India's tigers are under siege, says task force; Rescue operation still on in rain-hit Maharashtra; Mamata's outburst puts Congress, CPI(M) in a dilemma; Siddaramaiah not to leave JD (S); Illegal gun factory busted in Patna; Food, medicines airlifted to blockaded Manipur; Bangladesh and India for trouble-free border; Cruise's 'sofa-jumping' becomes dictionary term; Nicole Kidman reveals the joys of being single; Uma Thurman turns to Angelina Jolie for parenting tips; Monroe feared marriage to Sinatra would ruin their relationship; Aniston's shapely secrets are movement,diet and meditation; Paris Latsis not serious about Paris Hilton, says dadIndia Travel Times, Indian News, Tourism, Hotels, Airlines, Tour, Travel, Ayurveda, Yoga, Festival, Hindu, Taj Mahal, Kathakali, Dance,

Home Contact Us Dateline New Delhi, Saturday, Aug 6, 2005

India's tigers are under siege, says task force

New Delhi: The tiger task force appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that these endangered cats are under siege from poachers and people living in protected reserves, and called for thousands of villagers to be relocated to save them and their habitat. When reports surfaced in March that the population of 16-18 tigers at Sariska had been wiped out by poachers, there was an expression of shock and alarm from both the government and wildlife enthusiasts, besides experts. Responding to the nation-wide outcry, the Prime Minister set up the Tiger Task Force, headed by well-known environmentalist Sunita Narain who submitted the committee's report to him last night. Narain has demanded that people living in 250 villages located inside 28 tiger reserves in country should be relocated. "Sariska is not just about management failure, Sariska is also about complete and total breakdown between the park and the local people. And therefore, we have also suggested that any further effort to relocate the tigers in Sariksa can only be done when we repair the relationship between the people and the tigers who live there," said Narain. She added that there were another 1,250 villages in non-core areas of the reserves and it would be impossible to relocate the people living in those hamlets. The tiger population in country has fallen to about 3,700 from roughly 40,000 a century ago, mainly due to rampant poaching. But conservationists suspect the number could be less than 2,000. According to the PMs spokesman, Mammohan Singh had agreed to create a central wildlife crime bureau, as suggested by the five- member task force. In May, the government said poachers had killed at least 114 tigers between 1999 and 2003, while just 59 of the big cats had died of natural causes during the same period.

Rescue operation still on in rain-hit Maharashtra (Go To Top)

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Rescue work is still on in Mahad region of Maharashtra, which was hit by landslides triggered by heavy rainfall. Incessant rains have not stopped in several regions of the State since it began again earlier this week with the death toll touching 1019. In the worst hit Jui village in Raigarh, 100 persons died while 98 are believed to have been buried under debris. Officials said in Raigarh, more people have died due to landslides than rains or drowning. Dasgaon, Kondute are the worst hit villages. JS Sandhu, Commandant, Central Reserve Police Force, which is carrying out rescue operations, said 70 to 80 bodies were still to be recovered as heavy rainfall is hampering the rescue operations. "Three teams are engaged in work. We are working continuously and have recovered 87 dead bodies till now out of 182. 129 soldiers are engaged in rescue work," said Sandhu. The entire area is still covered with flood waters and the road connecting Jui with district headquarters of Mahad is also blocked due to landslides. Weather officials forecast more rains, but said they did not expect it to be on the scale that brought death and destruction in the last week. Losses for the State have been estimated at about 20 billion rupees, and small businesses alone have lost an estimated 10 billion rupees, according to an industry body. The Centre has promised 120 million rupees (2.8 million dollar) assistance for the rain-ravaged state.

Mamata's outburst puts Congress, CPI(M) in a dilemma (Go To Top)
by Gautam Ghosh

Kolkata: Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's tiff with Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee for refusing her the permission to raise the infiltration issue and her subsequent resignation as a member of the Lower House have put both the CPI(M) and the Congress in a dilemma. While, the Congress is keen to woo the Trinamul Congress leader with an eye on next years Assembly polls in West Bengal, the Marxists feel the developments have brought her back to political limelight which may help strengthen her partys support base. Ms Banerjee also appears determined to exploit the issue in order to enter into a fresh collision course with the ruling CPI(M) in Bengal and rejuvenate her moribund organization.

According to informed sources, the Trinamul Congress chairperson intended to speak on the inclusion of false voters into Bengal's electoral rolls on the plea of raising the infiltration issue. Her plan was to highlight the inclusion of names of illegal migrants from Bangladesh in the voters list at the CPI(M)s behest. The Lok Sabha Speaker, however, might have a prior inkling of Ms Banerjee's intention and denied her the necessary permission, saying the matter had already been raised by BJP president L.K. Advani in the House and thoroughly discussed. A frustrated and emotionally surcharged Ms Banerjee threw her papers onto the Speaker's desk, raising a howl of protest from the Left Front MPs who later brought a privilege motion against her, demanding an unqualified apology for her conduct. The Trinamul Congress leader, however, has already ruled out the possibility of offering any apology and directed her party workers to get ready "for a bigger battle against the Marxists and their reign of terror." Accordingly, Trinamul Congress workers yesterday took out processions and party legislators courted arrest in front of Raj Bhavan in the heart of the city. Ms. Banerjee has an immediate three-fold aim in view. First, she wants to mobilize all the anti-CPI(M) forces on a common platform in order to prevent a split in anti-left votes in the Assembly polls. Secondly, she expects the Election Commission to take all the necessary steps, including preparation of a transparent voters list, to ensure a free and fair election. Finally, she intends to put increasing pressure on the Congress leadership to "stop appeasing the Marxists." Trinamul Congress insiders feel Ms Banerjee may contest in the Assembly polls and hence wants to concentrate her political activities on Bengal in the coming months. This was, they say, one of the reasons for her sudden decision to resign from the Lok Sabha.

The Trinamul Congress chairperson's strategy has put the Congress leadership in a major dilemma. The high command can neither ignore her political potential, nor can it afford to antagonize the left parties which have been extending their crucial support to the UPA government. The Congress, however, has no intention to support the privilege motion brought against Ms Banerjee by the Left Front MPs. The CPI(M), on its part, also appears divided on the question of adopting a confrontationist stand vis-`-vis the Trinamul Congress chief. While CPI(M) members of the Lok Sabha want to go ahead with their hard stand, state party leaders have advised caution and do not want to do any thing which may give her "the status of a martyr" before the Assembly polls.

The Lok Sabha episode is also causing concern to the BJP leadership. The party is worried about the Congress bid to woo Ms Banerjee and has directed its general secretary Rajnath Singh to hold a round of talks with her "before it is too late." The Trinamul Congress leader, however, has made it clear that her sole agenda is to ensure the CPI(M)s defeat in the Assembly election. Next week, she is expected to meet President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the Chief Election Commissioner and the Delimitation Commissioner on the need for "weeding out false voters from the electoral rolls and reconstituting the Assembly constituencies in a rational manner without succumbing to the CPI(M)s pressure."

Siddaramaiah not to leave JD (S) (Go To Top)
by Kestur G. Vasuki

Bangalore: Categorically ruling out the possibility of joining any other party, sacked Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said that he was committed to his party, Janata Dal (Secular). "I am in Janata Dal (S). I am a Janata Dal man. It is my house. I am not going (to any other party). It is my party," he said at a press conference. Venting out his anger against JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, Siddaramaiah said that Deve Gowda was acting as "a dictator, no less than Hitler". He termed his sacking as an act of "vendetta and undemocratic". Siddaramaiah said that the party supremo's action regarding his dismissal and of two ministers loyal to him, HC Mahadevappa and Satish Jarkhiholi, was "bereft of any reason". There was no valid charges against them and none of them, he said, were incompetent or inefficient to handle the affairs of their ministries. By refusing to quit the JD (S), Siddaramaiah is making the task of HD Deve Gowda difficult by promoting dissention within the party.

Earlier, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) convenor George Fernandes spent about half-an-hour in a closed door meeting with Siddaramaiah, and knowledgeable sources said that Fernandes tried to convince Siddaramaiah to join his Janata Dal (United) party. Siddaramaiah was removed from the Karnataka Council of Ministers along with two other ministers -- H C Mahadevappa and Satish Jarkiholi, both of whom were loyal to him. The dismissal from the State cabinet came after a tussle between Siddaramaiah and Deve Gowda. All three ministers were sacked on the recommendation of Karnataka Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh. Dharam Singh recommended the dismissal following JD (S) resolution that Siddaramaiah has been replaced by M P Prakash as the party's leader in the State Assembly. "We have given a letter of recommendation to the Governor and he has accepted it," Dharam Singh said on Friday evening. Siddaramaiah's removal can be seen as a victory of sorts for Deve Gowda within the Janata Dal (S). On Thursday, senior Janata Dal (S) leader and Minister M P Prakash took over as the party's leader in Karnataka State Assembly, replacing Siddaramaiah. Siddaramaiah's relations with Gowda soured recently after he defied the latter's diktat and attended a convention of backward classes, minorities and Dalits at Hubli a fortnight ago.

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