Dehra Dun, May 12
Pandemonium broke out in Uttarakhand assembly as tables were overturned and furniture of the house broken by agitated opposition members for the first time in the brief history of the new state here today.

The two-day assembly session, convened to pilot two controversial bills, was adjourned indefinitely till further notice after the ruckus. The staff of the state assembly also struck work demanding more security in the House.

The assembly session was called to discuss the Uttarakhand Panchayat Regulations Bill giving 50 per cent reservation to women in panchayats in the state. The bill, passed by the assembly during the budget session, was returned by Governor B.L. Joshi listing his objections that it violated the original Panchayati Raj Act and the 73rd amendment of the constitution.

The second bill to be tabled in the House was the Uttarakhand Universities Act, aimed at curtailing the powers of the Governor acting in his capacity as Chancellor of the state universities.

As the House assembled today, Opposition members, comprising Congress and BSP, were on their feet demanding an immediate discussion on the deteriorating law and order situation as well as on the worsening drinking water crisis in the state.

Raising slogans, the opposition members stormed into the well of the House forcing three adjournments. As the house re-assembled before the lunch break, Speaker Harbans Kapoor pleaded with the opposition members to take their seats. But adamant opposition members continued to shout slogans in support of their demands and against the state government.

The Speaker, taking up the business of the House, started reading the letter written by the Governor listing his objections to the Uttarakhand Panchayati Regulations Bill. This infuriated the opposition members. Led by leader of opposition Harak Singh Rawat, opposition members started vociferous slogans against the Uttarakhand Universities Act that the state government wanted to table in the House.

Soon Rawat along with other legislators moved swiftly towards the podium of the Speaker and snatched papers from the table of the secretary of the House. They tore the papers and threw them on the Speaker. Rawat then overturned the table of secretary Mahesh Chander as other legislators started throwing chairs.

The marshals of the House grappled with the opposition members as secretary and Speaker left the House. Now it was the turn of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members to join the issue. Some of them were seen rushing towards the well but were prevented by senior party colleagues.

Later, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Maj-Gen B.C. Khanduri (retd) who was not present in the House during the period inspected the overturned furniture with the Speaker. He termed the incident as unfortunate for democracy in the state. Uttarakhand parliamentary affairs minister Parkash Pant stated that there was nothing wrong with the proposed Uttarakhand Universities Act. “A select committee has studied the Act and given suggestions,” he added.

However, Rawat alleged that the ruling BJP was trying to impose the saffron agenda on the institutes of higher learning. Defending his decision to overturn furniture, he said, “With me as leader of the opposition, the saffron agenda of the ‘Sangh Parivar’ would not be tolerated. Why the Chief Minister is in a hurry to rush the bill?” he asked.

Congress leaders further charged that the state government was not clean and did not give due representation to the main opposition Congress in the select committee with an aim to rush through the bill to enforce RSS agenda.

Mumbai, May 12
Soon public sector oil companies like Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil Corporation, that supply liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or cooking gas will ask customers to produce income certificates in order to be eligible for subsidised fuel supplies.

With the public sector oil companies forced to absorb more than Rs 300 per cylinder by way of subsidies, the government is coming up with various measures to reduce the burden on the exchequer.

“Under-recoveries for petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG would amount to more than Rs 200,000 crore as the government has not raised prices despite crude oil touching US$ 125 per barrel,” says a senior official of the petroleum ministry.

The government distributes oil bonds to the PSU oil companies to make up for the losses they have to undergo for keeping prices of these commodities below cost.

However, the enormous burden the oil bond scheme is placing on the government finances is forcing the government to think of various ways to prune costs. “The government will find it very difficult to hike diesel prices because it has a direct bearing on inflation,” the official said.

Similarly, kerosene prices too will not see more than a minor tweak because of the government’s commitment to the “aam aadmi”. So the axe will definitely fall on LPG, which is seen as a luxury of the middle-class.

Among the measures being planned is the scrapping of subsidised gas for the higher-income groups. Another option is that consumers may be asked to pay the full un-subsidised price for the second cylinder in their homes.

The PSU oil companies have also been asked to introduce branded gas cylinders in the market that will not have any subsidy component.

Consequently, the PSU oil companies will be expected to gradually replace the subsidised regulation red gas cylinders with the new branded cylinders costing more money.

Though private companies had introduced LPG in cylinders in the past, the scheme did not take off because they were not allowed any subsidies by the government.

The government is also encouraging pipeline based “city-gas” networks, which distribute piped natural gas (PNG) to increase their footprint so that LPG in cylinders are discontinued in cities.

Officials said, companies like Mahanagar Gas in Mumbai and Indraprastha Gas in Delhi are phasing out LPG gas systems in large part of the cities.

Private companies like Reliance Industries are building “city gas” networks in cities like Chennai and Hyderabad-Secunderabad.

Other companies like Cairn India, which have access to huge reserves of oil and gas are exploring the possibilities of setting up similar networks in cities like Jaipur. 

Bangalore, May 12
Fortynine candidates with criminal records are in the fray for the second phase of polling in Karnataka for 66 Assembly constituencies. According to the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), an outfit working to reform the electoral system, the BJP tops the list of candidates with criminal records by fielding 13 such candidates for the May 16 polling.

The Congress is the second in the list with nine candidates with criminal records in the fray. The Janata Dal (Secular) has eight such candidates and the BSP seven. The remaining 12 candidates with criminal records are from other parties.

“There are six candidates who are charged with murder or attempt to murder. Several of them are charged with other violent crimes like assault with deadly weapons and so on,” stated a report released by the ADR at a press conference here today.

A similar report released by the ADR earlier listed 47 candidates with criminal records in the fray for the first phase of elections for 89 Assembly seats.

The report for the second phase said there were at least 29 candidates who seemed to have got rid of the criminal cases that were mentioned by them in their declarations before the Election Commission during the 2004 Assembly elections. “This needs to be investigated by the authorities,” the ADR noted.

Dwelling on the financial profiles of the candidates, the report said the assets of the 64 Congress candidates in the fray for the second phase added up to over Rs 470 crore with each of them averaging Rs 7.35 crore worth in assets. The assets of the 66 BJP candidates contesting in the second phase added up to Rs 250 crore, while that of the 61 JD(S) candidates totalled to Rs 78 crore.

Seventyfour candidates contesting in the elections reported a steep increase in assets since the 2004 Assembly elections. In case of the Congress candidates in this category, the increase was to the tune of 649 per cent - the highest in the list.

The Congress also tops the list of candidates with “very high assets” (over Rs 30 crore) and “high assets” (between Rs 5 crore and Rs 30 crore) category. The party has three candidates with assets of more than Rs 30 crore and six candidates with each having assets ranging between Rs 5 crore and Rs 30 crore.

The BSP tops the list of candidates with assets less than Rs 1lakh. While the BSP has 10 such candidates, both the Congress and the BJP have two candidates each in this category.

There are 14 women candidates in the fray for the second phase with the BSP fielding four women candidates. The Congress, BJP, JD(S) and the JD(U) have fielded two women candidates each. The remaining two women candidates are from other parties. 

New Delhi, May 12
India’s first field marshal, S.H.F.J. Manekshaw, preferred calling himself Sam ‘Bahadur’ as a sign of respect for the brave Gorkha soldiers, most of whom came from Nepal. However, a call by Nepal Maoist chief Prachanda not to allow them to join the Indian army could have an impact on the traditional military ties between the two countries.

“If anyone says he is not afraid of anything, either he is lying or he is a Gorkha,” Manekshaw once said.

However, Prachanda, who is poised to head the government in the Himalayan nation, told reporters on April 25 that Nepali Gorkhas should not be allowed to join Indian Defence Forces.

There are two types of Gorkhas in the Indian Army - those hailing from India (who have migrated from Nepal long ago) and the others from Nepal. Under a tripartite agreement signed between India, Nepal and the Britain in 1947, Gorkhas from Nepal were allowed to work in the British and Indian Armies.

Now, nearly 40,000 Nepali Gorkhas are employed in the Indian Army.

“Nepali Gorkhas have been part of the Indian Army for a very long time. If they are stopped from joining the Army then the association between the Armies, the countries will be affected,” former Chief of Army Staff Gen Ved Prakash Malik said.

India and Nepal share such a close relationship that the Indian Army chief is honorary chief of the Nepali Army traditionally and vice-versa.

“It is not only a question of strength, but also our proximity and tradition,” said Malik.

Besides, impacting the age-old ties between the two nations, Prachanda’s demand, if acceded to, can lead to anarchy in Nepal due to a large-scale unemployment, say military experts here. — IANS

New Delhi, May 12
A day after human resource development minister Arjun Singh backtracked on his criticism of the decision-making process in the Congress and pledged loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhi family, the saga continues.

Although Arjun Singh’s statement yesterday suggested that the controversy kicked off by his statements was a closed chapter, the HRD minister was not easily silenced.

He said he was a loyalist and not a sycophant and reiterated his earlier stand that Rahul Gandhi is a potential prime ministerial candidate.

“I am a loyalist and not a sycophant and there is no need for me to give any statement on oath,” he said, adding that there was nothing wrong in projecting Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate in the next elections.

He said that Manmohan Singh should not be projected as the Prime Minister, added that it was for the party to take this decision.

While maintaining that it had nothing more to say on this issue since Arjun Singh himself has closed the chapter, party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi justified the critical response of senior party leaders to the senior minister’s remarks.

“It’s a free party. If opinions are expressed, then counter opinions are bound to follow,” he remarked, denying the charge that there was no inner party democracy in the Congress.

He also took a dig at Arjun Singh’s recent disclosure that he had opposed the imposition of emergency. “We don’t recollect any report over the past 30 years of his opposition to the emergency... maybe our memory is dim,” Singhvi added.

Arjun Singh had earned the wrath of the Congress leadership when he had first pitched for Rahul as the Prime Minister, as it was seen as an attempt to undermine Manmohan Singh’s authority.

The minister was snubbed by the party told that Sonia and Rahul Gandhi had always kept away from an atmosphere of sycophancy.

His subsequent remarks criticising the decision-making style of the Congress and suggesting that loyalists were being overlooked by the party leadership, were also not well received.

Sonia Gandhi cold-shouldered him when the two shared a dias at a convocation ceremony last week and a host of senior leaders publicly criticised him for his unnecessary statements.

The senior leader denied that there was any tension between him and the Congress president and demised reports that he had ever been asked to give up the HRD ministry and take up another assignment.

New Delhi, May 12
The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has sought a report on Nandigram developments from the West Bengal government and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The ministry has taken cognisance of reports of alleged hostile treatment meted out to CRPF DIG Aloke Raj by CPM MP from Tamluk Lakshmanan Seth.

Raj alleged that a false complaint of molestation was made against him by two women CPM supporters from Sonachura.

On Sunday morning, the CPM MP rang up Raj and ordered him not to patrol Nandigram in the first phase of Bengal panchayat polls.

New Delhi, May 12
A magical fable about a young boy who discovers the solution to global warming from a monk in the Himalayas has been adopted by the UN as part of its initiative to green the planet and stop global warming.

The fable, a documentary by Mumbai-based filmmaker Nitin Das, has become part of the international body's worldwide campaign to plant saplings.

The 7-minute film finds itself part of the 'Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign' that encourages people, communities, civil society organisations and governments to plant saplings aiming for a total of one billion trees worldwide each year.

"The video advocates for sapling plantation. We explored whether there was any hidden political or other message and when we were assured we uploaded it on our website," said Meryem C. Amar, information officer of the United Nations Environment Programme. — PTI

New Delhi, May 12
Giving scientifically calculated details of the cost of production for paddy for the forthcoming kharif, farmers from Punjab today demanded an enhanced minimum support price (MSP) for the crop from the Central government.

They presented the memorandum to agriculture minister Sharad Pawar in this regard, substantiating the demand for an minimum support price of Rs 1,620 per quintal for paddy in view of increasing cost of production.

Last year, the minimum support price for the category of paddy sown in Punjab was fixed at Rs 775, including Rs 100 as bonus by the Centre.

The transplantation of paddy will begin around June 10 as per the Punjab government’s latest notification and the Centre will announce the support price for the 2008 season before that.

The expenditure has been calculated for a 10-acre farm, irrigated by a 15 BHP tubewell where the level of groundwater is 60 feet or more. The expenditure list includes heads like expenses for seed and nursery, fertiliser for nursery, land preparation and transplantation, fertilisers and weedicides, irrigation charges, harvesting and marketing, permanent labour cost and other miscellaneous expenses.

The figure arrived at is Rs 35,155 for total expenses incurred for one acre, including managerial cost and profit and an interest of 12 per cent per annum for six months on all expenses given in the list.

The average yield of paddy per acre in Punjab is 14 quintals, but with better management and heavy costs of the farmer, yield per acre comes to 25 quintals, says Bharti Kisan Union president Balbir Singh Rajewal, adding that in Punjab 26 to 27 lakh hectares is under paddy cultivation.

Rajewal, who was part of the delegation that met Pawar this morning, said the government was likely to announce the MSP for paddy next week since the transplantation would begin in Punjab on June 10.

He said the agriculture minister assured them that the government would consider their inputs before declaring the minimum support price.

“Time and again farmers have demanded justice from the government while fixing remunerative prices for the agricultural produce, but the government has always given lesser price, which was the main reason for indebtedness of the farmers,” he added.

Incidentally, electricity and canal water charges have not been accounted for as the Punjab government provides free electricity and canal water to farmers. In Punjab 31.5 per cent farmers own less than five acres and 63.4 per cent have less than 10 acres of land holdings and the majority take land on rent to earn their livelihood, says Rajewal. No cost of organic manure like cow dung has been added in the cost of production.

New Delhi, May 12
A delegation of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) today lodged a protest with chief election commissioner of India N. Gopalswami alleging widespread misuse of official machinery by the SAD, while campaigning for the the Amritsar-south assembly by-election.

The PPCC has sought deployment of paramilitary forces and has demanded an enquiry into the use of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Commitee (SGPC) funds to manage the polls.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was also misusing the state chopper. All layers of the administration have been captured by the SAD-BJP workers to manage a victory for the ruling party candidate Inderbeer Singh Bularia, said the compliant.

The polling is on May 22 and the election was necessitated after Bularia’s father, Raminder Singh Bularia, died a few weeks ago.

The model code of conduct was being violated as development works were being carried out in the Amritsar south constituency, new street lights, re-carpeting of roads were being done on a war footing, said the PPCC compliant that was signed by Munish Tewari, Surinder Singla, Parminder Singh and RR Bhardawaj.

The PPCC also sought immediate transfer of D.P.S. Kharbanda, commissioner of the municipal corporation, alleging that he was biased against the Congress nominee.

The Congress delegation also said that Amritsar was also the hometown of Kharbanda hence he was able to use influence.

Hyderabad, May 12
A young woman trainee pilot was killed on the spot when an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft crashed near a village in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh today.

Geethika (21) was piloting HPT-32 aircraft of the Dundigal-based Air Force Academy when the mishap occurred, the police said.

The aircraft crashed into open fields near Kanukunta village in Jinnaram Mandal, about 100 km from the state capital, at 4 pm.

The trainee pilot was on a routine sortie when the tragedy struck. Geethika, who was alone aboard the aircraft, died on the spot.

The officials of the Air Force Academy rushed to the wreckage site and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

During the past five years, 62 IAF aircraft have crashed in the country, claiming the lives of 31 pilots.

According to a statement made by defence minister A.K. Antony in Parliament recently, the main reasons behind the crashes were human error and technical defects.

A continuous and multi-faceted effort was under way in the IAF to enhance and upgrade flight safety. Measures to enhance the quality of training to improve the skill levels, ability to exercise sound judgment and situational awareness of pilots were being pursued.

Constant interaction with original equipment manufacturers, both indigenous and foreign, was also maintained to overcome the technical defects of aircraft, the statement had said. 

New Delhi, May 12
For the first time ever, India has admitted to having successfully developed nuclear-capable K-15 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), thus becoming the fifth country in the world to acquire such a capability.

With the successful development of this missile system, India has joined a select group of nations -- the US, Russia, France and China -- which possessed such a capability.

The SLBM project has completed India’s nuclear triad, giving it the capability of launching nuclear weapons from air, surface and underwater platforms.

India already has Agni-I (700-km range), Agni-II (2000-km-plus) ballistic missiles and Agni-III (3,500-km) as the land-based nuclear deterrent.

Fighters like Sukhoi-30MKI and Mirage-2000s, which could be jury-rigged to carry nuclear weapons, constituted the air-based leg.

SLBMs for a retaliatory strike is considered crucial given India’s stated no first use policy for nuclear weapons.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had been conducting several subsystem level tests of the missile over the past one year. India, at present, does not have a submarine that could be used to test-fire the missile.

The K-15 missile is designed and developed by the DRDO to be integrated with the “mother ship”.

The “mother ship” refers to the three indigenous nuclear-powered submarines being built at Visakhapatnam in the 25-year-old ATV (advanced technology vessel) project, which will overall cost around Rs 20,000 crore.

The first of the three 6,000-tonne ATVs, each designed to carry 12 vertical-launched nuclear-tipped SLBMs, would be ‘ready to go to sea’ for trials by early 2009.

It would, however, take two to three years for the two-stage solid-fuelled K-15 to be integrated with the first ATV and then be test-fired from it.

Powered by a turbojet, the K-15 missile, earlier known as Sagarika, could carry a nuclear warhead of 500-kg from an undersea location to a range of 700-km. It is 8.5 metre long and about a metre in diameter.

The admission came in the form of a citation to scientist A.K. Chakrabarti and his team for receiving the DRDO Award for Performance Excellence - 2007.

“Chakrabarti and his team has designed and developed a state-of-the-art missile system with capability of being launched from sub-surface environment,” read the DRDO award citation.

The performance of the missile system was far higher than the specified requirement given by the user, it added.

“The missile system has already been accepted by the user and is presently under production for induction into the services,” the citation said.

In recognition of this rare scientific contribution, the DRDO Award for Performance Excellence 2007, is conferred on Chakrabarti and his team of 86 scientists, it added. — UNI

New Delhi, May 12
In a double whammy for Manu Sharma, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Jessica Lall murder case, the Supreme Court today refused to grant him bail and suspend his punishment.

"Keeping in view the seriousness of offence, the manner in which the crime was said to have been committed and the gravity of offence, we are of the view that no case has been made out by Sharma for suspension of the sentence and grant of bail", a Bench comprising Justices C.K Thakker and D.K Jain said.

"The application deserves to be dismissed and is accordingly dismissed," it said.

The court noted that Sharma's pleas could not be granted, as his appeal against the conviction by the Delhi High Court had been admitted and awaits final hearing that was likely within "measurable distance of time".

The Bench said since the appeal was pending, any observation on the case was likely to prejudice one or the other party, challenging the High Court verdict.

"We are conscious and mindful that the main matter (appeal) is admitted and is pending for final hearing.

Observations on merits, one way or the other, therefore, are likely to prejudice one or the other party to the appeal. We are hence, not entering into the correctness or otherwise of the evidence on record," the bench said.

Model Jessica Lall was shot dead here on the intervening night of April 29-30, 1999, at the Qutub Colonade restaurant in South Delhi owned by socialite Bina Ramani.

Manu Sharma, son of former union minister Venod Sharma, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court, which had set aside the trial court verdict acquitting him in the case.

The Bench said when a person was convicted by an appellate court (high court), he could not be said to be an “innocent person” until the final decision was recorded by the superior court in his favour.

“The mere fact that during the period of trial, the accused was on bail and there was no misuse of liberty, does not warrant suspension of execution of sentence and grant of bail. What really necessary is to consider whether reasons exists to suspend execution of the sentence and grant of bail,” it said.

The Bench said “initial presumption of innocence” was also not in favour of Sharma, who remained on bail for considerable period during the trial of the case as his acquittal by the sessions court was set aside by the high court.

“It, however, cannot be overlooked that as on today, Sharma has been found guilty and convicted by a competent criminal court. Initial presumption of innocence in favour of the accused, therefore, is no more available to the applicant,” the Bench said.

It said: “On the facts and in the circumstances of the case, this is not a fit case to exercise power under Section 389 of the CrPC (for grant of suspension of sentence pending appeal)”. — PTI

Bhubaneswar, May 12
A woman was arrested for stealing a 10-day-old baby from a hospital in Orissa’s Angul district, the police said on Monday.

Gitanjali Pradhan (25) stole the baby on Sunday from the government hospital in Angul town, 150 km from here, a district police official said.

The woman, a resident of Godasingha village in the same district, introduced herself as an NGO worker and took the baby away from her mother on some pretext and disappeared, he said.

The mother raised an alarm and the police was called. Acting on a tip off, the police raided a house in nearby Gopinathpur village, caught Pradhan and rescued the baby, the official said.

The woman is now in judicial custody after a court rejected her bail petition, he said. — IANS

BRIEFLY

Theatres closed down in Manipur
IMPHAL: All movie theatres in Manipur have been closed down from Monday in protest against threats and extortion demands by militants.The Film Forum, Manipur (FFM), took the decision after militants demanded money from the theatre owners.The forum stated that the theatres would remain closed till some sort of agreement was reached with the militants.FFM chairman W Lalit said suspected militants were demanding money from the proprietors of the cinema halls and appealed to the underground groups not to place extortion demands. — UNI

3 booked under NSA
GORAKHPUR: Three people, including a Baba Raghav Das Medical College worker, accused in the illicit business of blood supply, have been slapped with the National Security Act (NSA) here.Giving this information, the police said on Monday the accused were the Medical College's lab technician Kripa Shankar, Arun Kumar and Zulfikar Ali.On March 16, the police had conducted raids and exposed a blood bank racket being run in the Shahpur area here. — UNI

Cong activist electrocuted
ALWAR: A local Congress leader was electrocuted in an accident at his residence here on Monday. According to police sources, former DCC vice-president Badri Prasad Beda (55) accidentally touched a live wire while working on a water booster pumpset at his SMD Square residence.Beda was rushed to hospital in an unconscious condition but could not be saved, the sources said. — UNI

Five killed in mishap
LUCKNOW: Five persons, including two children, were killed and nine others injured when a jeep collided with a mini-bus here on Monday.The incident occurred under the Itaunja police station area when the mini-bus collided with the jeep, leaving five dead on the spot, the police said.The deceased were returning after attending a marriage party in Barabanki district, it said. — PTI