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New Delhi, July 4 (ANI): Visiting British Defence Secretary Geoffrey Hoon met National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra here on Thursday. Hoon, on a peace mission in South Asia, arrived in New Delhi from Islamabad after holding talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in an effort to defuse cross-border tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals. The exact details of the meeting were not immediately known. The minstry of external affairs is expected to release a statement later. After his meetings with Indian leaders on Wednesday Hoon said that Islamabad should keep up efforts to halt the flow of militants into Kashmir. India wants Pakistan to stop the militants' infiltration from its soil as a key condition to end a military standoff with its neighbour. Hoon said on Wednesday Britain had brought in stringent laws to curb funding of terrorist organisations. Hoon's remarks came on a day when India's new Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha said infiltration by militants into Kashmir from Pakistan had risen again despite a pledge by Islamabad to end such incursions. Pakistan flatly rejected the charge, saying there were no incursions across the Line of Control in Kashmir. Close to one million troops are massed on both sides of the border in a standoff that eased last month only after Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf promised to stop militants from crossing over to Kashmir. Indian officials have said they will wait until September-October to determine whether Islamabad has honoured its promise to stop the flow of militants.(ANI) Jaswant orders probe into Xerox scam
New Delhi, July 4 (ANI): Newly appointed Finance Minister Jaswant Singh on Thursday ordered an inquiry into the Xerox ModiCorp scam. The inquiry has been ordered on the basis of certain documents made available to the minister by company affairs secretary VK Dhall. The probe has been ordered following admission of improper payments of 700,000 US dollars to government officials during 2000 to promote business. Speaking to reporters, Singh said, "On Wednesday, the company affairs secretary gave me some papers on the basis of which I have ordered an immediate inquiry". He added that there might be a few mistakes here and there "but it was improper to say all was wrong". (ANI) Nagpur airport security handed over to CISF
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to top Nagpur, July 4 (ANI): Authorities in Nagpur have given away the control of security of Sonegaon airport to the elite Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). More than 150 CISF commandos would man the airport which till now was under the charge of local police. Nagpur airport thus becomes the first in Maharashtra to have CISF personnel. Even the airport in Mumbai, which is considered the country's financial capital and is constantly under militant threat, is being guarded by local police. Civil aviation minister Shahnawaz Hussain, who presided over the function, said plans are afoot to deploy CISF personnel at Mumbai's domestic and international airports. "We have already given 32 airports to Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for security. In Mumbai, we are also planning to deploy CISF very soon. In Nagpur, we got accommodation so we deployed the CISF here first," Hussain said. There are over 200 airports in the country out of which 120 are functional. Passengers welcomed the new security set-up. "If security at the airport is increased without giving trouble to the passengers, then it is welcome. Additional security measures will undoubtedly make one's journey safer," said Naresh Talwar, a regular passenger. The CISF was first raised in 1968 to provide security to government-run establishments. Over the years its role has been widened and it now looks after security of airports and railways as well. India decided to tighten security at all the airports to prevent hijackings. The move was necessitated after the December 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane by Kashmiri separatists to Afghanistan.(ANI)
Tehelka reporter in 14 days custodial remand Go to top Saharanpur, July 4 (ANI): Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday sought 14 days custodial remand for a reporter of a New Delhi-based website for his alleged role in the poaching of three leopards. Kumar Badal, a reporter with Tehelka website who was arrested on Wednesday, was produced before a district court in Saharanpur where a case of poaching has been registered against the Website. Badal has denied accusations of any wrongdoing. "Today CBI which produced Kumar Badal in the court moved an application for allowing his 14 days custodial interrogation. We have told the court that we haven't even met our client, no legal interview has been done on him. We do not even know the ground of his arrest and the basis on which the interrogation is sought," S.N. Vashisht, counsel for Badal, told reporters. Vashisht said he planned to move a counter application on Friday. "We have sought some time from the court. The court has allowed our application and tomorrow we will file written objection against their custodial (remand) application," he added. The offices of Tehelka.com and Badal's home were raided last week following complaints by the Uttar Pradesh police that Badal had bribed two poachers to trap and kill three leopards and had filmed the animals being skinned. The two poachers have been arrested. The killing of leopards is banned under India's wildlife laws. Tehelka first hit the headlines when they exposed a cricket match fixing racket. An expose on "Defence Scandal", where politicians and army officers were caught on film accepting bribes and seeking favours as "payoffs for defence deals", rocked Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's coalition government last year. The expose set waves of protests in the nation, resulting in the resignation of Defence Minister George Fernandes who was later reinstated.(ANI)
Rs 150 crore dam collapses a month after inauguration
Go to top Devdha (Gujarat), July 4 (ANI): A tidal regulatory dam has collapsed at Devdha village in Navsari district of Gujarat causing enormous damage to the farmlands and plantations of the area. Last week's heavy rains which lashed Gujarat region not only disrupted normal life but damaged railway tracks and ruined property worth crores. A dam on the banks of the Ambika and inaugurated last month by chief minister Narendra Modi was washed away due to torrential rains. What remains of it now is a granite name plate of the inauguration ceremony. "A soil embankment was yet to be undertaken when the dam collapsed. The river diverted towards the dam and flooded it. The dam now no longer remains," said Haribjhai Patel, a local resident. Ironically, the dam which was meant to provide irrigation and drinking water facilities to some 19 villages nearby has damaged fruit crops. Residents said they were surprised that the water level had gone up at an alarming rate. "Every year it used to flood, but it has never got so bad. Flooding used to be slow and gradual. But this time we are really surprised. In an hour the level of water has risen to 3 to 4 feet," said Sukhchain Desai, a resident of village Devdha. The dam, whose construction was not yet complete, cost Rs 150 crore. The head of Devdha village alleged that the dam was originally meant to have 120 slush gates adding that he had warned the authorities about the impending danger. "Only 20 slush gates have been set up. There is no protection wall, no safety, nothing. The construction work is also not satisfactory," said Talubhai, head of village Devdha. "We repeatedly warned the contractor and the engineer that during rains, the route of the river gets diverted. It actually did. and now the river water has reached the villages where the fruit crop is badly affected," he alleged. The villages around the dam have a population of 100,000, mainly farmers and agricultural labourers. The farmers have lost about 650 acres of fertile land due to the floods.(ANI)
Mamata, Nitish stick to their guns Go to top New Delhi, July 4 (ANI): Mamata Banerjee, leader of Trinamool Congress and a key ally of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said on Thursday Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee should intervene and stop bifurcation of the country's eastern railway. Railway Minister Nitish Kumar, who belongs to Samata Party, another ally of the NDA, has said the division is justified and ruled out shelving the plan. The Trinamool Congress, which is based in West Bengal, feels the move will hurt the interests of the state. "I have alerted the government that the issue (bifurcation of eastern railways) will set the nation on fire. If one person is doing this so why the whole government is taking the responsibility for it. If I do something wrong, it won't affect the government," Banerjee said. "My appeal is that since this matter was not reviewed, no study was done on it, even the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) said against it, standing committee was against it, Rakesh Mohan committee also spoke against it," she added. The Trinamool Congress has said it will join Vajpayee's ministry only if this dispute was resolved. Banerjee, who had earlier held the Railways portfolio, said the division was a "unilateral" decision of Nitish Kumar. "All the employees' unions and all the committees are against it. So why is he (Nitish Kumar) doing it unilaterally? What law is he talking about? The Prime Minister is above the law, he can over- rule any decision," said Banerjee. The issue also pitted lawmakers from West Bengal against those from Bihar. Cutting across party lines politicians in Banerjee's Bengal are opposed to the division while those from Bihar support the move. NDA convener George Fernandes is expected to meet Banerjee in an attempt to broker a compromise.(ANI) |