Andhranews

Police: ISI planned 7/11 blasts


Mumbai, Sept. 30: The Mumbai police claimed on Saturday that it had cracked the July 11 Mumbai train bombings case and that the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) had executed the blasts at the behest of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), the “mastermind” behind the attack.

The police said the men who had planted the bombs and provided logistical support to the terrorists in the July 11 Mumbai blasts have been identified by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS). Mumbai police commissioner A.N. Roy told reporters on Saturday: “The ISI had planned the blast conspiracy and had helped LeT execute the blast. The LeT men received support from their local operatives and Students’ Islamic Movement of India (Simi) members in carrying out the blasts.”

[Pakistan on Saturday rejected the Mumbai police’s claim that the ISI masterminded the July 11 Mumbai train bombings, AP reports from Islamabad. “We reject this allegation and demand that India should provide us any evidence, if they have (it),” Pakistan minister of State for information Tariq Azim told AP.]

Commissioner Roy explained that the operational part of the blasts started in March 2006. Till date, 15 persons have been arrested in the July 11 blasts case, of which the direct links of 12 persons have been established, he said, adding that the LeT had a significant role in planning the blasts. Most LeT men who were arrested had received training in a terrorist camp in Bahawalpur area of Pakistan, he said.

“Some of the arrested persons had gone to Pakistan around two to three times and were trained by Azam Cheema, an LeT commander with links to the ISI,” said Mr Roy.The 15 persons arrested by the ATS in connection with the July 11 blasts are Kamaal Ansari (Madhubani district in Bihar), Khalid Aziz Sheikh (Madhubani district in Bihar), Mumtaz Ahmed Chaudhary (Turbhe in Navi Mumbai), Faisal Atta-ur-Rehman Sheikh (Bandra), Mozammil Atta-ur-Rehman Sheikh (Mira Road), Sohail Sheikh (Worli), Zamir Latif Chabiwala (Worli), Dr Tanvir Ahmed Ansari (Nagpada), Ehteshaam Siddiqui (Mira Road), Tohfooq Akmal Hashmi (Jammu and Kashmir), Mohammad Naved (Hyderabad), Sheikh Mohammad Ali (Govandi), Mohammad Wajid (Mira Road), Abdul Wahid (Mumbra), and Mohammad Shafi (Kolkata).

According to the police, 11 Pakistani nationals had come to India using three different routes. On May 25, two persons were brought to Bihar from Nepal by Kamaal Ansari, five persons were brought to India from the Bangladesh border by Abdul Majid and a group of four entered India from the Gujarat border, the Mumbai police said.

All 11 Pakistani nationals were provided accommodation by Faisal Sheikh and his men at four different locations in Mumbai and neighbouring cities. The locations were Malad, Borivali (East), Abdul Wahid’s residence in Mumbra and the Bandra residence of Faizal Sheikh. “Around 15 to 20 kg of RDX were used in the train blasts. Among the 11 Pakistani nationals, one Ehsaan Ullah had brought around 15 to 20 kilograms of RDX to India and the ammonium nitrate was bought in Mumbai itself to be used in the explosives,” said Mr Roy.

He added that the bombs were prepared at the Shivaji Nagar residence of Mohammad Ali in Chembur on July 8, 2006 and were later kept in the Bandra residence of Faizal. First five, and later three, pressure cookers were purchased by the terrorists to keep the bombs. Approximately two kg of RDX and four kg of ammonium nitrate were concealed in each cooker. The cookers were then kept in bags along with an umbrella in each bag to hide the cookers, the police said.

All 14 bomb planters, armed with the explosives, started their journey of destruction from Faizal’s residence in Bandra and reached Churchgate in taxies. “Bomb was planted in seven different trains by an Indian and a Pakistani. Quartz timers were used with the bomb. The bombs were planted using the subway of the Churchgate railway station. All planters managed to get out of their respective trains at different stations except for one person, known as Salim, who was killed in the blast that occurred between Khar and Bandra railway stations. Salim was a resident of Lahore, in Pakistan, and is the same person whose face was reconstructed at Sion Hospital,” said Mr Roy.

Amongst the seven Indian bomb planters, four were Faizal Sheikh (Jogeshwari railway station blast), Kamaal Ansari (Matunga railway station blast), Ehteshaam Siddiqui (Mira Road railway station blast) and Mohammad Naved (Khar railway station blast), the police said. “We have identified the other three planters too, they were involved in the Bhayander, Borivali and Mahim blasts. But revealing details about them at this stage could hamper our investigations,” said ATS chief K.P. Raghuvanshi.

Mr Raghuvanshi added that among the seven Pakistani planters, two had been identified. “We have found out that 11 Pakistani nationals were involved in the conspiracy. Salim died in the Khar-Bandra railway station blast and Abu Umed, alias Abu Osama, who was killed in an encounter at Antop Hill by the ATS on August 22, were among the seven Pakistani bomb planters,” he said.

When asked the whereabouts of the other remaining Pakistani nationals, Mr Raghuvanshi said, “The others might have left for Pakistan, but if they are in India we will get them as our teams are on the lookout for them.”




City BPO manager planted bombs, held


Hyderabad, Sept. 30: A call centre manager was arrested by Mumbai police for the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts. Naveed Hussain, 26, IS suspected to be a Lashkar-e-Tayyeba operative. Naveed was picked up from his rented flat at Lake Shore Apartments in Neredmet on Friday evening. Hyderabad Task Force, Central Zone and Detective Department personnel assisted the Mumbai police in arresting Naveed. “He was directly involved in the Mumbai blasts,” said a police source.

A city police official admitted, “He was not on our radar. He appears to be a member of the sleeper cell. Usually we do not concentrate on areas like Neredmet.” Naveed is said to be related to Faizal, the main conspirator of the 7/11 blasts. Police will also question one Ibrahim who used to come to Naveed’s room. SIT sleuths are questioning a woman BPO employee linked to Naveed.

Naveed was born in Kuwait, where his father still works, and did his graduation in commerce from Mumbai. His mother was a Pakistani and after her death, his father had married again. Naveed was staying in his Neredmet residence for the past two years. His neighbours were shocked at learning that he was a terror suspect.

“I can’t believe this,” said Swasthik Chandrashekar, who was sharing the flat with Naveed. “He is innocent and I don’t think that he is involved in the blasts.” R.G. Naidu, who stays in the neighbouring apartment, said that Naveed had left for Mumbai two months before the blasts. “He said he was going for some training,” said Mr Naidu. “He came back only 20 days ago.”

Swasthik, who is a quality analyst the BPO where Naveed worked, said, “For the one month Naveed was not using his mobile phone and said it was infected with a virus.” Police suspects that Naveed was not using mobile phone to avoid detection. Police also questioned Swasthik, who hails from Ooty in Tamil Nadu. Cyberabad police said that Naveed’s brother Waleed was a journalist working with an English newspaper in Mumbai. “He has also been picked up,” said a police officer.






Nuke deal: Saran must now catch lame duck


New Delhi, Sept. 30: Outgoing foreign secretary Shyam Saran will take over as the Prime Minister’s special envoy on the India-US civilian nuclear energy deal on Sunday. He will have his task cut out for him as the deal that the government had expected to sail through the US Senate has been stalled with its future now hinging on the elections to the US Congress and the final results.

The US Senate formally went into recess without taking up the nuclear deal. Agency reports suggest that Senate Majority leader Bill Frist tried to proceed with the enabling legislation with no further amendments, but this was resisted strongly by Senate Minority leader Harry Reid, who insisted that the legislation was too important to be rushed through but could be taken up in the lame duck session in November.

Mr Saran, who was in Washington recently working to clear the obstacles for quick consideration of the bill before the US Senate broke for the elections, will now have to go back to ensure that it is taken up in November, before the time window closes for Congress and pushes the bill back to the committee stage next year.

The outside chance that the Senate could discuss and vote on the bill after the elections is complicated by the fact that there is still no official word if an Unanimous Consent Agreement on S 3709, the civilian nuclear deal legislation, has been reached. Mr Saran, apart from chasing the nuclear deal, is expected to enjoy a larger role than the actual designation indicates. Sources said he might be given minister of State rank, although there was no confirmation of this from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Mr Shyam Saran, a popular officer who enjoys the confidence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, might gradually fill in the slot vacated by the early demise of senior diplomat, J.N. Dixit. This remains vacant as despite holding charge of the ministry of external affairs the Prime Minister does not have a diplomatic adviser.

The grapevine suggests that Mr Saran has already been given the additional charge of determining the content of the Prime Minister’s speeches on foreign policy. Prime Minister Singh continues to control foreign policy as the appointment of a Cabinet minister for external affairs again appears to be deferred. National security adviser M.K. Narayanan, who was handling foreign policy matters, was perceived by the establishment as being out of his depth on these issues and had come in for strong criticism from different quarters.

He is a former intelligence man and his expertise was never seen to run into foreign policy. Regarded as a “hawk” on Pakistan, he has maintained a studied silence on the meeting between Dr Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf at Havana. Special envoy Satish Lamba has confined himself to the brief of negotiating policy with Pakistan through the back channels. Mr Shyam Saran’s advice on foreign policy, sources said, would thus be invaluable for the Prime Minister.

The US legislators, despite their professed support for the nuclear deal, appear to have shed no tears about the fact that it has not been cleared by the Senate and could end up becoming just one of those pieces of legislation that everybody wants but no one is prepared to actually go out and vote for at this stage.

The Bush administration has been pushing hard for the deal using every argument in the book, from “it will give a boost to non-proliferation” to “we will bring India under NPT provisions without being a signatory”, but has clearly failed to cut ice with the senators who have allowed themselves to get distracted by the other items on the agenda that were more pressing domestically.

The Democrats are at present demanding second degree amendments and flexibility in the number of amendments to be offered, according to agency reports from Washington. Both Senators Frist and Reid have insisted that the nuclear bill will be a top priority in the lame duck session but till date have not made a formal announcement about whether or not the crucial unanimous consent agreement has been reached.

Even if the bill is taken up, it is essential from the Indian point of view to bring in the changes necessary to meet the reservations voiced by Prime Minister Singh on behalf of Indian Parliament. It will also have to go through the reconciliation committee with the final legislation then coming under the scanner of Parliament when it meets around the same time for the Winter Session. The Senate will reconvene on November 9 and will have a formal session on November 13.




Irrigation to get big pie from Centre sop


Hyderabad, Sept. 30: Nearly 60 per cent of the money that the State got in Friday’s Rs 9,650-crore special package will go to irrigation projects. The government will use Rs 8 crore of the money to pay an additional Rs 50,000 as compensation to families of farmers who committed suicide.

The package will be spread over three years in 16 drought-prone districts. The government has been trying to get the Centre to give 70 per cent of the money under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) as grants, and the rest as loan.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy told mediapersons on Saturday that the government would get up to 90 per cent of the money as grant, and 100 per cent in tribal areas of these districts. Separately from the package, the Chief Minister said, as a Dasara gift the Centre has permitted 80,000 houses for people below the poverty line under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. Fifty thousand of the houses will come up in Hyderabad, 15,000 each in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.

Each unit will cost Rs 1.2 lakh for which the Centre will pay Rs 65,000. The rest will have to be shared by the State government and the beneficiary. The Telugu Desam and the BJP pointed out that allocations were small. Rs 7,000 crore would go for the waiver of interest and the remaining amount would be spent over three years.

This leaves the government with very little money to implement new programmes, TD parliamentary party leader K. Yerrannaidu and Rajya Sabha members M.V. Mysoora Reddy and R. Chandrasekhar Reddy told journalists. Mr Yerrannaidu said that the Jayati Ghosh Committee recommendations should be implemented fully.

“We need a long-term strategy to deal with the problems of farmers as they are very complex in nature,” he said. In Nellore, BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said that the package formed part of budget proposals. Rs 12,303 crore of the Rs 16,978-crore package [for four States] were from the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) and Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP).

Referring to the Centre’s claim on interest waiver to the tune of Rs 1,400 crore in AP, he said that the fund-starved State government had to bear 50 per cent of the cost. The Chief Minister said the Centre had agreed to alter AIBP guidelines and fund projects which had got techno-economic clearences. “The Centre has agreed to fund drip irrigation projects to whatever extent we propose and execute,” he said.
He announced that the government had decided to revise the milestones of Jalayagnam projects to ensure that the benefits were extended to farmers immediately.

The Chief Minister said 65 per cent of the total package would be in the form of grants. Other components include waiver of interest on farm loans for Rs 1,436 crore for which the Centre and State would share the burden equally, and Rs 470 crore in next three years for seed replacement package in which farmers would be supplied new seed at 50 per cent subsidy. The government also decided to place Rs 8 crore at the disposal of the collectors of 16 districts.

The amount will be utilised to give an additional compensation of Rs 50,000 to the kin of farmers who commit suicide. The State is already paying Rs 1.5 lakh towards compensation in such cases. The Chief Minister said that the government had decided to take up watershed programmes and check dams with Rs 480 crore each and Rs 264 crore for improving livestock and dairy besides funding artisans.

What goes where

* Rs 5,789 crores for Jalayagam irrigation projects.
* Rs 1,436 crores for waiver of interest on farm loans, shared equally by Centre and State.
* Rs 470 crores for seed replacement package.
* Rs 8 crores for additional compensation of Rs 50,000 to the kin of farmers who commit suicide. The State is already paying Rs 1.5 lakh towards compensation.




IIT-M to fly plane with 45cc engine


Chennai, Sept. 30: Seven students of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras have developed a small aircraft that is powered by a 45cc motorcycle engine and can fly at 60 kmph. This is the first time that students of IIT-M have designed a six-foot-long pilotless aircraft. The hobby club at the IIT-M has been converted into a mini-workshop for students where their interesting ideas are put to practical tests and the unmanned aircraft is one of the ideas that have taken concrete shape.

“Seven members of our institution teamed up to design this aircraft, which weighs only 11 kg,” said team member A. Ravikanth, a B.Tech who is a student of aerospace engineering. Amol Joshi, an M.Tech (computational engineering) student, has been busy helping give final touches to the aircraft.
Explaining the technicalities of the light aircraft, Amol said, “We started this project in January with Rs 3 lakhs in funding from our institute. Initially we thought of using a Luna engine, but that is too heavy. So we purchased a Japanese-made engine, Zenoah, from the US. The advantage of this engine is that it weighs only 2 kg.” The young engineers then planned to automate the aircraft so that it flew on its own.

“In the first phase, the plane will be controlled using a remote control. In the next phase, we plan to make it fly on its own, except for take-off and landing,” he said. The students plan to test-fly the aircraft
at Kovalam, near Mahabalipuram, on Sunday since the IIT has a lot of trees on its campus. The aircraft will be flown over the campus during the Shaastra tech fest that is to take place at IIT-M between October 4 and 8. It will shoot the proceedings live from the air.

This year, the list of speakers at Shaastra include two Nobel laureates, George Andrew Olah (Nobel for chemistry in 1994) and Arno Allan Penzias (Nobel for physics in 1978). The other highlights of the tech fest include a first-of-its-kind nanotech workshop that will explain the detail and uses of the technology. Various forms of robots, like the humanoid, biomorph, cerebus and surveillance robots from the National University of Singapore, will be on display during Shaastra.





Most popular? Raj Kapoor’s Brodyaga


London, Sept. 30: The 1951 Raj Kapoor-starrer Awaara has been seen and enjoyed by so many across the globe that it may well be the “most successful film in the history of cinema at large”, according to a leading professor of film studies. Dina Iordanova, professor at the University of St Andrews, and other experts cite several texts and anecdotal evidence to state in a special issue of the journal South Asian Popular Cinema that Awaara may be a candidate for the title of the “most popular film of all time”.

The journal’s latest issue is devoted to mapping the career of Indian films in various national contexts outside South Asia. The issue includes several papers exploring the popularity of Indian films in places such as Greece, Bulgaria, Africa and Turkey. The papers cast fresh light on the popularity of Indian films beyond the better-known overseas markets, such as the US and Britain.

The special issue is titled “Indian Cinema Abroad: Historiography of Transnational Cinematic Exchanges” and is co-edited by Prof. Iordanova and Dimitris Eleftheriotis of Glasgow University. Prof. Iordanova and others write extensively on Awaara in the issue.

Recalling her Bulgarian origins and childhood, Prof. Iordanova said: “I knew Indian films long before I had met any living Indian. We knew next to nothing of India and the Indians; we did not know much of the personality of Raj Kapoor either. However, the fascination with a film like Awaara (Brodyaga in Bulgarian) was everlasting; everybody knew the actor’s ever-singing dancing persona. Nothing could match up to the experience of watching Awaara; this film was more fascinating than any other I can remember.”

“Even though repeat viewing is not typical for the cinema going practices of Bulgarians, many admit that they have seen Awaara numerous times. Why such fascination? The copy that we were watching was fairly old; the film was overlong and markedly over-the-top. Yet it was so absorbing.

It was a film that, in an unabashed manner, revealed a whole different world where preposterous melodrama came across as completely legitimate (and thus mesmerising), where improbable misapprehensions triggered infinite suffering and obstinate injustices, where people were not ashamed to be overemotional and were solemnly preoccupied with enchanting adoration,” she said.

“It was the candid praise of love and affection in the Indian movies that was truly enchanting for us... Awaara remains a truly enduring global hit, yet one that is understudied and under-researched.” Prof. Iordanova and Eleftheriotis wrote in the journal: “Indian cinema was internationally popular for a significant period, starting in the 1930s and peaking around the 1960s. There were massive exports of Indian films and massive international interest in it. However, as these exports and acclaim did not target (nor took place in) the West (until recently the only place where such processes are properly studied), we really have no record of the intensity of these cinematic exchanges other than sporadic references and anecdotal evidence.”

She wrote that it was difficult to think of any other film from the 1950s that was seen in so many countries and was as widely acclaimed as Awaara. Most film history books, she added, analysed other films and mentioned Awaara only in passing, “yet I cannot think of any other film from that period that would have enjoyed such popular success transnationally”.

Prof. Iordanova said: “At this oldest university in Scotland (University of St Andrews), we are making sure Indian cinema is properly represented in our teaching and we regularly screen classical and new Indian films for our students.” A British academic journal devoting a special issue to Indian cinema is the latest in the growing coverage of Indian films in the popular and academic press

Pharmacist must in shop


Hyderabad, Sept. 30: The State drug control administration has threatened to cancel licences of medical shops which are not manned by qualified pharmacists. It was found that there were hundreds of medical shops in the State being run without pharmacists. In all, there are 41,000 medical shops in the State.
The problem is acute in small towns and rural areas, where, ironically, many illiterate villagers need help to purchase medicines.

“We will not allow this and will cancel licences of such shops,” said an official of the drug control department. The department will also ask the AP Pharmacy Council to cancel the certificates of pharmacists who are not present in the medical shops. Many medical shop owners display certificates of pharmacists, who may actually be working in other pharma companies or laboratories.

They are paid a salary by the medical shop owners for ‘loaning’ the certificate and for the sake of appearances.R. Ranga Rao, director of AP Drug Control Administration, said that licences of such medical shops would not be renewed. However, AP Chemists and Druggists Association said that there was a dearth of pharmacists in the State.

“It is impossible to keep pharmacists round the clock in shops which are open day and night,” said Dr Gulshan Jain, president of the association. “We request the government to recognise experienced shop owners as practising pharmacists.” He added that medicines were being sold only on the basis of prescriptions given by doctors.




BSNL offers unlimited calls


Hyderabad, Sept. 30: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on Saturday unveiled a free unlimited calls scheme for its landline customers in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. The scheme, which includes three packages of Rs 399, Rs 599 and Rs 899 per month, will come into effect from October 1.

The scheme costing Rs 399 will provide free unlimited calls from BSNL to BSNL landlines and WLL within the local area. Free unlimited calls in entire Andhra Pradesh circle is the hallmark of the Rs 599 scheme, while the third scheme enables the customer to make unlimited calls to both landlines and mobile phones.

BSNL chief general manager R.K. Arnold said that the schemes would gradually be extended to other areas in the State. Talking to reporters here, Mr Arnold said that BSNL had been able to secure the confidence of the public despite stiff competition. To attract new customers, BSNL has decided to allow them to pay security deposit in five instalments.

“Phone connection will be given on payment of the first instalment itself and the rest of the amount will be collected in the four bills. A rebate in rentals will be given to those who book landline connections in October and the benefit can be availed in the bills for the first and sixth month,” he said.




Police wakes up to terror, search on for Pakistani


Hyderabad, Sept. 30: Waking up to the threat posed by sleeper cells of terror networks after the arrest of a BPO employee in connection with the Mumbai blasts, city police have launched a hunt to trace out members of sleeper cells.

Pakistan sponsored Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami are the three most active groups with sleeper cells in the city. The Hyderabad connection was proved in most of the major terror attacks in the country.

The BPO employee, Nav-eed Rasheed Hussain, was arrested from Neredmet under the Cyberabad police commissionerate limits, which is otherwise considered a trouble-free area. A city police official said, “He was not on our radar so far. He appears to be the member of the sleeper cell. Usually, we do not concentrate on areas like Neredmet.”
Naveed is related to Faizal, the main conspirator of the Mumbai blasts. The city police has decided to interrogate Naveed’s friend Ibrahim and another wo-man BPO employee. They seized several documents from Naveed’s house.

Meanwhile, Intelligence Bureau officials alerted the city police that a Pakistani militant has sneaked into the country and is suspected to have been staying in the city. Task force sleuths began search in Chandrayanagutta and Falaknuma areas, where the Pakistani is suspected to be hiding.




Children to speak on manuscripts


Hyderabad, Sept. 30: In an attempt to create awareness among children on the preservation of manuscripts, National Mission for Manuscripts and Children’s Educational Academy have decided to organise cultural and educational programmes between October 6 and 20 in 11 districts in the State.

This is the first program-me to be organised by CEA outside New Delhi. The programmes include puppet shows, seminars, songs, audio and visuals. “Students from Class I to X will take part in the seminars,” said M. Vedakumar, chairman of Children’s Educational Academy. NMM coordinator Rashmi Singh said digitisation, training in manuscriptology and fostering research will also be held.




Bill soon to pin corrupt babus


Hyderabad, Sept. 30: Hard times await corrupt sarkari babus. The State government has proposed to come out with legislation to confiscate the assets of corrupt government employees, if they were proved guilty. At present, corrupt employees are simply convicted while their families enjoy the illegally accumulated assets. If the new legislation comes through the government will not only punish the corrupt but also take away their ill-gotten assets.

Inspired by legislation passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Government, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy has directed principal secretary Jannat Hussain to study the J&K legislation and come out with a draft Bill on this issue. The Law Commission in its 166th report has proposed enactment of a separate legislation for forfeiture of property acquired by corrupt public servants if it were found to be disproportionate to the known sources of income.

The Law Commission’s proposal is still at an examination stage. The Centre is consulting various quarters before taking a final decision. The Central government way back in 1988 amended the Criminal Law Act, 1944 which provides for attachment of property of the people found guilty of corrupt practices.

The property can be attached by the Special Judge during the course of trial. Subsequently, after termination of criminal proceedings and conviction of the accused, the Special Judge is empowered to confiscate the property of the convicted public servant. The Chief Minister has instructed the Anti-Corruption Bureau officials to intensify raids on corrupt officials and ensure hundred per cent conviction.




YSR determined to seal Polavaram Project


Hyderabad, Sept. 30: The State government has its fingers crossed over the outcome of the three Chief Ministers’ conference on the multi-purpose irrigation project Indira Sagar (Polavaram) scheduled on October 4. The Central Water Commission has convened the meeting of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Chattisgarh to sort out the inter-State disputes over submersion.

The dispute is coming in the way of the State government in executing the project. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Saturday expressed doubts over the very presence of the two other Chief Ministers at the conference. “They are very much opposed to the project. Naturally they will try to avoid the meeting,” he told mediapersons at his camp office.

He said he would attend the meeting. Dr Reddy, however, sees hope in their absence as the CWC could take a stand on the issue. “It will enable the CWC to decide that Andhra Pradesh has a right to execute the project as per the provisions of the Godavari tribunal award,” he pointed out. The government argues that the two States should spell out their objections, then propose the compensation package.

The Project is expected to submerge some villages in Dantewada district in Chhatisgarh and some in Malkangiri district in Orrisa. However, in the absence of Environmental Impact Assessment and study by either of the governments there is no specific information on the impact of submersion.




Jagan involved in scam: TD


Hyderabad, Sept. 30: The Telugu Desam on Saturday alleged that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s son Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy was involved in the Poppalaguda evacuee property scam. Addressing a press conference here, party MLAs Harishwar Reddy and D. Narendra and Ranga Reddy district TD leaders V. Mahender Reddy and K.S. Ratnam took strong objection to the State government’s inaction in providing security to the more than Rs 1000 crore worth evacuee property.

They asked the government to explain the reasons for not taking action on then revenue secretary D.C. Rosaiah for giving an order in favour of some persons, though the evacuee land belonged to the Central government. Meanwhile, Panchayat Raj and endowments minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy on Saturday challenged the Telugu Desam and other Opposition parties to prove that he owned large extent of lands abutting the ORR project.
At a press conference, Mr Reddy said he would distribute the land among the poor if the Opposition proved its charge.




Monica to be paid Rs 10 per day


Hyderabad, Sept. 30: Starlet Monica Bedi, who began first day of her life as a convict at Chanchalguda women’s prison on Saturday, will start earning for her work from October 3.
Monica Bedi will be paid either Rs 10 or 15 per day depending on the nature of the work she selects. She has to take up the work of making candles, preparing tooth powder or knitting. She wore white saree as per the dress code of a convict prisoner.

Chanchalguda Women’s Prison superintendent R. Sharada said “She is being given food of a convicted prisoner. But we will allow any prisoner to buy food items for her from the Prisoner Private Cash. She is being separated from remand prisoner cell and shifted to convict prisoner cell.”

“We did not allot her any work on Saturday. After holidays we will allot her work based on her interest,” said Sharada.Monica Bedi was put in the barracks along with other convicts and there is no separate cell for her. However, Monica appeared confident of winning her case again in the court.

PM rides 1st class in S. Africa


Pietermaritzburg, Sept. 30: An “awed and humbled” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh retraced the footsteps of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi at this South African railway station, 113 years after the Mahatma undertook the fateful train journey that changed the course of history.

In his first public engagement after arriving on a four-day visit to this country, Dr Singh undertook a train journey from Pentrich station to Pietermaritzburg, 95 km from Durban, the route taken by Gandhiji on his way to Pretoria on June 7, 1893, when he was thrown out of the first class compartment for being a person of colour.

The Prime Minister travelled in a first class compartment of the four-coach train hauled by a steam engine. The journey between Pentrich and Pietermaritzburg took about 15 minutes. “I am awed and humbled to be at the very spot at which began the transformation of an ordinary young lawyer into an extraordinary legend who influenced the destiny of my country,” Dr Singh wrote in the visitors book.




AIIMS becomes victim of dengue


New Delhi, Sept. 30: A seventh-semester student at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kamal Raj Kiran, died of dengue on Saturday, taking the toll from the deadly disease in the capital to 11. He was being described as “very critical” till late on Friday evening. Kiran, who hailed from Hyderabad, was being treated at the ICU of the hospital since Thursday. He was brought to the institute in a very serious state and had to be operated upon to stop haemorrhage in his brain.

The national capital is witnessing a spurt in dengue cases, with 327 reported so far this year till September 24, nine of which have proved fatal. From the prestigious AIIMS alone, as many as 15 cases have been reported in the past five days. Out of these 15, six are resident doctors and medical students, five are AIIMS staffers and the remaining are relatives of hospital staff.

Earlier, a 17-year-old daughter of a doctor couple, Monal Nangia had succumbed to the disease at AIIMS on Wednesday. There were eight to 10 fresh cases of dengue at AIIMS on Friday, five on Thursday. Meanwhile, in view of the sudden spurt in dengue cases, the AIIMS authorities have resorted to intense fogging and kicked-off a drive to check all water coolers in the hospital premises.

Terming the death of Raj Kiran as “really unfortunate,” Dr Anil Sharma at AIIMS said that generally the dengue patients get well in a week’s time and it was only in five per cent cases that dengue fever leads to haemorrhage as it happened with Kiran. “Since the first case was reported at AIIMS last week, we are holding a meeting at noon everyday to take stock of the situation. But, as we are to deal with several dengue patients every day, it makes us (the doctors) more vulnerable,” he asserted.




Polio drive in question after new cases


New Delhi, Sept. 30: In a major blow to the much hyped polio eradication programme in the country, twelve fresh polio cases have been reported from different parts of the country, including one from New Delhi, taking the total number of people affected to 338 this year.

Out of the 12 fresh cases, 10 are from Uttar Pradesh, which has so far reported 301 polio cases. “These are not good signs as it can create a big hurdle for the pulse polio immunisation programme that was launched to eradicate polio from this country,” said a senior official of the ministry, adding that it can be an outbreak and more cases are likely to be reported. The ministry on Friday confirmed the fresh cases.

But what is troubling officials in the ministry is the fact that areas which were free from polio last year, are being reported this year, meaning the entire programme has been overturned in these areas, which include New Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh and West Bengal. In the November anti-polio drive those areas would be covered that have been affected by the virus. Polio is a viral paralytic disease that enters the body through the mouth, due to contaminated water or food. It infects intestinal walls and then enters the bloodstream and the central nervous system.

Health minister Ambumani Ramadoss had earlier informed that seven to 15 per cent children had missed the immunisation programme this year. He had also said that he would be visiting Uttar Pradesh and would interact with the minority community, who are not taking the vaccine after rumours that it would make their children impotent. “More than 90 per cent of cases have originated from UP. In areas where there is no hygiene and people live in unhygienic conditions, it easily effects children,” said an official in the ministry.




Jain charged in Tehelka case


New Delhi, Sept. 30: The CBI has filed a chargesheet against a middleman, who had figured in the revelations made by Tehelka.com in March 2001 pertaining to the alleged corruption in defence dealings.

The chargesheet was filed against the accused, former Samata Party treasurer R.K. Jain, under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 in the Patiala House Courts on Friday. This is the third chargesheet in the Tehelka tapes cases. The first chargesheet was filed against former BJP president Bangaru Laxman on July 18 this year and the second chargesheet was laid against a staff officer (since dismissed) of the ordnance factory cell under the defence ministry.






Weightlifter from Orissa has no cash


Bhubaneswar, Sept. 30: Ranu Mohanty, the Orissa strongwoman who has own several laurels for her state and country in both powerlifting and weightlifting championships, is uncertain about her forthcoming visit to Norway to participate in the seven-day World Powerlifting Championship 2006, which starts on October 5, because she is finding it difficult to arrange the Rs 96,000 required for the trip. Neither the State government nor any corporate house, despite repeated appeals, have yet agreed to help Ranu Mohanty.

The 25-year-old, who recently bagged gold medal at the Asian Powerlifting Championships in Taebacity, South Korea, is thinking about cancelling her trip.
Ranu had faced similar financial constraints during the Asian Championships too and met the tour expenditure of Rs 91,000 from her own pocket and from contributions from friends and well-wishers.

Besides Ranu, many other Orissa women powerlifters are fighting financial hardship. Driven by penury, Mandakini Mahant of Mayurbhanj district, who won the Asian senior powerlifting title some years ago, had offered to sell her medal. Mandakini had been selected to participate in an international meet in London in May, but could not go because she didn’t have the money.







TN cracks down on poll auctions


Chennai, Sept. 30: The widely prevalent system of auctions of panchayat posts, to be decided in the coming local body elections across Tamil Nadu, have stopped, or at least are not taking place openly, after state election commissioner D. Chandrashekaran threatened arrests and ordered a crackdown.

At the end of Saturday, the last day for withdrawal of nominations, over four lakh candidates are left in the fray for 1.30 lakh posts being elected by a little over 4.6 crore voters. Reports from the districts suggest that not all of those positions are going to be filled by free elections.

“I am still ostracised because I defied the diktat from the so-called elders in my village to withdraw my nomination so that they could auction the panchayat president’s post to the highest bidder, Amaithi Thevaraj, for Rs 2.10 lakhs. I insisted on contesting the October 15 elections because I did not want democracy to be defeated by auctioning local body posts in this manner,” claimed V. Ravichandran, 39, a lawyer contesting for panchayat president in Pottulapatti, in Madurai district. Along with him and his wife and two children, his three brothers and four ward nominees were also ostracised for backing him.

“When I made it clear I was not going to fall in line with them, they announced the ban against me and my people from September 20. Now we cannot enter the local temple, cannot shop here. No one in the village will speak to us. It feels as if we are in the mediaeval age,” Ravichandran told this newspaper, expressing fear for his safety and hoping the state administration would provide him security.

This is not the first time that such instances of local body posts being auctioned are surfacing. Another nearby panchayat had got its president in the last elections after collecting Rs 7 lakhs from him at auction. “We spent the money for public good, such as improving roads and repairing the temple,” a local said on condition of anonymity. He insisted that no auctions took place this time, but some others in the village contested the claim.

The administration attempted a crackdown and arrested a few persons in Dharmapuri for allegedly participating in such auctions. In nearby Namakkal, district collector G. Sundaramurthy said police and revenue officials undertook extensive tours amid reports of auctions taking place. “My stern warning, that action would be taken against those indulging in the sale of panchayat posts, has had a salutary effect. Now there is no auction of these posts reported in my district,” Mr G. Sundaramurthy said.

Seven men were arrested after being caught auctioning local body posts in Perunthurai, Erode district, a few days ago. The post of panchayat president there had been auctioned for Rs 1.1 lakh and that of vice-president for Rs 30,000. After the arrests, the villagers are said to have decided to go through the democratic process of voting. While in most cases the money collected from the highest bidder is shared among the village leaders, the booty in some cases is spent on improving local infrastructure.

For instance, said a local official, the elders in a village in Trichy district gathered at the temple square on September 20 and decided that whoever made the best offer for building a Perumal (Vishnu) temple would become panchayat president. An 87-year-old woman reportedly offered Rs 2.20 lakhs so her daughter-in-law could get the post. At another village nearby, a former panchayat president allegedly paid Rs 1.85 lakhs to get the panchayat chief’s post for his wife.

“It will take a couple of days after the nominations are finalised to correctly judge the extent of such auctions. There is intense competition for the posts and we are alert to prevent these incidents,” said K. Devaraj, a CPI(M) functionary in Madurai. Campaigners like him agree it would be a huge task for the administration to stop such auctions because in most cases the villagers hold the “sale” in secret places and enforce the decision through a diktat.

“Also, it would be difficult to book the violators under existing laws and convict them in a court of law. Constant public awareness spread by the government and voluntary agencies is the only way to stop this evil,” said another social activist. State election commissioner Chandra-shekaran, however, is confident that the “massive” poll exercise on October 13 and 15 will be fair and smooth.




IAF concern over combat squadrons


New Delhi, Sept. 30: IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi has reportedly written to defence minister Pranab Mukherjee expressing concern at the drop in the number of combat squadrons of the IAF over the years and the lack of adequate fighter aircraft. With old aircraft like MiG-21s and certain versions of MiG-23 and MiG-27 being phased out, the Air Force is alarmed that there may be a steep drop in the number of combat squadrons if more fighter aircraft are not procured soon.

The IAF is worried over Pakistan’s plans to induct more F-16 fighter aircraft from the United States and create two more squadrons. The IAF is pinning its hopes on the government’s plan to procure 126 multi-role fighters as this will boost the combat potential of the IAF. Sources said that the Air Force is also said to be keen on the procurement of 40 additional Sukhoi-30 MKI from Russia. The IAF hopes for a return to the position in the late 1980s when the IAF had an optimum combat squadron strength of 40 aircraft. Each squadron has 18 fighter jets.