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Punjab requests J&K to lift ban on poultry import

CHANDIGARH, Feb 21: Punjab Government today requested the Jammu and Kashmir Goverment to immediately lift the ban imposed on import of poultry products from other states, including Punjab, as the animals in the border state were free from bird flu.

Addressing a press conference here this afternoon Punjab Animal Husbandry Minister Jagmohan Singh Kang said that till date more than 1,000 samples collected in the state since August last year had tested negative and there was no cause for worry.

The state is fully geared up and taking all preventive measures and there are practically no chances for the entry of bird flu disease in the state, he said adding that the state has also tested more than 1,000 samples of migratory birds dropping all of which have also tested negative.

He said that the ban imposed by Jammu and Kashmir, which was the major importer of poultry products, including chicken and eggs, from Punjab had resulted in a set back to the poultry industry. The price of chicken and eggs has fallen to Rs 24 per kgm and Rs 80 per 100 from Rs 56 per kgm and Rs 127 per 100 eggs respectively till last week. (PTI)

Manu Sharma, eight others acquitted in
Jessica murder case

NEW DELHI, Feb 21: A Delhi Court today acquitted all nine accused including Manu Sharma, son of former Union Minister Vinod Sharma, in the case of sensational murder of ramp model Jessica Lal in a restaurant owned by noted socialite Bina Ramani.

Additional Sessions Judge S L Bhayana acquitted Siddarth Vashist alias Manu Sharma of charges of murder and Vikas Yadav, Tony Gill, Alok Khanna of charges of destruction of evidence.

Shyam Sunder Sharma was acquitted of charges of destruction of evidence and harbouring an accused. Four others were also acquitted on the similar charges.

Sharma, who surrendered yesterday after being out on bail since april 12 last year, was the main accused in the case.

Lal was murdered in the intervening night of April 29 and 30, 1999 at a restaurant owned by noted socialite Bina Ramani at Qutub Colonade in south Delhi. (PTI)

Recruitment in armed forces on merit alone, says Govt

NEW DELHI, Feb 21: Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutta has personally informed Justice Rajindar Sachar that recruitment in the armed forces is based on the sole criterion of merit and the Indian Army has never conducted any survey about religion of any soldier.

This information was given by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee in a statement in the Rajya Sabha today.

Referring to the letters received by the Sachar Committee, the Defence Minister said "no such information was provided by the Indian Army". It was also informed to the committee that no survey is proposed to be conducted for the compilation of any other statistics.

Giving clarifications to his statement, Mr Mukherjee said the soldier has no religion and he only vows by the nation.

However, he said, the Government was not apologetic about appointing the Sachar Committee which is seeking the status of Muslims in different walks of society and the Government.

The Defence Minister’s statement evoked strong response from the BJP with senior leader Sushma Swaraj attacking the Government for trying to divide the armed forces on religion basis.

CPM leader Brinda Karat wanted to know about the conditions of the Christian minorities. Samajwadi Party member Abu Azmi complimented the Government for setting up the Sachar Committee. (UNI)

Two jail inmates dead

FARIDKOT, Feb 21: Two inmates of Firozepur central jail, facing trials under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and referred to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, have died, police said here today.

The two inmates have been identitified as Kishan Lal and Jeet Singh. Kishan Lal belonged to Virasat Ganj, Bareali and he was serving 10 years RI sentence and suffering from kidney lung failure.

Jeet Singh hailed from Baghelewala village of Moga district. Both have died on Sunday night. (PTI)

India needs more fortune 500 companies: Kalam

NEW DELHI, Feb 21: Calling more Indian companies to dream to be in the fortune 500 list, President A P J Abdul Kalam today said righteousness in life and possessing an indomitable spirit are the two key ingredients to become a great corporate or a brand institution.

Speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of the All India Management Association here, Kalam said there are five Indian companies in fortune 500 list and it should be "our" dream to increase the number of such institutions.

"We need to create brand institutions. In the fortune 500 companies, 5 Indian companies are named while 15 are from China though we have similar kind of populations," Kalam said.

Kalam said brand institutions have five main components — design capability, competitiveness in the contemporary market, organisational transformation fo continual innovation, success or failure management and establishment of instituional ethical standards.

"We have a few brand instituions in the country in the Government and private sector and many are aspiring to become one," he said.

The design and development capability of an institution or industry is the key to acquire competitive edge, he said, adding that Indian R&D team, business community and industries should recognise its importance.

In order to transform into a developed country, Kalam said a developing country like India has to market products in a competitive way by focussing on quality of products, cost effectiveness and supply in time. (PTI)

Manisha Koirala provided police protection

MUMBAI, Feb 21: Film actress Manisha Koirala has been provided police security in the wake of protests by a section of the people here following a media report claiming she had named her pet dog after a revered Muslim figure.

Policemen have been deployed at Koirala’s residence here to prevent any problem following protests over the name of her pet dog, Additional Commissioner of Police Bipin Bihari told PTI today.

A report in a leading daily had claimed that Koirala has named her pet dog after a revered Muslim figure, leading to demonstrations. However, police said the actress had no pet. (PTI)

Explosive used in rail station blast suspected
to be RDX:Lalu

NEW DELHI, Feb 21: Government today told Lok Sabha that explosive used in Sunday’s blast in Ahmedabad Railway Station was suspected to be RDX, given the intensity of the blast which blew off a huge chunk of the platform roof and caused other damage.

Although no arrest has been made so far, "keeping in view the intensity of the blast, it is suspected that explosive used in the blast might have been RDX," Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said making a suo motu statement.

Observing that the damage to Railway property due to the powerful blast was approximately Rs two lakh, he said security arrangements at the station have been reviewed along with Government Railway Police (GRP) officials and joint patrolling of the station was being undertaken round-the-clock by GRP and Railway Protection Force staff.

While the Gujarat Government has been asked to further strenthen security measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents, Prasad said additional sniffer dogs have been pressed into service and additional forces deployed to guard Railway property, passengers and passenger area.

Maintaining that while no one died but deaths could have taken place if any train was present at the platform, he said of the 25 injured, 15 were rushed to nearby hospitals and ten discharged after first aid.

At present, three persons are hospitalised and an ex-gratia payment of Rs 500 each has been made to passengers with trivial injuries, he added.(PTI)

Sonia, Rahul sit together, exchange notes in LS

NEW DELHI, Feb.21: It was a rare sight in Lok Sabha as the mother-son duo apparently exchanged notes, sat together for a while and then left the House together.

After reading a hand written note, Sonia Gandhi, seated on the front row, looked back thrice with a smile on her face.

But her son, Rahul Gandhi, could not establish eye contact as he was holding an intense discussion with Sachin Pilot, both seated on the ninth row towards the rear end.

Shortly thereafter, Sonia moved towards back rows and sat with Rahul for a while before gesturing him to accompany her. Rahul then followed his mother out of the House.

During the proceedings, Prabhunath Singh, JD(U), a bitter critic of Sonia, walked up to her and sought her direction to Home Minister Shivraj Patil, seated near her, to include Bhojpuri language in the Eighth Schedule.

Sonia was seen gesturing to Patil to look into it.

Participating in an impromptu debate on the issue of languages, Singh said he had raised the issue of inclusion of Bhojpuri language in the Eighth Schedule with Sonia Gandhi and requested her to direct the Home Minister to do so.

Singh’s repeated contention that the Centre was dragging its feet on the issue prompted Patil to ask why the JD(U) member was trying to "change a yes into a no".(PTI)

Haryana SGPC to stage dharna at Chatha’s home

KURUKSHETRA, Feb 21: The Haryana unit of Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) will stage an indefinite dharna from tomorrow onwards at the residence of Haryana Agriculture Minister H S Chattha in Kurukshetra to demand the official constitution of the Haryana SGPC by an Act of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha.

Chattha is the chairman of the committee constituted by the Haryana Government to finalise the constitution of the Haryana SGPC in the state.

Didar Singh Kamboj, general secretary of the Haryana SGPC told the reporters that the Haryana Chief Minister had promised to constitute the Haryana SGPC before the Haryana Assembly polls held last year and constituted a committee to recommend the proposals but the Chattha committee had been sleeping over the issure over last many months.

The Sikhs of Haryana wanted a separate state SGPC on the pattern of Delhi and Bihar as enshrined in the provisions of the Reorganisation Act of Haryana.

Kamboj said that the dharna will continue till the state Government agreed to enact the proposed Haryana SGPC and announce it at the earliest.

On the other hand, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Haryana has passed resolutions stating that if the state Government scummbed to the pressure tactics of the so-called Haryana SGPC whom he termed as the "fake Akalis" of Haryana, then the Haryana SAD will hold morchas at the gates of houses of all the Haryana ministers and Congress MLAs.

Talking to the reporters, the president of the Haryana SAD, Joginder Singh Aherwan alleged that the Congress party and the Governments both in Haryana and the Centre were bent upon ruining the Sikhs on one pretext or the other.(PTI)

Best Bakery retrial verdict deferred till Feb 24

MUMBAI, Feb 21: A special sessions court here today deferred the verdict in the Best Bakery retrial case till February 24. Judge A M Tipsay, who was to deliver the verdict today, deferred it as soon as the court assembled without giving any reason.

Seventeen people have been accused in the case of killing 14 persons in Vadodara on March 1, 2002 in one of the worst post-Godhra massacres in Gujarat.

High security prevailed in and around the court room as all the 17 accused were brought to the court this morning. There are altogether 21 accused, of which 17 are facing the trial while four are absconding.

The case was first tried in a fast-track court in Vadodara which had aquitted all the accused in July 2003.

After one of the eye-witnesses, Zahira Shaikh, told the National Human Rights Commission about how she and some other witnesses were forced to retract their statements in Vadodara court, NHRC petitioned the Supreme Court, which directed a retrial outside Gujarat.

But the retrial in Mumbai took another turn as Zahira made about-turn again, saying her statement to NHRC was given under duress, allegedly from social activist Teesta Setalvad.

In one of the worst massacres of post-Godhra riots in Gujarat in March 2002, 14 people were burnt alive when a mob torched the Best bakery in Vadodara, owned by a muslim family.

One of the members of the family, Zahira Sheikh, who had named accused in her police statement, retracted her version in the Vadodara court following which all the 21 accused were acquitted.

National Human Rights Commission filed a Special Leave Petition in Supreme Court requesting a retrial outside Gujarat.

Supreme Court on April 12, 2004 had ordered retrial in Mumbai and a special Judge Abhay Thipsay was appointed to hear the case. He framed charges against accused on September 22 last year.

In Mumbai court, Zahira and her two brothers turned hostile and did not support the prosecution case saying that they did not see the mob setting the bakery on fire.

However, Zahira's sister-in-law Yasmin supported the prosecution saying that Zahira and her family were present at the bakery when the mob set fire to the bakery.

Midway through the trial, Zahira filed an affidavit in Gujarat court alleging that she was forced to give police statement by social workers Teesta Setelvad and Raez Khan. (PTI)

Danish cartoon issue figures in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI, Feb 21: The controversy over caricaturing of Prophet Mohammad by a Danish publication figured in the Lok Sabha today with the members expressing solidarity against hurting religious sentiments.

The issue was raised during zero hour by Samajwadi Party (SP) group leader Prof Ram Gopal Yadav, who urged the Government to express its sentiments against the depiction of the prophet, and also the action of a German company printing Hindu gods and goddess on tissue paper.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the government had conveyed its protest to the Danish government immediately after the controversial cartoon was published by the Danish newspaper in October. "We had conveyed our protest but this was not informed to the people."

He said the entire House was one on this issue.

Mr Patil, however, said such sensitive issues should be handled in a manner that it did not create any problem.

He said the cartoon issue was discussed by the Rajya Sabha yesterday and all the members, cutting across political boundaries, condemned the action of the Danish newspapers.

"No religion or religious figures should be humiliated and the feelings of the believers hurt," Mr Patil said.

Earlier, Dr Shafiqur Rahman Barq (SP) said Muslims all over the world were hurt by the depiction of the prophet. "The Muslims will not tolerate such actions."

Mr Mohammed Shahid (SP) said the cartoon had deeply hurt 150 million Muslims in India. "India should sever all its bilateral relations with Denmark on the issue of the cartoons."

Mr S S Dhinsa (Shiromani Akali Dal) highlighted the ban on turban in schools in France, and regretted that the ten MPs of his party were not given an opportunity to raise this issue with French President Jacques Chirac who was in the capital for two days this week. (UNI)

Remembering the original Mughal Gardens of India

NEW DELHI, Feb 21: As the majestic Mughal Gardens in the Rashtrapati Bhawan open their doors and attract visitors in thousands, the "original" Mughal Gardens in the country, lie in neglect, say conservation experts.

Built by the Mughal emperors, most of these historical gardens, are clamouring for better upkeep and protection, they say.

"There existed several Mughal gardens in India, most of which are only in fragments today," says Priyaleen Singh, Landscape Architect and Environment Planner, who has been working to restore the Mughal Gardens built in the capital.

While Singh believes "we have virtually lost all Mughal gardens as they no longer exist in their entirety", some contend some of these gardens are "still surviving".

"Not all Mughal Gardens have decimated. A few great gardens like the one in Taj Mahal and Nishat and Shalimar in Kashmir have been restored. But many have gone. Like the Shalimar Bagh in Delhi, which was once a garden, today houses residential colonies," says Ratish Nanda, conservation architect involved with the Humayun's Tomb project in Delhi.

Much before the President's gardens became famous, the Mughals -- right from Babar to Aurangzeb -- who ruled the country from 1526-1858 had built a number of spectacular gardens at Delhi, Agra, Kashmir, Aurangabad, Ajmer, Lahore and Kabul.

These gardens were a perfectly-balanced composition of space, vegetation, architecture, texture, colour and waterworks like fountains.

Divay Gupta, Director Program, INTACH, believes that even if we haven't lost all Mughal Gardens, the historical authenticity can be questioned as these gardens have undergone a lot of change.

"When British ruled us, they made some changes in the landscape. So the originality got lost. We have Mughal gardens like Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh in Kashmir that are well-kept by Department of Horticulture but then parts from original fabric have certainly been changed," he says.

Experts feel it's a question of "inadvertent damage" to history as the authorities are mostly "ignorant" of the consequences of their actions.

"They are not aware of the historcial significance of these gardens. In one such garden in Kashmir, the authorities made 'pucca' a surface weathered over the years. Their intention was certainly good as they thought they are repairing the structure but they ended up destroying priceless heritage. They are unaware of technicalities," says Janhwij Sharma, a conservation architect, working to restore Mughal Gardens in Kashmir.

The reason why gardens in Aurangabad, Ajmer -- a dense forest today -- and Dholpur -- that houses a resettlement colony now -- have been "ruined" is because of lack of awareness about our heritage, say experts.

"You can't blame one person or agency for it. People are just not aware. The municipal corporations that looks after these Mughal gardens treats them like municipal parks. They don't have much expertise. They maintain them but aren't aware of the finer points," says Nanda.

Sharma feels Mughal Gardens have met such a fate as they are "vulnerable" structures.

"Garden is subject to irreparable abuse. Moreover, people generally tend to accord importance to a historical building than a historical garden which can be easily used up for other construction activities," he says.

While Nanda believes as a society we need to be more sensitive about our heritage, Singh believes Government too needs to pull up its socks on this matter.

"These gardens are a part of history. The Government should acknowledge these spaces in the Master plan of the cities and introduce awareness about such structures," she says. (PTI)