Andhranews

Hyderabad, Sept 12: Mr M. Satyanarayana Rao on Tuesday submitted his resignation from the sports and culture ministries and from the Assembly as well. He is in the thick of a political storm after challenging TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao to resign his Lok Sabha seat: The TRS chief complied earlier on Tuesday.
Mr Satyanarayana, however, put a rider to State Congress president, K. Keshava Rao who collected his resignation letter after a meeting him at his Kundanbagh residence, that they should be accepted only if the TRS chief agreed to his challenge to contest the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat and take political sanyas if defeated.
Mr Satyanarayana Rao told mediapersons he would press for his resignation to be accepted only after the TRS chief agreed to his terms.

Earlier, fearing adverse reaction if the Congress backed out from the challenge after Mr Chandrasekhar Rao resigned, Dr Keshava Rao and AP civil supplies corporation chairman K.R. Amos called on Mr Satyanarayana Rao and discussed the matter with him. After an hour-long meeting, Mr Satyanarayana Rao agreed to quit but the resignations should be accepted only after Mr Chandrasekhar Rao agrees to his terms of taking political sanyas if he lost the ensuing Karimnagar Lok Sabha bypoll. Mr Keshava Rao and Mr Amos took the resignation letters to the Chief Minister, who is also the Congress Legislature Party leader, and explained to him the terms set by Mr Satyanarayana Rao.

Sources told this correspondent that the Chief Minister later briefed AICC general secretary and AP incharge Digvijay Singh on the developments. It is learnt that energy minister Mohd Ali Shabber has also offered to quit in response to the challenge posed by Mr Chandrasekhar Rao.

Hyderabad, Sept. 12: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Tuesday took TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s resignation with a touch of sarcasm. “Is it so? Who challenged whom,” Dr Reddy said when media persons sought his reaction on the resignation. When told that Mr Chandrasekhar Rao had resigned his MP seat on a challenge thrown by Sports minister M. Satyanarayana Rao, the Chief Minister quipped, “I am not aware of it. Let’s see.”

But Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu felt it was uncalled for. “It’s not fair to waste public money on frivolous challenges. People have elected us for five years to serve and we have to discharge our duties,” he said and added that “even Mrs Sonia Gandhi forced an election on people on the issue of Office of Profit.”

Hyderabad, Sept. 12: Tension prevailed inside Osmania University campus on Tuesday when activists of Telangana Rashtra Samiti Vidyarthi Sangham forced students to boycott the classes.
As soon as the news of TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s resignation reached the campus, members of TRS students wing raised slogans against the Congress government and Sports minister M. Satyanarayana Rao.

They took out a rally and went to each college asking the students to come out of their classes. They also threatened students who remained in their classes. Later, they burnt the effigy of Mr M. Satyanarayana Rao.

Hyderabad, Sept. 12: The State government will lodge a strong protest with the Karnataka government for turning a blind to the pilferage of water by its farmers in the upstream of Tungabhadra river and denying Andhra Pradesh its rightful share. Panchayat raj minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy, Irrigation minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Agriculture minister N. Raghuveera Reddy and Minister for lift irrigation M. Mareppa will leave for Bangalore on Wednesday to discuss with Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Irrigation minister Eshwarappa and other officials.

The visit of the ministers is a follow-up to the telephonic talk Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy had with his Karnataka counterpart last week. Water from Tungabhadra dam is released to the command area in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh through two inter-State canals — High-Level Canal (HLC) and Low-Level Canal (LLC). The release of waters is managed by Tungabhadra Board.

The release of water into the LLC right has been on since July 17, 2006. Out of 1,800 cusecs of water released into the canal, 725 cusecs would be delivered to Andhra Pradesh at the 250.58 km (the total length of the canal is 348.20 km). However, the average discharge of water at the AP border between July 24 to September 7 was only 245 cusecs, because of illegal breaches caused by the Karnataka farmers in the upstream.

“Due to inadequate supply at the border, farmers in Kurnool district are agitating. Though 34,6000 acres have to get water from Tungabhadra, tranplantation was made only in 6,000 acres so far,” an irrigation official said. The officials pointed out that a lot of unauthorised command area was being developed in Karnataka area and it was increasing year after year.

Hyderabad, Sept. 12: Free power is not for farmers only. As far as I could make out, it is also enjoyed by sugarcane juice vendors and sundry shops on the footpaths selling a variety of foodstuffs including chaat. This reporter saw on the crowded footpaths of Abids, electricity lines running down from the poles to small sized shops ranging from a one-man sugarcane juice trolley to a sit-out chaat bhandar.

The eats and drinks come for a charge, but the power is free. Freely tapped, that is. The vendors don’t seemed to be troubled too much by the threat of penalty, or by the policemen walking around. For these vendors, paying an electricity bill seems a foreign concept. Says Ashok, a a sugarcane vendor in Chirag Ali Lane off Abids, “We earn hardly enough to feed our families. The government can forgive us for a minor theft.”

The scene is the same in Ranigunj, Rashtrapati Road, indeed any main thoroughfare you can put your finger on in the twin cities. But superintendent engineer Satish Kumar of the AP Central Discom doesn’t seem to think so. Mr Kumar said that things had improved drastically in recent years. He said that on Discom estimates, up to 80 per cent of the vendors were looking to legalise their electricity connections.

“If a paan shop has a meter, the vendors near him work out an arrangement. They pay him Rs 20 to Rs 30 to use power,” says Mr Kumar. If there is anything that the vendors look out for, it is the detection of proliferation wing of the Central Discom. The personnel of the wing are assisted by the anti-theft squad of the police. The wing initiates criminal proceedings if power thieves are caught.

“Better to pay up than face the police,” said Mr Ramesh, a chaat-bandi owner in Begumpet. Most policemen turn a blind eye towards blatant power theft. “Local police and the vendors are in it together,” said Mr Ali, a shopkeeper in Abids. Central Discom is now installing pole monitoring boxes in areas where it has discovered power theft to be high. But it still won’t stop the average juice vendor from hooking up to free power.

Hyderabad, Sept. 12: Ten students of Nizam College, all members of Telangana Rashtra Samithi Students Wing and NSUI were picked by Abids police in connection with an alleged ragging case on Tuesday. According to Abids Sub-Inspector Ramana, a complaint was lodged with the police that Murtuza, a fresher, (degree first year student) was ragged by a second year student of the college, belonging to TRS Students Wing.

This ragging incident allegedly took place three days back. On Tuesday, family members and relatives of Murtuza had gone to the college to verify about the incident and also informed the college principal about the matter. While the family members of Murtuza were enquiring about the incident to NSUI activists, students belonging to TRS Vidyarthi wing raised objections.
This resulted in a fight between the two sections.

Soon, police was informed and they picked up ten students belonging to both the student organisations. The students were raising slogans against the police demanding them to go back. TRS leaders A. Narendra and others visited Abids police station on Tuesday evening on coming to know that TRS student wing activists were taken into custody.

According to Mr Ramana, though a complaint of ragging was lodged, they were yet to identify the senior student who had allegedly ragged Murtuza. “We told the TRS leaders that the case was still under investigation and that ten boys were picked up following a fight. Subsequently, the TRS leaders left the place,” police sources added.

Hyderabad, Sept. 12: The State government has decided to transfer nine departments to the local bodies by month-end and constitute District Planning Boards on October 2.Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy anno-unced this at the first meeting of newly-elected chairpersons of zilla parishads held at Jubilee Hall.

School education, primary health, animal husbandry, fisheries, agriculture extension, rural development, poverty alleviation, women welfare and disabled welfare and SC, ST welfare departments will be transferred as per the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment bill. Seeking support of the newly-elected chairpersons of zilla parishad for his pet Jalayagnam, INDIRAMMA and subsidised interest on loans to Dwcra groups, Dr Reddy said ZP chairpersons play a key role in rural development.

“You are like a passenger train. You carry people and drop them at their destination. Unlike MLAs and MPs who meet in Assembly and Parliament to discuss public issues, you are in touch with people all 365 days,” he said. He promised funds for construction of buildings for Prakasam and Ranga Reddy ZPs. Prakasam ZP chairperson K. Aruna said that they were paying Rs 50,000 per month as rent. There were complaints over funds, vacant MPDOs, paramedical and other posts and lack of powers from some ZP chairpersons incl-uding Adilabad ZP chairperson Ramesh Rathod. PR minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy said the government has initiated several steps and asked ZP chairpersons for some time.

Hyderabad, Sept. 12: Police on Tuesday continued their raids on branches belonging to major transport companies from the State in South India. This is in the wake of the seizure of rocket shells and ammunition meant for the Maoists from vehicles belonging to Kranti transport company in different parts of the State.

Since most of the transport companies from the State have branches in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, raids were conducted by the respective State police departments. Transport sources said that police checked almost all the branches of Kranti transport in Tamil Nadu. They were confined to random verification of other transport companies.

The police has already sealed the branches of Kranti transport at Mahbubnagar, Prakasam and Anantapur districts from where the arms and ammunition were found. “We are co-operating with the police department. Except at those places, the rest of the branches are functioning as usual,” said administrative officer of Kranti Transport B.L.R.Prasad.The police raids hampered delivery of consignments in some areas.

“Nearly 100 of the 650 branches of our company have been raided though the issue was not connected to us,” a managing director of a major transport company, who did not want to be identified, said. “Of course, it will help prove our honesty in our dealings,” he said.

Hyderabad, Sept. 12: S. Ramu, 28, a carpenter of Borabanda was allegedly murdered on Monday night. His body was found at Harinagar in Borabanda on Tuesday morning. Sanathnagar police who shifted the body to mortuary said preliminary investigations revealed that Ramu had a fight with his friends Lakshman and Badri after consuming liquor at Harinagar on Monday night.
Police said that in a fit of rage, Lakshman and Badri severely bet up Ramu who fell down dead.
The police have booked a case and are investigating the case.

In a separate incident, Mohammed Khwaja, 23, a resident of Dargah Hussain Shah Vali area was found murdered near a tank under Raidurg police station limits. According to police, unidentified persons had smashed the Khwaja’s head with granite boulders and dumped his body near the tank. The body was recovered on Tuesday morning when his relatives launched a hunt for Khwaja who did not return after an evening walk on Monday. The police have registered a murder case and are investigating.

Hyderabad, Sept. 12: The City Police Commissioner A.K. Mohanty on Tuesday ordered an enquiry against Chaderghat Sub-Inspector Damodar Reddy who had allegedly booked false cases and demanded money from the accused for diluting the cases.Mr Reddy has also been accused of not recording the arrest of three men, Farhan, Osman and Mateen of Chanchalguda, despite taking them into custody on Sunday.

The city police chief asked East Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police Bala Krishna to enquire into the allegations and submit a report, following a complaint lodged by Farhan’s relatives. Farhan, Osman and Mateen had entered into a violent argument over a trivial issue with three others, Ahmed, Shareef and Rizwan while playing snooker at a parlour in Wahednagar in Malakpet on Sunday. Chaderghat police took them into custody and the case was handed over to Mr Reddy who was asked to book cases and remand them to judicial custody.

However, Damodar Reddy booked a case under section 324 (simple injury or assault) against Ahmed but booked Farhan under 307 section of IPC (attempt to murder). Relatives of Farhaan accused that Mr Reddy demanded Rs 20,000 to change the section of the crime against Farhan from 307 to 324. However, Damodar Reddy allegedly neither recorded Farhan’s arrest nor produced him in court.

Finally, the family members and relatives of Farhan approached City Police Commissioner and lodged a complaint. They also staged a dharna in front of Chaderghat police station demanding Farhan’s release. When contacted, Damodar Reddy said that he had booked 307 case against Farhan after enquiries revealed he and his friends had attacked the other group due to old enmity. “I did not demand any money and cases were booked as per rules,” he added.

Hyderabad, Sept. 12: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s announcement that he would expand his ministry by Dasara has resulted in hopefuls stepping up their lobbying. The State has 25 ministers including the Chief Minister, and can have 20 more. Dr Reddy may chop and change a few ministers and take some new faces. He is likely to leave a few seats vacant to accommodate the Legislative Council.

Srikakulam: Mr Hanumanthu Appayya Dora, a senior MLA, and Mr Kondru Murali, who defeated Pratibha Bharathi are in the running. Mr Dharmana Prasad Rao represents the district in the Cabinet. Vizianagaram: Minister Botsa Satyanarayana is considering shifting to Delhi by contesting the Bobbili byelection, the chances of veteran legislator P. Sambasiva Raju have brightened. But he will have to overcome the challenge posed by the continuance of Mr Satrucharla Vijayarama Raju.

Visakhapatnam: In all probability the status quo will be maintained. Konathala is the lone minister from the district. Nalgonda: The race is between veteran legislators Uppanuthala Purushottam Reddy and Damodar Reddy. East Godavari: The list of aspirants is growing but based on caste equations and the rapport the present minister Jakkampudi enjoys with the Chief Minister, it is unlikely that names of other kapu legislators will be considered at all. The only name that will be considered in the event of sacking of Gollapalli Surya Rao is Pilli Subash Chandra Bose.

West Godavari: The district has no minister. There are two aspirants. Maganti Babu (Kamma), a first-time MLA with reportedly good access to the top leadership, has started assuring people that he would be taking charge as minister. Mr Vatti Vasantha Kumar (Kapu), a classmate of Dr Rajasekhar Reddy, a first-timer, and is known of his honesty and sincerity and is a good speaker.

Krishna: The district has Mr Koneru Ranga Rao and Mr Pinnamaneni Venkateswara Rao in the Cabinet and sources say the Chief Minister is unhappy with their performance. If Mr Venkateswara Rao is replaced, his seat could be occupied by Mr Mandali Buddha Prasad, believed to be the first choice of Dr Rajasekhar Reddy.

Guntur: Kanna Lakshminarayana represents the district currently. Of the 17 Congress MLAs, Mr Kasu Venkata Krishna Reddy is ahead but may suffer in the caste equations. Rumours go that Gade Venkata Reddy will get the Speaker’s job if Mr Suresh Reddy is absorbed into the Cabinet. Mopidevi Venkata Ramanarao belonging to the fisherman community is in the forefront: He is seen to have solved the Gangavaram issue.

Prakasam: Two MLAs are in the fray: Four-time legislator K.P. Kondareddy from backward Naxal-affected Markapuram area and Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, a relative of the CM.

Nellore: Mr Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and Mr Adala Prabhakar Reddy are in the forefront. Mr Ramanrayana Reddy lost the job to Mrs Nedurumalli Rajyalakshmi in the first round. Mr Vishnuvardhan Reddy has been maintaining a low profile and may end up supporting Mr Ramanarayana Reddy. Mr Prabhakar Reddy also belongs to this camp but will stake his claim.

Nizamabad: Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy is expecting to move to the Cabinet. The district has two ministers: D. Srinivas and Shabbir Ali. Sources said that they may see their jobs changed.

Warangal: The district has two ministers, Mr Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Mr D.S. Redya Naik. Ms Konda Surekha is staking claim as a BC woman candidate. She may have a chance if Mr Lakshmaiah (BC) is sacked. She is counting on the reported good relations her husband Konda Murali enjoys with the CM.

Karimnagar: Government whip D. Sridhar Babu is said to be close to the Chief Minister and has a proven track record. He is a Brahmin and the community has no representation. J. Rathnakar Rao is pinning his hopes on seniority and his chances will depend on how Mr M. Satyanarayana Rao’s resignation episode takes a turn. Mr T. Jeevan Reddy, another senior member, was the first among a few to attack TRS, after the Chief Minister expressed his unhappiness over Telangana leaders maintaining silence.

Khammam: The district has no ministers and Mr Jalagam Venkatrao tops the list. Mr S. Chandrasekhar is close to Union minister S Jaipal Reddy. Vanama Venkateswara Rao also pitches strongly for the post.

Adilabad: The aspirants are Mr C. Ramachandra Reddy and Mr A. Indrakaran Reddy. They have prepared the ground with impressive work in the municipal and local body elections.

Hyderabad, Sept. 12: With the demand for power touching an all-time high of 180 million units per day this Khariff season, thanks to failure of south-west mo-nsoon, the State governme-nt has decided to purchase power from neighbouring States at Rs 5 per unit and distribute it free of cost to agricultural pumpsets to save the standing crops from withering away.

The government has also decided to increase the dur-ation of power cuts in urban and rural areas as also to industries from the present four hours to six hours to meet the shortfall and divert the power thus saved to the agricultural sector. Since Khariff sowings were taken up late this year, the power crisis is likely to continue beyond October.

Power generation will also be stepped up in Srisailam hydel power plant to get an additional three million units. The State now falls short of a whopping 23 million units and the government wants to reduce the shortfall by three million units through additional po-wer cuts and another three million units by stepping up power generation at Srisailam. The government has also for the first time agreed that farmers were not being supplied with the promised seven hours of power.

Yet there’s a shortfall of 17 million units and of this 11 million units are borrowed from the Central grid and neighbouring States at Rs 5 a unit. The balance six million units will also be now purchased from the neighbouring States. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Tuesday made it clear that the State government will bear the cost of power purchase for six million units per day at Rs 5 a unit. This will work to between Rs 5 crores and Rs 8 crores daily depending on the demand-supply situation.

As against the present demand of 180 million units per day, the State is coping up with a supply of 157 million units. But it is maintaining a supply position of 168 million units by borrowing 11 million units from neighbouring States and Central grid. Now on instructions from Rajasekhar Reddy, the Transco has decided to augment supplies to 177 million units.

Mumbai, Sept. 12: Yakub Memon, found guilty in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case by a Tada court on Tuesday, shouted at the court before storming out of it later after the court proceedings. He claimed that the trial was merely making terrorists out of persons who were innocent. He said, “It has taken a lot of strength and faith in the Almighty to continue fighting this case and anyone else would have gone crazy by now. The law enforcement agencies could not catch my brother and so they have caught me and my family members.”

He added, “The person who is guilty of the bombing should be arrested and not my family members. Most of the persons who have been arrested in the case so far are not people who were involved in the blasts. I have been seeing it for so long in the jail.” Yakub Memon is, at present, lodged at the Arthur Road jail where he has been since his surrender to Indian law enforcement agencies in 1994.

A former chartered accountant, Yakub said that he never interfered with the work of his brother Ibrahim, alias Tiger Memon. “I never knew what he was doing and the same was with him. Even after we were wanted by the Indian authorities in the blasts case if I wanted I could have continued to stay with him and evade arrest but I chose to return here on my own. Sometimes I think my story is like that of the film Deewar. My father and mother also supported me earlier when I wanted them to return but then look at the way my mother has suffered for the past five years. We have been pronounced guilty despite our innocence just to pretend like the authorities have taken action against who the people think are guilty.”

The Memon family had been accused of abetting Tiger in preparing for the bomb blasts by providing their residence at Mahim for plotting and constructing the bombs. They were also accused of having financed the plot using NRI accounts and the companies that they owned. The Memon family left for Dubai between March 3 and March 12, 1993, the latter being the day of the serial blasts, which investigating agencies claimed indicated their forewarning about the blasts.

After being on the run for almost a year, the Memon family, barring Tiger Memon, surrendered to Indian law enforcement agencies in 1994. Yakub’s brother’s Essa and Yusuf were also found guilty by the court on Tuesday. Yakub said that after receiving his sentence from the Tada court he would appeal to the Supreme Court challenging the judgment. “The truth will prevail. It may take some time but it will prevail,” said Yakub.

Mumbai, Sept. 12: While the Tada court convicted four members of the Memon family in the Mumbai serial blasts case, all eyes are now on Bollywood filmstar Sanjay Dutt. The question immediately concerning the industry is the huge amount of money at stake in the films that have Dutt in the lead. The films currently starring the actor are Apoorva Lakhia’s Shootout At Lokhandwala, Abbas Mustan’s Mr Fraud, Indra Kumar’s Dhamaal and Priyadarshan’s Bhaagam Bhaag, in which the actor has reportedly agreed to do a guest appearance.

All the films are at the filming stage while Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Eklavya and Shakeel Noorani’s Jaan Ki Baazi are completed. When contacted, most filmmakers refused to comment, saying that the matter was subjudice. Dutt has already served a sentence of one-and-a-half years in jail. The producers who had signed him to play the lead then had suffered colossal losses.

“This is not the time to calculate losses. It is the time to stand by him,” said director Apoorva Lakhia, in whose Shootout At Lokhandawala Dutt plays the lead. When asked what if the decision was not in Dutt’s favour, Apoorva said, “I don’t want to think about it. We, all his friends, are extremely positive for Sanjay. We are there beside him. He is a star and will continue to be so. The success of Lage Raho Munnabhai just proves that.”

“It is not the time to moan about losses as much as it is the time to stand by him,” said a friend of Dutt who did not wished to be named. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said that it was difficult to calculate the money at stake of Sanjay Dutt films. “Sanjay has already completed most of his earlier commitments. A few he may have just begun shooting for while some may have just been announced. It is difficult to calculate the money involved.”

Dutt was present at the Tada court along with sister Priya Dutt. Though happy with the recent success of Lage Raho Munnabhai, sources have it that the actor appeared tensed just hours before the bomb blast verdict. Dutt was arrested under Section 120 B of the IPC for possession of arms and ammunition under Tada.

Mumbai, Sept. 12: On Tuesday, special Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act court judge P.D. Kode began delivering the verdict in the 1993 serial blasts case but it is likely that the fate of actor Sanjay Dutt would be known only a few weeks from now. Dutt, whose name is the most famous among the 123 accused, is accused of having procured an AK-56 assault rifle from gangster Anees Ibrahim.

Judge Kode, before proceeding with the reading of the verdict on Tuesday, said that there were thousands of pages that would be read during the process of delivery of the verdict. He said that due to the large number of accused in the case, he would read out the verdict in batches and the first priority would be given to those who were alleged to have direct involvement in the blasts like the persons who planted the bombs, most of whom are in jail currently. The next batch could be those who landed the arms and explosives in preparation of the blast and lastly, those like Sanjay Dutt who were on the periphery of the case.

Ranchi, Sept. 12: The fate of the NDA government in Jharkhand would be decided, almost, when Assembly Speaker Inder Singh Namdahri hears petitions against three Opposition MLAs facing disqualification threat in an open court on Wednesday.

Dropping enough hints about what was in store, Mr Namdhari told this newspaper, “I am free to take decisions on my own if they (MLA) do not appear in the open court on Wednesday. Those who can be disqualified later should not take part in trust vote.”

But, the Left parties have demanded Mr Namdhari to allow the three Opposition legislators to take part in voting during the confidence motion. “It would be unconstitutional to stop them (MLAs) from voting,” leaders of the Communist Party of India, Marxist Communist Party and Forward Bloc told reporters in a joint press conference in Ranchi.

On Board Air India One, Sept. 12: In what would gladden the hearts of football lovers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said he would take up the question of Brazil helping India in developing its football prowess during his official visit here.

Just before landing in Brasilia, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told accompanying media: “Brazil’s credentials as a football power are well known. Mr Priyaranjan Dasmunsi (All India Football Federation President) has asked me to raise this matter with the government of Brazil even though this does not happen to be a subject between two governments.” He said if India were to organise the Asian Games and the Olympic Games, “we must improve our capabilities in our sports.”

This could be done by cooperation with other countries, including getting coaches from Brazil and Cuba, the other country he was visiting later this week. Mr Dasmunsi, who is also the information and broadcasting minister, had earlier talked to the Brazilian envoy in New Delhi to seek his help in getting coaches and training for Indian footballers.

On Board PM’s Special Flight, Sept. 12: Setting the tone ahead of his meeting with President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said Pakistan has not done enough to control elements like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Toiba and hinted he might try to pin Islamabad down on its commitment not to allow its territory for launching terror attacks against India.

Ahead of the meeting this week on the margins of the NAM summit in Havana, he made it clear that both the countries should move forward on the dialogue process but said terrorism surely acts as a “dampner” and violence “vitiates” the atmosphere. “Our position is quite clear. Terrorism today constitutes a threat for both countries. And, therefore, I believe that consistent with joint statements of January and September 2004 and April 2005, it is incumbent on us to work together in a manner that inspires confidence that both of us are very serious about tackling the menace of terrorism.

“That is the minimum that I feel our two governments should commit to, our two systems to work to achieve,” Mr Singh told journalists accompanying him on the two-nation tour of Brazil and Cuba. He said both he and Gen. Musharraf would discuss all aspects of relationships between the two countries.

Lucknow, Sept. 12: In what can be termed as a gross violation of service conduct rules and a breach of bureaucratic decorum, a serving IAS officer in Uttar Pradesh has not only sought a ticket for the coming Assembly elections from the Bahujan Samaj Party but has also unwittingly exposed the exchange of money for tickets and postings in the State.

In a letter written to BSP president Mayawati (which is now in the possession of this newspaper), Mr Prabhunath Srivas, district magistrate of Banda, has requested the former chief minister to give him an Assembly ticket from Nareni or Konch Assembly segments in the Bundelkhand region. “I am retiring from service in February 2007 and I want to contest the elections. I have already contacted Mr Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Mr Babu Singh Khushwaha (both former BSP ministers) and have given them arthik sahyog (financial cooperation) as directed by you.”

“In future too, I will be ready to extend financial cooperation as per your directives,” says Mr Srivas in the letter, which is dated August 16, 2006 and has been sent on his official letterhead. In the letter that begins with “Saadar charan vandana”, the IAS officer further informs Ms Mayawati that he is a native of village Girwa in Banda district, though he has mentioned Hamirpur as his birthplace in official records.

New Delhi, Sept. 12: The Oversight Committee cannot seem to decide on what its final recommendations for the implementation of the 27 per cent quota for OBCs will be.
Nearly two weeks after the original deadline of August 31 given to it for submitting its report lapsed, the committee has once again postponed its meeting to finalise the report to September-end.

Oversight Committee chairman Veerappa Moily said that since it is a sensitive and significant issue of national importance, the committee wants to adopt a “cautious approach”. The committee was to meet on September 15 to draft the final report. But disagreements on certain crucial points have resulted in the committee wanting to take the safe route out.

Chandigarh, Sept. 12: The Punjab government, on Tue-sday, published independent test results to officially decl-are Coca-Cola and Pepsi as “safe” for human consumption.
Punjab’s health minister Surinder Singla told reporte-rs that laboratory analysis of 103 Coke and Pepsi samples have shown that the level of pesticides these contained are “well within permissible limits and therefore safe for consumption.” The minister said samples collected both from the market and from the manufacturers had pesticide levels very close to that permitted in drinking water.

New Delhi, Sept. 12: A duly accredited Indian NGO activist is among 20 delegates barred from entering Singapore for participating in the World Bank-International Monetary Fund annual meetings. The activist, Ms Shalmali Guttal, works as a senior re-searcher with Focus on the Global South. She has written to the Union ministers of State for external affairs, Mr Anand Sharma and Mr E .Ahamed, asking India to lodge a formal protest with the Singapore government and to “insist that the Singapore government rescind this arbitrary ‘blacklist’”.

“On September 8, I recei-ved an email from World Bank-IMF staff informing me that they received a co-mmunication from Mr Goh Chye Boon, co-chair of the organising committee for the Singapore 2006 annual meetings, in which the Singapore government has apparently objected to my attendance there, based on security and law and order considerations,” she said.

“I am shocked and outrag-ed by these events. The Singapore government has not provided any acceptable ex-planation for raising such objections and for blocking my participation in the ann-ual meetings. This is plainly arbitrary and unjustified discrimination,” she said.

The Mumbai office of Focus on the Global South, India, said both the World Bank and the IMF have taken up the issue with the Singapore government. It quoted a joint statement by the two organisations as saying, “We believe that all individuals who have been accredited to the annual meetings should be allowed to attend. We strongly urge the Singapore government to act swiftly and reverse their decision on entry for these representatives.”