SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI



THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
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N A T I O N

Violence mars WB panchayat polls
Kolkata, May 14
Large-scale violence, killing, rigging, booth capturing and snatching of ballot papers etc. marked today’s (second phase of the panchayat elections) poll held in the five south Bengal districts of the state.

Civic Poll
BJP gives SAD a last chance
New Delhi, May 14
Yesterday’s compromise formula between long standing alliance partners the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP was arrived at only after the latter agreed to give “one last chance” to SAD for “properly” running the one-year old coalition government in Punjab.

HC stays OBC quota in IIM-C
New Delhi, May 14
Union human resource development minister Arjun Singh today tried to set at rest the panic created among pro-reservationists by the order of the Calcutta High Court, staying the implementation of 27 per cent OBC quota in postgraduate courses in IIM-Calcutta.

Terror tops Indo-Pak talks agenda
New Delhi, May 14
India is going to raise the issue of cross-border terrorism and the dramatic increase in infiltration across the Line of Control with Pakistan when the two sides meet for talks in Islamabad next week, foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon said here today.





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Trees were uprooted as heavy thunderstorm lashed New Delhi
Trees were uprooted as heavy thunderstorm lashed New Delhi on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

Jaipur Blasts
Bid to incite communal flare-up: Left
New Delhi, May 14
Left parties today said the terrorist strike in Jaipur is a deliberate attempt to incite communal flare-up. Condemning Tuesday’s serial bomb blasts which have claimed more than 75 lives and left 150 injured, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has said the terrorist attack was to cause maximum casualties in the crowded areas of the city.
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No intelligence failure: Centre
New Delhi, May 14
The government today denied intelligence failure in the Jaipur blasts and said the links of the terror strikes were in a “neighbouring country”. Addressing mediapersons here today after visiting affected spots in Jaipur, minister of state for home affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal, said, “The links of the terror strike could be in any of the neighbouring countries - Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Myanmar - that are facing an internal turmoil.”

Tight security in Hardwar, Rishikesh
Hardwar, May 14
Following the Jaipur serial blasts that killed many persons and injured more than 100, the Uttrakhand police has sounded high alert in the state and assured foolproof security in the holy towns of Hardwar and Rishikesh.

Red alert in Jharkhand
Ranchi, May 14
The Jharkhand government has sounded the red alert across the state following the serial blasts in Jaipur last evening, officials said here today. Chief Minister Madhu Koda at a meeting directed the home secretary and the director- general of police to beef up security at famous pilgrim sites like Baidyanath and Basukinath temple and the Parasnath area.

‘Pak fuelling instability in Afghanistan’
New Delhi, May 14
International scholars are of the view that Pakistan’s continuing strategic interest in Afghanistan is the main cause of instability in the land-locked nation. Participating in a seminar on Monday, a noted American scholar Barnett R. Rubin asked Pakistan to clearly define its “strategic interest in Afghanistan” as Afghan President Hamid Karzai has already pointed a finger at Islamabad saying it was “the main driver of instability in Afghanistan.”

‘Stung’ DMK minister resigns
Chennai, May 14
The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has been stung by a sting operation by its own vigilance director, who tape-recorded the conversation of a state minister asking him to go easy on her relative facing corruption charges. The minister today sent her resignation.

Capt files rejoinder in Badals’ case
New Delhi, May 14
In his rejoinder filed before the Supreme Court, petitioner Capt Amarinder Singh has stated that the prosecution has deliberately “failed to prove” the report of S.K. Srivastava, independent evaluator of the properties of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son and others.

Energy Cooperation
PM to visit Bhutan on Friday
New Delhi, May 14
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to announce a fairly large grant to Bhutan when he travels there on Friday on a two-day visit, which is aimed at further consolidation of the bilateral energy cooperation.

PM: Firing in J-K worrisome
New Delhi, May 14
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said India would discuss the issue of terrorism with Pakistan when the foreign ministers of the two countries meet later this month. Although he refused to identify those responsible for yesterday’s serial blasts in Jaipur, he observed that there were elements which did not favour ties between India and Pakistan to be strengthened.

Nuke plant gets under way amidst N-deal fiasco
Mumbai, May 14
The Indian government has quietly asked the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) to begin work on the country's biggest nuclear power plant even if it is engaged in verbal duels with the Left parties over the signing of the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Traders melt coins for steel
Mumbai, May 14
Small metal traders have discovered a new arbitrage opportunity -- melting down coins of small denominations and even Re 1 and Rs 2 coins for their steel content. As commodity prices, particularly that of steel, rises in international markets the metal value of coins are seeing big jumps.

Monsoon to break over Kerala on May 29
New Delhi, May 14
Monsoon will hit the Indian mainland three days in advance and break over Kerala on May 29, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) today predicted. The mean monsoon onset date over Kerala is June 1. The statistical forecast model has a model error of ± 4 days.

Over 20,000 birds culled
Siliguri, May 14
Culling of birds that began in two blocks of Siliguri and one block of Kurseong in bird flu-affected Darjeeling district will continue for another two days. A total of 20,298 birds were culled in the blocks since May 10, Darjeeling district magistrate Rajesh Pandey said.

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Violence mars WB panchayat polls
Subhransghu Gupta
Tribune News Service

Kolkata, May 14
Large-scale violence, killing, rigging, booth capturing and snatching of ballot papers etc. marked today’s (second phase of the panchayat elections) poll held in the five south Bengal districts of the state.

At least 13 persons, including two children and an infant were killed during the poll violence in the South 24 -parganas, Howrah, Nadia and Hooghly districts in which the CPM was directly involved in clashes at different places against the RSP, the Forward Bloc, the Trinamool Congress, the Congress and the SUCI respectively.

The ruling left front and other opposition parties admitted today’s elections were not free, fair and peaceful in some places, where there will be re-polling. But the Election Commission (EC) agreed to consider the demands only after receiving the official reports from the respective district administrations.

According to an official report, on an average the polling today was about 55per cent, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, however, demanded that the President’s rule be imposed in the state and the elections be ordered accordingly.

The voters’ turnout in the morning was low at some places in Howrah, Hooghly and south 24-parganas.

At Singur, which is still dominated by the Bhoomi Raksha Committee and the Trinamool Congress, quite a number of voters were seen lining up in the morning to exercise their franchise.

At Basanti, in south 24-parganas, where the CPM and the RSP, the two front partners were locked in the poll battle, five RSP workers were killed in the firing and bomb blast allegedly by the CPM.

At Panchala in Howrah, two women were killed during the clash between the CPM and the Trinamool Congress. Splinters of the bombs killed an infant during the clash. At Domjur also the CPM and the Forward Bloc were involved in the clash in which one person was killed.

At Kultali, near Basati, the CPM and the Trinamool Congress were involved in clashes in which firearms, bombs and other lethal weapons were freely used. One TMC worker was killed. At Jaynagar, one SUCI worker was killed during the CPM-SUCI clash.

The cadres allegedly beat up SUCI MLA Debaprasad Sarkar and his car was also damaged.

In Karimpore and Dhantala, two government employees engaged in election duties, suddenly died at their respective booths probably due to the heat stroke today.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was in the Writers Buildings monitoring the election progress vis-à-vis the law and order situations. But he did not meet mediapersons, though initially he agreed to brief the press.

Left chairman Biman Bose was campaigning in North Bengal. He expressed concern that the front partners were involved in the clashes during the poll today. He said the re-polling could be ordered in those places if it was proved that the elections there were not free and fair.

RSP leader Kshiti Goswami and Forward Block’s Ashoke Ghose criticised the CPM for indulging in large-scale violence during the elections.

Both leaders demanded that the Left Front meeting be held immediately to resolve differences.

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Civic Poll
BJP gives SAD a last chance
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 14
Yesterday’s compromise formula between long standing alliance partners the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP was arrived at only after the latter agreed to give “one last chance” to SAD for “properly” running the one-year old coalition government in Punjab.

SAD was told in clear terms that violence and undemocratic acts would not be tolerated at any cost and this could be the last time, said a top BJP central leader while confirming the developments in Punjab and with SAD in the past 24 hours.

The decision of not breaking the alliance was taken out of sheer respect for Parkash Singh Badal and after Badal had himself assured that in future he would himself look into all matters. This means the BJP conveyed to Badal that interference by other members of SAD in running the administration was not acceptable to it. And also the fact that it held the crucial seats in the 117-member assembly.

This is the third major argument between the two parties. Earlier, the BJP had threatened to withdraw support when the Dera Sacha Sauda issue flared up in May last year, then in November last year the BJP had publicly criticised the violence and booth capturing that took place during the municipal elections.

Badal used all his charm and skills to pacify the agitated BJP leaders, who had come to his Chandigarh-residence yesterday to protest against the use of force and violence against the BJP workers during the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls in Punjab on Monday.

A senior leader of the Punjab BJP unit told the Tribune “We will walk out of the government if such an act is repeated”. It was strange that the Akali workers attacked us.

The five BJP ministers in Badal Cabinet -Manoranjan Kalia, Tikshan Sud, Master Mohan Lal, Swarna Ram and Laxmi Kanta Chawla - and also the three chief parliamentary secretaries had handed over their resignations to the BJP for onward transmission to Badal.

The same was conveyed to Badal when the BJP delegation met him with the resignation letters. The mood within the BJP was to relinquish all ministerial and official posts and support the government from outside on the same pattern as the left parties support the UPA at the Centre.

Among others, the BJP delegation had Balbir Punj, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Manoranjan Kalia. The three then flew to Delhi and briefed L.K. Advani and Rajnath Singh at the residence of Advani late last night.

The three reportedly briefed the Central leaders that it had been explained to Badal that that attempts by SAD to woo the Hindu vote bank was fraught with danger as the Hindus - about 46 per cent of the population of Punjab - would go with either the Congress or the BJP.

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HC stays OBC quota in IIM-C
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 14
Union human resource development minister Arjun Singh today tried to set at rest the panic created among pro-reservationists by the order of the Calcutta High Court, staying the implementation of 27 per cent OBC quota in postgraduate courses in IIM-Calcutta.

Reacting to the order, which also stopped interviews of OBC candidates for admission to IIM-Calcutta’s PG courses, Singh said the same was specific to the institution and would not hamper the implementation of the OBC quota in other institutions elsewhere. Singh added that the government would certainly put before the Calcutta High Court its viewpoint to clarify the issue.

In light of today’s order and the notice issued on the petition filed in the Delhi High Court by the pan-IIM Alumni Association challenging the implementation of the OBC quota in PG courses in the IIMs, the government was thinking of going to the Supreme Court to clarify matters, sources in the HRD ministry said.

The ministry is in consultation with officers of the Law Ministry to understand the implications of each of the judgments passed by four judges on April 10 this year allowing 27 per cent OBC quota (minus creamy layer) in all central higher educational institutions (CEI).

Even today, Calcutta High Court, granted stay on the OBC quota implementation in PG courses in IIM-Calcutta on a petition filed by Sayan Guha, a B Tech student, who challenged the HRD Ministry’s office memorandum dated April 20, asking all CEI to implement quota in all courses, including PG.

Guha’s counsel contended that the apex court had directed that graduates would not be considered for the quota but the HRD ministry had passed its memorandum in violation of the SC order.

Earlier, on the writ petition filed by the pan-IIM Alumni association, the Delhi High Court had also asked additional solicitor- general Gopal Subramaniam as to what exercise the government had undertaken after the recent SC judgment and where did the judgment say that quota could be implemented in the postgraduate programmes?

The government is now contemplating to set the matters straight on whether the OBC quota can be implemented in the PG courses, although it has till now been saying there’s no confusion on the matter.

‘Dramatic steps needed’

Institution heads and heads of most central higher educational institutions, who met HRD minister Arjun Singh today in the capital to discuss quota preparedness, felt that “drastic and dramatic steps” would be required to roll out 27 per cent OBC quota from this year.

The institution heads, across the board, cited “lack of quality teachers/faculty” as a major impediment in the way of the government’s quota plan. For the IIMs, the issue is particularly relevant, with good faculty getting more money privately. Many V-Cs also spoke of the issue of teachers’ vacancies and dearth of quality teachers, apart from saying that funds would have to be released soon if quota was to be smoothly implemented.

The government has meanwhile proposed expansion of seats and allocation of funds to CEIs to accommodate OBC students in quota. Amending the existing section 6 of the CEI Act would do this.

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Terror tops Indo-Pak talks agenda
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 14
India is going to raise the issue of cross-border terrorism and the dramatic increase in infiltration across the Line of Control with Pakistan when the two sides meet for talks in Islamabad next week, foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon said here today.

Unlike the 2006 Mumbai blasts, which India blamed on Pakistan-based terrorists, Menon refrained from commenting on the involvement of foreign-based terrorists in the serial blasts that shook Jaipur yesterday, killing over 60 persons and injuring at least 216.

“This will be certainly high on the agenda. Stopping cross-border terror is very high on our priority,” Menon told newspersons when questioned about whether India will raise the issue of terrorism with Pakistan.

“We will certainly raise the issue,” he stressed.

Menon will hold talks with Pakistan's foreign secretary Salman Bashir May 20 to review the fourth round of composite dialogue and hold discussions on a wide range of bilateral issues, including security and Jammu and Kashmir. India and Pakistan will launch the fifth round of composite dialogue after the talks.

This will be followed by talks between external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

This will be the first formal engagement between India and Pakistan after a civilian government assumed charge in Islamabad last month.

“The stopping of violence is in some ways a necessary condition for what we are trying to achieve,” Menon said, ahead of the talks between foreign secretaries and foreign ministers of India and Pakistan May 20-21.

India has spoken about a "foreign hand" behind the Jaipur blasts. But it has consciously avoided naming Pakistan or any other country for the serial bomb attack.

“We are in the process of investigating the incident. Let's not jump to conclusions,” Menon replied when asked whether India suspected the involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists in the Jaipur blasts.

“I don't want to start speculating. The fact of infiltration is a problem. We will deal with it on the ground and raise it with Pakistan,” he replied when asked about a steep increase in infiltration across the LoC over the past few months.

Like many other leaders in the world, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani have condemned the Jaipur blasts.

The increasing infiltration came under the spotlight last week after heavy firing by Pakistan Rangers along the LoC to allegedly provide cover to infiltrators.

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Jaipur Blasts
Bid to incite communal flare-up: Left
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 14
Left parties today said the terrorist strike in Jaipur is a deliberate attempt to incite communal flare-up.

Condemning Tuesday’s serial bomb blasts which have claimed more than 75 lives and left 150 injured, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has said the terrorist attack was to cause maximum casualties in the crowded areas of the city.

In a statement issued here today, the CPM politburo has said the modus operandi in the explosions point to a common pattern with previous attacks in other cities. The party has said security agencies should take all possible steps to uncover the network of groups behind these outrages.

While appealing to the people of Jaipur to remain calm and united, the CPM has said the state government should take steps to provide relief and compensation to the next of kin of those who died in the blasts.

The central secretariat of the CPI has also condemned the serial blasts that were engineered by terrorist groups in Jaipur. In a statement issued here, the CPI has said efforts should be made to trace and apprehend the terrorist gangs who are behind this ghastly incident. The party has further said the government should lend all help to families of those killed or injured in the blast.

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No intelligence failure: Centre
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 14
The government today denied intelligence failure in the Jaipur blasts and said the links of the terror strikes were in a “neighbouring country”.

Addressing mediapersons here today after visiting affected spots in Jaipur, minister of state for home affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal, said, “The links of the terror strike could be in any of the neighbouring countries - Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Myanmar - that are facing an internal turmoil.” He chose to be ambiguous in his response to speculation about the involvement of Bangladesh-based militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami (HUJI).

While drawing attention to a general alert after the October 2007 Ajmer blast about the possible attacks on religious places in Rajasthan, the minister said, “It would be wrong to say that there was an intelligence failure.” He said the incident had underlined the need for having a federal investigating agency but till all states agree to that it would be difficult to do so.

Jaiswal said the blasts were carried out with the help of high intensity explosives like RDX or by using ammonium nitrate. “The bomb disposal and detection squad of the National Security Guard will be able to find out the nature of the material used to carry out the blasts,” the minister said.

Union home minster Shivraj Patil is visiting Jaipur tomorrow to take stock of the situation.

Special secretary (internal security) M.L. Kumawat is already in Jaipur to chalk out an action plan with the state government for precautionary measures and identifying the culprits.

Intelligence sources here prefer to describe the terrorist strike as “hinterland violence” aided by externally based and sponsored terrorist outfits. “This seems to be hinterland violence. The terrorists are already positioned here. We have to accept the harsh reality that there is no dearth of fundamentalists or traitors in our own country. Let us look beyond the usual suspects - the Pakistan controlled terorist outfits as the Jaish-e-Mohammad or the Lashkar-e-Toiba.”

Sources in the home ministry drew attention to the recruitment of Indian youth by the Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Toiba and the HUJI and their redeployment in India for sabotage and subversive activities after training in Pakistan or Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Sources in the Central Reserve Police Force said four companies of the Rapid Action Force sent from Aligarh and Delhi had been deployed in Jaipur. Another two companies, each having a strength of 120 personnel, are on the standby.

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Tight security in Hardwar, Rishikesh
Deepak Khajuria
Tribune News Service

Hardwar, May 14
Following the Jaipur serial blasts that killed many persons and injured more than 100, the Uttrakhand police has sounded high alert in the state and assured foolproof security in the holy towns of Hardwar and Rishikesh.

At an emergency meeting, hours after the serial blasts that hit the pink city on Tuesday evening DGP Subash Joshi directed all district heads to keep an extra vigil on all pilgrimages in the state and make sure that the pilgrims were safe there. Meanwhile, security in Hardwar and Rishikesh has been beefed up following the threats to the holy places and in view of the traditional ‘char dham yatra’ in the state.

PRO to Hardwar SSP Ashok Arora said SSP V Murugeshan called on a special meeting of all concerned police officers. He directed all officers to assure fool security in the district. He added that extra checking points had been installed at all entry and exit points of the town and dog squads in addition to the cops in civil dresses had been deployed in the city to avoid any untoward incident.

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Red alert in Jharkhand

Ranchi, May 14
The Jharkhand government has sounded the red alert across the state following the serial blasts in Jaipur last evening, officials said here today.

Chief Minister Madhu Koda at a meeting directed the home secretary and the director- general of police to beef up security at famous pilgrim sites like Baidyanath and Basukinath temple and the Parasnath area.

He also condemned the incident as a cowardice step by the terrorists, who killed several innocents. — UNI

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‘Pak fuelling instability in Afghanistan’
Satish Misra
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 14
International scholars are of the view that Pakistan’s continuing strategic interest in Afghanistan is the main cause of instability in the land-locked nation. Participating in a seminar on Monday, a noted American scholar Barnett R. Rubin asked Pakistan to clearly define its “strategic interest in Afghanistan” as Afghan President Hamid Karzai has already pointed a finger at Islamabad saying it was “the main driver of instability in Afghanistan.”

Rubin was a keynote speaker at an international seminar ‘Afghanistan: Unabated turmoil’ organised by the Institute of Regional Studies in Islamabad on Monday. He made this observation in response to Lt.Gen. (retd) Kamal Mateenuddin’s remark that Pushtun-Tajik divide in Afghanistan was a factor in the continuing instability there. Another academic Roney W. Jones also disagreed with the retired Lt General and said Pashtun problem was more a Pakistan problem as twice as many Pashtuns live in Pakistan than in Afghanistan. Jones attributed the rise of Islamic radicalism in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to Salafi school of thought and was astounded that Sufi Mohammad of the extremist Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Mohammadiâ had been released. He suggested that secular forces, like the Awami National Party, should be encouraged to check Islamist extremism and to integrate the tribal areas like settled areas were integrated.

Former ISI chief Lt-Gen (retired) Asad Durrani retorted saying “it is our business, not the US.” Earlier, Pakistani scholars criticised Rubin for including India among other countries having a stake in Afghanistan while urging them to help turn Afghanistan from being a destabiliser to “central stabiliser” by addressing its economic, political and military weaknesses, which need international guarantees.

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‘Stung’ DMK minister resigns
Arup Chanda
Tribune News Service

Chennai, May 14
The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has been stung by a sting operation by its own vigilance director, who tape-recorded the conversation of a state minister asking him to go easy on her relative facing corruption charges. The minister today sent her resignation.

An “ashamed” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi today announced in the state Assembly that social welfare minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna had sent her resignation to him.

He said, “I feel ashamed that one of my ministerial colleagues had made a mistake by acting in favour of a person facing corruption charges. She has sent her resignation letter stating that she had not pressurised the DVAC (director vigilance and anti-corruption) but had only made a request.

The audio CD, which was released by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy contained conversation between Poongothai and the vigilance director S.K. Upadhyay regarding a pending investigation against her relative.

The minister had reportedly pleaded with Upadhyay to dilute the case against an assistant electrical engineer, Jawahar, and return the case to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board for only disciplinary action instead of prosecuting him criminally.

The CD plays a woman’s voice saying: “He is actually my Appa’s own brother.. I mean sister’s son, he is my first cousin. If things has to be done, please go ahead. But at least make sure, it is not very intense. Pavam (poor thing) .. He is the sole breadwinner for the family. His inquiry is coming. His name is Mr. Jawahar, assistant engineer. If you can push it to the EB (electricity board) Department, we will take care you know.”

Jawahar is under suspension on charges of accepting bribe. Poongothai accepted that the voice in the tape was hers and told mediapersons, “You want me to deny it? I am not like other politicians to deny that it was not my voice.”

However, Upadhyay was not available for comments. An anguished Karunanidhi admitted that it was misconduct on part of the minister to interfere with a vigilance case but said, “I am yet to decide on what to do with her resignation.”

Upadhyay was recently in the news when a report in a local daily stated that phones of senior bureaucrats were being tapped and reported a verbatim conversation between the state chief secretary L.K. Tripathi and Upadhyay. In that conversation, Tripathi tried to coax Upadhyay to collect evidence for a pending court case related to former Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo Jayaram Jayalalithaa’s properties.

The state government promptly ordered a judicial inquiry and appointed a retired judge of the Madras High Court P. Shanmugam to head it.

Karunanidhi said today that wrongdoers would not be forgiven at any cost that he was considering the Poongothai issue to be referred to the Shanmugam Commission.

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Capt files rejoinder in Badals’ case
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 14
In his rejoinder filed before the Supreme Court, petitioner Capt Amarinder Singh has stated that the prosecution has deliberately “failed to prove” the report of S.K. Srivastava, independent evaluator of the properties of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son and others.

The rejoinder claims some of the declared, assessed and current, values of Badal’s major properties as under:

Orbit Resorts (five-star property titled Trident Hilton, Gurgaon): Declared value 51.53 crore; assessed value 108.7 crore; current market value 450 crore

Badal farm house at Balasar, Punjab: Declared value Rs 1.39 crore; assessed value Rs 3.74 crore; current value Rs 10 crore

House number 256, Sector 9, Chandigarh: declared value Rs 0.9 crore; assessed value Rs 2.11 crore; present value Rs 5 crore

Continental Hatcheries: declared value Rs 0.29 crore; present value Rs 3 crore

Dhabwali workshop: declared value Rs 0.78 crore; present value Rs 2.5 crore

Commercial flat, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi: current value Rs 12 crore

SCO 54-55, Sector 9, Chandigarh: Declared value Rs 1 crore; current value Rs 2.5 crore

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Energy Cooperation
PM to visit Bhutan on Friday
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 14
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to announce a fairly large grant to Bhutan when he travels there on Friday on a two-day visit, which is aimed at further consolidation of the bilateral energy cooperation.

The Prime Minister will hold wide-ranging talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Jigme Y. Thinley on issues of mutual interest, including India’s development cooperation with the Himalayan kingdom.

The PM will also meet 28-year-old King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his father, the former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck.

Visiting Bhutan in its first year of a constitutional monarchy, he will dedicate the 1,020 MW Tala hydroelectric project to the Bhutanese people, built with Indian assistance, and lay the foundation stone for a 1,095 MW power plant at Punatsangchhu.

Bhutan, which has a rich hydropower potential, exports most of the electricity generated to India.

New Delhi plans to tap 5,000 MW of the nation’s estimated 30,000 MW hydel power potential.

All surplus power from the three commissioned hydroelectric projects in Bhutan is being sold to India, foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon told newspersons here while dwelling on the PM’s visit.

Manmohan is expected to announce a substantial contribution to the country’s 10th five-year plan during the visit, Menon said declining to give details.

The PM, who will become the first foreign leader to visit the youngest democracy in Asia, will address a joint session of the first elected Parliament of Bhutan.

He will get the first opportunity to interact with the new leadership and take forward the decades old relations characterised by close consultations, maturity, complete trust and mutual understanding to new heights.

Manmohan’s talks with Bhutanese leaders are expected to focus on developing a more diversified and contemporary economic and energy partnership in tune with emerging realities in the two countries.

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PM: Firing in J-K worrisome
Our Political Correspondent

New Delhi, May 14
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said India would discuss the issue of terrorism with Pakistan when the foreign ministers of the two countries meet later this month.

Although he refused to identify those responsible for yesterday’s serial blasts in Jaipur, he observed that there were elements which did not favour ties between India and Pakistan to be strengthened. He was speaking to mediapersons after the defence investiture ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan today.

Responding to a spate of questions on the Jaipur blasts and the incidents of firing across the LoC, Dr Singh maintained that all issues which had a bearing on relations between India and Pakistan would be discussed at the forthcoming talks.

However, he described the latest incidents of unprovoked firing at the Indian border post at Tangdhar in Northern Kashmir as “worrisome” while the violation of the five-year-old ceasefire was taken up by the director-general of military operations (DGMO) through the hotline. “We have taken up the matter at the level of DGMO,” he added. The Prime Minister disagreed with the BJPdemand for the re-enactment of a strong law for curbing terrorist activity.

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Nuke plant gets under way amidst N-deal fiasco
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, May 14
The Indian government has quietly asked the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) to begin work on the country's biggest nuclear power plant even if it is engaged in verbal duels with the Left parties over the signing of the Indo-US nuclear deal.

The jumbo nuclear plant, which will generate 10,000 MW of power, will come up at Madban village in Rajapur in Ratnagiri. The acquisition of over 1,200 hectares of land is almost complete, say state government sources. Apart from the actual nuclear power complex spread over 1,000 hectares, there will be a residential complex in over 200 hectares as part of the facility.

Under the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Jaitapur nuclear power plant, as the facility is being tentatively called now, will be classified as a civilian-use facility and will be able to access uranium supplies from international suppliers.

According to estimates available from the NPCIL, the Jaitapur plant will cost Rs 50,000 crore. It will have six reactors of the European pressurised water reactor (EPR) type generating 1,600 MW each. These have been designed and developed by Framatome (Areva) and Electric De France in France and Siemens in Germany, according to the sources. The reactors use 5 per cent enriched uranium oxide or mixed uranium plutonium oxide (MOX) fuel.

Supply of these reactors will depend entirely on India signing the deal. Observers say, the Indian nuclear establishment may have already placed the orders for the equipment under the assumption that the Indo-US agreement may be signed before the expiry of the current term of the Lok Sabha in May 2009.

Last month, the government told Parliament that the Indian nuclear power plants were functioning below capacity because of "a mismatch in the demand and supply of indigenous uranium". From the earlier capacity utilisation of 63 per cent, the plants have been operating at capacities below 40 per cent or less, Parliament was told.

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Traders melt coins for steel
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, May 14
Small metal traders have discovered a new arbitrage opportunity -- melting down coins of small denominations and even Re 1 and Rs 2 coins for their steel content. As commodity prices, particularly that of steel, rises in international markets the metal value of coins are seeing big jumps.

“A Re 1 coin has 4.85 grams of steel while 50 paise and 25 paise coins have steel in lesser quantities,” explains a senior banker. Coin traders in Mumbai’s Kalbadevi area and other parts of the city buy coins from beggars, bus conductors and even make change at the Reserve Bank of India’s counters. The coins are then smuggled to North India and even Bangladesh where they are melted down and the metal is extracted.

While India has kept steel prices low by leaning on steel producers, the price of the metal in world markets is zooming. So the steel extracted from Indian coins can be sold profitably in neighbouring countries, say sources.

The coins are then used to make cheap razor blades, say sources.

The RBI sources coins in the form of blanks from steel companies that are then stamped in the government mint. Often the same companies produce steel strips for use by razor blade manufacturers. “There is little difference in technology used to melt steel for coins or razor blades. Only the quantity of metal is negligible so that its value does not exceed the face value of the coins,” says a senior official from a steel manufacturing company.

The old Re 1 and Rs 2 coins in circulation in India had expensive metal like copper. With the price of copper zooming in the global markets, the government resorted to coins made of steel some years ago. The RBI has been mulling the possibility of introducing coins made of cheaper alloys to make them unattractive to metal recyclers.

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Monsoon to break over Kerala on May 29
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 14
Monsoon will hit the Indian mainland three days in advance and break over Kerala on May 29, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) today predicted.

The mean monsoon onset date over Kerala is June 1. The statistical forecast model has a model error of ± 4 days. The IMD has been issuing operational forecasts for monsoon onset over Kerala using statistical techniques since 2005. In 2007, the IMD predicted May 24 as the date of monsoon onset over Kerala, but it actually took place four days later.

For predicting this year’s monsoon onset, the IMD used an indigenously developed statistical model based on six predictors. They include minimum temperature over northwest India, pre-monsoon rainfall peak over south peninsula, outgoing long wave radiation (OLR) over South China Sea, lower tropospheric zonal wind over southeast Indian Ocean, upper tropospheric zonal wind over the east equatorial Indian Ocean and OLR over southwest Pacific region.

With favourable conditions in tow, the most-awaited annual weather phenomenon in the country had set in over parts of southeast Bay of Bengal, Nicobar Islands and south Andaman Sea on May 10, five days ahead of its average onset day.

As on May 13, the northern limit of monsoon is passing through Lat 5.0ºN Long 86.0ºE, Lat 8.0ºN Long 87.0ºE, Lat 10.0ºN Long 89.0ºE, Lat 12.0ºN Long 91.0ºE, Maya Bandar, Lat 14.0ºN Long 95.0ºE and Lat 15.0ºN Long 98.0ºE.

While there is no one-to-one relationship between the date of onset of monsoon over Kerala and its further advancement in different parts of the country, IMD director S.C. Bhan says the long range forecast and current observations indicate that monsoon is likely to keep its date with rest of India as well. The mean onset date of monsoon over Delhi, Punjab and Haryana is June 30.

IMD’s long-range forecast for this year’s southwest monsoon season between June and September, the rainfall for the country as a whole is likely to be near normal. Quantitatively, monsoon season rainfall is likely to be 99 per cent of the long period average with a model error of ± 5 per cent. The long period average rainfall over the country as a whole for the period 1941-1990 is 89 cm.

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Over 20,000 birds culled

Siliguri, May 14
Culling of birds that began in two blocks of Siliguri and one block of Kurseong in bird flu-affected Darjeeling district will continue for another two days.

A total of 20,298 birds were culled in the blocks since May 10, Darjeeling district magistrate Rajesh Pandey said.

Few thousands were yet to be killed due to non-cooperation in a few villages, he said.

It was decided that the mopping drive which began today would also continue, officials said.

Following the outbreak of avian influenza at Bagdogra, Matigara, Naxalbari in Siliguri and Sukna in Kurseong subdivision, the administration had banned trading of chicken and poultry products in the affected areas.

However, poultry market in this commercial hub was still open. — PTI

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BRIEFLY

31 die in dust storms, rains
New Delhi:
As many as 31 persons were killed and over 50 injured in fierce dust storms, heavy rains and bolts of lightning in different parts of north India on Wednesday. The dust storms triggered house collapses, uprooted trees and electric poles and snapped communication links in vast areas in the region. Twenty-nine fatalities were reported from Uttar Pradesh, which bore the brunt of the weather fury and two from the national Capital. In Uttar Pradesh, seven people were killed in Etawah, six in Unnao, five in Mathura, four each in Firozabad and Hathras, two in Kanpur and one in Sitapur. — PTI

Godman remanded in police custody
KOCHI:
Controversial Kerala godman Amrita Chaitanya, arrested for allegedly cheating an NRI woman of Rs 45 lakh, was today remanded in five days police custody. Amrita Chaitanya alias Santosh Madhavan, against whom the Interpol had issued a look out notice in the cheating case, was produced before Magistrate K.S. Saratchandran, who remanded him in police custody till May 19. — PTI

Akshay Kumar conferred with honorary doctorate
MUMBAI:
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is the latest film celebrity to be bestowed with an honorary doctorate degree by the University of Windsor in Canada. He was honoured in Ontario on May 9. Akshay has been actively involved in the social work both in India and Canada. — PTI

9 die of burns after accident
JALPAIGURI(WB):
Nine persons were charred to death when two vehicles caught fire after colliding with each other at Kalchini in Jalpaguri district today. The accident occurred when a car carrying six people of a marriage party collided with a minibus coming from the opposite direction, police said. — PTI

Yoga camp on cruise liner
New Delhi:
From giving yoga classes in mountains, Baba Ramdev has now moved to sea. He will now give yoga lessons on board a cruise liner. The week-long camp will begin off Hong Kong on board one of Asia Pacific's biggest cruise liners -- Super Star Virgo Cruise -- from June 1, for which about 1000 yoga learners have enrolled. — UNI

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