A memorable Olympics torch run in Delhi
New
Delhi: The Olympic torch arrived at its final Asian
destination on Thursday with New Delhi becoming the sixth
city to receive the flame on its world tour in the run-up
to the Athens Games. Thousands of people braved the summer
heat to celebrate the torch relay around the city, involving
several leading athletes and celebrities. The flame, which
landed in a special lantern aboard the private jet Zeus,
was transferred to a skittle-shaped torch under the majestic
13th century Qutub Minar, a 73-metre tall sandstone tower,
before the 33.2-km (21-mile) run commenced. The flame was
officially received by Indian Olympic Association President
Suresh Kalmadi.
As
many as 105 runners carried the torch in New Delhi, which
was also part of the global torch relay for the 1964 Tokyo
Games. Ace shooters Anjali Bhagwat, Jaspal Rana, weightlifter
Karnam Malleswari, cricketers Rahul Dravid, Irfan Pathan,
Virender Sehwag, former India cricket captain Kapil Dev,
and legendary athlete Milkha Singh are amongst the prominent
torch bearers. Former men's 400 metres runner Milkha Singh,
India's most revered athlete, and woman shooter Anjali Vedpathak
Bhagwat ran the final legs before the show culminated with
a grand cultural show at the National Stadium, venue of
the inaugural Asian Games in 1951.
Eager
enthusiasts lined the capital's roads to watch the relay,
which was nothing short of momentous. "It is so exciting!
I had come here for a vacation, and it is now we have come
out to watch the torch relay," said Lalita, an onlooker.
"I am feeling very good. I am eagerly waiting to watch the
torch," said Sushila, another onlooker. The thaw in political
tension between India and Pakistan was also reflected in
the relay with a team of Olympic officials from Pakistan
attending the celebrations. But the relay triggered some
controversy with P.T.Usha, Asian track queen of the 1980s,
boycotting the run after being invited following a media
outcry.
Carrying
the message "Pass The Flame, Unite The World", the Olympic
torch began its journey from Olympia, Greece on March 25.
The flame, lit from the sun's rays, resumed journey last
week from Sydney, Australia, the host of the previous 2000
Games, and is being taken across all five continents, represented
by the Olympic rings, before reaching the host country Greece,
where Olympics originated. The flame will travel next to
Cairo for its African leg. After travelling 26 countries,
the flame would return to Greece on July 9 for a final home
tour before lighting the cauldron at the Olympic stadium
on August 13.
Fresh EC notification for Rajya Sabha
elections (Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: The Election Commission on Thursday issued a
fresh notification calling upon legislators in 18 states
to chosse their Rajya Sabha nominees according to the revised
schedule of the biennial polls for 57 seats and byelections
for eight seats, with polling on June 28, following the
vacation of the stay by the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Nominations will open today. The last date of filing nominations
has been fixed as June 17 and scrutiny will take place on
June 18. Withdrawal by candidates will take place before
June 21 and polling will he held on June 28.
Shyam Saran to be next Foreign Secretary
(Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: India's Ambassador to Nepal, Shyam Saran, has
been appointed as the country's new Foreign Secretary, superseding
at least 10 officers senior to him. Saran, 57, is from the
1970 batch of the Indian Foreign Service. His name was cleared
by the Appointment's Committee of the Cabinet. The official
will succeed Shashank, who retires on July 31. Saran's tenure
will be for a little over two years till September 2006.
A seasoned diplomat, Saran has headed Indian missions in
Mauritius from 1992 to 1997, Myanmar (1997 to 2001) and
Indonesia (August 2001 to October 2002). He took over as
India's Ambassador to Nepal in October 2002. Saran has also
served in Hong Kong, Beijing, Geneva and Tokyo besides undergoing
a fellowship in the UN Disarmament Programme in 1979.
PM assurance on Cauvery solution (Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said
the Centre would find a solution to the vexed Cauvery waters
issue that is "mutually acceptable" to both Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu. "I assure you that we will find a solution to
the issue that is mutually acceptable to both sides, and
after taking into account all relevant factors," he told
an all party delegation from Karnataka which apprised him
this morning on the ground situation in the state. "I have
listened to all points of view. First we must get all factors.
Whatever we do will be in the best interests of farmers
of both states--Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Fortunately, this
year the rain god has been kind, hence it should be possible
to find an amicable solution," Singh told them, according
to an official release. The delegation told Singh that the
allegation of Tamil Nadu about Karnataka not releasing water
was "incorrect" and there was no need for the Centre to
convene a meeting of the Cauvery River Authority to discuss
the issue.
'Enough water released by Karnataka'
(Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: Karnataka on Thursday said it had released enough
water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu and that it had not violated
any tribunal awards on Cauvery water sharing issue. A delegation
from Karnataka led by federal minister of Statistics and
Programme Implementation Oscar Fernandes met Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to discuss the issue. "There has been good
rains in the catchment area in both the states and according
to tribunal awards we haven't violated the tribunal awards.
We have given them water more than what's required particularly
during May/June. Their (Tamil Nadu) entitlement, according
to the tribunal awards, was 2.03 TMC. We have released 3.30
TMC water already," said Rajshekhar, a lawmaker from the
state. Tamil Nadu has said its farmers could begin the cultivation
of the rabbi crops only after Karnataka released waters.
The neighbouring states are at odds over the sharing of
waters of the 760 km-long Cauvery river. A three-member
federal team is also assessing the storage position at the
Mettur dam and holding discussions with the state officials
at the dam site. Due to poor storage in the Mettur dam,
water will not be released on June 12 for irrigation purposes
in the delta region. The contentious Cauvery dispute deepened
after Tamil Nadu demanded that the height of Mullaperiyar
dam in Kerala, another basin state, should be raised to
increase the storage capacity. However, Kerala refused to
concede the demand saying that the increase in the height
of the dam was not feasible as the dam was quite old, having
been built during the British era. Recently farmers from
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu formed a joint working group to
resolve the dispute.
Punjab farmers against canal construction
(Go
To Top)
Ludhiana:
Activists of Indian Farmers Union in Ludhiana today
said they would fight tooth and nail any move to complete
the SYL canal. The Supreme Court had last week ordered the
federal government to complete the construction of a portion
of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal within Punjab territory
as the state government had failed to act in accordance
with its directive. "In our meeting today, we decided to
take action against any construction work in Sutlej-Yamuna
Link (SYL) canal. We will be travelling through villages,
inducting more activists who will be filling the jails.
No matter whatever happens, we will continue our protests.
Nothing, even bullets cannot stop us. We will suffer everything
but will not let the canal be built," said Ajmer Singh Lakowal,
president of the farmers union. Chief Minister Captain Amrinder
Singh on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to
find a solution to the ongoing crisis. The apex court had
on Tuesday reprimanded the Punjab government when it went
in appeal pleading with the court to review its order of
last week. Last year, the court had asked the Punjab government
to complete the canal within a year. Most of the 306-kilometre
long canal has already been completed. Once complete, the
canal would carry 3.5 maf (million acre feet) Sutlej river
waters from Punjab to irrigate Haryana's parched plains
in the Yamuna river basin.
Manipur Opposition adamant on boycott
(Go
To Top)
Imphal:
Opposition parties in Manipur led by the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) have said they would continue boycott of the
Assembly session. On Wednesday, the entire opposition stayed
away from the business advisory committee meeting. The opposition
is pressing for a no-trust motion against speaker T.N.Haokip,
who is allegedly involved in the murder of a seven- yer-old
girl. The opposition Democratic People's Alliance (DPA)
has been abstaining from the house since Haokip rejected
their no- confidence motion against him. "On June 14, the
assembly session will begin and as we had boycotted the
previous session so boycott is still continuing against
the speaker. Our boycott will continue," BJP legislator
M. Bhorot said on Wednesday. The murder of Elizabeth Lungnila,
the seven-year old daughter of Manipur's General Administration
Department Minister Francis Ngajokpa in last November, has
sent shock waves across the region. Elizabeth, third daughter
of Ngajokpa, was kidnapped from her school in capital Imphal
and was found killed after a few days on the outskirts of
the city. The state police is clueless about the gruesome
murder. But, several rebel groups active in the state have
said that three state ministers and the speaker were involved
in the murder. The speaker has denied the opposition charges.
