New Delhi, July 16
India has decided to scale down the July 18 special briefing for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the safeguards agreement and other aspects of Indo-US nuclear deal, confining it to its 35-member Board of Governors and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) countries which are not part of the Board.

Foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon will brief the representatives of the 54 countries in Vienna to garner support for India’s case with regard to the safeguards agreement that is to be approved by the IAEA Board and the waiver required from NSG, officials said here today.

At the briefing, Menon will speak about the importance of the initiative of Indo-US nuclear deal while citing the country’s impeccable track record on non-proliferation front despite not being a signatory to NPT.

Notably, approval of the India-specific safeguards agreement by the IAEA Board is a crucial step in the implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal. After firming up of the safeguards agreement, India has to get a waiver from the 45-nation NSG to allow it to have trade in the field with international community. Among the 35 members of the IAEA Board, 26 are also part of NSG. Rest of the NSG countries have also been invited for the special briefing.

To begin with, India had decided to brief all the 140 members of the IAEA and Indian ambassador Saurabh Kumar had sent out invitations to them. But the briefing has now been scaled down as it was considered unnecessary as the safeguards agreement is to be approved only by the 35-nation Board. The IAEA Board of Governors will meet on August 1 to consider the safeguards agreement. R.B. Grover, secretary in the department of atomic energy, will accompany Menon to Vienna for the briefing.

Earlier in the day, IAEA said the briefing has been cancelled at India’s request. “We have been informed that India has decided to cancel the briefing,” IAEA spokesperson Melissa Flemming said. Indian officials, however, immediately came out with a clarification. — PTI

New Delhi, July 16
India today enhanced its standby credit facility for the Himalayan nation to Rs 400 crore and exempted the neighbouring country from the ban on export of essential commodities.

India also reiterated its commitment to assist Bhutan in its socio-economic development programmes and reaffirmed its full support to the country’s 10th Five Year Plan. These announcements came after visiting Bhutan Prime Minister Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley held official-level talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Thinley is on his first overseas visit after becoming the Prime Minister of the first democratically elected government recently.

Earlier in the day, Thinley, who is accompanied by a high-level delegation on his four-day state visit, was accorded a warm welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan. He also held meetings with President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Ansari and other Indian leaders, including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Briefing reporters, an external affairs ministry spokesman said the credit would be drawn on favourable terms by Bhutan, as and when necessary, to ensure stability of its currency reserves and to meet its obligations. An agreement to this effect will be finalised shortly. New Delhi also committed to double its 10th plan assistance over the revised outlay assistance in the 9th plan period.

The spokesman said India was committed to enhancing its development assistance and cooperation. To this end, India and Bhutan will undertake mid-term reviews, on a rolling basis, of the plan to enhance the allocation of resources as required. He said India was committed to developing 10,000 MW of hydropower in Bhutan for export to India by the year 2020.

This would be done through direct assistance and in collaboration with Indian public sector undertakings. India has also agreed to positively consider Bhutan’s request for removal of export duty on the supply of industrial raw material, including coal and steel billets, to the Himalayan nation.

New Delhi, July 16
Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary Amar Singh has emerged as the real leader of his party, notwithstanding the fact that formally, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mulayam Singh Yadav heads the SP.

Amar Singh, a virtual persona non grata both in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and the household of Congress president Sonia Gandhi till the other day, is now meeting or speaking on the phone with both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi on almost daily basis.

One day he asks the government to be even handed with both Ambani brothers. Next day, Mukesh Ambani’s private jets get impounded. He then asks the Prime Minister to mediate between the two Ambani brothers. Immediately, Mukesh rushes to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). And evidently to maintain neutrality the next day, Anil’s jets are also seized.

He reminds the UPA government of the cases slapped against him and other leaders of the SP, including that of chief Mulayam Singh. The government takes immediate cognizance and the CBI revives disproportionate assets cases against BSP chief and UP Chief Minister Mayawati.

In all developments, Mulayam Singh has suddenly vanished from the scene. He is away in Lucknow. His second in command SP secretary general Ram Gopal Yadav quietly comes to the 18, Copernicus Lane office of the party every day at 8 am and sorts out the grievances of party workers till 10 am.

SP ideologue Janeshwar Mishra opens his durbar at around 5.30 pm in the evening every day in his Lohia Ke Log house here and closes it after sitting there for two to three hours.

His supporters dismiss this as an unfair campaign against their leader. SP MP Shahid Siddiqui said, “Amar Singh is the party spokesman. He is very articulate. He gives good sound bytes. That is why he is visible all over.” As for Mulayam Singh, he said, “Our leader is a simple rural person. He shuns publicity. Besides, when do you see Sonia Gandhi so often? Or for that matter L. K. Advani or even Prakash Karat? There too it is the spokespersons who interact with the media on a daily basis.”

The CPM, dining with Amar Singh till recently, avoided a direct comment. A CPM central committee member sufficed to say, “We have a certain level.”

BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy too was rather mild in his criticism. He avoided commenting directly on Amar Singh and said, “I can only say that the Prime Minister should not be persuaded to become a middleman. Even if the present political situation warrants this he should refrain from this.”

That of course did not prevent the CPI from attacking the PMO for being influenced by Amar Singh.

CPI said, “It is shocking that the Prime Minister’s Office and the Prime Minister himself are being dragged into the corporate war that is raging and demands are even being made that the Prime Minister himself should mediate in the dispute between the two corporate houses”.

Implicitly raising an accusing finger at Amar Singh it said, “This is a dangerous trend that has surfaced in the political situation emerging after the Left parties have withdrawn support from the government and certain other forces have been co-opted by the government to rescue it self.”

But former UP information minister and BSP ideologue Sudhir Goel was most scathing. He said, “Amar Singh is not just the leader of SP or Mulayam Singh Yadav. He is now the leader of the UPA. He is the leader of Manmohan Singh, he is the leader of Sonia Gandhi.”

New Delhi, July 16
A multi-pronged strategy - a large-scale development programme, faster police modernisation, providing new road linkages and setting up of six jungle warfare schools -will now be put in place to tackle the Naxal problem in parts the central and eastern India.

A decision to this affect was taken today at meeting of the Union Home Ministry where senior officers from Jharkhand, Orissa, Chattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh participated.

Home secretary Madhukar Gupta said 33 districts had been identified where the focus would be on targeted development. The so-called “deficit of development” that was often touted as a problem would be reduced. The states have conveyed that better road linkages are needed. The same have been conveyed to the secretary, road transport. The roads in the Naxal-prone areas are in a bad shape, connectivity between the states and also on the national highways will be improved.

The Rural Development Ministry has been asked to draw up special plans. The Intelligence Bureau will assist in strengthening and expanding intelligence -gathering capabilities of the state police forces.

The expenses will be covered under the additional fund allocation for police modernisation. Specialist CRPF commando units will be sent and all states have agreed and they are in the process of identifying land for the purpose.

The government has decided to set up six jungle warfare schools to train the forces in counter-insurgency operations, Gupta said. Some of these schools will be located in the Naxal-affected states. The states are in the process of filling in the vacancies in their respective forces.

The home secretary said the Naxals want to stop construction of roads, threaten to blow up bridges and uproot electricity lines. “They are not helping any poor but just helping themselves”, averred Gupta while adding that the way infrastructure was being targeted it was a challenge for the security forces. He added that leaving out a couple of major incidents, in the recent past the results of the efforts put in the past was showing results.

On recent reports of human rights groups against Salwa Judum, the home secretary said the Naxalities were distributing literature that they had to finish the Salwa Judum. The Naxalities had been attacking them, however, there would be no leniency on anybody committing crime. “He clarified that it was wrong to say that children had been employed as special police officers”.

Mumbai, July 16
The monsoon session of the Maharashtra assembly which began today will see the state government pass the Maharashtra Special Economic Zones Act so as to smoothen the path of promoters who are backing such ventures. According to state government sources, the proposed legislation will confine itself to issues like land acquisition, state taxes and duties since the Central government has already turned down a proposal to allow flexibility in labour laws. The Maharashtra government had earlier sought dilution in laws pertaining to minimum wages and contract labour. The Central government had turned down the request.

Consequently, the law to be enacted by the state will deal mainly with land acquisition issues. Earlier the state government had stated that it would not acquire land for the setting up of SEZs and made it mandatory for companies to buy land on their own. “Promoters of SEZs have complained against the measure and the government is considering it,” a state government official said.

The problems faced in acquiring land for the SEZ at Raigad by Mukesh Ambani has been cited as an example. Large-scale protests are still continuing and the company has not made much headway in acquiring land for the project, according to information available at the local level. Ambani and his associates are now pressing the state government to intercede in the land acquisition process. Sources say, companies that have already purchased much of their land requirements may get some benefit with the government acquiring the reminder. However, the exact ratios will be known when the draft bill is circulated, say officials.

Sources say, the Centre has also asked Maharashtra to incorporate changes in the town-planning laws that come under the broader SEZ laws. Promoters of SEZs would have to follow the new building codes that are being enacted by the Centre.

So far 89 SEZs in Maharashtra have received formal approval, while 37 have recieved in-principle clearance and 27 others have been notified.

Chandigarh, July 16
A court of inquiry (COI) has been ordered to investigate the allegations of physical and mental harassment levelled by Capt Poonam Kaur of the Kalka-based Army Services Corps (ASC) battalion against her superior officers.

Reports from Delhi stated that the matter has also been viewed seriously by the Defence Minister, A K Antony, who has also ordered an investigation into the allegations. The defence minister is understood to have intervened after the allegations were termed by the Army as baseless.

Captain Poonam has accused three of her seniors, including her commanding officer Col R K Sharma, the unit’s second-in-command, Lt Col Lt Colonel Ajay Chawla and adjutant, Major Suraj Bhan of harassing her over the past few months. In a statement issued yesterday, the Army had denied the charges.

“Whenever a complaint is made, it becomes our duty to protect the interests of the complainant as well that of the defendants. Hence an inquiry has been instituted into the allegations,” Major General Kamal Mohey, head of the ASC Branch at Headquarters Western Command, told mediapersons here today.

He said that the accusations of the lady officer had not been dismissed. "However, if her integrity is at stake, so is the integrity of three officers, all of whom also have a family", he added.

Another woman officer from the same battalion, Capt Sandeepika Khara was also present along with the General Mohey when he addressed the media. She briefly stated that the officers of her unit were “good” and the working environment was “congenial”.

Captain Poonam was posted to Kalka on October 18, 2007 from the North-East. She had claimed that she had been placed under house arrest in her quarters in Kalka, which was denied by the Army. Sources said that she attended office today, though she had not gone out of the unit premises.

According to the Army, on June 30, Poonam was ordered to move to Pathankot for commanding one of the detachments of her unit located there but she sought deferment for the move citing personal reasons. She was again instructed to move on July 11, she requested that she be permitted to leave on July 12, which was also agreed. However, she refused to go and sought an interview with General Mohey.

Pointing out that he even gave an interview to Captain Poonam on July 14 and asked her to put her grievances in writing which she refused, he added that he even visited the battalion, but she refused to come out to meet him.

General Mohey, however, did not comment on Captain Poonam’s past career profile. Yesterday the Army had claimed that during her last posting at Misamari in Assam, she had indulged in similar activities, following which “mental weakness'' was recorded in her profile.

Kochi, July 16
The Kerala High Court has observed that policemen with consistent criminal background are mostly favoured with undeserving good service entries, promotions, and recommendations for police medals.

Those who are close to power centres and yield influence are safe to attain service benefits despite their criminal antecedents, the court observed yesterday.

Justice V Ramkumar said: "Those who are faithful and loyal to the system and who are less influential are easy prey to the cunning predators who are the de facto dons."

The judge made these observations while dismissing a criminal revision petition filed by the state, in which former DGP Joseph Thomas and DSP C Rajagopal are the accused.

The court said that the government move was to protract the trial of the case to see that Rajagopal, who stood a good chance of getting the IPS cadre, was deprived of the same.

"Who are the persons who played this dirty game? Is the government aware of the manipulations or is it done with connivance and tacit consent of higher ups?" the court asked.

The Director-General of Prosecution informed the court that the revision petition was filed by the state as per the instructions of Jacob Punnose, a top ranking police official. Earlier, the court had directed that the trial be expedited in a time-bound manner. — PTI

Malkangiri (Orissa), July 16
In the second major strike by Maoists in Orissa in less than three weeks, 21 Orissa policemen were feared killed in a landmine explosion and firing by the ultras in Malkangiri district today.

The van carrying the members of the Special Operations Group (SOG) was on its way from MPV 126, 50 km from here, to MPV-41, when the landmine went off.

The SOG personnel were going to the place where the Maoists attacked the house of a BJP leader last night.

“We suspect that all 21 personnel in the van were killed in the incident,” DGP Gopal Chandra Nanda told PTI.

The SOG personnel were ambushed by the Maoists who felled trees to block Kalimela-Motu road to block the vehicle. When some of them alighted to clear the road they were fired on by the Maoists and their vehicle was damaged by the landmine explosion triggered at about the same time, the police said.

Though the vehicle was not completely damaged in the blast, as it was an anti-landmine one it had overturned and those inside it were gunned down by the ultras when they tried to come out from it.

Security forces were rushed to the spot after the explosion that came 18 days after the Maoists carried out an audacious attack on a launch carrying elite anti-Naxal Greyhound police personnel of Andhra Pradesh in a reservoir in Malkangiri district. That incident left 35 dead and many injured.

DIG Sanjeev Panda said the van was an anti-landmine one and there were 21 personnel in it.

He, however, did not confirm the casualty figure. “Our people are yet to reach at the explosion site”. — PTI

Dehra Dun, July 16
After suffering evacuation and rehabilitation, villagers living on the periphery of Tehri lake, formed due to the Tehri hydro-electric project, are now facing a fresh threat - frequent landslides.

A thirteen-year-old girl from village Kumrada in district Uttarkashi died after she was dragged into the lake along with a landslide a few days ago. She was with the flock of her animals when the incident occurred.

A total of 37 villages, besides the historic Tehri city and dozens of bridges, were submerged in the waters of the Tehri lake with the filling up of the reservoir of the project last year. The reservoir is 42 square kilometres in area.

However, this has led to an increase in the number of landslides in the villages situated on the periphery of the lake.

According to Jot Singh Bisht, head of Partapnagar block and a senior Congress leader, residents of at least half-a-dozen villages are facing danger of relocation. “We have requested the state government and the Tehri dam authorities to look into the problems of these villages since Geological Survey of India (GSI) scientists have also categorised the villages of Sansu, Nakot and Rawalkot as dangerous,” he said.

On the other hand, Tehri hydro-electric development corporation officials said the water level of the reservoir has been 778 metres and would go up to 820 meters this year. “The dam has a capacity to store water up to 840 meters but we have been given permission to go up to 820 metres this year,” said A.L. Shah, manager, Tehri project.

Regarding landslides, he said in the first four years it was a natural occurrence due to accumulation of water. “The problem will decrease in the coming years,” he assured.

Meanwhile, the Tehri district administration has been working towards rehabilitation of the 157 families living between 820 metres and 830 metres height area of the reservoir.

Dehra Dun, July 16
The Nainital High Court has admitted a writ petition filed by Avdhash Kaushal, chairman, Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra, a Dehra Dun-based voluntary organisation, against the decision of the Uttarakhand government to stop work at Pala Maneri and Bhairon Ghati power projects following an agitation by Prof G.D. Agarwal, an environmentalist, last month.

A division Bench of the high court, headed by Chief Justice V.K. Gupta and Justice B.C. Kandpal, on Monday issued notices to the Uttarakhand government, the Union government and various other central and state government agencies involved in the construction of the hydro-power projects, besides Indian Council for Enviro-Legal (ICELA), another voluntary group of Uttarkashi, that had filed a petition in the court for the stoppage of the hydro-power projects.

The division Bench directed the respondents to file their replies by July 30.

The petitioner pleaded that the decision of the state government to stop Pala Maneri and Bharon Ghati phase-I and II power projects on the Bhagirathi was politically motivated and would bring great harm to the economic development of the people of the state.

Prof G.D. Agarwal, a retired professor of environmental sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, had started an indefinite fast on the banks of the Bhagirathi at Uttarkashi on June 13 to demand the closure of all power projects between Gangotri and Uttarkashi. Agarwal got support from various Hindu organisations, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). On June 19, the Uttarakhand government decided to shelve Pala Maneri and Bharon Ghati phase-I and II projects on the Bhagirathi.

A writ was also filed by the Indian Council for Enviro-Legal (ICELA), a Uttarkashi-based voluntary group, in the Nainital High Court demanding a ban on the power projects on the rivers in the state.

Kaushal in his petition alleged that by halting the work on the power projects the state government had succumbed to pressure from various religious groups with vested interest and by doing so had blatantly acted in violation of its own policy regarding harnessing of hydro power. 

New Delhi, July 16
As the date for the trust vote draws closer, a desperate UPA government is resorting to all kinds of means to net the fence-sitting “undecided” smaller parties and individual leaders. In its ongoing attempts to woo Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Ajit Singh, the Centre has even offered to rename the Amausi airport in Lucknow as the Chaudhary Charan Singh airport. UPA sources said the issue was likely to be taken up at the weekly meeting of the Union Cabinet tomorrow.

The ruling coalition is justifying the change on the plea that Charan Singh was, after all, the country’s Prime Minister and is even pointing to other precedents like the Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport of Mumbai and the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport of Ahmedabad, which are renamed to appease the local sentiments.

There are, however, few takers for this argument given the timing of the Centre’s decision. Like several other small parties, UPA’s crisis managers are wooing the three-member RLD assiduously as every single vote is critical for the July 22 contest, which is going to be a very close call.

RLD chief Ajit Singh, who knows how to drive a hard bargain, is proving to be a tough customer. He is learnt to be angling for a ministerial berth. With the Congress and the Samajwadi Party(SP) all set to have an electoral pact in Uttar Pradesh, the RLD chief is also expected to join this alliance and will be looking for a fair share of tickets for his party, which has a substantial support base in western UP.

Besides the RLD, it has become equally critical for the UPA to secure the support of the five-member Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) to save the ruling coalition. However, JMM chief Shibu Soren has been sulking because he was not re-inducted into the Cabinet even after the courts acquitted him.

In fact, Soren has been told that if he brings down the UPA government, the Madhu Koda government in Jharkhand could meet the same fate. Koda is known for his proximity to Soren.

The Congress sources said it had become imperative for the Prime Minister to assume a more proactive approach as all the MPs they had approached wanted to first meet the Prime Minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The Prime Minister is also hosting a dinner for all UPA and other supporting MPs on Sunday as part of this charm offensive.

BRIEFLY

Oldest fort in Goa to get a facelift
PANAJI: One of the oldest forts in Goa is all set to become a major tourist attraction with a UK-based trust sponsoring its restoration work. “The UK-based Lady Helen Hamly Trust has sponsored to carry out its beautification works,” said Gerald D’Cunha, nationally renowned architect, who designed its renovation plans, to be completed in the next one and a half years. The 15th century construction, Reis Magos Fort, is tucked on a mountain overlooking the capital city of Panaji and the Mandovi river. — PTI

Nehru Planetarium to show video of Chandrayaan-I
MUMBAI: Space science enthusiasts will have a gala time during the monsoon months as the Nehru Planetarium here plans to show a simulation of the ambitious Chandrayaan-I mission. “The simulation video will be shown as part of the planetarium’s special programme titled, ‘Conquest of the moon’ and ‘Secrets of the Sun’ which commemorates the landing of man on the moon in 1969,” director of the planetarium Piyush Pandey said. — PTI

Rare Hoolock Gibbon breeds in captivity in Arunachal
ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh, known for its rich biodiversity, has become the first state to breed Hoolock Gibbon, an endangered species, in captivity. The offspring was born on July 11 to two gibbons out of the eight rescued from Delo forest in the lower Dibang valley and rehabilitated in the biological park, located close to Lorputung forest here, deputy chief wildlife warden Chukhu Loma, in charge of the Park, said. — PTI

3 tourists killed in mishap
VIRUDHUNAGAR, (TN): Three tourists were killed on the spot and three others critically injured when their car collided head-on with a truck near Vaniyampathi village on the Rajapalayam-Srivilliputhur highway on Wednesday.State Special Branch police sources said the victims were on their way to Courtallam falls from Pudukottai when the tragedy occurred. The cotton bale-laden truck, coming from the opposite direction, was proceeding to Madurai from Tenkasi. The injured were rushed to government Rajaji hospital in Madurai. — UNI