisting any segment of population in the reservation category and that had to be adopted with active involvement of all states if any other chunk of population was to be given reservation facilities.

The issue generated heat in the House and at least 25 more MPs wanted to speak on it.

But the Speaker did not allow them, saying only those who moved call attention could be permitted to speak.

However, Speaker Manohar Joshi later allowed 25 more MPs to associate themselves with the debate on the Dalit issue.

Treasury bench members Rati Ram, tribal MP from Gujarat and Karbaa Swain, an OBC from Orissa, tried to counter opposition members who wanted fresh legislation on the matter.

The treasury bench members said Muslim and Christian Dalits were required to embrace Hinduism again should they want reservation benefits.

Mr Rati Ram said unlike Hinduism, Islam and Christianity do not accept casteism. (UNI)

More than 9000 peforming Haj pilgrimage from J&K

SRINAGAR, Dec 18: The Jammu and Kashmir Haj Committee has decided to take up with the Central Haj Committee the issue of more than 300 Kashmiris who have been directed to board the plane from Delhi instead of Srinagar to Jeddah.

Meanwhile, for the third successive year, the first direct flight to Jeddah will take off from the Srinagar airport on December as more than 9000 pilgrims are performing the Haj this year from the state.

There are 318 Kashmiris who are not entitled for the Haj subsidy this year and have to report at New Delhi for onward journey to Jeddah, state haj committee convenor Khursheed Ahmad Ganai said.

He said as per the new central guidelines, a person who is an Income Tax payee or have performed the Haj pilgrimage earlier also, is not entitled for the subsidy.

He said there are 30 people who are paying Income Tax while remaining have performed the Haj pilgimage earlier also.

Mr Ganai, who is also the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, said all these people, already selected for this year’s Haj pilgrimage, have to report at Delhi for onward journey to Jeddah.

Mr Ganai, admitting that this will create a lot of problem for the pilgrims, assured that he will take up the matter with the authorities concerned and the Central Haj Committee so that these people could also board the plane from here instead at Delhi. This is the decision of the Centre and not by the State Haj Committee, he clearified.

However, he said, all these people have to deposit full amount with the State Haj Committee which will provide them with all travel documents.

He said the Air India and the Indian Airlines have decided to operate two flights daily from next Wednesday till January 7 while as from January 8 there will be only one flight and the process of taking the 9080 pilgrims from the state to Jeddah will be completed by January 20.

Mr Ganai said if any flight will be cancelled due to snowfall or bad weather, the pilgrims of that flight will be taken next day. However, the pilgrims booked for the third day will be affected and they will be taken to Jeddah at the end of the schedule programme after January 20.

He said the pilgrims of Leh and Kargil will be brought here in advance by air while those Doda from will come by road for overnight stay here before their schedule flight for Jeddah. Hotels with heating arrangement have been booked for the pilgrims, he said, adding the Government will pay for their stay.

Mr Ganai said because of security reasons, no individual pilgrim will be allowed to the airport. All the pilgrims have to report at the tourist reception centre here about five hours before the departure time from where they will be taken to the airport in buses.

About the general complaints from pilgrims that C-grade accommodation is being provided at the Mecca and Madina to those who pay for a grade, Mr Ganai said the Haj Committee has taken care of this problem.

He said the committee has selected 22 people who will work as guide to pilgrims from the state during the pilgrimage.

The manager of the Srinagar airport said that all arrangements for the safe departure of pilgrims have been finalised.

He said the authorities have installed two new X-ray machines at the main gate of the aiport for pilgrims with additional staff to avoid any delay.

He said pilgrims will not be allowed to take any banned item with them. However, they can take their mobile phones with them in the baggage only while they can take passport and other documents besides ‘Ahram and Chappel in the handbags.

The pilgrims will be provided foreign exchange at the airport, he said, adding the authorities have made adequate arrangements for offering prayers there.

He said a pilgrim can take only Rs 5000 Indian currency with him.

About the problem faced last year, Mr Ganai said, the customs office confiscated about 100 video cameras and other electronic goods from the pilgrims at the airport on their return. However, these items were released after recovering proper tax.

He said a pilgrim can bring goods worth Rs 12000 only which are duty free. He appealed to the people that in case they are taking their mobile phones or any electronic goods from here, they need to get a certificate from the customs department so that they not face any problem on their return. (UNI)

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