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Badrinath shrine to open on May 13

     Dehradun: The Badrinath shrine in the Himalayas would be reopened on May 13 for pilgrimage after their annual winter closure is over, a religious committee decided on Monday. The shrine is believed to be one of the four most important pilgrimage centres in India, the other three being Puri, Rameshwaram and Dwarka. Dedicated to the Lord Vishnu, Badrinath is situated at a height of approximately 3,133 metres in Chamoli district in the Indo- Tibet Himalayan border region. The shrine remains closed during the winter for nearly five months as the heavy snowfall makes the area inaccessible for pilgrims. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims throng this shrine every year to pray and worship.

Swu, Muivah meet Advani

     New Delhi: National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) president Issac Chisi Swu and the rebel unit's general secretary, Thuingaleng Muivah, on Monday held a meeting with BJP president Lal Krishna Advani at his office in Parliament House. Swu and Muivah, who had earlier held extensive meetings with Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and are due to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, termed their interaction with Advani as positive. The leaders visited New Delhi for the first time in January 2003, but there was no agreement on the rebels' demand to unify all Naga-dominated areas in the northeast into a "Greater Nagaland". That proposal has so far been rejected by New Delhi and is also opposed by rival tribes in neighbouring states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur where Nagas also live. The Naga leaders, who arrived in India in December last year, spent nearly two months in Nagaland, meeting with tribal representatives and the common people to gather feedback at the ground level on the way the talks were progressing. It was their first visit to the state after nearly five decades. However, in a clear softening of stance, Muivah last week spoke of the entire region as being one instead of their oft-repeated demand for a Greater Nagaland. New Delhi has appointed a three-member ministerial team to negotiate with the NSCN leadership, which has maintained a cease- fire with New Delhi for the last seven years.

Women residents of Kashmir actively prepare for civic polls (Go To Top)

     Rajouri: Hectic campaigning is on in Kashmir's Rajouri town for the sixth and last phase of civic polls with huge participation of women. Women are campaigning for candidates despite a boycott call given by militants and separatist organisations. Border town Rajouri goes to polls on February 17 in the last and sixth phase. Women candidates have been fielded for the civic polls being held in the trouble-torn valley after a span of 27 years. Women say they want development in the region, which has been the worst sufferer due to the ongoing rebellion against Indian rule. Noorini, a candidate of People's Democratic Party, who is pursuing her post graduation degree, said, that the polls would be able to solve the basic problems of the people. "I have ventured into politics because I have to work to solve the problems of people. So I opted for politics rather than a routine job," she said. Kamal Bakshi, a Congress candidate said he agreed with Noorini. "The set of problems which are of water, cooking gas and electricity will be solved at lower level," he said. Militants have however, staged a string of deadly attacks on candidates, party workers and rallies before the elections, killing two candidates and wounding dozens of people.

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