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Infiltration almost over, but camps still in Pok: Fernandes
Srinagar, June 20 (ANI): India said on Thursday infiltration of militants from Pakistan into Kashmir had nearly ended but troops would remain on the border as long as needed. "There is not much change in the situation in the valley, but infiltration across the border has nearly ended," Defence Minister George Fernandes told reporters in Srinagar. Fernandes added militant training camps still existed in Pak- occupied Kashmir despite India's demand that Islamabad dismantle all rebel camps in its territory. "Before September 11 there were concrete (militant training) camps there (Pakistani Kashmir) but these camps are now in makeshift tents," Fernandes added. India, which has massed its army on the Pakistan border, accuses Islamabad of training and arming Muslim militants and pushing them into Kashmir to fight New Delhi's rule. India has told Pakistan to halt infiltration as a condition for pulling back its troops that have been mobilised along the border since an attack on Parliament in December that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants. Pakistan denies the charge but President Pervez Musharraf has vowed to stop militant incursions across the ceasefire line. Tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals have eased after India pulled back warships from the Arabian Sea and removed a ban on overflights by Pakistani commercial aircraft following intense U.S.-led international efforts to defuse the crisis. But fears of a conflict between the South Asian foes, which exchange almost daily fire in mountainous Kashmir, have not died completely. Islamabad has repeatedly urged resumption of talks to resolve the 55-year-old dispute over Kashmir, but India has refused dialogue with Pakistan until it ends what it calls cross- border terrorism in Kashmir.(ANI) We won't judge Pak any longer by its words: Advani
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to top New Delhi, June 20 (ANI): Union Home Minister L K Advani has said India will not judge Pakistan any longer by their words. "We will go entirely by what we perceive on the ground", he said in the "Talkback programme on Doordarshan. Asked whether India felt betrayed by Pakistan time and again, Advani said, "Six months after the attack on Parliament we have not done anything. But we are still told (by the world community) to exercise restraint." He referred to the recent statements by US President George Bush, Russian President Valdimir Putin and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw that Islamabad has not kept its word and it continued to support cross-border terrorism against India. "I am happy to note that these leaders echoed almost everything what we have been saying so far," the Home Minister said. The lessening of tension between India and Pakistan was "primarily" due to the stand taken by the big powers, United States, Russia and Britain, and now it was their responsibility to ensure further progress in this regard, Advani said.(ANI)
Bihar BSP's vice-president also joins RSD Go to top Patna, June 20 (ANI): As if three resignations earlier were not enough, the vice-president of the Bahujan Samaj Party's Bihar unit, F A Khan, on Thursday resigned from the primary membership of the party and formally joined the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal. He made the announcement following a meeting with Laloo Prasad Yadav, the RJD supremo, and expressed full faith in the latter's leadership. Meanwhile, Mahabali Singh, party president and one of the three BSP legislators who were inducted into the state Cabinet by Chief Minister Rabri Devi on Tuesday, has been given the Road Construction portfolio, which previously was the additional responsibility of the Commercial Taxes Minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui. Of the other two new entrants, Rajesh Singh was put in charge of Transport and Chhedi Lal Ram, Rural Development. Ramchandra Purve, Primary Education Minister, has been asked to look after Minor Irrigation as well. (ANI)
Migrants from Pak not inclined to go back
Go to top Khanna (Punjab), June 20 (ANI): The migrants from Pakistan settled here for the past few months are not inclined to go back because of the tensions prevailing between the two countries. They are residing here on extended visa while waiting to get Indian citizenship. About 50 Pakistani Hindu nationals, including women and children, have come here to take refuge after they were treated badly there. They were forced to leave Pakistan as they were pressurised to embrace Islam. They were not allowed to carry out their religious activities and faced racial discrimination. Ramesh, a migrant who is building a new house for his family here, said, "around 500 families have migrated and settled in Punjab.........the Muslims treated them badly". He said most of the migrants have came on extended visa from Kahut in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). "Ours was the last family to migrate just before the Kargil conflict", he added. "The situation in Pakistan is really bad........we had no option but to flee from that place. The Muslims treat the Hindus very badly. There were three or four Hindu families there, and now all have come to India," Datta Ram, another migrant, said. He added, "All the Hindus are facing difficulties there and all of them want to come here". The migrants say they feel secure here. Ram Supari says, "We have freedom here, we can go to a temple or Gurdwara. We feel at home, all people are like our own. We had to wear a burqa there and there were a lot of restrictions." The migrants are engaged in petty occupations like selling vegetables or milk as most of them are barely literate. Khanna SSP Davinder Singh said, "In 1980 around 100 people came to India and applied for citizenship and by 1988 they managed to get the citizenship. Then in 1997 two applications came, in 1998 eight, and now in 2002 we have so far received 37 applications." It is not the first time Hindus have crossed over to this side of the border on visitor's visa and later extended it. Here they are a part of about 500 strong co-religionists who left Pakistan at different points of time and now claim to have been granted Indian citizenship by the government. Hordes of Hindu families migrated to India in 1957 when Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister. Then, many migrated to India in 1979 after the Indo-Pak war when Atal Behari Vajpayee was the country's foreign minister. (ANI)
"Mini-pistol" from Ishapore factory
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top Ishapore (West Bengal), June 20 (ANI): An Indian ordnance factory in West Bengal has launched a .22 calibre revolver for the first time in the country for civilian use. The indigenously developed revolver was launched at the Ishapore Rifles Factory on Wednesday. Growing demand for a lightweight and user friendly revolver made the rifles factory develop the product in eight months. Factory officials say the .22 calibre revolver with its svelte looks matches the best in the world. Compared to prices of international brands, the revolver comes cheap for arms dealers in West Bengal at Rs 32,000. Harbans Lal Kapoor, additional general manager, Ishapore rifle factory, said the revolver was as good as any other international brand. "This revolver is very light, just 80 grams, fit for use by even ladies for self-defence. It is powder coated, it has got a barrel and has a chrome flash, so it will not get rusted in time. It is made of aluminium alloys which are having a very good strength as good as steel. It can match an international standard revolver and what is the present thing in revolvers produced in developed countries is what we have produced here...the same what USA is producing," said Kapoor. Even before its launch, the factory received 5,000 orders forcing the authorities to refuse further orders. Arms dealers said the new product would fare well in the market. "It is definitely a 'competable' product, because we have seen similar weapons from so called developing countries...compared to that I think our product here is quite O.K," said Anup Kaur, an arms dealer. Other than Ishapore, revolvers are made at ordnance factories in Kanpur and Tiruchirapally. India's ordnance factories cater mainly to the three services and paramilitary forces. Army accounts for 45 per cent of the total production. The remaining 55 per cent is sold to five other customers, including the navy, the air force, paramilitary forces and the private sector, plus exports. Indian ordnance factories usually produce and export spare parts for conventional weapons, rifles and revolvers.(ANI)
Acute water crisis in Mussoorie
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top Mussoorie, June 20 (ANI): A severe water crisis in the hill resort of Mussoorie threatens to adversely affect the health of tourists flocking to the "Queen of the Hills." Hotel owners in the tourist resort are using unsafe drinking water to meet the acute shortage of water. Mussoorie has about 170 hotels which require daily supply of water worth Rs 100,000. Most of the hotel owners use tankers to carry water from nearby streams. Mohammad Irfan, a washerman who lives near Nalapani dhobighat, the place from where water is fetched, said it was not safe to drink stream water. "After washing clothes water is not safe for drinking. It is wise if water is filtered before use. Otherwise, it will adversely affect the health of the people. Tourists from India and abroad visit Mussoorie and all will get ill after consuming such water, it is not good," said Irfan. The water crisis has been worsening in Uttaranchal which has more than 25 percent of the country's water resources, with three major rivers--the Ganges, Yamuna and Mandakini--flowing through the state. Hotel owners say lack of alternative source of water has forced them to use stream water. "We use that (tank) water in our kitchens and the same water brought by these tankers is provided in rooms...similarly, the same water is used for all purposes as we do not get water from any other source. About 80 to 90 per cent of water supplied by tankers is used in our hotel," said Rajiv Sikka, a hotel owner. During the last one decade, more than eight billion rupees has been spent on drinking water projects in the state. N N Prasad, the state's tourism secretary, said all efforts would be made to provide better water supply. "We will look into the matter that how this is being done. But there is no doubt that these things should not take place and temporary arrangements are required to be made. We will do what all is required to be done at administrative level. So it is our responsibility and what all is required in Mussoorie for the comfort, security and health of tourists will be done," said Prasad. Local tourists, especially from Delhi and neighbouring states, flock to the cool Mussorrie environs during the summer months stretching the civic amenities to the limit.(ANI)
Seven killed, 32 injured in bus-car collision
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Srinagar, June 19 (ANI): Seven people were killed and about 32 injured on Wednesday in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a Tata Sumo in Lachipur village of Kathua district in Jammu. The acccident occurred around 11 am. The bus, a luxury model which plies between Kathua and Jammu, rammed head on into a Tata Sumo while overtaking another vehicle of the same make, which also was damaged in the accident. An injured pasenger,Kuldeep kumar, who escaped death said that the driver was overspeeding. The passengers were returning after a pilgrimage to the holy Vaishno Devi shrine.Around 10 seriously injured passengers have been moved to the Government Medical College hospital in Jammu. S.P Bhagat, Medical Superintendent," The injured were reported to hospital and provided first-aid. Out of these eight serious cases were referred to Jammu medical college. Thereafter we sent another five cases which needed specialised medical care to Jammu and the rest are in hospital. Six people have been discharged after first-aid. A police inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.(ANI)
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