New Delhi, October 11
The incident involving a GoAir flight that lost
a nose wheel on Thursday has brought into light
several factors, besides the level of engineering
maintenance of aircraft in the country.

The GoAir flight had a miraculous landing at the
Delhi’s IGI after losing a nose wheel during take-
off at Mumbai.

The immediate fallout was that the directorate
general of civil aviation suspended the main-
tenance engineer who had carried out the
checks before the aircraft took off on the
basis of prima facie evidence.

The pilot of the aircraft earned applause and accolades for having landed the aircraft safely even in such adverse circumstances.

The ATC also won appreciation for having controlled the situation very well by reacting in a proactive way to the situation.

In all, aviation experts say the situation could not possibly have been handled in a better way, adding that “the incident was possibly a result of combination of errors like the engineer missing out on vital indications that there might be a material failure or bearing grease colour indicating water droplets in the gear assembly”.

Though this probably was the first incident of its kind in India, similar technical snags have been reported from other countries.

“Suspension of the engineer’s license maybe a proactive but hasty move considering that manufacturer has had a past history of technical snags on it’s A319/320/321 series NLG (Nose Landing Gear),” an airline pilot, quoting a study by Transportation Safety Board of Canada, says.

The role of airline in carrying out safety checks before an aircraft takes off is clearly laid down.

The quality control manager (QCM) has to check all spares being put on an aircraft and certify that they are good enough and meet all safety standards.

Though the actual work on the aircraft is mostly done by aircraft technicians, the aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) concerned has to be present to supervise minor/major repairs done on the aircraft.

The AME also signs the technical logbook that he or she has checked the aircraft and declare it airworthy.

An engineer with Indian, who did not wish to be named, says at times engineers end up doing superficial checks on the aircraft instead of the detailed inspection at regular intervals as specified by the manufacturer in the maintenance manual.

He explains that in India this is more common because some checks appear routine.

New Delhi, October 11
Pakistan's national security adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani arrived here today on a five-day visit, saying forging "friendship" with India topped his agenda.

"I have an open agenda. Friendship is my agenda," said Durrani, who will hold official-level talks with national security adviser M. K. Narayanan on Monday.

He will also call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Durrani and Narayanan will discuss ways to strengthen the Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism and enhance cooperation in tackling terrorism, official sources said.

"It is a pleasure being in Delhi. I am coming here after a number of years. I look forward to my meetings in Delhi... meeting some old friends," he told reporters after he was received by joint secretary in the ministry of external affairs T. C. A. Raghavan and Pakistan high commissioner Shahid Malik at the airport here.

Lucknow, October 11
Seema Parihar, once one of India's most feared bandits, is now a member of the Samajwadi Party.

She formally joined the party during a function in Auraiya in the presence of the party’s national president Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The entry of another well-known name of the Chambal ravines into the SP comes exactly 11 years after bandit queen Phoolan Devi formally joined the SP at exactly the same venue in 1997.

She rose to represent the party in the Lok Sabha from Mirzapur. This is not Parihar's first foray into politics.

During the bypoll for the Bhadohi parliamentary election in 2007, she was the Indian Justice party candidate.

Later she joined Ramvilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti early this year and now it is the turn of the SP.

Parihar, who faces charges on 29 counts of murder and kidnapping, considers Phoolan Devi to be her role model.

Seema also acted in a film called “Wounded” in which she essayed her real life character in the ravines.

Directed by Krishna Mishra, the film received the Critics Award at Leicester Expo
Film Festival 2005, Great Britain, for realistic portrayal of the 13-year-old who
becomes a dacoit.

Thiruvananthapuram, October 11
Two millennia of Indian Christianity will have its greatest moment of joy and pride when Pope Benedict XVI will elevate Kerala-born Sister Alphonsa to the status of saint tomorrow.

Sister Alphonsa will become the first Indian woman to achieve the high spiritual position in the hall of fame and veneration of the Catholic Church.

Winding up the long-drawn process of canonisation, which began half-a-century
back, the Pontiff would confer sainthood on her, along with three others from
other parts of the world, at a special four-hour long mass and allied ceremonies
starting at 12.30 pm.

Hundreds of Keralite Christians from different parts of the world are expected to attend the event at the Vatican.

Live screening, special services and a memorial meeting have been planned in Bharanangnam town in Kerala’s Kottayam district, where Alphonsa led her short life of unflinching faith in the first half of the 20th century.

The three others to be made saints are Italian priest and founder of Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus Fr Geatano Eerrico, Swiss foundress of the Congregation of Fransiscan Sisters of Mary Help of Christians Maria Bernarda Butler and Narcisa de Jesus Martillo, an Ecuadorian lay person.

According to church history, the first Indian person to become a Catholic saint was Gonzalo Garcia, a Jesuit born in Vasai near Mumbai. — PTI

New Delhi, October 11
The Election Commission today held discussions on holding assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, amid indications that a decision may be announced early next week.

Chief election commissioner N. Gopalaswami and other two election commissioners Navin Chawla and S.Y. Quraishi met to assess the situation in the sensitive state, fuelling speculation that the poll schedule would be announced today.

However, EC sources refused to give any indications about the possible date.

Union home secretary Madhukar Gupta had briefed the EC yesterday on the
availability of the security forces and the government's readiness to hold the
elections on time.

Government sources had said the polling was likely to be held in three to four phases to facilitate smooth movement of security personnel for holding peaceful polling.

The EC's meeting with top home ministry officials took place after the panel returned here following a two-day visit to the state this week where it met various political parties to elicit their views on the timing of the elections.

The EC delegation had also met senior civil and police officials in the state to review the poll preparations.

During the discussions the EC had with political parties in Srinagar, Kashmir-based parties said they would abide by the decision of the Commission, though they claimed that the current atmosphere was not conducive for the elections.

The BJP and the Left wanted immediate elections while the Congress said it was the Commission's call.

The term of the Assembly, which was dissolved following the fall out of the Congress-PDP coalition in the wake of the Amarnath land transfer row, would have ended on November 20.

But since the state was placed under the Governor's rule, the elections have to be held before January 10. — PTI

Mumbai, October 11
Mumbai Region Youth Congress president Sunil Ahire today lodged an FIR against the producer and director of the reality TV show 'Bigg Boss' for allegedly telecasting obscenity and vulgarity.

The police said besides the show's producer and director, the FIR also mentioned about the owner of Colors, the channel that telecasts the show, and three participants, including Rahul Mahajan, son of former BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, Sambhavana Seth and Payal Rohatgi.

The case has been registered under sections 292, 294 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the sources added.

New Delhi, October 11
Defence minister A.K. Antony yesterday announced a major revamp of the country’s three naval shipbuilding yards to speed up the production of warships, submarine and destroyers, among other ships, for the Navy.

This is aimed at reducing the time taken to build warships and bringing the shipyards to international standards. It will cost about Rs 2,220 crore.

The Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) will be upgraded, said Antony after he received cheques for Rs 104.84 crore as dividend from these shipyards for the financial year ending March 31, 2008.

Antony said warship-building process in the country is poised for a quantum jump in the next few years.

This would include increased design capabilities matched with global level infrastructure in all three defence shipyards.

He said all three shipyards under the ministry of defence are moving ahead with state-of-the-art moderniz\sation programmes to keep pace with the global shipbuilding technologies and meet the challenges of future warship building in India.

The MDL at Mumbai is currently making a total of 14 ships, which include three frigates, three destroyers and six submarines for the Navy.

BRIEFLY

Delhi serial blasts toll rises to 25
NEW DELHI: A young woman on Saturday became the 25th victim of the serial blasts in the national Capital after battling for life for almost a month in a city hospital. Santosh (25), a resident of central Delhi’s Karol Bagh, had suffered multiple injuries in the blast in Gaffar Market on September 13 and was surviving on life-support system at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML). She breathed her last at around 11 am, RML medical superintendent M.K. Chaturvedi said. He added 12 more patients, who suffered injuries in the blasts, are still undergoing treatment in the hospital. — PTI

SHGs help women counter Naxalism: Prez
PUNE: Lauding the role of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in empowering women in rural areas of the country, President Pratibha Patil on Saturday said several women in Maoist-hit areas of Maharashtra had left Naxalism and joined the mainstream due to the support provided by the SHGs. “A group of women from Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra visited me last week. They told me that many women had been weaned away from Naxalism due to the effectiveness of SHGs in providing them support,” Patil said at a function organised here for launching of a scheme to provide bank loans at concessional rates to SHGs. Patil gave away cheques to representatives of some SHGs. — PTI

Five-year-old boy parasails at 70 ft
PURULIA: A five-year-old student of Sainik School here on Saturday created a record of sorts when he flew at a height of 70 ft in a parasailing exercise, school sources claimed. “Akshata Kumar, a KG student flew at 70 ft during parasailing at the school ground,” principal of the school, Bijay Kaushal, said. Kaushal claimed that it would be a new record as no boy of Akshata’s age had parasailed at such a height before. — PTI