The worst hit was the railway station where 14 people were killed and 30 injured in a powerful explosion outside the waiting room at 6:25 PM on platform one where Delhi-bound Shivaganga express train was stationary, official sources said.

Minutes before this, a bomb went off at the famous Sankatmochan temple when it was teeming with devotees. At least six persons were killed and 25 others injured in the explosion. All the injured were rushed to various hospitals in the city, many of them taken by good samaritans, as police cordoned off the sites.

Immediately after the blasts, police was put on high alert throughout the country with security being beefed up at places of worship, vital installations and government buildings. The Centre also issued an advisory to all the states to take steps to ensure law and order and to specially see that there was no communal flare up.

The blast at the railway station was so powerful that it created a one-foot deep crater and smashed window panes and wooden structures. The area was splattered with blood and scattered with body parts and passengers belongings soaked in blood.

There was unconfirmed report of a second blast at the railway station.Four live bombs were defused near Dashaswhamedh Ghat, two kilometres away from the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Shivaganga train was thoruoghly checked before it left for Delhi.

A red alert has been sounded in Uttar Pradesh following blasts in Varanasi. Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has announced ex gratia relief for the victims and appealed to the people to maintain peace and order. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has called for a bandh on Wednesday.(Agencies)

The list of reactors to be placed under permanent "India-specific safeguards" New Delhi will negotiate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) excludes the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) - a subject of intense debate and negotiations preceding the deal. (Agencies)

"The present government has regrettably allowed itself to be pushed into a slew of agreements in the areas of defence, agricultural research, science and technology and infrastructure development which seriously damage India's interests and compromise Indian sovereignty", the party Polit Bureau said in a statement here.

The major supporting party asked the government to ensure that India's compliance with the terms of the nuclear deal was "fully reciprocal with US compliance".

New Delhi should also not implement the pact till it was approved by the US Congress and "necessary changes are brought about within the Nuclear Suppliers Group to ensure uninterrupted and unconditional supply of nuclear fuel and nuclear technologies/materials to India", the CPI(M) said.

Warning the government not to accept any further conditionalities or shifting of goalposts by the US on "specious US pleas of facilitating the endorsements by the US Congress", it said the UPA coalition should also ensure during negotiations with IAEA that the "inspection process does not become an exercise of intrusive evaluation of our indigenous nuclear development programme".

The CPI(M) also asked the govenrment to "reject the US offer to join their Global Nuclear Energy Partnership as a 'client state' under which, going by the statement of President Bush, US and other nations would merely 'share nuclear fuel' with India".

"India has an advanced nuclear energy programme and the government must ensure India's right to develop and reprocess all nuclear fuels", it said.

The party also asked the government not to change its nuclear fuel policy or the country's three-phased nuclear energy programme going up to breeders and then the thorium cycle. It said all efforts must be made to fully utilise the country's indigenous capability and ensure that there were "no large-scale import of nuclear reactors".

"India should not be 'boxed-in' to a nuclear energy route for our future energy programme without a detailed examination of the techno-economics of nuclear energy", the party said.

The CPI(M) warned the government that in pursuit of the deal, it should not accept external conditions like on Iran nuclear issue, the gas pipeline or purchases of US military equipment. The UPA government should also renew its commitment towards universal nuclear disarmament and initiate measures to convene an International Convention towards this end, the CPI(M) said. (PTI)

Mayawati, however, denied any role of the party in the event. According to the TV channel's employees, they had parked their vehicle outside the local BSNL office where they had gone to pay some bills when they were accosted by four men who had followed them on a motorbike.

While two of them goons started smashing the wind-shield and window panes of the vehicle, the others attacked the occupants of the car with rods. CNN-IBN camera person Anil suffered serious head injuries and is hospitalised. The driver, however, managed to save himself and flee.

The miscreants then sprinkled petrol over the car and set it ablaze. Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has ordered a police investigation in the matter. (IANS)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will pronounce Wednesday its verdict on the acceptability of the report of the high-powered committee which inquired into the allegations and counter-allegations between Best Bakery case key witness Zahira Sheikh and social activist Teesta Setalvad.

A Bench comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice H K Sema had reserved it judgement on January four after taking on record the objections and written submission of various parties relating to the case. The Bench had sought a report from senior advocate Harish Salve, who was amicus curaie in the matter, as to what action could be taken against the persons indicted by the Committee.

Zahira has questioned the findings of the Committee which indicted her as "self-condemned liar" saying the inquiry proceeding was neither fair nor honest and was based on distortion of true facts. Terming as "guess work" the findings in the report, her counsel had said "the findings as recorded are oscillitating and are not clear and specific."

While the objections were filed, the Bench had virtually given a clean chit to the controversial BJP MLA Madhu Srivastava and Congress Corporator Bathu Srivastava saying that adverse remarks were attributed to them as they did not appear before the Committee for giving their voice sample for test though there was no concreate evidence against them regarding the payment of money to Zahira to change her stand in the case.

The Committee headed by the Registrar General in its August 29 report had given a clean chit to Teesta of the charges of inducement levelled against her by Zahira. The Court, on January 10, 2005, had referred the matter for inquiry on being faced with the "flip flops" of Zahira much to the embarassment of her one time protectee and social activist Setalavad.

While the verdict in this matter was reserved, a trial court in Mumbai on February 24 sentenced nine persons to life imprisonment in the case finding them guilty of murder and issued notice to Zahira and other members of her family, who were main witnessed for tendering false evidence.

Besides Zahira, her mother Sehrunissa, two brothers Nasibullah and Nafitullah and sister Sahira, had turned hostile during the recording of evidence. The trial court has asked them to show cause as to why they should not be prosecuted for perjury (giving false evidence). They have been asked to reply by March 20.

Altogether 17 accused faced the trial on charges of rioting and murdering 14 persons who had taken refuge in the Best Bakery on Hanuman Tekdi at Vadodara on March one, 2002, in the post-Godhra riots. Four other accused are absconding. (PTI)

New Delhi: Setting aside the judgement of Bombay High Court, the Supreme Court Tuesday upheld the sale of five mills of National Textile Corporation in Mumbai last year and approved the commercial development of surplus land of sick mills estimated at Rs 30,000 crore.

The High Court had held that the sale of surplus lands of NTC mills was contrary to BIFR scheme and apex court orders. The Bench said the writ petition filed by an NGO, the Bombay Environmental Action Group, before the High Court challenging the development scheme should have been dismissed on the grounds of delay and latches.

The contention that the constructions carried out by the developers on the mill lands were in violation of Government Notification of July 7, 2004 as none of them had obtained clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest, was rejected by the apex court. The Bench said the environmental aspect and sustainable developement has to go together.

The NGO, in a PIL, had alleged that NTC which has 25 mills spread over 285 acres in prime locations of the city, estimated to be worth over Rs 5,000 crore had sold the surplus land of five mills in violation of Development Control (DC) Rules 58. NTC, Appolo Textile Mills, Mumbai Textile Mills, Eliphinstone Mills, Kohinoor Mills Number 3, Jupitor Mills, Bombay Dyeing and several others had challenged the High Court judgement.

The DC Rules were introduced in 1991 to enable mill owners to overcome the loss suffered to them. However, mill owners found the DC Rules 58 cumbersome and modifications were brought into it and in 2001 it was amended to include open spaces only. Bouyed by this amendment, many private players including NTC came up with the proposal to sell 17 of its 25 mills and got an approval of its plan from Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation. (PTI)

Kolkata: Close on the heels of the Jaya Bachchan issue, Trinmamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee Tuesday demanded disqualification of a number of CPI(M) MPs including Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee from West Bengal alleging that they too enjoyed offices of profit in the state.

Apparently taking a cue from the case of the Samajwadi Party MP who is facing disqualification as a Rajya Sabha member, the Trinamool Congress supremo told reporters ''If this law is applicable to Jaya Bachchan, why should it not be enforced on others, including CPI(M) MPs enjoying office of profit? Law should be one for everybody.''

Banerjee said that she would write within a couple of days to President A P J Abdul Kalam, requesting him to look into the cases of CPI(M) MPs ''who use government cars and enjoy all government facilities. They also enjoy the status of cabinet ministers.''

When contacted, Chatterjee rebutted the TC leader's contention saying that position he held as chairman of the Srineketan Santiniketan Development Authority was not an office of profit. "The position I am holding is not an office of profit, otherwise I would not have accepted it. I am an MP for a long time. I have been holding the post for 17 years and nobody raised objections," he told PTI over phone from Delhi.

Another CPI(M) Lok Sabha member Hannan Mollah, who was also named by the TC supremo, said "Mamata is free to go to the President with her complaint, but so far I have enquired from the Lok Sabha secretariat, the post I hold as the chief of state's Wakf Board is not an office of profit. (PTI)

Dehra Dun: Giving a clean chit to Yoga Guru Ramdev, Uttaranchal government Tuesday said no traces of animal parts or human skulls were found in medicines being prepared by his Hardwar-based pharmacy.

During a two-month long investigation intitated in the wake of CPI-M leader Brinda Karat's allegations, state Health Minister Tilakraj Behad said samples of four Ayurvedic medicines of the pharmacy were tested. "We have found no animal parts in the medicines prepared by the Divyayog pharmacy being run by Ramdev."

Behad said the state government would also submit the final investigation report to the Centre shortly. He said New Delhi-based Shriram Industrial Research Institute had been given the task of investigating the allegations of mixing animal parts as well as human skulls in the medicines. The institute found no traces of any animal parts as well as human skulls, he said.

The four medicines which were probed included Madhunashini, Medhavati, Muktavati and Kalpbhasm, Behad said. CPI-M leader Brinda Karat had caused a stir by alleging that the pharmacy of Ramdev, who has become popular across the country with his daily Yoga programmes broadcast by television channels, was using animal parts and human skulls in his Ayurvedic medicines.

Meanwhile, boosted by the report, Yoga guru has said Lok Sabha Speaker should take action against Mrs Karat for ''mounting a disinformation campaign against him''. Addressing the media here, Ramdev said the Speaker should take action against Karat for making such allegations. (Agencies)

New Delhi: Opposition BJP Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the government in Lok Sabha saying the general budget was not only "directionless" but was full of big announcements and lacked funds to implement prog-rammes for the rural poor.

The ruling Congress, however, rebutted all charges claiming that "pro-poor" programmes like National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) were launched by the UPA government while the erstwhile BJP-led NDA had programmes only for the rich and corporates.

Initiating a debate on the general budget and Supplem-entary Demands for Grants, BJP member Sumitra Mahajan said there was "no policy direction for long-term sustainable growth" and budget was "full of missed opportunities".

"Big announcements have been made in the budget but there is no action plan for their implementation and the allocation is dismal," she said adding no care had been taken to check price rise or even the problem of "vanishing LPG cylinders".

While the threat of nation-wide power shortage was looming large, the gove-rnment had not taken any step to start work on this crucial issue on a war-footing, Mahajan said.

The NREGP was "only a gimmick" and would not serve the real purpose of providing employment to rural house-holds, she said. Her arguments were rebutted by senior Congress MP K S Rao who said the BJP, during its tenure, only spoke about Rathyatras and Ayo-dhya and had only served the rich and corporates.

"The poor people are being served by the UPA govern-ment," he asserted.

The civil nuclear deal India and the US clinched during President George W. Bush's visit here last week got a high approval rating Tuesday from young MPs, businessmen and strategic thinkers here who saw it as a recognition of India's "unique nuclear status" and its emergence as a "major power" on the global scene.

"The deal is about about India's emergence as one of the leading powers in the global stage," strategic expert K Subrah-manyam, whom heads a task force on Global Strategic Develo-pments, told a select audience at Maurya Sheraton here.

C Raja Mohan, strategic expert, while hailing the "big deal", warned against exces-sive euphoria or gloating over it as there were still many hurdles to be cleared, the chief among them being approval of the US Congress that will have to amend laws to enable nuclear trade with India.

"Don't gloat about it yet. The US has agreed to change the entire set of international rules for India and India alone," Raja Mohan said. Underlining the international dimension of this bilateral deal, he said that India needed to lobby the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and tell them that it was "good for the whole world."

Young MPs cutting across party lines were also upbeat about the future of India-US ties. "We share some values, we are against terrorism but we have our own assessment about developments in Iraq or our neighbourhood and our agreement with the US will not affect our bilateral relations with other countries," said Sachin Pilot. (Agencies)

The PTA is consequent to the signing of a Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation on January 20, 2005 during the visit of the Chilean President to India. The Framework Agreement also provided for a Joint Study Group to identify the potential for cooperation in trade in goods and services, investments and other areas. (PTI)

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), agitating for an enhanced stipend among other demands for the past nine days, may go on a 'hunger strike' if the State government failed to accept their demands in the next couple of days.

The strike by the MARD members, which started on February 27 after two of the doctors were beaten up by patients' relatives in two civic-run hospitals, has adversely affected the medical services in the metropolis, even though authorities in other parts of the State claimed that the stir had not affected services there.

The striking doctors in Mumbai have received overwhelming support from the counterparts in Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad with a large number of them joining the agitation even as the authorities have issued termination notices.

Talking to reporters here this evening, MARD Joint Secretary Dr Yoganand Patil said, ''we planning to go on hunger strike if government does not consider their demands in a day or two.'' Dr Patil said that MARD has received letters of support from 42 organisations across the country with resident doctors from other states supporting their cause by wearing 'black badges'.

Doctors at JJ hospital Tuesday staged demonstration outside the Dean's office. (UNI)

India's biggest carrier, Jet Airways also said it would be putting chicken and egg in the flight menu from Wednesday. "Jet Airways has taken this step following a directive from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare," the airlines said, adding the chicken and egg non-vegetarian options would now be available on all flights across its network. (PTI)

At the face of criticism for reportedly being "unhappy" over not being inducted in the MDA Cabinet as promised by Mr DD Lapang, the Assembly Speaker told The Shillong Times that he was unhappy to see that not a single MLA from West Khasi Hills was inducted in the Lapang-ministry, which he felt should have been done long back. "I'm not power hungry. What I wanted is that the West Khasi Hills district, which is otherwise under-developed should have a representative in the government".

With this comment coming from none other than the Assembly Speaker himself, the demands of the West Khasi Hills for a ministerial berth in the MDA government received a shot in the arm. It was in July 9, 2004 that the Lapang-led MDA ministry was downsized from 41-member Cabinet to a 12-member Cabinet and West Khasi Hills has been left out in the formation of the ministry. Interestingly, of the four MLAs from Ri-Bhoi district, two are in the ministry, one of them being Mr Lapang, while the other is Mr JD Rymbai. Another legislator from Ri-Bhoi, Mr PW Muktieh, is the Deputy Speaker.

Jaintia Hills, which has seven MLAs, is having Mr Kyrmen Susngi and Mr Shiltang Pale in the ministry, while East Khasi Hills with 19 legislators is represented by Mr Friday Lyngdoh, Dr Donkupar Roy, Mr HDR Lyngdoh and Mr Martle Mukhim in the Lapang-ministry. Mr Brening Sangma, Mr Beckstar Sangma, Mr Sayeedullah Nongrum and Mrs Deborah Marak are the four from Garo Hills who are Cabinet ministers. 

But West Khasi Hills did not have any share in the government. Besides Mr Danggo representing Langrin, other MLAs from the district are Mr Bires Nongsiej of UDP (Mawkyrwat), HSPDP supremo Mr HS Lyngdoh (Nongstoin), Congress' Irene Lyngdoh from Pariong and Mr Boldness Nongum from Mairang, and Independent MLA Mr Francis Pondit Sangma from Mawthengkut.

"Everyone including the Congress is aware of the need for having a minister from West Khasi Hills", Mr Danggo said.

It may be recalled that the Chief Minister after the downsizing his ministry had defended his selection of ministers saying that "the limited number of 12 makes it difficult for the inclusion of all. Speaker MM Danggo representing West Khasi Hills will be accommodated in the Ministry as he had reminded that he would remain as Speaker for two years".

"West will not be neglected. Mr HDR Lyngdoh will also contribute for the development of West Khasi Hills", the Chief Minister had then said.

It was in December last year that the Assembly had entrusted the MBOSE Bill for modifications before the 11-member select committee comprising Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Education Dr Donkupar Roy (Chairman ), Dr FA Khonglam , Mr BG Momin, Mrs Jopsimon Phanbuh , Mr Tonsing Marak , Mr ED Marak, Mr Manas Chaudhuri, Mr Paul Lyngdoh, Mr Draison Kharshiing, Mr M Suchiang and Mr Prestone Tynsong.

The NCP members -Mr Edmund Sangma and John Manner Marak had abstained from the select committee meeting. Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, Mr Danggo said that if the select committee submitted its report in the Assembly during the coming session, the legislators could study the report before getting the final nod of the Assembly.

SHILLONG: Putting behind the long-drawn controversy over the MBOSE issue, the Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) examination started without hitch on Tuesday.

Altogether 16,058 students are taking the HSSLC examination, while 34,984 are appearing for SSLC, which is going to begin on Wednesday. In all 57 centres have been arranged for holding the SSLC examination. There is a rise in the number of students appearing in both the examinations this year from the last year, when 13,343 students appeared in the HSSLC examination and 31,669 wrote the SSLC examination.

The newly-appointed Executive Chairman of the board, Mr TTC Marak said he was keeping his 'fingers crossed' for a smooth holding of examination this year. "All possible arrangements have been put into place in all the examination centres for smooth conduct of examinations", Mr Marak said against the backdrop of a major goof up last year.

It may be recalled that late distribution of question papers combined with gross errors in results and tabulation last year snowballed into a major public unrest in the State, which saw a loss of nine lives in police firing in Garo Hills. The Board has urged the district magistrates to ensure law and order at the examination centres at their respective districts.

SHILLONG: Former Minister and KHNAM MLA Mr Paul Lyngdoh has floated the idea of forming a Hynniewtrep Legislators' Forum in the line of Garo Hills Legislators' Forum (GHLF) to look into the welfare and problems faced by the people of Khasi and Jaintia Hills.

Mr Lyngdoh on Tuesday said he was trying to contact the Khasi-Jaintia legislators on the need of forming the forum. He also informed that Chief Minister DD Lapang has sent a reply to his letter on the need of taking measures to introduce identity card system to check influx .

Mr Lyngdoh had written the letter to the Chief Minister in February last urging the government to implement the identity card system and also to scrap the Indo-Nepal treaty. "I have received the reply from the Chief Minister on Monday and he assured that the government was seriously taking up with Centre the issues raised", Mr Lyngdoh said. He also said that he sent a letter to the Chief Minister's office on Tuesday regarding temporary appointments in Agriculture department.

Moreover, the GSU had alleged that there was a violation of state reservation policy in these appointments. However, Mr Lyngdoh said, "it would be relevant to note that the appointments were only on temporary basis as per rule 3 of Meghalaya service rule and this has no bearing on the state reservation policy.

Of the 24 MLAs from Garo Hills, only five legislators, including GHLF spokesperson and UDP legislator Mr BG Momin and other members like Mrs Deborah C Marak, Mr Admiral K Sangma, Mr Edmund K Sangma and Mr Billykid Sangma met on Tuesday and decided to postpone the meeting. The meeting was held at Mrs Marak's chamber in the Main Secretariat.

The CCIB, a conglomeration of three organisations - HNYF, FKJGP and the Federal Council of War Mihngi War Jaintia (FCWMWJ) - supported by the KSU, started a crusade against the border fencing in Meghalaya, which they said would result in loss of cultivable land. They wanted that fencing be erected only on the zero line where no dispute prevails.

Neither the State government nor the Centre was convinced to take the argument of the NGOs, which apparently prompted these organisations to take influential MLAs into confidence to push through their demand. 

Talking to reporters after a meeting on Tuesday, KSU general secretary Hamlet Dohling said that the NGOs would urge the MLAs to do their part in having the fencing works suspended. "We want them to raise the issue in the Assembly to compel the State government to persuade the Centre to stall the construction works", Mr Dohling said. "We are confident that many MLAs will extend their support", he said.

The NGOs have served an ultimatum to the State government on having the works stalled by March 15. The KSU leader said once the deadline expires, they would finalise the date for launching a massive agitation programme in the State.

NEW DELHI: The Annual Plan for Meghalaya for the year 2006-07 was on Tuesday fixed at Rs 900 crore, including one time additional Central assistance of Rs 51 crore for projects of special importance to the state such as management of bamboo flowering.

The Plan size was fixed at a meeting between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang. The Plan size was agreed at Rs 900 crore. Talking to The Shillong Times, Mr Lapang said that the Planning Commission was happy over the performance of the state Government. The Deputy Chairman also assured to grant more fund to the state, he said.

However, the Commission expressed concern over high dropouts in the schools of Meghalaya, the Chief Minister said adding that it suggested the government to introduce vocational institutes in the state so that immediate avenues of employment were available for youths.

The Planning Commission also expressed apprehension about high expenditure on salaries to the staff of the state Government. It was pointed out that around 12 to 13 per cent  of GSDP was going towards salaries and efforts should be made to improve tax - GSDP ratio.

The Chief Minister said that the thrust areas for next financial year would include new initiatives aimed at improving quality of life in rural areas, enhanced use of HYV seeds, generation of rural employment. He said improvement of health care facilities; rural connectivity and electrification would also get priority.

Earlier during the meting, Dr Ahluwalia said the state has immense potential in promoting tourism and horticulture. He asked the state government to take advantage of the Central government's programmes aimed at improving infrastructure, it should work towards expansion of horticulture and tourism including heritage, adventure and eco-tourism.

All three members of the North Eastern Council including Mr P P Srivastava and Members of the Planning Commission were present during the meeting.

Ri-Bhoi district Deputy Commissioner B Dhar said that the houses were constructed at Umroi Pyllun village near the Assam Oil Umroi Depot without any permission. He said that about 300 litres of diesel and petrol suspected of being stolen from the Assam Oil Umroi depot on March 2, was also seized from these houses.

In a letter to the Chief Secretary, the residents demanded immediate inquiry into the execution of public water supply scheme for urban and rural areas of the District. They said, public water supply made by the Department of PHE to Baghmara and the rural areas of South Garo Hills is not sufficient and it does not meet the basic and acute needs of the public of Baghmara and the rural areas of the district.

"However, it is found that the schemes made for public water supply to Baghmara and the rural areas have not been implemented in the desirable manner", they said adding, "apparently, the money sanctioned for the purpose by the Government had not been utilised properly so as to reach or meet the target".

Repeated complaints have been made to the Executive Engineer, PHE, Baghmara Division, to execute the schemes, but, things remained unchanged and progress of execution of the scheme is yet to be seen.

Taking into consideration such poor performance of PHE in Baghmara, the residents also requested the Executive Engineer, PHE, Baghmara Division to furnish information in detail to them under the Right to Information Act, 2005. "But, full and satisfactory information have not been provided to us," they said.

According to the information provided by the official, the Department has implemented all the schemes amounting to Rs. 1,553.636 lakh, which is incomplete and unsatisfactory and still 90 per cent households of Baghmara town and the rural areas of the District are not receiving proper and adequate drinking water.

The residents questioned that had the full amount been utilised, Baghmara town and the rural areas of the District would have been receiving adequate drinking water today. They strongly felt that Government should come to the rescue of the public in this definite matter of public importance by initiating an inquiry into the sluggish execution of the public water supply schemes made and intended for Baghmara and the rural areas of the District.

"Now it is the time to concentrate for the overall development of the State," he said.

Moreover, most of the schemes which have been taken up by the Government have not been completed. "The Government has achieved only 50 per cent of the target. IIM, Post-Graduate Agriculture College, Umiam, NEIGRIHMS, are other major schemes that need to be completed."

He said if a new leadership takes over, it has to start from the beginning while adding that the present Chief Minister had already initiated several projects which need to be completed.

"I had appealed to all MLAs in the MDA to complete the remaining projects that he had taken up. I also appeal to all the MLAs that instead of change in leadership, let us offer our suggestions to the Government," he said.

"As the MDA Government, we should try to solve unemployment problems, eradicate poverty, get more funds from the Centre so that the amount can be spent on health, road construction, education and agriculture. He also urged the Chief Minister to make a serious effort to convince the Prime Minister to sanction at least Rs 10,000 crore as special package for Meghalaya.

He also emphasised the need to construct the Assembly building at the earliest and the flyovers to ease congestion in the city. Enhancement of scholarships for students and granting of soft loans to the farmers are the other suggestions of Mr Sawkmie.

Reacting to news reports in a section of the Press which stated that the Government had directed the Treasury to withhold contractors' bill due to fund constraint, the Government has clarified that it had never issued such a directive either for the plan or non-plan bill.

A delegation of the Meghalaya Public Health Engineering Contractors' and Suppliers' Association led by its president, Ms Amanda Pathaw, had also met the officials concerned in this regard. The delegation also informed that the officials had asked all contractors not to spend the non-plan funds in purchasing vehicles, computer, chairs or almirahs or similar items.

In a statement issued here, Mr Lyngdoh said that the SMB has called for fresh registration in order to solve the problems face by the general public regarding exorbitant charges by the private plumbers for various plumbing works in spite of the SMB having published the prescribe rates for this.

Mr Lyngdoh said that in the absence of competition, since only a few are registered with the SMB, the plumbers tend to charge the public more. He said that the after registration the plumber will be provided with a license which is strictly meant for carrying out internal plumbing works, and laying of private pipes with due authorisation of SMB.

However, he said the license does not entitle or empower the holder to gain access to ferrules, tanks, main and sub main pipes or distribution outlets to which only the authorised personnel of the SMB would be allowed to access.

In this connection, the Deputy Commissioner, Ri Bhoi District, B Dhar has informed all Scheduled Castes families residing in Ri Bhoi District and below the income of Rs 50,000 per annum, to avail the scheme. Financial aid of Rs 75,000 or 50 per cent of the cost, whichever is less, will be paid to the hospital if the patient has to undergo surgical operations in any of the ten identified hospitals or medical institutions such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute, UP, Patna Medical College Hospital, Bihar, Jabalpur Hospital and Research Centre, Madhya Pradesh, Barua Cancer Institute, Assam, Birla Heart Foundation, Kolkata, Kalinga Hospital Ltd, Chandrashekarpur, Orissa, Tata Cancer Research Institute, Mumbai, Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad and the Voluntary Health Services, Chennai.

Applications should be forwarded to the Foundation through their respective Members of Parliament.

"History has been made." With these four simple words, India has crossed the Nuclear threshold. Gone is the 30-year old pariah status of being the outsider. Signalling the tantalizing beginning of a radical transformation in Indo-US ties. From a convergence of mutual interest to being geo-political allies. Ushering in a spring of a new nuclear order. To use the famous evergreen American catchline, both President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have come a long way, baby!

After a culmination of eight long months of intense negotiations, starting on 18 July last, both leaders cut through the diplomatic maze to seal a landmark nuclear deal. While New Delhi agreed to demarcate 65 per cent of its nuclear facilities as civil --- 14 of its 22 reactors --- and throw them open to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection, Washington settled to quench India’s growing thirst for energy by guaranteeing American supply of nuclear fuel for the Indian civil reactors and treating it as a de facto nuclear State. Notwithstanding the Cold ‘red’ Warriors in India and the non-proliferation dogmatists in America.

What does the ‘historic’ N-deal add up to? Is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh correct when he asserts, "our discussions make me confident that there are no limits to the Indo-US partnership"? Or, are the critics correct by accusing New Delhi of selling the country to American carpetbaggers? And, what should one make of President Bush’s statement that, "Sometimes it is hard to get rid of history and short term history shows that the United States and India were divided. We did not have much of a relationship….What this agreement says is things change, times change, that leadership can make a difference… it is in our economic interest." How does this deal intersect with the larger nonproliferation global concerns?

The answers to these questions lie somewhere in between. On the positive plane, India has struck the best possible compromise in this path-breaking deal. By bifurcating our civil and military installations, New Delhi in one fell stroke has joined the nuclear mainstream and come on board with other major powers like Russia, Britain, China, France besides the US. Asserted a senior diplomat, "Today we have got into the loop of international acceptability".

Gone are the nuclear sanctions which bogged India’s expansion plans and barred it from trading in civil nuclear energy technology for its civil nuclear power structure with any other country. Now Western, including American firms, will be able to invest in India's nuclear technology. Read dollars and cents. True, it does not give India "formal" entry into the all-powerful Nuclear Club, but by throwing open its installations to IAEA inspection it has acquired an "unofficially admitted" status. Also, once the US Congress and the Nuclear Suppliers Group comprising 38 countries gives its go-ahead India would have truly arrived nuclearally! That would facilitate it to not only maintain but also cross its target of eight per cent growth rate.

The downside is that for the first time in 30 years, has accepted new non-proliferation obligations. A majority of our N-installations will be open to permanent IAEA safeguards. Since the establishment of the Indian N programme in 1974, there has been no international oversight, and now the majority of India's programme will be under supervision of the IAEA. We can no longer transfer any of our N technologies. Besides, by agreeing to an unilateral moratorium of N testing, working with Washington towards a fissile material cutoff treaty alongwith passing a national export control law, New Delhi has brought itself into the ambit of international conformance.

Importantly, behind the N-jargon lies the unwritten core of the deal: it all boils down to money, stupid! Notwithstanding the momentous, historic razzmatazz surrounding the deal. It all totals --- market access. Bluntly, the pay-off is that the US gets a free run of a billion-strong population which adds up to US $100b worth of trade incentives. The US will reap the benefits of a full civil N-trade, resulting in more opportunities for American and other firms, to bring the latest in technology in the power industry to the nuclear establishment here in India. Not to forget the retail, agriculture and consumer sectors.

While India Inc seems upbeat about the deal, many feel that the $100b quid-pro-qou of allowing the American multi-nationals would kill the small and medium scale entrepreneurs. See how hard Bush canvassed for the entry of Walmart super mart chain in India. As it stands, the divide between the have-and have-nots is widening. While a 250million odd middle-class relishes Kentucky Fried Chicken, over 800 million satiate their appetite on the neon lit signboards of Coke and pizza.

Not a few fret that this could be the beginning of India becoming a banana republic. An euphemism of being an American stooge. As history shows the Yanks used their expertise to sell their technological superiority to the poor Latin American and African countries to take over a country. It started by selling the leaders the-where-withall to increase their banana plantations and double their yield. Having gained a foothold in a country, they slowly started exercising their hold to gain control of the governmental levers. Nationalists fear that the deal and the 100b worth of goodies smack of the same thing.

At another level, as Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns very condescendingly underscored, one of the reasons for showering India with N goodies was that it had a good N-track record, had not proliferated like North Korea, Iraq and Iran. Questionably, what happens when Washington perceives that New Delhi is acting to big for its N boots? Or when it thinks that enriched uranium is being diverted from civilian to the nuclear reactors. Will it do another Tarapur and stop fuel supplies? Or an Iraq? Accuse us of stockpiling WMD’s (weapons of mass destruction)? What guarantee will there be that Washington does not turn the tap off, notwithstanding the ‘perpetuatity’ clause? Look at Iran. Washington was the staunchest supporter of Iran in the 70s. But today it is its sworn enemy.

Equally worrisome is that the treaty harks back to the Kissinger thesis of the 70s. From Washington’s eyes, the South Asian region now attains strategic contours along two axes ---- economic dynamism and resource potential and N non-proliferation. Said Kissinger: "US interests in S Asia go beyond the economic realm. There is a fundamental political interest to prevent the Asian nations from forming a block inimical to US purposes." He argued that the US should act as the "guarantor of equilibrium" for which it would be prepared to play a "pivotal or balancing role in Asia". The US strategy it seems is to create a regional balance of power, forge limited defence links with geo-strategically important countries, arrive at limited military arrangements, build loose alliances systems and evolve multilateral security to ensure it remains the sole super-power in a unipolar world.

Moreover, as elucidated by P.K.Iyengar, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, "we need to find out what Washington means by an ‘India specific’ safeguard to be negotiated with IAEA. We have to avoid any intrusive inspections by IAEA in the identified civilian facilities," he said. Secondly, "India must ensure that the plutonium currently held in stocks and also bred inside its reactors is excluded from safeguards.

Also, as some foreign analysts’ point out, there could be many a slip between the nuclear cup and lip. Signing the deal was the easiest part. Now comes the tough part. Bush will have to approach the Congress soon to ask for modifications to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. Already the anti-deal lobby, led by Democrat Congressman Edward Markey, has raised the ante. The Congressman who is the co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation and the senior-most Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the US Congress has stated his intention "to fight this terrible agreement and block any legislation that would alter restrictions on nuclear trade in law."

Secondly, India would be fooling itself if it anticipates the deal will materialize soon. It would be lucky if everything goes through during Bush’s Presidential term which ends in November 2008.Recall, when Republican President Ronald Reagan signed the historic deal with China in 1985, it took 13 long years for it to get the US Congressional approval and another seven years for a US company to sell four N-reactors to Beijing!

What next? As Delhi basks in the warmth of a new dawn in Indo-US ties, it has to tread slowly and cautiously. True, it has been elevated into the big league but it needs to ensure a level-playing field sans patronizing by Big Brother. Bush is correct that times are changing but as South Block moves forward it has to safeguard it own interests, trust nobody and have its own security dynamics in place. It needs to watch and steer clear of the pitfalls. ---- INFA

Trekkies may remember engineer Scotty giving the 23rd century formula for "transparent aluminium" to a 20th century person in the 1986 movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Being able to make aluminium or for that matter any metal transparent would be a fantastic accomplishment with fabulous applications right from the arts to armaments. But metals being metals are stubborn and possess a rigid interlacing of their outer electrons shared between a great many identical atoms which refuse the passage of light through them.

The closest scientists have come so far has been to create transparent alumina which, alas, is just another name for aluminium oxide not a metal but a ceramic:

Brittle, unbending and generally pretty un-metallic. However, just when transparency was being thought of as fundamentally incompatible with one of the defining characteristics of a metal, a new bunch of scientists seemed to have found a clever way out of the situation. A recent report in the journal Nature Materials describes how researchers at Imperial College in London and the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland have pioneered a new optical effect which could be used one day to render such solid objects like walls and other hard artefacts, seem transparent.

The trick lies in not making the objects themselves see-through in a total physical sense, but in impressing techniques on their aspect which would allow people to treat them as if light was being able to pass through. To make the breakthrough, the researchers created special crystals only a few nanometres in length which behaved like artificial atoms. That is, when light was shone into the crystals, it became "entangled" with them at a molecular level rather than being absorbed, thereby causing the material to become transparent.

This new material created by the entanglement is made up of molecules that are in fact half-matter and half-light. Weird as it sounds these real life X-ray specs can have great applications in the future. Already they're talking about using the techno-logy to see through rubble at earthquake sites, hunt for hidden fossils and underground oil deposits or even utilise the trapped and frozen light to encrypt communications data via optical computers with 100 per cent confidentiality. (By arranegement with The Times of India)

Sir,

The recent announcement of CBSE to restructure certain important question papers of Class X and XII and allotting an extra time of 15 minutes to the examinees before the scheduled start of the examination as a cool period is significantly a great and welcome decision. This decision of CBSE is pragmatically welcome news for about 12 lakh students appearing in the board examination. This grace period will indeed help the students to plan and organize themselves in a proper and systematic manner.

Meanwhile, the CBSE Chairman has also decided to allot 30 minutes extra time to examinees for revising their answers, which is even more significant. This grace system shall not only enable the students to revise their papers but in the meanwhile this double new grace system will practically boost the overall performance of the student community at large, as the allotted 30 minutes extra time for revising the answer will not be deducted from the total duration of the exam.

Taking a broader view, it would be worthwhile if the various State Boards including the MBOSE take the same initiative.

Yours etc.,
Sugat Gewali,
Shillong-2

Sir,

Apropos the news item "children of non-tribal father cannot claim ST Status-SC" (ST. Feb 16), what I feel, it is a landmark judgement and would go a long way to purge the tribal society. It is often found that the children of non-tribal father and tribal mother use the surname of their mother and thereby claim to be tribal and avail the tribal status in the society which is unfair as far as competing with the pure tribal children in the fields of employment /admission is concerned. Another quite common thing is that being children of the same parents, one child uses father's surname and the other uses mother's surname. Thereby one is a tribal and the other a non-tribal in the same family, which is quite funny. This judgement of the Supreme Court would help checking the manipulative device of such parents and maintain the sanctity of the tribal society.

Yours etc.
P.P. Sengupta
Shillong - 1

The EC has also slapped show cause notice to Assam Rural Development Minister Ripun Bora and State Congress general secretary and MLA, Haren Das for using Government vehicles while coming to meet the EC members at the circuit house here on Monday. They have been asked to submit their explanation by Wednesday evening.

"We have zero level of tolerance in respect of violation of model code of conduct and directed the state chief secretary to personally monitor such aberrations on part of politicians, parties, government officials and agencies, " said the CEC.

The CEC and other two members of the Commission, N Gopalaswami and N B Chawla was on a two-day visit to the state where assembly polls are scheduled for April 3 and 10 next.

NEW DELHI: The twin mega events, concerning the north eastern region, got off to a glittering start with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurating the Octave, a cultural event, in presence of Tribal Affairs and DONER Minister P R Kyndiah and Chief Minister D D Lapang here in the national capital.

In his inaugural speech, the Prime Minister said that the rich and divergent cultural heritage of the North East should be utilised to develop the economy of the remote and backward region while adding that the tradition should also be passed on from generation to generation.

Mr Singh said one of the economic benefits of organising such cultural events is to attract tourists to the "most beautiful" region while he also suggested that such events should be held well before the tourist season to attract maximum number of visitors to the region.

The Prime Minister also wanted that the artisans, who are the backbone of art and culture, to benefit from such shows as without their contributions, it is just not possible to carry forward the rich tradition.

Referring to the need to create a favourable environment for the cultural traditions and practices to flourish, Singh stressed the need to encourage the youth to keep these skills and creativity alive and robust. "We then ensure the survival of our handicrafts, our handlooms, our traditional art, our dance forms and our music," he added. Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni also attended the Octave function along with Chief Minister D D Lapang. Incidentally, no other Chief Ministers attended the function.

Earlier in the morning, Mr Kyndiah inaugurated the eight-day long 3rd North East Expo at Pragati Maidan.