Top Stories
Sea threatens southern
coastal villages again
What is India News Service,
Saturday, 12 March 2005, 1400 hrs IST
On Thursday at 1430 IST the sea had begun advancing closer to Ganapathypuram village in Kanyakumari district. Hardly anybody noticed. High and low tides are part of life here as day and night are anywhere else.
It was a no moon night. They knew the sea would be turbulent. But the sense of familiarity gave way to worry when the
sea breached a wall and started lapping at a coconut grove on the coast.
As the villagers watched the phenomenon with dismay, the memories of last year's devastating tsunami were fresh in everybody's mind.
By Friday afternoon the sea had entered the village and was advancing relentlessly. Villagers, after initial attempts to pump the water out from their courtyards, had given up realising the futility of the exercise.
In neighbouring Rajakkamangalam harbour too the sea breached a wall at 0200 IST and dragged in catamarans. The fishermen managed to save their boats by dragging them further inland. Inmates of temporary shelters put up by the government after the tsunami fled and spent the night in a church.
Kanyakumari Collector Sunil Paliwal was at an Indian Air Force show for tsunami orphans when he got a call from Ganapathypuram. He rushed there immediately and ordered dumping of a hundred lorries of sand to seal the breach.
On Sunday, he will meet local officials again to review the situation.
As the word spread, more government officials converged on the village. The signs were worrying. The full moon night had ended, but the sea water had not stopped its advance inland.
Ganapathypuram is 10 km from Colachel, where over 600 people died in the tsunami. A majority of the people here now live in temporary shelters provided by the government and non-government organisations.
Soren resigns, Munda invited to form government:
The Jharkhand Chief Minister, Shibu Soren, tonight resigned, topping a day of high drama. Later the Governor, Syed Sibtey Razi, invited the Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Arjun Munda, to form a new government.
"I listened to my conscience":
The Jharkhand Chief Minister, Shibu Soren, tonight said he decided to resign ``after pondering over the whole thing." To a question whether there was any pressure on him to quit, he replied in the negative.
Cong plays safe, won't confront judiciary:
Having tied itself into knots after a series of reckless moves, the Congress leadership is not in favour
of any further misadventure. Both party sources and Law Minister HR Bhardwaj indicated the Government may not make the presidential reference
as suggested by the Speaker.
"No directive from Sonia":
The Congress tonight refuted the allegation that there was any directive from the United Progressive Alliance
chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, on Jharkhand.
Sense dawns on
UPA: No gain is worth the price Jharkhand was extracting: As in the case of Goa last week, it was only at the eleventh hour
that the UPA government could summon the moral courage to acknowledge that it had badly blundered in
Jharkhand.
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Oil Minister for hike in petrol, diesel prices:
When Mani Shankar Aiyar goes to the Cabinet next week, he will ask for a hefty rise in petrol and diesel prices. The increase in retail price has been pegged at Rs 2.85 a litre for
petrol.
Sonia Gandhi flags-off Dandi yatra:
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday flagged-off the `Dandi March', re-enactment of the historic March started by the Mahatma Gandhi on this
day.
Red alert in AP as naxals strike: The rebels stormed into a police station and gunned down seven people including two cops.
Pandemonium in Jharkhand Assembly:
The resignation of the Jharkhand Chief Minister, Shibu Soren, today capped a day of developments marked by high drama in the Jharkhand Assembly.
Deuba, others freed:
Nepal lifted the house arrest of the former Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, on Friday and freed 18 political detenus, an official said.
Rabri orders as caretaker CM put on hold:
With Bihar coming under President's Rule, all orders passed by Rabri Devi as caretaker Chief Minister between February 28 and March 7 have been put on hold and would be executed only after a review, official sources said today.
States
'Sainiks' ransack magazine office in Mumbai: A mob, suspected to be Shiv
Sainiks, broke into the India Today office this evening at Nariman Point and smashed up computers, glass partitions and office equipment. One person was injured in the attack.
They were protesting against the magazine inviting Petroleum Minister Mani
Shankar Aiyar for a function. Shiv Sena is angry about his remarks on Veer
Savarkar.
Another Maharashtra minister quits:
Another minister in the Maharashtra Government has resigned after being indicted for corruption by a commission of inquiry. State Labour Minister Nawab Malik today resigned close on the heels of Minister for Higher Education Sureshdada Jain quitting yesterday.
Bus strike hits life in Mumbai:
Mumbai\92s trademark red commuter buses came to a halt across the city today as employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Suburban Transport (BEST) undertaking went on an indefinite strike to press for a higher dearness allowance.
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AP objects to
Karnataka's river project: The TDP alleged that the Andhra Pradesh government chose to look the other way as a relative of the Chief Minister was the beneficiary of the mini hydel project.
Dalai Lama\92s special thanks to Karnataka:
Karnataka was one among the 10 states that accommodated the Tibetan refugees, when they fled their country during Chinese invasion in 1959.
Women on fast for fair package:
Even as some of the Tehri Dam oustees have begun to attempt rebuilding lives in new settlements, women of Uppu village have launched a fast to draw the state government\92s attention. In their struggle for a fair resettlement package, nearly 300 women in the village are protesting.
Neighbours
Pak PM assures Meera of security:
Musharraf's assurance follows a HC petition alleging the actress has acted in a steamy scene in
Mumbai film.
Musharraf says yes:
The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, has accepted India's invitation to watch any of the matches in this India-Pakistan cricket series and a decision is expected soon as to which match he will see.
View from abroad
No Russian arms for Pak, ever: Russia has made it clear that it has not supplied arms to Pakistan in the past and will not do so in the future.
Mittal is third wealthiest in world:
Lakshmi Mittal, steel titan and extraordinary Indian abroad, has become the world's third richest man, just two steps behind the biggest billionaire of them all, Bill Gates.
Overall
Sea turned threatening again:
Friday brought back memories of the tsunami
to Tamil Nadu's coastal villages.
China, Tibet will talk soon: India is for dialogue, but now accepts Tibet
as part of China.
Russia won't sell arms to Pakistan: It said it hasn't sold any in the
past either.
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