New Delhi, May 9
India sent 49 advisory bulletins to Myanmar on Nargis between April 28 and till the time the strong tropical cyclone made a landfall on May 2, causing catastrophic destruction and fatalities.

While there has been widespread criticism regarding Myanmar’s response to international aid, this piece of information adds to Yangon’s inability to respond to the approaching cyclone by taking adequate precautionary measures despite repeated warnings.

The United Nations has estimated 1.5 million people having been “severely affected” by the cyclone and also expressed disappointment at the “silent response from Myanmar’s military junta” to the global outpouring of generosity following destruction and death caused by the Nargis. Some international agencies have rated Nargis as the 8th deadliest cyclone of all time.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) director B.P. Yadav says detailed information regarding the cyclone, its intensity and at what time it will cross Myanmar was given to the authorities on the morning of May 1, about 36 hours in advance. The fact is New Delhi-based Regional Specialised Metreological Center (RSMC) under the IMD sent out updated three-hourly advisories on the Nargis, repeatedly specifying its intensity, wind speed and landfall time and area.

Yadav says the RSMC received the first signal about the system in the Bay of Bengal on April 23. “On April 24 the system gained some strength and we started including it in our advisories. The RSMC kept a close watch as it developed from a low-pressure area to a depression to a deep depression and finally a cyclone. On the evening of April 26, we sent clear cut information to WMO, and eight other countries, monitored by New Delhi-based RSMC that the system was intensifying into a cyclone.”

The RSMC started issuing numbered bulletins from April 28, containing all information regarding direction, intensity and wind speed of the Nargis and updating it every three hours. “Initially the system appeared to be headed towards the Andhra coast. But we were sure that it would move towards the Northeast, which is why we never alerted the Indian authorities. Instead, we sent regular updates about its progress to all countries on its path; Thialand, Bangladesh and Myanmar” Yadav added.

On May 1, the RSMC informed Myanmar meteorological agencies that the system was coming to their country and not Thailand or Bangladesh. “We gave detailed information and updated it regularly till the evening of May 2 when the cyclone made the landfall. Between April 28 and May 2, 49 advisories were issued by the RSMC,” he said.

New Delhi-based RSMC is among seven such centers in the world that monitor tropical cyclones in their respective areas and give warnings to countries likely to be affected. The New Delhi center monitors the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal and gives information to India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thialand. 

New Delhi, May 9
India has launched the main phase of the programme to implement the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS).

The Stockholm Convention, adopted in May 2001, focuses on reducing and eliminating the production/use and release of 12 chemicals, including aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, toxaphene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBS), dioxins and furans and the continued use of DDT.

Inaugurating a workshop for the development of the national implementation plan, MoEF secretary Meena Gupta said India had already done a preliminary assessment to identify the requirements in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

She said four premier institutions had joined in this endeavour. Hindustan Insecticides Ltd would undertake project activities related to the pesticides, including DDT. The Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) would cover PCBS, and the National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) would cover POPS stockpiles and wastes.

The work relating to unintentionally produced POPS, dioxins and furans would be jointly undertaken by the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science Technology (NIST), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and NEERI.

The government, through the four premier institutions, will establish inventories on the production, use, trade, stockpiles and wastes, and sites contaminated and develop strategies and action plans for the reduction and elimination of the targeted chemicals listed in annexes of the convention.

POPS are known to be environmentally persistent and resist breakdown by natural processes and in some cases remain in the environment for long periods. Although POPS resist breakdown in the water, these are soluble in fatty tissues, thereby bio-available to the animals. Through the process of bio-concentration, the animals can accumulate concentrations of POPS at levels many times higher than those found in the environment. POPS are semi-volatile and through the cycles of evaporation and atmospheric cycling are capable of travelling thousands of kilometres.

Bangalore, May 9
Stage is set for the first phase of Assembly elections in Karnataka with 89 seats spread over 11 districts in the state going for the polls tomorrow.

Over 1.5 crore voters are slated for exercising their franchise for the first phase for, which a total of 957 candidates are in the fray. Addressing a press conference here today, the state’s chief electoral officer M N Vidyashankar said strict action would be taken against anyone found impersonating a legitimate voter for casting false votes.

He, however, added that not having any of the documents listed by the EC as a proof of identification would not be a barrier for a legitimate voter to cast his or her vote.

Such voters could vote by furnishing the coupons issued against their ration cards, he said. The CEO also said adequate police and paramilitary force would be deployed at the polling booths to prevent any untoward incident at the time of the elections.

Every polling booth would be having at least one uniformed person, he said and added that deployment of forces would be more in case of sensitive booths. There would also be mobile units of central paramilitary forces to keep vigil on the proceedings.

Micro observers, appointed by the EC for the first time in any poll, will be deployed at places, where there is no video coverage. The micro observers, consisting of central employees from outside Karnataka, will look after the fairness of the election in the areas under their jurisdiction

Among the prominent candidate contesting in the first phase is H D Kumaraswamy of Janata Dal (secular), who is seeking re-election from Ramnagar. His main challenger is former Chief Minister late Ramkrishna Hegde’s daughter Mamatha Nichani, who is fighting on a Congress ticket. Kumarswamy’s brother H D Revanna too is contesting in the first phase.

Incidentally, Revanna, too, is facing challenge from a woman candidate, G Anupama, who, too, is contesting from the Congress.

Other important candidates in the first phase include the Congress heavyweight Siddaramaiah and union minister and film personality Ambareesh.

While the Congress focused on the issue of stability during its campaign, the BJP highlighted development and the betrayal by the JD (S). The JD (S), on the other hand, partially modified its pro-farmer image by having released a separate manifesto for development of Bangalore city.

The next two phases of polling are slated for May 16 and May 22. Counting of votes for all three phases will take place on May 25. 

Roorkee, May 9
In a bid to minimise the impact of earthquakes with improved understanding of its phenomenon, the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, has undertaken the project on ‘Liquefaction hazard mapping of Chandigarh region based on site characterisation’.

The project aims to establish a liquefaction hazard potential mapping of Chandigarh by local site characterisation, which experts believe would be useful for planners and engineers to know the liquefaction susceptibility (soil strength) level of Chandigarh for better earthquake disaster management.

The study points out that an earthquake of maximum magnitude of 6.5 could hit the region in the next 10 years. The inference has been drawn following an analysis for computing the earthquake risk, probability of occurrence and mean return period of the earthquake in the region.

The study points out that Chandigarh is occupied by semi-consolidated formations of upper Shivalik system of middle Miocene age and exposed in northeastern fringe. Indo-Gangetic Plain in the rest of the territory is occupied by the alluvium of Pleistocene age. The city lies in highly earthquake prone Himalayan seismic belt, zone IV.

The study observes that in a major part of the city, liquefaction susceptibility level ranges from nil to moderate. However, a few sectors show high vulnerability against liquefaction, which is mainly attributed to the presence of non-plastic silts with low standard penetration test and subsurface water level at shallow depth.

Dr. Atul Kumar Agarwal of CBRI says: “Liquefaction is a phenomenon by which soils lose all its shear strength due to increase in pore pressure caused by ground shaking during earthquake. This results in disastrous effects such as land sliding, large ground settlement, sand boiling and particularly tilted buildings, foundation failures.”

“It is always important that engineers should have information regarding liquefaction potential level of soil and related method for its mitigation for new construction activity in any city, and therefore this research would be vital,” he adds.

Chennai, May 9
Around 1,500 workers of an Islamic party were arrested today while trying to offer prayers at a 200-year-old mosque inside the Vellore Fort, 130 km from here.

The fort not only has a mosque but also a Siva temple and a church. Vellore district collector Dharmendra Pratap Yadav said around 12.30 pm 3,000 members of the Tamil Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) had gathered and tried to enter the mosque.

The district administration had deployed 2,000 police personnel and around 1,500 TMMK volunteers peacefully courted arrest, he said.

However, TMMK president M.A. Jawahriullah claimed that more than 10,000 TMMK workers had come to offer prayers and since the police did not have adequate arrangements, all of them could not court arrest.

He claimed, “Local Hindus, including the trustee of the Jalakanteshwar temple Parmashivan, has gone on record saying the Muslims should be allowed to offer prayers inside the mosque. The local Congress MLA C. Gnanasekaran also supports our contention.”

The fort said to be built in the 13th century is under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which had refused permission to the TMMK to hold prayers.

Jawaharilluah alleged, “The attitude of the ASI in contending that it would not allow prayers in the mosque inside the Vellore Fort is sheer discrimination. The ASI is adopting double standards.

“How will granting permission for jumma namaz in the mosque affect the preservation of monument, when the ASI has done nothing to prevent prayers at Jalakanteshwar temple and has allowed government offices to function inside the fort?” he asked. 

Dehra Dun, May 9
To counter the BJP onslaught on inflation, Uttarakhand state Congress leaders yesterday marched towards the residence of the Chief Minister Maj Gen B.C. Khanduri to protest the alleged failure of his government on all fronts.

Led by state Congress chief Yashpal Arya, thousands of party workers gathered at Gandhi Park and later marched towards the Chief Minister’s residence. The protesters, including senior leaders and party legislators, were stopped by the police at a barricade put up 1 km before the CM’s official residence.

Later, the protesters dispersed after submitting a memorandum to the district officials. The memorandum alleged that the BJP had come to power in February 2007 on the issue of inflation, but has failed miserably to take action against hoarders and profiteers in the state. “Not even a single person has been prosecuted for hoarding by the present state government," charged Arya.

He further said the allegations of the state government against the center are baseless. “There is no cut in the state quota on food grains by the centre but the public distribution system in the state has collapsed. The problem has been aggravated by the drought-like conditions in 60 per cent of the state but the Khanduri government has failed even to document and report it to necessary to get central relief," he added.

Kolkata, May 9
“Dr Manmohan Singh has been an utter failure as the Prime Minister and we have now decided not to extend any more support to the UPA government”, Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said talking to media persons at “meet the press session” at the Calcutta Press Club today on the eve of the state’s panchayat elections, beginning from May 11.

The Chief Minister said, “Manmohan Singh is a good person but he is a bad Prime Minister. And we have now decided not to support the Congress-led UPA or the BJP-controlled NDA government at the Centre and we are again trying to form a third alternative minus the Congress and the BJP, to replace the UPA after the elections”

He refused to comment as to what would be his party’s stand if the UPA or NDA did not get a majority to form the government after the elections. “It is now too early to make any comment”, he remarked.

Bhattacherjee denied categorically that his government was getting any extra privileges from the Manmohan Singh government for supporting them from the outside.

On the contrary, he alleged, many of their genuine demands were still ignored. “In the economic matters and many other fields, we are not supporting the UPA but we appreciate the Centre’s foreign policy towards Nepal, Myanmar and Bangla Desh on the restoration of the democratic governments in those neighbouring countries,” he said.

Bhattacharjee in his hour-long press meet, answered a barrage of questions, relating to the Centre-state relations, Nandigram and Singur, the Darjeeling crisis, the electricity problem vis-à-vis the Governor’s “voluntary power cuts at the Raj Bhavan”, the state’s future industrial and agricultural policies, the panchayat poll and the CPM’s present strained relations with the partner parties etc.

He ridiculed Mamata Banerjee for unnecessarily dramatising the Nandigram issue on the eve of the elections. “We have with us the largest section of the people, the poets, playwrights, writers and other intellectuals, who are supporting the government and our industrial policy” , Bhattacharjee claimed.

However, when the Chief Minister was describing the peaceful situation at Nandigram in Kolkata, fresh violence occurred in at Chota Angaria, Tekhali bridge, Nandigram Block 2 villages and several other places following the attack by the CPM’s armed brigade on the people, who were brought back to their respective places by the CRPF last night. Mamata, who was addressing an election meeting near Tamluk at that time suddenly postponed the meeting and drove straight to the SP’s office, along with the local TMC MLA Sisir Adhikery and staged a dharna there protesting against the police’s failure in protecting the lives and properties of the local poor people against the CPM atrocities.

Several intellectuals led by actress Aparna Sen, artists Shouli Mitra, Sobhaprasanna, Kausik Sen and others will be going to Nandigram tonight and they will be present there during the May 11 elections as “unofficial observers” to see if the elections at Nandigram are free and fair.

This evening, a procession in which a large number of the city’s intellectuals and other people from different walks of lives took part, paraded the streets protesting against the CPM’s atrocities at Nandigram and the CPM’s misusing of the police and the official machineries against the opposition parties and the ordinary people.

Panaji, May 9
The mother of rape and murder victim Scarlett Keeling was summoned by the Goa police to give evidence to investigators after she claimed she knew the identity of the killer of the British teenager.

The summons for Fiona Mackeown was served on her lawyer Vikram Varma’s address last evening but the advocate refused to accept the summons stating that she has already left for the UK, the police said.

“If she (Fiona) is in the knowledge of something she should come down and depose. We have issued summons to her under section 39 and 160 of CrPC wherein it is a statutory duty of every person to provide evidence to the police, if they are in knowledge of it,” SP (North) Bosco George told reporters here.

The home department was then moved by the police to serve the summons at Fiona’s address in Davonshire, UK.

Fiona, who left for the UK last Sunday, in an interview to a British newspaper, had claimed that she knew the identity of the suspected killer behind the murder of her 15-year-old daughter and that he is a “powerful person” with money.

“I was approached by many people who told me this man’s name. It is common knowledge out there it seems. He is a powerful person with money. It would explain a lot - why police have tried to cover it up,” she was quoted as saying.

A bartender and an alleged drug dealer have already been arrested for conspiracy to murder Scarlett. The two accused had given the girl a cocktail of illegal drugs before one of them repeatedly raped her and left her for dead on Goa’s popular Anjuna beach on February 18, the police said.

Michael Mannion, a prime British witness in the murder case, meanwhile, decided to move the Panaji Bench of the Bombay High Court seeking withdrawal of the lookout circular issued against him by the Goa police.

George said since the notification giving consent to hand over case to the CBI is already out, Fiona can depose before the central agency.

Vikram Varma denied that he has received any summons. “How can I react to anything before reading the summons,” he asked.

Mannion, who has already deposed before a Magistrate here, had said he saw one of the accused, Samson D’Souza, lying over the victim.

Mannion is since then in the country as police have refused to lift the cirular against him. He was amongst the witnesses who were present at the shack hours before Scarlett’s bruised body was found.

“I have made representation to the Goa Police to lift the circular. If they fail to do so, he will move to the court within the next one or two days,” Vikram Varma, the lawyer who is also representing Mannion, told reporters here.

He said his client has appeared before the investigating agencies and his presence was not required in the state now.

Varma said if Fiona gets visa she would be visiting country sometime next month to follow up the case. — PTI

New Delhi, May 9
In yet another snub to senior leader Arjun Singh, the Congress high command today outrightly rejected his contention that the decision-making in the party has “fallen into a bit of disarray”.

“We do not agree with it. Congress President Sonia Gandhi has always been fair and transparent in holding consultations,” AICC spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here. He said consultations were held at every level in the party before taking decisions and the party president also held discussions with the various allies in the UPA.

Arjun Singh is also a member of the Congress Working Committee, in which the leaders can raise whatever issue they want and can have a free and frank discussion, Ahmed said.

Maintaining that the Congress has always had a tradition of holding discussions within the party, he denied suggestions that the leadership has any lack of communication or a trust deficit with any leader. — PTI

New Delhi, May 9
The government is reviewing existing legislations on drinking water sources and provision of potable water to understand whether existing laws are sufficient for ensuring protection and prevention of pollution of drinking water sources or whether they need any further amendment or a new legislation.

It is also contemplating whether there is a need for enacting a national legislation on the regulation of potable water in the country.

In this context, the ministry of rural development is also organising a workshop on “Legislation on the Protection of Drinking Water Sources and Provision of Potable Water” in the Capital on Saturday.

Quality of drinking water is a contentious issue in India. Concern have been expressed regarding rapid urbanisation and its impact on rural areas both in terms of over-exploitation of water sources and disposal of large quantities of solid and liquid wastes, thereby contaminating both surface and ground water sources.

A number of issues related with the enactment of a legislation enabling the notification of areas to be protected as reserve drinking water sources on the lines of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1981. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, enacted by the ministry of health, does not include “water” under the definition of food, though “bottled water” or “packaged water” have been included. There are many Acts and legislations for the control and abatement of pollution like Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Water (Cess) Act, 1977 and Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

After deliberations, it has been suggested that drinking water may not be added under the definition of food under the Integrated Food Laws (IFL) and an initiative be taken in drafting a model legislation on the regulation of potable water in the country along with other aspects like standards setting mechanism, the phasing of implementation and implications on the Centre and the state.

At present, the rural drinking water supply is implemented by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and equivalent bodies in states. The urban water supply is also implemented by the PHED and municipalities, boards and corporations in big towns and cities.

Standards followed for the rural water supply are BIS standard IS-10500 while in towns equivalent norms framed by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation are followed.

More than 80 per cent of drinking water sources in rural areas are based on groundwater while in cities the majority of water supply sources are surface water based. The ground water sources are subject to chemical contamination in the form of excess fluoride, arsenic, nitrate, iron or salinity while surface water bodies are not at risk for chemical contamination unless industrial effluents contaminate these water bodies. But surface water bodies are subject to bacteriological contamination, treatment of which is not that complicated as that of treating ground water.

Mumbai, May 9
Shiv Sena MLA Gajanand Kirtikar and a party corporator, who were charged with instigating violence during the 1992-93 Mumbai riots, were acquitted by a special court today for lack of evidence.

A case against Kirtikar, Mumbai corporator Ravindra Waikar and 18 other Shiv Sena activists and supporters was filed in 2000 by the Jogeshwari police. The 18 Sena men were also acquitted.

Magistrate R.C. Bapat Sarkar acquitted the 20 accused due to lack of evidence and following the statement of the investigating police officer that failed to support the case of the prosecution.

According to the prosecution, Kirtikar and other Shiv Sena leaders took out a morcha on December 7, 1992, and allegedly pelted stones outside a masjid in Jogeshwari, a northwestern suburb in Mumbai.

When the police stopped the morcha, Kirtikar and Waikar led the supporters to the police station where they allegedly misbehaved with the police officers. The police, instead of registering the offence, immediately made an entry in the station diary about the incident.

However, the police could not produce the diary before the court reasoning that the diary had been lost in the span of 16 years. Based on this, the court acquitted all accused due to insufficient evidence against them, advocate Jaiprakash Bagoria appearing for Kirtikar said.

“We have been falsely implicated in this case by the Congress government, who did it to pacify their Muslim voting bank,” Waikar told PTI following his acquittal.

“We went there only to pacify the crowd but instead we were charged,” he said.

According to Kirtikar, there was no evidence or witness against them and yet this case was dragged for 16 years only to insult us. — PTI

New Delhi, May 9
The defence ministry is set to pave way for an increased participation by private companies in supplying equipment to the forces. This is aimed at to widen the technological base in the country and enhance the technology transfer from foreign countries.

The Indian companies will set-up joint ventures with foreign companies that will be awarded the contract of supplying the equipment. It will be applicable for purchase of all aircrafts, weapons and equipment in the future.

The ministry is expected to announce a new defence procurement procedure (DPP) within the next few days. The defence acquisition council is scheduled to meet in the middle of this month and is expected to approve the new DPP, sources said. Defence authorities plan to go to the Berlin Air Show, at the end of this month, with the new DPP. The last DPP was drafted in 2006.

India is a partner country at Berlin for the first time and will showcase its prowess in defence. Several private Indian companies are also participating along with Indian defence production public sector undertaking like the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, among others.

The amendment will allow up to 50 per cent of all defence equipment purchased from other countries to be manufactured or assembled within India, well-placed sources confirmed. At present the limit is 30 per cent. This was introduced in 2006 and is called the “off-set clause”. The response has been good and this has led to an increase in allowing more private participation.

The DPP has been fine-tuned after taking into account the suggestions received from various stakeholders including the services and the industry. The new policy will address concerns and opinions of various stakeholders relating to issues like banking of “offset clause”.

This is major demand for foreign suppliers who are in joint venture with India companies. They want that their entire work in India should be calculated and it should not be case-to-case basis.

Other issues to be addressed in the new DPP are the transfer of technology (ToT) and licensing requirement for software industry, among other aspects.

The DPP concept was introduced to lay down the purchase procedure so that officers and senior functionaries get to follow a set path in procuring defence equipment.

Bhubaneswar, May 9
Orissa may soon be spelt as ‘Odisha’ with the government’s decision to correct the “mistake” in the spellings of the state’s name and language getting the nod of all opposition parties. The government is also of the view that the spelling of the language be changed to from Oriya to ‘Odia’, while in Schedule I of the Constitution, the state’s name is mentioned as ‘Udisa’ and its language as ‘Udia’.

“We have already moved the department of official language of the Centre in this connection. They have suggested that we should get a formal approval of the Cabinet,” said home secretary T.K. Mishra. “They also asked us to adopt a resolution in the state Assembly in this regard,” he said. Supporting the government’s move, leader of opposition J.B. Patnaik said the name of the state and its language should be spelt properly.

NCP leader Bijay Mohapatra, a known critic of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, also supported the move. As the names reflect the state’s culture and history, they should be spelt properly, he said. — PTI

BRIEFLY

NIH director for using remote sensing
ROORKEE: The director, National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Dr. R.D. Singh has stressed on the need for use of remote sensing to draw optimum results of technology. He was speaking at the valedictory function of the three-day course on Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Applications in water resources management, organised by the NIH here. — TNS

RSS worker hacked to death
PALAKKAD: An RSS worker was hacked to death by unidentified assailants at Kallandichalla near Kozhinjapara late on Thursday night. Suresh (29) was attacked by the assailants near a temple where an annual festival was on, the police said. The area has been tense for the past few days due to RSS-Marxist rivalry. To protest against the murder, Sangh Parivar outfits called for a strike in the area. — PTI

Murder accused held
Dehra Dun: The Udham Singh Nagar police have arrested one Kadir Ahmad on charges of allegedly murdering Sudhansu Rai. According to the cops, the accused had strangulated Rai with a rope on May 6. A case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered against Ahmad. — TNS

2 held for murder threat
Dehra Dun: Two persons Abdul Salam and Sadir have been nabbed by the Udham Singh Nagar cops for allegedly entering into a house in Rudurpur area and threatening to kill the owner of the house besides indulging in a scuffle. Both the accused were booked under Sections 147/323/452/504/506 of the IPC. — TNS