According to The Statesman employees the fire broke out around 8pm in the rotary section of the old press at the rearside of the premises. Though the exact reason behind the fire could not be ascertained, the short circuit was apparently belived to have caused the fire. 23 fire tenders were pressed into service. The Statemsman sources confirmed that efforts were on to bring the morning editions. West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishan Gandhi rushed to the Stateman office and inquired about the incident. (UNI)

Dismissing a public suit against the campaign, a Bench consisting of judges MK Sharma and Reva Khetrapal said: 'It is not the duty of the court but of the respective state governments to maintain law and order (during the campaign)'. A ban had been sought on the campaign on the ground it would create communal tension in the country - as had happened when Advani undertook a yatra in 1990.

Advani had announced on March 8 that he and BJP president Rajnath Singh would be undertaking the yatras to protest what he called the government's policies aimed at appeasing the minorities. (PTI)

New Delhi: Declaring a multi-pronged strategy to deal with the naxal menace, the Centre on Friday said it has cleared a proposal for employing retired Army officers to train state police forces in mine clearance and other operations in 13 affected states but ruled out using serving Army personnel in the battle against left-wing extremism.

"The Defence Ministry has agreed to a proposal for identifying retired officers from the Corps of Engineers especially in Chhattisgarh", one of the worst hit by naxalism in the recent past, "to train police forces....Serving Army personnel" would not not be employed, Home Secretary V K Duggal said after chairing a meeting of chief secretaries and DGPs of concerned states to control the naxalite situation. Duggal said training by retired Army officers was being "most immediate" priority since naxalites were using improvised explosive devices to counter "Salvajulum", a movement launched by people in Chhattisgarh fight the "red terror".

The meeting was attended among others by chief secretaries and directors general of police of the 13 naxalite-affected states including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh.

Asked about the reported links of the naxalites with the Maoists in Nepal, Duggal said while there has been no "direct interaction" between them, "messages have been exchanged with regard to ideology". Making a comprehensive review of the naxal situation, the Home Secretary said issues like the need to fill up huge vacancies in states police forces, strengthening of networking of intelligence to pre-empt likely naxalite attacks and effective coordination among Railway Protection Forces (RPF), General Railway Police (GRP) and Centre and state police forces was emphasised.

In a bid to give fillip to efforts to fight naxalism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would address a meeting of Chief Ministers of the naxal-hit states on April 13, officials said. The need to strengthen RPF, GRP, state police and intelligence agencies comes in the wake of the the naxal attack on March 13 and detaining a train in Latehar district in Jharkhand.

Asserting that naxalite violence had come down except in Chhattisgarh in view of the role of local resistance groups, Duggal said counter strategy and other measures to deal with the menace including a four-pronged action plan was discussed. The plan included strengthening of RPF and modification in some laws and training needs of police forces, he said, while giving details about the discussions held during the day-long meeting. (PTI)

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party will not field itscandidate against Congress President Sonia Gandhi when she seeks re-election from Rae Bareli, BSP chief Mayawati said here on Friday.Addressing a party workers meeting here, Mayawati, however, said this should not mean that there would be some kind of electoral understanding between the BSP and Congress.

Gandhi, who resigned from Lok Sabha on March 23 in the wake of office-of-profit controversy, had announced that she would contest again from Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh when the byelection would be held.

Claiming that without BSP support, Gandhi would not be able to win Rae Bareli, Mayawati said her victory suited the BSP's scheme of things due mto which she was not fielding a candidate against the Congress chief. It was in the interest of the BSP that Gandhi reached the Lok Sabha again where the BJP led by L K Advani was in a sizeable number, she said.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party national general secretary Amar Singh Friday challenged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to contest elections against him from any of the Mainpuri, Etawah or Azamgarh constituencies of Uttar Pradesh.

"Ms Gandhi has challenged anyone to contest against her from Rae Bareli constituency. I also throw a challenge before her to fight against me from any of the Mainpuri, Etawah or Azamgarh segments," Mr Singh told newspersons here.

"Sonia Gandhi Lok Sabha ki sadasyata se istifa dekar, tyag ki devi nahin ban gayi hain (Ms Gandhi has not attained a goddess like status by resigning her Lok Sabha seat)," he observed.

Mr Singh claimed that the Congress president’s resignation was a mere political drama, which the masses can see clearly. (UNI)

"I love coming to India, it is emotional," the Prince of Wales had said during his meeting with the English cricket team in New Delhi.

On a private visit to the country, the royal couple spent most of their time with the artisans and farmers in the villages of Punjab and Rajasthan and pursued them to adopt organic farming which they called was the best alternative route.

In the desert state, they saw water conservation project and witnessed gala events at the Rajasthan Day celebrations. Among their visit to the historical places was a trip to Anandpur Sahib Gurudwara, the most important Sikh shrine after the Golden temple in Amritsar and the Mahendragarh Fort in Jodhpur. (PTI)

New Delhi: Nearly seven years after the abduction and gruesome murder of cartoonist Irfan Hussain, allegedly by a gang of auto thieves, a city court has acquitted all the five accused for want of evidence. In his 40-page judgement, Additional Sessions Judge Talwant Singh held the prosecution responsibile for not being able to establish both the offence of kidnapping and subsequent murder and link the recovery of Maruti car and some personal belongings of the victim with the accused who were alleged members of an auto-snatcher gang.

"In a case of circumstantial evidence, each and every circumstance should be proved independently and the chain of circumstances should be complete and the compound effect of the chain should be framed in such a manner that it is only the accused persons who had committed the offence and none else," said the judge.

The court, giving the benifit of doubt, absolved Mustafa Ansari, Sanjay, Heera Singh, Mohammed Jasim, hailing from the national capital, and Mohammed Shahid, a resident of Bihar, of the charges of kidnapping and murder of Irfan Hussain who was working with weekly news magzine ‘Outlook’.

As per the prosecution, the five accused, along with a minor who is facing trial in the Juvenile Justice Board, were the members of a gang which was involved in snatching of cars on the national highway in east Delhi. The decomposed body of Irfan was found in a bush near Mayur Vihar in east Delhi alongside the national highway. On the night of March eight, 1999, Hussain, while returning to his Shahibabad residence, was kidnapped and later killed near the Gazipur traffic light in Delhi, the prosecution had alleged.

The court held that the case of the prosecution entirely depended on the "circumstantial evidence" and the recoveries of the personal objects of the victim including his car. According to the prosecution, police, after arresting the accused who were already in judicial custody in connection with another auto-snatching case, recovered a bag allegedly of Hussain containing a mobile charger, pen and a diary, from the house of one of the accused Sanjay in the presence of a public witness Banwarilal.

But in the court, Banwarilal took a U-turn by deposing that he did not witness any such recovery and the police obtained his signature on a plain paper. The recovery of another bag of the victim from the possession of two children Sonu and Monu of Mirazpur village of Sonepat, Haryana, could not help the prosecution as well as they had found that bag in a field and did not see any of the accused.

While the white colour Maruti car of the victim was recovered, on December 8, 1999 from a place which was 50 to 60 yards from a check post near Ananatnag town in Jammu and Kashmir, when the driver, on being asked to stop for security check, fled after abandoning the vehcile.(PTI)

New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Friday sentenced to death a man for raping and later causing the death of his three-year-old daughter due to injuries inflicted on her during the crime. Mohammed Sheikh Noor Hussain, 26, was held guilty on two counts -- rape and murder -- of his daughter.

While death sentence was awarded for murder, Additional Sessions Judge S K Kaushik imposed life sentence, the maximum punishment prescribed for the offence of rape in the statute to the accused. "The circumstances proved on record are of conclusive nature," the court said turning down the pleas of leniency for the accused, a jhuggi dweller of Sarojini Nagar area in South Delhi. "A child by mere act of taking birth is thrust into an unfamiliar world and is entirely at the mercy of adults. Nothing can be more degrading and dehumanizing that to satisfy his prurience a father views his three year old daughter as an object of sexual satisfaction," the court observed. 

The Court convicted the accused for murder saying "from the tender age of the victim there is no manner of any doubt that the accused can be imputed with the knowledge that his sexual intercourse with the victim who was just three years ols was so imminently dangerous that in all probability it would cause such bodily injury to the victim as was likely to cause her death". Though one of the main witnesses, who had taken the victim to the hospital, had turned hostile, the court said her testimony would not come in the way of conviction as "her testimony could be acted upon if the same is corroborated by other evidence."(PTI)

Rajora said that in all 8,247 chickens were culled and 293 were mopped up during door-to-door operation in the 23 villages falling within 10km radius of Ichhapur, after bird flu was detected. Four hundred and forty seven eggs were also destroyed, he added.

Disinfectant was also sprayed in 2,300 houses and the villages have been declared as "high-security risk zone", he said, adding that a compensation of Rs 2.12 lakh has been distributed among the poultry farmers. During the culling operations, two veterinary expansion officers -- Dr D K Jain (Indore) and Dr Naveen Shivhare (Sehore) -- were suspended for allegedly violating directives by failing to join the rapid response teams, Rajora said.

The state government had collected around 300 samples from border districts falling within 20km radius of infected areas in Maharashtra and was awaiting test results, he said.(AFP)

New Delhi: After mounting tension for three months, land-locked Nepal Friday finally heaved a sigh of relief as it renewed a ‘lifeline’ trade treaty with southern neighbour India, less than a week before it was due to end.

S.N. Menon, the Indian commerce secretary, and Bharat Bahadur Thapa, secretary in Nepal’s commerce, industry and supplies ministry, inked an agreement here Thursday that extends the India-Nepal transit treaty for another seven years, after which it should be automatically renewed again if there are no differences.

‘By supporting us in keeping Nepal’s lifeline open, India has proved to be Nepal’s true friend, Nepal’s Commerce, Industry and Supplies Minister Buddhiman Tamang said.

In New Delhi, external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna Friday said: ‘The treaty of transit between India and Nepal which was in force up to Jan 5, 2006, has been renewed with mutually agreed technical modifications for a further period of seven years.’(IANS)

Addressing a public meeting here, Khurana said: "I cannot tolerate the ongoing drive by the MCD anymore. The residents of Delhi are frustrated with this ongoing drive for the last four months and the Government of Delhi has been acting as a silent spectator." Khurana also announced that he would visit different places around Delhi and demand that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh introduce a resolution for the reprieve of Delhi citizens.

Khurana, said he would declare the exact date of the fast soon.

Earlier, hundreds of traders and shopkeepers sealed the office of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in West Delhi on Friday. About 1,500 people were arrested along with a few political leaders—like Madan Lal Khurana, Harsharan Singh Balli and Dayanand Chandila.(ANI)

Jammu: There was no political conspiracy behind the assassination of Jammu and Kashmir minister Ghulam Nabi Lone in Srinagar last year, according to a panel that probed the killing.

Sharing with newsmen the findings of the panel that probed the circumstances in which Lone, then minister of state for education, was shot dead in his residence in the highly protected Tulsibagh area Oct 18, 2005, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said no political conspiracy was discovered during the investigation.

‘However, there were certain security lapses that led to the assassination of the minister and a near fatal attack on the CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) leader Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami,’ Azad said. Finance Commissioner B.B. Vyas, who was the divisional commissioner of Kashmir when the assassination occurred, led the probe.

The panel’s report was submitted to the government last week and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to which Lone belonged, had been demanding that its findings be made public. The demand for a probe and the presentation of its findings in the state legislature was made by former tourism minister and senior PDP leader Ghulam Hassan Mir.(IANS)

New Delhi: GoAir, the Wadia group owned low-cost airline, Friday unleashed another price war in the Indian aviation market by offering to pay double the price difference if a customer gets a cheaper airline ticket. 'If a customer flying on any domestic airline gets a better fare than a GoAir customer on routes GoAir operates in, he or she gets twice the difference in reimbursed fares,' the airline's managing director Jeh Wadia said.

'GoAir will also reimburse the cost of cancellation - done immediately - of the other airline's ticket as credit, which can be used to purchase GoAir tickets,' Wadia told a press conference at which he announced the 'The GoAir Challenge'. The scheme aims to simplify decision making for passengers in the complex world of fares. 'This challenge will give the customer value for money which no other airline offers,' he said.

The airline also announced the addition of its latest Airbus A-320 aircraft to its fleet, which is under a deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to fly the Indian and English teams in the ongoing one-day international series. Unveiling GoAir's business plans, Wadia said it will have five more aircraft in operation by the yearend with a target of 33 by the end of 2008. GoAir had ordered 20 aircraft from Airbus Industrie in Singapore last month.

The airline will link Delhi with Chennai and Mumbai daily from April 3 at convenient timings and also commence operations on the Mumbai-Jammu-Srinagar sector. The airline currently covers 14 cities with 28 flights. Air Deccan investment: Meanwhile, a world class hanger facility of the country's low cost airliner Air Deccan would be set up at the Airport here with an initial investment of Rs five million USD.

Talking to reporters after participating in the Bhoomi puja ceremony, Air Deccan Managing Director Captain G R Gopinath at Chennai said an additional five million investment would be made to further develop the first hanger facility here.

Stating that the facility would provide basic and medium-level maintenance checks, he said to ensure that the hanger was in line with international standards, a team of engineers from Air Deccan had visited various facilities worldwide. The hanger was expected to be ready for operation in about 8 to 12 months, he added. (Agencies)

The CCIB along with KSU leaders had a meeting with the State Deputy Chief Minister Dr Donkupar Roy on Friday and got the assurance from him to suspend the fencing works in Khasi-Jaintia Hills. The State government would officially instruct the Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner Fredrick Roy Kharkongor to order suspension of the fencing works.

In fact, the Deputy Chief Minister said State government would specifically write to the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) to stall the fencing works from Nongjri in East Khasi Hills to Jaliakhola in Jaintia Hills until fresh demarcation of Indo-Bangla border in this sector was complete.

Friday's meeting was held at the office chamber of Dr Roy in the presence of other senior Ministers like Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister JD Rymbai, and a group of senior officials including Chief Secretary SK Tiwary.

Talking to the media soon after the meeting, KSU general secretary Hamlet Dohling said that the meeting decided to have the special committee involving local MLAs from border area, Rangbah Shnongs of concerned villages and aggrieved land owners, besides some senior officials of the State government, including the Deputy Commissioners of Jaintia Hills and East Khasi. CCIB leaders would also be there in the committee.

The Committee members will soon visit the border areas from Jaliakhola to Dawki for an on-the-spot inspection of border, besides studying the problems of the people from those areas. Mr Dohling said the Committee would submit its report to the State government so that the latter could raise this issue with the Centre in turn.

The CCIB, a conglomeration of four NGOs - HNYF, FKJGP, SSSS and Federal Council of War Mihngi War Jaintia (FCWMWJ) - along with the latest entrant KSU, had called for office picketing on April 3 and 4 in protest against the State government's laxity towards their demands.

The NGOs have been demanding that there should not be any border fencing where dispute prevails. "Even today, we wanted Dr Roy to convince the Centre to erect fence only on Zero line and not within 150 yards of international border", Mr Dohling said. However, Deputy Chief Minister said as the fencing along international border should be in conformity with international norms, the State government could do nothing but request the Centre to have fencing only on Zero line.

Though Dr Roy assured the members of CCIB that the State government would try to convince the Centre to examine the grievances of the people and consider their demand, but it solely depends upon the Centre how it plays the balancing act.

The Council CEM said that the KHADC entered into a deal to buy the Hospital after a thorough deliberation with the NEITED management, the owner of the said hospital. "The question of Chief Minister being involved in the deal does not arise", Mr Shylla said. He further said that the KHADC had negotiated the price and agreed to purchase the Hospital only when the NEITED management brought down the price.

The CEM said he approached the MIDC for a loan and the exemption in terms of interest was made after an understanding with its Managing Director.

Sources close to the Congress party said that both the leaders will leave for Delhi on Saturday. Mr Danggo has been demanding a Cabinet birth as a representative from West Khasi Hills as the present MDA cabinet does not have any representative from the district.

SHILLONG: The Supreme Court ruling that conversion of a tribal to Christianity could disqualify him from contesting elections to the post of traditional heads will have no impact in Khasi and Jaintia Hills as people don't practice traditional religious rituals here.

The CEM of Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) Mr Moonlight Pariat told The Shillong Times on Friday that the verdict was "only for one case" and doubted that if other Dollois would also come under the purview of the judgement.

"We have not received the copy of the Apex Court's ruling", Mr Pariat said adding that the verdict would only be applicable to Jaintia Hills and not to other districts of the State -- Khasi and Garo Hills.

" In some Elakas where the population is all Christians, including the Dolloi, religious rites and ceremonies are not performed", the JHADC CEM said. He pointed out that the headman and Dolloi were two different posts, "while the former is just an administrative head of a small area who has no religious responsibility whatsoever, the latter is both an administrative and religious head of an Elaka (a big area) who performs religious rites and duties."

Echoing similar view, the KHADC CEM Mr H S Shylla said "the Khasi Hills does not come under the purview of the ruling". "In Khasi Hills, it is different as the traditional heads who are Christians do not perform religious ceremonies", Mr Shylla said adding "except for the Syiem of Hima Khyriem, who performs religious activities, all chiefs or traditional heads who have switched over to Christianity do not perform the religious ceremonies".

These duties are performed by the Lyngdohs.

SHILLONG: Acute shortage of rabbis vaccine in the State run hospitals and health institutes has become a cause of serious concern both for the government and public as well. The issue came up for serious deliberation after the death of 18 people in Manipur just because of unavailability of Anti-rabbis vaccines in that state.

With a whopping 17,000 dog-bite cases reported in Meghalaya during the past three years coupled with acute shortage of vaccines, the State government in actual term was found short of words to cover up their inability. "The vaccine manufacturing factory in Tamil Nadu is not supplying the vaccine. We have written to them in this regard", Commissioner and Secretary, Health, Mr P Naik told reporters on Friday.

As per the official figure, while there were 6,044 cases of dog-bite in 2003-2004, in 2004-2005 the figure came down to 5,496 just to register another rise up to 6,354 in 2004-05.A death was reported last year, while two cases of deaths occurring because of Rabbis infection were reported in the year before.

What is surprising is that despite this alarming situation confronting the State, the Anti-rabbis vaccines are not available even in the Pasture Institute, which is supposed to have the latest treatment for Rabbis victims. People have to depend on open market now. While the rate of one dose of Anti-rabbis vaccine is Rs 175 in any government health centre, it is Rs 350 in the open market and people from poor family background can hardly afford such a huge expenditure.

Mr Naik, however, advocated a co-ordinated effort on the part of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department, Urban and Municipal Affairs to have control over stray dog menace.

When contacted, the Shillong Municipal Board Chief Executive Officer Mr WL Lyngdoh said the SMB had already given instructions to the people to register their pet dogs to differentiate from stray dogs. Friday was the last day for registering the pet dogs with the Municipal Board. He admitted that there were a large number of stray dogs in and around the city. "We have only one expert to catch the stray dogs, so we are thinking of training more persons to handle the job", Mr Lyngdoh said.

As the present system of catching the dogs straightaway is not effective, the SMB is also contemplating use of tranquilliser guns to sedate the dogs so that they could be easily caught. "Use of tranquillisers to sedate them would help us control the menace effectively, said Mr Lyngdoh.

Shillong: The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has come into force in the districts of West and South Garo Hills with effect from April 1, according to a Government notification. The Act gives legal guarantee of 100 days wage employment per year per family to adult members (above 18 years) of rural households who demand employment and are willing to do unskilled work.

Under this Act, the National Rural Employment Scheme is being implemented in 200 districts in the country, including the above districts of Meghalaya in the first phase. The scheme aims at providing enhanced livelihood security to rural households and enable rural households to address the problems of poverty through assured and guaranteed income and improve their living conditions.

In this connection, the West Garo Hills District administration has taken up preparations on a war footing to implement the scheme effectively in the district and to propagate the importance of the scheme to the rural masses of all corners of the district.

The issues related to the Act came up for discussion in the just concluded Assembly session. The legislators wanted more districts to be included under the Act. The MLAs had also asked the Government to implement the scheme with transparency and accountability.

The Chief Minister D D Lapang also assured the Assembly that the Government will look into all the legalities before implementing the scheme. He said the Government would write to the Centre to include more districts from Meghalaya under the scheme.

Shillong: Inordinate delay in sanction and construction of bridges resulted in unproductive expenditure of Rs 92.26 lakh, according to the CAG report released recently.

The construction of five kilometer road from Pancharing to Kuttapara, estimated to cost Rs 69.77 lakh, was sanctioned by the State Government in July 1996. Though the additional provision of Rs 25.31 lakh for construction of two bridges (first and second kilometer) was made in the estimate, the same was not sanctioned. The executing agency, Meghalaya Government Construction Corporation Limited (MGCCL) completed the construction of the raod in March 2000 at a cost of Rs 66.95 lakh.

The report pointed that test check of records of the Director Border Areas Development (BAD) in September 2004 revealed that the MGCCL had informed the Government, BAD Department in July 1998 and March 2000 that though the road was completed, vehicular traffic could not ply round the year in the absence of the bridges and that the road would be of no use to the villagers unless the two bridges were constructed.

But the bridge estimate (Rs 25.31 lakh) was sanctioned by the Government only in November 2001, that is, after a lapse of over three years from the date of completion of the road. Advance payment for the entire estimate cost, which is at Rs 25.31 lakh was also made on March 2002 by the Director to the MGCCL for construction of the bridges, the CAG said. Agreement and work order indicating the stipulated time for completion of the work could not be made available to Audit.

According to the Managing Director, MGCCL, the bridges were fixed for completion by February 2006. While 35 per cent of the first bridge was completed, the second bridge could be taken up only on completion of the first one.

Progress of work made by the MGCCL after three years of receiving the advance indicated that completion of the remaining works of the first bridge and the entire portion of the second bridge by the Corporation within the next six months would be a remote possibility.

Thus, due to sanction of the estimate without provision for bridges and inordinate delay in according sanction to the estimates and construction of bridges, the road could not be used rendering the expenditure of Rs 92.26 lakh largely unproductive, the report said.

Shillong: With a view to keeping the locality clean throughout the year, the Golflink Dorbar Shnong under the aegis of Street Wise Cell and the management of different schools within the jurisdiction, kicked off the monthly cleaning drive in the locality on Friday. The Dorbar Shnong has recently decided to conduct the drive on every last Friday of the month to ensure that the streets in the locality are cleaned and dirt-free.

Inaugurating the drive, Mr AL Hek, MLA, stressed on the need to create awareness on the importance of environmental protection while stating that 'the first step in this regard is to clean the locality that we live in'.

Mr Hek said the main purpose of involving school children in the cleaning drive was inculcate in them the love for nature and cleanliness besides encouraging the elderly people in the locality to follow suit. He hope that the initiative taken by the Golflink Dorbar Shnong would encourage more localities in the city to follow suit as most of the localities in Shillong conduct cleaning drives once in a year only.

Meanwhile, Headman of the Golflink Dorbar Shnong, Mr J B Lyngdoh informed that the cleaning drive would be conducted on every last Friday of the month. The schools that participated in the cleaning drive included Happy Hours School, Rajbari Lower Primary School, Shillong Secondary School, Buddha Mandir Secondary School, St Xavier School, Pynthorumkhrah Government Lower Primary School, Gandhi Buniyadi Secondary School, Christ Disciples Secondary School and Pynthorumkhrah Golflink Secondary School. All the expenses in the cleaning drive was sponsored by the Hotel MBA.

Addressing the inaugural function, Mr Kharlyngdoh said that jatropha curcus plant, which is commonly grown by the people in the area for live hedge fencing of their garden contains oil substance in the seed, which is known as bio-diesel and which can be used in any diesel run engine without modification.

In this connection, he called upon the people to appreciate the economic value of this plant and the potential employment opportunities that they can derive from planting of jatropha.

Shillong: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has effected a minor administrative reshuffle and allotted portfolios among the Executive Members.

While the Chief Executive Member H S Shylla retains the General Administration, Personnel, Finance, Law and Legal Matters, and any other department not allotted to any member, Mr F Cajee, Executive Members, was allotted the Planning (Direct Funding), Rubber Plantation and Cash Crop Development, Waste Land Development, Council Building, Council Affairs. 

W Mynsong, will take charge of Forest and Environment, Jhum Control, Trade and Enforcement and Labour Service License (Ri Bhoi District). While Dr P W Khongjee, will look after Health, Mines and Mineral, Information Technology, Cadastral Survey and Resource Mobilisation, Mr M Nongrem, will be in charged of Elaka Administration (West Khasi Hills District), Revenue Collections and Social Customs.

Mr C B Syiem, will look after Development and Youth Affairs. Mr J T S Thongni, will be in charged of Land, Trade and Enforcement and Labour Service License (West Khasi Hills District), Education, Marriage and Divorce.

While Mr F M Mawphniang has been given the Elaka Administration (East Khasi Hills District and Ri Bhoi District), Inter Elaka Boundary Dispute and Town Committees/Administration, Mr Sanbor Shullai will be holding the Taxation including Professional Tax, Trade and Enforcement and Labour Service Licence (Shillong City), Information and Public Relation.

While Mr L Blah will take charge of Markets, Trade and Enforcement and Labour License (East Khasi Hills District), Mr S Rashir will hold the Fisheries, Transport, Arts and Culture, Public Health and Sanitation.

Shillong: The KSU South Central Circle, East Khasi Hills District, has decided to use the Right to Information Act in order to be able to have a close watch on the proper implementation of various Central and State Government schemes within the district. In a statement issued here, President of the KSU South Central Circle, Mr Shongskhemlang Tynsong informed that the Circle has gives the responsibility to its units to monitor and conduct field inspection with regard to implementation of the schemes.

Mr Tynsong said the Union has taken the initiative on account of the complaints received on misappropriate or unfurnished construction works of the various schemes and urged the general public to inform the Union if case of any drawbacks found in the execution of schemes in their respective areas.

Elections are as much about winning friends as about confusing enemies. In Assam, chief minister Tarun Gogoi seems to have done both with considerable success. Five years of his rule saw large sections of the people drifting away from the Congress. Two communities in particular - the tribal people working in the tea gardens and the Muslims - posed serious problems for the party.

Both were traditional vote-banks of the Congress, but resented the government's indifference to their grievances. The state's tea industry has long been facing a crisis, which sometimes resulted in violence in the gardens. The Assam tea tribes students' association had threatened to oppose the Congress in the elections. Mr. Gogoi has done well to woo the association back into the party's fold. His attempts to win back the support of the Muslims have not been as successful though. And this despite the fact that the Centre's recent amendment of the Foreigners' Act was clearly aimed at helping he Congress in the polls. But the division in the political loyalties of the Muslims should help the Congress to an extent. The chief minister's other major worry should be the public perception about corruption in his government. He has clearly failed to keep his promise of acting firmly and decisively against corrupt ministers and officials.

However, Mr. Gogoi's biggest advantage is a confused and disunited opposition. The two main opposition parties - the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party - which had made a common cause against the Congress in the past few elections, have drifted away from each other. The BJP is now forced to go it alone.

That may not help it win many seats, but it will surely weaken the opposition's chances of defeating the Congress. The AGP, too, has lost much of its credibility as a possible alternative to the Congress. The party is weakened by factional rivalries and a loss of direction. Its alliance with the two communist parties and an umbrella organisation of the Muslims is too undefined to be a serious challenge to the Congress. It has some political significance though, as it is the Left's first experiment at forming a 'third front' to fight both the Congress and the BJP.

But unlike in earlier elections, the Congress is slightly edgy this time with chinks appearing in its traditional Muslim vote bank due to the formation of the UDF, a conglomeration of 12 religious and linguistic minority groups. Muslims in Assam, who make up about 30 percent of the state's 26 million people, have for decades been at the centre of electoral politics with the community holding the key to at least 40 of the 126 Assembly constituencies.

The UDF comes with the backing of the Assam chapter of the Jamiat Ulema, which has pledged not to support the ruling party. The Muslims and Assam's Bengali-speaking linguistic minority voters have traditionally been Congress supporters.

The decision to form a political party by minority groups in the state came in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in July last year to repeal the controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act. The 22-year-old Act was replaced with the Foreigners Act of 1946.

Tarun Gogoi though has other ideas, saying: "Despite Azmal and a few others trying to project us as being anti-Muslim, I am certain the Congress party will keep the support of minority voters like earlier as our government has undertaken a slew of welfare and development schemes for the community." Barring the BJP, political formations like the AGP and the AGP (Progressive), led by Mahanta, have also been trying very hard to enlist the support of the minorities for the upcoming elections. Politics revolving around the minorities and the issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh though could once again become a major poll issue with parties like the BJP, the AGP and the AGP (P) working overtime to harp on the emotive issue. The BJP stand is that the Congress government has all along been encouraging migration from Bangladesh to strengthen its vote-bank, and the unabated influx is a threat to the state's indigenous people.

The AGP on the other hand is banking on the support of the powerful All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and their newly floated Asom Sena (Assam Army), a radial vigilante group, to whip up public sentiment by harping on the migration issue. Although the AASU claims it does not meddle in politics, previous elections have shown that the student group, which commands considerable clout in Assamese society, does have a soft corner for the AGP.

The Congress could be in trouble with party's traditional Muslim support base believed to be waning. Besides, certain Muslim legislators within the Congress have also been adopting a belligerent posture, thereby queering the pitch for the party's poll prospects. Leading the banner of revolt is Congress MP from Assam Golam Osmani. He has been lobbying hard to convince the Congress high command to oust chief minister Gogoi from power ahead of the state elections.

Adding to the woes of the Congress is mounting pressure form thousands of Muslim refugees who were displaced a decade ago in clashes with Bodo tribal militants in part of western Assam. The refugees have reportedly announced their decision not to support the Congress as the ruling party has failed to rehabilitate them as promised. The minorities and the issue of Bangladeshi migration apart, the other major poll plank will be the issue of insurgency. But unlike in the past when political parties often tried to pin down the ruling government for failure on the law and order front, the issue of insurgency could this time help the Congress in the upcoming elections. INAV

When President Bush went to Hyderabad to inaugurate a new US consulate I wonder if someone told him the story of Andhra Pradesh's American visa temple. In the past few years a Balaji temple in Chilkur village outside Hyderabad has become the pilgrimage destination for US visa-seekers. It has acquired a reputation among the dollar-driven, that the deity here is particularly powerful in granting an American visa.

Typically, an aspiring American visa-seeker visits the temple a few days before his visa interview at the US consulate. During the visit, the devotee goes through the usual rituals of prayer, including three circumambulations of the inner shrine, and makes a vow. Then, they go off with their documents and dreams to convince the US consulate officer that they are worthy of receiving the visa. If they get their visa, they return to the temple, and fulfil their vow, which is to walk 108 times around the temple.

From my experience, that isn't easy. There are a lot of future American students and professionals out there, and the temple can be very crowded most of the time (the region has one of the largest pool of US visa applicants in the world). I walked the 108 rounds on one occasion to accompany a family member whose vow had been fulfilled. I felt all the peace and piety one does in an ancient place of worship, but also remembered something I had forgotten in the daily drudge of working; the American dream is still a privilege for many, and getting it takes grit, vision, and a little help from God.

In an age when the only news we seem to hear about religion is fundamentalist, the earnest faith of the visa-seeking devotees of this temple is a pleasant change. The religion of these devotees is not anti-modern. Many of these people will enter cutting-edge science and technology roles in the United States. Their lives will embody the future of the world, where different countries and religions will all have to learn to coexist.

The "American Visa Temple" is a shining example of old-world religion coexisting with Andhra's 21st century globalisation. (By arranegement with The Times of India)

Sir,

I was shocked to see the news "cruelty on animals" on one of the news channel on 21st morning, showing how was animals was treated in the mini-zoo in Shillong by the people who came to visit the zoo and by the caretaker or the authority who have to look after the welfare of the animals. As the news was aired all over India, the whole country watched us how we treat the animals. It was a big shame for the people of Shillong and the state as a whole, as the way we treat them is like treating a slave or as if we don't care because they are only animals and we can do whatever we like. But the news reader was asking a question before showing the scene, "looking at the picture, you surprise to see that people went to the zoo with alcohol, cigarettes, plastic, bottles and after that, they threw and give all these dirty stuff to the animals, but not only this, they also went near the fence and tried to chase or frighten the animals. By doing these, they think they were the heroes, but in fact they are showing to the world that they are still barbarians. And there is also one big question. Where are the authorities of the zoo? Where and the NGOs especially those who tried to change the name of the Park? (From Lady Hydari Park to U Soso Tham Park)? If Soso Tham was still alive and if he had seen all that happened, he would like his name to be remembered only in our hearts and not to be curve on marbles.

Yours etc.,
B. Syiemlieh,
Shillong-14

Sir,

I would like to express my view through your esteemed paper about the introduction of new English Text Book (English Reader) for Class X from this session i.e., 2006-07, in which Class X students will appear in the SSLC - 2007 conducted by the Meghalaya Board of School Education. Some of the chapters of this book like `Technology with a human face' on `worrying and `on smiles' are beyond the understanding of young learners like Class X students. According to my opinion, these chapters are fit for the 3rd year B.A. Students (English Course).

That Sir, not to speak of Class X students even the teachers teaching English in the Secondary level will find it difficult to make the student understand the subject matter. These aforesaid chapters are philosophical in nature, which Class X student find beyond the reach of their mind. Due to this students' unfriendly text book the market is flooded with guidebooks. It is strange and surprising, that the price of the English Text Book is Rs. 30.00 (Rupees Thirty only) whereas the price of guidebook is Rs. 80.00. I think those who are masters of English not the master of student's Psychology recommended this textbook.

Therefore, I request the Board authority to clarify the matter for the welfare of the Class X students.

Yours etc.,
D R. Joshi,
Shillong-1

On his arrival on Saturday he will campaign for the party at the Silktown of Sualkuchi near here, at Mukalmua in Nalbari district. On Sunday he will address election ralies at Tezpur in nortern Assam and at Donkamokam in Karbi Anglong. It was informed by Chief Minister Mr Tarun Gogoi here on Friday. He ridiculed the rival AGP and BJP for banking on Bollywood stars for electioneering in the state.

The AGP has roped in Ms Jaya Prada and filmstar turned politician Ms Jaya Bachchan while glamourous Ms Hema Malini and TV start Ms Smriti Irani hit the campaign trail on behalf of the BJP.

Universal Empire, headed by NRI K. Balachandran Nair and engaged in running various educational institutions and infrastructure development projects worldwide, had signed a technical agreement with Nepal's Buddha Airlines in November last year to float Suriya Air.

As a first step, Universal Empire is likely to procure five aircraft for the sector. A Universal Empire official said an aviation expert team had already visited the area for feasibility and technical studies.

"We are also planning to recruit air crew from the northeast region. For this we shall talk to the institutions who are engaged in air hostess training," the official said.

Universal Empire runs medical education institutions at St. Lucia in West Indies and Nepal. They also have other engineering services in the Gulf countries. In India, the organisation runs MBA institutions in Kerala and consultancy and software services in various parts of the country.(IANS)

As part of the new strategy, BSF jawans will be imparted training with modern devices to counter threat posing from across the border, Director General of Border Guards AK Mitra told reporters here.

The DG BSF, who was in the State to review the security scenario along the Indo-Bangla border, inspected disputed Mohanpur area in West Tripura district where border fencing is yet to kick off due to opposition from the local people.

ATSUM had called the indefinite economic blockade from the midnight of March 25 demanding redressal of educational problems in the hill areas of Manipur. (NNN)