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Seven more killed in Gujarat riots Ahmedabad, May 7 (ANI): At least seven people were killed on Tuesday as Hindus and Muslims hurled acid-filled light bulbs and stones at each other in the latest religious violence to hit riot-torn Gujarat. The new bloodshed brought the death toll to 17 from the upsurge of violence that began on Sunday after a Hindu mob attacked a group of Muslims returning home from a refugee camp. Three men were stabbed to death in different areas of Ahmedabad, the state's main commercial city. Police opened fire to quell the rioters. Two men were shot dead in a Muslim-dominated suburb on the outskirts of the city when police opened fire to disperse a mob that went on the rampage after news spread that a Muslim teacher was burnt alive by a Hindu mob earlier on Tuesday. "Police is taking action. We are trying to disperse the mob. We have been able to control it to an extent and patrolling is on. The situation is under control now though for safety's sake we have blocked the highway from this side," said P.P.Pandey, additional inspector general of police, Ahmedabad. In a separate incident, a man was killed when a mob threw him into a well. More than 900 people, mostly Muslims, have died in nine weeks of religious violence in Gujarat that erupted after 59 Hindus were burnt to death on a train by a Muslim mob in February. The violence that peaked in March has continued to rock Ahmedabad, which has borne the brunt of the country's worst religious bloodletting in a decade. The strife has plunged the Bharatiya Janata Party-led federal coalition into its worst political crisis since it took power in 1999 with opposition groups and some allies saying it has failed to do enough to stop the clashes. Critics have accused BJP's Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of turning a blind eye to the killing of Muslims--charges he denies--and demanded his removal. Opposition parties in Parliament, meanwhile, staged a walkout, saying the government was closing Muslim relief camps in Gujarat while violence continued and inmates were petrified to return home. More than 100,000 people, mostly Muslims, have been forced to live in crowded and filthy relief camps due to the violence. Many have lost their homes in arson attacks or are too terrified to leave the camps for fear of being targeted by their Hindu neighbours.(ANI) Advani highlights victory on the floor of the Lok Sabha
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to top New Delhi, May 7 (ANI): The NDA government has emerged victorious, Home Minister L K Advani told the BJP parliamentary party meeting here on Tuesday while referring to the Lok Sabha Opposition-sponsored debate on Gujarat which necessitated voting under Rule 184. And this despite rumblings of protest from within the ruling coalition and the TDP walk-out. He also said that Rajya Sabha unanimously adopted the motion and so it "was not a censure" of the government as claimed by some of the Opposition parties, BJP parliamentary party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra told reporters while briefing the media on the meeting. Advani ruled out imposition of President's rule in Gujarat, arguing that it would continue to render all assistance to the state under Article 355 of the Constitution which empowers the Centre to give advice, Malhotra added. The two Articles are different in nature. Under Article 355 the Centre gives advice to a state, but Article 356 relates to imposition of President's rule in the state. (ANI)
12 policemen killed in landmine blast in Jharkhand Go to top Ranchi, May 7 (ANI): Suspected MCC insurgents struck in a big way when a landmine blast triggered by them left at least 12 policemen dead, the police said on Tuesday. The victims were travelling in a bus which ran over a landmine in Koderma district. Three cops were injured. According to a senior police official, "it was the work of the MCC, they are trying to create fear in the police force." The Maoist Communist Centre and People's War Group, both banned organisations, have enforced an economic blockade in Jharkhand. Today was the second day of the blockade. They ordered a ban on commercial traffic throughout the state. But this was not all. The two rebel organisations blew up train tracks and set the electric engine of a locomotive on fire on Tuesday. According to the Inspector General of Police (Railways) Niaz Ahmed, the MCC activists blew up about three metres of tracks between Hehegarha and Chipatohar in Lathear district and set fire to an electric engine at about 3 a.m on Tuesday. There were no cases of injury. The radicals also blasted a few metres of track between Bendi and Kaumundi railway stations in the same district. Rail traffic near Barwadih station in Latehar was partially affected following these strikes, Ahmed added. The PWG activists blew up two metres of track at about half a km west of Meral station in Garhwa district. They cut off communication lines at the rail station near Khelari in Ranchi district and roughed up the railway staff. (ANI)
Firm action demanded to contain Gujarat riots
Go to top New Delhi, May 7 (ANI): Regional and leftist opposition parties on Tuesday criticised the government for failing to control continued religious violence in Gujarat where more than 900 people have been killed so far. "It is a very grave situation. The present BJP government wants to create divisions in the country," said Mulayam Singh, former Defence Minister and leader of Samajwadi Party. "We will take up the issue of displaced people. They need to be rehabilitated and given adequate compensation," he added. Somnath Chatterjee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the government need to take firm action to control violence in the state. "We have been saying in the House that what has happened in Gujarat is genocide. And we should remain with the victims of genocide. Vajpayee and Advani are simply making statements. That will not help the people of Gujarat. We have to see what action has been taken on ground. For that we all have joined hands," Chatterjee said. Sharad Pawar, leader of Nationalist Congress Party, a breakaway group of the Congress Party, said there was a need for consensus on maintaining unity of the country among political parties. "Those who are concerned about preserving secularism in the country will remain united whether it is Congress or any other party. We will not be divided and will remain united on this issue. If you have to save people then you have to forget all differences," Pawar said. More than 900 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed in nine weeks of religious violence in Gujarat that erupted after 59 Hindus were burnt to death on a train by a Muslim mob in late February. Over 100,000 people, mainly Muslims, are sheltered in relief camps in Gujarat. Many have lost their homes to arson attacks or are too terrified to return for fear of being targeted by their Hindu neighbours. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's BJP, which also rules Gujarat, has been accused of turning a blind eye to the killings of Muslims and not containing the violence. The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed a censure motion on the violence in the state with the backing of the federal government. In his statement before the House, Vajpayee defended the government's decision of not dismissing Narendra Modi, chief minister of the riot-hit state who has come under fire for his inability to stop the religious bloodshed. Opposition parties who, alongwith some of the allies of the ruling coalition, have been demanding Modi's removal remained critical of the government's meek stand. The opposition groups accuse the BJP of a deep-seated bias against the country's 120 million minority Muslims.(ANI)
Modi hits out at opposition parties
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top Surat, May 7 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hit out at the opposition parties for their stand on the issue of communal violence. More than 900 people have been killed in over two months of riots which began as reprisals for the torching of a train in Godhra in which 59 Hindus lost their lives. Modi told reporters the intention of the opposition parties was to create a rift in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which heads the ruling federal coalition. "The opposition parties demanded a debate in Parliament under Rule 184 (which entails voting) on the situation in Gujarat and were defeated. What they have said outside Parliament has been very unfortunate. They have themselves admitted that they wanted to create a rift in the NDA in which they were successful. So, what was the use of holding a 16-hour long debate--it was not on Gujarat or on improving the situation there. So the people of Gujarat should also realise that this was not for them. The discussion was held but only to fulfill political means of creating a rift in NDA." The ruling federal coalition led by BJP, which also rules Gujarat, last week survived a censure motion moved by the opposition in the lower house of Parliament. On Monday, the BJP backed a similar motion in the upper house, where it lacks majority, to avoid the embarrassment of losing a vote on the issue. The communal violence in Gujarat has already exposed deep rifts in Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's 19-party coalition, many of whose members are deeply uneasy over the BJP's links with hardline Hindu groups. Opposition groups, who accuse the BJP of a deep-seated bias against the country's 120 million minority Muslims, say the government had compromised India's secular foundations by failing to protect the lives of the minorities. Meanwhile, in the latest wave of violence, seven men were killed on Tuesday in Ahmedabad, as Hindus and Muslims hurled acid- filled light bulbs and stones at each other. More than 100,000 people, mainly Muslims, are sheltered in relief camps in Gujarat. Many have lost their homes in arson attacks or are too terrified to return for fear of being targeted by their Hindu neighbours.(ANI)
Enough water arranged for Corbett Park inmates
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top Dehradun, May 7 (ANI): With the onset of the summer, the authorities of Jim Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal are gearing up to provide enough drinking water to the animals in the sanctuary. During summers the park experiences water shortage as it does not have permanent water reservoirs. Park authorities have this year constructed about a dozen water holes to ensure adequate supply of drinking water to the animals. Dinesh Chandra Kandpal, range officer of the Park, said all arrangements had been made for maintaining the water level in these water holes. "We have made provisions of water holes through natural sources of water and also through pipelines. In some parts of the park, we also provide water through tankers to enable sufficient supply of water for the animals," said Kandpal. Blocks of salt have also been placed to prevent dehydration of animals. Elephants have retreated further inside the Park in search of water, making it difficult for tourists to have a glimpse of them. Nearly 60,000 tourists visit the park, spread over an area of 1,134 square kilometers, annually. D.S. Khatti, director of the Park, said that enough water supply would prevent animals from straying beyond the periphery of the sanctuary which has no physical boundary marks. "Fortunately, there is no major water shortage in the Park. But the southern side of the Park which borders neighbouring Uttar Pradesh has some water shortage. Here, we have made water holes for animals in this area to prevent animals from wandering outside the Park for water. If they go out of the Park, these animals face threats of poaching, especially deer. If elephants wander outside then they are likely to damage the fields and the standing crop. So, in order to save them, we have made these arrangements," said Khatti. Forest patrols maintain a strict vigil to make sure that no animals wander away. Stray elephants are known to have caused significant damage to standing crops and private property. Situated on the foothills of the Himalayas, the Corbett Park, the country's first national park, was established under "Project Tiger" in 1973. Famous as tiger reserve with a count of 92 tigers, the park is also home to leopards, jungle cat, fishing cat, Himalayan Palm civet, tuskers, and crocodiles. The park, named after famous British hunter-turned-conservator Jim Corbett, is open for visitors from November 15 to June 15.(ANI)
Andaman marine park a major tourist destination
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to top Port Blair, May 7 (ANI): Mahatma Gandhi Marine Park situated in Wandor, Andaman island, is one of the largest marine sanctuaries in the world. It is home to 1200 species of fish and thousands of other sea flora and fauna. The park lies to the west of the Andaman islands, a union territory. Twentynine km from Port Blair, the park covers an area of 281.5 sq kms. Although set up purely for tourists, the trip is worth doing, gaining one's access to one of the richest coral reefs in the region. Viewing of rare corals and underwater marine life through glass bottom boats, SCUBA diving and Snorkelling are a lifetime experience for anyone. The marine park consists of 15 islands. Out of these only two islands called Havelock and Jollybouy, are opened for tourists. According to the authorities this has been done so that the rest of the islands can be preserved for future generation. Zahir Hussain, an official in Information and Publicity and Tourism, says, "Of the two islands opened for the tourists, Jollybouy is mostly preferred owing to its rich coral and clear water. Corals and rich varieties of fishes attract a number of tourists, both domestic and foreigners." The biggest attraction of Jollybouy is a sandy beach on its northern end. He further tells us, " the marine park is a plastic free zone and tourists are allowed to carry plastic bottles and containers only after paying a security deposit for the items being carried before entering the park. While coming out, they bring the plastic material with them as a proof that they have not littered the park, their security is refunded at this point." The official further said, "we are really happy as all the tourists who come cooperate to the fullest. They also enjoy themselves and have a gala time." "This is the first time I have come and have enjoyed a lot," says one of the tourists. In the Bay of Bengal, east of Indian mainland, lies the archipelago consisting of 572 islands, islets and rocks known as 'Andaman and Nicobar Islands.' These islands are one of the union territory and stretches over an area of more than 800 kilometres from the North to the South. Only 36 islands out of these are inhibited. Mythologicaly, the name Andaman was presumed to be derived from Hanuman, who was known to the Malays as Handuman. Since prehistoric times, these islands were the home of aboriginal tribes. These beautiful islands are encircled by mangrove trees, the undulating hills and evergreen tropical forests. The mangrove trees have their roots in seawater. The leaves and other debris of the Mangrove form a very important source of food to the marine life. Like the reef this tree provides a natural buffer against storm waves. All of these features make it a wonderful place for the heart and the eyes. People of all faiths---Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs etc., and of all languages like Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Nicobari etc.--live together in complete peace and harmony in this beautiful island. Inter-religion and inter- regional marriages are common. This amazing racial and cultural mix is correctly described as Mini-India. Efforts are being made to conserve the rich heritage of these islands. This Marine park is one of them. It is a pleasure to know that such effors are afoot to conserve the rich heritage of our country. Such efforts can be emulated by many elsewhere in the country.(ANI)
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