News Accross India, Month of September, 2010

[Pintu]

I will repeat a UP in Bihar, says Rahul - Patna - City - The Times of India

I will repeat a UP in Bihar, says Rahul
TNN, Sep 5, 2010, 07.13am IST

SAMASTIPUR/SAHARSA: Sleeves rolled up and mood combative, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Saturday strongly sounded a poll bugle in the north Bihar districts, exhorting people to push aside "tired politicians'' and bring forward young and new faces to change the destiny of Bihar.

"I will repeat a UP in Bihar,'' he said as he recalled how people laughed at his efforts to revive Congress in UP a few years ago. After the party bettered its performance in elections, the same people started describing the party as a strong contender for power in that state.

On a trip to galvanise the Congress in Bihar ahead of the assembly election due later this year, the party's youth icon addressed impressive gatherings at Samastipur and Saharsa in scorching heat. "Your chief minister speaks too much; claims that Bihar is growing fast and blames Centre for not cooperating with it,'' he said and asked people if they thought it was true.

As a thunderous `no' rent the air, Rahul reacted, "I too think so because I don't see development anywhere.''

At Samastipur, the crowd waited for Rahul since 12 noon, but he arrived by an IAF chopper after 3.30 pm. He apologised for the delay and explained the chopper had developed a snag.

Rahul took a dig at CM Nitish Kumar for his stand on Gujarat CM Narendra Modi. "He (Nitish) was railway minister when Godhra happened but he did not resign. Now he refuses to share dais with Modi. Biharis are beaten in Gujarat but he does not react. Bal Thackeray is an ally of NDA,'' he said and accused Nitish of practising pseudo-secularism. "He becomes a secular in the run-up to elections and holds hands of communal forces after the election,'' he said.

The Congress leader said the Centre has been releasing huge funds __ thousands of crores __ to Bihar. "The money reaches Patna and then disappears. It does not reaches the poor in villages,'' he said.

Denying that the Centre gives stepmotherly treatment to Bihar, Rahul quoted figures and said Bihar got Rs 50,000 crore during NDA regime at Centre while the amount doubled during the UPA rule.

Maintaining that Congress will contest the assembly election alone and field candidates in all the 243 constituencies, he said, "We will form the next government''.

On his arrival, Rahul was presented a `paag' (traditional headgear popular in the state's Mithila region), a Mithila painting and a huge garland of roses. State CLP leader Ashok Kumar, state PCC chief Mahboob Ali Qaiser and AICC's Bihar incharge Mukul Wasnik also addressed the rally.

While Kumar and Qaiser addressed the meet, Rahul confabulated with Wasnik. During Wasnik's speech, he sat quietly even as he was sweating buckets.

At the Saharsa aerodrome, Congress leaders presented a Bhagalpuri silk shawl to him and submitted a memorandum to draw his attention towards the problems faced by people in the flood-ravaged Kosi region.

 

[Pintu]

Plan to take condoms to every home in India's villages - India - The Times of India

Plan to take condoms to every home in India's villages
IANS, Sep 7, 2010, 05.59pm IST

NEW DELHI: India's health ministry is preparing a plan to ensure the availability of condoms in each house of the country's six lakh villages in a bid to curb the population explosion, a senior official said Tuesday.

The plan is being prepared on the direction of health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who has ruled out legislation to control the population, the health ministry official, who did not wish to be identified, said.

"Azad wants to take condoms to every home in the six lakh villages in India. He thinks that accessibility of condoms at the door-steps of the villagers would help control the population, which is projected to be 1.19 billion in 2011," the official said.

According to 2001 census, India's population is 1.02 billion and it is estimated to exceed that of China by 2030.

"The ministry is having a plan and it will be announced soon," the official said.

Asked how practical is its effective implementation, he said the plan is being prepared considering all the aspects.

"A condom is needed when it is really required. The plan is being prepared keeping this thing in mind," he said.

According to sources, the ministry is seriously thinking to draw on the help of the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), affiliated to the National Rural Health Mission, to run its scheme.

An ASHA worker - primarily a woman resident of the village, married/widowed/ divorced, preferably in the age group of 25 to 45 years - is trained to work as an interface between the community and the public health system.

"An ASHA worker, who is a literate woman with formal education up to class eight, will be trained accordingly to spread the message of condoms to the rural households," the official said.

Addressing a national workshop on Repositioning Family Planning for Maternal and Child Health earlier this year, Azad had said India, the world's second most populous country, was against controlling population growth through legislation.

"I firmly believe that equitable, inclusive and sustainable growth of India depends on healthy and stable population. It is a matter of great concern and urgent steps need to be taken to stabilise the population for sustainable development," he said.

 

[Pintu]

9 DPS, Dhanbad students expelled for 'moral turpitude' - The Times of India

9 DPS, Dhanbad students expelled for 'moral turpitude'
Law Kumar Mishra, TNN, Sep 4, 2010, 02.00am IST

DHANBAD: Nine students, including three girls, of Delhi Public School, Dhanbad, were on Friday expelled on charges of "moral turpitude". Their parents, however, refuted the allegations.

While seven students, six boys and one girl, studying in classes X-XII, were allegedly found in "objectionable position" inside the school bathroom, two girl students had gone to Maithon dam, a popular picnic spot on Jharkhand-Bengal border, with their "boyfriends" during school hours on Thursday.

Sources said a Class- VI student saw the seven "almost without clothes" in the bathroom. He informed the principal, who asked a woman teacher to verify the facts.

The teacher reportedly found the seven in "objectionable position."

Reacting sharply to the "disciplinary action" taken by the school management, the guardians refuted the charges claiming their wards had gone to the bathroom from the playfield just to "tuck in" their shirts.

 

[Pintu]

Can't take up Ishrat probe: CBI tells HC - India - The Times of India

Can't take up Ishrat probe: CBI tells HC
TNN, Sep 4, 2010, 02.10am IST

AHMEDABAD: Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday informed Gujarat High Court that it cannot take up the probe in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, since a similar plea in pending before the SC.

Ishrat's mother, Shamima Kausar, has filed a petition in the apex court challenging the high court's order handing over the investigation in the encounter case to SIT instead of CBI. The SC has stayed SIT from taking up the probe in this case.

Following the information received from SIT, the high court bench headed by Justice Jayant Patel has deferred proceeding on a review petition till September 9. Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai's father MR Gopinath Pillai has questioned the high court order and urged the bench to reconsider its decision to hand over the probe to SIT.

On June 15, 2004, besides Ishrat and Shaikh, two other persons believed to be from Pakistan Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar, were also killed in the operation undertaken by the city crime branch. After the encounter, they were dubbed as Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives out to kill chief minister Narendra Modi for riot reprisal.

Ishrat's mother filed a plea in the high court demanding a thorough probe in 2004. Pillai joined in the litigation demanding CBI probe last year. In 2009, the high court constituted a special investigation team, which was dissolved before it could submit a final report. The demand for CBI was reiterated by the petitioners after a judicial magistrate SP Tamang submitted an inquiry report with his finding that the encounter was stage-managed and the crime branch sleuths had killed innocent citizens.

 

[Pintu]

Illegal immigration scam case: CBI grills Pacheco - The Times of India

Illegal immigration scam case: CBI grills Pacheco
PTI, Sep 10, 2010, 11.53pm IST

PANAJI: CBI grilled Goa's former tourism minister Fransisco Pacheco for three hours on Friday in connection with the illegal immigration scam and frozen his bank accounts.

The former minister was booked along with two others by CBI after a few Goans were found trying to enter the US by procuring visa through forged documents.

The investigating agency has also frozen Pacheco's bank accounts and took away his three mobiles.

CBI officials told reporters after the quizzing that they would summon Pacheco as and when required.

Pacheco, who had earlier come under the scanner in connection with death of his close friend Nadia Torrado, said that he was cooperating with CBI.

"I don't want to come in the way of investigation. Let them investigate," he said emerging from the quizzing.

Pacheco, in a statement to CBI today, said his manpower recruitment agency has sent around 200 people abroad and currently the agency is not functioning as it does not have a licence for the same.

Pacheco's involvement in the scam surfaced after the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in America informed the external affairs ministry that he might have been involved in money laundering and illegal immigration case.

CBI sources said the US government had taken strong cognisance of the racket being run from India.

 

[Pintu]

BJP rubbishes rift over govt formation in Jharkhand - The Times of India

BJP rubbishes rift over govt formation in Jharkhand
TNN, Sep 11, 2010, 12.58am IST

NEW DELHI: BJP leadership on Friday rushed to stem the perception about a sharp division among the leadership over the formation of the Arjun Munda-led government in Jharkhand.

Party spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad denied there was a rift among the party brass after indications that L K Advani will not attend Munda's swearing-in ceremony in Ranchi on Saturday, fuelling speculation about his unhappiness with what is seen as a Nitin Gadkari-inspired move for a fresh shy at power in the mineral-rich state.

"Several leaders will attend the swearing-in function, many will not be able to go as there are two festivals on the same day," Prasad said.

Munda is to take oath as chief minister of Jharkhand for the third time following the revocation of the President's rule that was imposed after the BJP-JMM coalition which took office under the leadership of Shibu Soren broke up.

Seeking to play down the indications of a strong difference of opinion between Advani and party chief Nitin Gadkari over government formation in Jharkhand, those close to the leadership said that even Gadkari would not be going to Ranchi because of Vinayak Chaturthi.

Sources, however, confirmed that the decision to have a fresh partnership with Shibu Soren' Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was largely Gadkari's, and that he insisted on making a fresh effort to take over the reins of Ranchi despite reservations expressed by L K Advani and, to a lesser extent, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.

Advani opposed the idea of a fresh tie-up with JMM, saying that the maverick tribal-dominated outfit, which broke up the last coalition without much political logic, could not be trusted.

However, Gadkari disagreed, saying that Congress was exploiting the central rule for its political ends, and it was necessary to regain power. Gadkari, who has the support of his predecessor Rajnath Singh, used his trusted associates -- all from his hometown Nagpur -- to handle the negotiations with Shibu's son, Hemant.

The team delivered, working out a deal with Soren Jr, considered to be a tough bargainer. However, their involvement, as well as the keenness of a troika of political entrepreneurs on having a party government in Ranchi, has triggered doubts whether the new arrangement will remain immune to the temptations that the mineral-rich state offers and which no political dispensation has been able to resist.

 

[Pintu]

Girl rescued after being raped for a month in Muzaffarnagar - The Times of India

Girl rescued after being raped for a month in Muzaffarnagar
PTI, Sep 9, 2010, 01.12pm IST

MUZAFFARNAGAR: A couple has been charged for allegedly abducting and raping a 10th class student for over a period of one month at Kookra village in the district, police said on Thursday.

Ranbir, with the help of his wife Punam, allegedly abducted the teenaged girl when she was on her way to school and repeatedly raped her for more than one and a half month, they said.

The victim was rescued on September 5 and was sent for medical examination immediately, police added.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and the manhunt for the accused is on.

 

[Pintu]

Move over Lalu, Nitish brand' is here - The Times of India

Move over Lalu, Nitish brand' is here
Alok Mishra, TNN, Sep 13, 2010, 07.05am IST

PATNA: It was RJD chief Lalu Prasad all the way in assembly elections prior to 2005. Penning paeans for Lalu, his supporters wrote " Lalu Chalisa" and " Lalu Leela".

Now, with the swing in fortune in favour of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, it's Nitish, Nitish all the way to the 2010 assembly elections.

Nitish photographs peeping out of wrist watches and wall clocks, in addition to the routine radium badges, writing pads, caps, stickers and T-shirts, have arrived in a big way.

Two shops selling these articles have come up on the premises of JD (U) state headquarters in the city. Prem Prakash Gupta, a resident of Jagdishpur (Bhojpur), has set up his shop selling wrist watches carrying Nitish's photographs, with prices ranging from Rs 60 to Rs 2,200.

Gupta said his entire family is engaged in watch trade for the past several years. "Since my childhood, I wanted to do something different. When the dates of Bihar assembly election were announced, I thought of doing something new and planned to have wrist watches with photos of popular leaders."

Gupta said there are different varieties of wrist watches to cater to the needs of party workers. Gupta said he also sells wrist watches at a throwaway price of Rs 60 for general party workers having the photographs of senior JD (U) leaders, including CM Nitish Kumar, JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav, state JD(U) president Vijay Choudhary and JD(U) Rajya Sabha member Upendra Kushwaha. There are also watches having photographs of state BJP president CP Thakur, deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi and BJP's party symbol.

Gupta said he has in store watches for the "affluent class" also. "There are watches for leaders moving on SUVs also. The wrist watches for them are in the range of Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,200. Even if they return the watches later, they would get 50 % of the purchase price," he said.

Gupta said there are also wall clocks displaying the photographs of CM Nitish Kumar and JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav. He said the prices of these wall clock range from Rs 120 to Rs 150. These wall clocks are also in demand by the party workers, he added.

Most of the party workers preferred watches with Nitish's photographs. Some of them also demand watches having the photograph of Upendra Kushwaha. "I am selling four to five wrist watches having Nitish's photographs every day," he said and hoped that the sell of watches might go up once the names of the candidates are announced.

Another stall selling radium badges, stickers, writing pads, caps and vests having the photographs of Nitish, Sharad and Kushwaha is also doing brisk business. Vijay, manning the affairs at the shop, said people are purchasing these badges and stickers in large number as every worker can afford to purchase them because of to their low price.

"Since Nitish has proved to be a leader of great stature and has taken the state on the path of development from the ruins, we are purchasing the watches having his photos," said a group of party workers from Khusrupur in Patna district.

A leader from Chhapra, accompanied by dozens of his supporters, was seen inquiring about the discount he would get if he purchased the wrist watches in bulk.

"Sir, aap order to kijiye (Sir, you first place the order)," Gupta replied.

 

[Pintu]

Judge's daughter goes 'missing' - The Times of India

Judge's daughter goes 'missing'
PTI, Sep 13, 2010, 02.27pm IST

SASARAM, BIHAR: A teenaged daughter of an additional district judge has gone missing from her residence with police claiming it could be the result of a love affair.

Sonal, the 17-year-old daughter of Additional District Judge Sajal Mandilwar was reported missing from her residence here since yesterday, Superintendent of Police Vikas Vaibhav said on Monday.

Mandilwar has lodged an FIR with the Model Police Station here against Gaurav Kumar and his mother, who were his neighbours during his posting at Madhepura, Vaibhav said.

Patna ADG (Headquarters) P K Thakur said prima facie it appeared to be a case of a love affair and added that a police team has gone to Madhepura.

 

[Pintu]

Congress attacks Advani for visiting Amit Shah in jail - The Times of India

Congress attacks Advani for visiting Amit Shah in jail
TNN, Sep 19, 2010, 06.14am IST

AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: L K Advani on Saturday attracted sharp criticism from Congress for visiting jailed colleague, former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah, in Ahmedabad's Sabarmati jail.

The visit came a day after BJP's surprise win in Kathlal by-poll and in the wake of resentment among Shah's supporters over his being shunned by party leaders. Sources in Gujarat BJP blame the party's central leadership for letting Shah languish. "When the Shah issue happened, none of the national BJP leaders made an effective representation before the central government," complained a leader.

Other party sources spoke in the same vein. "Advani had come to Gujarat some 10 days back but only visited Kutch and did not bother even connecting with Shah's family."

However, on Saturday, the veteran leader made up for all that. He arrived at Sabarmati Central Jail at 4.50 pm and met the ex- minister along with Shah's son Jay and advocate Yatin Oza.

Shah's Sarkhej segment has a large constribution in Advani's successive wins from Gandhinagar constituency.

Advani said, "Shah was ill, so I came to inquire about his health."

Congress immediately attacked Advani for visiting Shah in jail and wondered whether he had cared about the message being sent out by his meeting with the accused in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.

Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari said, "If the one-time aspirant for the PM's post calls on Shah who has been charged with complicity in the Sohrabuddin case, what kind of signals BJP intends to send to the people about its belief in the rule of law?"

Recalling Shah's role in the case, Tiwari said it was at the direction of the Supreme Court that CBI had investigated the case and found evidence of his complicity.

The criticism came in the wake of disappointment in Congress circles over the party's surprise defeat in the Kathlal by-poll. Party leaders seem to be regretting their "mistake" in trusting the instincts of Shankarsinh Vaghela who secured the ticket for his nominee in exchange for a promise to deliver.

With BJP losing no time to invest the win with deep significance, even going to the extent of citing it as a turning point in Muslims' response to Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, Congress circles are also resenting the sabotage by partymen. Information reaching New Delhi suggests that many senior Gujarat leaders did not associate themselves with the campaign to get even with Vaghela.

They also grudge the alleged advantage BJP had in terms of a pliable government machinery and huge resources.

The wrong selection of candidate, sabotage and acquiescence in Vaghela's estimate of his clout among Kshatriyas who make up for a huge chunk in the assembly segment are going to hurt the party even more as the BJP tries to flog the result into a bigger message. BJP has proclaimed the result as defeat of Congress-CBI nexus, and will use it to energise the saffron ranks ahead of the upcoming civic polls.

 

[Pintu]

Jailor stabbed to death - The Times of India

Jailor stabbed to death
Ajay Parmar & Rao Jaswant Singh, TNN, Sep 19, 2010, 05.22am IST

JODHPUR/JAIPUR: A jailor in Jodhpur Central jail was stabbed to death by an inmate on Saturday.

The incident occurred when the jailor, Bharat Bhushan Bhat (58), was taking a headcount of the inmates before sending them back to the barracks after the day's work. All the inmates were standing in a queue and Bhat was sending them one by one when suddenly one of them, identified as Narendra Singh, stabbed him on the neck with a sharp-edged object.

"This abrupt move of the inmate created a flutter in the jail," said SP (city), Mahesh Goyal. Bhat, who was bleeding profusely, was rushed to MG Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Narendra Singh was arrested after the incident. Director general (jail) Omendra Bhardwaj has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Singh attacked the jailor as the latter had kicked him over some petty issue in 2007 and ever since he had been planning to take revenge.

According to Jodhpur jail authorities, Narendra Singh, who belongs to Bulandshahar (UP), was serving life imprisonment. He was arrested on charges of murder in Ramganj Mandi in 2006 and was sentenced to life imprisonment by a fast-track court in Jaipur in 2007. In February 2008, Singh was shifted to Bikaner jail and in May 2008, he was shifted to Jodhpur jail.

Originally from Kishangarh in Ajmer, Bhat got into Rajasthan Jail Services in 1980 and had spent most of his stint in Jodhpur jail. Some time back he was transferred to Ajmer following some scuffle with jail inmates but was transferred back to Jodhpur two years back. Bhat is survived by his wife and one married daughter.

A huge fan of Bollywood movies, Bhat had good contacts in the Hindi film industry. He had acted in some movies like 'Teri Meharbaniyan', 'Kudrat Ka Kanoon' and ' Aaj Ka Arjun.' He also acted in the last feature film of his close friend Amrish Puri, Kachchi Sadak, shot in Jodhpur Central Jail and released in 2006. His latest film was based on the Jaipur terror attack and was titled '13 May'.

 

[Pintu]

Delhi witnesses wettest monsoon in 32 years - The Times of India

Delhi witnesses wettest monsoon in 32 years
TNN, Sep 20, 2010, 12.58am IST

NEW DELHI: The month's wettest day, with heavy rain in the morning and an incessant drizzle thereafter, made Sunday the coldest September day experienced by Delhiites in at least five years. The maximum temperature crashed to 23.6 degrees Celsius -- 10 degrees below normal -- barely 0.5 degrees above the minimum temperature. The city saw 56.2mm rain till 8.30pm, most of came between 8.30am and 11.30am.

Records accessed by TOI shows this is the wettest monsoon in Delhi since 1978. Rainfall since June 1 has touched 949mm, just a shade lower than 965.1mm recorded during the monsoon of 1978. Sunday's rain also took Delhi's rainfall during September to 250.6mm, the highest since 1998 when 280.4 mm was recorded.

With heavy rains in northwest India, Delhi also faces possibly its worst flood threat this season. The Hathnikund barrage increased it releases sharply at 7pm on Saturday and were releasing almost 6.92 lakh cusec by 9pm on Sunday. Central Water Commission warned that the Yamuna, that had crossed its danger mark at 9am on Sunday, would attain its peak sometime on Tuesday. The Yamuna had touched a high of 206.78m on September 11 after Hathnikund had released almost 6.07 lakh cusec water but since then had receded by more than 2m.

The current monsoon season is proving to be exceptionally good for the country, specially after last year when the monsoon was deficit by 23%. Delhi recorded 455.1 mm rain in August itself, more than double its normal average of 225.8 mm. With 10 days remaining in the month, September also looks poised break some records having recorded about 280mm more than its normal.

According to the Met department, a low pressure area exists over east Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring areas. The monsoon trough, that is at present much north of its position, passes through Jammu, Chandigarh, Etawah, centre of the low pressure area, Raipur, Gopalpur and then southeast towards east-central Bay of Bengal. A western disturbance over the western Himalayas is affecting the area and adjoining plains of northwest India. ``The trough is interacting with the western disturbance and will bring widespread rainfall to the region for another two days and then the intensity will decrease. There is a lot of moisture in the atmosphere and some areas like Uttarakhand and west Uttar Pradesh can expect heavy to very heavy showers till Monday,'' said a Met official.

Sunday proved to be an extremely wet day for most parts of the country. Northwest India got 270% more than its normal rainfall for the day while central India and east and northeast saw a surplus of 155% and 121% respectively. The country is now staring at a delayed withdrawal of the monsoon with 4% surplus rainfall so far.

 

[Pintu]

Rapist school cab driver attacked by angry kin - The Times of India

Rapist school cab driver attacked by angry kin
IANS, Sep 18, 2010, 02.20pm IST

NEW DELHI: A school cab driver accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl and her two brothers for over a year and a half was assaulted by angry family members and neighbours of the children while being taken to the court Saturday.

The accused driver, Lalit Ratawal, 32, was being taken to the court by police officials when members of the victims' family slapped and beat him.

"My childrens' future is ruined. The police are not at all sympathetic and not taking any strict action against the culprits," the mother of the children told reporters.

The accused, a resident of Bapa Nagar in Karol Bagh, would take the siblings to unknown destinations where he along with his four associates, aged below 18, would rape the girl and sodomise her two brothers, aged seven and 13, police said.

Ratawal had threatened to kill the children's mother if they spoke of the ordeal to anyone. Hence, the heinous activities continued for more than a year, said a police official.

The girl told her mother a few weeks back, but the mother was scared and did not report to the police. It was only after a neighbour intervened that the police were informed.

A medical examination on the girl confirmed sexual assault, police said. Ratawal was arrested Friday, but his associates are absconding.

Agitated family members gathered at the Prasad Nagar police station near Karol Bagh in central Delhi since early morning and also pelted stones at the school van owned by Ratawal.

The accused's mother has denied the allegations against her son, saying: "No one ever complained about my son. He has not done anything wrong and is innocent. He is being framed."

The children's father had died two years ago and the family's source of income was the rent it got by letting out six rooms of the house.

A hunt has been launched to nab the four minor associates of Ratawal.

 

[Pintu]

Homeguard let convict kill jailor, escape for 160 - The Times of India

Homeguard let convict kill jailor, escape for 160
Ajay Parmar, TNN, Sep 20, 2010, 02.18am IST

JODHPUR: A homeguard's greed for paltry Rs 160 allegedly proved fatal for Jodhpur jailer Bharat Bhushan Bhatt (58). The jailer was killed by a murder convict on the jail premises on Saturday. Preliminary investigations suggest that an on-duty jail homeguard took Rs 160 for providing the lethal knife to murder convict, Narendra Singh, in killing Bhatt. ''The homeguard had demanded Rs 250, but the deal was finalized for Rs 160,'' said Jodhpur jail superintendent A R Niyazi.

However, the homeguard has not been identified and an identification parade in the presence of Narendra will be conducted on Monday. ''During interrogation, Narendra admitted he knew the homeguard by face only. So an identification parade will be done as there are 13 homeguards at Jodhpur jail,'' Niyazi said on Sunday.

Although the incident is seen an act of revenge by Narendra, whom Bhatt had reportedly beaten up in a Jaipur jail in 2007, there is an element of mystery in the case too as the knife used in killing Bhatt has not been recovered even after 24 hours of the incident.

 

[Pintu]

Lalu's trusted aide jumps ship, joins Cong - The Times of India

Lalu's trusted aide jumps ship, joins Cong
TNN, Sep 21, 2010, 04.07am IST

NEW DELHI: With the Congress's ambition in Bihar not being matched by the ground reality of its strength, the party has sought to make an impact in the run-up to assembly elections by poaching on the turf of erstwhile ally Lalu Prasad's RJD.

Akhilesh Singh, a close Lalu lieutenant and former Union minister, formally joined Congress on Monday accusing his mentor of indulging in "caste politics" and pursuing a wrong political line.

"My differences with Lalu Prasad began over his decision to snap ties with Congress in the 2009 LS elections," he told reporters at the Congress headquarters. He said he had pointed out to Lalu at that time that severing ties with Congress would be a big mistake. "I told him it would be suicidal," Singh said. There are indications that the party is targeting a few more RJD functionaries and expects them to cross over.

 

[Pintu]

UPA's ambitious GST reforms hit BJP roadblock - The Times of India

UPA's ambitious GST reforms hit BJP roadblock
TNN, Sep 21, 2010, 03.54am IST

NEW DELHI: The BJP-ruled states continue to create hurdles in the way of the implementation of the UPA government's most ambitious indirect tax reforms — the Goods and Services Tax — that has missed several deadlines and now seems to be postponed indefinitely.

Monday's meeting of the empowered group of state finance ministers remained inconclusive. In fact, BJP-ruled states did not even give their response to the final draft of the GST Amendment Bill that came up for the states' approval.

Surprisingly, Madhya Pradesh FM, Raghavji, mooted the idea of an alternate GST model where the Centre empowers the states to levy service tax, in addition to the continuation of the current VAT regime. He found support from other FMs of BJP-ruled states, sources said. The approach of the BJP states is contrary to the very concept of a unified indirect tax regime.

At present, states cannot impose service tax, which is why a Constitution amendment Bill is required. The Bill is also needed to allow the Centre impose a tax beyond manufacturing. Earlier, technology guru Nandan Nilekani gave a presentation to the state FMs on the progress of the IT infrastructure for the GST model. A strategy paper was also exchanged and all states gave consent for its implementation.

GST was scheduled to roll out from April 1, 2011. However, this was postponed for six months when the states wanted more time for taking a decision on the matter. Monday's meeting of the empowered group was scheduled to finalise the draft constitutional Bill and give consent for rolling out the IT infrastructure.

Others who opposed the current structure of the proposed GST included DMK and BSP. "Mostly the BJP-ruled states are opposing it. UP is also not agreeing and Tamil Nadu wants that their autonomy should not be affected. I think there is some political agenda, which has to be dealt with by the BJP high command," Haryana FM Ajay Singh Yadav told reporters after the meeting.

Opposing the Bill, Raghavji told reporters that the "states' autonomy would be affected by the constitutional amendment". He said he suggested another model that did not entail an amendment to the Constitution. "The proposed amendment to the Constitution is not acceptable to us," Gujarat FM Saurabh Patel said in a speech circulated to the media as he did not attend the meeting.

The empowered group representatives will now meet Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to inform him about the deliberations.

 

[Pintu]

Young IAS officer ends life in Daman - The Times of India

Young IAS officer ends life in Daman
Sep 21, 2010, 04.26am IST

SURAT/VAPI: In a shocking incident, a probationary IAS officer, Raja Murugan, 26, was found dead, hanging from a tree outside his house in the Union Territory of Daman on Monday morning. While the police are claiming that he committed suicide after an argument with his wife, his cousin from Chennai, Sridhar K, is not buying the story. "Murugan was a bold and straightforward man and had no reason to commit suicide," he told TOI over phone.

Denying any marital problems, he said, "Is a gangster involved in this?"

The body of Murugan, a 2009 batch IAS officer from Chennai, was spotted by his neighbours at 1.30 am. Police sources said his wife Sangita had recently come to stay with him. The officer ended his life when she went out of the house for a brief period after a fight. Officials said he hanged himself during that time. A chair was found below the tree from which the body was hanging.

"Primarily, it seems family problems may be the reason for the suicide," said R P Mina, chief of police, Daman.

While Sangita, daughter of retired inspector general of police from Tamil Nadu, is a practising doctor, Murugan was a veterinarian before he became an IAS officer. Murugan was staying at the government quarters near the collectorate in Moti Daman. He was on duty till late night on Sunday as elections were held for the civic body in Daman and for Diu district panchayat.

He was supervising the sealing of the ballot boxes.

 

[Pintu]

Stolen vehicles recovered from multiplex parking - The Times of India

Stolen vehicles recovered from multiplex parking
TNN, Sep 20, 2010, 07.12am IST

AHMEDABAD: When a team of officials from A division of city police visited several multiplexes in areas such as Satellite and Vastrapur, they were in for a surprise. They found stolen vehicles stowed away by the security staff in the parking lot of the building. The further investigation reveled that the vehicles were in fact reported stolen some time ago.

"The drive was conducted to keep a tab on vehicle thefts and do a security check. However, it was a revelation. A multiplex parking lot had fetched a stolen car whereas another fetched five bikes. When we questioned the security staff, they said the vehicles have been parked for a relatively longer period of six to seven days and more," said VR Toliya, assistant commissioner of police, A Division.

Toliya has issued a notice to the multiplexes to report any such unclaimed vehicle or a vehicle parked for long time. "We are hopeful of getting more such vehicles," he said.

According to a senior official, multiplexes provide a perfect cover. "When the stolen vehicles are not disposed off quickly, the biggest fear for the thieves is to get caught. Thus, parking lots play a major part. If they park in public places, chances are, some might spot the unclaimed vehicle and report it to police. Even in the neighbourhood, some might see the new vehicle and inquire about it. Thus, they choose multiplexes and park the vehicle in underground parking. They can always explain they were in a hurry and had come back to get the vehicle," said the official.

However, officials added that they do not want to harass general public with genuine reasons. The drive will continue, said officials.

 

[Pintu]

Soon, hoardings to lead you to nearest hospital - The Times of India

Soon, hoardings to lead you to nearest hospital
TNN, Sep 20, 2010, 07.13am IST

AHMEDABAD: Ever wondered where the nearest hospital is in unfamiliar areas? As the city expands its limits and people get better housing at offbeat places like Naroda and Chandkheda, this question arises more often than not. City traffic branch officials have decided to help citizens find their way, by informing them about the nearest hospital along with traffic signage.

"For emergencies, the 108 service is at citizens' disposal like never before. However, certain cases calling for paramedics are not of that gravity. Nonetheless, one might need a doctor or a hospital. So, we came up with an idea to provide this information along with traffic hoardings telling you about the distance or signs indicating the next turn," said Mohan Jha, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Jha said at the moment 100 points have been identified in three broad zones in eastern and western parts of the city and the ring roads around it. "The stretches cover most city roads ranging from SG Highway, Vaishnodevi circle to Apollo circle, Vishala to Narol-Naroda road, Sarkhej to Sabarmati and APMC to Geeta Mandir. We have also identified trouble points with maximum accidents where we will put up the boards," said Jha.

The boards will have the name of the hospital, the distance from the spot and phone numbers of the hospital, along with ambulance numbers. According to officials, the traffic helpline 1095 will also provide commuters with the information. "The affected persons can call the number and ask for details. Right now, the scheme is in pilot mode. It will be more elaborate depending on response from the public," said a senior traffic branch official.

 

[Pintu]

Booze a bane in dry Gujarat - The Times of India

Booze a bane in dry Gujarat
TNN, Sep 20, 2010, 07.14am IST

AHMEDABAD: Alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of liver failure in dry Gujarat. In fact, experts say if Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C contributed 20 per cent each of liver failure, nearly 25 per cent of liver failures were due to alcohol consumption.

Liver failure, liver injuries and new advances in the field of liver transplant were discussed during the Dr SD Bhardwaj Liver Update 2010 held here on Sunday. The event was jointly organised by HCG Medisurge and Association of Surgeons of Ahmedabad and Gujarat Liver and Digestive Surgeries Clinic. Nearly 200 general surgeons from all over the state participated in the one-day conference.


"Three major causes of liver disease are viral Hepatitis B and C and alcohol consumption. In rest of the cases, the causes are either not known or are genetic," said leading gastrointestinal surgeon Hitesh Chavda. Doctors said that rapid advances in the liver transplant programme hold out hope for liver failure patients. Head of the liver transplant programme at the Army Hospital Brigadier Anupam Sah said that they have done 50 liver transplants with 85 per cent survival rate of three years.

Brig Sah said that their transplant programme has been quite successful due to the network formed among 200 army hospitals all over the country where cadaver organ donation is encouraged. "We have formed a network for organ donation and are able to pick organs from faraway hospitals and we get help from the Air Force as well," he said.
Senior GI surgeon H Ramesh from Cochin said a great deal of research is now taking place on chronic pancreatitis in India which is different from that reported in western countries. Pancreatitis patients are reported more in Kerela and Gujarat which also has high incidence of diabetes. "In the West, most pancreatitis cases are due to alcoholism while in many Indians the disease has genetic origin. We have undertaken a research to carry out the genome analysis of patients with chronic pancreatitis to find out what exactly causes the disease," said Ramesh. Cancer surgeon Dr Jagdish Kothari said that cases of liver cancer too are rising but in 50 per cent cases where cancer is diagnosed in stage one and two it can be now fully cured with the advances of medication and radiology.