They may be sworn enemies in politics but when it comes to corruption, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party believe in helping each other, especially when either of them is in power.

During its election campaign, the Samajwadi Party had turned the Mayawati government’s corruption into a major issue and had vowed to “send them all” to jail as soon as it came to power.

But three years down the line, the Akhilesh Yadav government has proved that it is not keen on initiating action against the corrupt ministers of the Mayawati regime.

According to official sources, UP Lokayukta Justice N.K. Mehrotra had probed cases of misappropriation of funds and disproportionate income against former BSP ministers, including Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Avadh Pal Singh Yadav, Ayodhya Prasad Pal and Ramvir Upadhyaya. The Lokayukta had found these leaders guilty on the basis of proof submitted to him by complainants and had recommended action against them. The state government forwarded their cases to the state vigilance department where the probe is still pending.

“These were open and shut cases because the entire inquiry had already been done by the Lokayukta. The Lokayukta report was exhaustive and self-explanatory and all that the state government needed to do was to file a case and arrest these leaders. Instead, the cases have been sent to vigilance department where they are gathering dust,” said an official in the Lokayukta office.

The memorial scam that had been the focus of the SP campaign in 2012, is also being allowed to gather dust and despite the Lokayukta’s recommendation for “strong action against the guilty ministers, officials and engineers”, no action seems to be forthcoming in the matter. The state government, according to sources , has been withholding permission sought by various investigating agencies to prosecute the former ministers.

Grooms come on horseback but never return home. They live in the brides’ homes for the rest of their lives, occasionally going back home to meet their families.

This tradition is diligently followed in a remote village, aptly known as “Damadon ka Purwa”, in Karari township of Kaushambhi district. The hamlet has around 65 families, most of them Muslims, and the men are all “outsiders”.

“In some places the men who stay in their wives’ homes are known as “ghar jamai” but not here. It is a tradition for the men to stay in their wives’ homes and, barring a few, all the men here are those who have married girls from our village. The newly-married men are supposed to help their father-in-law in his business or start their own business,” said Rashid Kamal, who has been staying in the village since his marriage four years ago, and helps in the family’s dairy business.

“Damadon Ka Purwa” was originally known as Hingulpur, but the name changed when one Qamaruddin, about four decades ago, got his daughter married and pleaded with the newly-weds to settle in the village and asked his son-in-law Ansari to join his family business.

“Others in the village also started following in his footsteps and gradually the village came to be known as ‘Damadon Ka Purwa’. Now anyone who wants his son to marry one of the girls in the village is aware that it is the son who will have to go and live there,” said Meraj, a grocery store owner.

In some cases, the sons-in-laws have moved to another house due to paucity of space, but they have not left the village. The best thing about this unique tradition is that there have been no dowry cases in the village for the past three-and-a-half decades.

“Since the girls continue to live in their parents’ homes, there are no demands for dowry and even domestic violence. In a way, this tradition is proving to be favourable for women,” said a senior police official in Kaushambhi.

Roshan Jahan, who got married last year and is living in the village with her husband, said that she was happy that she could look after her parents in their twilight years.

“We are three sisters and do not have a brother. All of us live here after marriage and take turns to look after our parents. If we had been sent away to our husbands’ homes, our parents would have had no one to care for them. My in-laws are also old but my husband’s elder brothers take care of them,” she explained.

English medium school in Lucknow have started the process of sensitising parents regarding the usage of smartphones and Internet by their children since an increasing number of children have been found to be surfing suicide sites.

The move comes after a Class 9 student of the La Martiniere Boys School committed suicide by jumping off the school building, earlier this month, and a scrutiny of his smartphone revealed that he closely followed a Japanese comic series Death Note that has acquired a cult status among users.

The series is based on protagonist Light Yagami’s tryst to clean the world of evil forces. Yagami, a school kid, through supernatural book Death Note can kill anyone whose name and face he knows, by mentioning the person’s name in the book.

Rahul had also downloaded names of 15 most wanted criminals on the FBI list. The principal of leading schools are now holding interactive sessions with parents to warn them about the dangers in the virtual world and also how to keep a check on the child’s internet activities and also his interactions on the social networking sites.

According to a senior teacher, students in English medium school tend to spend more hours on the net. “These children usually come from a comfortable background and their parents are usually working. The child has no interference at home and spends hours in the virtual world,” the teacher said.

Dr Rakesh Kumar, a psychiatrist, said, “Some children spend hours in the virtual world because it gives them the freedom to live in a fictional or fantasy world and keep a side of their personality hidden from everyone.”

He said that it was getting increasing important for parents to track their child’s activities in the cyber world and forearm themselves with the dangers of the virtual world.

The doctor revealed that a leading school recently asked cyber experts to make a random check of the browsing history of class 8 students in the school computer room.

“The school principal was shocked to see the result. Eleven students had been regularly visiting sites to see different methods of committing suicide. Nine had done considerable research on sites related to supernatural and life after death. Twelve students had been regularly visiting pornographic sites. This is abnormal for 14 and 15 year olds who should be spending free time in sports and other activities,” the doctor said.

The school authorities, on the advice of psychiatrists, are now asking parents to periodically check browsing history of the child’s computer, increase the level of communication and gradually veer him towards physical sports.

A series of political events are gradually helping the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) regain lost space in western Uttar Pradesh. The RLD, which had faced a humiliating rout in the Lok Sabha elections last year, is now hopeful of making a comeback in the Assembly elections.

The RLD had lost all its Jat vote base to the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections but the cancellation of Jat reservation by the Supreme Court and the subsequent silence of the Modi government on the issue has led to Jats doing some serious rethinking on their support to the BJP.

“The BJP has let us down very badly on the reservation issue and the Modi government has not even bothered to take corrective steps. Our youth now face a bleak future,” Jai Narain Tyagi, a farmer in Shamli district, said.

After the reservation issue, the havoc caused by unseasonable rains to farmers and the ensuing delay in providing compensation has added to BJP’s woes in the region.

“The state government and the Centre are playing politics on the issue of compensation and farmers are being driven to suicide. Banks have not stopped revenue realisation and farmers are facing the toughest time of their lives,” said state RLD president Munna Singh Chauhan. RLD leaders are now touring the rural interiors of western UP to interact with farmers and listen to their grievances while BJP MPs are staying away after reports that they may have to face a restive mob. Former MP Jayant Chaudhary began his tour last month and is meeting Khap and panchayat leaders and discussing the situation with them. Party chief Ajit Singh has also started touring the region to regain lost space.

“Mr Ajit Singh always took up farmers’ issue and even though our supporters rejected us in the Lok Sabha elections, we are continuing to reach out to them,” said another former RLD MP.

The BJP leaders, on the other hand, have not even turned back to their constituencies to give a hearing to the farmers and listen to people’s woes. Naturally, the voters are beginning to realise that the RLD was more reliable and sensitive to their issues,” said another former RLD MP.

The state unit of the party will now be holding meeting of party leaders later this week to prepare for a ‘massive ‘ agitation. Former party MPs, MLAs and senior party functionaries will be asked to travel to the rural areas and interact with people, particularly farmers and create awareness about the failure of the BJP and the Samajwadi Party to provide relief to them.

A group of children in Lucknow has launched a campaign to save the Rafa-e-Aam club in Lucknow.

The club, built in the 1830s by the Nawabs of Avadh, was an answer to the British rulers who did not allow Indian to enter their elite clubs that flaunted boards saying: “Dogs and Indians not allowed.”

The club has now turned into a garbage dumping site, and the heritage building is in a highly-dilapidated condition.

The group is now holding periodic demonstrations at the club, holding placards that seek restoration of the building and the revival of the club.

Nida Rizvi, one of the organisers of the children’s campaign, said that while huge amounts of money are spent on celebrating Republic and Independence Day every year, the administration’s apathy towards the landmarks of the freedom struggle is unfortunate.

“We thought of starting the campaign with children because we felt that their presence would attract more attention. We told the children about the history of the Rafa-e-Aam club and they were excited to be a part of the campaign,” he said.

Rajul Khatri, a Class 7 student, said, “If the club gets restored, we will have a place to play and hold cultural activities. That is why I have joined this campaign”.

Shia cleric Maulana Yasoob Abbas said it was ironic that while the Muhammad Bagh Club, which did not allow entry to the common man in the pre-Independence era, is now considered a status symbol while the one that welcomed common man is gasping for life.

Historian Yogesh Praveen said, “It was from the Rafa-e-Aam club that Premchand began an intellectual battle against British rule and it would be apt to make him the face of the campaign for the property’s restoration. It is the birth place of progressive writers association... It also has historic significance because Pandit Nehru gave historic speeches here and the Lucknow Pact was signed here.

Sadhus stand on the debris of a temple that collapsed following tremors in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. (Photo: PTI)

At least 12 people were on Saturday killed and over a dozen injured in parts of Uttar Pradesh as a powerful earthquake originating in Nepal damaged houses and walls. [Later reports said that 11 people were killed in UP.]

Three deaths each were reported from Barabanki, Gorakhpur and Sant Kabir Nagar districts, one person each died in Kanpur Dehat, Shravasti and Badaun.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced a financial assistance of rupees five lakh to the kin of those killed in the earthquake, Rs 50,000 to grievously injured and Rs 20,000 to those having minor injuries, an official spokesman said here. The chief minister has also talked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and apprised him of the situation in the state, the official said. “The CM called the PM and apprised him with the measures being taken by the state government,” the spokesman said. The CM has asked state chief secretary and DGP along with the district magistrates and superintendents of police to assess loss of life and property caused by the earthquake.

Meanwhile, a Mumbai-Kathmandu flight of the Jet Airways was diverted to Lucknow and emergency landing was made at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport here after Kathmandu Airport was closed following the earthquake this morning, officials said. After getting information of the quake, CM Akhilesh ordered immediate closure of schools and asked top officers to take stock of the situation.

Panic gripped the patients of King George Medical University here as they came out of the ward in open area after the tremor. At the trauma centre, doctors tried to convince the patients to remain calm but they insisted on going outside. At Rehabilitation and Artificial Limb Centre, many patients came on the road along with their attendants. According to reports from Barabanki district, a woman and two children were killed when an under-construction wall collapsed in Basantapur village in Mohammadpur Khala area.

In Gorakhpur, three persons, including a two and a half year old child, were killed, police said.

In a shocking incident, a Dalit youth was allegedly assaulted and forced to consume human excreta by three persons at Barkali village under Kotwali police station in Muzaffarnagar district.

The victim has been admitted to the district hospital and his condition is stated to be in serious.

According to the FIR lodged by the victim’s brother, the three accused, belonging to Tyagi community, allegedly took the victim Govind, 24, to a secluded area and started assaulting him. Later, they forced him to consume human excreta.

The accused said that the victim was suspected to be involved in a theft case and they had taken him to a secluded spot for questioning.

Two of the accused persons, Lovkush Tyagi and Vinod Tyagi, have been arrested and one is still absconding. Local activists are up in arms against the incident and have been holding protests to seek strict action against the accused.

A three-fold increase in kidney stones among school-going children in the age group of 6 to 14 years has set alarm bells ringing.

A study conducted by the urology depart of the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) has revealed that the cause of this is the growing tread of binging on burgers and pizzas, both of which contain high sodium levels present in processed cheese and meats.

According to a senior doctor in the urology department, at least five children with kidney stones were being reported in the KGMU every week.

“The number of such young patients has gone up alarmingly. Till about ten years ago, we had barely a dozen child patients in a year but now we get five to six every week,” he said.

Dr S.N. Shankhwar, head of the urology department, said, “Fast food contains high levels of sodium which affects calcium metabolism in the body, causing a condition called hypercalciurea, which leads to the formation of stones.. Aerated drinks also decrease the ph level of urine, which does not allow complete dissolution of waste products generated in the body, leading to crystal formation and strengthening of previously existing crystals.”

Explaining further, he said that the body uses food and energy for tissue repair. After the body uses what it needs, waste products in the blood stream are carried to the kidney and excreted as urine. Kidney stones are formed when substances in urine become highly-concentrated. Stones usually begin with a small crystal that solidifies with settlement of newer layers.

He said that the fact is important considering Indians normally consume nearly twice the recommended levels of sodium every day.

Fast food consumption among children in the Indian cities is also significantly high as per another KGMU study on childhood obesity.

“More than 50 per cent children in the sample study binged on fast food every day while another 27.3 per cent consumed aerated cold drinks on a daily basis. These children were prone to kidney stones caused by calcium and uric acid,” the doctor said. “Stones cause shifting pain in the abdomen to begin with and may develop into cancers if care is not taken.”

It was a case of more tremors and more panic on Sunday when several districts in Uttar Pradesh reported fresh tremors.

The aftershocks were felt for a few seconds in different parts of the state, but there was no immediate report of causality or damage to property.

In Kushinagar district, bordering Nepal, one person died due to heart attack during the tremors, taking the death toll in the state to 13.

All schools in Lucknow and Kanpur will remain closed on Monday in view of the announcement made by the Met department that more aftershocks would be felt in the next 48 hours.

Tremors were felt in Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Noida, Allahabad, Sultanpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Shravasti, Gonda and Bahraich at 12.41 pm.

As soon as the tremors were felt, people in shopping malls and multiplexes that were already packed to capacity on Sunday, ran out shouting and screaming and security personnel had a tough time controlling the crowd. Cinema shows were again disrupted for the second time on Sunday and special prayers are now being offered in various temples. A special aarti and deepdan was offered in the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi on Saturday and Sunday to pray for the victims.

According to the home department spokesman, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is personally monitoring the situation in the state and also the relief work in the affected districts.

In the earthquake that jolted the state on Saturday, more than a dozen people were killed and over 20 injured.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has also assured all possible help to Nepal in the wake of the devastating earthquake and will send water, food packets and medicines to the Himalayan country.

Mr Yadav on Sunday sent 10 trucks of mineral water, 10 trucks of biscuits and one truck of medicines to Nepal. The government has also directed the district magistrates of all regions to set up a control room and various hospitals, fire fighting services, and the police have been asked to be on high alert.

A farmer couple set the entire crop on fire and later immolated themselves in Achhril village of Banda district on Sunday night.

The farmer, Ram Kripal Yadav (60), is survived by two sons and a daughter. While the daughter is now married, the sons have parted away from him after taking their share of land.

The crop in Ram Kripal’s share of land was completely destroyed by repeated hailstorms and rain in the region.

On Sunday evening, he sat in his fields for a long time, gazing at the destroyed crop. His wife Bachchi Devi, 55, also joined him.

After some time, the couple went deeper into the field and set the crops on fire.

Ram Kripal suddenly jumped into the flames and his wife also followed him and tried to rescue him but later gave up.

Officials claimed that marital discord between the couple had led to the incident; and hence they would not be entitled for any compensation.

The Akhilesh government may be surging ahead on the development from but it is the Samajwadi Party that is gradually losing out on Muslim support in Uttar Pradesh.

The Samajwadi Party that was looked upon as the sole custodian of Muslim votes is now being eyed with increasing apprehension by Muslims.

“Muslims are feeling betrayed by this government. The community had voted for the Samajwadi Party in large numbers but the Akhilesh government has failed to live up to our expectations. The party promised reservation to Muslims in its manifesto but three years have passed and there are no signs of that,” said Maulana Arshad Madni, president of the Jamait-Ulema-e-Hind, at a meeting recently. The Samajwadi Party, in its 2012 election manifesto, had promised reservation for Muslims in proportion to their population.

After assuming power, the chief minister had referred the issue to minority welfare minister Azam Khan who had formed a committee headed by secretary, minority welfare. Since then the issue is lying on the backburner.

Muslims are also upset with the Akhilesh government for its failure to “protect the community” during communal clashes.

“The chief minister and the Samajwadi Party leaders did not visit Muzaffarnagar when riots broke out. Muslims suffered in silence, lost their lives and property but none of the leaders stood by us in our hour of sorrow. The same story was repeated in Saharanpur when riots took place. In every communal clash that has taken place in Uttar Pradesh in the past five years, it is the Muslims who have borne the brunt,” said Maulana Khalid Mohammad, a cleric in Muzaffarnagar.

The Samajwadi promise of ensuring the release of innocent youth booked in terror cases has also backfired on the ruling party since the court did not allow the release of terror accused youth.

“The state government should have chosen legal options and fought for us in the higher courts. We are thoroughly disillusioned with this government,” said Mushtaq, a law student in the Shibli National College in Azamgarh.

The delay on the part of the Akhilesh government to appeal against the acquittal of policemen, allegedly responsible for the Hashimpura massacre, by a Delhi court has further angered the Muslim community.

“The Hashimpura massacre took place in 1987 in which 42 Muslim youths were shot dead by PAC personnel and since then the Samajwadi Party has been in power four times. If the Akhilesh government is genuinely concerned about Muslim sentiments, it should immediately appeal against the court verdict,” said a Raju, whose uncle was among the victims.

The war between the BJP and senior UP minister Mohd Azam Khan over gifts sent to all legislators during the state Assembly’s budget session is far from over.

After the state BJP president, Dr Laxmikant Bajpai, returned the gift sent to him by the UP minister, the latter had written a letter to the BJP leader saying that he would be delighted to accept back all the gifts if other MLAs in his party also decided to return the same.

Mr Azam Khan, during the presentation of his budget in the state Assembly, had gifted briefcases to all legislators, as is the tradition.

The briefcases, this time, contained a pen and a broom and a letter which said that one could use either the pen or the broom for the welfare of the society.

The BJP saw the broom as a sarcastic statement against PM Narendra Modi’s “Swachchh Bharat Campaign” and the state president promptly returned the gift.

BJP legislators have now started returning the gift along with a packet of sweets “to erase the bitterness that Mr Azam Khan harbours in such matters”.

“Some of us have returned the gifts with sweets and letters with Urdu couplets that will remind Mr Khan how he can win over friends with humility and how he will make enemies with his arrogance.

Mr Suresh Khanna, leader of the BJP legislature party, said that he is also preparing a list of gifts given to legislators by Mr Azam Khan during the past three years since the Samajwadi Party has been in power.

“We will calculate the value of these gifts and send the total amount of money to Mr Khan,” he said.

Apparently the gift war is far from over and threatens to spill over into the next Assembly session.

Temples in a dangerously dilapidated condition in Ayodhya will now be demolished. A special team set up by the district magistrate Anil Dhingra to assess the condition of ancient temples was submitted to the government on Monday evening.

This comes after the roof of the famous Kamakhya temple in Ayodhya caved in during Saturday’s weekend.

According to sources, the survey team has found that the temples that come in the endangered category include the Kamakhya temple, the Sheesh Mahal temple, Kamla Bhawan temple and Murar temple.

“The building housing these temples are in a highly dilapidated condition and the recent quake has widened the crevices in the walls and roofs of these temples. Another tremor or even heavy rainfall could bring down these temples. We have already notified the owners/trusts of these temples that no one should be allowed to stay on here,” said an official.

The district officials in Ayodhya have now decided to seek the permission of the state government before they begin pulling down these temples.

Besides, a meeting of all important saints and seers, along with those of the endangered temples will be convened later this week to convince the priests to allow demolition of the temples before a major tragedy takes place.

“This is a highly sensitive issue and some priests are unwilling to allow demolition. They say this would hurt the Hindu sentiments,” said an official.

They want the temples to be restored at government costs. We are still in the process of assessing whether the temple can be restored or has to be rebuilt from a scratch,” said an official.

One of the saints, who did not wish to be named, admitted that some temples were in a pitiable condition and could collapse even with routine rainfall.

“But you must realise that we cannot just remove the gods and goddesses and allow the bulldozers to pull down the temples. There is a prescribed procedure and some of the temples can be restored — there is no need for demolition. The gods will remain inside the sanctum sanctorum and a canopy can be erected so that construction work also goes one. Just because a building gets old, you do not pull it down. There is something called heritage value too,” he suggested.

Officials, however, are worried that aftershocks of the quake and the coming monsoon season would worsen the situation.

“I feel the state government must take a prompt decision on the matter and also provide funds and expertise needed for reconstruction and restoration of these temples so that a tragedy can be averted.

Brides in Uttar Pradesh are getting bolder by the day.

Two brides in Ferozabad district and one in Mahoba district refused to marry the grooms and returned the baraats on Tuesday night, albeit for different reasons.

In Dakhai village in Ferozabad district, two sisters Sarita ,19, and Aarti, 18, were all set to marry brothers Hari Om, 38, and Kapil, 28.

When the baraat reached the wedding venue and the sisters were brought on to the stage to exchange garlands, the sisters set their eyes on the grooms and refused to marry them because of the age difference. Family members from both sides spent hours trying to convince the brides but the sisters refused to budge from their decision.

Finally, the police was called in since the members of both families started quarreling among themselves and a panchayat was convened in which the money and gifts exachnged by the two sides were returned. Circle officer Prashant Kumar said that the matter had been amicably resolved between the two sides and there was no further dispute and hence no case was registered.

In Mahoba district, a bride spurned the groom and his brother created a ruckus over stopping of music during the rituals. The groom and his brother were apparently drunk and demanded that the orchestra should continue playing during the rituals but the bride’s family wanted that the piety of the ceremonies should be maintained and the orchestra could continue playing after the ceremonies.

The bride intervened and said that she would not marry a man who does not known how to behave.

Under its revival plan, the BSP has decided to shun caste politics for the time being and reach out to the farmers. In another first, the BSP is taking to the streets to garner attention to the issues being raised by it. The BSP, it may be recalled, has never catered to particular social groups and has always confined itself to caste politics. The party has also focused its politics on rallies and did not believe in taking to the streets.

“The complexion of politics has changed and our party leadership has realised this. The farmers have been literally left out in the cold by the Central and state governments. The BJP and the Samajwadi Party are busy blaming each other instead of actually helping the farmers who are being driven to suicide and the Congress and the RLD are political nonentities in UP. The BSP will now take up the cause of the farmers and fight for their rights,” a former BSP minister said.

The BSP on Monday had staged demonstrations at all district headquarters to focus attention on the issue of farmers and protest against the land acquisition bill but the event evoked a tepid response.

“We are not disheartened by this and we will continue to make a noise till we are heard. Since Ms Mayawati was not supposed to lead the demonstration, the response was weak but gradually the BSP will emerge as a party that fights from sadak to sansad,” the former minister said.

The BSP has always avoided street demonstrations and the party leadership has never participated in such events. The BSP has opted for mammoth rallies that are “safer” and end up as a show of strength to the rivals.

In an unprecedented development, a large of number of IAS officer in the Uttar Pradesh cadre are suddenly showing a keenness to leave the state and either proceed on Central deputation or change their cadre.

Officers posted on deputation in Delhi and whose term has expired are unwilling to return to their parent cadre.

According to official sources, over a dozen officers in the state cadre have applied for a deputation or change of cadre.

Mayur Maheshwari and his wife Ritu Maheshwari, both officers of 2003 batch, have sought a change of cadre to Haryana. Mr Maheshwari is presently posted in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Another officer, Guru Prasad, has been seeking a change of cadre to Andhra Prasad. Aparna U, a 2001-batch IAS officer, also wants to change her cadre and go to Andhra Pradesh. A.V. Chandramauli has also opted for the Andhra Pradesh cadre.

Ministi S has submitted a request for a change of cadre to Madhya Pradesh and has cited family reasons for the same. Chaitra V, a 2007-batch officer wants to change her cadre to Karnataka.

Vinod Sharma wants to change his cadre to Uttarakhand but the state government is holding back his application for unspecified reasons.

It is noteworthy that IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal and her husband Abhishek Singh, in March, got their cadres changed to Union Territories.

The husband-wife duo had faced suspensions and controversies during their tenure in Uttar Pradesh.

Amod Kumar, considered a close confidant of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and posted as OSD in the CM secretariat, is also trying for an ex-UP posting.

According to a senior official in the appointment department in Lucknow, a sizeable number of IAS officers from Uttar Pradesh have overstayed their deputation in Delhi and are unwilling to return to the state.

“The prevailing work culture and the increased political interference in the executive is a major deterrent for officers who are known for their honesty and efficiency. There are many officers who have remained outside UP for more than a decade and have not even returned for the mandatory cooling period. Whenever there is talk of their being returned to the parent cadre, they say they would resign rather than face humiliation here,” said a former chief secretary.

A senior IAS officer from UP and presently posted in Delhi, when contacted, said that he would never like to return to his parent state unless the work culture improved. “My colleagues tell me about the political interference at every level and the mindless transfers. I would prefer to take voluntary retirement rather than return to Uttar Pradesh and invite this unproductive tension,” he said.

In a shocking disclosure, more than 50 districts in Uttar Pradesh, out of the total 75, have been found to be quake prone.

Well-known seismic expert and former director of Geological Survey of India (GSI) V.K. Joshi told reporters that growing urbanisation in Uttar Pradesh could result in massive damage to life and property in future.

Dr Joshi said that, this time, the impact of tremors from Nepal was not so aggressive in UP. However, the intensity of the tremors have led experts to rethink on how safe the state is from quakes.

He said that it was the alluvium cover in the Indo-Gangetic plain, which acted as a cushion and prevented large-scale damage in the state. In geological terms, the state falls in the “safe” zone as the alluvium cover acts a “shock absorber”.

He said that the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), under the ministry of home affairs, has identified 29 districts under Zone-IV, considered to be the high seismic zone.

The NIDM has divided the state into three zones, with areas bordering Nepal and Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand figuring in Zone-IV. According to Dr Joshi, the districts falling in Zone-IV are Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Bijnore, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Amroha , Rampur, Moradabad, Bulandshahr, Shravasti, Balrampur, Siddhartha Nagar, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, and parts of Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur and Ballia.

Mangoes

There is bad news for mango lovers. Inclement weather has destroyed the mango crop to such an extent that the overall mango output is expected to fall by almost 50 per cent.

According to a study conducted by Assocham, mango production in Uttar Pradesh will be almost half of the 43 lakh tonne mangoes that are annually produced in the state.

The study titled, “Mango: Anxiety on production and export front”, by the Assocham, says that UP is ranked as a leading mango producing state with a share of almost 23 per cent in the country. Andhra Pradesh accounts of 15 per cent of the mango produce, Karnataka has 9.5 per cent, Telangana has 9 per cent and Bihar ranks fifth with 7 per cent.

In UP, Lucknow (Mal. Malihabad, Kakori, Bakshi-ka-Talab), Pratapgarh (Kunda, Kalakankar, Sardar, Mangraura), Allahabad (Chayal, Mooratganj), Bulandshahar (Suana, Unchagaon), Saharanpur (Behat), Faizabad (Masaudha, Sohawal), Varanasi (Chiraigoan), Moradabad (Amroha, Joya, Gajraula), Barabanki (Banki, Deva), Meerut (Khekra, Jhani, Pilana, Shahjahanpur), Unnao (Shafipur, Fatehpur-Chaurasi, Miyanganj, Auras, Hasanganj), Sitapur (Mohmodabad), Hardoi (Shahabad), Gorakhpur, Basti, J.P. Nagar and Mathura are major mango producing belts in UP.

Chausa, dashehari, fazli, gulab khas, langra, mallika and amrapali are the well known varieties of mangoes produced in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr D.S. Rawat, national secretary general of Assocham, while releasing the findings of the study said on Friday that “Mango will taste bitter to domestic consumers as its prices are likely to swell by as much as 50 per cent and might even go up to 65 per cent in some pockets”.

He said that relief measures announced by various governments for farmers are proving to be insufficient to help farmers overcome their losses and also curb rising prices.

India’s mango exports might also go down significantly this year from a level of over 41,280 million tonnes (MT) of mangoes worth about Rs 285 crore which were exported from India to major destinations like UAE, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and United States in 2013-14.

UAE alone accounted for over 60 per cent of India’s total mango exports followed by UK (16 per cent), Saudi Arabia (four per cent), Kuwait (three per cent) and Qatar (two per cent).

A group of 17 Muslims who had converted to Hinduism in December last year, have reconverted to Islam on Friday in Agra district.

The entire group followed the rituals for reconversion in the presence of clerics at a wedding function in Mahuar Lathia village in Achnera block.

Those who have reconverted include Rehmat, his son Mohammad Arif, wife Nafisa, Ali Mohammad and his wife Shazia, Sahukat and his wife Salma, Liyaqat and their children. All of them who belong to the Nat community, not only reconverted but also remarried their spouses on Friday.

Ali Mohammad later told reporters that they had converted to Hinduism under pressure from their sons.

“Some local leaders had assured us land if we accepted their religion but nothing of the kind happened and we realised our folly. We had been socially ostracised from our community and were not being invited to any social function. No one was willing to marry our children. We were not being allowed to attend even wedding function,” he said.

The Congress in Uttar Pradesh has decided to say a firm “no” to turncoats and also finalise candidates on at least 200 seats out of the 403 seats for the 2017 Assembly elections by the end of this year.

The party has also decided to choose dedicated party workers and loyalists over turncoats.

“This time, we will not entertain turncoats or oblige them with tickets. A decision to this effect has been taken by the party high command. We had given a number of tickets to outsiders in the 2012 Assembly elections which left our party workers disheartened and we will not repeat the mistake this time,“ AICC general secretary in charge of UP affairs Madhusudan Mistry told senior party leaders here.

The senior Congress leader admitted that the party had suffered reverses in the elections mainly because the party cadres did not mobilise voters for outsiders who had been given tickets. He told party leaders in a closed door meeting that this was “understandable” and party workers were bound to feel upset if their loyalty to the party was ignored.

The AICC general secretary also assured that the party would finalise majority of the tickets by the end of this year so that candidates get one full year to prepare for elections. He said that, at least, candidates on about 200 seats where the Congress had a good presence would be finalised in the coming months.

The Congress, incidentally, is known for announcing candidates at the last minute and in every election, hiccups are reported in depositing the symbol within time with the returning officer.

The candidate does not get time to put together his campaign and elections are over before the campaign can gain momentum.

The Congress has also asked its leaders and party workers to focus on the social media and increase their presence on social networking sites.

Mr Mistry asked party leaders to adopt an offensive posture and promote Congress programmes with a vengeance.

“There is no need to be hesitant when the ruling party promotes false issues with such aplomb. We have to expose them and focus on their weaknesses and, alongside, talk about our own policies and programmes,” he said.

The Congress leader gave clear indication that the party in Uttar Pradesh would have to take to the streets against the BJP at the centre and the Samajwadi Party government in the state.

“Both the governments have failed miserably to live up to the people’s expectations and we have to create awareness about their failures. The Congress is now going to position itself as a viable political alternative in Uttar Pradesh and make a comeback,” he said.