Mahajan's
condition 'very critical'
Mumbai:
Doctors attending to senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan
at Mumbai's PD Hinduja Hospital on Monday said that his
condition has become 'very serious' and that he has now
developed an acute respiratory problem. "The condition of
Mahajan has become 'very critical' and he has also developed
an Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) leading to
increase in ventilatory support today," Anupam Verma, Director
(Administration), PD Hinduja Hospital said. Mahajan was
admited to the hospital on April 22 after his younger brother
Pravin fired three bullets at him inside his Worli area
flat. According to Verma, Mahajan "liver injury appeared
contained, requiring no further intervention". Mahajan has
undergone three surgeries so far to contain the blodd loss
from injuries to his liver, pancreas and small intestine.
Three bullets, one in the muscle of the back (Left Para
spinal muscle L2), second in the subcutaneous tissue of
the back and the third one in the body of T12 vertebra are
still present in Mahajan's body.
CJI flags off Labour Day
rally (Go
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New
Delhi: Chief Justice of India Y. K. Sabharwal on Monday
flagged off a cycle rally to mark International Labour Day.
Sabarwal said labourers should also benefit from the development
of the country. "Today rally is an event to make all the
labourers aware of their rights and to provide free legal
aid. It is the duty of NALSA to do whatever possible for
the labour community under the Legal Services Act," said
Sabharwal. The International Labour Day commemorates the
historic struggle of working people throughout the world
and is recognized in most countries. The working class displays
its strength through demonstrations and rallies on May 1.
Mysterious fever grips
Nagpur residents (Go
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Kodhaki
(Nagpur District): A mysterious fever, identified as
Chicken Gunia, has afflicted about 450 persons in about
17 villages of Nagpur District. Similar in symptoms to dengue
fever, Chicken Gunia leaves individuals complaining of high
fever, body ache, joint pains and spells of nausea. Several
patients with symptoms of chicken gunia are undergoing treatment
at the Primary Health Centre (PHC). "I suffered high fever.
My body became stiff suddenly. I had severe pain in the
joints and I find difficulty in walking. I took medicines
but it is not helping me. I am still under treatment," said
Ramdas, a patient. Fahim Akhtar, the medical officer at
the Kodhaki Primary Health Centre, said that blood samples
of some of the patients have been sent to the National Institute
of Virology in Pune to confirm the presence of the disease.
Chicken Gunia is caused by mosquito bites and at present
no vaccine exists to counter it.
Factory
blast kills 12 in Uttaranchal (Go
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Dehradun:
At least twelve people were killed and two others, including
a woman, critically injured when a tank containing chemicals
exploded at a paper mill at Kashipur industrial town of
Udham Singh Nagar district in Uttaranchal. Police officials
said the incident took place when labourers were working
inside a godown, which contained the tank. An officer said
a tank containing inflammable chemical exploded killing
twelve people on the spot and the whole area caught fire
after the blast. Two injured persons were taken to a nearby
hospital and their condition is reported to be critical.
According to some reports about hundred workers are still
believed to be trapped inside the building and there is
a likelihood that the casualty figures may rise.
Hearing on Narmada rehabilitation
(Go
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New
Delhi: The Supreme Court will today hear affidavits
filed by four states on the status of rehabilitation work
done for those displaced by the Sardar Sarovar dam. The
four states include Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra
and Rajasthan which have filed affidavits on the court's
orders. A Government of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra,
in its affidavit declared that relocation work was mostly
completed where as Gujarat's affidavit said that all rehabilitation
work was completed. The apex court had on April 15 said
that it would stop the ongoing construction work at the
Sardar Sarovar Dam, if the rehabilitation work was not done
in accordance with its earlier judgement and directive of
the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal. A special Bench headed
by Chief Justice Y K Sabbharwal, however, gave a week time
to all the concerned parties to file their replies to the
petition filed by the Narmada Bachao Andolan and the application
moved by the Centre. It was hearing a petition filed by
Narmada Bachao Andolan, seeking suspension of the construction
at the dam. The Court, however, clarified that the Centre
and the Prime Minister were free to decide whether the work
on the controversial dam will continue or not during this
period. The Court had also advised Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh to rise above party politics and take bold steps for
the rehabilitation of the displaced people. The Court had
said that the construction work on the Sardar Sarovar Project
on Narmada River and rehabilitation of the people displaced
by it should go on side by side. The Centre said that the
displaced people would be rehabilitated before August 2006.
On March 8, 2006, the Narmada Control Authority decided
to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam from 110.64
metres to 121.92 metres.
MPs
head for US to project India (Go
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New
Delhi: A nine-member, multi-party delegation of MPs
is leaving tonight for Washington to project India to the
US Congress and the US Government. The delegation will visit
Washington, New York and Atlanta during the coming week.
This was stated in a press release issued by the Confederation
of Indian Industry (CII) here today. CII has multiple activities
with the US to build understanding, cooperation and partnership.
The organization of a delegation of MPs adds a new dimension
to CII's US initiatives and strategy. During the visit,
the Members of Parliament will meet Dr. Condoleezza Rice,
US Secretary of State, Mr. J D Crouch, Deputy National Security
Adviser and the Governor of Georgia, Mr. Sonny Perdue. The
MPs will also interact with Congressional Caucus on India
and Indian Americans during their visit as well as the Center
for Disease Control (CDC), US Corporates, the Council on
Foreign Relations (CFR), US India Business Council (USIBC),
the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the National Endowment
for Democracy among others. The members of the delegation
include Mr. Baijayant Jay Panda (BJD), Mr. Deepender Singh
Hooda (INC), Mr. Madhu Goud Yaskhi (INC), Mr. Manvendra
Singh (BJP), Mrs. Prema Cariappa (INC) Mrs. Preneet Kaur
(INC), Mr. Sachin Pilot (INC), Mr. Shahid Siddiqui (Samajwadi
Party) and Mr. Suresh Prabhu (Shiv Sena). CII hopes and
expects that this powerful and influential delegation of
MPs will present India's views forcefully and effectively
on a wide variety of issues. CII plans to institutionalise
this initiative and organize MPs delegations on a regular
basis.
SC stays Sankararaman
murder trial (Go
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New
Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the trial
in the high profile Sankararaman murder case in which Kanchi
Sankaracharaya Jayendra Saraswati is a prime accused. A
bench comprising Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justice DK
Jain stayed the trial in the case while hearing a petition
filed by Sankaracharya. The seer had challenged the Madras
High Court order, which had allowed the Tamil Nadu Government
to continue with its own prosecutor even though the case
was shifted to the Pondicherry Court following a Supreme
Court order. Observing that the "Tamil Nadu Government is
no longer a prosecuting State," the bench said that the
Tamil Nadu Government had "no business" to go to Pondicherry
to conduct the case. The apex court posted the case for
further hearing in the second week of July. Earlier on April
27, a Sessions Court in Pondicherry had extended the date
for production of an absconding accused, Arumugham, in the
case till June 7. Sankararaman was found murdered on September
3, 2004
Maoists for role in Nepal's
interim Govt (Go
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Gulmi
Hill Area/Manigram-Butwal (Nepal): A day after Nepal's
new Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala invited the Maoist
rebels for talks to help bring peace to the troubled Himalayan
kingdom, the rebels took out an armed march demanding that
an interim government to be formed at the earliest. Koirala's
offer came as he initiated a debate over holding elections
for a special assembly to draw up a new constitution that
would decide the future of the monarchy. The guerrillas
announced a three-month cease-fire on Thursday in hopes
that the reconvened parliament will call elections to a
special assembly, which will write a new constitution. The
armed rebels marched through the Gulhmi Hill area to campaign
for their demands and remind the political parties to concentrate
on democratic and political activities. Maoist leaders also
gathered at the Manigram-Buthwal area to create awareness
amongst the villagers. "Our party representatives...and
the seven parties want to form an interim government. The
interim government will draft an interim constitution. We
will resolve regionalism, castes and gender biasness and
elect a constitution committee. The result, whatever it
is will be accepted by all," said Pampha Bhupal, a female
Maoist leader. Sunday's parliament session began after Nepal
monarch King Gyanendra administered Koirala the oath of
office at the Narayanhity royal palace. Koirala, suffering
from bronchitis, was due to be sworn in on Friday. The 205-member
chamber took the decision at the end of a four- hour debate
on the proposal, days after King Gyanendra returned power
to the political parties, but it did not set a date for
the vote. An election schedule was expected to be drawn
up only after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's government
has held talks with Maoist insurgents and won their backing
for the plan. Nepal's parliament has been dissolved since
2002, and King Gyanendra assumed absolute power last year,
declaring a state of emergency and vowing to crush the escalating
Maoist rebellion. The Maoists, who have vowed to end the
monarchy and establish a Communist Republic have however,
refused to suspend their rebellion and have said they will
continue the protests until the parties declare elections
for an assembly to write a new constitution.
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