HYDERABAD: About 16.5 lakh Railway employees will go on indefinite strike from September 24, protesting against the unilateral decision of the Central Government over Fifth Pay Commission recommendations. Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, All India Railwaymen's Federation general secretary J P Chaubey and SCR Mazdoor Union general secretary N Sundaresan said that the Centre was silent though the employees had informed it about their decision to go on strike.

Female infanticide

SALEM: In a bid to check female infanticide, the Tamil Nadu Government proposes to give cash awards to women who deliver girl child. Disclosing this to newsmen at Mettur on Sunday, State chief revenue administrator G Renga Rao said women delivering female child would not be discharged from hospital for one month after delivery as the crime was committed mostly during the period. A meeting of secretaries of Health Department would be held on August 19 to chalk out a strategy to check female infanticide.

Ayodhya issue

BHOPAL: Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Kalyan Singh on Sunday said the Congress party should apologise to the nation for its failure to find a solution to the Ram Janma Bhoomi issue and hurting the sentiments of Hindus in the country. He said there were only two ways to resolve the problem, by finding a solution through talks or by handing over the land to Hindus for constructing the temple. He said those who were talking about finding a solution through the judiciary were trying to keep the issue pending.

National flag

AHMEDABAD: Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ashok Bhatt has registered a complaint at the Karanj police station alleging that Gujarat Chief Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela had shown disrespect towards the national flag on August 15. Bhatt has stated that Vaghela had unfurled the flag from the rampart of the historic Bhadra Fort at half mast and had delivered his address.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.