Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!jason!vijaykm From: vijaykm@jason.BERKELEY.EDU (Vijay K Madisetti) Newsgroups: net.nlang.india Subject: Kapur's NEWS BULLETIN Message-ID: <11462@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Date: Mon, 20-Jan-86 01:22:41 EST Article-I.D.: ucbvax.11462 Posted: Mon Jan 20 01:22:41 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 21-Jan-86 01:11:22 EST Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: vijaykm@jason.BERKELEY.EDU (Vijay K Madisetti) Organization: University of California, Berkeley Lines: 128 < FORWARDED NEWS-BULLETIN > From : kapur@ge-crd@smtp@tcpgateway -------- News Bulletin 1/18/86 Traffic Blockade in Punjab Members of the All India Sikh Students Federation organized a traffic blockade in Punjab on January 10 demanding the release of imprisoned Sikhs. Akali Dal government of Surjit Singh Barnala had mobilized thousands of police and paramilitary personnel and made preventive arrests of over 275 AISSF activists. There were a few incidence of extremist violence reported from a few places. The government called the protest a failure whereas the organizers of the blockade termed it a total success. Indo-Pak Trade India and Pakistan may have had a major breakthrough in trade relations after a visit to Pakistan by an Indian delegation led by Union Finance Minister VP Singh. Two governments have announced to double public sector trade, expand private sector trade and communications. Representatives of two governments are also scheduled to meet to discuss peace treaties proposed by the two governments. Death Toll due to Cold Wave rises to 230 More deaths have been reported because of unprecedented cold wave which had hit the northern parts of India. Nearly 230 people are feared dead. 150 people were reported to have died in Bihar in two weeks, 30 in UP and 45 in Jammu and Kashmir. Most of the victims froze to death because of lack of proper shelter during the cold weather. Tamil Groups in Sri Lanka End Truce Tamil guerrilla groups in Sri Lanka announced on January 12 that they will no longer abide by the truce that was agreed upon at Indian government's insistence early last year. According to a spokesperson of the groups, the ceasefire had failed because of the atrocities of the Sri Lanka security forces. The guerrillas vowed now to undertake defensive actions to protect minority Tamil community. In another development, former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and leader of the main opposition party, Sirimavo Bandaranaike ruled out joining hands with President Junius Jayewardene in solving the Tamil issue. In a public rally near Colombo, Bandaranaike reported said that only a political settlement could solve the ethnic crisis and not an armed struggle. In Tamil Nadu, Governor SL Khurana in his state of the state address said that his government was greatly concerned about continued violence in Sri Lanka, and he urged the Indian government to take all possible steps to find an early solution to the ethnic problem there. Poor Living conditions in Cities Up to half of the people in India's big cities are likely to be living in disease-ridden and unsanitary slums by the turn of the century. The head of Indian Council for Medical Research, Dr. V. Ramalingaswami, told this. the All India Science Conference on January 5. He added that millions of people are already prone to TB and worm parasites because of overcrowding and open sewers. According to Dr. Ramalingaswami, only one-third of India's 160 million urban dwellers had a drinking water supply or sanitation, and that 40% of urban households live in one room, with this percentage being as high as 70% in Calcutta. Ramalingaswami went on to say that by the year 2000, 50% of the population in the cities of more than a million will be living in slums. Ramalingaswami noted that the brunt of slum life falls on women and children, adding that India's estimated 13 million children wer seriously prone to lung infection, diarrhea, and malnutrition. DMK Demands Abolition of Governor Post The Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam has demanded the abolition of the post of Governor and deletion of the provision for President's rule in the state. In a memorandum to the Sarkaria commission on center-state relations, DMK said that the governor's post was a legacy of British colonialism. It also said that articles in the constitution in this regard were misused by imposing the central rule by dismissing the elected governments in the state. The party called for more political autonomy for states backed by adequate fiscal autonomy. DMK has thus joined other opposition parties, including CPM, in making such demands. DMK in its memorandum also stated that a regional language like Hindi should not be chosen and crowned with the status of official language of the union. "We strongly believe that Hindi is a divisive factor and our hard-won national integrity would meet a Waterloo if any fanatic by mistake or by scheme makes Hindi the official language." Sources: India Now and India Abroad. -------- D.KAPUR.