Amidst opposition uproar over alleged government directive to CBI in the case against LK Advani in the Babri demolition issue, he hit back at the party for allowing "shadowy organisations" to interfere when it was in power. Winding up the debate on the President's address in the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister utilised the opportunity to taunt the BJP saying the Prime Minister functioned within a set of rules and a framework of governance.

"those who raise the issue (of Prime Ministerial authority) are unaware of this framework. Maybe they think other parties function like theirs, allowing shadowy organisations to interfere in the work of elected governments. That has not been the culture of the Congress party", he said.

On the "unconstitution-ality" of the dissolution in Bihar, Singh noted that the Supreme Court had not arrived at a unanimous verdict. Three judges were of the view that the proclamation was unconstitutional while two others held a different view.

"Therefore, it is obvious that in this complicated case there could be an honest difference of opinion. This has to be kept in view in arriving at a conclusion about the conduct of the Governor or the Union Cabinet," he said. Singh said Governor Buta Singh had resigned on his "own volition" and the elections to the assembly on the formation of a stable government had made the debate "infructous".

Singh accused the opposition of giving an "unfortunate tilt" to the "academic exercise" carried out by the Rajindar Sachar Committee to collect data on economic and social status of Muslims in the country.

In an apparent reference to criticism by Left parties on Iran issue and Indo-US nuclear deal, the Prime Minister underpinned the importance of national consensus and urged all political parties to respect this tradition to strengthen government's hands in dealing with the world.

With the Lok Sabha giving its nod, the Motion of thanks to the President's address got the approval of Parliament. The Rajya Sabha had adopted it yesterday. Faced with strident criticism from Left allies on foreign policy issues, the Prime Minister declared that Government will keep the nation's interest uppermost in mind."

"While the instruments of our policy and the tactics and strategy we adopt may change with time, the values in which they are embedded are universal and will remain true for all time", Singh, whose speech was drowned in din, said.

His remarks assume significance as they come ahead of US President's visit next week and the vote at IAEA on the Iran nuke issue on March six. A discussion on the Iran issue was scheduled in both Houses Thursday but could not take place as Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were rocked by BJP-led Opposition. (PTI)

NDTV, which said that it was seeking legal opinion on whether to broadcast the tapes, however, telecast an interview with Singh discussing topics that the CDs purportedly touched.NDTV sought his comments on his purported conversation with ADAG Group CMD Anil Ambani regarding a business project and with several film actresses, who were not named.

Singh said the tape could be "doctored, morphed and fabricated." He, however, admitted to have spoken to Ambani but denied it related to financial favours for himself as alleged. (PTI)

When the Speaker went to AIIMS for a check up, doctors advised him to get admitted so that some tests can be conducted tomorrow morning, Parliament sources said.Earlier in the day, some tests were carried out on him and all his parameters were found okay. (PTI)

New Delhi: The government Thursday said it had not issued any directions to the CBI regarding cases against opposition leader LK Advani but had merely asked about lapses highlighted by a court on cases related to the Babri demolition.

Explaining the government's position after the BJP-led opposition created pandemonium in parliament over a letter purportedly written to the CBI, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said that asking for information was not "interfering".

Talking to reporters, Dasm-unsi said: on July 6, 2005, the the Allahabad High Court had set aside the September 2003 order of the Rae Bareli trial court, discharging Advani in the Babri Masjid case.

"In its order, the high court had, observed that the role of the CBI cannot be said to be unquestionable and had advised the CBI to decide if it has lived up to its reputation and if any remedial action is required to avoid criticism of its functioning," Dasmunsi said. (IANS)

New Delhi: In a major move to provide relief to oil marketing companies, the government today decided to issue bonds amounting to Rs 11,500 crore to them to partly offset their losses arising out of differences between domestic and rising international petroleum prices.

"The cabinet took the decision to issue the bonds to mitigate the losses of oil marketing companies due to mismatch between retail prices of petroleum products and the global prices of crude," Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi told reporters. The bonds will be issued in two equal instalments of Rs 5,750 crore.

"The first tranche of bonds will be issued immediately and the second will be issued shortly thereafter," he said.

The oil companies have for long been demanding that their losses be compensated by either through price hike or bonds. (PTI)

New Delhi: Government on Thursday said there is no human case of bird flu so far and the 12 persons who were put under observation have not shown any symptoms of avian influenza, but the result of one sample is awaited."There is no case of human influenza. The situation is being closely monitored and is under control," Additional Health Secretary Deepak Gupta told reporters here.

New Delhi: US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns on Thursday said that "some differences" on the implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal persisted between the two sides and he was not sure whether it would be finalised by the time President George W Bush visits the country next week.

New Delhi: Breaking from the past, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad is likely to unveil an innovative Rail Budget on Friday that is expected to reduce certain upper class fares to take on competition from low-cost airlines, while leaving sleeper class fares untouched.

The objective behind the whole exercise is to wean away passengers, who have opted for low-cost airlines as their preferred mode of transport, Railway Ministry sources said here on Thursday. The Ministry has already announced drastic cut in freight rates to woo back customers, who switched to road transport.

The cut in upper class rail fares is likely to be only on high density trunk routes connecting Metros and other major cities where low-cost airlines offer cheap fares. The high density routes included Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi- Kolkata, Delhi-Chennai, Delhi-Bangalore, Delhi-Trivandrum.

"The cut is unlikely to be affected on "uneconomical routes" including "subsidy routes-- Delhi-Srinagar, Delhi-Guwahati or Delhi-North East".

On his big day in Parliament, Prasad, whose ministry is waddling in surplus revenue to the tune of Rs 11,000 crore, is also likely to announce a number of steps to improve passenger amenities, rail safety and introduce a number of new trains including for Buddhist circuits connecting Delhi and Bodhgaya via Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Sarnath and Vaishali.

Living up to his "pro-poor" image, the Railway Minister would also unveil a number of "Jan Sadharan" express trains on the lines of Jan Kranti trains and fulfil his earlier commitment to take Railways to the nook and cranny of India.

The Rail Budget is also widely expected to contain a slew of measures to improve passenger amenities and safety to benefit the "Aam Aadmi" (common man), as the year 2006-07 has been declared the "year of passenger". Keeping the demand of leaders from various states to bridge the regional imbalances, Prasad is most likely to announce upgradation of about 400 Express/Mail trains as Superfast to meet the growing needs of the people across the country. Even sleeper class passengers can look forward to facilities like bed-rolls as part of the improved amenities that Prasad is likely to announce.

The Budget may also embark on an ambitious scheme to increase the number of coaches from the exisisting 14 in most trains to 24 in at least 258 trains. Railway Minister would also spell out the launch of the ambitious dedicated Freight Corridors scheme between Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah, costing about Rs 21,140 crores. On the "upgradation" scheme, Ministry sources said there are over 650 trains on the list but 500 of them could be gainfully utilised for upgrading from "Sleeper-to-3AC-to- 2AC-to-1AC."

Railways has already announced an "automatic upgradation scheme" for all the Rajdhani trains from February six. The Budget 2006-07 may also implement Passenger-Profile Management Scheme, and 'Frequent Traveller Scheme' which will facilitate the frequent Railway Passenger to get 'Bonus Points' for travel. (PTI) 

The navy has ordered a probe into the explosion that occurred at 5 pm on Wednesday on the landing ship INS Magar while it was 39 nautical miles away from the coast of Visakhapatnam, the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command.

"The mishap occurred when the ship was engaged in dumping life-expired ammunition. Preliminary reports indicate that one of the boxes, containing life-expired powder charge, caught fire towards the end of the dumping operation," Indian Navy spokesman Commander Vinay Garg said in New Delhi. "A board of inquiry has been instituted to probe the incident."

The dead sailors were identified as Ashok Kumar of Bihar, Shital Das of West Bengal and Bishen Singh of Haryana. Coast Guard and naval ships brought the fire under control after nearly two hours. (IANS)

Srinagar: Police on Thursday lobbed teargas shells to disperse a group of 50 students who tried to storm a police station in Handwara town of Kupwara district to register their protest over the killing of four boys in a cross firing between ultras and security forces in Doodipora.

The agitating students tried to enter the police station but police chased them away by firing teargas shells, police said, adding no one was injured. He said the situation in the town was tense but under control.

Earlier in the day residents of Doodipora and adjoining villages in the district staged a demonstration alleging that the boys were killed in firing by the Army. District authorities, including senior police officers are trying to persuade the villagers to disperse and perform the last rites of the four deceased youths but without any success, official sources said. The locals are insisting that Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad visit them and assure no such incident would be repeated. Azad has already ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

A JKLF delegation led by Malik that rushed to Doodipora this morning was prevented from entering the village and detained when they tried to break the police cordon. They include Sheikh Abdul Rashid, Noor Mohammad Kalwal and Mohammad Sidiq, the officials said. Amir Akbar, 6, Shakir Ahmed Wani, 10, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, 18, and Abdul Samad Mir, 20, were killed in cross-fire between security forces and militants in Doodipora on Wednesday.

In a separate incident, militants shot dead a released ultra in the heart of the city on Thursday causing panic among locals and a shutdown of nearby markets. Two 'phiran' (long gown) clad militants sprayed bullets on former militant Irshad Ahmed near a CRPF bunker in Court Road area injuring him critically, Senior Superintendent of Police Muneer Khan told reporters. Ahmed later succumbed to injuries while being taken to hospital, he said adding police later seizaed the body. (PTI)

Ahmedabad: Preliminary investigations into the explosion at Ahmedabad railway station on Sunday, in which 25 people were injured, has revealed that the RDX kept inside a briefcase was meant to blow up the Karnavati Express at Mumbai Central station, police said on Thursday.

Abdul Karim Telgi a key accused, Abdul Wahid and Jacob Chako, all lodged in Pune prison, Nizamuddin, Balaji, Peter Kennedy and Sarfraz Nawaz were not given the copies as they were not present in the court.CBI Judge B Dakshinamurthy then adjourned the case to March 23.

The chargesheet was filed on December 13, 2005 and contains statements of 190 prosecution witnesses and 340 pieces of documentary evidence for the court's scrutiny.

The accused have been charged under IPC sections for criminal conspiracy (120-B), forgery for the purpose of cheating (468),possession of Indian coins by a person who knew it to be altered (253) and forging government stamps (255).The police officer has been also charged under Section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. (PTI)

New Delhi: Weather officials are studying the unusually warm February weather in northern India and elsewhere in the country which has had people packing away their woollens and fans whirring in most homes.

"This time, right from Feb 1 till Feb 22 the temperature has been five to six degrees above normal at minimum and maximum levels. One day it went even nine degrees above normal in Delhi," India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director R D Singh told IANS.

According to Singh, such a prolonged spell of above normal temperatures is not observed at this time of the year. "Sometimes temperatures slightly above normal is seen for a few days in cities adjoining the national capital - but not for three weeks. Generally, we expect some rain too during this period, but that is eluding us this time," he said.

Singh said the data of the last 50 years is being checked to look for similar weather patterns in the month. "We admit it is an unusual phenomena and we are studying the reasons."

On Thursday, Delhi recorded a minimum of 15.6 degrees Celsius (5 degrees above normal), while on Wednesday the minimum was 15.8 degrees (five degrees above normal) and the maximum 33.1 degrees (8 degrees above normal).

In Rajasthan’s Bikaner, the maximum temperature was 35.6 (9 degrees above normal) and the minimum 16.6 degrees (8 degrees above normal), while in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, the maximum was 36.5 and minimum 19.1 degrees (9 degrees and eight digress above normal respectively).

Bhopal, Dehradun, Jaipur and Lucknow too are experiencing warm weather conditions with the mercury going up by 8 degrees more than the normal level. While Amritsar, in both its minimum and maximum, has recorded four degrees above normal temperatures, Srinagar recorded a maximum of 14.4 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal. (IANS)

"The duty of the police is to maintain law and order in the State," the official said adding even after signing a ceasefire agreement with the Government if the outfit continued its criminal activities the law-enforcing agency would have to act accordingly.

According to him, as of now the Government has not issued any instruction slow down or stop operation against HNLC militants. Meanwhile, sources informed that despite its offer to come to sit for talks, the HNLC was continuing its illegal activities including illegal collection of money especially in the coal belt areas of Jaintia Hills and West Khasi Hills.

HNLC condemnation: The banned outfit, on the other hand, has termed the recent arrest of three youth from Khliehriat, Jaintia Hills as "miscarriage of justice" while it also condemned the shooting of one Charlie Rymbai during police raid in the area.

In a statement issued here, the underground outfit said that Khlainbor Pakyntein, Robert Jitem and Arwot Shanlang Synrem were neither its members nor had any connection with the outfit. "The random arrest by police is unjustified as the concerned youth are only poor labourers" it said.

The HNLC also condemned the police for trying to kill one Charlie Rymbai during the raid in the area adding that the action by law enforcers was nothing but "an attempt to snatch away the right to life of a person". It also appealed to the Meghalaya People's Human Rights' Council (MPHRC) to take up the matter.

Further, the outfit also disowned the surrender of Pynshngainlang Lyngdoh to Mairang and said that the person was not its member but was taking advantage of the Surrender and Rehabilitation Scheme of the State Government.

Meanwhile, the sister of Charlie Rymbai, Ms Still Rymbai has filed an FIR against the police's Special Operation Team (SOT) for the shooting of her brother at Kyrluh near Khliehriat on February 20. Mr Rymbai, who is presently undergoing treatment at a city-based private hospital, suffered serious injuries in his mouth.

Similarly, family members of the three Khasi youth arrested by police in the same incident claimed that the trio were working as labourers in a coal mine owned by one Ms Sislimon Rymbai of Bapung. Earlier, the additional district magistrate of Jaintia Hills had remanded the arrested youth to three-day police custody.

SHILLONG: The KSU has threatened to launch mass agitation if the State government goes ahead with its proposal to extend the services of Chief Secretary PJ Bazeley and other MeSEB officials.Commenting on the extension of the service of MeSEB Member (Finance) Mr DS Nongbri, KSU president Samuel B Jyrwa said that the move was deplorable and was made with an intention to pave the way for extension of the service of Mr Bazeley.

"If an official has reached his retirement age he should go because nobody is indispensable in government service. If the State government fails to honour public sentiment, the KSU will have no other option but to agitate," he said.

The KSU leader also informed that recently the students' body had written to Chief Minister DD Lapang and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Donkupar Roy demanding a complete halt to the proposed extension of services of the MeSEB employees in order to protect the right of employees due for promotion and unemployed youth.

It may be mentioned that the move to extend Mr Bazeley's service both as Chief Secretary and Chairman of MeSEB had received widespread criticism with several organisations threatening to agitate against the move.Recently, the FKJGP had issued a strong warning to the State government against the move.

SHILLONG: District Food Inspector, Ms DBS Mukhim on Thursday seized some food stuff comprising biscuits and skimmed milk from Manik-chand Bros, a shop in Iew Mawlong which was past expiry date.Ms Mukhim informed that the inspection was conducted on the basis of a complaint lodged by one P Thangkhiew from Mawlai Nongkwar.

According to her, Mr Thangkhiew bought a Britannia Marie Gold biscuit from this shop on Wednesday, but later he saw in the packet the expiry date of the same had already passed. When he brought the matter to the notice of the shop owner, the latter even tried to bribe Mr Thankhiew and requested him not to bring the matter to the notice of the authority concerned, she said.

Further, she said that this food stuff would be sent for a test and action would taken under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

SHILLONG: A city court on Thursday sent the main accused of the Biplab Das murder case, Bonnie Lyngdoh Phawa to 10-day police custody. The other two accused, Bernard Lyngdoh Phawa and Akbar Qureshi were produced on the court on Tuesday. Bernard was sent to 10-day police custody, while Akbar Qureshi was sent to 7-day police custody.

SHILLONG: The UCIL's uranium mining project at Domiasiat is awaiting clearance from the various agencies of the Central government. Informing this, Chairman and Managing Director of Uranium Corporation of India Limited Mr Ramendra Gupta said "once we get these statutory clearances from various agencies we will start the project."

Speaking to The Shillong Times, he stressed on taking people into confidence before starting the project. Stating that the UCIL has the support of the local people of Mawthabah to conduct mining, Mr Gupta said that only few people were still opposing project "but we are sure that over a period of time they will also come forward to support us". He said that the UCIL wanted to educate people on various aspects of uranium mining.

"Since 1968 we have been conducting uranium mining in different parts of the country, not a single case where people has been affected by radioactivity is reported," Mr Gupta said. He also reiterated the UCIL's commitment for the uplift and welfare of the people and the same was being planned for the people of Mawthabah too.

Meanwhile, Regional Director, Atomic Mineral Division, Department of Atomic Energy, Shillong, Dr Koka Uma Maheshwar said that the State Government did not send any letter to the Central government regarding opposition to uranium mining in the State through his department.

SHILLONG: The NCP has said that it is open to an idea of an alliance with the Congress in Meghalaya.Addressing a press conference at the NCP's office here on Thursday, the party spokesperson Mr Conrad Sangma said that the party was not averse to the idea of having an understanding with the ruling Congress in the state.He said the party leaders of both at national and the state levels would have to discuss the matter before finalizing the alliance.He also said that Mr PA Sangma would discuss the issue of alliance with NCP chief Mr Sharad Pawar and others in Delhi.

Commenting on the MBOSE issue, junior Sangma said that the party would await the decision of Select Committee before taking any decision in this regard. He said that Mr PA Sangma during his election campaign had highlighted the move on the part of the State government to bifurcate the education board.

The NCP's Tura by-poll victory was a clear indication for the coming general elections in 2008, which showed that Congress lost its ground in Garo Hills, he said adding, "the wave is very much in favour of NCP". "Inspite of chartering a helicopter for nine days, the leaders of Congress including Union Ministers Mr Oscar Fernandes, Mr PR Kyndiah and Chief Minister DD Lapang campaigning, the party was humiliated," he said.

SHILLONG: The nationwide bird flu scare has taken a heavy toll on the sale of chicken and eggs in Shillong and in other parts of the State, even as the chicken sellers in city have asked the state government to come out with the correct information on the disease to remove 'fear psychosis'.

Several chicken sellers of Iewduh told The Shillong Times on Thursday that, since Monday the sale of both local and broiler chicken dropped by 50 per cent. "Even restaurants and hotels have stopped buying chicken," said a chicken vendor.Worried about the sudden drop in sale, many chicken vendors felt that it was the duty of the State government to come out with a correct information in order to remove the fear psychosis among the people.

Moreover, certain chicken sellers blamed the non-stop media coverage of the dramatic flu outbreak in Maharashtra for drop in consumption of chicken.

Meanwhile, the Minister in-charge Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Mr Martle N Mukim said that the government issued an instruction to be more vigilant and conduct thorough checking of chicken and eggs coming from outside the State.Mr Mukhim also said that as of now no report was received regarding detection of the avian flu in the State.

He said ICAR Director General Mangala Rai had expeditiously cleared Rs 8 crore for the vaccination project.

Taneja, played a major role in formulating the guidelines in 2004 to prepare the country to tackle bird flu following its outbreak in some East Asian Countries during that period. (PTI)

Shillong: NEHU Vice Chancellor Prof. Pramod Tandon has called for proper tapping of natural resources of the country like coal and fuel for self-reliance and to meet the growing energy needs of the country.

Addressing the inaugural function of the two-day Science Seminar on 'Policy of Self-Reliance in Energy: Social needs, Environmental Protection and Challenges in the North East' which began at the NEHU Complex, Shillong on Thursday, he also called for exploiting the nuclear resources, hydro-electricity, herbal and medicinal plants of which the North East has in abundance.

In this regard, he also referred to the cultivation of jatropha, which can be used to meet the bio-diesel needs. "At the same time, there was a need to protect the environment of the north eastern region which is facing mass deforestation," he said

President Hindi Vigyan Sahitya Parishad and Director, Bio-Medical Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai Dr Krishna V Sainis, in his address, said that the aim of such seminars is to popularise science through the national language, Hindi.He said that the BARC and the Parishad jointly conducts national science competitions for students through Hindi, for which awards are given.

Others who addressed the function were Dr K U Maheshwar, Regional Director, Atomic Mineral Division, Department of Atomic Energy, Shillong, Prof. D T Khathing, Registrar, NEHU. Head Reactor Operation Division, BARC, Mumbai and Vice President of the Parishad S K Agarwal.

The seminar, organised in collaboration with the BARC and the Hindi Vigyan Sahitya Parishad, was attended by senior officials of BARC, Mumbai.

Shillong: Paper brought out by NABARD has projected Rs 216 crore for Meghalaya for the year 2006-07 under priority sector.

The State Credit seminar held on Wednesday to discuss the issues identified in the State Focus Paper was attended by Additional Chief Secretary S K Tiwari, Principal Secretary Finance B K Dev Varma, Principal Secretary Rural Development J M Mauskar, Executive Director, NABARD Amaresh Kumar, CEO, NABCONS S B Sheokand, General Manager, NABARD J G Menon and senior officers from State Government, banks, RBI, ICAR and NGOs.

The State Credit Plan has projected a growth rate of 46 percent over current year's potential linked plan estimation. The projection under agriculture sector is Rs. 43 crore.NABARD will be shortly launching a special scheme to assist 500 families in Ri Bhoi District out of its Tribal Development Fund (TDF).

Under the Cluster Development Programme, handloom weaving in Garobadha in West Garo Hills district has been identified.Credit potential in the State for tourism, organic farming, medicinal plants, floriculture and various other activities under agriculture, industries and service sector were discussed in the seminar. Increasing the coverage of self help groups in the State was identified as a thrust area.

Shillong: MDC Sanbor Shullai has sought the intervention of Chief Minister D D Lapang to stop the current evaluation of municipal holdings and come up with a fair and just evaluation method.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, the MDC requested the Chief Minister to ensure that the on going evaluation of municipal holdings is halted and a fair and just method of evaluation is adopted. Mr Shullai said that the assessors, with disregard to the privacy of occupants, visit the municipal holdings at their own convenient time and "arbitrarily arrive at valuations fixed by themselves".

He pointed out that neither the views and opinions of the holdings' owners and residents are taken into account nor are they allowed to participate in the process. The whole endeavour is therefore becoming a source of great annoyance to the people, he added.These assessment and evaluations of Municipal holding are hardly brought to the notice of the people through the dorbar shnongs and are confined only to the knowledge of few headmen, he said.

According to Mr Shullai, the evaluation is "alarmingly unjust at the undue cost of the holding owners and residents".On the rates of taxes charged by the Municipal, he felt that the public are taxed at an exorbitant rates which are aimed at increasing the sufferings of the people.

The only mandir in Meghalaya to hold a mela, gathers huge gathering from every section of the people from various religious and communities. The puja and mela is a grand show and a big draw every year.

'Live-in relationships' or cohabitation was practiced by the Khasis and Jaintias long before the word gained common currency. Khasi society recognized all children born out of cohabitation as legitimate. The idea of 'marriage' as a sacred union between two people, male and female came with Christianity. Khasi indigenous faith did not specify how many times a man or woman could marry. Cohabitation was a kind of loose arrangement and therefore quite flexible. Separation of the couples was easy. It entailed an oral ritual of a few parting words after which the couple fling a copper coin into the earth to show that they were now free to go their own separate ways.

In later stages this ritual was dispensed with. Cohabitation became a license for a man to abandon his partner at will without providing for her and for the children born out of the union. At a time when joint agrarian families were the order of the day and clan and kinship ties were strong and also the needs of each family were nominal, the abandoned woman did not feel the financial crunch she would face in this modern age. Today an abandoned wife without any means of livelihood would find it impossible to fend for herself and her children. In that sense the Supreme Court verdict directing that all marriages were to be compulsorily registered is a step in the right direction.

Organisations like the Mait Shaphrang Movement (MSM) and very recently the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), Mr HS Shylla passed the compulsory registration of marriages bills in the Council amidst boisterous protests fro his opponents. That Mr Shylla stood his ground is a test of his political courage and maturity of vision. His bold actions have now been endorsed by the apex court which took the matter up at the best of the National commission for Women.

The word 'divorce' is operative only when a couple is legally married. Insofar as Khasi society is concerned those outside the Christian fold still practice cohabitation. And they are a fairly good number. All these couples will now have to register their union to make it legal. The idea is to discourage flippancy and polygamy which is still a common practice among the Khasis. In fact we have several examples of polygamy among the affluent class and even among political leaders. So it would be interesting to watch how those in positions of power and authority respond to the directive of the apex court. Who among the many wives will be the legal one will be the moot point. And if law makers can get away without complying how can the law be enforced only on the hapless commoner.

On the flip side, however, the court verdict is reminiscent of Hitlerism and the blue-blooded German syndrome. I say this because we will soon be going back to the era of a tribal having to marry a tribal just so that the off-springs get to enjoy the benefits of scheduled tribes. It is difficult to establish at this point as to how many Khasis really have only pure Khasi blood running in their veins. Even before the advent of the British, Khasi men were known to forayed into the plains and brought back women with whom they have cohabited and had children from.

So unless the Khasis have a definitive blood group that is different from that of others it would be well nigh impossible to distinguish who a true blue Khasi and who isn't. But the Supreme Court has already ignited the imagination of those who feel they cannot make through life without the crutch of reservation. Such tunnel-vision thinkers have already called the attention of pressure groups to rigorously pursue the matter. It would be interesting to see what happens now.

Marriages they say are made in heaven. So unless one is a calculating business shark one hardly marries for the foreseeable benefits. In Khasi society where arranged marriages are unheard of, people marry the one they love. Whether this is the best thing or not is proven over a period of time. But at least an ill-matched couple does not have to harangue and go through a sordid journey of court battles where the divorce is being fought out between two lawyers. Couples usually part without much acrimony. Our ancestors showed us the way to love marriages. They did quite well on that score. So we need have no qualms about love marriage. At the end of the day it is the couple's temperament, their ability to make mutual sacrifices and to communicate with each other which ultimately sustains the marriage.

Now with the Court verdict, love will have to be dispensed with. Like the mainstream Indian who believes in class, caste and the matching of 'janam-patri', the tribes will also have to choose a match from among themselves just so they can continue to enjoy the benefits of a scheduled tribe. If this is not commercialization of marriage then what is? Proponents of the changeover to a patrilineal/patriarchal culture, the Syngkhong Rympei Thymmai have advocated what the supreme court directive has only now endorsed.

This group believes that all the ills in Khasi society are due to the 'half-breeds' or do we call them hybridized children born out of the unholy union between a Khasi woman and a non-Khasi, non-tribal man (dkhar). They are particularly opinionated about children who have been abandoned by a 'dkhar' father, who they believe are the scum of society. Now this argument certainly is not borne out of any real research. So it is the by-product of a very warped mind. But the Supreme Court verdict is now a cause-celebre for groups like the SRT.

Khasis who have moved on with life and crossed the barriers of the reservation syndrome will not feel choked by the court verdict. The private sector, and we are fast approaching that era, is a mean machine having no respect for populist terms like reservation. Here the best and fittest survive. Non-performers are phased out even before they become dead wood. So essentially only about 45,000 Khasis would be vying for the ST status because that is where government jobs are.

Now whether we will continue to have those 45,000 jobs is the million dollar question. Public sector undertakings are being gradually corporatized and will subsequently be privatized because they can no longer depend on tax-payers' subsidies. Reservation will then become a stumbling block which impedes full progress and excellence in a world of opportunities. There is of course the business side of it. Scheduled tribes do not pay income tax. Some people think this is a great boon. But in the long run it does have its ill-effects. Corruption is rampant in all the tribal states because of income tax exemptions and the non-compulsion to file annual tax returns. Black money is being hoarded like nobody's business. And to top it all we have benami businesses which are aided and abetted by those enjoying scheduled tribe status.

So at the end of the day one sees the apex court verdict as a discreet way of dividing tribal society. Maybe this is another way of igniting another conflict, this time among the tribes. How can the Supreme Court have such a short-sighted vision?

At an awards ceremony held recently, a well-known television anchor while accepting his award advised parents not to panic unnecessarily if their children seemed indecisive about the choice of profession as he got fulfilment in his fourth. It was an interesting piece of information and more than I it was my daughter who heaved a bigger sigh of relief. She is appearing for her board exams and I have been asking about her future plans so often that she was glad to realise that she had eventually found a befitting reply for me.That's not the whole story, as by the next day this comment had assumed the proportions of headline news in her peer group. She said her friends too rejoiced while the matter was discussed excitedly.

Is it really difficult to guess why this simple statement had this kind of impact on youngsters? The severe stress related to the tight time-bound schedules, the high cut-off marks for entrance selection and cracking interviews from the age of three is no less than a tightrope walk for youngsters of today.There really seems to be no room to err for them. Having changed professions himself to reach his goal, the anchor could empathise easily with that state and though the advice was directed to parents, it was the younger lot that felt the hug of reassurance.That brings us to the importance of having such curricula that do not impose a single course of study on its students but one in which various serious alternatives find a place. Perhaps all of us have gone through this kind of uncertainty about the future.

In the present global digital age, as we learn new skills, we realise there are no career segments to which one is wedded to for life like in olden times.When we quote examples from great lives we forget to tell the younger lot about the broad base of mistakes on which their achievements stood.Behind Churchill's perfection was a history of failures. We judge youngsters harshly today not realising that error is the backyard of perfection.(By arranegement with The Times of India)

Sir,

One will agree that only the true quality and inner voice of an artist can unite us and it becomes doubly certain when he is a performing artist. No, I am not talking of neither Paul Robson nor Lata Mangeskar, I am talking of some one of us, who belongs to North East India -- Debojit Saha of Sa-Re-Ga-Ma fame. Glossing over all barrier of community, religion and even race entire North East India has set an example of unity, belief and trust and I believe the spirit so developed needs to be carried forward and it should be told to the world that Debojit does not belong to any community, race or a nationality, he is an artist first and artist last - the eternal lover of humanity.

Debojit is such a singer whose voice not only strikes our ear-drum but also reverberates in the inner chord of our soul . Till the other day Silchar was not known to the people beyond the boarder of Assam but the voice of this artist has made Silchar of Assam and hence the North East known to the world. Colonial legacy of divide and rule has been carried to its worst possible stage by the politicians of our country to fulfill their personal greed and lust and North East India is no exception. But here is a voice which could revert the ploy of those negative politicians and spread across the true message of love and brotherhood to the entire length and breadth of region but also to the country as a whole. It is time to join him in his rhythm and sing ' Mile sur mera tumhara sur bane hamara'.

Come, let us join the voice of innocence to carry forward the voice of love, peace and unity to the world. Let the North East India take the pride of being the first true humanitarian in its letter and spirit as a region.

Yours etc,
Durba
Meherpur, Silchar
Via e-mail

Sir,

Apropos the letter by Omar Luther King (ST, Feb 14) that the Muslim community doing more harm to itself by taking to recourse to violent protests against the publication of Prophet Mohammed's cartoon. In some ways it is shocking to see men, women and children outraged and taking to the streets to defend their religion against crude blasphemy. But in others ways it's refreshing and delightful. I say again that violence is wrong, but that muscular protest against hatred is not. Sorry, I cannot and will not join the ranks of the smug God-haters who refuse to understand a person's love for their faith. Three cheers for people who will not simply fall down and allow their most deeply held religious beliefs to be spat upon and treated as garbage. Three cheers for people who will decry a cartoon whose sole purpose is to abuse and vilify one's faith. The Western media have, predictably, shown images of salivating mobs every night, yet not recorded many interviews with moderate, devout Muslims who deplore extremism but are viscerally angry at the insulting cartoons. Why? Because such interviews would shake the comfortable stereotype the secular West has of all religions, not just Islam. Easier to film a screaming zealot than a highly educated Muslim cleric who desires peace and respect and understanding. Just as it's easier to film a wild-eyed non-Muslim kid with an agenda than a calm and brilliant priest with a doctorate. Do remember, by the way, that the cartoons in question were originally published some months ago and the protests were controlled and reasonable. It was only when the Danish and then Norwegian and French press ran wild with the thing that the Muslim world, yes, ran wild in response.

If you draw a cartoon that intends to offend, don't be surprised when it has the desired effect.

Yours etc,
Mominul Haque,
Shillong- 4.
Via e-mail

The students body warned that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be responsible for any unrests here against the move as he represented the State in Parliament.The AASU which has been spearheading Assam's fight against illegal infiltration from Bangladesh, has termed the order a 'device' formulated by the Congress-led Government at the Centre to protect the party's vote bank amongst illegal Bangladeshi immigrants residing in Assam.

The AASU is of the view that the new order had undermined the recent Supreme Court judgement striking down the controversial IMDT Act, 1983 and has decided to burn the copy of new Central order on Friday in protest. It will take out torchlight procession by people against it all over the State on March 1 next.An emergent AASU central executive meeting on March 6 will decide the further course of agitation and possible legal action to get the order scrapped in the court of law.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, the AASU adviser Dr Samujjal Bhattacharrya said that the students' body after taking opinions from legal experts on the Central order which is meant for application only in Assam, was convinced that it was an order similar to the now scrapped controversial IMDT Act, 1983, devised only to protect the interests of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

"We were relieved in the aftermath of the last July 12 Supreme Court order scrapping the IMDT Act after a long battle in the court but the ruling Congress which has thrived in Assam on the strength of its vote bank amongst illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, is bent upon bringing back the IMDT Act in a new garb. It will not be tolerated. We will not rest till the Foreigners (Tribunal for Assam) Order, 2006 is withdrawn," he said.

"Why again a separate set of law to deal with illegal foreign nationals residing in Assam while it a common knowledge that illegal migrants from Bangladesh have swarmed the entire country ? Why the Centre is so keen to protect Bangladeshis living in Assam? This should be judged by the people of rest of the country," he added.

The Government of India, by a gazette notification on February 10, amended the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964 and issued a special order called Foreigners (Tribunals for Assam) Order, 2006 for detection of foreigners in Assam.However, while, striking down the controversial IM(DT) Act, the Supreme Court termed the IM(DT) Act which was too enforced only in Assam, as ultra vires of the Constitution of India and struck down the Act.

The Court also struck down the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Rules and said that the tribunals and appellate tribunals formed under the same would cease to function. The Court order said that the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, Foreigners Act, 1946, the Immigration (Expulsion from Assam) Act 1950 and the Passport Act, 1967 shall apply to the State of Assam.

All cases pending before the tribunals under the IM(DT) Act shall stand transferred to the tribunals constituted under the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964 and the cases shall be decided in the manner provided under the Foreigners Act, the rules made there under and the procedure prescribed under the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964, the apex court order said.

The Court further directed the Government to constitute sufficient number of tribunals under the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964 to effectively deal with the cases of foreigners, who have illegally come from Bangladesh or are illegally residing in Assam.

"The Supreme Court clearly stated that all cases of foreigners living in the State should be tried under the provisions of the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964, but instead of creating more tribunals under the order, the Government of India amended the order and issued a fresh order for Assam," the AASU top brass said.

Imphal: The State Government has ordered a total ban on import of chickens, ducks and poultry products from outside the State following the birdflu outbreak in Maharashtra's Nandurbar district, official sources said on Thursday.

The decision to ban import of these items was taken at a meeting of government officials including Commissioner of Veterinary department, the sources said. Strict vigil would be enforced at border points to prevent these items from entering the state, they added.The government would also look into whether to continue the sale of poultry and its products, already in the State, the sources said.

In Mizoram, poultry market has been hit by the avian influenza scare with sale of chickens and eggs declining drastically over the past few days.Import of poultry products from neighbouring Assam came to a complete halt on Thursday, two days after the ban came into effect.

''Following the import ban, a large number of poultry products were pushed back yesterday and today,'' Vairengte police check gate sources said. Several meat shop owners across the city said their sales had been badly affected by the bird flu scare.

Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department (AHV) was making sure that Government run poultry farms were not affected with the H5N1 strain. (Agencies)

NEW DELHI: The boycott by the Press of all Assam Government functions in created ripples in the national capital with a scheduled Press Conference of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi falling victim.Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday cancelled a scheduled press conference here following protest by the journalists belonging to the North East Media Forum here in the capital against police harassment of scribes in Kakopathar recently, Assam.

The Forum handed out black ribbons to all presspersons reaching the venue for the Press Conference to wear as a sign of solidarity with the journalists in Assam.A media boycott of the Assam Government continues in the state to protest a brutal assault on a journalist by police at Kakopathar in Upper Assam last week for allegedly instigating the villagers.

Dr Manas Banarjee, general secretary of the Forum also submitted a memorandum to an official of Assam Bhavan as the Chief Minister could not be met personally. The Forum demanded immediate strict action against the policemen responsible for the attack. ''The Administration must create a conducive atmosphere in the state for journalists to carry on with their profession.''

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday decided to take over the Tripura Engineering College at Agartala and convert it into a National Institute of Technology (NIT) with deemed university status.A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, gave its approval for taking over the college as a fully-funded Institute of the Central government and convert it into NIT with deemed to be university status, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi told reporters.

It would become a fully-funded Central Government institution, he said.Making the Tripura Engineering College a fully-funded Institute under the Central Government and its integration with 19 other NITs would enable it to provide necessary leadership in the field of technical education in the state, he said.

Besides, it would also become a national Centre of excellence and help produce quality manpower comparable to those produced by other national level institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), he added. (PTI)

''The 12th Finance Commission awards do not fully commensurate with the requirements of the government. However, the Government has streamlined the financial management and the Centre has also effected to reschedule the loans obtained by the State Government and allowed to repay them over a period of 20 yearsat a lower rate of interest, '' Mr Singh informed the House.

This year the Government had not diverted any of the plan resources this year for meeting the non-plan expenditure as had been the practice in the past. The revised estimate of expenditure for 2005-06 with a gross expenditure of Rs 3141 crore showed an increase of Rs 89 crore as compared to Rs 3227 crore reflected in the budget estimate for 2005-06. (UNI)

Lt Col S D Goswami, the Defence PRO in Imphal, said one PLA militant was gunned down by troops of the 45 Assam Rifles, deployed in the area under the 57th Mountain Division of the Army. The PRO also said the troops recovered eight weapons from the site of the encounter. Five of the weapons are countrymade. The others are one AK-47 rifle, one SLR and one grenade launcher. Two wireless sets and other warlike materials were also recovered from the site, he said. (NNN)