Andhranews

New Delhi, Sept. 7: Sri Lankan tourism minister Anura Bandaranaike has said in the Sri Lankan Parliament that India’s high commissioner to Colombo, Ms Nirupama Rao, was interfering in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka. According to reports in the Sri Lankan media, speaking during a debate in Parliament, Mr Bandaranaike on Wednesday said the Indian envoy should not interfere in his country’s politics. “We Sri Lankans can look after our country, please look after your high commission,” he was quoted as saying.

Mr Bandaranaike said both his parents, who were Prime Ministers, and sister Chandrika Kumaratunga, who retired as President last year, maintained good relations with India and that Ms Rao should not “meddle” in Sri Lanka.

“Anura tells Indian HC ‘mind your own business’,” was the banner front-page headline in The Island, which carried a picture of Mr Bandaranaike, Ms Rao and former Pakistan high commissioner Bashir Wali Mohammad. It quoted Mr Bandaranaike as saying in Parliament on Wednesday: “The pretty Mrs Rao should look after her embassy and we will look after our own internal affairs.”

The daily, however, did not say what had prompted the minister’s attack. In a terse rejoinder to the minister’s remarks against the high commissioner, the external affairs ministry here said on Thursday that the envoy’s contribution to strengthening Indo-Sri Lankan bilateral relations was well appreciated by the government of the island nation.

The MEA spokesman responded to queries about the minister’s remarks by saying: “It is not the policy of the Government of India and its representative abroad to interfere in the internal affairs of any country. Our high commissioner in Colombo, Mrs Nirupama Rao, is a senior diplomat and has conducted herself in accordance with the highest professional standards.

Her contribution to strengthening Indo-Sri Lankan bilateral relations is well appreciated by the host government.” A PTI report from Colombo on Thursday said that “Sri Lankan government sources” have since said that the minister’s outburst was “absolutely unwarranted”.

On August 30, MDMK leader Vaiko had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded that a Sri Lankan diplomat based in Chennai be asked to leave for violating diplomatic protocol by publicly criticising an unanimous resolution adopted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly condemning the killing of students in Sri Lanka. The six-page memorandum submitted by Mr Vaiko to Dr Singh alleged that the diplomat’s action amounted to interference in India’s domestic affairs.

The Sri Lankan diplomat had said that the resolution adopted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly accusing Colombo of killing over 50 schoolgirls in aerial bombing was based on “totally fabricated reports”.

New Delhi, Sept. 7: A senior IFS officer has told the Enforcement Directorate that former external affairs minister K. Natwar Singh had rung him up in Baghdad and spoken about the Indian mission “discriminating” against Hamdan Exports, owned by Andaleeb Sehgal, who is being probed for Fema violations in Iraq’s oil-for-food scam. Deposing before the ED on November 22 last year, Mr R. Dayakar, then India’s ambassador to Iraq, said Mr Natwar Singh had telephoned him in the Iraqi capital saying he had received a complaint that the Indian mission was discriminating against Hamdan Exports.

“Dayakar had explained the position to Natwar Singh and also to Sehgal to, whom the telephone was handed over by Singh,” documents attached to the 18-page ED showcause notice showed. Mr Natwar Singh, suspended by Congress on August 8 after he was indicted by the Pathak Inquiry Authority for misusing his position and helping Mr Sehgal in procuring oil contracts from Iraq, has denied any involvement and held that neither he nor his son Jagat had derived any financial benefit.

The ED showcause notice said Mr Natwar Singh, his son Jagat, Andaleeb Sehgal, NRI businessman Aditya Khanna and others had “jointly or severally”, without the permission of the Reserve Bank of India, dealt in or acquired foreign exchange totalling $8,98,027 in respect of two oil contracts with the State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) of Iraq.

Both Mr Dayakar and Mr Jagat Singh had corroborated Mr Natwar Singh’s “intercession” on behalf of Hamdan Exports from Iraq, the ED claimed. Mr Jagat Singh, in his statement before the ED on December 15 last year, said he had introduced Mr Sehgal to Mr Dayakar during a reception hosted by the Indian embassy for the Congress delegation and even Mr Natwar Singh had spoken on his behalf for promotion of business, according to the documents.

Mr Dayakar, in his deposition, said it was obvious that Mr Sehgal’s main purpose in visiting Iraq was to promote the business of Hamdan Exports.
Mr Sehgal had visited the Indian embassy the day after the reception and on his request the ambassador had issued a number of notes verbale to the foreign economic relations department of Iraq’s ministry of trade recommending Hamdan Exports for supply of various commodities. Mr Dayakar said in his statement before the ED that a large number of notes verbale were issued in quick succession based on the introduction by Mr Jagat Singh.

Five notes verbale had been issued by the Indian mission to the Iraqi department in favour of Hamdan Exports for the supply of sugar, lentils, construction material, supply requirements of state companies for shopping centres, wheat and rice, the documents said.

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 7: Balram Tudu, a 19-year-old tribal student from Mayurbhanj, in spite of securing the 83rd rank in the IIT entrance examination will not be able to study in the premier engineering institute because the postal department failed to deliver his intimation letter. “Expecting correspondence from the IIT, Kharagpur, I waited at a mess in BJB Nagar, but the letter never came. Finally, I went to Kharagpur, West Bengal, to find out the reason for the delay. The officials there were shocked to know that I had not received the letter,” says Balram.

Records were checked and it was found that institute had sent a letter (EE51443075IN, dated June 6) by speed post to the student’s BJB Nagar address. Returning from Kharagpur, Balram checked with the BJB Nagar post office, but was told that they no longer had the letter.

“We went to his (Balram’s) place thrice to deliver the letter, but could not find him. We then returned the letter to Kharagpur on June 17,” claimed sub-postmaster of the post office P.K. Sethi. “According to rules, we should have returned the letter after three days. But we kept it for seven days. The sub-postmaster can exercise his power to keep it for four more days. However, when the boy did not contact us, we were forced to return it,” Mr Sethi said . When contacted, IIT authorities told Balram, that they did not receive the letter that the post office returned.

Now, he can’t take an admission to the IIT as the last date for admissions has passed. Distraught, Balram says “My life has been spoiled. It was my last chance to appear for the IITs.” The IITs allow students to appear for the entrance examination only twice, and this was Balram’s second attempt. But that is not all. He had also qualified in Orissa Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) for engineering colleges in the State. He was ranked 56. “Since I had qualified for the IIT, I did not attend OJEE counselling, nor did I apply for any other colleges. I have not only lost an IIT seat but also the chance of admission into any other colleges,“ he reveals.

He has not visited his village in the past three months. “I have not told my parents because it will break their hearts. My father is a poor farmer and I have two younger siblings. Funding my education has been a challenge,” says Balram.

Balram had nurtured the dream to study in the Indian Institute of Technology since childhood. He passed HSCE from a school in Marrandi village in Mayurbhanj district by securing 78 percent. He then went on to complete Plus-II with science in the prestigious BJB college here in 2005. After this Balram discontinued college to prepare for IIT.

Balram now plans to move court to seek justice. “I will collect details of the letter and then will move the court,” he said. “I will start my preparations for coming year’s National Institute of Technology entrance examination”, he said on a more optimistic note.

New Delhi, Sept. 7: Islamabad might be preoccupied with Baluchistan but it is only talking about the forthcoming autobiography of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, In the Line of Fire: A Memoir. Its release is now fixed for September 25 in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

The book, published by Simon and Schuster, runs into 368 pages and begins from life in New Delhi, through Kargil, and till the present. Or so speculation surrounding the contents suggests, as each and every one has his or her bit to offer. The cover, according to a powerful member of the Islamabad elite, strangely shows the President in civilian attire and not military uniform. The general is a Clint Eastwood fan, hence the title of the book (based on an Eastwood movie).

The book will reveal his darkest secrets, Kargil included, is yet another insight. He has received a million-dollar advance, says another. And the cynics insist that it has been ghostwritten. Mr Books, the famous bookshop in Islamabad, carries a poster inviting customers to book advance copies.

The date is August, but the owner immediately corrects this, saying, “It has now been postponed to September 25.” He is clearly expecting high sales and is sure that the copies will run out, hence the notice. Gen. Musharraf will be second only to late Field-Marshal Ayub Khan in penning his autobiography. The latter’s book was titled Friends, not Masters in 1968, with a wit at that time noting that it would have been better phrased as “Friends Not, Masters.”

Pakistani critics have already started comparing the two books, without of course having much idea of what Gen. Musharraf’s autobiography actually contains. A couple of articles in the Pakistani media have references saying that they expect the President to “also write about....” It is also not clear if Gen. Musharraf will release the book himself at what is certain to be a star-studded event, or whether UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan would do the honours. The book, reports suggest, will be priced at $28, but amazon.com has already announced that it will be selling it for $18.

Pakistanis feel that it will be out of reach for many of them, but the bookstores are confident that it will be a sellout. Gen. Musharraf, as the venue of the release suggests, is clearly targeting an international audience and is expected to explain his position on the war of terror, Afghanistan and the Taliban, India and Kargil, as well as the Agra summit — which has always remained an irritant for him — along with other issues.

He is perceived as an enigma in the West, and a much sought-after leader by top newspapers after 9/11, with articles analysing his personality as much as his policies. Reports suggest that a journalist friend has helped him with the writing, but for those who know him well in Islamabad, gen. Musharraf alone will be standing “In The Line of Fire” when the long-awaited book is finally launched.

City boy enters Guinness records

Hyderab-ad, Sept 7: Eleven-year-old city stude-nt Nischal Naray-anam has made Hyderabad proud by entering the coveted Guinness Book of World Records. Nischal set the world record last month at a performance in the city where he memorised the most number of random objects. On Thursday, Nischal and his parents presented before mediapersons the certificate they had received from the publishers of the Guinness Book of World Records. Incidentally, Nischal, who remembered 225 random objects, had broken the world record set by none other than his own master Squandron Leader Jayasimha for memorising 200 objects last year. Nischal is a class VI student of Gitanjali School. During the Guinness performance in the city in the last week of August before a panel of eminent citizens who acted as judges, Nischal recalled all the 225 ass-orted objects thus creating a record for himself. He also remembered the numbers assigned to each of the objects. The child prodigy told reporters that he was very excited on achieving the rare feat. “All the credit goes to my mother who is also my mentor. One needs scientific methods and the three qualities of concentration, seriousness and determination to achieve this feat,” Nischal observed. His father N. Nageswara Rao, managing director of NCS Group of Companies, said he was happy over the feat achieved by his son.

Khairatabad idol troubles policemen

Hyderabad, Sept. 7: The Ganesh idols immersion process continued up to 11.30 am on Thursday with the 40-feet Khairatabad idol being immersed in Hussain sagar around 10 am. City Police Commissioner A.K. Mohanty and Additional CP (Traffic) A. K. Khan lauded the pandal organisers, people and the police personnel on bandobust on the peaceful completion of the festival. “The delay in start of the centralised procession was because the police did not pressurise pandal organisers to start early. It only reflects the confidence we had in ensuring peaceful completion of the festival,” Mohanty added. Earlier, a large number of people had turned up to witness the immersion of Khairatabad Ganesh idol resulting in traffic jam at NTR marg followed by Necklace road, Upper Tank Bund leading up to Khairatabad via Lakdikapul and Secretariat. Despite a special crane being installed for the immersion of Khairatabad idol, police faced a lot of problems. “Hoisting the idol took over 90 minutes. We tried to lift the idol by the hook of the crane four or five times but could not succeed. There was no proper grip on the huge idol and with much difficulty we immersed it at 9.45 am,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) A. K. Khan told this correspondent. Though the Ganesh immersion passed off peacefully, pandal organisers from North Zone were put to a lot of inconvenience due to the delay in start of centralised procession the other day. The Ganesh idols procession from North Zone (Secunderabad) which had started around 11 pm had to wait near Ranigunj for the whole night. Many devotees were spotted sleeping on the road as well as in trucks carrying the idols. They were given permission for immersion only at 6.30 am after idols from West and East Zone were cleared. This resulted in heated arguments between the police and the pandal organisers.

State plans to hike education loan limit

Hyderabad, Sept. 7: The State government on Thursday finalised a scheme with commercial banks to enhance the limit of educational loans and extending the same to students of all the medical, engineering and other professional colleges in the State. The scheme was worked out at an informal bankers’ meeting with Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. As per the scheme, each college would enter into a memorandum of understanding with one or more banks, which would send letter of offer for educational loan along with admission letter to the students. Interested students could avail of the loan, whcih would be released immediately on the day of counselling itself.' Secretary (finance) A. Giridhar told mediapersons that the scheme would benefit the MBBS students, who could not afford the fee which was in excess of Rs 7.5 lakh. At present, the bankers were asking for a third party guarantee for a loan in excess of Rs 4 lakh and upto Rs 7 lakh, the secretary said. Now, the bankers had agreed to enhance the loan limit without guarantee to Rs 10 lakh. The repayment would start one year after the completion of course, or six months after employment, whichever was earlier, he said. The bankers had agreed to conduct an “Education loan mela” in all the colleges before October 15, in which both existing and new students could avail of the loans from banks at a cheaper interest rate of 10.5 per cent per annum, he added.

State to hand over Mutt land

Hyderabad Sept. 7: The AP High Court directed the State government to hand over the possession of lands, worth Rs 1,500 crores, and the affairs of the Hathi Ramji Mutt in Tirupati to the Hathiramji Mutt Trust. This followed the government-appointed administrative officer admitting before the court that 245 acres of Mutt lands in Mumbai had been sold away while the Mutt was being managed by government officials. A division bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice G.V. Seethapathy on Thursday said that no person should alienate or sell the lands belonging to the Mutt. The court adjourned the case to October 11 to explore the possibility of entrusting the matter to CBI for investigating into the affairs of the Mutt. It vacated a stay order granted earlier. A single judge of High Court on January 27 had struck down an order of the government appointing a special officer as custodian of the properties and land belonging to Hathi Ramji Mutt. The single judge had faulted the action of the government in removing Mahanth Arjun Das as head of the Mutt. On an appeal filed by the State government, a division bench stayed the judgment on February 13. When the court was informed that the Mutt land at Mumbai had been sold, the bench on August 17 asked the administrative officer whether the land was sold during the pendency of the case. The administrative officer in his report told that court that the land was indeed sold during the pendency of the case. The bench took serious note and felt that if the management of the Mutt was in the hands of the government there would be no lands left by the time the court decided the case. The court felt prima facie that the officials involved in management of the Mutt were responsible for selling the land to the extent of 245 acres of land. The bench said that it was in complete breach of mandatory provisions of the Act. Senior counsel S. Ramachandra Rao appearing for the petitioners informed the court that in spite of the matter pending before the court, properties of the mutt at Mumbai were being sold and the government officials managing the Mutt affairs were involved in large scale irregularities and selling of the land.

Woman accuses boss of sexual harassment

Hyderabad, Sept. 7: Even before the controversy over sexual harassment by senior IAS officer Mangapathi Rao has died down, another State government employee on Thursday alleged sexual abuse by her senior official. B. Bhavani, a junior assistant in Weights and Measures Department, has accused that deputy Controller Vimal Babu has been sexually harassing her for over a year. The cause for the alleged abuse was her refusal to Mr Babu’s romantic advances. Addressing a press conference here, Bhavani said to put an end to his actions, she had married a co-worker secretly. “When I showed him a copy of my marriage certificate, he angrily tore it off. He then grabbed my hand and pushed me on to a chair,” she said. She lodged a complaint with the Musheerabad police station and the case is being investigated. Meanwhile, Bhavani had approached various womens’ organisations, including the State Women’s Commission, to present her case. She added that she had even tried reporting the matter to higher officials within the department but to no avail. This made her visit the authorities including the Chief Minister with her complaint. The accused, on the other hand, denied the allegations and said that the charges were baseless. Initially refusing to comment on the issue, Mr Babu later said that Bhavani was trying to frame him with false allegations. However, R.P. Meena, Controller of Legal Metrology Department, said Bhavani was wrong in the way she approached the whole issue. “We have our own way of dealing with harassment charges. She should have approached me first,”he pointed out. The matter is being investigated by the department as well.

Polavaram project negative, says Gujja

Hyderabad, Sept. 7: The dialogue on Indirasagar (Polavaram) major irrigation project on Godavari river here on Thursday evoked diverse views from environmentalists, tribals, political party representatives and retired engineers. The dialogue was organised by four organisations — World Wildlife Fund, Sakti, Disaster Preparedness Network and Krishna Delta Farmers Association at Dr Marri Channa Reddy Human Resources Development Institute. A book brought out by Academic Foundation, New Delhi, titled: “Perspectives on Polavaram” was released by Minister for Major Irrigation Ponnala Lakshmaiah. WWF project coordinator Dr Biksham Gujja, using satellite imageries and computer simulation models, explained that the cost-benefit ratio of the Polavaram project was negative, as it would not irrigate even one lakh hectares of additional command area, as against the claim of 2.94 lakh hectares. Most of the area projected to be irrigated under this project was already getting water. Moreover, there was a duplication of command area, which would be getting water under two lift irrigation schemes already under construction. The satellite maps clearly showed that Bhadrachalam town would be completely submerged for at least 15 days a year, he pointed out. He demanded that the government come out with a white paper clarifying the doubts on Polavaram project, establish a House panel to build a political consensus, set up an expert panel to study the cost-benefit ratio and its ecological implications and examine alternative designs to achieve the same goal. CPI-M leader B. Tulasi Das strongly opposed the construction of the project, saying the government was blatantly violating the Constitution in a bid to help contractors and engineers. The government’s promise of rehabilitating two lakh people would be a farce. Some tribals who are being displaced by Polavaram project also opposed the project.