New Delhi, November 5
Amid reports that China was building a dam across the Brahmaputra, which in turn may affect the flow of the river in India, Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today categorically said no diversion of the river’s waters had been observed on Chinese territory as of now. However, he underlined the need to remain “watchful” to prevent any such eventuality.

“There is no evidence (of diversion) whatsoever. No reduction has been noticed in the 79 BCM of water that flows into India from China. There is no cause for concern… but we have to be watchful,” Bansal said on the sidelines of a media workshop in Parliament.

India, in the meantime, is also trying to preempt any such move by China by establishing a right over the 79 BCM flowing into its territory. The government is investing in new hydel projects in Arunachal Pradesh to ensure that if in future there is reduction in the quantity of Brahmaputra waters flowing in from China, India can stake claim, saying it needs 79 BCM for own use.

Meanwhile, Bansal said the spot where China was reported to be building a dam was 1,100 km from India’s border. “It is on the run of the river. There already are 15 small dams on their side of the river, which they are using for local use. Our concern should only be that there is no diversion of water and that they (China) do not start increasing the height of dams or build up a reservoir. Through satellite photos we know there is some activity at the spot but there is no submerged land,” Bansal said.

As per the Water Resources Minister, beyond some data sharing between the two countries there is no MoU or treaty on the usage of Brahmaputra waters. “It is their water in their state. As long as what they do is confined to their region and does not affect us, there should be no problem,” he said.

There were apprehensions that the proposed dam will end up withholding water and was inappropriate in the absence of any bilateral treaty over trans-border rivers between India and China.

Recently there were reports of some kind of construction on the Brahmaputra and that China was planning to divert around 40 BCM of water. Incidentally Brahmaputra has a runoff of an average of 629 BCM of water when it reaches Bangladesh, largely due to the contribution of tributaries after it enters India.

Reports in China's official media also suggest that middle reaches of the Brahmaputra (Yarlung-Tsangpo) river will have five dams for hydro-power projects, slated for completion by 2015. Other reports say more dam projects on the Brahmaputra are likely to be announced soon.

Experts say if these are normal run-of-the-river projects, China had all rights as an upper riparian state to build them. The problem can occur if the river is diversified to fulfill water needs of other regions.

Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao yesterday said China had denied any such activity. Recently, Foreign Minister SM Krishna also said experts engaged by the government did not come up with any evidence of a dam being built by China in the area. The issue was also raised at a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Thailand last month.

However, the Brahmaputra issue is now a permanent fixture in India-China talks. India has taken up the issue with China many times and China has consistently denied that such a dam was being constructed.

Guwahati, November 5
One can’t consume meat, liquor or even ‘gutkha’ to beat the chilling winter at the height of over 10,000 ft from mean sea level at Tawang when Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is around.

That is what is being tried to be relayed by the Tawang district administration by the imposition of a ban on the sale of these items till further orders. The order has been issued keeping in mind the religious sentiments of the local Buddhist population that has been holding regular prayers as a prelude to the visit of the Dalai Lama.

Deputy Commissioner Gamli Padu has issued instructions to all departments concerned to take care of various aspects of the preparation of the visit that has attracted global media glare in view of China’s opposition to it, as it considers Tawang and many other parts of Arunachal Pradesh as ‘disputed territory’.

Orders have been issued for hitch-free maintenance of medical facilities, transport services, supply of essentials and other food items while the town has been given a facelift.

The 400-year-old Tawang Monastery, the largest in India, has been all decked-up to welcome the Dalai Lama whose main purpose of the visit is to inaugurate a hospital in the hill town for which he had donated a substantial amount. He is also going to stay in Tawang for four days before travelling down to Dirang and Bomdila on his way back.

The district administration has requested the Army brigade posted in Tawang and paramilitary forces to remain ready to help civilians as and when required during the visit by Tibetan leader given that thousands of people are expected to throng the small hill town during those days.

Tour operators and hoteliers in Tawang, Bomdila and Dirang are having a field day with large number of people going up those steep hills to reach Tawang while the Dalai Lama is around. The hotels and lodges here have jacked up prices manifold to capitalise on the on rush of visitors.

Ranchi/New Delhi, November 5
As Enforcement Directorate waits to arrest former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, Income Tax department today claimed to have stumbled upon documents showing that he and his associates had allegedly stashed huge sums of money in Swiss banks.

The I-T department has also handed over these documents to the Enforcement Directorate which would be sending in a letter of request to Swiss authorities for ascertaining the exact amount allegedly stashed by Koda and his associates, official sources said.

Besides Switzerland, the bank documents suggested that the former CM and his associates had allegedly stashed money in countries like Thailand and Mauritius, according to the I-T department.

Koda (38), who headed the mineral-rich state for two years from 2006 to 2008, was facing an imminent arrest by the ED, as the entire scam, intially believed to be a little over Rs 2,000 crore, was turning murkier and bigger.

Koda was admitted to the ICU in the Abdur Razzak Weavers' Memorial Hospital of the Apollo Group in Ranchi on Tuesday complaining of high blood pressure and stomach ache. He was shifted to a special ward today.

The I-T department and ED have also asked the hospital to let them know before discharging Koda, according to medical superintendent Dr PD Sinha. Meanwhile, the I-T department officials are still carrying out the sealing exercises on the properties of Koda and his associates. The searches had begun on October 31.

Both the I-T and ED have started scrutiny of the documents related to alleged hawala transactions and investments running into more than Rs 2,000 crore by Koda and his associates.

After five days of raids at 70 places in nine cities across the country including Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, Income Tax officials yesterday sealed a room and almirahs at Koda’s residence in Ranchi.The ED sources said the information obtained from the seized documents and affidavits will have to be put across to Koda for further progress in the case, which can only happen after detailed questioning. — PTI

New Delhi, November 5
The BJP is hoping to solve the crisis in Karnataka “soon” in spite of state tourism G Janardhana Reddy, leading the rebellion against Chief Minister B.S. Yedyurappa, refusing to meet him though Yedyurappa specially flew in here last night to bury the hatchet.

Within hours of declaring that the crisis had been resolved and he would be meeting the younger of the two Reddy brothers in his government, leading the dissidents against him, the CM had to eat a humble pie as Janardhana Reddy stuck to his guns and refused to meet him.

Yedyurappa told reporters this morning: ‘I will be meeting the Reddys today (Thursday)... We will hold talks with the national leaders... The issue will be resolved by evening.”

Yedyurappa’s hopes soared after he met his assembly Speaker Jagdish Shettar, projected as his replacement, at Taj Palace Hotel sometime early this morning.

BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar organised the meeting and mediated there. Later Yedyurappa held separate meetings with Kumar and then with senior BJP leader M Veenkaiah Naidu. Apparently encouraged by his success with Shettar, Yedyurappa hoped that Janardhana Reddy too would fall in line the same way.

Besides BJP leader Sushma Swaraj had held several round of discussions with Janardhana Reddy at her house since Tuesday. But obviously Sushma has not yet succeeded in softening up the Reddys.

Later, Yedyurappa attended a meeting of senior leaders at the residence of BJP president Rajnath Singh where other senior leaders, Naidu, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Ananth Kumar and Karnartaka BJP president Sadanand Gowda were also present.

After this Rajnath Singh confidently ruled out any change of leadership saying, “That is not the issue before me.” He said, “Talks are on and a solution will be found very soon,” adding, “It may take one or two days.”

Ahmedabad, November 5
A witness in the 2002 post-Godhra riot case in Gulburg society has told a court that ex-MP Eshan Jaffery, who was killed in the incident, had called up Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for help but got disappointment. Imtiaz Pathan, a first witness who deposed in the Gulburg riot case in the last couple of days, claimed Jaffery, in whose house they had taken shelter during the riots, had called up Modi for help.

Pathan claimed that he had asked Jaffery about what Modi said, to which the ex-MP had replied that Modi instead of sending help had used offensive language on phone.

Pathan said this in the special court of judge BU Joshi appointed to here the Gulburg society riot case.

Pathan during his testimony also claimed he was not aware that Jaffery had a pistol with him and had fired in self-defence in which a few persons were killed.

He also identified 20 accused who were involved in the riot in Gulburg society. According to the charge sheet filed in the case, 39 people were killed while 34 went missing in the incident at Meghaninagar area of the city.

The 34 persons, who were shown as missing, have been declared dead as seven years have passed. — PTI

New Delhi, November 5
The issue of Central university status for Panjab University again came alive today, with the Centre saying it would write to the Punjab government to either meet its financial obligations towards the PU or give up its objection to the conversion of the varsity status.

Punjab has not been fulfilling its obligation of sharing 40 per cent of the university budget; the rest comes from the Centre through UT.The move comes after fresh representation on the matter to Human Resource Development Ministry by the students of Panjab University. In the capital to meet HRD minister Kapil Sibal today, representatives of student unions, including the NSUI and SOPU, urged the government to grant Central status to PU in the interest of students and education at large.

The Ministry has also been receiving complaints about commercialisation of academic courses at PU, which is under constant financial strain. Over the years, PU has started several new courses where tuition fee is too exorbitant for students to afford. “Several deserving students are being left out due to high fee structures. Also, the female ratio in PU is about 70 per cent. Who will send the girls to study if the fees are so high?” Nitin Goyal, President, NSUI, Chandigarh today told The Tribune after meeting Sibal. The NSUI had earlier raised the matter with AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who visited Chandigarh recently.

In the meeting today, the PU student delegation impressed upon the fact that Punjab was under Rs 55000 crore debt. “It would be better for Punjab to save the annual grant of Rs 16 crore it is giving to PU and invest the same on higher education in the state,” mentions the petition submitted to HRD ministry. The petition has the stamp of Punjab University Teachers Association.

As for Sibal, he is learnt to have assured the students of action and said the Centre would ask Punjab to meet its financial obligation of 40 per cent grant to PU. Right now, Punjab is contributing about 10 per cent, the rest is coming from Home Ministry through union territory of Chandigarh.

While Punjab, which had earlier withdrawn its no-objection to conversion of PU into a central university, would not like to abdicate its claim on PU, which in turn strengthens its claim over Chandigarh as its capital, ministry officials told The Tribune that commercialisation of education was in no one’s interest.

New Delhi, November 5
In its bid to further corner the Left front government in West Bengal, the government today announced major respite for thousands of students, who are employed as primary teachers but don’t have the mandated qualifications for the same.

There are around 31, 141 such primary teachers. Of these, 16,759 teachers, who have cleared their Class XII exam with over 50 per cent marks and have one-year diploma in education, will now get a chance to complete their educational qualification of two years diploma through a special bridge course which the Centre will offer.

Under the National Council for Teachers Education regulations, primary teachers must be class XII pass with more than 50 per cent marks and two- year diploma in education. In West Bengal, however, the norm is being violated with impunity, with 7,080 students employed as primary teachers despite having less than 50 per cent marks in Class XII.

Another 7,302 are working as teachers even though they are class X pass with less than 50 per cent marks. For the latter two categories, too, the Human Resource Development Ministry today announced relief, saying they can improve their scores through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) exam system, and would be given five chances.

The 7,302 students, who are just matriculates, can also now appear for Class XII exam through the open school (either NIOS or of state government). Once they attain the minimum qualification, they will be eligible for the government’s bridge course, to be offered by the state’s primary teachers training institutes.

Meanwhile, the HRD Ministry has written to the state government to ensure that its teachers’ recruitment processes and statutes conform to national standards to avoid future complications.

“That is required even under the Right to Education Act which gives teachers five years to upgrade their educational qualifications to the minimum prescribed levels. We can’t compromise with quality teaching,” HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said. He has asked all states in India to rework their teacher training and recruitment standards according to NCTE rules.

In case of WB, the Centre has proceeded with special urgency after the recent advertisement in which the state government asked for 58,000 primary teachers, with the prescribed qualification of only Class X pass.

“It is in the backdrop of this ad that we have written to the state to revise its statutes unless it wants more litigation,” Sibal said.

Concessions for (unqualified) primary teachers of West Bengal comes in the wake of meetings which Sibal had with Pranab Mukherjee, West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee chief and Mamata Banerjee, head of Trinamool Congress, which is at odds with the state’s Left front government.

Chennai, November 5
Charging Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi with shielding the police officials who were held responsible for the unprecedented violence in the Madras High Court premises, AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa today said the Chief Minister was hesitating to implement the court orders against them, since it was he who gave the instructions to go on a rampage in the court campus.

"Karunanidhi should spell out what action he plans to take. If he wants to protect the errant officers, he should have the courage to go before the Court and admit that it was he who gave them the instructions to go on a rampage in the High Court campus. If not, he should be ready to face contempt proceedings. Either way, the Chief Minister is answerable", she said.

"He knows that the buck does not stop with the senior police officers found guilty by the Court. The responsibility for the police excesses in the High Court campus leads directly at Karunanidhi's doorstep. That is the reason why he is hesitating to take action against the Police officers as ordered by the Court", the AIADMK leader said.

She recalled that a Division Bench of the Madras High Court had recommended the suspension of four top police officers and had directed the state government to initiate disciplinary action against them as the attack by the police amounted to an assault on the judiciary, and pointed out that almost a week had passed since the judgement was delivered.

Karunanidhi, on the contrary, in his usual column in the DMK organ Murasoli, had come out with a lengthy statement defending the police, she said Tamil Nadu police force that had finished off the dreaded brigand Veerappan during her regime stood indicted by the High Court of Madras now.