New Delhi, October 25
Taking a U-turn within days, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily today said that the government would do nothing to tarnish the image of the judiciary.

Moily was responding to a reporter who said the judiciary's image was "at risk" following the allegations of corruption against Karnataka High Court Chief Justice PD Dinakaran and sought the minister's views.

"I must tell you that we will never and shall not allow the image of the judiciary to be at peril. The prestige of the judiciary is always kept up. Nothing will be done to tarnish the image of the judiciary," he said.

Another reporter asked whether an inference could be drawn from this statement that Justice Dinakaran would not be elevated to the Supreme Court in view of the allegations.

"You cannot infer anything from the statement. This has no connection with any individual," he clarified.

He was addressing the media at the conclusion of a two-day judicial conference for finding ways to liquidate pending cases that had mounted to 30 million.

Today's statement of Moily is contrary to the views he expressed at another media meet held on October 22. He had then said that there was need for "resurrecting the credibility of the judiciary".

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan, discussed the issue of Justice Dinakaran in the light of the CJ's response to a Tamil Nadu District Collector's report that the Judge had in fact encroached upon a large area of agricultural land.

However, the Collegium is believed to have deferred its final decision, as it is awaiting another report from the TN government since Justice Dinakaran has dubbed the Collector's report as motivated.

The Collegium has already asked the government to hold back the recommendation relating to the elevation of Justice Dinakaran to the SC and go ahead with the proposals for appointing four other CJs, including Justice TS Thakur of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Mumbai, October 25
With the Maharashtra Assembly elections out of the way, Chhath Puja has reverted to being what it was for the past decade --- a religious event --- for scores of Bihar residents living in Mumbai. Thousands of North Indians living in Mumbai gathered along the city’s

beaches and lakes to observe Chhath Puja on a grand scale. The grandest of the gathering was at the Juhu beach, where more than five lakh devotees were present. Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which hit the headlines for opposing the religious festival, seems to have mellowed down after bagging 13 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

“I was never opposed to Chhath Puja, only the politicisation of the religious festival,” Thackeray said, while talking to mediapersons, signalling his supporters to lie low. As he tried to position the MNS as a representative of the Marathi-speaking people in Mumbai, Raj had allegedly labelled the event as ‘Hatth Puja.’ But now the party is definitely lying low.

“We have no objection to any festival being celebrated. There is no proposal to hold protests,” MNS spokesman Shirish Parkar said shortly before the prayers commenced at sunset.

Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam, who organises the Juhu beach Chhath Puja, has also toned down the rhetoric. “We have not called any leader from Bihar or any other place. We are only organising puja as a religious event like we did in the past,” he said. The puja organised by Nirupam is one of the biggest in Mumbai and has helped him emerge as a major leader of the North Indian community in the country’s financial capital.

For the first time, large-scale Chhath celebrations are being reported from cities like Pune and Nashik, which have a large concentration of North Indians. The security has been tightened with hundreds of police personnel standing guard in case of any eventuality. The State Reserve Police deployed more than 1,000 personnel at Juhu beach.

Guwahati, October 25
Dorjee Khandu (54) was today, for the second time in a row, sworn in as the Chief Minister of the frontier hill state of Arunachal Pradesh where he led Congress to a landslide victory in the Assembly poll winning 42 out of the total 60 seats.

Governor Lieutenant General (retd JJ Singh administered the oath of office and secrecy to Khandu, a former Army intelligence officer and social activist-turned-politician, at a ceremony at the Raj Bhawan in Itanagar.

Khandu is slated to go to New Delhi tomorrow to meet the Congress high command to finalise the list of his council of ministers, a party source informed from Itanagar. All the ministers in the previous Congress government barring two have been reelected in the just-concluded election and are hoping for a berth in the new Cabinet.

After taking oath as the CM, Khandu stated that his government would give priority to implementation of development projects to put the state on the fast track of development.

He said development of education sector , streamlining of the public distribution system, setting up of air ports, implementation of power projects would be in the list of priorities for his government.

There would be special focus on implementation of the proposed Trans Arunachal highway project that is part of the Prime Minister’s development package for the state.

Khandu, who represents Mukto Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC) in bordering Tawang district, first became the CM of the hill state on October 9, 2007, succeeding Gegong Apang following revolt against the latter by majority of party legislators.

New Delhi, October 25
Bogged down by shortage of 11,500 officers due to low intake at military academies and a high rate of premature retirements, the Army has indicated to its leadership that it will take 20 years of best efforts to fill up the vacancies.

In an internal study, the Army has said the projection was conditional and the vacancies could be filled up in two decades only if training capacities in the academies were increased and the exit rate of officers wanting to retire prematurely was kept low.

On the basis of the study, the Army Headquarters has suggested to the commanders that the intake of recruits at the Dehradun-based Indian Military Academy (IMA) and the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai be increased by improving training capacities of the two institutes, an officer said here.

The Commanders had been discussing the issue of officer shortage for quite sometime and it was again debated at the recently concluded conference of senior offices, he said. The 1.2-million strong army has a sanctioned strength of over 46,000 officers.The data, compiled through a study, showed that the Army faced the prospect of an average of 1,500 premature retirements (PMRs) of officers every year.

The current annual average number of officers commissioned in the Army from its academies stood at 1,700, around 300 less than the required average number of nearly 2,000 recruits.

At present, the IMA has a capacity to train 950 permanent commission officers per year and the OTA about 500 short service commission officers. The facilities at the two academies could be stretched to allow IMA accommodate 1,100 cadets and OTA 600 cadets a year.

“The Army Commanders have been told that the IMA and the OTA need to improve capacities such as classrooms, accommodation, number of trainers, training facilities and firing range, and increase intake,” the officer said.

Accordingly, if capacities were increased at the two academies to allow higher intake of 1,450 cadets in the IMA and 650 in the OTA, additional number of officers commissioned every year would increase by another 400.

“Even so, the number of prospective PMRs will have to remain below existing 1,500 officers,” he said.

For increasing capacities, the academies need a three-year lead time. “Hence, the 20-year crystal gazing,” he added.

In the past one year, the government has acted on some of the issues such as low salary packages and few career progression avenues for officers.

The government implemented the Sixth Pay Commission recommendation substantially increasing their pay package and gave a go-ahead for Ajai Vikram Singh Committee recommendation to increase the number of Colonels, Brigadiers, Major- Generals and Lieutenant-Generals.The proposal to set up a second OTA at Gaya in Bihar too was approved so as to increase the number of Short Service Commission officer recruits. — PTI

New Delhi, October 25
Concerned over smuggling of explosives used in mining activities, the government has asked companies in the Maoist-hit states to tighten security and prevent theft of explosives used in their operations.

In a letter to the Ministries of Steel, Coal and Mines, the Union Home Ministry has said immediate steps should be taken to prevent slipping of explosives to Naxalite groups, who used the same for manufacture of Improvised Explosive Device.

“The Home Ministry has asked these ministries to issue guidelines to public and private companies to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) with the help of local agencies to shield sensitive explosive/magazine installations which are vulnerable to attacks by the Maoists,” a senior Coal Ministry official said.

In the letter written to the three ministries on October 23, the Home Ministry cited attack by the Maoists on bauxite mines of public sector Nalco in Orissa's Koraput district in April, which claimed lives of as many as 10 CISF personnel.

There have been a number of instances of loot of explosives, besides sabotage to machine and equipment in mines located in Naxal-hit areas, including Coal India subsidiary Bharat Coking Coal, and NMDC's Bailadila mine.

Coal India Ltd Chairman Partha S Bhattacharyya said the PSU has already taken a decision not to stock high quantity of explosives and ammunition in mining areas.

“We are aware of our responsibility and have rationalised our stocks to prevent any such untoward incident in mine areas,” Bhatttacharyya said.

The Home Ministry's letter has been forwarded to the Chief Secretaries of Naxal-affected states like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh among others.

When contacted, Jharkhand Chief Secretary Sheo Basant told the news agency that security has already been beefed up in areas where mining activities are undertaken, besides measures to protect railway tracks.

The state has witnessed a number of incidents in which the red brigade have disrupted road and rail traffic, besides mining and other operations resulting in losses to the tune of crores of rupees. — PTI

Chennai, October 25
The divisions within the UPA on the Mullaiperiyar dam issue is threatening to spill onto the streets, with the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, a constituent of the UPA government at the Centre, announcing a protest meeting specifically for the purpose of condemning a Central minister belonging to the Congress for his conduct on the Mullaiperiyar dam issue.

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who is fully conscious that his government no longer relies on the Congress support for survival, with both the PMK and the Left parties waiting in the wings to back his government if necessary, will participate in the meeting to be held on November 1 at Madurai, in south Tamil Nadu.

Buoyed by the recent exit of the Left parties and the PMK from the AIADMK alliance, the DMK leaders, who are aware that both the parties are already showing signs of tilting towards the DMK, are likely to lash out at Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh.

Although the announcement said Karunanidhi would address the "massive public meeting to condemn the Union Minister of State (Jairam Ramesh) for his conduct on the Mullaiperiyar dam issue", it did not mention the names of other speakers.

Since, the meeting will be held at Madurai, Karunanidhi's son and Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Alagiri, who is also the convener of the DMK in southern districts, besides being the MP from Madurai constituency, is expected to attend it. If Alagiri participates in the meeting and flays one of his colleagues in the Central ministry, it is sure to create an embarrassing situation for the UPA government.

The DMK's announcement follows a statement by PMK leader S Ramadoss, urging the state government to challenge the Centre on the Mullaiperiyar dam issue to protect the rights of Tamil Nadu. The PMK leader's statement is seen as an assurance by his party that it will support the DMK government if necessary.

After his exit from the AIADMK alliance, Ramadoss had flayed the Centre, while refraining from criticising the DMK. The PMK leader, besides expressing his keenness to meet Karunanidhi, is also encouraging the latter to take on the Centre on various issues.

CPI state secretary D Pandian has also supported the DMK government's stand on Mullaiperiyar issue. The Left parties had not withdrawn support to the DMK government even when they had formed the third front with the AIADMK.

The DMK has 99 members in the 234-member state Assembly. It has the support of two MLAs belonging to Thol Thirumavalavan's VCK. The support of the PMK, which has 18 members in the Assembly, is sufficient for the DMK government, to stay afloat, without the Congress support. The support of the Left parties, which has 15 members, will be an additional comfort to the ruling party.

New Delhi, October 25
As the Indian Navy completes one year of anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, India and Russia are about to sew up a partnership to jointly patrol these pirate-infested seas.

So far the navies of India and Russia have been carrying out their operations by working independently.

A US-led NATO alliance operates its ships in the same area. It has Pakistan navy on board. The Indo-Russia alliance may give the impression of a cold-war era partnership. However, that is not the case, said an official . “It is just that the method of tackling the pirates was different. While India, Russia and also China believe in escorting the merchant ships through the troubled area, the NATO team does not escort, it only patrols the area.”

The Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) that has been promulgated for use by all merchant vessels is 490 nautical mile swathe in the sea and is 20 nautical miles wide. The India-Russia joint anti-piracy operations will be formalised in the next few weeks. Talks are on for pledging warships and men for the joint operations. The move has been initiated as the Navy believes that there are no indications of piracy subsiding.

On the contrary, it is likely to spread further into the Indian Ocean. In such a scenario, it is better to forge an alliance. So far the Indian Navy rotates its ships, sending deployment for 30-45 days.

In the past one year, the Indian Navy has escorted a total of 644 ships and none has been hijacked. Separately, the Navy has prevented 13 attempts, including dramatic shooting down of pirates scurrying up the hull of the ship by chopper-borne navy-men. It also captured 24 pirates.

For India, keeping the route “clean” is important. A large percentage of India’s trade, including oil and fertilisers, pass through the Gulf of Aden. The Ministry of Shipping has estimated that in 2008, Indian imports through the Gulf of Aden route were valued at $50 billion and exports at $ 60 billion.

About 24 Indian-flagged merchant ships transit the Gulf of Aden every month.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has grown steadily over the years and has now become a very serious concern. The number of pirate incidents reported in 2009 has surpassed the total number reported in 2008.

The total number of attacks reported to date this year around Somalia, Seychelles and off the coast of Oman are about 168. Of these, 32 resulted in successful hijackings of vessels. A total of 635 hostages have been taken in these hijackings and four crew members were killed. Somali pirates are currently holding eight ships and 182 crew off the east coast of Somalia.

New Delhi, October 25
It may sound strange but it seems that the information commissions across the country are themselves reluctant to give information under the same Right to Information Act under which they work to safeguard citizens’ right to know. A countrywide survey on the RTI Commissioners has revealed that maintaining proper records seems to be an impossible task for them.

Activists of the Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF) claim that as they undertook the most elaborate survey on the RTI till date, they came to know about several state commissions which had no idea whatsoever about huge numbers of missing reports while many others tried their best to hide every bit of information

“Most commissions were reluctant to give out data even after repeated phone calls, letters, emails and personal visits. Interestingly, even we had to resort to RTIs to seek information, out of which again, many were not answered within the 30-day span.” Said Arvind Kejriwal, one of the trustees of the PCRF.

According to activists, after repeated attempts to contact the UP Information Commission and an unanswered RTI, they were called for a hearing.

“We were informed that the UP Commission had passed 22,658 orders in 2008. We were told that if we wanted copies of orders, we should provide details for each order including order number, name of appellant, respondent and the Information Commissioner, hearing dates, and description of the order. If we had these details, why would we be asking them?” said Swati Maliwal.

“As if this wasn’t enough, they asked us to attach Rs 10 as court fee for each order. That would have cost us Rs 2.2 lakh! The commission asked us money for providing copies of their own orders,” she added.

The tall claims of most commissions came to dirt as figures on paper reflected to the contrary. The West Bengal Commission claimed having passed 966 orders against 102 records that were furnished.

In Uttrakhand, 600 applications were remanded back without any hearing. Details of the orders passed were again not confirmed.

Despite several letters, several phone calls and one visit to Bhopal, just about copies of 1633 orders could be obtained against a total of 2161 orders claimed to have been passed by them.

The Chhattisgarh Commission furnished 1,741 orders against the initial claims of nearly 2,300 orders. The Central Information Commission had details of only 7,343 orders against their claims to have passed 10,285 orders.

In response to an RTI application, The Tamil Nadu Commission claimed that it had passed 40,402 orders during the calendar year 2008, which are on Commission’s website. The site had just 900 orders.

However, there were some state commissions that furnished copies of all the orders, including Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and a couple of others. After two RTIs and several letters and phone calls, the Kerela Commission gave copies of almost all orders. 

Lucknow, October 25
A top official of Uttar Pradesh government was spared the ignominy of being taken into custody until the pronouncement of the sentence by the Allahabad High Court today following an undertaking that he would pay a penalty of Rs 50,000 to the petitioner. A day earlier, he was held guilty of contempt by the same court and warned to be sent to jail.

In his order, Justice DP Singh also directed the irrigation secretary MAA Khan to ensure that dues amounting to over Rs 90,000 were paid to petitioner Kavita Kumar “within 15 days”.

Disposing off the contempt petition, Justice Singh observed, “Taking a holistic view especially considering the fact that the writ order has been complied, undertaking given to the court has been honoured and applicant has been suitably compensated, the court refrains from sentencing him”.

The order came as a major relief for the state bureaucracy as a day earlier the court had found Khan guilty of contempt and ordered that he be taken into judicial custody. Following a request from the state’s Advocate General Jyotindra Mishra, he was spared the humiliation of being put behind bars.

The case was filed by the widow of Ajai Kumar, who was an assistant engineer employed in the irrigation department and died in harness in 1994. After his death, the petitioner was denied his pension on the ground that there were dues pending against the deceased.

Aggrieved, she approached the court that had directed the authorities concerned to make payment of pension with interest. For some reason, the amount was not released. The petitioner than filed the present contempt petition alleging non-compliance of the court’s order.

Incidentally, the state Chief Secretary is also facing a contempt petition in the Supreme Court for not halting construction work at the various parks and memorials in memory of Dalit icons despite an undertaking to this effect in the court.

New Delhi, October 25
Pakistan-based terror organisations Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen are planning to infiltrate terrorists into India to "create mayhem", Home Minister P Chidambaram said today, asserting that the country's security forces were, however, prepared to meet any external threat.

He said Pakistan has no will to prosecute and punish the perpetrators of last year's Mumbai attacks and voiced concern over the spread of Taliban in that country, apprehending that the danger could spread to the rest of South Asia, including India.

"We go by the information or intelligence that we are able to gather. Our assessment of the inputs flowing into India is that the LeT, the JeM and the Hizbul Mujahideen are planning to infiltrate terrorists into India.

"Now obviously they are not trying to infiltrate for tourism purposes. They are being infiltrated to India to create mayhem here. Therefore, we say that the threat level has not diminished. That is what the Prime Minister said (in the Commanders Conference). There are many attempts which have been foiled even before they could (materialise)," he said in an interview to PTI.

Asked how well prepared the country was to meet terrorism inspired from across the border, Chidambaram said, "We are prepared to meet any external threat. As I said, we are building capacity every day, every week, every month. But, in today's world, being vigilant and alert is a 24/7 function."

So the danger remains and are we getting better prepared? Chidambaram was asked.

He replied, "I cannot do anything to the source of the threat that is emanating from another country. I can only make my best effort to building capacity in this country to meet any terror threat or terror attack, which is what we are doing."

In reply to a query on the lack of seriousness on Pakistan's part to bring to book the masterminds of the Mumbai attack based in that country and what was the way out to pressure Islamabad, he said there was no way out.

"It is quite clear that the Pakistan government has no intention and certainly no will to prosecute and punish Hafiz Sayeed (founder-chief of LeT) and a few others who we know only by their code names or pseudonyms -- Major General Saab, Kafa or Kaka, Salahuddin. We don't know who they are but we know that they played an active part in the training of the 10 terrorists who were despatched to India."

Now, even the judge named for the trial has let the cat out of the bag by saying why would a judge quit unless he was under pressure from "wrong quarters".

He was referring to the decision of a judge of a Lahore court hearing the case against Hafiz Sayeed under terrorism charges, who had a few days ago quit his post.

"I have always been very skeptical about the Pakistan government's attitude to punishing the perpetrators of the 26/11 outrage. I remain skeptical. There is nothing more I can do except when there is an opportunity to highlight it so that the world takes notice of Pakistan's intransigence or incapacity," the Home Minister said.

He gave this reply when he was asked about his open expression of helplessness with Pakistan some time ago when he had said that would be the last time he would be answering questions from Pakistan on dossiers India had supplied regarding the Mumbai attacks.

To a question on the spurt in terrorism within Pakistan, at India's doorstep Lahore, Islamabad and other places and whether it was a real danger to India, Chidambaram said, "I feel very sad for Pakistan. I also feel deeply concerned for the whole of South Asia. It appears that the Taliban or whoever the groups are can strike at will anywhere in Pakistan -- Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad.

"If this is not contained, the danger can spread to the rest of South Asia. Obviously, India could at sometime in the future become a target." — PTI

New Delhi, October 25
India on Thursday made a strong case for accelerating deployment and diffusion of green technologies to tackle climate change, saying that it was the quickest way to lower the cost of renewable options.

The Delhi statement, adopted by the High-Level Conference of Technology Development and Transfer that ended on Thursday, also stated that technology had a central and fundamental role in addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development and called or increased public financing in technology development.

“The quickest way of lowering the cost of many renewable options is to scale up their rate of deployment and diffusion in developing countries,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said, summarising proceedings of the conference.

The Delhi statement assumes importance since it will be the part of the preparatory process for climate talks in Copenhagen in December. The statement on global cooperation on climate technology was adopted after the two-day climate change conference, attended by 58 delegations and 30 ministers.

The statement favoured speeding up of large-scale global deployment of environmentally sound and climate-friendly technologies as a step to check global warming. “Technology has a central and fundamental role in addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development. We believe there is an urgent need to accelerate large scale global deployment of environmentally-sound and climate-friendly technologies and to minimise the time lag between their initial development, transfer and deployment, particularly in developing countries,” it read.

The main question, however, is of finances for the technology development and transfer for which huge money is required on the table. Danish Climate and Energy Minister Connie Hedegaard, who urged the European Union, the US and other rich countries to commit to financing for a new climate change deal, said sizeable amounts were needed for which both public and private finances would be required. Other environment officials also stressed the need to generate private funding for environment-friendly technology.

Hadegaard said it was important to make a politically binding deal at a December conference in Copenhagen, adding that it was “very, very important” for EU leaders to reach agreement at a summit next week. “I would also strongly urge other partners, the US, Japan and others to come forward with finance," she added.

Meanwhile, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed has warned that unchecked global warming could lead to conflicts over resources and called for transfer of capital and technology from developed to developing countries for an equitable solution to climate change.

Climate change will lead to scarcity of resources that in turn will lead to conflicts over resources in the future, Nasheed said in a lecture at the Observer Research Foundation, a public policy think tank.

Nasheed also made a strong pitch for transfer of funds from developed to developing countries to enable the latter to make a cost-effective transition to green technologies without compromising their development.

Guwahati, October 25
A shiver runs down the spine as the dreadful memory of August 15, 2004, tragedy comes alive. Lives of 13 innocents, including 10 schoolchildren, were snapped amid a deafening sound of a bomb blast triggered by cowardice terrorists from the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) at the venue of celebration of Independence Day at north Assam’s Dhemaji town, 470 km from here.

The agony still haunts and becomes unbearable when one realises that some of the suspects who had plotted the tragedy are still at large. A few suspects are now even masquerading as ‘ULFA doves’ willing to talk peace.

Pradipta Gogoi, Aruna Saikia, Dinesh Padun, Girin Saikia, Manjit Gogoi, Rupa Saikia, Bijit Sonowal, Siddhartha Taid, Jogantor Padun, Manashi Borgohain were some simple village children born to humble parents in Dhemaji district of Assam.

But the tragedy immortalised them in this land with a blood-splattered history. Pradipta, Bijit, Aruna, Girin… are no longer mere names of insignificant rural boys and girls. Their names now inspire public protests against barbaric acts of terrorism.

For keeping the flame of protests against terror burning, the state government has, in collaboration with the people of Dhemaji, built a unique memorial at Dhemaji town to immortalise those killed in Independence Day blast in 2004. Visitors to the memorial will be welcomed by magnificent meticulously sculpted life-size bronze statutes of the blast victims.

Named as ‘Children Educational and Career Development Centre (CECDC)’, the memorial, which stands for people’s protest, anger against terror, has been opened for the public. The centre with state-of-the-art facilities for all round development of children is an embodiment of common man’s spirit against terror. shA message etched on a bronze sheet placed next to the statues reads: ‘The lives of ten children and three women were cruelly snuffed out by this senseless act of violence. This strengthened our resolve to fight against all kinds of terrorism and to tread the path of harmony and non violence.’

The centre will be handy for children to hone their skills at the computer training centre, cinematic-preview theatre-cum-drama workshop, art and craft centre, dolls museum. The centre has a conference hall, centrally air conditioned library-cum-reading room, music room, auditorium with 300 seating capacity. It has become possible with the financial assistance of Rs 5 crore from Rashtriya Sama Vikas Yojana (RSVY).

Guwahati, October 25
A proposed mega dam project on Lohit River in Arunachal Pradesh is feared to pose serious threat to the existence of a popular Hindu pilgrimage site in the region, Parashuram Kund, in case the project gets the approval of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

Lakhs of devotees throng Parashuram Kunda every winter around mid-January to take a holy dip at the river which is supposed to cleanse sins. According to the Hindu mythology, Parashuram, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, took a dip in Lohit River centuries ago to wash his hands of the axe with which he had killed his mother.

This sin-cleansing spot is now known as Parashuram Kund in Lohit River which along with other two major rivers Siang and Dibang forms the mighty Brahmaputra (son of Brahma) River, the only male river in the country.

Various religious and social groups in the Northeast want the MoEF to tick off from its agenda the 1750 MW Demwe Lower project straddling Lohit and Anjaw districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

Dr Dulal Goswami, a member of the MoEF’s Expert Appraisal Committee on River Valley and Hydro-electric Projects, informed that the project authority made its presentation before the meeting of the committee on Thursday.

“The members of the expert appraisal committee are well aware of the opposition to the Demwe Lower project on Lohit district and will definitely take note of it before taking a final decision,” Dr Goswami informed.

Demwe Lower has been awarded to Athena Demwe Power Private Limited, which is promoted by Athena Energy Ventures Private Limited. This in turn is a joint venture of Athena Infra projects Private Limited, Power Trading Corporation (PTC) India Limited and Infrastructure Development Finance Company Limited.

“We are not against power projects, but Parashuram Kund must not be disturbed. The RSS central executive in a resolution asked the Centre to protect the holy site otherwise we will mobilise a mass agitation against it,” Dayal Krishna Bora, a top RSS functionary in the Northeast said.

Pitambar Deva Goswami, a key member of the Asom Sattra Mahasabha, the apex body of Vaishnavite monasteries in Assam, also opposed any move that may cause harm to the Hindu pilgrimage site at Prashuram Kund.

“The flow of Lohit River is crucial to the ecology of a vast area within Arunachal Pradesh and Assam down the stream. This dam on the river is being proposed without making proper down stream environment impact study,” said anti-mega dam activist Neeraj Vagholikar.

Setting up of the proposed power house of this mega project is just 150-200 metre upstream of Parashuram Kund, is feared to precipitate heavy blasting of the hills close to this sacred site. Besides the proposed 950-metre long tunnel, which will release water at a distance of 754-m downstream of the dam axis, is barely 6-m upstream of the Kund.

Raipur, October 25
Four Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) troopers and four Maoist rebels were killed in separate incidents of violence in Chhattisgarh today, the police said.

An explosion killed the troopers and injured two of their colleagues when the vehicle they were travelling in ran over a landmine planted by the Maoists in Dantewada district, some 400 km from here.

"The vehicle of the CISF men, deployed at Bailadila hills to guard iron ore mining facilities of the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), was tossed up in the air due to the impact of the explosion," Amresh Mishra, Dantewada Superintendent of Police, told IANS by phone.

"Four soldiers were killed on the spot and two others were injured and taken to a local hospital in Bacheli town," he said.

The Moaists escaped into the forests after firing at the troopers.

Meanwhile, four Maoist insurgents, including a woman, were killed in three separate gunbattles with security forces in the forested stretches in Bijapur and Narayanpur districts of the state today.

The gunbattles started in the early hours of Sunday and continued till late evening. At least 15 kg of explosives were recovered from the Maoists, the police said.

"Our jawans had strategically encircled armed Maoists in their hideouts at two places in Bijapur district and at one site in Narayanpur district, in which four guerrillas were shot dead after a daylong intense gunbattle," T.J. Longkumer, inspector-general of police, Bastar range said.

The police also recovered guns and explosives filled in tiffin boxes.

The Bastar region, spread over about 40,000 sq km area, is a stronghold of the Leftist radicals. Since 2004, at least 1,500 people have been killed in the state in Maoist-related violence.

Officials at the police headquarters here say the state police in coordination with paramilitary troopers will now consistently raid rebel strongholds in Bastar which comprises five districts — Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kanker and Bastar. — IANS