.
SAD rejects setting up
of judicial commission

CHANDIGARH, Dec 31: Describing the Punjab Government’s decision to set up a Commission of Inquiry to probe....more

Amjad Ali buries hatchet,
wishes Bismillah Khan
on new year

NEW DELHI, Dec 31: After last week’s public spat between two of India’s finest music maestros, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan....more

Separate industrial policy
for SMEs soon: Gogoi

GUWAHATI, Dec 31: A separate industrial policy for Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs) would be announced soon.....more

Hokersar attracts record
migratory birds this winter

SRINAGAR, Dec 31: Even as aviation links are yet to be restored between India and Pakistan, a record number of foreign......more

BSP (A) merges with BSP

KAPURTHALA, Dec 31: The Bhaujan Samaj Party (Ambedkar) headed by Devi Dass Nahar has formally merged with......more

Best discovery, trigger
children’s quest for
knowledge

NEW DELHI, Dec 31: For this Chennai-born scientist, the road from the famous Princeton university to discoveries runs......more

Cracks appear among
dissidents in Punjab

CHANDIGARH, Dec 31: Cracks appeared in the Congress dissidents’ group in Punjab as two of its members, including a.....more

First indigenous faith
day celebrated in
Arunachal Pradesh

ITANAGAR, Dec 31: The people of Arunachal Pradesh today celebrated the ‘first indigenous faith day’ in a grand manner with traditional enthusiasm and gaiety.......more
     

I am serious about all I have been saying: Lyngdoh ......

Chautala complains of NDA’s‘step-motherly" attitude .....

HP 2003: Return of the Congress, record production of apples ......

UP jails bursting with prisoners .....


SAD rejects setting up of judicial commission

CHANDIGARH, Dec 31: Describing the Punjab Government’s decision to set up a Commission of Inquiry to probe alleged "Hawala scandal" as an "eyewash", the Shiromani Akali Dal today sought resignation of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh "to clear way for a fair and impartial trial" against his son Raninder Singh.

"What is required here is not an Inquiry Commission, but the registration of a criminal case as a prima facie case already exists and all the documentary evidence have already been presented before the Government," SAD Chief Parkash Singh Badal told reporters here.

He said setting up of a Commission Inquiry at this stage would serve no purpose as it would not have the power and capacity to access international sources necessary for attaining vital evidence.

"Only the directorate of revenue intelligence is in the position to probe this case", he said adding that he was not opposed to the setting up of such commission but in the present case it lacks credibility because the Chief Minister had often declared that he had "no faiths in commissions".

Badal said that he had submitted "few relevant documents" pertaining to the case to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

He said the inquiry becomes meaningless as Chief Minister Amarinder Singh not only gave a clean-chit to his son but also praised another accused.

Singh had yesterday announced setting up of an Inquiry Commission to probe the charges levelled against his son in connection with the foreign currency transactions.

On removal of Punjab Vigilance Bureau Chief Director A P Pandey, the Akali leader said that, "we never demanded his removal. But Pandey’s ouster proves that he had done wrong things." (PTI)

Amjad Ali buries hatchet, wishes Bismillah
Khan on new year

NEW DELHI, Dec 31: After last week’s public spat between two of India’s finest music maestros, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan today conveyed his new year greetings to Ustad Bismillah Khan, saying that what had happened earlier was a "bad dream".

"It is the beginning of the new year. I want to forget whatever happened on December 23 this year in Kolkata", the sarod maestro said referring to the first-ever Jugalbandi between him and Shehnai Wizard Bismillah Khan which had ended abruptly on a discordant note.

Bismillah Khan had stopped playing and Amjad Ali Khan had then walked out, only to return for a solo performance before a sell-out audience.

Stating that he respected Ustad Bismillah Khan as a "musician" and "such artist will never be born again", the sarod maestro said that Kolkata incident was a "history, a bad dream for me".

"I would like to wish Ustad Bismillah Khan a very long, happy and peaceful life so that music lovers all over the world continue to listen to his music till his last breath", Amjad Ali Khan said here.

Amjad Ali Khan said that he would be beginning the new year from Mumbai this year when his "Swaranjali" would be organising a three day music festival from January 2.

The 87-year old Shehnai maestro had stopped playing at the Kolkata concert blaming the organisers for ‘deliberately ruining his performance with lousy acoustics’.

While the sarod player prodded him to play on, the octogenerian instrumentalist refused to budge from his stand. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan finally rounded off the concert after a solo performance, which ended at least one hour before schedule.

Thereafter, Amjad Ali Khan had hit out at the octogenarian shehnai legend for not showing respect to fellow musicians and for "misbehaving" with him. (PTI)

Separate industrial policy for SMEs soon: Gogoi

GUWAHATI, Dec 31: A separate industrial policy for Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs) would be announced soon, said Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

He said this at a conference on building competitiveness of SMEs in the north east, which was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry at the Assam Administrative Staff college here yesterday.

Delivering the special address, Mr Gogoi said as the SMEs are the key drivers of the Indian economy accounting for 20 million job and 95 per cent of all industrial units in the country. The State Government has decided to adopt a seperate industrial policy for these sectors. These sectors are the backbone of a growing economy as it creates jobs, income and assets and also constitute the entrepreneurial hub of an economy, he said.

He said in the wake of liberalisation and globalisation of the economy the Indian industry has to face up to the challenges posed by foreign products flooding the economy by adopting latest technology.

Attributing the success of the small and medium enterprises to technology upgradation and improved infrastructures,Mr Gogoi said that for an industry, be it small or big, to hold on its own has to be extremely adaptive and respond promptly to changing market needs.

Saying that the future lies with the small and medium units, Mr Gogoi said the Government has accorded top priority to the development of these sectors. He said the Government has initiated all measures aimed at reviving the sick PSUs.

Referring to the crisis in the tea industry, Mr Gogoi said that things would not have come to such a pass had the industry gone in for replantation, technology upgradation and extensive research to withstand the onslaught of competition.

He hoped the endeavour of CII would bring about the much-needed sensitisation on the key aspects of competitiveness and open up visas to enhance core competence.

Addressing the gathering, Minister for Industries and Commerce Bhubaneswar Kalita said the Goverment would evolve a new industrial policy exclusively for the SMEs, to enhance its competitiveness both domestically and globally.

The policy package will have incentives like easier access to credit, availability of loans, capital subsidy for technology upgrdation and improved infras tructure.

He said technology development is imperative if small firms have to produce high quality goods at a minimum cost. There are primarily two ways of achieving this objective vis-a-vis technology transfer and perodic technology upgradation and in-house R and D technology innovations on a fairly continous basis, he said.

He said the Government has already taken up the task of reviving 15,000 sick PSUs in the state. An action plan has been drawn up with backing from Asian development bank to restructure state PSUs like ASEB and other sick units in small sector, he said.

Earlier, Mr Chris Cajee, managing director,Anderson Biotech in his welcome address, said the SSI units in the region have not been able to take advantage despite having a competitive advantage,technology upgradation and modernisation,standard information dissemination mechanism facilities and inadequacy of credit.

He,however, pointed out that despite all these lacuae,the small scale industry of the region has grown manfold and has emerged one of the major sources of employment generator besides making productive utilisation of the resources available in the region.

He said the region is starved of big manufacturing units. Leaving aside the tea and oil sectors, the region does not have big industrial houses. It is the SSI units which accounts for bulk of the output in the manufacturing sector and also provides employment to the multitude of people he said adding that is why CII has focussed primarily on building competitiveness for SMEs so as to face the challenges of globalisation.

In the face of globalisation it is imparative that the SMEs build up competitiveness through sustainable volume complemented by acceptable quality norms, accessing credit needs, updating technology and structure and well strategised market linkages, he said. (UNI)

Hokersar attracts record migratory birds this winter

SRINAGAR, Dec 31: Even as aviation links are yet to be restored between India and Pakistan, a record number of foreign visitors still manage to cover thousands of miles and cross the border to throng the Valley here.

These visitors of a different breed need no passport, visa or immigration check and are governed by no tour adivisory. Despite tension on Indo-Pak borders and violence within the Valley, these migratory birds have been coming here in millions every year for centuries now.

The air at Hokersar, 14 Km from Srinagar, rents with the musical sound of the flapping wings of these birds who have arrived here in record number this winter, bringing cheer to officials of wildlife protection department.

Hokersar, spread over 13.75 Sq Km, is the famous wetland of Kashmir and an annual destination for a variety of migratory birds from Siberia, central Asia, China, north Europe and the Indian sub-continent.

"Last winter, we spotted 3,81,708 birds at the wetland in the middle of December, which is the peak season for inward winter migration," said a range officer at Hokersar.

The highest number was of teals at 90,120 followed by Mallards at 80,170. Last year around this time, 3,73,000 birds were sighted here.

"The birds are attracted to the improved environs at the wetland in greater numbers than before," Deputy Director Information Khalid Bashir told UNI.

He said over a dozen species of birds are found here like teals, Mallards, Pintails, Gadwall, white eyed Pochard, red crested Pochard, common Pochard, Showler, Wigeon, tuffed Duck, Coot, Brominical duck and Heron.

The sharp increase in the number of incoming birds over the years is credited to the improved habitat management. The arrivals have increased by incredible over 1410 per cent since 1992. It has been a story of steep increase each year except in 1994 and 1998 when the arrivals fell short of the number the preceding year. The numbers crossed the magic 1,00,000 figure in 1997. That year, 121,000 birds of various species were spotted here.

The following year, the number fell to 94,694 but again picked up sharply in 1999 with 1,53,020 arrivals while in 2000 and 2001, the number swell to 1,78,510 and 3,39,155 respectively.

Apart from providing better food and breeding conditions to the birds, the officials at the wetland have to ensure the requisite water level in the lake.

Mr Bashir said the environment has improved so much that even in summer, migratory birds now come to breed here. "This had never happened before," he said adding, "About 90 species of migratory birds come to Hokersar in summer, 50 percent of whom stay here for breeding."

"The annual halt of these birds has extended over the last couple of years and part of them now stay on for breeding purposes too," concurs an excited wildlife warden, who describes it as a "very encouraging" development for the Hokersar which includes a large fresh water lake in whose backdrop is a ring of mountains.

The Gulmarg range of snow-capped Pir Panjal and Harmukh peaks make a breathtaking setting for the Hokersar before which all other water bodies just pale into near insignificance.

Lately, the Chief Wildlife Warden and the regional wildlife warden have been frequently visiting the Hokersar to monitor the wetland environment.

He said proper supplement feeding in the shape of quintals of water nuts and paddy at the habitat has resulted in about half the birds discontinuing their nocturnal visits in search of food outside the wetland.

The night stay of birds at the lake does not allow water to freeze as they keep it in motion while searching for food in it. A frozen lake, the condition that forces them to migrate from Siberia, would make it difficult for them to find their feed.

Among the valued birds at the Hokersar are 5 bar-headed geese that were hatched from the eggs brought from England 18 years ago.

Mr Bashir said an enclosure has now been erected for them to ensure a safe environment for breeding. Earlier, these were kept in the open along the highway where noise pollution badly affected them. The birds have now started taking flights but since they have lived so close to humans over the years, the officials have netted the enclosure lest these be poached by men outside the wetland.

The increase in public awareness about environment has encouraged the officials at hokersar who take this as a positive sign for the preservation of the wetland.

The seasonal birds that throng the Hokersar include two types of summer and winter migrants. The first kind comes from the Indian sub-continent, precisely the SAARC countries. These are at least seven species whose in-migration beings after March 21 and who stay in Kashmir for four months. The species are Gui (little bittern), Tech (moore hen), Bor (night heron), Bre’at (little egret), Krish (whiskered tern), Gonde Kaw (pheasant-tailed jacana) and Korket (large reed wobler).

The secound group of birds is that of the winter migrants who arrive in August and stay on till April. They come from Siberia, central Asia, China and north Europe. These include Aasmaen Aenz (graylag goose), Sokh Pachhin (pintail), Tstakav (ruddey shell duck), Hoonk (shoveller), Khrokh (pochard), Tsarav (white eyed pochard), Toor (red crested pochard), Kollar (coot), Kuis (common teal), and Nor (gargenly teal).

Another specie, the common shell duck (whose local name was not known even to the officials) had almost become extinct and was sighted only in a pair in recent years.

"Spotted about 14 common shell ducks," says a thrilled range officer who has over 30 years of service behind him and almost as much experience in bird watching in Kashmir wetlands. For the last two years he has observed mallards laying eggs at the Hokersar on the plodding of willows in the water body.

The eggs hatched as well and last year 2,000 to 2,500 chicks that could not take long flights back to Siberia and other places, stayed here, he said.

The outgoing flight is taken over the Harmukh mountain, en-route Ladakh region. The migration from Kashmir for the winter birds starts from mid February and continues till April end when the last migrant, gargeny teal, leaves the Valley.

The mallards are the first to migrate. The birds, while in Kashmir, also take daily migratory flights to post-harvest rice fields and water nut growing lakes in search of food.

However, even as bird hunting is prohibited under the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act, there is still danger to their lives from poachers and other birds and animals.

The vulture is known to be a serious enemy. It can eat three to four birds a day and catches them even in their flight.

In the face of the stiff law coupled with protective measures and growing awarness about environment, the killing of birds by humans is scarce. Common people and a large number of school and college students are increasingly showing interest in visiting the Hokersar and protection of its inhabitants.

The Hokersar is also soon expected to be among the Ramsar sites that would open the doors for national and international funding for the habitat, Mr Bashir said.

Notwithstanding the prospect of emerging as an international site, the Hokersar is faced with the problem of pollution, 90 per cent of which is considered to be the creation of the Doodhganga flood channel diverted into the habitat in 1970s. The diversion has brought in massive silt that in turn blocked the embedded springs in the wetland.

Once spread over an area of 13.75 square kilometers, the wetland is today reduced to 6 square Km with the average water depth going down from 3-10 feet to 1.5-3 feet. Perhaps the huge signboard at the wetland sums up the situation best by including it among ‘’some of our most threatened natural areas’’. (UNI)

BSP (A) merges with BSP

KAPURTHALA, Dec 31: The Bhaujan Samaj Party (Ambedkar) headed by Devi Dass Nahar has formally merged with Bahujan Samaj party led by Mayawati.

The announcement to merge BSP (A) in BSP was announced by Nahar at a press conference jointly addressed with Narinder Kashayap national general secretary of BSP and MLC of Uttar Pardesh legislative council here today.

Kashayap told that Nahar was admitted in BSP and was given membership of the party. He disclosed that though merger was unconditional but Nahar and his supporters would be given full respect in BSP.

Nahar said that he had already dissolved BSP (A) units in Punjab and Haryana States and merged the same in BSP. He said that more than one lakh workers of BSP (A) had joined the BSP with the merger.

Kashayap said that BSP would contest the coming Lok Sabha elections in the country of its own strength. The party was in favour of alliance with like minded parties but completely ruled out any alliance with BJP, he added.

Kashayap, who is incharge of BSP affairs in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir told that his party had got soft corner with Congress as Congress had also shown soft attitude towards BSP.

He disclosed that ultimate decision would be taken in a meeting of national executive which would be held at Delhi very soon.

He said that with the inclusion of Nahar in BSP, party had gained strength in the state and politics in the state would take new turn in the state politics.

He said that BSP was fully prepared to contest the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir with its own strength.

Kashayap said that the merger of both parties had the blessings of BSP supremo Kanshi Ram and national president Mayawati.

Avtar Singh Karimpuri state president BSP, who was also present welcomed the merger of BSP (A) in BSP. (PTI)

Best discovery, trigger children’s quest for knowledge

NEW DELHI, Dec 31: For this Chennai-born scientist, the road from the famous Princeton university to discoveries runs straight into the minds of children.

Neeraja Raghavan, who spent five years in the university of scientists like Albert Einstein doing research in Chemistry, has left a plum post in the corporate world to join the quest for knowledge of children in India.

The journey from Princeton university took the scientist to students of class III and IV. "The mind of children to fathom the world of science is deeper than we think," says Dr Raghavan, who has just published her first book, ‘curiouser curiouser’.

The book is understandably about science—about what changes in the world and what remains constant, a take-off from the law of conservation of energy that the children learn at school.

"The book is a way of provoking the thinking process of children while they start to learn science," says Dr Raghavan.

‘Curiouser curiouser’ tries to answer the laws of energy, when some energy is lost somewhere, the same energy is gained somewhere else, through butterflies, trees, stars, sun, dewdrops, cow and even a holyman to understand the laws of nature.

Among the characters of the book are a caterpillar, which doesn’t believe that it will change into a butterfly until it does so and a mighty river, which believes it is also the rain, the sea and the clouds at the same time.

Dr Raghavan, who joined the council for scientific and industrial research’s pool of scientists for a short while after returning from Princeton university, left the job to teach science to class III and IV children.

"I have always wanted to teach children," says Dr Raghavan, who joined Chennai’s the school and later the Besant Arundale school, Kalakshetra in the early 90s.

In Kalakshetra, she found herself teaching class III and IV students from the first day "because there were no takers for these classes".

On her first day, the students told her that she was not teaching the "right way". "They were not used to classes where lessons were taught through seeking questions and finding their answers out of the text books." But once the children accepted the "wrong way", it was like opening the floodgate.

"Once a quiet eight-year-old girl asked me where does the baby come from, the stomach?" When she asked the children to respond to the girl’s question, one boy said "girls have a bag in their stomach."

Dr Raghavan, who left teaching children recently, has completed her next book ‘I wonder why?’, that answers children’s curious questions about the world, which will be released during the february world book fair here. ‘I wonder how?’ Another book for children about how electronic gadgets like cell phones work, will be her third book. (UNI)

Cracks appear among dissidents in Punjab

CHANDIGARH, Dec 31: Cracks appeared in the Congress dissidents’ group in Punjab as two of its members, including a minister, today "re-joined" Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s camp.

Malkiat Singh Birmi, Jail Minister, and Kanwaljit Singh Lalli, Parliamentary Secretary, believed to be in dissident leader Agriculture Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal’s group, today jointly announced "support" to Amarinder Singh here.

"We welcome the flexibility shown by the Chief Minister in addressing some of the basic concerns and grievances of his colleagues," the duo said.

"As the head of the family we appeal to the Chief Minister to personally make an effort to understand the causes of this family trouble and without any feeling of bias or vindictiveness, make an effort to unite the Congressmen so that the party is strengthened and ready to face the challenges in days ahead," the two urged in a letter to Amarinder Singh.

Meanwhile, sources close to another dissident minister, Mohinder Singh Kaypee, said he too had shown his inclination to bury the hatchet and repose faith in Amarinder Singh’s leadership.

Both Birmi and lalli said the events of the past few weeks had been a source of deep concern to all Punjabis and Congress workers.

"While disputes and disagreements in any organisation are not uncommon, the display of these disagreements in public domain has caused dismay to lakhs of Punjabis for whom the Congress is the only vehicle for the fulfilment of their aspirations," they said.

"In our view the causes of this fracture have risen more out of the communication gap than on account of any basic differences over the party ideology or issue," the two said in their letter.

"Without going into the causes of this fracture in the party ranks and keeping in view the challenges facing the party, the people and the state, we reciprocate your appeal for self-introspection," they said adding "we assure you of our total support in this endeavour."

They also appealed to all party colleagues to close ranks at this "critical juncture" and strengthen the party with a resolve to serve the people.

Recently, Bhattal camp had levelled accusations that "some bureaucrats" and few "CM’s loyalists" were poaching on them to change loyalties. (PTI)

First indigenous faith day celebrated
in Arunachal Pradesh

ITANAGAR, Dec 31: The people of Arunachal Pradesh today celebrated the ‘first indigenous faith day’ in a grand manner with traditional enthusiasm and gaiety.

Followers of Donyi Poloism, Rangfraism and Intayaism celebrated the day with huge rallies and prayers to their respective areas to ascertain that their indigenous faiths and beliefs were in no way inferior to any other faiths and read out pledges that they would preserve, promote and rejuvenate it for the posterity because they did not like to go into oblivion from their moorings.

Most of the speakers speaking on the occasion gave a call to their fellow believers of indigenous faiths to uphold the pristine glory of unique ethos of faiths and culture inherited from their ancestors. They were also of the openion that every faith and culture had the right to exist and nobody should distrub them to change it through force or allurement as prevalent in certain parts.

The speakers also demanded this day to be declared as state holiday to facilitate the people to celebrate the indigenous faith day throughout the state.

At a function here Zikam Riba, former Secretary of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh dwelt at length on the formation of Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP) in 1999 with a motto to preserve and rejuvenate the cultural heritage and faith of the people who are generally nature worshippers and having universal appeal.

Riba claimed that Donyi Polo (Sun and Moon God) as worshipped by major tribes of arunachal pradesh was the mother of all religions.

Jitendra Narain, Secretary to the Governor, the guest of honour at the function, exhorted the followers of indigenous faiths to feel proud of their belongingness and also spread this message to the nook and corner to make the people more conscious about age old heritage and beliefs and not to be carried away by the emerging globalisation.

Hage Kojeen, Secretary, Rural Development and Land Settlement Department, described Donyi Polo (Sun and Moon)as creator of entire humanity and omnipotent, omnipresent and omni scient and galvanising every existence on earth. (PTI)

I am serious about all I have been saying: Lyngdoh

NEW DELHI, Dec 31: Unfazed by the raging controversy over his description of politicians as the "cancer" without cure, Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh has stood by his remarks, saying that he was serious about what he had said.

"I have been fairly serious about all I have been saying.....I do not want to add to what I have said. Let us forget about all that", he said in the "Big Story" programme in NDTV24x7.

Refusing to be dragged into further controversy over his remarks, the CEC said that he has been saying that the system needs reforms.

"Obviously I have been saying that. I have also been saying how candidates need to improve", lyngdoh, who retires in February, said.

When reminded that his crititics had pointed out that he and former Chief Election Commissioner T N Seshan took potshot at politicians after serving the Government for entire career and he would respond to such criticism, Lyngdoh said "it was not out of line at all. In the nature of things, you never serve any Government as such. The Government could be any party in power. You actually serve the rules and regulations. You serve the principles.

"That’s what people have forgotten now a days. Bureaucrats have forgotton that.....Secretary to the Government is not meant to be somebody’s personal assistant to take down dictation".

When asked about his plans in the post-retirement period, Lyngdoh said in a lighter vein "to watch people make mistakes as they have been watching me trying to make mistakes."

Whether he would be writing a book after demitting office, Lyngdoh said "not now". (PTI)

Chautala complains of NDA’s‘step-motherly" attitude

CHANDIGARH, Dec 31: Accusing the NDA Government of giving a "step-motherly" treatment to Haryana, Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Om Prakash Chautala today said the state had not received its full share of funds from the Centre.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Chautala said Haryana was entitled to get Rs 3000 crore from the Centre but it got only 22 crore of its share.

He said the State Government would formally take up this matter with the Vajpayee Government soon.

Asked what could be the reason behind the Centre’s "step-motherly" attitude towards Haryana, he quipped: "It seems their policy is to give less to those states which are performing better."

Asked whether the INLD would continue its alliance with the BJP, he said, "it continues at present. God knows about the future."

Responding to another question, Mr Chautala said the Government at the Centre was not run by the BJP but the NDA.

Taking exception to the state BJP chief Ganeshi Lal’s statement that the credit for the development of Haryana went to the Vajpayee Government only which provided the funds, Mr Chautala said: "Such people have no knowledge of the Constitution."

Regarding the Supreme Court’s order for a CBI probe into the teachers’ recruitment scam, he said it would not be advisable to comment on the issue as the matter was sub judice.

The Chief Minister said tax revenue of the state had increased from Rs 3518 crore to Rs 6225 crore during the past four years. He said the state had witnessed all-round development under the present Government.

He denied that there was any retrenchment of Government employees in Haryana. The employees of those corporations and boards which had been dissolved were being accommodated in other Government departments, he added. (UNI)

HP 2003: Return of the Congress, record
production of apples

SHIMLA, Dec 31: Congress stormed back to power, cloudbursts struck the state with a vengeance and orchards brimmed with apples in Himachal Pradesh in the year gone by which also saw taxes touching a new high and BJP’s image hitting the Nadir with defeat, dissidence and disks.

Tasting its first defeat after the Gujarat victory, BJP lost the Himalayan state to the Congress in march paving the way for party heavyweight Virbhadra Singh to assume charge as Chief Minister for the fifth time overcoming hiccups raised by state party chief Vidya Stokes and others.

Asserting the people had given mandate to the Congress party to root out corruption, the Government initiated a number of vigilance and enforcement enquiries into the actions of the previous Governments.

The offices of the subordinate services selection board were raided a day after the new Government assumed office, the Board Chairman S M Katwal was suspended and several cases were registered against him pertaining to alleged irregulairties in selections.

The data retrieved from the hard disks of the computers in the Chief Minister’s office by Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad, came handy to the Government in support of its charge that the selection process was virtually hijacked by Chief Minister P K Dhumal’s office during the BJP regime.

The ruling Congress also faced some embarrassing moments when audio-tapes purportedly containing conversation of Katwal with some Congress leaders including the Chief Minister and some of his cabinet colleagues rocked the state.

Himachal university Vice Chancellor S D Sharma resigned nine months after his indictment by two inquiries instituted by State Governor V K Kokje.

The Government reviewed the 17 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) signed by the previous regime during 2000-2001 as promised in the election manifesto and set up a high power committee and a cabinet sub-committee for the purpose. The two committees recommended cancellation and re-advertisement of some of the MoUs.

The State Government also decided to restart the state lotteries after five years, revived the offices of Divisional Commissioners abolished by the BJP Government, amended some of the clauses of the Revenue Act and reverted the user charges in the Government hospitals to March 1998 level.

The bus fares were hiked by 25 per cent, water charges were revised upwards in Shimla Municipal Corporation area and fresh taxes to the tune of Rs 50 crore were imposed in the budget but there was no hike in power tariff during the year.

The year also saw as many as 26,000 persons getting the benefit of old age, widow and handicapped pension, raising of daily wages to Rs 65, the first unit of 250 Mw of prestigious Nathpa-Jhakri power project commencing commercial production and the state registering a record apple production of 2.50 crore boxes.

Cloudbursts and flash floods in Kullu and Shimla districts claimed about 100 lives while 104 persons were killed in fatal road accidents during the year.

More than 35 persons died in cloudburst at Pulia Nallah in Kullu district while 34 persons lost their lives in a recent bus accident near Bharmaur in Chamba district.

The bitter election campaign during the assembly elections and charges of corruption levelled against the former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amrinder Singh, Moti Lal Vora and Anand Sharma prompted Dhumal to file defamation case against them. The Court later framed charges in the case.

Chief Minister Singh also filed a defamation case against state BJP spokesman Baldev Sharma for levelling false allegations against him.

The defeat of the BJP in the assembly polls further aggravated the infighting in TNG to exit of senior party leader Shanta Kumar from the Union Cabinet. (PTI)

UP jails bursting with prisoners

LUCKNOW, Dec 31: Jails in Uttar Pradesh are bursting at their seams with mounting number of prisoners occupying every inch of space available in about 60 jails across the state.

Grappling with the overcrowding situation, the State Government has embarked upon schemes to construct more jails to accommodate the ever swelling inflow into the prison.

About 60 prisons in the state grapple with around 54,076 inmates, both convicts and undertrials, against the combined capacity of 34,222 according to the latest official figures.

UP has five central jails, 49 district jails, three sub-jails and two special jails, while 21 district are still devoid of a prison. Those include Kanpur Dehat, Kannauj, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Chitrakoot, Sonebhadra, Kushi Nagar, Chandauli, Siddharth Nagar, Maharajganj,Balrampur, Shravasti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Sant Ravidas Nagar (Bhadohi), Auraiya, Baghpat, Mahamaya Nagar, Gautambuddha Nagar, Jyotibaphule Nagar and Mahoba.

However, district jails are being constructed in Kanpur Dehat and Siddharth Nagar. Additional jails have been proposed under the centrally financed Prison Modernisation Programme (PMP) 2002-07 at Gautambuddha Nagar, Baghpat, Sant Kabir Nagar, Mahamaya Nagar, Jyotibaphule Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Chandauli, Auraiya, Kaushambi and Sonebhadra.

Central jails, which are meant to house convicted prisoners, are a misnomer since they are funded by the State Government. Agra holds the distinction of having the first central prison in the country in 1844, followed by Bareilly (1848), Lucknow (1867), Fatehgarh (1868), Naini, Allahabad (1869) and Varanasi (1877). Lucknow’s central jail was the first to be converted into ‘Adarsh Karagar’ in the country. Gyanpur, Deoband and Mahoba have sub-jails, which are proposed to be converted into bigger district jails.

Most of the places without jails are the newly carved districts of UP. Once jails are constructed in these places, overcrowding would automatically ease, sources said.

Overcrowding has also led to a piquant health situation in jails, with sanitation and provision of other basic amenities lying in tatters. The jails have little space to move, sleep and relax, both for the prisoners and the jail staff deployed there.

Under the current PMP, Uttar Pradesh has been allocated Rs 231.25 crore to be released over a span of five years till 2007 in equal installments of Rs 46.25 crore. However, the State Government has to share 25 per cent of the amount.

But there is an exception too. An Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) crew flew down to India in February-March 1999 to film innovative jail reforms at Lucknow’s ‘Adarsh Karagar’ and its brass band of prisoners (now defunct) that performed at republic and Independence Day parades and other Government functions.

The condition of district jails is even more pitiable compared to central jails in the state. A total of 43,628 inmates are lodged in the 49 district jails against the combined capacity of 26,171. The corresponding figures for the five central jails are 6181 and 6100. The district jails house double their capacity of prisoners, while central units lodge 99 per cent of their capacity. The two special prisons utilise roughly 23 per cent of their space with 343 inmates against 1466 capacity.

The situation is far miserable in Muzaffarnagar, Bijnore and Moradabad in western parts of the state, where overcrowding has reached alarming proportions, said Mr Raman Kumar Srivastava, executive engineer, UP prison administration and reform services.

"At some prisons, inmates sleep in shifts during the night owing to lack of sufficient space," he said adding even porticos and walking alleys have been converted into cells.

Since multi-storeyed prisons are not feasible on security reasons and norms that mandate provision of natural light and air to prisoners, the situational quagmire is even more confounded.

Mr DEO Sharan Pathik, ADG, UP prison administration and reform services, said the State Government had initially asked for Rs 500 crore from the Union Home Ministry for full modernisation, including construction of new jails and renovation/extention of old prisons to cope up with the burgeoning number of inmates. But, the state was allocated Rs 231.25 crore, which was way below the required sum, he said adding it was however highest among other states under the Central scheme, followed by Bihar at Rs 70 crore.

He said the Cental Government had already released its share of the first installment, out of which Rs 28 crore was proposed to be incurred on construction of new jails and the rest on renovation and extention of existing units.

But, a major chunk of the Central fund is still lying unutilised with the jail deparment because of two reasons, firstly the State Government could not release its part of the share on time since the budget was passed only after Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav took over the reigns, and secondly new jails are yet to be finalised, he said.

Mr pathik said since after taking over mr yadav had announced that the creation of new districts during the previous regime would be reviewed, the process of setting up of new jails in these states was yet to begin.

"If we acquire land for jail construction at one district, and tomorrow the State Government decides to reverse the order that created the new district, then the amount spent so far would go waste. Hence we have asked the Government to issue clear orders in this regard," he said.

Most jails in UP are 100-150 years old and the nearby areas are already populated, thus these jails cannot be extended horizontally. The only option open is shifting of jails and construction of new ones, but lack of funds had always blocked such plans, added Mr Srivastava.

Under the current modernisation programme, security paraphernalia like close circuit TVS and installation of modern jammers to stop calls of all frequencies, since old jammers cannot block cdma and wll protocols, are being considered, sources said.

The average prisoner population hikes by 6-7 per cent every year, but the proliferation is not met by capacity expansion that further adds to congestion of the existing infrastructure, said K B Joshi, research officer, office of DG Prisons, UP.

However, Suresh Chandra, Sr Jail Superintendent, Headquarters, claims provision of amenities like water, health and education have been reinforced in the past at all the jails. But, there was scope for more at that front, he added.

There is also a silver lining amidst all the dismal statistics. At most jails, prison committees of inmates run canteens inside prisons where they can buy necessities, while, hospital units are attached with all jails providing medical aids and facility of pathological tests.

Individual jail administration also engagae in production of items that are consumed at other jails. Like the ‘Adarsh Karagar’ runs power looms and printing press and supplies other jails with finished products such as bed-sheets, while Agra Central Prison produces shoes and knitted items.

Mr pathik further assured all steps to further improve the condition of jails in the state were being taken by judiciously utilising funds at their disposal.

UP jails also offer courses run by IGNOU and organise religious discourse to imbibe good values in prisoners so that they shun the path of violence and crime once they are freed, he added. (UNI)

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