CUTTACK: The Supreme Court will take up the final hearing on the writ petition about alleged starvation deaths in the drought-affected districts of Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput in Orissa on Monday next, according to official sources here.On April 28 last, a division bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice J S Verma, Justice Sujata Manohar and Justice M J Rao, acting upon a writ petition filed by the Indian Council of legal aid and advice had adjourned the case to the month of July. The petitioners had alleged that about 300 people had died of starvation in the drought affected districts.CBI probe into Uphaar fire soughtNEW DELHI: The Delhi Government has sought a CBI probe into the Uphaar fire tragedy, which claimed 59 lives and injured scores of others in the Capital last month, Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma said here. ``Many people, including MPs, have expressed their dissatisfaction with the investigations so far. Hence, I have written to the Lt Governor seeking a CBI probe into the tragedy,'' Verma told reporters here.Naxals kill BJP man in AndhraHYDERABAD: A local BJP functionary was shot dead and a policeman was critically injured in the continued violence by the Naxalites of the outlawed Peoples' War Group in two separate incidents in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday night.Police said about 30 Naxalites surrounded the G Narasapur police station and began firing from all directions. Police returned the fire even as the ultras fixed bucket filled with gelatine sticks and blew up the police station. The assailants later decamped with arms and ammunition from the station.New Delhi Food Minister next weekNEW DELHI: Delhi will have a new food and civil supplies minister next week, Chief Minister, Sahib Singh Verma, said here yesterday. He said the cabinet vacancy caused by the election of Lal Bihari Tiwari to the Lok Sabha from the east Delhi parliamentary constituency would be filled in next week. He, however, declined to divulge any of the names under consideration. He also refused to comment on any possible cabinet reshuffle.
