L A T E S T      N E W S

LPG price hiked by Rs 11.42; petrol, diesel rates may go up

NEW DELHI: Cooking gas (LPG) price was on Saturday hiked by Rs. 11.42 per cylinder following government decision to raise commission paid to the dealers.

Petrol and diesel prices too may go up marginally as the Oil Ministry considers raising dealers commission by at least 23 paisa and 10 paisa a litre respectively.

The Ministry on Saturday issued orders raising commission paid to LPG dealers from Rs 25.83 per 14.2-kg cylinder to Rs. 37.25, government officials said.

The 44 per cent or Rs. 11.42 per cylinder increase in the commission on the subsidised cooking fuel is being passed on to consumers, they said.

For the consumer, subsidised LPG in Delhi will now cost Rs. 410.42 per cylinder, up from Rs. 399.

The hike comes within weeks of the government deciding to restrict supply of subsidised cooking gas to 6 cylinders of 14.2-kg size per household in a year. The remaining supplies would have to be sourced at market rates.

Officials said the commission paid on market price or non-subsidised LPG too has been raised by Rs. 12.17 to Rs 38 per cylinder. Accordingly, a non-subsidised LPG cylinder price will go up from Rs. 883.5 to Rs. 921.5.

A similar exercise is on to raise commission paid to petrol pump dealers on sale of petrol and diesel. The Ministry is proposing to raise commission paid on petrol by 23 paisa to 1.72 and that on diesel by 10 paisa to Rs. 1.01 a litre.

The hike being considered for petrol and diesel is less than 67 paisa and 42 paisa respectively being demanded by petrol pump dealers in view of their working capital cost going up substantially due to frequent price changes and sharp rise in overheads like electricity charges.

The government has also raised commission paid on 5-kg cylinders by Rs 5.33 to Rs 18.63.

Currently, petrol pump dealers get Rs 1.49 a litre commission on sale of petrol and Rs 0.91 a litre on diesel.

Pump operators have demanded that this be raised to Rs 2.10 a litre on petrol and Rs 1.33 per litre on diesel reasoning that unlike LPG agencies, petrol pumps open 365 days a year on 24 hours basis thereby incurring higher operating cost.

LPG agencies are closed on national holidays as well as once a week.

Besides, petrol pumps provide free facilities such as toilets, water and air-pressure for tyres, while LPG dealers do not provide any such service, Federation of All India Petroleum Traders (FAIPT) general secretary Ajay Bansal said.

Also, LPG rates haven’t increased in over a year but petrol and diesel prices have seen frequent changes.

“Increase in prices mean our working capital (money used to buy fuel from oil companies) goes up. Also, our losses increase because of evaporation of fuel,” he said questioning the Oil Ministry’s rationale of hiking LPG dealers commission by almost 50 per cent and offering only 10 per cent to petrol pumps.

Officials said the hike in LPG rates comes within days of oil firms raising price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG) by Rs 127 per cylinder to Rs 883.5 on account of increase in international oil prices.

The government has granted exemption from customs and excise duty on non-subsidised LPG cylinders only for domestic consumption to reduce the price burden on the common man.

The price of commercial 14.2-kg LPG cylinder in Delhi will be Rs 1,062, while that of a 19-kg bottle would be Rs 1,536.5. — PTI

Kingfisher's future depends on its reply to regulator: Govt

NEW DELHI: Troubled Kingfisher Airlines would have to submit a detailed plan to aviation regulator DGCA before they are allowed to resume flights, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said on Saturday. Asked whether the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was likely to move ahead with suspending or cancelling the crisis-ridden carrier's flying license, he said it was for the regulator to decide after it studies their reply to the show-cause notice issued to them.

DGCA had on Friday issued a show-cause notice to Kingfisher asking why its flying license should not be suspended or cancelled as it had grounded its entire fleet and failed to offer safe, efficient and reliable service. It has given the airline 15 days to reply.

"This (suspension or cancellation) has to be decided by the DGCA. It will depend on what reply they give, what plans they have (to resume operations). How they will lease (aircraft). There are disgruntled employees and there is safety concern," the minister said.

In the notice, DGCA chief Arun Mishra said it had been observed that the airline was not adhering to its flight schedule and "abruptly cancelling their flights time and again during the last 10 months", causing great inconvenience to the travelling public.

He also took note of the lockout which had led to "suspension of all their flights" and that the airline had "failed to establish a safe, efficient and reliable services as required" under the rules.

Maintaining that this amounted to Kingfisher not complying with the provisions of the Aircraft Rules 1937, the regulator asked the airline why action should not be taken against it for this "violation".

Kingfisher had declared a lockout on September 28 till October four, cancelling its entire flight schedule, and extended it till October 12 later. The lockout was declared after the management failed to resolve the deadlock with its striking employees, including engineers and pilots, over non-payment of salaries for last seven months.

Responding to the notice, a Kingfisher spokesperson said, "We will send a detailed response to the DGCA well in time. We will also submit a comprehensive plan for restoration of services after negotiations with our employees." — PTI

Karnataka bandh over Cauvery water hits life

BANGALORE: A day-long shutdown to protest the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu crippled life in Karnataka on Saturday.

The statewide shutdown called by farmers and pro-Kannada organisations is supported by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular.

Uneasy calm prevailed in Bangalore and other cities and towns of the state.

"The 12-hour shutdown began at 6am. There were stray incidents of road blockade, forcible closure of shops and damage to a couple of state-run buses," a senior police official said here.

The state-run transport services of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) were suspended amid fears of damage to the vehicles by miscreants.

Although train and flight services remained unaffected, passengers were stranded at the railway station here, as autorickshaws and taxis remained off the roads.

The state education department late Friday advised schools and colleges to declare a holiday on Saturday to ensure safety of students during the bandh.

Companies offering 24x7 services like call centres and business process outsourcing had to make arrangements to escort their employees to work and back home.

With commercial establishments like shops, malls, restaurants and petrol pumps shut, life has virtually come to a standstill in the state capital, Mysore, Hassan, Mangalore, Hubli, Belgaum and Shimoga.

Supply of essential commodities like milk and medicines and ambulance service were, however, exempted from the shutdown.

The security has been beefed up across the state.

Additional police personnel were deployed at vital installations and sensitive areas, especially in Bangalore.

The state has been releasing 9,000 cusecs of water daily since Sep 29 in compliance with the Supreme Court order of Sep 19, directing the prime minister, who is also the chairman of the Cauvery River Authority, to supervise the distribution of water in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. — IANS

Geetika suicide case: Chargesheet filed against Kanda, Chaddha

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Saturday filed a chargesheet against former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, who is accused of abetting the suicide of his former employee Geetika Sharma.

The chargesheet was filed by the police before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) DK Jangala. The police has also booked Aruna Chaddha, former official of Kanda's now-defunct MDLR Airlines where Geetika had worked.

ACMM Jangla took cognisance of the chargesheet and posted the matter for October 9 for further hearing.

"I take cognisance of the chargesheet," the court said.

The police has slapped charges under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 306 for abetment to suicide, Section 471 for forgery, and other various sections of IPC with section 66 of the IT Act.

Geetika, 23, a former flight attendant of MDLR Airlines, had in her suicide note accused Kanda and his employee Aruna Chaddha of harassing and forcing her take the extreme step.

She died on the night of August 4-5 at her house in Delhi's Ashok Vihar area. Kanda and Chaddha have denied the allegations. — IANS

Gayle stands between Sri Lanka and title

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka would look to rein in a marauding Chris Gayle, whose performance may be a determining factor when the dominating hosts clash with an upbeat West Indies in the final of the World Twenty20 in Colombo on Sunday.

Sri Lanka are aiming to win their second world title after a gap of 16 years as their first and only World trophy came in 1996 while the Caribbean side are playing a World event final after nearly 30 years, having last played against India at the Lord’s in 1983.

Sri Lanka should be favourites not only because of home conditions but also due to the variety of players from Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara to Thisara Perera who can change their game according to the needs.

The West Indies on the other hand have some very competent T20 players in Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard but all of them love to rally around Gayle who is the pivotal force in this Caribbean set-up.

Darren Sammy and his bunch of brave-hearts know that Gayle’s performance will be key in the outcome of the match.

The situation was summed up aptly by Australia captain George Bailey after suffering a crushing 74-run defeat against the Caribbean side on Friday.

“If Sri Lanka can get Gayle out under 20 runs, they are the favourites to win the title but if they can’t then West Indies are too strong,” Bailey opined when he was asked about the favourite team to win the Cup.

For the West Indies, a lot of things will be at stake in the match. It’s not that there will be a sea change in the declining cricket culture in the Caribbean islands but a victory on global stage might provide encouragement for the youth, who are more obsessed with basketball and dream of making the cut in the NBA league.

The win also help Sammy get some breathing space after constant speculation for the past year about whether he is good enough to lead the West Indies.

A gentleman to the core, Sammy has handled all kinds of uncomfortable questions with aplomb but a victory on Sunday might help him capture the imagination of the cricket loving public in the Caribbean.

Gayle, who smashed his way to a 41-ball-75 against Australia, knows too well that T20 is a game where luck plays a factor.

When Gayle was questioned whether he would be able to attack the bowling of Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath like he launched into Xavier Doherty, he replied, “He (Herath) has bowled really well but the performance depends on that particular day.”

For Jayawardene and Sangakkara, it will be the fourth final after 2007 World Cup, 2009 World T20 and 2011 World Cup and the two seniors are desperate to lift the trophy before their home crowd.

Jayawardene over the past few years have shown that T20 can be played successfully without playing any unorthodox shots. Sangakkara has also been in good form and on his day he can take on any bowling attack in the world.

If the duo clicks against West Indies, half of Sri Lankan’s worries will be taken care of. One of the major cause of concern for them is the form of their swashbuckling opener Tillakaratne Dilshan.

A lot will also depend on how Mahela uses his two all-rounders Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perrera. Although Jayawardene prefers pint-sized Jeevan Mendis for his ability to manoeuvre the ball, the big-hitters like Mathews and Perrera can turn the match on its head.

“People wish about playing one World Cup final and I am fortunate of being part of all four of them. This one is at Premadasa Sadium and it will be a special occasion,” Jayawardene said.

The bowling attack is a problem for the West Indies.

While leg-spinner Samuel Badree did his cause no harm by picking up both Shane Watson and David Warner in the semifinals, there is no guarantee that Sammy will persist with leggie knowing full well that how good Lankans are against spin bowling.

In that case, Fidel Edwards who bowls at a brisk pace will come in as Badree’s replacement. Marlon Samuels, bowling his fastish off-breaks and skiddy Ravi Rampaul can be devastating on their day.

Jayawardene is likely to go with the same team as he wouldn’t like to expose his talented boy wonder Akhila Dhananjaya in front of a marauding Gayle as it can dent the young boy’s confidence.

Teams (from):

West Indies: Darren Sammy (C), Dwayne Bravo, Samuel Badree, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith.

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (C), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Akila Dananjaya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Shaminda Eranga, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Dilshan Munaweera, Thisara Perera, Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimann.

Taufel and Aleem Dar to officiate in final

Australian Simon Taufel will officiate in tomorrow’s World Twenty20 summit clash between Sri Lanka and West Indies — his last assignment as an ICC Elite panel umpire.

The 41-year-old had already announced that he would retire after World Twenty20 to become the Umpire Performance and Training Manager with the ICC.

In an outstanding career, Taufel umpired in 74 Tests and 174 ODIs with his last Test and ODI appearances being at Lord’s a month ago in matches featuring England and South Africa.

Taufel won the ICC Umpire of the Year award for five successive years from 2004 to 2008.

Taufel along with Pakistan’s Aleem Dar will be the on-field umpires for the final between Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Rod Tucker and Ian Gould have been appointed the third and fourth umpires respectively. Match referee for the game would be Jeff Crowe, an ICC release said. — PTI