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Army chopper crashes, pilots serious

     Jalpaiguri (WB): An Army helicopter crashed near Jalpaiguri in West Bengal today morning. Both the pilots were injured seriously in the crash. The helicopter, which crashed, took off from the Hashimara airbase and was on a routine sortie but crashed over the Damdim tea estate in Mal area. The wreckage fell over the railway tracks disrupting train movements for some time, said the Superintendent of Police Rahul Srivastava. Flight Officer Bharadwaj and Flight Officer Jogesh, pilots of the ill-fated chopper, have been admitted to Binaguri Cantonment Army Hospital in serious condition, the SP said. However, no civilian was injured in the crash. The wreckage from the railway tracks has been cleared and train traffic has been restored.

Two civilians killed in Kashmir militant attack (Go To Top)

     Waspora (Kashmir): At least two civilians were killed and one person severely injured when militants opened fire in Waspora area in Budgam district of Kashmir on Wednesday (December 29). The incident occurred within hours after nine people, including a youth wing leader of Indian Kashmir's main opposition party were killed in a rebel attack. The militants barged into the house of the deceased and indiscriminately fired at him and one of his relative, killing them on the spot. "At around 11.45 pm (local time) last night, some unidentified people indiscriminately fired at him. And fled away," said Abdul Majeed Bhat, one of the neighbours of the victim. No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the killing. The violence occured a day after top diplomats from Pakistan and India ended a review of their tardy year-long peace process but announced no breakthroughs. The South Asian neighbors have come a long way in patching up ties since going to the brink of a fourth war in 2002, but after nearly a year of talks that have largely skirted the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir, they face problems taking the peace process forward. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training a 15 years rebellion in the state. Islamabad denies stoking the revolt, which has claimed over 45,000 lives since it began in 1989.

Three killed in train accidents in Varanasi (Go To Top)

     Varanasi: Three persons were crushed to death in different areas of the district by trains. While one person was killed when he was hit by Himgiri express near outer signal in Chaukaghat area of the district, another was run over by the same train near Shivpur railway station on Wednesday. The third incident took place when a person was crushed to death by a train near Bhagwan Awadhoot Ram halt station, that too on Wednesday. According to the police, the bodies have been sent for post- mortem.

NSCN (I-M) meet from January 3, 2005 (Go To Top) 
by Gaurav Shrivastava

     NSCN Camp Hebron: The Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) will reportedly hold a giant party meeting from January 3 to 6 for the first time since its Chairman Isak Chisi Swu and General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah landed in Nagaland in the third week of December. Swu and Muivah, informed sources told ANI that both leaders will also hold consultative meetings between January 19 and 21 to mobilize the popular Naga opinion on the ongoing peace talks with the Government of India. The outfit will also hold a giant party meeting for the first time. It has been learnt that during this meeting NSCN (I-M) members would reaffirm their mandate in both Swu and Muivah. "It will be a reaffirmation of mandate in the collective leadership of chairman Isak Chisi Swu and general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah," said K. Chawang, a top spokesperson of the NSCN (I-M). According to Chawang, those who have enrolled as NSCN workers will be present at the meeting. The party meeting was earlier scheduled to be held on December 28 and 29, but has now been postponed to January next year.

     Meanwhile, both Swu and Muivah have been holding a series of meetings with various groups in the highly secured fortress zone -- the NSCN (I-M) headquarters at Camp Hebron aimed at collecting popular Naga opinion on issues concerning the future of the state. "Consultations with various groups are going on daily. In the first week of January next year, from January 3 to 6 a party meeting will be there," said K. Chawang. After the glittering X-mas celebration in the camp now the organization is getting ready for a hectic New Year with series of party activities lined up. Unlike Christmas, when all the senior office bearers of the NSCN (I-M) were present at the General Headquarters of the organization to celebrate the event, the visiting dignitaries have been allowed to celebrate and usher in the New Year with their family members. On January 2, 2005, the first Sunday of the year, there will be a prayer and a fasting programme in the Camp at which Swu and Muivah will also be present. It may be mentioned here that the two top leaders of NSCN (I-M) are in Nagaland to gauge the mood of people in the state. They have already expressed satisfaction on the ongoing peace talks with the Government of India. The duo also made clear that, if need be, they may stay on in Nagaland beyond January for the speedy resolution to their decades-old political conflict. NSCN (I-M) has held a ceasefire with New Delhi for the last seven years. Swu and Muivah visited New Delhi for the first time in January 2003, but there was no agreement on the organization's demand to unify all Naga-dominated areas in the northeast region.

Udhampur-Baramullah rail line completion to be delayed by a year (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The 287 km-long Rs 5000-crore Udhampur- Srinagar-Baramullah new broad gauge railway line project is in progress in phases. Though every effort is being made to complete the project by the fixed deadline of August 15, 2007, it would be likely delayed by at least a year, said a government press release issued today. While on the 25-km long Udhampur-Katra section, earthwork, tunneling and bridge work are in progress, on the 142-km long Katra-Qazigund section land acquisition has been completed and tunneling work is in progress on the first five kilometers. Likewise, on the 120-km long Qazigund-Baramullah section, earthwork and bridge work are in progress. According to the release, out of the total cost, Rs 1286 crore was incurred on this project till March 2004, while in the current fiscal year a sum of Rs 700 crore has been allocated.

RBI designates 12 banks for tsunami relief collection (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India has shortlisted 12 specific branches of various public sector banks in New Delhi to receive tsunami related donations to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF). The banks marked for the purpose are Central Bank of India, Janpath, State Bank of India, Parliament Street, Union Bank of India, CP, Dena Bank, Karol Bagh, Syndicate Bank, South Block, Corporation Bank, CP, Bank of India, Janpath, Indian Overseas Bank, Parliament Street, Punjab National Bank, Parliament Street, Indian Bank, CP, Allahabad Bank, Parliament Street and Citi Bank, CP. According to Alpana Killawala, Chief General Manager of the RBI, "the aforesaid banks will nominate a nodal branch in New Delhi for the purpose of collection of contribution. The decision was taken in consultation with the Prime Minister's Office and the Indian Banks' Association." The mechanics for expediting the remittances, the RBI stated that each collecting branch would send the collection to its respective nodal branch of its own in New Delhi each day, along with the details of the donor. The nodal branches will in turn remit the funds to any of the above mentioned branches maintaining the PMNRF account. The banks, which do not have a branch in New Delhi, will collect the donations and remit through a single demand draft or by using the electronic funds transfer facility to any of the 12 designated branches. "Contributions to the PM's National Relief Fund are notified for 100 percent deduction from taxable income under Section 80 (G) of the Income-tax Act. The PMO will issue an official receipt to the donor as per the current practice", added the CGM of RBI.