Kolkata, January 14
After battling for more than three days, the Army and the fire brigade on Monday night brought under control the blaze in a multi-storeyed building in the country’s biggest wholesale market in Burrabazar in Kolkata and the flames could be snuffed out soon.

“We have taken control of the situation now and hopefully we will be able to put out the fire by tonight,” Lt Col Sanjeev Kumar Vohra of the Army (Ordinance) Depot, Panagarh, told PTI.

Fire brigade sources said the fire in eight out of the 13 floors of Nandaram Market had been put out and the flames in the remaining four floors had been restricted from spreading.

“To control the fire we are spraying foam. We had earlier thought of using carbon dioxide but since we needed a huge amount, we settled for foam,” said Vohra who has been on the scene for the last two days with a 50-member Army team, including 12 fire-fighting experts assisting the 300 men of the fire brigade.

He said the fire-fighters had to break the shutters of 970 shops in the 13-storeyed market to take control of the fire in individual shops.

The army fire-fighters attempted to climb to the ninth floor but were beaten back by the heat, he said. One fire brigade officer lost one of his eyes while fighting the blaze and one of his colleagues sustained burn injuries.

The delay in extinguishing the blaze sparked anger among traders who attacked media persons and damaged Outdoor Broadcasting vans and cameras claiming that a proper picture of the losses suffered was not being given. Cracks appeared in the front portion of the building, which has slightly tilted to the left.

West Bengal Fire Services Minister Pratim Chatterjee said the building was ‘unauthorised’ and its plan unavailable to firemen which had made it difficult for them to control the fire.

He said a very tall ladder has been requisitioned from the Haldia Petrochemicals and a helicopter kept on standby to control the blaze which broke out at 2 am on Saturday.

Lt Col Vohra said there was lack of coordination between the fire brigade and the Army fire-fighters. “Had there been proper co-ordination, we could have controlled the fire much earlier.”

The Army, which was at the scene from Saturday morning, was not able to take control of the operation due to non- cooperation by the fire brigade, he alleged. “The fire brigade did not allow us to use the turntable ladder and there was lack of water.”

Pratim Chatterjee admitted “initially there was lack of coordination between the fire brigade and the Army but now there is no problem.”

Fire brigade sources said while the Army was using foam, the water sprayed by the fire brigade washed it away.

Earlier Chatterjee said foam was effective in controlling petroleum fires but it was not of much use here.

He said inflammable materials were stored in the building, which had no fire-fighting arrangement, with people living and cooking inside.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation said the 13-storeyed building had sanction only for five floors. Home secretary P R Roy indicated a high-level probe into the fire would be ordered by the West Bengal government.

New Delhi, January 14
Faced with a shrinking support base and overtaken by regional parties, the Congress is doing some serious introspection on reinventing itself.

A comprehensive report on the reorganisation of the party structure and its programmes is currently under preparation by the Congress party’s committee on future challenges and opportunities, headed by senior leader Veerappa Moily.

The Nehru-Gandhi scion, Rahul Gandhi, is also a member of this party panel that held its fourth meeting today where the report was given the final touches.

Speaking to media persons later, Moily said the report, which would be submitted to Congress president Sonia Gandhi within the next few days, had identified the main challenges facing the Congress and would suggest a series of measures to rejuvenate the party organisation.

He said this report would incorporate key elements from the previous reports prepared by stalwarts like Manmohan Singh, A.K. Antony and Pranab Mukherjee, which dealt with strengthening the party’s internal structures and a shift in the party programmes.

“We have to see how the party can sustain itself and respond to the future challenges,” Moily remarked, adding that its report on intra-party reforms would allow it to draw from the Britain’s Labour Party, which had gone in for an image makeover and emerged victorious in its new avatar as the New Labour Party.

In addition to this report, Moily said the group was also working on a short-term report on the party’s strategy for the coming Assembly polls in Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Karnataka.

This, he said, would be followed by another report for the Assembly polls in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, which are due later this year.

Having lost a series of Assembly polls, the latest being Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, and faced with a Lok Sabha election next year, there is a growing view in the Congress that it has to do some serious introspection on how it should reinvent itself if it is to face the challenge posed by a resurgent BJP and the growing clout of regional and castiest outfits like the BSP and others.

New Delhi, January 14
The Congress today ticked off Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav for talking to it through the media and said he should instead confer with their party leadership if he is serious about setting up a joint front with it against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.

The former UP Chief Minister, who is engaged in a bitter battle with Mayawati, had publicly asked the Congress to join the Samajwadi Party in fighting the BSP government.

Responding to this public offer, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said: “We don’t know the exact words used by Mulayam Singh Yadav but if he is serious, he should take up the matter at the appropriate levels with the Congress.” He should not talk to them through the press, he added.

Relations between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress have never been cordial and had reached breakpoint during the last Assembly elections when the Congress had launched a bitter campaign against the Mulayam Singh government.

The Samajwadi Party had responded by withdrawing its support to the UPA government at the Centre.

Given their stormy relationship, Congress’ cautious response to the SP offer has assumed significance, especially since it comes at a time when the Congress has taken a conscious decision to distance itself from Mayawati.

Although the BSP chief and Congress president Sonia Gandhi share an excellent rapport, there is a growing view in the Congress that the grand old party must declare war on the BSP, given its potential electoral threat.

However, it is still early to say whether the Congress will take the SP’s help in its anti-Mayawati campaign.

According to Digvijay Singh, AICC general secretary and in charge of Uttar Pradesh, the Congress had no intention to get embroiled in Mulayam Singh Yadav’s personal battle with the UP Chief Minister.

At the same time, he has indicated that the Congress is open to working with the Samajwadi Party if it takes up issues concerning people’s interests.

He also clarified that the Congress had not run a personal campaign against Mulayam Singh Yadav but had only exposed his government’s shortcomings and it would continue to do the same vis-a-vis the Mayawati regime.

New Delhi, January 14
The four investigative groups set up by the Centre to probe fraud and corruption, detected by the World Bank in health sector projects in India, would submit their report within a month.

“We have to prepare a plan of action to address various problems which have been pointed out in the Detailed Implementation Review (DIR) of the World Bank. We have to prepare our plan of action within a period of one month and that is the time line,” union health secretary Naresh Dayal told reporters replying to a question on the time period for the probe to be over.

Asked if there was any possibility of the World Bank suspending aid to the health projects like it had done earlier in 2006, he said, “no such suspension has been undertaken this time because we have already followed an action plan which they have laid down”.

Dayal, however, said the bank’s action would be known only after the four groups comprising of officials of the health and finance ministry file their final report.

“Then we will know as it is a fairly voluminous report. We are examining it in detail. There may be other cases which might be brought out by the inquiry,” he said.

Dayal also said the ministry had asked the CBI, which had been probing the earlier reports of such corruption in 2006, to expedite its investigation. — PTI

New Delhi, January 14
In the burgeoning list of aspirants for this year’s ‘Bharat Ratna’, the country’s top civilian award, the latest to join is the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.

The demand to confer the award on the Mughal Emperor, who was the symbol of India’s First War of Independence in 1857, had been made by Delhi Assembly Deputy Speaker Shoaib Iqbal.

In support of his contention, Iqbal said it was unfortunate that Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, whose martyrdom and national stature rank among the highest in India’s freedom struggle, had not so far been conferred with the ‘Bharat Ratna’.

“Bahadur Shah Zafar was the leader of the freedom fighters of the entire sub-continent. He could have compromised with the British and lived a life like the royal family of England, but he chose to sacrifice his sons, pomp and grandeur -- all for for the sake of the honour and independence of India and its people,” he added.

The poet-emperor was exiled by the colonial British regime to Rangoon (Yangon), where he died, leaving one of the most soulful poetic creations in Urdu.

How unfortunate was Zafar, who could not get even two yards of land in his beloved land, he wrote.

Iqbal reminded that when former President APJ Abdul Kalam visited the mausoleum of Bahadur Shhah in Yangon, he wrote in the visitors’ book: “You had said that nobody would come to your ‘mazaar’ and light candles or offer flowers on it, but today on behalf of India I have come...I have lit many candles and offered flowers.”

Dr Kalam also stated that he was proud to be at the mausoleum and reminded that Subhash Chandra Bose had given a call for ‘Dilli Chalo’ from Yangon itself.

Iqbal also said former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in his comments in the visitors’ book at the mausoleum, had written a Hindi poem, which said, “It is not correct to say that nobody would go to the emperor’s tomb.”

Among other prominent figures to had visited the mausoleum in the recent past was former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. — UNI

He was a mentor of railway minister Lalu Prasad, Lok Janshakti Party chief and steel minister Ramvilas Paswan as well as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Chennai, January 14
The “extraordinary” Pongal lunch hosted by AIADMK supremo Jayaram Jayalalithaa for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi here today, has given rise to speculation of an electoral alliance again between the Dravidian party and the BJP.

Modi, accompanied by BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad, reached Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence around 1 pm and were three for two hours.

While Modi avoided the media, Prasad briefed about the luncheon meeting saying, “We discussed a whole range of issues in a friendly atmosphere. She was a generous host and it was an extraordinary lunch with 45 items.”

During the last Lok Sabha poll the AIADMK and the BJP were in an alliance but since it failed to win even a single parliamentary seat in Tamil Nadu, it snapped.

Jayalalithaa then tried to form a third front and the United National Progressive Allaince (UNPA) was formed at her residence in June last year, just before the presidential poll.

However, she realised that she would not be the “uncrowned queen” of the alliance, which had powerful leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav and Chandrababu Naidu and gradually distanced herself from it.

Soon after the Gujarat elections she congratulated Modi, describing the BJP’s victory as a “spectacular success” and Modi as the “saviour of the nation”.

With Jayalalithaa and Modi, the BJP’s mascot meeting is a possibility that the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu might again tie-up with the saffron party before the next Lok Sabha poll, scheduled in 2009.

There was unprecedented security, as Modi enjoys Z plus category security and various Leftist parties and groups are protesting against his visit to the city, the first one after he helped his party retain power in Gujarat for the third time.

While, members of some Muslim organisations put up black flags atop their houses and wore black badges protesting against Modi’s visit.

Around 300 CPM workers were taken into custody by the police when they were demonstrated with black flags and placards displaying skulls.

Modi earlier, was received by the state BJP president L. Ganesan, at the airport, where he landed a special aircraft from Kerala after offering “puja” at the Guruvayoor temple, and addressed a workers meeting at the state party headquarters here.

Kolkata, January 14
The three-day 22nd party conference of the CPM, which opened here today, aims at reorganising and streamlining the party at all levels for making it more friendly, trustworthy and meaningful to the larger section of people.

During the three-day conference, the leadership will also discuss the newly adopted policy of rapid industrialisation, foreign and private investment vis-à-vis the Singur and Nandigram issues.

Accordingly, if necessary, the party will decide on a new approach toward industrialisation, which will be acceptable to multi-national companies, big business houses and as well as the working class.

While party general secretary Prakash Karat inaugurated the conference at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose-founded Mahajati Sadan, Jyoti Basu was the main speaker.

Over 600 delegates and other invitees, including Politburo members S.R. Pillai, Sutaram Yechuri and Brinda Karat, are attending the conference. Unlike the past, media persons, photographers and TV crew were debarred from entering the sadan today.

Earlier at a function, Basu ceremoniously hoisted the red flag at the adjoining Girish Park, where Basu and other leaders placed wreaths at the specially built martyrs column.

Afterwards, CPM cadres and the supporters came out in a procession, carrying in hands party flags, festoons and placards and reached the Mahajati Sadan, which eventually took a new look today with red flags and festoons flying everywhere.

The Netaji-built Mahajati Sadan, which poet Rabindranath had inaugurated, looked like a CPM bastion with its renaming after comrades Anil Biswas and Chittabrata Mazumdar, respectively.

Jyoti Basu asked the leaders and cadres to work sincerely and whole- heartedly for the interests of the people and the party.

He admitted that being in power for such a long period at a stretch, a tendency had developed among a section of the leaders and workers for misusing power for their own interests, which was making the party unpopular. A section of the party men were also indulging in corruption.

Basu reminded the party men that they were in power because of the support of the common people and hence it was needed that their interests should be taken care of.

He said he had noted with regrets that there had been dissensions in the party because of interest and ideological clashes among the workers, which was forcing several old and dedicated workers to leave the party. He asked the leadership to tackle the problem seriously and sincerely.

The party general secretary applauded the party leaders and workers for retaining the party in government for such a long period.

But he said the BJP and other reactionary forces were still much active every where which was a real danger to the country.

Karat said during the three-day sessions, the state party unit would review the performance of the government and the party and take necessary corrective measures.

The state party secretary, Biman Bose, will place the party's performance report and also the draft resolutions on political issues and organisation matters.

The party will also discuss the strategy to be adopted in the forthcoming panchayat polls in May against the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and their other partners in the front, which had already decided to contest the elections on their own without the CPM support.

New Delhi, January 14
Left parties today denied reports that the government had got their consent for a hike in the prices of petroleum products, saying that no such consultation had taken place and they had been consistently opposing any hike.

In a statement, the CPM said the party was opposed to any hike in the prices of petroleum products.

“At a time when people are already suffering from the spiralling prices of essential commodities, any hike in petroleum prices will further add to their burden,” the party said.

Referring to reports in a section of media about the government consulting the Left on the issue, the CPM said no such consultations had taken place and it had not given its consent for hike in prices.

CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said there was no justification in hiking prices of petroleum products.

The government should take care of hike in crude price by reducing taxes and curbing excess consumption of petroleum products, he said.

Dehra Dun, January 14
In keeping with the time, the prestigious Doon School is going green. Taken by any school for the first time in the country, the initiative, worth emulation, is likely to be completed in a year and a half.

The idea was born out of a strong feeling to be responsible towards the environment as it is being felt at national and global levels.

On the part of the school management it is also fulfilment of an obligation towards a place one lives in.

“Importantly in the process, our students will not be merely studying but living the environmental studies which is part of the curriculum”, said its headmaster Kanti Bajpai in an exclusive chat with The Tribune here today.

For lending green sensibility, the school engaged the services of Energy Research Institute, popularly known as Teri, for consultancy work two years ago for providing inputs for designing new buildings as well as materials to be used apart from facilitating judicious use of water and power on the entire campus spread over 69 acres.

For instance, old buildings were dismantled and new ones built keeping in view direction of sun.

Apart from internal fixtures, light control and finish of interiors, bricks providing better insulation to reduce the need of artificial heating were used. For water harvesting, new buildings have underground water storage tanks.

So far construction of teachers’ houses, hostels and central dining hall buildings has been complete while the art school building is under construction.

The next on the agenda is the water and power saving plan. The conservation and recycling of water is expected to help reuse almost 100 per cent water going waste. Installation of solar panels, CFL lights, switches and wiring may help reduce the entire power consumption on the school campus by about 33 per cent.

Though the construction costs escalated by 10-15 per cent in implementing the green specifications, it is worth the purpose achieved, added Bajpai.

All this has come at a cost, which, established schools in urban centres should not find it difficult to afford. Since it is an ongoing project, Bajpai did not have exact idea of the total cost of construction.

The entire funds have been raised through donations from the school alumni and Indian corporate houses. The consultancy cost, however, is estimated around Rs 7-8 lakh.

New Delhi, January 14
Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, currently Ambassador to Nepal, has been appointed high commissioner to the United Kingdom.

He will replace the current incumbent Kamalesh Sharma who was elected secretary-general of the Commonwealth during the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet (CHOGM) at Kampala in Uganda in November 2007.

Mukherjee is expected to take up his assignment shortly, the external affairs ministry announced here today. — UNI

A final decision in this regard rested with the government, he said, replying to a question about the controversy over the move to shift Panag, which had sparked a controversy. — PTI