NEW DELHI, November 11: The Babri Masjid Movement Coordination Committee (BMMCC) demanded an unconditional assurance from the Prime Minister on Tuesday that the Babri Masjid would be restored at the site if the title suit is decided in its favour. It has also announced that no bandhs, rallies, processions or demonstrations will be held on the fifth anniversary of the demolition of the Masjid on December 6, in view of the political scene. The committee has advised all interested organisations to organise a signature campaign to request the President to issue a ban on VHP activities in Ayodhya.

Open first storey unsafe: scientists

NEW DELHI: Multi-storeyed buildings on stilts with lower floors for parking and reception lobbies are highly unsafe, according to a paper presented by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, researchers at the golden jubilee conference of the Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee, here. Such buildings face danger in earthquake-prone areas, said scientists Sudhir K Jain, C V R Murty and Jaswant N Arlekar. Earthquakes in Kobe (Japan), San Fernando (California) and Jabalpur have been attributed to this hazard.

Bihar govt to resume talks with unions

PATNA: Talks between the Bihar government and the striking employees' unions will resume on Wednesday to ease the stalemate caused by the 48-day agitation which paralysed the functioning of the state secretariat. Official sources said the government is hopeful of ``a positive result''. Asked whether the government had softened its attitude towards the demand of the agitating grade-three and grade-four employees, the sources said ``we want to settle the matter amicably.'' Previous talks have failed with the unions insisting on 20 per cent interim relief with retrospective effect and central pay scale. The Secretariat Employees' Joint Struggle Forum has threatened to besiege the Secretariat from November 11 if their demands are not granted.

Air navigation officers protest

CALCUTTA: Even as Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) continued their work-to-rule country-wide stir over non-implementation of the Bimal Julka committee's recommendations on higher wages and career prospects, the National Airport Authority's communication wing threatened a major agitation ``if the recommendations are implemented,'' a spokesman of the National Airports Authority Officers Association (NAAOA) said here on Tuesday. They alleged that the committee was set up under pressure from the ATC Guild. The NAAOA, comprising nearly 20,000 officers, provide communication, navigation, surveillance and security facilities to all airports.

Jayalalitha flays Union ministers

CHENNAI: The AIADMK general secretary and former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha demanded on Tuesday that all central ministers, especially those from Tamil Nadu, and their relatives, should submit accounts of their properties to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). A number of ministers have not responded to the PMO's request for submission of accounts, she said, adding only 20 central ministers had submitted their accounts.

HC order on mental health centres

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has decided to constitute monitoring committees to ensure due compliance with its directions it has issued for improving the conditions of the three mental health centres in the State. The court had issued various directions to improve the facilities available at the mental health centres at Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode, to be implemented by the State Government in two months. As such it is necessary to oversee the actions so far taken and to be taken in future on a permanent basis so as to ensure due compliance with the order in letter and spirit for a fairly reasonable period, Justice T V Ramakrishnan said.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.