Regional

By Jaison Wilson
New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) Hearing a plea on the alleged encroachment at Lankamalla Reserved Forest and a 'Tiger Corridor', the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Andhra Pradesh government to take into account the current tiger population and growth trends and also to consider the possibility of man-animal conflicts in the area in YSR district of the state.


The southern bench comprising Justice K. Ramakrishnan, and expert member Dr. Satyagopal Korlapati, in the recent order, also asked the state to take into account the recent orders of Supreme Court that "every National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in the country shall have a mandatory eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of at least one kilometre starting from its demarcated boundary".

The green tribunal pointed out that the allotment of land by the district administration to some persons in Nandyalampet village of the district, which is shown as 'Forest' in the revenue records, without getting clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 was not legal.

The petitioner argued that the "encroachments were done by the persons, who are having political influence, in the guise of granting land deeds to the landless".

According to the state government and the revenue department, "since it is not a notified forest, it is not necessary to obtain any permission from the authorities, and the revenue department can utilise the land for their purpose".

The possession of the land was given to displaced persons who lost their land when Brahmamsagar Reservoir was constructed and they are staying there for more than 20 years and doing cultivation since long time, the state argued.

Contrary to this, Forest Department and Union Environment Ministry were of the view that though it is not a reserved forest or notified protected forest, since it is shown as forest in the revenue records, it will be a deemed forest for the purpose of attracting the provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 as per the decision of the Supreme Court.

"Without getting clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the land should not be used for other nonforest purposes," it was argued.

The green court also asked the state to consider the connection of the locality to "Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary" and also the "Tiger Corridor" which facilitates the movement of Tigers from the tiger corridor connected from Nagarjunasagar Tiger Reserve (NSTR), Srisailam to Sri Venkateswara National Park (SVNP), Tirupati.

"So, conversion of this area for agricultural purposes is likely to enhance the possibility of man-animal conflicts and this aspect must be considered," the order noted.

"The state is directed to take appropriate steps to get clearance from the concerned authorities under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, if permissible under law for this purpose and if such application is made, then the concerned authority is directed to consider the following aspects and only thereafter, they can consider the question as to whether the clearance can be granted or not for this purpose," the order said.

The revenue authorities should also verify whether the lands are in the possession of the original allottees, who were displaced due to the said reservoir project. In case the allottees have sold the said lands or not in possession, which were only allotted temporarily, then take immediate action for restoring the lands to the Government, it said.

(Jaison Wilson can be reached at jaison.w@ians.in)

--IANS
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By Sundeep Pouranik
Raipur, Oct 2 (IANS) After suffering poll defeats in successive elections, the Congress today has been reduced to having its own government in only two states -- Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.


Amid a full-blown crisis in Rajasthan between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot over the post of Chief Minister after the former withdrew his candidature for the Congress presidential polls, Chhattisgarh is presently the only state left where the grand old party is not facing an internal rebellion.

But that could change anytime given the open tussle between Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel and Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo.

Like in Rajasthan, the power tussle between Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Singh Deo has been raging for some years now.

The Congress returned to power in Chhattisgarh in 2018 after nearly one-and-a-half decades, winning a two-thirds majority in the state.

The political situation in Chhattisgarh could spiral out of control given the tussle between Baghel and Deo centered around an unwritten formula of rotational chief ministership which was agreed upon between the two in December 2018 in the presence of former Congress President Rahul Gandhi when the party came to power.

Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh will be held after nearly a year and it is imperative for the Congress in the state to maintain a united front.

The Congress is in a robust position in Chhattisgarh since it has 71 MLAs in the 90-seat Assembly. The BJP has 14 MLAs, the Bahujan Samaj Party has 2 and the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh has three MLAs.

The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister has reiterated many times of setting a target of winning 71 Assembly seats in the 2023 elections.

On the other hand, in Madhya Pradesh, the internal rift between veteran Congress leader and the then Chief Minister Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia, who later joined the BJP, escalated to an extent that the party lost power in the state.

As far as Chhattisgarh is concerned, there is coordination between the government and party organisation, while state Congress president Mohan Markam is busy working for the party.

Political analyst Rudra Awasthi says that the Bhupesh Baghel-led government in Chhattisgarh has created a pro-Chhattisgarh image and has made the state's identity a part of the common man's life. Baghel also did not face any challenge from within the government and from the party organisation. This is why there is no crisis before the Chhattisgarh government.

There is no open political rift and factionalism within the Congress visible in Chhattisgarh. There have been rumours doing the rounds from time to time about a possible rift within the Congress in the state but no party leader has openly revolted against the government.

Analysts associated with Chhattisgarh politics believe that the environment here is not conducive for confrontational and aggressive politics. This applies to both the BJP as well as the Congress because right from the common man to a politician, there is more emphasis laid on coordination than on aggression.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Saturday said it has recovered 198 kg crystal methamphetamine and 9 kg cocaine valued at Rs 1,476 crore in Navi Mumbai.

A DRI official said that it was one of the biggest seizures of methamphetamine and cocaine in the country.

"Based on intelligence inputs, surveillance was maintained for 10-13 days looking for the consignment of fruits being cleared from some cold shortages. On Friday evening, the team of DRI Mumbai officers intercepted a truck in Vashi, carrying imported oranges. On thorough checking and examination, a huge quantity of drugs was found concealed in the cartons carrying Valencia oranges," the official said.

The official said that the said truck had left the Prabhu Hira Ice & Cold Storage in Vashi along with goods laden.

This is a new kind of modus operandi involving concealment of drugs in the boxes of "Valencia Oranges" imported from South Africa.

After clearance of such oranges from Customs area, the goods used to get stored in some cold storages located in Vashi.

"The importer of the goods has been nabbed and is being questioned. Further search operations for identifying and nabbing the people involved in running this chain of smuggling of drugs is underway," the DRI official said.

--IANS
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Chennai, Oct 1 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin paid his last respects to CPI-M politburo member and former Kerala Home Minister, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at the Apollo Hospital Chennai. The senior Left leader who was battling cancer passed away at around 8 p.m. on Saturday.

He was admitted to Apollo Hospital on August 29, where he was brought in an air ambulance.

Stalin visited the hospital along with the Tamil Nadu health minister, Ma Subramanian. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister condoled the death of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

Noted film director, Priyadarshan also paid his last respects to Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at Apollo Hospital. CPI leader Annie Raja also paid her last respects to the departed CPI-M leader.

CPI-M Kerala state secretary, M.V. Govindan, and CPI-M Tamil Nadu state secretary, K. Balakrishnan are coordinating to take the body of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan to his hometown, Kannur in Kerala.

According to CPI-M leaders in Chennai, the body of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan would be taken to Kannur in an air ambulance on Sunday morning.

The body will be embalmed and then taken to Kannur on Sunday morning.

The funeral of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will take place at Kannur on Monday.

The general public will be able to pay their last respects to the departed leader at his native town, Thalassery in Kannur district of Kerala.

--IANS
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Imphal, Oct 1 (IANS) Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said on Saturday that the state government will soon publish a white paper on liquor legalisation in the state.

The BJP government in Manipur has decided to partially lift the three-decade-old prohibition in state, expecting to earn a revenue of Rs 600 crore annually. The decision has triggered opposition from various groups in the state.

Dmanding to revoke the government's decision to partially lift prohibition, various women's organisations on Saturday staged a sit-in protest at Akampat Mamang in Imphal East.

The Coalition Against Drugs and Alcohol (CADA) and women groups are also seeking modification of the cabinet decision.

The Chief Minister said that the state government would move a Liquor Prohibition Amendment bill to spell out its liquor policy very soon.

"Considering the demand of CADA and other organisations, the government is preparing a blueprint or white paper. The blueprint would spell out the ‘dos and don'ts' for selling and brewing liquor," he told the media.

Singh said that any further decision on this matter would be taken only after consultation with all the stakeholders.

One of the prime reasons for partially lifting the prohibition is to refrain people from consuming adulterated liquor, considering the health hazards posed by consumption of impure drinks, Singh said, adding that the police would soon launch a drive against illicit liquor.

As per the government, the sale of liquor would be confined to district headquarters, some other identified locations, tourist spots and resorts, security camps and hotels having at least 20-bed lodging facility.

Tribal Affairs and Hills Development Minister Letpao Haokip, who is also the government spokesperson, had said that considering boosting revenue generation in view of the government's financial crunch, "we expect to earn a revenue of over Rs 600 crore per year".

Besides various other social evils, the women in Manipur have been fighting against alcoholism since the 1970s, forcing then Manipur People's Party-led government to pass the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act in 1991.

The law is still in place.

Since 1991, Manipur officially became a dry state with exemption to people belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities to brew liquor for traditional purposes only.

However, despite the prohibition, liquor consumption could not be successfully controlled and alcohol remained widely available, leading to agitations in different parts of the state against liquor related menaces.

--IANS
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Guwahati, Oct 1 (IANS) After four months of closure, the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) will reopen partially for tourists on Sunday.

KNPTR Director Jatin Sharma said that like previous years, the park remained closed during the four-month monsoon period (June to September) as the monsoon floods submerge vast areas of the animal habitats and other forest and park areas.

"In view of the present road conditions and keeping in mind the inclement weather, the park would be partially opened only for jeep safari in two ranges -- Kaziranga Range (Kohora) and Western Range (Bagori)," Sharma told IANS.

He said that tourists would be allowed to travel up to Bimoli Tiniali via Donga tower under Western Range (Bagori) and from Mihimukh via Daflang tower to Vaichamari Junction under Kaziranga Range (Kohora) till further a decision is made.

While the annual floods in Assam claim hundreds of human lives besides damaging crops, infrastructure and assets, animals too are not spared in the KNPTR, home to more than 2,600 Indian rhinos.

To protect the wild animals from the fury of floods, the forest and wildlife department of Assam has taken a series of measures, including constructing man-made highlands in KNPTR and other national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the state.

Sharma said the park has a total of 144 man-made, scientifically-designed highlands, including 33 big ones, for housing animals during floods.

The KNPTR, which is spread across five districts of Assam -- Golaghat, Nagaon, Sonitpur, Biswanath and Karbi Anglong -- is not just home to rhinos, but also to tigers, elephants, wild buffalos and many more animal species. It also has thousands of birds of over 125 species.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Oct 1 (IANS) In a horrifying incident, two persons opened indiscriminate fire at a crowd dispersing after Navratri celebrations, in Kandivali west suburb, killing one and injuring at least three others, early on Saturday.

The Kandivali Police and the local Crime Branch, which had launched a manhunt for the unknown assailants, managed to track the duo to Gujarat's Navsari town on Saturday evening and arrested them, said an official.

According to the official, around 12.15 a.m. the two men sped to the Laljipada area on scooter and started shooting blindly at the people dispersing after a local Navratri programme in the middle-class residential locality.

Amid the screaming, shouting and people running away, the assailants' bullets managed to kill one and wounded three others, including two pedestrians, he added.

They have been identified as Ankit Yadav, who died on the spot, while Abhilash Dabholkar, Prakash Narain and Manish Gupta who sustained gunshot injuries, have been admitted to the BMC's Shatabdi Hospital for treatment.

Moving swiftly, the Kandivali Police set up a team to trace the killers and finally caught up with them in Navsari town as their incident struck terror among Navratri revellers.

They shall be brought to Mumbai later tonight and produced before a court on Sunday, the official said, though the police have ruled out any possibility of a gang-war.

Earlier on Saturday, locals claimed that the assailants may be youths living in the vicinity and suspect it to be vendetta killing for some previous enmity, but the police have not commented on the motives yet.

Deputy Commissioner of Police-Zone XI Vishal Thakur said that the police teams are probing various angles to shootout, including from where the guns were acquired, the exact number of rounds fired, business or personal rivalries and other issues.

--IANS
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Dharwad (Karnataka), Oct 1 (IANS) Taking potshots at the election for AICC chief, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi stated on Saturday that no matter who becomes the President, he will be the remote control of Nehru family.

The Presidential election for the selection of candidate other than the family member of late former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru is scheduled on October 17. "This is a drama taking place in AICC," he slammed.

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Joshi, further attacked that Shashi Tharoor, the contestant against Mallikarjun Kharge has stated that he is the sponsored candidate of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. When the situation is like this, what changes he can bring, Joshi stated.

He questioned that what changes could former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh bring during his tenure? He is known as the remote control PM of Sonia Gandhi.

Forget about putting signatures, if they had to step out of their houses also, the permission is required from Nehru family, he taunted. It is just a farce that there is going to be a candidate other than Gandhi family, he added. Let this drama unfold, he stressed.

Reacting about Bharat Jodo Yatra, Union Minister Joshi stated that wherever Rahul Gandhi visits, BJP's victory is ensured. "I request Congress party to invite him to more number of states in the country, which is good for BJP," he said.

--IANS
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Chennai, Oct 1 (IANS) The now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) became the face of growing Islamic fundamentalism in Tamil Nadu and it is widely believed that it was involved in several nefarious activities, including murders of several Hindu activists, across the southern state.

According to Tamil Nadu police, several such murders committed in Tamil Nadu have been linked to members of PFI and its earlier forms.

The Coimbatore serial blasts of February 1998 that killed 58 people and injured 200 others, the 1993 RSS office blast in which 11 people lost their lives were all the handiwork of outfits which were the earlier forms of PFI, including the Al-Umma, working on the ideology of the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

Taking everybody by surprise, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on September 22 arrested 11 functionaries of PFI from different places in Tamil Nadu.

Those arrested included A.M. Ismail, the national executive member of PFI who was apprehended from Coimbatore. The Dindigul zonal president of the outfit, Yassar Arafat, and the Cuddalore district secretary, Fayas Ahmad, were also among those arrested.

Many parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Coimbatore, Dindigul, Kanyakumari, Tiruchi, Erode and Salem are considered to be the hub of PFI, which was formed on November 22, 2006, in New Delhi with the merger of the National Development Front (NDF), Karnataka Dignity Forum (KDF) and Manitha Neethi Pasare (MNP).

The Popular Front of India may have professed that it was for the upliftment of Dalits, Backward Classes and Muslims, in reality, the organisation was for the Muslims only with a high dose of Islamic fundamentalism filled in it.

On February 14, 1998, the Coimbatore suicide bomb blasts were carried out against a public meeting of then Deputy Prime Minister and BJP leader L.K. Advani. The serial bomb blasts were planned and executed by Al-Ummah which was led by S.A. Basha, a timber merchant from Coimbatore who turned into an Islamic fundamentalist. He was also involved in the attack on BJP leader Jana Krishnamoorthy and Hindu Munnani leader Ramgopal. They were brutally assaulted, but survived.

Much before the Coimbatore blasts, the RSS Tamil Nadu headquarters in Chennai was bombed in which 11 people lost their lives and seven were grievously injured. It was S.A. Basha who was again the main culprit in this attack.

These are the two major issues on which the Popular Front of India could bank in Tamil Nadu as the state was in a polarised mode between Hindus and Muslims. Popular Front of India took this to the next step with several RSS, and Hindu Munnani activists getting killed and grievously injured in these brutal attacks.

Ramalingam, a native of Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur district was killed on February 5, 2019, allegedly by the Popular Front of India and Social Democratic Party of India activists.

The NIA in its charge sheet said that the reason for the murder was that he was involved in their religious propagation activities. The PFI was to terrorize people against anyone interfering in the work of the organisation and hence the murder, it further said.

On July 18, 2014, KPS Suresh Kumar, a Hindu Munnani leader who was the Tiruvallur district president of the outfit was hacked to death by Popular Front activists.

Chartered Accountant Ramesh who was the state general secretary of the BJP was brutally killed by Popular Front activists on July 19, 2013, by banging his head on the wall and breaking his arms and legs, and later slitting his throat.

Police found 23 cuts and a mutilated head.

According to a senior officer with the Tamil Nadu police, around 130 Hindu activists were killed by Islamist fundamentalist outfits in Tamil Nadu over the years with the Popular Front being the main culprit in all the recent murders.

It may be noted that the Manitha Neethi Pasarai or Human Justice Forum which had merged into Popular Front of India when it was formed along with the National Development Front (NDF) of Kerala and Karnataka Dignity Forum (KDF) of Karnataka was involved in several attacks and killings in Tamil Nadu.

V. Ratnasabapathy, an Assistant Commissioner of the Intelligence department of the Tamil Nadu police had reported in August 2006 that Manitha Neethi Pasarai had terror links.

Five youths belonging to the outfit were arrested a month before with IED explosives and weapons and on interrogation, they had revealed the plot to blow up Coimbatore General Hospital, Collectorate, and even the district superintendent of the police office in Coimbatore.

The MNP later leaked out information that of the five, two were neo-converts at their centre, Arivagam in Muthuthevanpatti near Theni.

In 2020 Tamil Nadu police arrested 35 youths from Periyapattanam near Coimbatore for spreading hatred and religious extremism among Muslim youths in radicalizing camps. Police said that they were members of the Popular Front of India.

R. Umesh Das, a professor of social sciences at a government college in Trichy and a researcher on Islamic fundamentalism, told IANS: "The ban on the PFI will lead to its assets being seized and its accounts frozen. However, the ideology cannot be wiped out but the ban if effectively implemented can crush the organisation. They must not be allowed to regroup and take the ideology forward. Police can now crack down on all its sources, both funding and ideology."

--IANS
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Davanagere, (Karnataka) Oct 1 (IANS) A teacher was stripped and thrashed for allegedly sexually harassing a girl student of a village school in this district of the state on Saturday.

According to police, the accused teacher has been identified as Lokesh Hodigere. The accused was allegedly harassing the girl student after the classes.

On learning about it, the parents, relatives of the girl and villagers barged into the school and questioned the accused teacher about his acts.

The group then stripped the teacher, dragged him to the school premises and thrashed him. After learning about it, the Block Education Officer Manjunath rushed to the spot and conducted an inquiry into the incident.

After preliminary investigation, the accused has been suspended from the school.

The investigation revealed that the teacher was after the girl and would follow her home.

Further investigation is on.

--IANS
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