Snapshots

Snapshots

For Kids Only
After novels and poems, it's rhyme time for Union Minister for Railways Mamata Banerjee. The firebrand leader took time off her busy schedule to write 50 rhymes in Bangla which had been compiled in a book called Sishusathi and will be published by Dey's Publishing, a leading publishing house in Calcutta. ``Children are my favourites and this book is my gift to them,'' says Banerjee. The themes of the rhymes, with beautiful illustrations, range from nature to communal harmony. Priced at Rs 30, the book has 70 pages. But going by the sales record of her earlier books, there is every reason to doubt how popular the book will be among children.

Missing A Holiday
First Secretary in the Kathmandu Mission and senior Research & Analysis Wing official S. Tomar who was on board the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814 had a harrowing experience during the eight-day ordeal. The hijackers who were tipped off about his presence by their Karachi `contact' were asked to locate him andput him in isolation on day five of the hijack. The hijackers could not identify Tomar and went around asking for him. Pakistan kept referring to Tomar's presence on board the aircraft to hint darkly at a RAW plot.

Tomar, a senior Indian Police Service official who is related to a powerful Bihar-based PMO official, has provided RAW with a useful first-hand account in his ``debriefing'' which now forms part of the `evidence' the Government has on Pakistan's involvement in the hijack. Tomar was returning to Delhi for his annual holiday on the ill-fated flight. His holiday plans have now gone complete awry as he is spending all his time calling on his seniors to give a graphic account of the hijack.

Say It Once, Say It Again
Almost all those who know Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel were certain that the mention of gas for the Pipavav Power Project would come up once again. And so it happened. At a function organised in Gandhar by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Gas Authority of IndiaLimited (GAIL), Patel reminded Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Ram Naik that in 1992, the Centre had promised to give 2.5 lakh million cubic metre gas for the project. ``I don't want to go into the issues about why the late Rajiv Gandhi's government could not give the gas,'' the Chief Minister said.

That Gujarat desperately wants gas for the project is a reality but then the chief ministers of the BJP-led Government in Gujarat have been repeating the demand ever since it came to power in 1995. Patel, in fact, has made it a point to raise the demand at every function related to petroleum and gas attended by a Union minister. Last year, the demand was put up at Jhanor when P. R. Kumaramangalam was present and he assured everyone that he would look into the demand. So did Naik at Gandhar. Here's hoping that repeated representations will work.

For The Latest
The Punjab Government's much-touted presence on the Internet and entry into the information age really seems to be much ado aboutnothing. It seems to have been ages since the site which is supposed to provide up-to-date information was updated. For instance, the telephone directory still mentions Lt Gen B. K. N. Chhibber as Punjab Governor and the administrator of Chandigarh, while he has long since been replaced by a new Governor.

The Punjab Cabinet expansion is yet to take place, according to the site. Punjab's administrative reshuffle has still not reached the Net. Neither has information on the Department of Information and Public Relations which saw a change in its director almost six months ago, but still has the name of the old appointee on its list.
Those wishing to check this can log on at http://punjabgovt.nic.in.