Apart from NAC chairmanship, an issue over which Congress president Sonia Gandhi resigned and got re-elected from Rae Bareli, and Sriniketan-Santiniketan Development Authority, the offices sought to be excluded include UP Development Council headed by Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and the now-defunct All India Council of Sports earlier headed BJP leader VK Malhotra with retrospective effect.

The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill 2006 for further amending 1959 Act, which is likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha Monday for passage during the current session which concludes on May 23, was today circulated among MPs by Law Minister HR Bharadwaj.

The government has said it would hold discussions with all political parties to evolve a consensus on the issue. The inclusion of the post held by Opposition leaders is an indication that the government was keen on a consensus on the contentious issue.

About 40 MPs, many of them from Left parties extending crucial support to the UPA government, and 200 MLAs are facing disqualification petitions in the wake of the disqualification of Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan on the office of profit issue.

The Election Commission had last week dismissed a petition against Malhotra on the grounds that it was a pre-election disqualification and hence did not come under its purview. The Bill provides a specific clause for excluding the office of the chairperson of NAC constituted by the Cabinet Secretariat on May 31, 2004. (PTI)

The Central team, led by Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation Oscar Fernandes and comprising Centre's pointsman for the Naga peace process K Padmanabhaiah and some Union Home Ministry officials will leave for the Netherlands on May 17 and stay on in Amsterdam for the next two days for the dialogue. (PTI)

New Delhi: The anti-reservation stir intensified in the national capital and several parts of the country Sunday as medical students and junior doctors struck work, disrupting services at state-run hospitals even as the government ruled out revisiting the proposed quota for OBCs.

About 100 students and resident doctors of five medical colleges began an indefinite hunger strike at the prestigious AIIMS here and medicos disrupted normal and emergency services in some facilities like RML Hospital.

The medicos also intensified protests at Amritsar, Ahmedabad and Cuttack, Burla and Berhampur in Orissa, halting work and forcibly shuting OPDs of hospitals to protest the Centre’s proposal to introduce a 27 per cent quota for OBCs in elite educational institutions. Medical and engineering students in Bangalore staged a protest rally while students of the King George’s Medical University in Lucknow wore black badges. Some 700 medicos attached to state-run medical colleges in Surat decided to observe a day-long strike Monday.

Unfazed by these widespread protests, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh rejected suggestions for a "re-look" at the proposal to introduce a quota for OBCs.

He said it was upto the Prime Minister to decide when to bring the matter to the Cabinet. "As soon as the Prime Minister allows it come in the Cabinet, a decision will be taken," he told reporters who wanted to know whether the bill for reservations would come up in the ongoing session of Parliament.

The Maharashtra government Sunday ordered an inquiry into the beating of medicos by police when they blocked a busy road near the governor’s residence in Mumbai Saturday. "From the visuals we have seen on TV, it looks like excessive force was used," said Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. Amitasha, a representative of students of Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi, said, Saturday’s brutal police action on striking students in Mumbai forced to call the indefinite hunger strike.

"We demand a total roll back of the proposal to give 27 per cent reservation to OBCs and a review of the present reservation policy," she said.

As the agitation spread and gained momentum, hundreds of patients and their relatives were left unattended and desperately looked for help. The authorities took steps to ensure essential services were maintained. In Orissa, officials decided to re-deploy doctors from other districts to hospitals affected by the protests.

Union Health Secretary P K Hota reviewed the situation in Delhi's hospitals at a high-level meeting and authorities were directed to maintain essential services. "We will issue notices to doctors that they are contractually bound to show up for work. The Supreme Court has also said hospital workers must not go on strike," Hota said. Vinod Patro of the AIIMS Resident Doctors Asso-ciation, however, said, "We will continue our hunger strike and will not attend our duties."

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), which has called a "total medical bandh" in Delhi on Monday, has sought a judical probe into the Mumbai incident. Officials in Delhi also said medical superintendents in all hospitals affected by the strike had been directed to maintain essential services.

"An emergency duty system has been created and senior doctors and specialists have been pressed into service," an official said. Hospitals had been directed not to turn back patients, he said. In Amritsar, nearly 150 students of the Government Medical College went on a hunger strike and forcibly closed out patient departments of state-run hospitals. Ankush Goel, president of the Amritsar Medical Students Association, said operation theaters of hospitals would be forced to close down Monday.

Medical students of different colleges in Ahmedabad too continued their indefinite strike. They said the strike that started Sunday will continue till the government finds a long-term solution to the reservation issue. In Bangalore, the protest rally taken out by the medical students was joined by software professionals, doctors and IIT alumni.

The students submitted a memorandum to the governor, saying the proposed 49.5 per cent reservation in IIMs, IITs and AIIMS would "completely destroy these institutes that are centres of excellence". (PTI )

New Delhi: A Taliban commander has claimed that Pakistan intelligence had a hand in the recent killing of Indian engineer K Suryanarayan in southern Afghanistan, a charge dismissed by Islamabad as "nonsense".

A Taliban commander, wishing to remain anonymous, told private Tolu Television that Amir Khan Haqqani, the military commander of Taliban fighters in Zabul province, had opposed the killing of Suryanarayan.

He claimed the Indian engineer was eventually killed by Mullah Latif, a militiaman under the command of Mawlawi Mohammad Alam Andar, allegedly on orders from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, a little-known website Afgha.com quoted the Tolu report. Following the accusation, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's chief of staff Jawed Ludin said the administration expects Islamabad to clarify its position on the accusation.

"The reports on Pakistani ISI involvement in the incident are very important to Afghanistan," Ludin said. Suryanarayan was abducted by the Taliban from Zabul province on April 28 and his body was found on April 30.

In Islamabad, Pakistan Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid said,"this is a baseless allegation. You know whenever such kind of situation arises,they always blame Pakistan. Pakistan has nothing to do with the Indian engineer". "The Indians already have a lot of security people by themselves. This is all nonsense," he added. Pakistan Foreign Office Spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam refuted claims made by the commander and said it has never sponsored the policy of killing civilians.

"We have been condemning killing of civilians where ever they occurred as acts of terrorism. It is not the government policy to sponsor killing of civilians," Aslam said.

Aslam said Pakistan government would have come out with an official reaction had such claims been made by the Indian government. "Reports such as these are not worth commenting on. But If anybody has any evidence, they are welcome to forward it," she said. (PTI)

Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday cited absence of democracy as the prime reason for extremism across the globe. Pakistan has become the epicentre of rising terrorism in the region, he said while addressing a seminar on 'National Security' organised by National Friends Forum here.

Democracy offers the opportunity for alround development of every section of society and the areas devoid of a democratic setup create an atmosphere which is conducive for breeding of terrorism, he noted.

On Maoist activities in Nepal, Mr Modi said lack of effective democratic system and direct control of Monarchy over the state administration led to alienation of the masses from the mainstream of society. This kind of situation was well exploited by the Maoists to spread their base, he added.

"Maoists are trying to create a red corridor from Pashupatinath in Nepal to Tirupati in Hyderabad", Mr Modi cautioned.

Mr Ram Naresh Prasad Singh, a retired officer of Intelligence Bureau and Director of India First Foundation, described the rise of Maoists in Nepal as the major threat to security in India. He alleged the CPI(M), a partner of the UPA government, gave impetus and direction to the Nepalese Maoists. "In contravention of national interest, the CPI (M) held a meeting with Maoist leaders in New Delhi and prepared a 12-point charter of demands".

"Senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechuri even brokered the peace process after the recent unrest in Nepal and gave the Maoists an upper hand in the accepted deal," he said.

He said the Maoists were in a position to influence the election in more than 75 districts and sure to be elected if elections were held. (UNI) 

Thiruvananthapuram: The Left Democratic Front (LDF), which will form the next government in Kerala, will have to learn on the job as a majority of its legislators are first timers.

It will also have to face the collective experience of the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), which has far fewer fresh faces.In the 140-member assembly, the LDF, led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), has got 98 seats, but 55 of its legislators will be in the house for the first time. The Congress-led UDF has only five first-timers among its 42 legislators.
Only five LDF legislators have served as ministers in the past. The most experienced among them would be Kerala Congress (Joseph) leader P.J. Joseph who has been a minister four times.The other four are all from CPI-M.

Three of them, Paloly Mohammed Kutty, K. Radhakrishnan and S Sarma, were part of E.K. Nayanar’s cabinet in 1996-2001, while VJ Thankapan served under the same chief minister during 1987-1991. Mr VS Achuthanandan, slated to lead the government, has been the leader of opposition in the house twice.
Senior CPI-M leader M. Vijayakumar, a prospective ministerial candidate, too has not served in the government. He was the speaker of the assembly when the LDF was in power in 1996-2001.

In comparison, 14 of the outgoing UDF cabinet’s 20 ministers had prior experience of serving in the government. (IANS)

Jammu: A 24-year-old girl from Mumbai who tried to cross into Pakistan to be with her lover has found to her dismay that love does have boundaries after all.

Asha Patel and her friend Asha Sharma, 22, of Haldwani in Uttaranchal were detained while attempting to cross the LoC at Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, Army spokesman Col DK Badola said Sunday.

The two girls were immediately taken into custody and handed to the police at Poonch, he said. Asked why they were "moving around suspiciously in the restricted area", they told Patel wanted to meet her "husband" Mumtaz Khalid of Lahore. Patel told the Army officials that she met Khalid via a chat room in 2003 and the cyber courtship was "solemnised" by exchanging nuptial vows over the internet.

The two also began talking over the telephone and decided to become life partners, oblivious of the fact that "the boundaries between India and Pakistan could become an obstacle in their plan", Badola said. Last year, Patel along with her friend Sharma approached the Pakistan Embassy in New Delhi for a visa but it was denied to her. She then decided to meet Khalid at the Wagah border in Amritsar district of Punjab and worked out a plan to cross the border, the spokesman said.

After cajoling the BSF personnel and Pakistani Rangers, the lovers were allowed to meet for a few minutes by the border officials of the two countries. Last month, the two chatted on the internet and Khalid told Patel that she could cross the LoC at Chakan-da-Bagh and hew would be waiting across.

Under the plan, Sharma would have to return after her friend crossed over. Badola said Senior Superintendent of Poonch S D Jawmal had "established telephonic contact with Asha Patel’s home in Mumbai. Her family has confirmed that she has been missing from the house for last four days". (IANS)

Hoshairpur: Five assai-lants, who were nabbed by police, assaulted a Station House Officer (SHO) of Model Town Police Station and his security guard while they were being taken in van to the police station at Fatehgarh road last midnight, police said today.

They first scuffled with SHO Jiwan Kumar Kalia who was driving the van, hit his head on the steering and tried to snatch his service revolver due to which he lost the control on it as a result van rammed into an electric pole.

They also injured Raj Kumar and snatched a carbine alongwith loaded magazine from him. After snatching they escaped under the cover of darkness. Later both were admitted to the local Civil Hospital where after providing first aid to Kalia, he was discharged.

Shivani wife of Sandip Kumar of Gagret (Himachal Pradesh) was admitted to a local private nursing home for delivery few days ago. (PTI)

Varanasi: A group of 14 young Muslim bravehearts Sunday left this holy city on bicycles for another equally religious city of Kaaba (Saudi Arabia) to spread the message of peace and unite their brethren in Arab countries against terrorism.

The journey titled ‘Kashi Se Kaaba Rajiv Gandhi Shanti Sadbhavna Yatra’, undertaken under the auspices of Anjuman Haidi Chowk, will see the youths cycle their way through Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Jordan to reach the holy city of Kaaba.

The yatra was flagged off from the mosque in Fataman area here by local Congress MP Rajesh Mishra amid the chants of ‘Naare Takbir Allah Ho Akbar.’ Those embarking on the Yatra included Shahid Raza, Ashar Raza, Syed Zafar Abbas, Ibne Hassan, Imran Hussain, Qamar Ali, Sarfaraz Ali, Kaeb Ali, Shamil Haider, Nyer, Ejaz Hussain, Humer Hassan and Raju.

"Humare bhai bhagwan ke ghar kashi se allah ke ghar kaaba ja rahein hai. Ab allah aur bhagwan dono se manate hain ki unhe unke maqsad me kamyabi dilane ke saath sahi salamat ghar pahuchayen," said Nafisa Begum, one of the many women who tied safety bands on the hands of the youths for their safe and successful return.

The youths led by Shah Alam had last evening secured the blessings of Bharat Ratna shehnai wizard Ustad Bismillah Khan for success on their monumental peace trek.

"While wishing us success in our motive, Khan Sahib has also written a letter to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, seeking that the Union government gets in touch with all countries through which the trek will pass, for the safety of the bravehearts," Shah Alam said.

"Terror incidents like the recent March 7 blast in Varanasi have prompted vested interests to malign Islam. This trek is aimed to prove that Islam has no place for terrorists," he added. (UNI)

New Delhi: In India, a woman dies in childbirth every five minutes, and such deaths account for more than 20 percent of the global maternal deaths. The country registers 540 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, higher than what it was a century ago in some of today’s advanced nations - facts that make shocking reading as India observed Mother’s Day on Sunday.

In rural India, the figure is even higher at 619, according to facts and figures brought out by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Maternal mortality is generally defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy or delivery, or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy from a pregnancy-related cause.Approximately 30 million women in the country experience pregnancy annually, and 27 million have live births. Nearly 136,000 maternal deaths occur annually, most of which can be prevented, says the UNICEF study.

States with high maternal mortality rate (MMR) include Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. 

"Approaches leading to reduction in maternal deaths and safe motherhood need to address a diverse range of issues, from awareness campaigns using community-level mobilisers and animators, improving infrastructure and providing reliable emergency obstetrics care," said a Health Ministry official.The major causes of maternal death are excessive bleeding during childbirth (common in home deliveries), obstructed and prolonged labour, infection, unsafe abortion, disorders related to high blood pressure and anaemia.Forty-seven percent of maternal deaths in rural India are attributed to excessive bleeding and anaemia resulting from poor nutritional practices.

Further contributing to MMR, only 15 percent of mothers receive complete antenatal care, and only 58 percent receive any iron/folate tablets or syrup. In rural areas, 75 percent of births still take place at home, mostly without any skilled help to ensure a safe delivery. For each one of these deaths, between 30 and 100 more women suffer from acute maternal morbidities that are painful, debilitating and often permanently disabling. Moreover, babies of deceased mothers are three to 10 times more likely to die within their first two years than children growing up with both parents. To bring the MMR under control, UNICEF is unveiling a new tool, Maternal and Perinatal Death Inquiries (MAPEDI) method, to help save mothers’ lives

MAPEDI, developed and implemented with Johns Hopkins University in the US, uses the "verbal autopsy method" to gain insight from people in communities that have the firsthand experience with the tragedy of maternal mortality. Equipped with a detailed MAPEDI questionnaire, UNICEF India volunteers have begun conducting one-on-one interviews with family members and healthcare workers in five high-risk states. The data collected at these interviews will be ana-lysed.(IANS)

Sources close to the Congress said many leaders of the party both from the State and even from Delhi took serious view of corruption at the block level that caused erosion of huge amount of Central funds meant for various rural projects in Garo Hills by some unscrupulous BDOs.

Piqued at this, some of the Congress legislators and a few Congress leaders in the State took up the issue with the Chief Minister on Saturday evening and expressed their views that Mr Sangma should quit from the Ministry in order to save the party of embarrassment. They feared that continuance of Mr Sangma in the Ministry would harm the Congress poll prospects in Garo Hills.

It may be recalled that Mr Beckstar Sangma embroiled into controversy once Tura Lok Sabha MP Purno A Sangma launched a crusade against his political rivals for rampant corruption at block levels. As the chairman of the Central Vigilance and Monitoring Committee, Mr Purno Sangma launched his crusade on April18 with surprise visits to some blocks and revealed the depth of corruption, which involved BDOs' fraudulent withdrawal and misappropriation of over Rs 2.5 crore. Gasuapara BDO was involved in fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 1.5 crore without initiating any of the Central projects under various rural development schemes.

Similarly, Resubelpara BDO was found tampering with the government allotment order and fraudulently withdrawing Rs 78 lakh from the Resubelpara Treasury. Mr Purno Sangma came up with documentary evidence while accusing the C&RD Minister of approving sanctions to unscrupulous and bogus beneficiaries, some of whose names did not even appear in the electoral rolls. Mr Sangma is likely to be replaced by the former Speaker Mr ED Marak, sources said, adding that all the party leaders would be consulted before a final decision was taken.

Meanwhile, GSU Khasi Hills Zone president Aldo K Sangma welcomed the resignation of the Minister and called upon the State government to punish all those officials who are involved in misusing the Central funds. At the same time, he also cautioned those are spoiling the image of the union just for their own personal gain. Nongtdu said the party took strong exception to the case, "but since the State government entrusted the Deputy Commissioners of East and West Garo Hills to inquire into the reported embezzlement, I would wait till the inquiry is complete", he said.

If the inquiry reports confirmed that Mr Sangma indulged in misappropriation of funds, the MPCC would then request the Chief Minister to take necessary action against him, the Pradesh Congress chief said. Mr Sangma is likely to be replaced by the former Speaker Mr ED Marak, sources said, adding that all the party leaders would be consulted before a final decision was taken.

TURA: Former Lok Sabha Speaker and Tura MP, Purno A Sangma, has welcomed the resignation of C&RD Minister Beckstar K Sangma from the Cabinet and appreciated the stand taken by Chief Minister DD Lapang to swiftly take action.

Mr Sangma even informed that he already sought an appointment with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and would be submitting his first report to the Union Minister for Rural Development, Mr Raghuvan Prasad Singh, on Monday over the embezzlement of Central funds by Mr Beckstar Sangma and a section of Garo MLAs and the BDOs.

Speaking to The Shillong Times from Delhi on Sunday night, Mr Purno Sangma congratulated Mr Lapang for taking prompt action against his ‘tainted’ Minister. He also sought a similar action against all erring block officials involved in the embezzlement of central funds. 

Mr Sangma is also demanding that the Tura Deputy Commissioner file an FIR against the former Minister as done by the Williamnagar Deputy Commissioner on the former Resubelpara BDO who went absconding with Rs 78 lakh. He added that recovery proceedings be drawn up against Mr Beckstar Sangma to retrieve the money given by the Centre.

It is understood that the former Lok Sabha Speaker will also be putting forward documentary evidence against Rangsakona MLA Zenith M Sangma for violating Central norms in the implementation of Central projects.

Mr Purno Sangma threatened to go public with the evidence against the younger brother of former Deputy Chief Minister Dr Mukul M Sangma.

"There is sufficient documentary evidence with me which indicates that the Betasing BDO had to work under tremendous pressure from a section of the MLAs, including Mr Zenith Sangma, whose constituencies fell under the Block. The central norms were violated in the implementation list for the beneficiaries," claimed Mr Sangma.

Mr Purno Sangma further alleged that the list of beneficiaries approved by the Governing Body of the Block on the basis of the recommendations put forward by the Block Selection Committee was grossly violated by the MLAs under Betasing Block who literally ‘threw out’ the official names and put in place the names of their supporters.

SHILLONG: The State government is still awaiting a response from the Union government with regard to the setting up of a separate high court for the State. The State government, through the General Administrative Department, had earlier placed a proposal for setting up of a high court for Meghalaya.

However, the government received no response since then. And sources believe that it would take a long time before anything happens. State Law Commission chairman, AH Scott Lyngdoh said everything depends on the number of cases in the Shillong Bench. Mr HS Thangkhiew said the number of cases that the Shillong Bench of Gauhati High Court handles is not adequate enough to call for a separate set up. Noted advocate SP Mahanta said it would take a long time for Meghalaya to have its own high court.

TURA: A five-year old child, Shakeel Sheikh, who went missing from Williamnagar town on May 5 has been found kidnapped by some abductors, who demanded ransom from his contractor father Sajahan Sheikh. Sajahan Sheikh, a successful contractor who also runs a hotel and involved in coal extraction, filed an FIR with Williamnagar Police on Saturday evening informing about the incident. It is stated that the kidnappers communicated with the boy's father over telephone and demanded Rs 15 lakh in the name of ULFA for his release.

Police however doubt the involvement of ULFA in this case. "ULFA has been found time and again to use Garo Hills as a corridor for movement between Assam and Bangladesh and prefer to keep a low profile by not indulging in activities detrimental to their safety", claimed a police officer from Garo Hills.

He added that all options are being looked into with regard to the case.

SHILLONG: The GAD Minister Mr HDR Lyngdoh on Sunday said that the State government completed all of its formalities for the construction of the new Meghalaya House in Kolkata.

The State PWD has recently cleared the structural of the new building and the same has been forwarded to the construction group - Asian Housing Construction Limited - for availing permission from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) for the construction works.

"There is no more hurdle", Mr Lyngdoh told The Shillong Times adding only the KMC has to grant permission for the reconstruction of the old building. He said that the entire process of clearing formalities with the KMC would not take much time as the Assembly elections were already over in that state.

Earlier, on the request of the State government, the KMC withdrew the heritage tag from the old building so that the demolition of the same could take place. Mr Lyngdoh said the demolition of the old Meghalaya House building was completed. "Even No Objection Certificates (NOC) from the West Bengal State Pollution Control Board and the Kolkata Police were obtained for the proposed construction", he said. 

According to the GAD Minister, the PWD Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) in Kolkata would coordinate with the AHCL in the construction works. The estimated cost for the construction of the new Meghalaya House building is Rs 22.12 crore of which 20 percent has already been paid to the AHCL in advance. The company would construct the building on a turnkey basis and complete the same within 36 months from the day of execution of the work order. The total area for construction is 129,000 square feet.

SHILLONG: Trouble for the NEEPCO Chairman and Managing Director Subhash Sharma seems to be never ending and he is back in news for all the wrong reasons. The CMD, who had been in the news recently for forging his experience certificates, was lately caught in nepotism. He has been found violating all rules and regulations while appointing some officials in the power corporation.

According to sources, Mr Sharma recruited Deputy Managers (Finance) Mr Srikanta Banerjee and Mr Nabin Kumar Jha on deputation without advertising for such vacancies. The two officials belonged to the Hindustan Cables Limited (HCL), which has nothing to do with power generation. It is learnt that the CBI sought details on the appointments of these technocrats as no requisition was sent to other departments or to the HCL for sponsoring names of candidates for the posts prior to their induction.

Already, there has been severe criticism of the NEEPCO chief as he did not follow the norms while ordering such appointments and in the process he deprived the right of several other officials who are qualified for the posts and already have vast experience in sector of power generation.

In another case, one Rupak Kumar Chandra from Bhopal was appointed as Assistant-III and currently posted in the Corporation’s office in New Delhi. The appointment was made in contravention of the Central government regulations on age limit.

According to sources, the person had already crossed 36 years of age against the age limit of 30 years under the general category specified as per the Government rules.

TURA: In what can be aptly described as a unique achieve-ment for the Garo Hills as a whole, Tebronggre, hitherto a nondescript village under Rongram Development Block has been declared 100 per cent literate village, a feat made possible through the Government's Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) which was launched in 2002. Prior to the TLC programme, literacy rate of the village was only 53 per cent.

A function for formal declaration of Tebronggre as 100 per cent literate village was organised by the West Garo Hills District Literacy Society in collaboration with the Rongram Development Block at Tebronggre Upper Primary School on Friday last.

Speaking as the chief guest on the occasion, local MDC and Chairman GHADC, Mr JR Marak congratulated the people of Tebronggre on their achievement and thanked Rongram BDO for her constant motivation to the people of the Block and supervision in implementing the programme. He also encouraged other villages under his constituency to strive and earn such recognition not only in literacy but also in other aspects of development.

Deputy Commissioner and Chairman of the Society P Sampath Kumar, while expressing his happiness at this unique feat achieved by this village in accomplishing 100 per cent literacy, said that the villagers should give their full cooperation, not only in the literacy programme but also in other development program-mes initaited by the the Government. He also felicitated the TLC Block coordinator Dhar-men G Momin and voluntary teacher of the village Sharmila Sangma by giving them cash awards as a token of appreciation for their hard work and dedication.

Earlier, the BDO of Rong-ram Block Mary T Sangma welcomed the gathering and briefly highlighted on how this achievement could be made through TLC programme, which, she said, was attained not only through the work of TLC coordinators and the teachers but also through the participation of the people. She also spoke about the Total Sanitation programme which is being taken up along with TLC and revealed that only six households in the village now remain without sanitary latrines. Once these six households get their latrines constructed, this village would also become the first to be fully sanitised and thus become a shining example for others to follow.

Former MDC CA Sangma also spoke on the occasion on behalf of the villagers. The students, members of self-help groups and other NGOs also presented colourful cultural programmes as part of the occasion. Hopfully this positive development augurs well for the future as regards the general face of development in Garo Hills.

TURA: Even as the two Customs officials released by UANF militants on Friday evening have returned to the peace and tranquility of their respective homes in Asom, the situation in Garo Hills appears to be different with a low-intensity conflict going on between the two forces - the BSF and the Meghalaya Police - over who was instrumental in forcing the militant group to release the captives.

The unofficial battle of claims has reportedly taken a serious turn with the BSF accusing Meghalaya Police of 'hijacking' their operation by not informing them of the proposed release of the captives on Friday. The State police, on the other hand, have questioned the border guards vigil in preventing the abduction and securing their safe release.

Senior police sources reveal that it was only because of their intelligence across the border and the pressure mounted on the militants sympathisers at home that triggered the early release. "Why should we take the laurels of someone else's work? It is there for everyone to see," said a senior police officer.

The BSF, which has cried foul, claimed that the police deliberately 'misinformed' them of the likely location of release. "They had pin-point information on the place from where the customs officials would cross the border, but they gave us another location to keep vigil," accused a senior BSF official.

A team of police personnel from South Garo Hills were the first to spot the customs officials crossing the border early Saturday morning and immediately took them under protective custody causing outrage from the BSF who claimed they were close to cracking the case.

The force personnel further went and accused the IRBn platoon stationed at Gasuapara export point of not doing their vigilance duty. "The high observation tower of the police at Gasuapara is never manned," claimed a BSF official.

The police on the other hand reveal that it is the prerogative of the BSF to ensure the border is secure. The high number of infiltration by militants from ULFA, NDFB, ANVC, UANF and others from across the border for the last many years with little or no arrests by the BSF has been cited as an example of how porous the border is.

"A large number of HNLC, ANVC, NDFB, ULFA militants arrested by us over the past few months and years have confessed that they entered from Bangladesh. Then where is the vigil on the border," questioned the state police.

TURA: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has been asked to reopen the September 30 police firing case in Tura and Williamnagar. The Commission has also been invited to send a team to Garo Hills to inspect and find out the actual facts leading to the twin firing incidents which resulted in the death of nine civilians.

The Tura MDC, John Leslee K Sangma, who was among the crowd on that fateful day, has written to the Commission appealing for the reopening of the case on the grounds that the NHRC was misled by the State Government which submitted 'factually incorrect' information.

Accusing the State Government and the then Chief Secretary, PJ Bazeley, of deliberately giving false information to the Commission, Mr John Leslee K Sangma also reminded that a one man Commission of Inquiry headed by two retired judges of the Guwahati High Court are separately inquiring the incidents since the month of February.

Mr Sangma has invited the NHRC to depute a team to Tura and has also forwarded video clippings, newspaper cuttings, photographs, and documents relating to the firing incidents on September 30.

He pointed out that the decision of the NHRC to close the case 'prematurely' could have an adverse effect on the inquiry being made by the One-Man Commission at Tura and Williamnagar.

TURA: The Garo Section of the Seventh Day Adventist Church has condemned the father who starved his own daughter to death at Nongshram Village last week. The accused, Rith Sangma, took his five year old daughter Tangkachi into the forest to undertake meditation without any food. He claimed to have witnessed a 'vision' by an 'angel' who gave him the order. Due to lack of food and water in the forest the five year old child died on the fourth day.

Commenting on the incident, the Chairman of the Garo Section of the Church, BK Momin, stated that the accused was no longer a member of their congregation. He clarified that the accused belonged to a group led by a woman from Bolkreth village in East Garo Hills.

The woman and her followers were excluded from the Seventh Day Adventist Churc on July 25, 2002, for misleading the people on the doctrine of the Church. He further stated that the Church leaders had warned the believers against the woman's teachings. "Therefore, we, the Seventh Day Adventist Church hold no responsibility for his (Rith's) crime," said Mr Momin.

It may be recalled that the said woman had predicted the end of the world and the arrival of the Lord based on a 'vision' by an 'angel'. Her followers, numbering around thirty, sold all their belongings including their cattle in the village and went into a forest to meditate without any food in preparation of the arrival of the Lord a few years ago.

Concerned villagers went in search of the group and managed to bring them back to the village three days after their disappearance. Many members of the group were in critical condition due to dehydration and hunger and had to be provided with medical assistance. Some were reduced to poverty having disposed off all their belongings before moving into the forest.

SHILLONG: Air Supply, an internationally acclaimed soft rock band comprising Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell touched the heart of thousands of music-crazy Shillongites as they sang their evergreen numbers at a mega event held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday with rain failing to prove a dampener.

Air Supply started their performance with one of their greatest song ‘Power of Love’ which brought the crowd to life with its haunting tune. Then they followed it up with another popular number ‘Just As I Am’ followed by ‘Even the Nights are Better’ thus making the show more and more lively.

As the band continued to play their songs the atmosphere of the ground got charged up with every passing minute as the crowd chorused along with the band. The band also played their new song titled ‘this time is the first time’, finally ending the show with their ultimate hit single "All out of Love".

Later during the media interaction, the band praising the crowd response in Shillong said: "performing in Delhi was a good experience, in Bangalore it was even better, but after perfroming in Shillong we do not hesitate to say that Shillong is indeed the jewel of music lovers in India."

"It does not matter what language we speak, where we hail from, what culture we come form, but love transcends all these differences", the band added.

It may mentioned that about ten thousand plus people witnessed the show. The event is jointly organised by Planman Life from Mumbai headed by Deepak Shah the Chief Operations Officer and Speedstakes headed by Mr Atikur Rahman.

Notwithstanding Mrs. Sonia Gandhi's "dilemma" on the question of her return as the chairperson of the high-profile National Advisory Council (NAC), the Bill to amend the existing legislation - parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act 1959 - to exempt more posts from being considered offices of profit is likely to be brought before parliament on 16 May, later tossed to the Rajya Sabha for passage. The former prime minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, sought to up the ante on the NAC tangle, demanding scrapping of the body. The BJP says expanding the exemption list will attract indictment by the Supreme Court. The party favours a law but is waiting for the government to draw up its contours before it reveals its cards. The Left has also mounted pressure on the UPA government to sort out the office of profit tangle.

The BJP has consistently raked up the issue of "dual power centres" in the UPA government, citing the functioning of the NAC to reinforce their charge. The proposed amendment in the law is aimed at providing relief to 40 MPs and 200 MLAs cutting across party lines - but especially from the Congress and the Left, including the Speaker Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and Dr. Karan Singh - who are embroiled in the office-of-profit controversy that earlier led to the resignation of the Samajwadi Party nominee, Mrs. Jaya Bachchan, and subsequently the Congress president from the membership of parliament.

In order to obtain consensus the parliamentary affairs minister, Mr. Priyaranjan Das Munshi, has asked all political parties to give their views to the defence minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and the law minister Mr. H.R. Bharadwaj, who had been authorised by the cabinet to consult them in order to take their inputs on the proposed expansion of the exempted posts of offices of profit. Uncertainty prevails, however, on whether the exempted posts in the amended legislation will include the posts of the NAC chairperson. But, there is a distinct possibility that it might not be exempted for political reasons.

First, Mrs. Gandhi had sought to take a high moral ground after resigning from the Lok Sabha as well as the NAC. If the NAC's chairpersonship is also exempted through amendment of the existing law with retrospective effect, like other offices under scanner, it will clearly mean that the NAC post was earlier also an office of profit and thereby nullify all previous Congress claims that Mrs. Gandhi had resigned "despite the NAC being not an office of profit because the opposition had been targeting her on the issue." Such a scenario might also give further ammunition to the BJP-led Opposition to go after her and the Congress.

The government has so far not circulated any new legislation on office of profit among the political parties. What have been circulated are the old Prevention of Disqualification Act of 1959 and the list (of such offices). Nothing has been added to the list since 1989 when it was amended.

The nature of the controversy and its ramifications may call for a more radical review of the Act than was previously recommended. The word radical is used advisedly in its original sense of affecting the fundamental nature of a thing. Members of parliament are elected to make laws. This is their principal function and should, in fact become their only function.

The doctrine of the separation of powers should support such a purist definition of the legislators' functions. The Constitution of India is somewhat ambiguous on the separation of powers. The founding fathers made it clear that on the matter of this doctrine they were departing from the Constitution of the United States of America. It is the ambiguity that has permitted legislators to hold other offices. In fact, the parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act was formulated to preserve the purity of the legislature.

But the Act did not strike at the root of the problem. Instead, it allowed parliament to make exemptions for certain offices without actually clarifying the terms and conditions. Confusion thus became worse confounded.

To prevent abuse, to avoid confusion and to stop exemption and disqualification from becoming political weapons, law-making should be the only function of legislators. This might appear too drastic but is the only solution based on principles and not expediency. The chink in the argument is that legislators become ministers. This is one reason why the Constitution's stand on the separation of powers needs to be looked at afresh.

Parliament may unanimously vote for a bill on the "Office of Profit" issue but this will have to be consistent with the spirit and letter of the Constitution and with natural law if it is not to be struck down by the Supreme Court once again. It is thus important to get the logic right.

India is a representative and not a direct democracy. We the people constitute the electorate who send our representatives periodically to legislative institutions at national, state and local levels. These representatives, namely, Lok Sabha and legislative assembly members have a paid job to do on behalf of all their constituents.

In a representative democracy what elected legislators are supposed to be doing is to represent the interests of the electorate, not their own by holding office of profits. Along with the Judiciary, the legislative branch is supposed to control the executive government, which is the natural oppressor of the electorate.

That is why the legislature must be independent of the executive - which is the precise intent behind article 102 (a) of the Constitution of India: "A person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of either house of parliament.if he holds any office of profit under the government of India or the government of any state."

In other words, if one is a Lok Sabha MP or state MLA who is supposed to be a part of the august house which has elected the executive government and by whom that government is supposed to be held accountable, then it is a clear conflict of interest if one is in the pay of that government. As a legislator, one is either in the executive or one is not. If one is in the executive, he is liable to be held accountable by the house. If one is not in the executive, he is duty-bound as an ordinary member of the house to hold the executive accountable. The logic is ultimately as clear and simple as that.

The doctrine of separation of powers makes it inevitable that the delineation of the appropriate boundaries between legislature and executive will have to be pronounced upon by the judiciary. The "office of profit" issue has already been decided by a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on the petition of Mrs. Jaya Bachchan. If a new Act is passed by parliament which does not conform to the recent judicial pronouncement, the government will once again invite trouble, which is not an advisable option open to the UPA government. INAV

There is no doubt that India is a fairly unusual country in several respects. As far as I know, we are the only nation to have a democratically elected communist state government retaining power for 27 years. However, there are a number of phenomena, which we normally perceive as being uniquely Indian, but which are far more widespread. The most notable example concerns a thirst quencher. One of our prominent political parties has its headquarters in the capital. 

Among the myriad activities that take place at that location, an important one is the sale of cow-based products. One of these is a non-white fluid labelled 'Gaomutra', the human equivalent of which was the favourite tipple of an erstwhile prime minister of ours. Most people think that the intake of Gaomutra, at least on a large scale, is restricted to India. They couldn't be more mistaken. You may not believe it, but in Japan, chilled half-litre bottles of bovine urine are being sold on a large scale, under the label of Calpis Water.

The next case in point is an activity which is almost a national pastime in our country. Readers may recall that several years ago, there was a Rajesh Khanna film, in which the hero goes to USA. One of the first things he does after landing, is to relieve himself at the roadside. An almost exact replica of this event took place in real life, recently. The only difference was that the culprit was a prominent French philosopher-author, who could not zip up in time and so got nabbed.

However, this worthy managed to convince the American policeman who caught him, that 'urinating along a busy highway was a hallowed Gallic custom'. I would also like to refer to a statement bemoaning that 'parents allow their children to colour the snow yellow instead of making use of a nearby bathroom'. No, this complaint does not allude to happenings in Shimla or Kashmir, but to a newly-opened ski resort in China.

Hence, I think that we citizens of the world's largest democracy can relax, secure in the knowledge that we are not alone in the universe — at least as far as 'eccentric' habits are concerned. (By arrangement with The Times of India)

Confrontation is building up again between the Left and the government on the issue of petroleum price hike. The Left leaders attended a presentation at petroleum minister Murli Deora's office on May 10 and rejected the government's case that a hike in petroleum prices was unavoidable.

The government stand is that the price of a crude barrel in the international market had gone up from $ 32 to $ 71 in the two years of the UPA government. If there was no increase in the prices, the oil companies could face a shortfall of Rs. 73,000 crores and turn sick. The shortfall could be met fully if the petrol price was raised by Rs. 9.33 per litre, diesel by Rs. 10.43 per litre, kerosene by Rs. 17.16 per litre and an LPG cylinder by Rs. 114.45.

It needs to be emphasised that oil imports were like food imports at the time of a famine and no government could impose taxes on such a vital requirement. The government had accepted in 1996 to reduce duties on petroleum products to zero but the promise was yet to be implemented. In the process the government earned Rs. 77,000 crore through oil sector duties. Why did the government not rationalise taxes, Oil India Development Board reform, and a re-look at the price-mechanism.

The rationale put forth by the government is that oil firms had already been saddled with a burden of Rs 73,500 crore, if the price hike is allowed it would help petrol firms raise Rs. 26,000 crore, while public sector crude producers like ONGC and Oil India Ltd and GAIL could help reduce the burden by another Rs. 24,000 crore.

In the recent past government increased prices of petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene twice. In order to cut down market prices of these products there is an urgent need to cut in duties and a new CNG pricing policy to mitigate the hardening international oil prices. The finance ministry should part with Rs. 60,000-crore oil cess and consider slashing of import and excise duties to cover the PSUs losses.

The only way to bridge the gap is by rationalising the tax structure. Customs duty on oil imports should be eliminated. India's tax rates are the highest in Asia. The Rangarajan Committee had made a series of recommendations to reforms the fuel pricing mechanism. On PDS kerosene, it had said that the commodity should be supplied only to Bellow Poverty Line (BPL) families. The committee had said the government should not intervene in the price determination of petrol and diesel.

The Congress-led UPA government is slowly but surely inching towards an oil price hike despite the opposition to the move. For the government, the economic cost seems to have finally caught up with the political cost of keeping a multi-party regime afloat, with under-recoveries of public sector oil pegged at whopping Rs. 75,000 crore for 2006-07.

The price of oil is largely controlled by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a cartel of the major oil-producing nations, through the imposition of production quotas on its member countries. But that does not explain why sometimes the price of oil falls and while, at other times, it rises.

The question is: can OPEC contain the price of oil, even if it wants to? Despite occasional scares, most experts believe that the global oil reserves are large enough to last for all foreseeable future. But, the extraction of oil from new sources - for example, from under the deep seas, below the Antarctic ice or sea shells - is going to cost a lot more. Also, the extra oil that OPEC is going to produce will mostly consist of heavy high-sulphur crude which will cost more to be refined into a grade that will meet today's stringent pollution standards. Most rich countries like the US do not want to develop refineries for fear of pollution. That means new refineries will have come up in less developed countries, a move that is subject to greater political risks.

All these imply that even if the world does not run out of oil, it will have to live with a higher price of oil. Unless, of course, there are technological breakthroughs in the auto sector which drastically reduce the demand for oil. But then, the magnitude of this reduction will have to be such that it offsets the steadily rising demand for private cars in the newly affluent countries like China and India. That does not seem likely.

What has been the impact of the recent sharp rise in oil prices? So far, it has coexisted with robust growth in most parts of the world. Nonetheless, many experts believe that a recession may eventually set in if the (real) price of oil continues to hit the roof. At exactly what point, nobody knows.

Why does the rising demand for goods, including oil, show no sign of slowing down yet? It may be partly because; unlike in the Seventies and Eighties when governments used high taxes and much stricter fuel efficiency norms to cut consumption, no such initiatives have been taken so far by the Western countries. Perhaps, they will be forced to do so if the oil prices continue their upward trend for some more time.

So far, the US government, under the leadership of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney (both of whom are said to have stakes in the oil sector), is using the rising price of oil as an opportunity to push for oil exploration in Alaska, which had so far been resisted by the environment lobby. They do not want to restrict consumption of oil as they fear it would stifle American growth and prosperity.

Cash-rich China, on the other hand, is going for takeovers of oil fields all over the world, including the US, to meet its ever rising energy demand. This has generated a political storm in the US, as many American Congressmen are not too pleased at the spectre of China taking control of vital global energy sources.

As for India, the domestic price of oil here is still largely administered. It depends on the world price and the discretionary taxes imposed by the government, which amounts to nearly 50 per cent of the price. In short, the world may not see any shortage of oil (in the form of rationing or long queues at petrol pumps), but the days of cheap oil may well be over, at least in the medium term of three to five years. After that, it will depend on how much success there is in achieving greater fuel economy with new generation cars and other kind of usage. INAV

Sir,

Apropos the news item "Nongsohphoh Durbar Clarifies" (ST May 9), the Durbar meeting held on May 6 sacked Mr Hamboy Shullai from the post of Secretary. There was no other Durbar after that. Therefore, it was clear that some people with vested interest have wrongly used the name of the Durbar Shnong for their personal interest as well as for misleading the people.

The removal of Mr Hamboy Shullai was not without any truth as claimed by the Assistant Rangbah Shnong, Johny Kharmawlong. It is the duty and responsibility of the Rangbah Shnong to convene an emergent Durbar when he sees that peace and security of the locality is likely to be threatened or disrupted. The anomalies arising out of the activities of Hamboy Shullai had compelled the Rangbah Shnong to urgently convene a Durbar on Saturday the 6th May 2006. The anomalies created by him were thoroughly discussed, and it was unanimously resolved to sack him from the post of Secretary. Therefore, the allegations made by the Asstt Rangbah Shnong that (1) there was no truth in his removal; that the removal was without the knowledge of the Executive Committee and that it was the dictatorial act of the Rangbah Shnong was without any rhyme or reason and totally baseless.

As regard the Statement that Hamboy Shullai is not the Custodian of Accounts, mention may be made that he still retained some amount of money not yet handed over to the Treasurer. Perhaps one may like to know the anti-Durbar activities of Mr Hamboy Shullai as Secretary. With his nefarious motive, he went upto the extent of tactfully and secretly dislodging the Rangbah Shnong and promoting the Assistant Rangbah Shnong, Mr Johny Khawmawlong, the person who is completely under his control. The Durbar Shnong on the 22nd April 2006 which the Rangbah Shnong could not attend on ground of ill-health had clearly revealed Hamboy Shullai's nefarious motive.

The entire Durbar Shnong, Nongsohphoh Upper Mawprem, Shillong stood solidly behind the undersigned the genuine and traditional Rangbah Shnong recognised by the Syiem of Hima Mylliem vide SANAT NO. MS/V-19/98-05/1563 dated 26th October 2005. Even Mr Sanbor Shullai, the Adviser having seen the anomalies created by Hamboy Shullai submitted his resignation letter on the 8th May 2006 to Mr Khroo Shullai to show due respect and recognition to him as the genuine and traditional Rangbah Shnong. The resignation letter was handed over at the Durbar Hall in the presence of Hamboy Shullai, Johny Kharmawlong and few members of the Executive Committee.

The Durbar Shnong and Executive Committee Nongsohphoh, Upper Mawprem Shillong hereby warn all members of the locality to refrain themselves from creating chaos and communal feelings in the locality. Johny Kharmawlong is specially warned not to misuse the Durbar for his personal interest. Any one found disrupting peace shall be dealt with severely and according to law.

Yours etc.,
Khroo Shullai
Rangbah Shnong, Nongsohphoh,
Upper Shillong.

Sir,

The MeSEB has been claiming that its ongoing load-shedding is due to lack of water at the Umiam Reservor. But it has conveniently not mentioned those thirty plus number of steel plants in Ri-Bhoi District which are consuming bulk of the power. With total disregard for the Umiam Reservor capacity. Are our public gullible enough to believe this falsehood? Load-shedding is not done in this way for Hydel Plants. Its all for the benefit of the MeSEB top officials and these factories.

Yours etc,
M. Warjri.

GUWAHATI: Tarun Gogoi was Sunday administered the oath of office as the chief minister by the Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Ajai Singh at Raj Bhawan here in presence of a distinguished gathering that included two union ministers, all senior civil and police officials, legislators, former chief ministers and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leader Brindabon Goswami.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who was sworn in today for his second consecutive term, said peace would be his priority. "Our new government will strive to bring permanent peace in the state and the task is challenging," Gogoi told reporters at Raj Bhavan soon after he was sworn in by Governor Lt Gen (retd) Ajai Singh. He said his task in the second term would be more challenging than the first and he would leave no stone unturned to ensure that permanent peace returned. Stating that for a record second time in the state's history, a Congress government was re-elected, he said this was a result of the "good work" done in the past few years. He claimed that law and order was under control and the process to bring ULFA to the negotiating table was on. "Our government has for the last five years performed well but there is lots to do and get the state back to the national mainstream," Gogoi said. (With PTI inputs)

Guwahati: The Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF), the new party that won 10 seats in the Assembly elections, on Sunday denied any tie up with the Congress and said it would play the role of a "responsible opposition".

Kohima: In a major political development, the Nagaland unit of the Janata Dal (U), an alliance partner of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN), has decided to distance itself from DAN for non-inclusion of their member in the Ministry.

Guwahati: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, India's largest oil producer, has received extortion demand from outlawed separatist guerrillas National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) before the State-run firm begins operations in the State.