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No money power for bullet train
Winter blues stare J&K reconstruction
Lung clots occur in Indians early, says PGI study
Onion politics: it’s BJP’s turn now
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Better ties reduce Indo-China
border violation
LJP seeks more time to reply to EC notice
Pre-poll sop for Gujarat farmers
Top Russian official meets Natwar
Sena feud behind ‘IT raid’ on finance company
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No money power for bullet train
New Delhi, October 22 Quoting inferences of the first feasibility report prepared by RITES — a public sector undertaking of the Indian Railways — and two Japanese companies, the Railway Board Chairman, Mr J.P. Batra, said the project of bullet trains in India was economically not feasible. The feasibility report is a source of disappointment for hundreds of passengers who having been looking forward to riding in India's own bullet train that would run at a speed of 300 km per hour and reduce travel time substantially. RITES and the two Japanese companies — JAICA and Japan External Trade Oganisation (JETRO) — had been entrusted the task of preparing a detailed study report on the techno-economic feasibility and early execution of the project. Briefing mediapersons on the deliberations of the opening day of the World Executive Council of the Paris-based International Union of Railways, Mr Batra said about Rs 60 to 70 crore was required for constructing a one-km track for bullet trains. On the other hand, construction of the same length of an ordinary track costs Rs two to three crores only. Mr Batra, however, did not say that the project would be shelved indefinitely. At present, high speed trains like Rajdhani and Shatabdi run at a speed of 130-140 km per hour under ideal conditions. Mr Batra's immediate predecessor Mr R. K. Singh had given a more optimistic picture on the execution of the bullet-train project in India. Mr Singh had said India would have its first bullet train in the next five-six years (by 2010) running between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, a distance of about 500 km that could be covered in two hours. He had said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also taking a keen interest in the high-speed train project. Mr R.K. Singh had further said the need to introduce bullet trains was imperative in view of the fact that India was lagging behind China, Japan and some European countries where these trains were now running at a speed of 320 km per hour. |
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Winter blues stare J&K reconstruction
New Delhi, October 22 “So far we have acquired land for the construction of 45 Community Halls out of the proposed 100. We are now motivating people to donate land for there”, Mr A Khurana, Joint Secretary (DM) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, said after Home Minister Shivraj Patil held a meeting here to review the relief operations in Jammu and Kashmir. “We are trying to beat the winter...We are in the process of acquiring land and we have already acquired/identified 45 places for construction of community halls. We hope, there should not be any problem in acquiring land for the remaining halls,” Mr Khurana said in response to a question on whether the government was finding it difficult to acquire land in some villages. Mr Khurana stated that while the work for construction of Community Halls are underway, people, whose houses have been damaged are also being extended construction materials on concessional rates to rebuild their houses before the onset of winter. “We have already started distributing Rs 40,000 to those families whose houses have been completely damaged, so that they can start rebuilding their houses,” he said adding that about 450 civil engineers are being trained by experts in the construction of quake-proof and cost-effective houses in the valley. Meanwhile, various organisations including Army, Air Force, Central para-military forces, NHPC and some NGOs have decided to adopt 26 villages for reconstruction and development, he said. According to the figures provided by the Jammu and Kashmir Government, 32,607 houses were completely
damaged in the earthquake. Mr Khurana said all quake-hit villages — 95 in Uri, 42 in Tangdhar and a few villages in Poonch — had been accessed and relief operations were being undertaken on a war-footing. |
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Lung clots occur in Indians early, says PGI study
New Delhi, October 22 The research done by Dr R.K. Vasishta and Dr Nandita Kakkar, sounds an alert on the lack of awareness among clinicians about lung clot as a common problem in medical patients. The research paper has been sent for publication in the Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis in Stuttgart. According to vascular surgeons, DVT is the term used to define formation of a blood clot and blockage in one of the deep veins, usually in the leg. The blockage may also sometimes occur in the pelvis. A blood clot that forms in the deep veins can break free and travel through the vein. It is then called an embolus. When an embolus travels from the legs or pelvic areas and lodges in a lung artery, the condition is known as pulmonary embolism. If not treated in time, it can be fatal. The study was done on patients who died in medical and emergency wards. The researchers looked at 1000 autopsies between November 1997 and January 2004 and extracted cases of Pulmonary Embolism. Dr Vashista who is here to attend the VTE (Veinous Thrombosis Embolism) expert group meeting organised by the Thrombosis Education and Research Fund, told TNS, “Clinically, the diagnosis of Embolism was suspected in less than ten per cent cases. Our clinicians are not aware that lung clot is a common problem in medical patients”. Other key findings of the report were occurrence of Pulmonary Embolism at a younger age in Indian patients compared to the west and inadequate diagnosis of the condition. |
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Onion politics: it’s BJP’s turn now
New Delhi, October 22 BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar told newspersons that kerosene was not available under the public distribution system and LPG costs were hovering around Rs 500 to Rs 600 per cylinder on the black market, he said in a statement here. “Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s statement that there would be no imports and the people would have to learn to live with onions being priced at Rs 30 per kg and Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar’s suggestion of purchasing fewer sarees or give up seeing films were condemnable and reflected lack of sensitivity,” Mr Javadekar said. He said the government was aware of the onion shortage but did not take any step to check middlemen from indulging in hoarding. |
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Better ties reduce Indo-China
border violation
New Delhi, October 22 “Perceived violation had been on the higher side in the past few years, but this year there has been a substantial 50 per cent decrease in this at the LAC,” Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director-General S.K. Kain told newspersons here today. He said earlier the Chinese troops would come into Indian territory because of construction of roads close to the border and this year the “violation” was less by at least 50 per cent. Noting that about seven places were disputed, the ITBP chief said the violations could be described as perceived as “they (China) have their viewpoint and we have ours”. He said the Chinese troops come into the Indian territory almost as a “ritual” around India’s Independence Day every year. This year they came about 50 deeper into the Indian territory than they usually do at one place, Mr Kain said. |
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LJP seeks more time to reply to EC notice
New Delhi, October 22 LJP spokesman R.G. James said notice to his party by the Election Commission was not based on suo motu cognisance by it but was based on complaint by two individuals. He said the LJP would file an interim reply to the commission by October 24 seeking more time to get legal opinion to file a comprehensive reply. At one point, Mr James questioned the locus standi of petitioners Gaurav Kathuria and Prakash Singh, former Director-General of the BSF, in filing a complaint with the EC, saying that no voter from Bihar, where elections were in progress, had filed a complaint. The complaint of violating the Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of Peoples Act was general in nature with no specific instance cited where Paswan’s speech had created hatred among various religious communities or incited violence. Replying to queries, he said the party had fielded 20 Muslims as candidates during the first two phases of the Bihar poll. |
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Pre-poll sop for Gujarat farmers
Gandhinagar, October 22 Apparently concerned by the feedback received during his campaigning for the ensuing poll, Minister of State for Energy Saurabh Patel rushed back to the state capital and was closeted with officers of his department for reviewing the agricultural power situation in the state. Subsequently the decision was taken by the GUVL. Though Mr Patel was emphatic that the decision was purely an administrative one prompted by the fact that the kharif crop was in its final stages and would suffer irreversible damage if irrigation facilities were not made available, the situation on the ground suggests otherwise. It is nothing but a poll sop by the Narendra Modi government, says the Congress. According to the Energy Department sources, the present power supply in the state is 7,500 MW as against the total demand of 8000 MW due to the annual maintenance shut down of Wanakbori and Gandhinagar thermal units. The state is buying 250 MW from the Power Trading Corporation and the power cut on industries would net another 250 MW. The fact, however, is that erratic power supply to the farm sector is likely to damage the BJP prospects in the ensuing panchayat poll and party workers at the grassroots level are not mincing words in making this known to the top brass. With the Congress controlling 22 of the 26 district panchayats before the poll was announced, Chief Minister Modi desperately needs to wrest control of the majority of these rural local self-government bodies to maintain the winning streak of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Though the CII had protested during a similar power cut for industries imposed earlier, this time trade and industry bodies are maintaining a discreet silence. A one time two-day cut was not likely to have any significant impact, said a spokesperson of the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Meanwhile, the Congress has moved a complaint with the state elections commission, charging the Chief Minister with flouting the code of conduct norms during campaigning. He is using government machinery in campaigning. He flies in the state government chopper and travels in government vehicles for electioneering, Mr Shaktisinh Gohil, a Congress leader, said. |
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Top Russian official meets Natwar
New Delhi, October 22 Mr Natwar Singh is leaving for Moscow early next week to attend a meeting of the Indo-Russian Joint Council on October 26. He will also attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit which is taking place around the same time. A wide array of bilateral issues, relating to defence, trade, economic
cooperation and security, were discussed during Mr Ivanov’s meeting with Mr Natwar Singh. Mr Ivanov also met National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan today. |
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Sena feud behind ‘IT raid’ on finance company
Mumbai, October 22 Sources close to the Thackerays have told reporters here that Mr Rane is using his position as Maharashtra’s Revenue Minister to target corporates close to the Shiv Sena family. The company had played a major role in the purchase of a piece of land belonging to Kohinoor Mills for Rs 471 crore earlier this year by Raj Thackeray and former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi. Though ILFS officials denied that they were questioned on the Kohinoor Mills deal, Shiv Sena leaders here insisted that Central agencies were being roped in to cause damage to the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Earlier, Mr Rane had said that he would provide all information on the Shiv Sena’s dealings to various Central Government agencies. On Thursday night, at a rally, Mr Rane lashed out at Raj Thackeray and Joshi over their source of funds for the Kohinoor deal. He went on to allege that the Thackerays had been grabbing property across Maharashtra. |
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