Aruna Bagchi appointed State Cultural Secretary

MUMBAI: Aruna Bagchi has been appointed as the new Cultural Secretary of the State Government. She replaces Govind Swarup, who has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the Khadi Village Industries Development Corporation. Bagchi was earlier the Managing Director of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation.

HC notices to Gowda, Patel

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court (HC) today ordered issue of notices to former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and Chief Minister JH Patel on a public interest litigation for alleged non-implementation of excise rules 1989, which, the petitioner said, was ``tainted with corrupt motive''. Former Minister and State Congress leader G Puttaswamy Gowda in his petition submitted that as the then Chief Minister of the State, H D Deve Gowda colluded with various distilleries and allowed sale of ``seconds'' in Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), thereby causing a loss of Rs one crore a day.

BJP leader held for murder

BHUJ: Tarachand Chheda, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former MLA was today arrested along with son Jayesh and brother Girish on alleged charges of murder of one Mahipatsinh Vaghubha Khod of Kandagara village. The police said Mahipatsinh and Tarachand had a long-running feud. Mahipatsinh had also attacked Tarachand some years ago and the latter was under police protection since then. The incident took place on a crowded highway where the two parties clashed and attacked each other at jubilee ground here with lethal weapons.

WB Govt suspends staffers for graft

CALCUTTA: Six West Bengal Government employees have been suspended for their alleged involvement in a corrupt deal on digging some rigbore tubewells in Purulia district, according to Minister for Housing and Public Health Engineering Gautam Deb. He told newspersons here today that while the suspended employees had recorded in the measurement book that they had drilled 130 ft to reach a stable water source, an inquiry report revealed that only 80 ft had been drilled. The Superintending Engineer concerned was asked to investigate the matter and following his report it was deemed fit to take action against the erring employees and they were subsequently suspended.

AIR special on 50 years of freedom

NEW DELHI: All India Radio will broadcast a special programme `Anthak Katha' tomorrow to mark the 50th anniversary of the country's Independence. The programme, to be aired at 2200 hours on Delhi `a' and other frequencies, is based on the contributions of writers, journalists, photographers, folk singers, traders, teachers, students and many others during the freedom struggle. It has also incorporated the ideas of freedom fighters. The programme will be presented by writer Somdutt Sharma.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.