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AP rain fury unabated; toll 42
Congress, BJP fire ‘twitter bombs’
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With polls round the corner, Maoist threat looms large
The Tribune talks to experts on landmark sino-indian border defence pact
LDF workers hurl stones at Kerala CM
DRDO’s Chandigarh lab to develop
advanced e-fuses for munitions
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AP rain fury unabated; toll 42
Hyderabad, October 27 Officials said five persons were missing in the wake of
torrential rains, triggered by a low pressure area and northeast
monsoon. About 85,000 persons from low-lying areas have been evacuated
to safer places and 225 relief camps have been set up. As many as 19
teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in
vulnerable areas for rescue operations. The heavy rains caused breaches
in 1,020 minor irrigation tanks and damaged roads to an extent of 4,047
kilometres, officials said. Over 4,200 villages, spread over 18
districts, were affected due to the incessant rainfall ranging from 276
mm to 133 mm. As many of these villages are still inundated, the state
government has sent 500 medical teams to prevent spread of contagious
diseases. In all, eight lakh hectares of cotton, paddy, maize, ground
nut, red gram, sugarcane, tobacco, black gram, chilies and vegetables
were inundated. Meanwhile, the weather office said that moderate to
heavy rains are likely in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East
Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur of Coastal region and in the
districts of Karimanagar, Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda, Mahaboobnagar,
Rangareddy and Hyderabad in Telangana over the next 24 hours. Normal
life remained paralysed in several parts of the state with water
inundating low-lying areas, disrupting communications, rail and road
transport. Several rivers like Vamsadhara, Bahuda in Srikakulam and a
number of rivulets were in spate following heavy rains. According to a
report from Visakhapatnam, heavy rains caused severe disruption in
transportation, power supply and communication services in the north
coastal region. The South Central Railway (SCR) has cancelled or
diverted several trains between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. Chief
Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy reviewed the rescue and relief operations
at a meeting with his cabinet colleagues and top officials here. He
directed officials to step up relief operations on a war-footing and
assist the affected people.
18 dists hit
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Congress, BJP fire ‘twitter bombs’
New Delhi, October 27 In his latest tweet around 12.37 pm today, Digvijay termed Modi as a megalomaniac and a psychopath liar, asking the BJP whether it could not have fielded a better PM candidate such as Sushma Swaraj. “And the BJP wants Indian voters to vote for this megalomaniac psychopath liar! Couldn’t BJP find a better leader? What’s wrong with Sushma?” Digvijay tweeted only to be rebutted by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, who said, “Even I think Digvijay Singh is a better candidate than Rahul Gandhi.” Digvijay, member of the Congress communications and publicity sub-group, tweeted six times between last night and today afternoon taking on the Gujarat CM first for his remarks that Pt Nehru did not attend Sardar Patel’s funeral and then for today’s blasts in Patna that the Congress leader described as a “coincidence”. On Pt Nehru’s attendance of Sardar Patel’s funeral, Digvijay posted a ink of former PM Morarji Desai’s biography (volume 1, page 271) in his tweet saying: “It confirms Pt Nehru and Dr Rajendra Prasad’s participation in Sardar’s funeral in Mumbai. Modi must issue a public apology! Feku at his best!” In other tweets referring to today’s blasts and Modi, he said, “What a coincidence blast at the Patna railway station on the day of Modi’s rally! Challenge to the Nitish government to find the culprit!” He also took a swipe at the BJP following the resignation of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s niece Karuna Shukla from the party. “With Karuna Shukla (Atalji’s niece) resigning, Atalji’s era in the BJP has ended. Era of fixers, liars and commission agents has begun in the BJP,” Digvijay tweeted in a clear reiteration of Congress strategy to take on the Gujarat CM in case he “serves lies to the people”.
Why not Sushma
Couldn’t BJP find a better leader (than Modi)? What’s wrong with Sushma? — Digvijay Singh, Cong general secretary
Why Rahul
Even I think Digvijay Singh is a better candidate than Rahul Gandhi. — Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha
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In poll-bound Delhi, Rahul bats for Dikshit
New Delhi, October 27 The Gandhi scion exuded the confidence of victory throughout his speech at Dussehra Grounds in Mongolpuri where hundreds of thousands had gathered to hear him speak after his controversial recent remarks on the Pakistani ISI luring riot-hit Muslim youth in UP and the BJP stoking communal fires. But the young Congress leader steered clear of blame games and negativity on a day when his arch rival and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was to address a rally at Patna. Rahul left Modi bashing to Congress general secretary in charge of Delhi Shakeel Ahmed who slammed the Gujarat CM for extending red carpet welcomes to MNS chief Raj Thackrey, a known migrant basher. Ahmed’s remarks were carefully chosen to lure migrants, who form one third of the city’s population. Rahul’s brief political speech on the other hand was loaded with praises for three time Delhi CM Sheila whom he described as someone “who changed the face of Delhi”. “Sheila Dikshit has changed Delhi. A wonderful metro rail today runs here. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has been invited by Indonesia to set up a similar project in Jakarta. Delhi had a small airport but we created a new world class structure. Revolutionary changes have occurred in Delhi’s transport systems. The city has become an educational hub with five new universities set up here and 50,000 seats created,” Rahul said seeking a fourth term for the Congress in Delhi which goes to polls on December 4. Continuing his practice of engaging the crowds, Rahul brought in references to his mother, though this time he addressed her as Congress president rather than “Maa”. “I asked the Congress president who a real Congress person was and she said he or she was the one who stood for the poor and worked for them,” said the Gandhi scion, luring “aam aadmi” by saying he wanted the “last man to be heard”. The Lok Sabha MP from Amethi also slammed the BJP for questioning the food security law on grounds of financial crunch and said money would not come in the way of people going to bed full stomach. “They (read the BJP) keep harping on infrastructure whereas the reality is that the UPA built three times more roads than them,” the Congress vice-president said invoking the power of “aam aadmi” and saying that it’s the “aam aadmi” the Congress wanted to empower unlike the BJP which wanted the government to be run by bureaucrats. To woo migrants, a potential vote bank, Rahul also mentioned Sheila’s recent move to regularize 45 unauthorised colonies. Rahul leaves BJP bashing to Ahmed Quiet on Modi’s attacks on him for recounting his grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi’s assassinations, Rahul let the defences in his respect be raised by party general secretary (Delhi) Shakeel Ahmed who said: “Ancestry will be recalled only by those who have any. Does the BJP have any ancestors,” he asked adding that the BJP was in alliance with the Shiv Sena which was known to target settlers from UP and Bihar in Mumbai.
Rahulspeak
Sheila Dikshit has changed Delhi. A wonderful metro rail runs here. Revolutionary changes have occurred in Delhi’s transport systems. The city has become an educational hub with five new varsities.
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With polls round the corner, Maoist threat
New Delhi, October 27 In view of this threat, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), during the middle of this month, directed the governments of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha to create an elaborate plan to counter the Maoists. The ministry has also instructed the Director-Generals of the central armed police forces -- the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police -- to increase its operations against the Maoists. The CPI (Maoist) is a Left wing extremist outfit that was created in 2004 and since then has been involved in the killings of civilians and security personnel. It has been included in the schedule of terrorist organisations. It follows a philosophy of using an armed struggle to overthrow the state. Sources in the MHA said the CPI (Maoist) has allegedly started a propaganda campaign in villages located across its strongholds in Dantewada, Bijapur, Bastar, Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Sukma districts of Chhattisgarh. They are urging the villagers to boycott the two-phase poll (November 11 and 19) in the state and to prevent any politician from campaigning in their villages. “Besides this, the outfit has threatened government officials, including schoolteachers, not to be part of polling duties,” said the sources. The outfit has allegedly planted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along the highways and arterial routes, according to the sources. They have also made trenches, consisting of bamboo or iron spears, along the possible routes that will be used by the security forces and polling parties. The outfit is also mobilising its military wing, the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA), in the neighbouring states of Odisha and Maharashtra.
MHA advisory
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The Tribune talks to experts on landmark
Sino-Indian border defence pact
Chandigarh, October 27 Pointing out that the new pact is just an add-on to the confidence building measures that are already existing and that there was nothing euphoric about it, Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, former Vice Chief of the Army Staff said the most important and gravest issue, the Line of Actual Control (LAC), is not being talked about. “Troops and commanders from both sides are already meeting and there have also been top level bilateral visits, but skirmishes on the border are continuing. Even the two special representatives of India and China have been holding talks for the past 18 years, but nothing has emerged. Unless we talk about the LAC, such pacts are just postponing the main issue,” he said. Lt Gen SBS Kochar, former Commandant of the National Defence Academy who has held several tenures in Jammu and Kashmir, said while there was nothing to celebrate about the agreement, it was a good thing that time has come to review and prepare for tackling disputes with China, which have now been placed on the back burner by China as it pursues it ambition to become an economic super power. “It is towards this extent that the issue of India-China disputes has been taken out of circulation for the time being. China has historically never been in a hurry to settle disputes with neighbours and will bring it up at a time of its choosing, when it is in a stronger position on the negotiating table,” he said. “In the interim we too should develop ourselves economically, politically and diplomatically so we are not caught napping when the day of reckoning comes,” he added. The real test of the agreement, Lt Gen AS Sekhon, former Director-General Military Operations, said, would be the next summers on how the Chinese respond when the Indian side takes up the routine task of construction of defences and roads. “The perceptions of the LAC are totally different on both sides and there are objections from the Chinese, who are in an advantageous position and have better mobility, whenever undertake constructions of defence or border roads. There have been agreements and border meetings in the past, but tensions along the LAC have continued,” he added. Stating that the pact is a step forward, Maj Gen GG Diwedi, who has served as military attaché to China and commanded a division in the northeast said the agreement signed in 2005 was not keeping pace with the new environment and given the over-assertiveness of China on ground and the repeated incursions, there had to be a political and diplomatic solution to the issue. “There have been no compromises on the territorial claim lines and it has to be seen how the agreement is implemented in the coming days. Further two more points of contacts between the two sides have been opened, with the future possibility of a direct link between the Directors-General of Military Operations,” Maj Gen Diwedi added. Terming the agreement as an old wine in a new bottle, Brig Pradeep Sharma, who has commanded a brigade on the LAC ,said there was nothing great or earth shattering about it as most of the things were already in place and there was a well established procedure of flag meetings, reviews and follow-ups at the highest levels.
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LDF workers hurl stones at Kerala CM
Kannur, October 27 The protesters, who sneaked into the venue despite heavy security, stoned Chandy's car shattering its glass pane, splinters of which hit his forehead slightly above right eye. The incident sparked widespread condemnation from Congress and its allies, whose leaders said the attack betrayed "undemocratic approach" of CPM and was not acceptable. However, an unruffled Chandy attended the valedictory of the Kerala police athletic meet for which he had come to this politically volatile north Kerala town. Chandy was later checked up by doctors who said the injury was not serious, the CM's spokesperson said. — PTI
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DRDO’s Chandigarh lab to develop
advanced e-fuses for munitions
Chandigarh, October 27 The fuse is a very critical sub-system of ammunition and warheads which make them function at the right place and at the right time after launch. At the same time, it keeps them safe while in storage, handling or transportation. Conventional fuses are mostly mechanical and pyrotechnic-based and their designs are based on chemical delays. Primary explosive-based initiators have inherent issues of inconsistency and safety due to their high sensitivity to heat, shock, friction and humidity and are susceptible to ageing. Consequently, there are associated reliability and safety issues. Moreover, conventional fuses are heavy, bigger in size and costly. Advanced electronic fuses based on highly accurate and precise electronic timers and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)-based sensors and initiators will not only enhance safety, accuracy and reliability but also be cheaper than their older-generation counterparts. It is estimated that about five million such fuses will be required in the next five years by the Indian armed forces. The project is being undertaken by DRDO’s Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) at Chandigarh in collaboration with academia and industries. TBRL Director Dr Manjit Singh said that the project is highly challenging in which many critical technologies like shock-mitigating materials, MEMS sensors capable of sustaining hyper acceleration, mini and micro detonators, secondary explosive-based initiators, ultra high energy density power sources etc would have to be developed in the next two to three years. A comprehensive roadmap to achieve the goals in the given time frame has been chalked out and a dedicated team of about 20 scientists is working exclusively on this programme under project director Pravendra Kumar. Dr Manjit Singh added that the adoption of these new technologies would not only enhance the safety but also increase the reliability due to reduction in the number of moving parts required for arming the fuse.
Why the change
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Heavy rains battering several
parts of Andhra Pradesh for the last five days have left at least 42
persons dead, caused extensive damage to standing crops spread over
eight lakh hectares.
As the Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh are approaching, there is a growing threat that India’s most lethal Maoist outfit, the Communist Party of India (Maoist), may attack security forces and abduct political candidates, while stepping up its propaganda to boycott the polls.
