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Top Stories
More problems:
Water level
rising in Andaman Nicobar
What is India News Service,
Saturday, 1 January 2005, 2000 hrs IST
The water level in the seas off Campbell Bay in the southern most island of Great Nicobar in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
is rising, posing further problems to the people who continue to be stranded there, and to the efforts being made by the services to reach rescue efforts.
Defence sources confirmed to The Tribune that the water levels had indeed risen over the last couple of days, and attribute it to both the continuing aftershocks in the region, and the quake off the Australian coast. Already devastated by the quake and tsunamis on 26th, the population there is being forced to move to higher ground, which is luckily available.
Unfortunately, though, the airstrip at Campbell Bay is being affected, with waters swirling in, and which increase at high tide. All but the most skillful pilots of the Indian Air Force AN-32s and Dorniers are managing to land. About four sorties were conducted today.
One saving grace though is that today, after six days, the Indian Oil Depot at Car Nicobar, the other devastated island, 155 nautical miles (287 km) to the north of Great Nicobar, is now up and running again. That means aircraft can refuel at Car Nicobar and reach Campbell Bay. \93From tomorrow, more sorties will reach Campbell Bay.\94
Aftershocks jolt
Andamans; latest measures 6.3: Aftershocks measuring 5.2 and 5.0 on the Richter Scale earlier shook the Car Nicobar region.
Tsunami gifts two new beaches to Andamans:
While the tsunami wrought largescale destruction on this archipelago, on the other hand, it gifted two more beautiful beaches to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The beaches were reportedly discovered during an aerial survey of the area on the western side of South Sentinel Island. At present, the island is inhabited by the Sentinelese tribe.
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A phone call saved an entire village: Fortunately, in the midst of the many heartrending stories of death and loss, chronicles of courage and miraculous survival are surfacing everyday: the latest being the tale of four coastal villages in the Union Territory of
Pondicherry.
Pacific-linked tsunami warning system soon, says Kalam:
The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, today said the country will soon have a tsunami warning system linked with the Pacific network. This would help in sharing data and issuing warnings on tidal waves generated due to earthquakes.
Relief and rehabilitation
Faith
survives, housing colony coming up: The government machinery is yet to gather its wits in many parts of Tamil
Nadu, but south India\92s best known church is already working on a multi-crore housing project for survivors\97from all communities, possibly the first such initiative.
Agencies struggle to deliver aid to tsunami-hit areas:
Aircraft, naval vessels and trucks struggled yesterday to deliver aid around stricken southern Asia as the death toll touched 124,000 from a tsunami which darkened the world's New Year.
IA flights carry relief to Port Blair:
Indian Airlines operated 12 flights today to Port Blair carrying relief material and paramilitary forces to assist in relief operations in the tsunami-hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Integrated relief command for
Andamans: The Prime Minster said resources will not be allowed to come in the way of relief and rehabilitation of all those affected.
Vajpayee, Advani to meet PM:
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and BJP President L K Advani will be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh soon to discuss the relief and rehabilitation measures being taken in the tsunami-affected areas.
Car Nicobar IAF base to be operational in 6 months:
The Car Nicobar Air Base in the severely affected Car Nicobar islands can be made ready to operate fighter planes like Sukhoi-30 in about six months and the new plans have only been put off and not cancelled, Air Commodore K.K. Vijay Kumar, Air Officer Commanding, Air Forces Component, Triservices Command, A&N, said.
Kashmir
tourists' hearts go out for tsunami victims: J&K govt has cancelled all official functions planned to celebrate the new year in Gulmarg and Pahalgam and has sent out cancellation letters to the sponsors.
Bloggers rise to the occasion:
When ABC News decided to knight the blogging community as the `Person of the Year,' they had just witnessed the overwhelming performance of the group to secure relief for victims of the tsunami.
'NGOs are duplicating work':
. "First of all, they are getting too many clothes. They come and throw piles of clothes on the street and they feel like they have done a great deed. And the ones who don't get clothes end up duplicating each other's efforts. They should just come here and coordinate with
us," says a government official.
NHB loan at 5% for tsunami victims:
The National Housing Bank (NHB) will extend refinance to banks and housing finance companies at a concessional rate of 5 per cent against loans provided to individual borrowers affected by the Tsunami tragedy.
Other headlines
Tyagi takes over as air chief:
The Indian Air Force (IAF) today got a new Chief with Air Marshal S.P. Tyagi taking over as the Air Chief Marshal succeeding Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy at the Air
Headquarters..
Army gets new Vice-Chief:
Lieut-Gen B. S. Thakur, Commander-in-Chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command, was today appointed as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff and will take up his new assignment on January 5, 2005.
Calm borders, troubled civilian life:
The year marked completion of fencing along LoC and also reduction of infiltration to zero level by the security forces towards the year-end.
4 yrs later, just a status report ready:
It took the 2001 Bhuj quake for the Government to draw up disaster preparedness and management plans. By the time the next disaster struck last Sunday, the Government has just about managed to put together a status report. But a quick glance at the pages, makes it read more like an 'action not taken' report.
States
Haryana defies EC,
declares civil services exam results: The Election Commission of India (EC) seems to have lost its teeth at least when it comes to Haryana. The Haryana Government is continuing to defy its instructions on new appointments.
Former
Tamil Nadu minister murdered: Former Law Minister V. Arunachalam alias Aladi Aruna (70) was murdered during a morning walk near Alangulam in this district today. His friend, R. Ponraj (45), a schoolteacher, was also killed.
Unholy land wars litter two holy towns: Along the banks of the
Ganga, there has been an alarming rise in crime for land, money and power.
Neighbours
Modernized Pakistan is the goal: Musharraf:
President Gen Pervez Musharraf has said that Pakistan wants to become a modern state, and not a Westernized state, which is another shade of extremism. He said that Pakistan rejected extremism and called for correcting a wrong perception about Pakistan being an extremist state, projecting its moderate culture through electronic and print media.
View from abroad
Indo-Pak ties need to be warmer: Ali Nawaz Memon is worried about visiting India. Frantically leafing through the pages of his well-travelled passport the former World Bank official pauses to scrutinise his recently acquired Indian visa. \93It doesn\92t say exempt from police registration,\94 he worries aloud.
US endorses Musharraf's policies:
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has not only endorsed President Pervez Musharraf's decision to retain his uniform but has also backed his policies.
Overall
Water is rising in the Andamans: The islanders' woes are not ending,
and relief work is hampered by rising waters in the southern region.
Air Force got a new chief: Air Marshal S P Tyagi succeeded Air Chief
Marshal S Krishnaswamy.
Tamil Nadu minister was murdered: Former law minister Aladi Aruna (70)
was taking a morning walk when he was killed.
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