Statesman (India) articles from December 2001

Statesman (India) archives from December 2001

CPI shifts focus to panchayats.
December 31, 2001... The Big Brother bug having been finally brushed under the carpet, albeit for the time being, the CPI has now changed gears to focus on the state's panchayat laws. At its ongoing conference, the party has sought a greater devolution of power,...

Sport around the state.
December 31, 2001... East Bengal win East Bengal recorded their fourth victory in their CAB Senior Division two-day League match beating Rajasthan Club by 50 runs at Greer ground on Sunday. Ajay Verma of the winners captured four wickets for 31runs. Rajesh...

Buddha inaugurates 'nameless' bridge.
December 31, 2001... Statesman News Service JANGIPUR (Murshidabad), Dec. 30. - The chief minister, Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharya, today inaugurated a ''nameless" bridge over the Bhagirathi River, linking Jangipur with Raghunathgunje. The bridge, measuring 1,160...

Kurseong roads stay choked on traffic.
December 31, 2001... Statesman News Service SILIGURI, Dec. 30. -After several attempts to enforce traffic discipline in Kurseong, authorities are finally acknowledging that the motor-terminus at Kurseong has been a waste. Situated about two km away from the...

Squatters line up chain of protest.
December 31, 2001... Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Dec. 30. - Around 7,000 illegal squatters living along the railway tracks on the Ballygunge-Majerhat stretch, formed a human chain on Gariahat Road this morning to protest against the Railway's decision to...

Fresh vegetables and fruits off the shelf.
December 31, 2001... The government plans to set up a chain of vegetable, fruit and flower markets statewide, reports Manas R Banerjee from Malda Dec. 30. - The government plans to set up a chain of vegetable, fruit and flower markets throughout the state. ...

Roy Pradhan takes a dig at Kamal Guha.
December 31, 2001... Debashis Bhaumik in Cooch Behar Dec. 30. - Mr Amar Roy Pradhan, who was expelled from the Forward Bloc in July, has said that those abusing the Left Front from within should leave and criticise the CPI-M from outside. The dig was meant...

100 years ago today.
December 31, 2001... Christmas Carols At St Paul's Cathedral. - The evening service on Sunday at the Cathederal was very largely attended by a congregation which included the Lieutenant-Governor and Lady Woodburn with a party from Belvedere. The service, which...

India briefs.
December 31, 2001... Delhi: Expressing its deep concern with the escalating war-like situation between India and Pakistan, the South Asia Foundation urged people here on Sunday to step up the campaign against the sentiment for war. - UNI Jharkhand: Armed...

BJP meet weighs war option.
December 31, 2001... Statesman News Service NEW DELHI, Dec. 30. - The emergency meeting of the BJP was convened to give a war cry after the 13 December terrorist attack on Parliament. By the time the meeting actually happened, the opinion - both inside and...

Vajpayee, Musharraf to stay in same hotel.
December 31, 2001... KATHMANDU, Dec. 30. - Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and General Pervez Musharraf will stay in the same hotel here when they come to take part in the three-day Saarc summit from 4 January. The Princep Wing of Soaltee Crown Plaza, comprising four...

Kabul slams ISI for helping Osama.
December 31, 2001... Agence France-Presse KABUL, Dec. 30. - Afghanistan today called for deployment of international peacekeeping troops along its border with Pakistan to combat alleged Pakistani Intelligence assistance to Osama bin Laden. The border affairs...

Secys look the other way at Saarc meet.
December 31, 2001... United News of India KATHMANDU, Dec. 30. - The foreign secretary, Mrs Chokila Iyer, and her Pakistani counterpart, Mr Inamul Haq, avoided meeting each other, making evident the chill in the Indo-Pak relations, at the first meeting of the...

Act against ultras: USA, France to Pak.
December 31, 2001... Statesman News Service & Agencies NEW DELHI, Dec. 30. - The international community, led by the USA and France, wants Pakistan to take action against terrorists operating from its soil and PoK. Other countries that have called for action in...

Karzai: India's role in reconstruction vital.
December 31, 2001... KABUL, Dec. 30. - The head of the Afghan interim government, Mr Hamid Karzai, today said India should play a greater role than other countries in the reconstruction of his war-ravaged country. Terming India as his "second home", Mr Karzai...

Border tension obstacle to crackdown: Musharraf.
December 31, 2001... Agencies ISLAMABAD, Dec. 30. - General Pervez Musharraf today said Indian military build-up along the border "acted as an obstacle" to crack down on extremists. He was speaking to the media here after presiding over an all-party meeting....

George skips meeting.
December 31, 2001... NEW DELHI, Dec. 30. - Mr George Fernandes was conspicuous by his absence at the meeting. He was asked to skip the meeting to avoid fresh controversy. Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee told the Opposition leaders that he didn't compel the defence...

Opp supports diplomatic war.
December 31, 2001... Statesman News Service NEW DELHI, Dec. 30. - The government and the Opposition today reached a consensus at an all-party meeting that the Centre should step up diplomatic offensive against Pakistan. Both sides agreed that the country should...

Nuclear deterrent, not weapons, necessary for peace.
December 31, 2001... A poor developing country like India, cannot afford the high costs involved in developing a composite nuclear weapons programme. A nuclear deterrent, however, is what will ensure enduring peace. I do not subscribe to the statement that India...

It is not just barbaric, it's Citu-organised!
December 31, 2001... Handcarts and hand-pulled rickshaws plying on the streets of Kolkata do not only speak of barbarism, but of organised barbarism. The sickening sight of emaciated bodies lugging heavy loads in what is alleged to be a 'megacity' doesn't...

Home duo may find it hard.
December 31, 2001... Elora Sen in Chennai Dec. 30. - It's that time of the year again when tennis aficionados of the country flock to Chennai for the only ATP Tour event in south Asia, the Chennai Open, rechristened the Tata Open this year. With the ITC pulling...

Canas to be put to the test by European troika.
December 31, 2001... Ramesh Krishnan CHENNAI has been home to the ATP tournament since 1997. This past year, there were some doubts whether it would remain here. We are all very happy that it stays as the Tata Open. This is the time of year the city of...

Leander faces Stoliarov.
December 31, 2001... Statesman News Service CHENNAI, Dec. 30. - The action tomorrow at the Tata Open Tennis Championships here will feature Leander Paes pitched against Stoliarov, while Rohan Bopanna of India will pair up with Carlos Cuadrado of Spain to take on...

Death-defying love for bundle of joy.
December 31, 2001... The Straits Times Asia News Network SINGAPORE, Dec. 30. - Mr Bani Buang wrote a Malay song to express his love for his baby son. As he read the words to one listener, she broke down in tears. "Ariq, your name is engraved in my heart," he...

LTTE may open vital route.
December 31, 2001... United News of India COLOMBO, Dec. 30. - As part of efforts to create a conducive climate for peace talks, the LTTE may open the crucial Jaffna-Kandy (A9) Main Supply Route (MSR) to Jaffna through Vavuniya, a local media report said today....

No agreement on peace force.
December 31, 2001... Agencies KABUL, Dec. 30. - Talks between Afghanistan's interim government and British officials ended today without the expected final agreement on the deployment of a foreign peacekeeping force, a government official said. However, the...

New Al-Qaida tapes scanned.
December 31, 2001... Deutsche Presse Agentur TEHERAN, Dec. 30. - The Intelligence service of Afghanistan is currently evaluating new videotapes which contained plans for further terrorist operations by the Al-Qaida network, Iran's official news agency IRNA...

Buddha rues lack of infrastructure for Buddhist site.
December 30, 2001... STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MALDA, Dec. 29. - The government's delay in developing a Buddhist pilgrimage site at Jagajibanpur in Habibpur block was due to the lack of infrastructure, the chief minister said. Speaking to The Statesman during...

'Terror' calls under cop scanner.
December 30, 2001... STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, Dec. 29. - The city police and their counterparts in the adjoining districts of South Bengal will monitor public telephone booths from where calls are regularly reported to be made to various "suspicious"...

Junk the mail, ring in by cell.
December 30, 2001... ABANTIKA GHOSH STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, Dec. 29. - What is, oops sorry, was common to Dundee cakes and greetings cards? Christmas and New Year once used to be incomplete without both. Not any more. While the cakes with the good ole'...

Tribals ride road to extinction.
December 30, 2001... STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MUSHAHARPARA (Murshidabad), Dec. 29. - Is the dreaded kala-azar back? It has reportedly claimed many lives at a remote tribal settlement, Mushaharpara, in Murshidabad. "More than 100 families of Mushaharpara lived...

A clean sweep in Nandigram-II.
December 30, 2001... STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MIDNAPORE, Dec. 29. - Nandigram-II block in Mid-napore district is the first in the country to achieve hundred per cent sanitation coverage. Dr Surya Kanti Misra, minister for health and panchayats, today conferred...

McDonald's faces fine in China.
December 30, 2001... HONG KONG, Dec. 29. - Fast-food giant McDonald's faces a fine of up to $ 12,000 for selling Snoopy toys with its meals in southern China, a news report said Saturday. Authorities are considering the action after more than 230,000 Snoopy...

LAND AHOY Disinvestment strategies.
December 30, 2001... The cabinet committee on disinvestment's decision to sell VSNL's telecom and real estate assets separately is an unusually clear-sighted government strategy, and one that has beneficiary implications in other areas. CCD "unbundled", as the...

BANG ON But will New Delhi stay the course.
December 30, 2001... That Pakistan dubbed the Lashkar-e-Taiyaba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed as "illegal and unconstitutional armies" soon after the US declared them to be foreign terrorist organizations shows that it is amenable to US and Western pressure provided...

Jana in Mamata footsteps?
December 30, 2001... STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, Dec. 29. - The BJP is apparently aping the Trinamul chief, Miss Mamata Banerjee, in using the railways as a vehicle for populism ahead of Assembly polls in four states, including Uttar Pradesh. The BJP...

'Ultras hiding in and around Delhi'.
December 30, 2001... SHIVNATH JHA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, Dec. 29. - Police from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are likely to launch a joint operation and conduct "house-to-house" searches in over two dozen residential areas in Delhi and adjoining...

Powell asks India to give time to Pak.
December 30, 2001... MOHAN SAHAY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, Dec. 29. - The US secretary of state has reportedly told New Delhi not to push hard on its demand that Pakistan take tough and concrete action against the Laskar-e-Taiyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed....

Expose Pak at Saarc: RSS chief.
December 30, 2001... STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PURI, Dec. 29. - The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, Mr KS Sudarshan, said here today that the Prime Minister should avail the opportunity of the Saarc summit to mobilise opinion against terrorism and the states...

PWG activists shoot Andhra Cong MLA.
December 30, 2001... STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HYDERABAD, Dec. 29. - A Congress MLA, D Ragya Naik (51), was shot dead by PWG cadres at Amrabad mandal, Mehboobnagar district, this afternoon. Naik, who represented Devarkonda constituency, had gone to Maddimadugu...

Irfan calls NDA govt fascist.
December 30, 2001... STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHOPAL, Dec. 29. - Historian Prof Irfan Habib today accused the NDA of being "fascist and mad" for its alleged attempt to subvert history and communalise education. He slammed the government for deleting certain...

Mistake Not Our Temper!
December 30, 2001... C A V E A T C R IRANI President Bush seems to have put all his money on Musharraf and is ready to try any ruse, any manoeuvre to aid his ally. His Defence Secretary says Osama bin Laden's latest half hour tape on television, extolling the...

Bush calls Vajpayee, Musharraf.
December 30, 2001... STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, Dec. 29. - President George W Bush and the French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, tonight spoke to Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. They discussed the latest situation in the subcontinent. Earlier, Mr...

No giving in to pressure, asserts PM.
December 30, 2001... STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, Dec. 29. - The Prime Minister today sounded more hawkish than anyone in the BJP on the Pakistan issue. India would not succumb to any pressure while deciding on its priorities, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee said...

NET NEWS.
December 30, 2001... Spoof site riles WTO THERE is nothing more annoying than a take-off on the original concept. The World Trade Organisation has set up a Website. Anti-globalisation activists have their own site that superbly mimics the former while providing...

News Digest.
December 30, 2001... Dutta hits 160 KOLKATA, Dec. 29. - Upendra Dutta of Mohammedan Sporting hit 160 runs against Taltala Institute in their CAB Senior Division League match today. Abhishek Ghosh of Kumartuli scored 119 runs against Aikya Sammilani. Manoj Roy and...

Drunk Indian on SIA jailed.
December 30, 2001... DUETSCHE PRESSE AGENTUR SINGAPORE, Dec. 29. - An Indian citizen was jailed in Singapore for damaging an airline seat-pocket holder and shouting at crew members, when he was refused more drinks on Christmas Day, it was reported today. ...

Hamas suicide squad uses explosives in shoes: FBI.
December 30, 2001... DANIEL MCGRORY THE TIMES, LONDON LONDON, Dec. 29. - The explosive hidden in Richard Reid's shoes was the type used by Hamas bombmakers for suicide attacks, the FBI has said. Analysts discovered that Reid's black basketball shoes were packed...

It's hard to be me, says Russia's First Lady.
December 30, 2001... CLEM CECIL THE TIMES, LONDON MOSCOW, Dec. 29. - Mrs Lyudmila Putin stepped firmly into the ranks of world leaders' wives on Friday, with an interview demonstrating her faith, her charity work, her devotion to her husband and her recipe for...

Power and comfort.
December 30, 2001... Tarun Goswami FOR any manufacturing firm, maintaining consistent and excellent quality for 100 years is certainly a major achievement. The Mercedes Benz should be given full credit for doing this job as perfectly as possible. The two great...

FORM & SPACE : Feng Shui for your front door (IV).
December 30, 2001... Shreyans Rampuria The front door should not open directly towards the kitchen door. This causes much of the Yang energy to be directed towards the kitchen and hence much of the good luck is washed away. This also tends to make the residents...

Maharajas at the Lafayette studio.
December 30, 2001... Kavita Devgun 'AMAZING pictures!' The exclamation was repeated over and over and louder each time. The venue: the Exhibition Hall of the British Council in Delhi. The exhibition: Lafayette Portraits, a display of photographs of the Indian...

Now, it's the turn of 'indigo' house.
December 29, 2001... Kaushik Ghosh in Chowberia (N 24-Parganas) Dec. 28. - The state government has restored many historic buildings and placed the heritage tag on the houses of many eminent people. In most cases, this was done against the wishes of the...

No action yet on whistle-stop stop at Kajipara.
December 29, 2001... Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Dec. 28. - The Eastern Railway is yet to take any action against the local people of Kajipara in Sealdah-Hasnabad division who are forcing trains to stop there. The Statesman reported last week that locals...

Subrata is harassing traders: Ansari.
December 29, 2001... Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Dec. 28. - Mr Samsuzzaman Ansari, member, mayor -in-council (market), today accused Mr Subrata Mukherjee of harassing traders by stopping automatic hereditary transfer of shops in municipal markets. "It's...

Two murdered in Purulia.
December 29, 2001... Statesman News Service NETURIA (Purulia), Dec. 28. - Two fish traders were murdered at Ayodhya More on Raghunath and Mahuda Road in Meturia police station of Purulia district yesterday. According to the district police, the traders had been...

Bardhan pleads for Big Brother's hug.
December 29, 2001... Uday Basu in Barasat Dec. 28. - Mr AB Bardhan, CPI general secretary, today strongly advocated the unification of the CPI and the CPI-M and a broad-based alliance of the Left and other secular parties to fight the fascist forces "represented...

More vulnerable North-east in retrospect.
December 29, 2001... For the North-east 2001 has been a disappointing year. Solutions to many problems remained elusive. The ceasefire in Nagaland continues. Delhi and NSCN-IM have pledged to clinch the issue by 2003. NSCN leaders, Isak Swu and Th Muivah, met...

Whose interests? Trade unions and political "friends".
December 29, 2001... Gurudas Dasgupta is concerned about Chandrababu Naidu's advice to trade unions to consider delinking themselves from political parties. The Aituc general secretary discovers the American "monster'' at work: if the Andhra chief minister needs...

Missing rail heads put Nitish in a fix.
December 29, 2001... Manash Ghosh in Kolkata Dec. 28. - The railway minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, is a worried man. Come 31 December, eight out of 10 zonal railways will have no heads and will remain so for quite sometime. The Cabinet Committee on Appointments has...

MPs to visit Muslim nations over Pak.
December 29, 2001... Sudesh K Verma in New Delhi Dec. 28. - Groups of parliamentarians, cutting across party lines, are likely to visit Islamic countries in the first week of January to argue India's case against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. They will also try...

'Leave history to historians'.
December 29, 2001... Statesman News Service BHOPAL, Dec. 28. - The 62nd session of the Indian History Congress got underway here today. Inaugurating the three-day history conclave, former Union minister Dr Karan Singh hoped the controversy over NCERT history...

Accused Bihar Cong minister quits.
December 29, 2001... Statesman News Service PATNA, Dec. 28. - Bihar's minister of state for rural development and a Congress MLA, Mr Sanjay Kumar, resigned from the Rabri Devi ministry today after the police lodged an FIR in his name on Wednesday in connection...

Cong supports govt moves.
December 29, 2001... Statesman News Service New Delhi, Dec. 28. - An alert and tactful Congress is giving no chance to the government to complain about lack of domestic support in testing times. The Congress today backed the latest government moves - curtailing...

Decisive war against terror: Advani.
December 29, 2001... Statesman News Service NEW DELHI, Dec. 28. - Mr LK Advani today said Pakistan-sponsored terrorists had crossed the "Laxmanrekha" by attacking Parliament House. The war against terrorism waged by India would thus be decisive irrespective of...

No pull-back till Pak acts against terrorists: Delhi.
December 29, 2001... Statesman News Service and Agencies NEW DELHI, Dec. 28. - There is an attitudinal change in Indian diplomacy this time that is striking. The body language of its officials and their tone and tenor indicate clearly that the government is sure...

Musharraf offers talks, deploys troops.
December 29, 2001... Agencies ISLAMABAD, Dec. 28. - General Pervez Musharraf today declared that he was willing to meet Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee at the Saarc summit in Nepal next week and hoped for a similar approach from New Delhi. Gen Musharraf said, "I...

'India yet to achieve objectives'.
December 29, 2001... ISLAMABAD, Dec. 28. - Refusing to rule out war against Pakistan, India's deputy high commissioner in Islamabad, Mr Sudhir Vyas said, "India has some objectives which have to be achieved." "Various options are open to India and a final...

Net News.
December 29, 2001... Bride at GBP1 billion Kay Hammond(24) has created a sensation on the Net for offering herself on online auction as a wife. Internet entrepreneur and the charming managing director of Tamba Internet, England, posted herself at wellknown...

Gender Heterosexuality as an institution.
December 29, 2001... By ATTREYEE ROY CHOWDHURY The assumption that "most women are innately heterosexual" stands as a theoretical and political stumbling block for many women. - Adrienne Rich, 1984 If radical feminism reinstates the body as the primary site...

Players should share blame.
December 29, 2001... Statesman News Service KOLKATA Dec. 28. - The president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya, at a Press conference today, defended Mr Andrew Leipus, the physio of the Indian cricket team, saying that one should...

Stalwarts emphasise spirit of cricket.
December 29, 2001... Mario Rodrigues in Mumbai MUMBAI, Dec. 28. - Respected members of what could be termed the game's 'old boys' club' made a fervent plea for the preservation of the 'Spirit of Cricket' at the inauguration ceremony of a three-day 'festival'...

Power and comfort.
December 29, 2001... Tarun Goswami FOR any manufacturing firm, maintaining consistent and excellent quality for 100 years is certainly a major achievement. The Mercedes Benz should be given full credit for doing this job as perfectly as possible. The two great...

FORM & SPACE : Feng Shui for your front door (IV).
December 29, 2001... Shreyans Rampuria The front door should not open directly towards the kitchen door. This causes much of the Yang energy to be directed towards the kitchen and hence much of the good luck is washed away. This also tends to make the residents...

SMALL SCREEN : Human dynamo.
December 29, 2001... Subhash K Jha If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes I wouldn't have believed it. Kajol's uncontrollable exuberance on Rendezvous With Simi Garewal seemed like an extension of her role in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Only, the director this...

Maharajas at the Lafayette studio.
December 29, 2001... Kavita Devgun 'AMAZING pictures!' The exclamation was repeated over and over and louder each time. The venue: the Exhibition Hall of the British Council in Delhi. The exhibition: Lafayette Portraits, a display of photographs of the Indian...

Not very cool.
December 29, 2001... Copy Blighter JEANS and genes. Now why didn't anyone think of that. Perhaps because they were scared that they will end up making an advertisement like Levis'. In a clone-clogged future, the Levis chap - funny that long hair should...

KMC markets to remain closed today.
December 28, 2001... Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Dec. 27. - Shops in all 24 Kolkata Municipal Corporation markets will remain shut tomorrow in protest against the KMC's decision to abolish the inheritance of shops in event of a licensee's death. A...

Regulations near Parkomat from Jan.
December 28, 2001... Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Dec. 27. - The area within 500 metres radius around the Parkomat on Rawdon Street will be declared a no-parking zone from the first week of January. The parking fee for the areas on Park Street and Rawdon...

ADB to sponsor Sunderbans development study.
December 28, 2001... The Asian Development Bank will provide Rs 3 crore to conduct a study for the development of the Sunderbans, reports Tarun Goswami from Kolkata Dec. 27. - The Asian Development Bank will provide Rs three crore to conduct a study for the...

CM says sorry to doctors for 'indecorous' words.
December 28, 2001... Statesman News Service MALDA, Dec. 27. - The chief minister today apologised for using "indecorous" words against erring doctors but iterated that "negligence and indiscipline among doctors in hospitals will not be tolerated under any...

Subrata wants beacon lights on his car.
December 28, 2001... Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Dec. 27. - Mr Subrata Mukherjee today said he would write to the chief minister requesting that beacon lights be installed on his car and those of the deputy mayor, the chairman and all members of the...

More rail coaches from Liluah workshop.
December 28, 2001... Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Dec. 27. - The overhauling capacity of Eastern Railway's Liluah workshop will be augmented from 205 to 235 passenger coaches per month. The Union minister for railways, Mr Nitish Kumar, inaugurated the project...

Mamata CPM's friend, says Ajit Panja.
December 28, 2001... Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Dec. 27. - Mr Ajit Panja today called Miss Mamata Banerjee" a friend of the CPI(M)" and held her responsible for helping the CPI-M retain its power in the state. Mr Panja said that Miss Banerjee had not...