|
|
|
|
|
Delhi
airport express line
Auditor questions Pawan Hans landings at unapproved helipads
Won’t divide Assam, says Chief Minister
|
|
|
Agitating groups set deadline for talks
PMO has no record of Anderson’s flight
Media wing to connect govt, people virtually
Hooda challenges Modi’s growth model
Khaps are like NGOs, says Hooda
In poll season, toll-free helpline for minorities
Chouhan, Nitish don skull cap as they greet Muslims on Eid
Mumbai cop assaulted by MLAs now shifted
Delhi on high alert after terror strike warning
|
|
Delhi
airport express line Girja Shankar Kaura/TNS
New Delhi, August 9 The country’s highest audit body, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), while questioning the PPP model of Delhi’s airport metro link has said that “the project has been executed using a unique model of PPP wherein the concessionaire (Reliance Infra) was operating a project of Rs 5,697 crore with an insignificant equity of Rs 1 lakh”. The auditor's report, tabled in Parliament, also claimed that key guidelines were flouted in the implementation of the project. The report accused the DMRC of not doing enough to protect financial interests. The report from the CAG came on the same day when the Urban Development Ministry informed the Lok Sabha that it has forwarded the report of inquiry committee, constituted to probe the faulty Delhi Airport Metro Line and coaches, to DMRC so that its board can act against officials, contractors and consultants held responsible. Minister of State for Urban Development Deepa Dasmunshi in a written reply said, “The report of the inquiry committee was referred to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and according to its advice, the report has been forwarded to DMRC for examination by their board for taking action against various officials, consultants and contractors as per the findings of the report.” The minister said DMRC had spent over Rs 14.03 crore on repairing the bearings on the airport metro line and intended to recover this cost from construction contractor IJM-IJM JV and partially from concessionaire Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (DAMEPL). The Joint Inspection Committee, constituted by the ministry for examining defects in civil structure, has in its report attributed those to poor workmanship and absence of proper inspection during construction as well as operation. Meanwhile, the CAG audit observed that, “The concessionaire brought in equity capital of only Rs 1 lakh at the time of incorporation (April 2008) and an amount of Rs 611.95 crore was infused as share application money pending allotment". "This share application money was subsequently converted into interest-free unsecured subordinate debt in 2010-11. Thus, although authorised capital was Rs 870 crore, the paid-up capital remained at only Rs 1 lakh, which was the minimum requirement as stipulated by Section 3 of the Companies Act, 1956, for a private company," it added. The CAG report mentioned that the reasons for conversion of share application money into subordinate debt were not on record. "Instead of insisting upon the concessionaire to maintain the defined debt-equity ratio, DMRC merely asked (in June 2012) the concessionaire to clarify on the conversion of share application money into subordinate debt, that too after 15 months of the event," the CAG report said.
|
|
Auditor questions Pawan Hans landings at unapproved helipads
New Delhi, August 9 According to a report tabled in Parliament on Thursday, no airfield or helipad in Arunachal Pradesh was approved by the DGCA. Referring to a ministerial inquiry after an accident in Tawang on April 19, 2011, in which 17 persons were killed when a Pawan Hans Mi-172 chopper crashed, the report says it was the operator’s responsibility that its helicopters landed only at approved helipads. “Further it (inquiry) stated that no airfield/helipad in Arunachal Pradesh was licensed or approved,” the CAG said.
|
||
|
Won’t divide Assam, says Chief Minister
Titabor (Assam), August 9 "I am not going to divide Assam. We all need to live together. Stop bandh culture and go for work culture," Gogoi said. "When we are one, others will fear to break us up. We may be Rabhas, Bodos, Karbis, Chutias, Gorkhas (ethnic communities) or minorities. But we all need to live together as Assamese under one umbrella in the state of Assam from Sadiya to Dhubri," he said. Stressing that unity and living together is a must for the state, Gogoi said at the Gyan Bikas Bota award distribution programme to meritorious students by the Thengal Kachari Autonomous Council (TKAC) in his constituency Titabor. "With a bandh culture the rich don't suffer but only the poor farmers and daily wage earners suffer. Stop bandh culture and go for work culture," the chief minister gave a clarion call. Without making a direct reference to the recent violence in Assam with different ethnic communities demanding separate states on the lines of Telangana, he pointed out that violence cannot solve problems and only through discussions and talks can things be sorted out. "From the Assam Government side, we are holding talks with every body -- ULFA, NDFB, Dima Hasao Daogah and other militant groups. So even with separate state demanding parties for Kamtapur, Karbi Anglong, Bodoland, etc, we are doing the same for we need development, unity and peace under one umbrella - Assamese," Gogoi said.— PTI
|
||
|
Agitating groups set deadline for talks
Guwahati, August 9 The All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) has given time to the government till August 13 to announce a date for holding tripartite talks on the demand for a separate state for Bodo people in the state. The ABSU said it had shown its sincerity towards resolving the issue through dialogue by calling off the agitation to create a conducive atmosphere for talks. ABSU president Promode Boro said, “We expect the government to at least announce a date on or before August 13 for holding tripartite talks involving the Centre, the Assam Government and the Bodo tribe leadership. If the government tries to play politics over the issue and tends to delay talks, we will be left with no other option but to re-launch our agitation in a more vigorous manner.” The All Koch Rajbongshi Students Union (AHRSU) has also set August 15 deadline for government to initiate concrete steps for holding tripartite talks with the organisation on its demand for a separate ‘Kamatapur” state for Koch-Rajbongshi community. Union president Biswajit Rai said in a meeting with the CM, it was decided that dialogue would be facilitated with the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. If the government failed to initiate the dialogue process by August 15, the union would resort to indefinite railway and highway blockade.
|
||
|
PMO has no record of Anderson’s flight
Bhopal, August 9 According to the PMO, "desired information was not available", official sources said. The commission, headed by Justice (retd) SL
Kocchar held a hearing yesterday. Earlier, it had written to PMO and Union Home Ministry seeking the information. The Home Ministry has not yet responded. Justice Kocchar also directed commission officials to write to Union Cabinet Secretariat to find out whether on December 7, 1984, the then Cabinet Secretary gave any directions to the State Chief Secretary Brahma Swaroop and whether any record of the same was available. The same information has also been sought from the Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary's office. The commission yesterday also directed that
summons be issued to the then Deputy Secretary JC Bhatt for certifying entries in the Aviation Department's Movement Register with regard to Anderson's return journey. Earlier yesterday, former Chief Minister Arjun Singh's secretary NR Krishnan deposed before the commission. — PTI
|
||
|
Media wing to connect govt, people virtually
New Delhi, August 9 The wing will address communication and dissemination requirements of the government and integrate communication tools horizontally and vertically through various social media platforms. The proposal to establish the New Media Wing was made on the basis of the experience of the initiative undertaken by the ministry recently on a pilot basis to position itself on social media platforms such as Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. “With this, the government will have an institutional presence in a virtual world” Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told The Tribune stating that it took about eight months to conceive the project and get the approval. Tewari said that with more and more people in India turning to social media, it is time the government too marked its presence on that platform and communicated directly with the people. India, he said, has about 7.1 crore Facebook accounts, 1.8 crore on Twitter, the micro-blogging network, and over 3.8 crore persons with smartphones. The Cabinet approved Rs 22.5 crore during the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) to create the wing that would be headed by a Joint Secretary-level officer. The Research, Reference and Training Division of the ministry has been re-christened the New Media Wing. “We are in the process of creating building blocks for the government,” he said stressing that ministries such as the PMO and MEA, which have a robust presence, need not join but would be open to anyone who wish to use the expertise of the wing to be operated on a ‘hub-and-spoke’ concept. “We will create a communication hub. Different departments and ministries will be the spokes,” Tewari said. The Press Information Bureau will act as the nodal office, he said.
|
||
|
Hooda challenges Modi’s growth model
Hooda was particularly boastful of how while Haryana was paying Rs 20,000 monthly pension to freedom fighters, Gujarat, the Land of the Father of the Nation, was paying just Rs 6,000. “Mahatma Gandhi was born in Gujarat but what honorarium does the Gujarat government pay to its freedom fighters? Just Rs 6,000 a month whereas I give Rs 20, 000,” he said in an interaction with select journalists here today. Asked if he was challenging Modi’s Gujarat model which the BJP and RSS were flaunting across the country, Hooda said, “I don’t know what the Gujarat model of development is. I only know the parameters of development.” Hooda shared a nine-page dossier listing comparative performance of Haryana and Gujarat on five major indicators - economy, infrastructure, social sector, inclusive development and sports. On economy, he countered Modi on every front showing how Haryana’ per capita plan budget for the current fiscal was Rs 10,700 as against Rs 9,685 in Gujarat and while Haryana was the first in big states with a per capita income of Rs 1,09,227 in 2011-12, Gujarat was fourth with Rs 75,115 income. On social indicators too, Haryana outsmarts Gujarat. While Haryana saw 21.2 per cent growth in public spending on education between 2004 and 2010, Gujarat saw just 10.6 per cent; Haryana’s corresponding growth in health spending was 28.4 per cent against 10.9 per cent for Gujarat. The Congress’ Haryana projection as the top state of India comes at a time when the party is constantly revisiting its strategy to deal with Modi. Taking a cue from Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s recent comments asking party men to “stick to the truth and counter adversaries with facts”, Hooda has taken his plunge to puncture some of Modi’s claims. Hooda spruced up his performance sheet mentioning 35 medals Haryana players won in the Commonwealth Games against just one which a Gujarat player won. “The annuity money Haryana pays to decorated soldiers is also more. It is Rs 2.50 lakh for a Param Vir Chakra holder, the highest in India as against Rs 500 per month paid by Gujarat,” he said.
|
||
|
Khaps are like NGOs, says Hooda
New Delhi, August 9 “Khap panchayats are not based on dominance of castes. People of every caste are represented in a khap panchayat. “They work like an NGO and no khap can ever pass a diktat to kill any couple. It’s either the parents of the girl involved or that of the boy involved who perpetrate crimes in the name of honour. Khaps have nothing to do with honour crimes,” the CM said when asked what he was doing to rein in dictatorial
khaps.
|
||
|
In poll season, toll-free helpline for minorities
New Delhi, August 9 Launching the helpline, K. Rahman Khan said the new service would empower minorities by providing them up to date information. Initially, the line will remain operational from 9 am to 6 pm on all working days and later it would be expanded to become 24X7 depending on its success and the number of calls received. The service follows repeated complaints in the Ministry about the benefit of centrally sponsored welfare schemes for minorities not reaching them on ground.
|
||
|
Army Chief pulls up formation commanders
New Delhi, August 9 During the visit to the LoC to review the security situation after the killing of five Indian soldiers in Poonch on Tuesday, the Army Chief pulled up the formation commanders there, Army sources said here. In the earlier incident on January 8, troops of Pakistan's Special Services Group (SSG) had entered Indian territory and killed two Indian soldiers and beheaded one of them. After the January incident, the Army Chief had asked his formation commanders to adopt an aggressive stance on the LoC and asked them to respond immediately in case of provocations by Pakistan Army. "I expect my commanders to be aggressive in the face of firing," Gen Singh had said. The Army is also checking if there was any violation of standard operating procedures (SOP) by the troops and the unit deployed in that area. — PTI
|
||
|
Chouhan, Nitish don skull cap as they greet Muslims on Eid
Bhopal/Patna, August 9 State Congress unit president Kantilal Bhuria and former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri also covered their head with skull caps while sharing the dais with Chouhan at the Idgah in Bhopal. Film actor Raza Murad, who was present at the Idgah, appreciated the BJP leader's gesture of putting on a skull cap but at the same time took an indirect swipe at Modi. The actor quipped that it was time that Modi learnt some things from Chouhan and does not show his "aversion" to skull caps. In Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also wore a skull cap and visited several places to greet people on the occasion and prayed for the progress of the state. At a prayer at the Gandhi Maidan, the CM was given a skull cap which he wore and prayed for prosperity and growth and eradication of poverty in the state. Later, he ate "sewai" with children. — PTI
|
||
|
Mumbai cop assaulted by MLAs now shifted
Mumbai, August 9 According to information available from the police headquarters, Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Suryavanshi has been shunted out of Mumbai to the Police Training Institute at Sangli. The move is seen as a punishment posting for police officers who fall afoul of their superiors. Police sources say Suryavanshi's transfer orders were issued sometime last week, a few days after his suspension was revoked by the Maharashtra Government. The officer got into trouble after he stopped the vehicle of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi MLA Kshitij Thakur on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link when the legislator was on his way to the assembly earlier this year. Following an altercation, Thakur approached the legislative machinery which initiated breach of privilege proceedings against the officer. When Suryavanshi turned up at the assembly in response to a summons issued to him, he was assaulted by several MLAs including Thakur. Five MLAs including Thakur were subsequently suspended from the house just as the officer was punished. A house committee probing the incident recommended the revocation of the MLAs' suspension even as the state government reinstated Suryavanshi last month.
|
||
|
Delhi on high alert after terror strike warning
New Delhi, August 9 The IB has written a letter to Delhi Police about a specific threat to the national capital. "We have received a letter from IB about a threat from a terrorist outfit ahead of Aug 15," a source said. "Delhi has been put on high alert and security has been beefed up in markets, crowded places, high rise buildings and government offices following the alert," the source said. According to police sources, IB alerted Delhi Police for the possible terror strike in the national capital after a speech delivered by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, chief of the banned group Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a few months ago in Karachi calling for jihad. "Saeed called for jihad across India and told LeT to strike in Delhi," said a source. — IANS
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
New Delhi, August 9