Mumbai, November 27
Mumbai’s Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria has threatened to resign after the wife of a senior police official, killed by terrorists during the 26/11 attack, accused him of lying.

According to sources, Maria told Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Home Minister RR Patil that he would quit if the Home Department did not respond to the charges levelled by Vinita Kamte, whose husband, Assistant Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte, was killed in the terror strike.

Kamate, ATS chief Hemant Karkare and encounter specialist Inspector Vijay Salaskar were killed outside Rang Bhavan shortly after the attack began on November 26 last year.

However, till late this afternoon, there was no information of Maria dispatching any resignation letter to the Maharashtra government. A celebrated officer, who is credited with cracking the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case, Maria’s name got dragged into controversy after Vinita Kamte in her book ‘To the Last Bullet’ accused him of botching up the police operations to contain the terrorists.

Shortly after news filtered in of a co-ordinated terrorist strike, then police commissioner Hassan Gafoor had asked Maria to take charge of the police control room. It was while Maria was in overall charge that the three officers rushed to Cama Hospital where they encountered Ajmal Kasab and his accomplice.

While the police officers fired at injuring Kasab in his hand, the other terrorist opened fire with an assault rifle killing all the officers and injuring the only other constable accompanying them.

Vinita, who accessed the police logs from the control room under the, Right to Information Act, alleges that desperate pleas for reinforcement from Hemant Karkare were not heeded to by the control room, in other words, Maria. Moreover, even after the three policemen were grievously wounded, no help arrived for 40 minutes even though the police headquarters was just a few hundred metres away.

Vinita, citing the log book, alleges that the senior police officers were ordered to reach Cama by Maria which the crime branch chief had reportedly denied. At that time, Kamte was overseeing operations at the Trident Hotel. “Why did a senior officer like Rakesh Maria deny that he called Ashok to Cama despite wireless logs showing this?,” she reportedly questions in her book. The officer’s wife also alleged that Maria had misinformed Gafoor about the location of the slain officers.

Mumbai, November 27
Three-year old Moshe may not be able to express how badly he misses his parents, who were killed in the terror attacks last year, but he often cries and calls for them.

“The little Moshe is doing fine and is now in a play school. He often cries and asks about his mother and father,” the boy's grandfather Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg, who was at the Nariman House for a memorial service, said yesterday.

“We tell him that they (his parents) are in heaven, to which Moshe says, he also wants to go there. But we explain to him that he is too small for it,” he said. “How do we make this little baby understand that his parents will not come back again?” an emotional Rabbi Rosenberg said.

Moshe's parents, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and Rivka were killed in 26/11 terror strike when two Pakistani terrorists - Babar Imran and Nasir alias Abu Umer - laid a three-day siege at the Nariman Bhavan.Moshe was miraculously saved by his nanny, Sandra Samuel, and the family's handyman-cum-cook Qazi Zakir Hussain alias Jackie. He now lives in Israel with his grandparents. “The little innocent boy also often says good morning 'emma', good bye 'emma', meaning mother,” Rabbi 
Rosenberg said.

He likes this place, often remembers it, he said, adding, “we will bring him back when he grows a bit old”. — PTI

Guwahati, November 27
The proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), accused of triggering last Sunday’s twin blasts in Nalbari town of Assam, on Wednesday reacted sharply to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s statement made in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday ruling out holding talks with the outfit unless it gives up its demand for ‘sovereignty and shun violence’.

In a statement issued to the media here, fugitive chairman of ULFA Arabinda Rajkhowa said: “ULFA is not begging for talks with Government of India to save lives of its leaders. It wants talks to find a political solution to the India-Asom conflict. Chidambaram’s statement smacks of colonial attitude still prevailing among a section of rulers in democratic India.”

“The Government of India lacks courage and convincing arguments to hold talks with ULFA on the issue of sovereignty of Assam and hence has been avoiding finding a political solution to the conflict. ULFA believes that political solution is possible even without holding talks and freedom fighters of Assam will continue their struggle to achieve its goal,” the ULFA leader stated.

Countering the Union Home Minister’s assertion blaming the ULFA for Sunday’s twin blasts in Nalbari town, the militant leader said it was a handiwork of those rulers who wanted only military solution to the conflict.

“ULFA wants an end to conflict and peaceful solution to the problem. The government of India should make it clear if it was interested only in military solution,” the militant leader said making it virtually clear that the outfit was not game for giving up its demand for a ‘sovereign Assam’ and shun violence to facilitate talks with the Indian government.

Chandigarh, November 27
Kanchan Vasdev, principal correspondent of The Tribune at Ludhiana, has been chosen as a Fellow for the Prabha Dutt Fellowship for Journalism for 2009.

The announcement will be made by Barkha Dutt at a function in New Delhi on Saturday.

Vasdev was chosen by a jury comprising Alok Mehta, Chief Editor, Nai Duniya; Pamela Philipose, Director, Women’s Feature Service; and Seema Chisti, Resident Editor of The Indian Express.

Chennai, November 27
Tension prevailed today in the textile city of Erode in western Tamil Nadu, where Congress workers, led by former Union Minister EVKS Elangovan, clashed with LTTE supporters and tried to remove the posters, banners and hoardings hailing Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Posters put up in the town to mark Heroes’ Day --- observed to salute the dead leaders and cadres of the LTTE --- angered Congress workers in the area. Led by EVKS Elangovan, who lost to Vaiko’s MDMK, a pro-Tiger party, in the General Election, the party activists tried to remove the banners. The move was opposed by Tamil nationalist groups, who protested in front of the local police station.

The pro-Tiger outfits alleged that Elangovan was creating a tense situation in Erode, as he was annoyed with LTTE supporters, who campaigned against him and ensured his defeat by a margin of over one lakh votes.

The day passed off peacefully in other parts of Tamil Nadu, where there was no opposition to celebrations by LTTE supporters. Posters, hoardings and banners hailing the Tigers and Prabhakaran were found at nook and corner of Chenna.

Chandigarh, November 27
Justice Mehtab Singh Gill is the acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.The senior-most judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Gill will take over as soon as the present incumbent Justice Jagdish Singh Kehar relinquishes the charge. Justice Kehar’s name has already been cleared for elevation as the CJ of the High Court of Uttarakhand at Nanital; and he is expected to be administered oath this Sunday.

A communiqué appointing Justice Gill as the Acting CJ was received by the high court late this evening. The communication from the Central government said the President had appointed Justice Gill to perform the duties of the CJ’s office with effect from the date Justice Kehar relinquishes charge.

Justice Gill will hold the office till Justice Mukul Mudgal of the Delhi High Court is administered oath as the CJ. The entire process of Justice Mudgal’s appointment is likely to take some time. The CJ’s post had fallen vacant following the elevation of Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur to the apex court earlier this month.

Known for his transparent and bold style of functioning, Justice Gill was elevated to the Bench on May 14, 1999. Since then, he had handled a number of sensitive cases, including MP Navjot Singh Sidhu’s matter, Punjab’s former Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassination case and even fake encounter case allegedly involving the top brass of the Punjab Police. Justice Gill was also instrumental in unearthing Moga sex scam, in which names of top politicians surfaced.Chairman of the high court’s building committee, Justice Gill’s efforts saw the setting up of as many as 18 judicial complexes. His pains at successfully organising mega lok adalats saw the disposal of long-pending cases.

Justice Gill obtained a law degree from Panjab University’s Department of Laws; and was enrolled as an advocate on July 13, 1972. He was also a member of the Punjab State Law Commission.

New Delhi, November 27
BJP president Rajnath Singh will now initiate the discussion on behalf of his party on Liberhan Commission report scheduled for December 1 in the Lok Sabha.

The decision to field Rajnath Singh as the first speaker was taken by Deputy leader of BJP in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj after Rajnath opted for it. Initially, the party had decided to have Sushma Swaraj initiate the debate in the Lok Sabha, while Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitely was to open it in the Rajya Sabha.

Therefore, Sushma offered Rajnath to initiate the discussion on the sugarcane issue, more so since Rajnath all along professes his proximity to the rural farmers. But sources said Rajnath rejected the offer saying once that matter is settled there was not much punch left there.

Other issues like the scam of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda or 2G Spectrum also did not interest the BJP president. Instead, he mentioned Liberhan report which has severely indicated not just senior BJP leaders, but more importantly raised an accusing finger at the RSS and its subsidiaries like the VHP and the Bajrang Dal.

And by virtue of being the party president, she considered him senior to her therefore he could not have spoken as one of the speakers. If he had to speak, he had to speak first, said sources. So Sushma retired from initiating the Liberhan Commission debate.

Interestingly Rajnath is not the only party leader keen on talking about the Liberhan report. A senior leader remarked, “All 116 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha are keen on speak on the issue. That is because each one wants to stand and be counted as defending the RSS aggressively and with all the passion.”

That is also because the RSS chief Mohanrao Bhagwat will be keenly watching the debate. Bhagwat has reiterated the Sangh’s commitment to Hindutva and building a Ram temple at the dispute site in Ayodhya.

Former Union Minister of State for Home Harin Pathak had prepared his speech in advance and was carrying it yesterday standing in the queue to enlist his name as one of the speakers.

As for Leader of the Opposition LK Advani, since he has been named as an accused, it is perhaps not proper for him to initiate the discussion defending himself. But even he plans to make an intervention. Another senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi is in the same boat and therefore unlikely to speak on the issue.

New Delhi, November 27
The government on Wednesday said the fertilisers availability in the country for the ongoing Rabi sowing season was comfortable so was the position of seeds though there was a shortage of 2519 quintal lentil and 2241 quintal linseeds for sowing.On fertiliser stocks, MoS Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Srikant Jena said whatever shortages were being reported were due to the laxity of states who had not yet asked their marketing agencies to procure fertilisers from the Department of Fertilizers (DoF) which had earlier told the states to do so after making advanced requirement projections.

 “Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra and Karnataka took advanced action to tie up supplies of these fertilisers through their state- level marketing agencies. However, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand etc have not nominated any state agency to deal in fertilisers, despite repeated requests from DoF,” Jena said replying to a calling attention motion on the issue which saw the RJD, the SP and the BJP creating ruckus in the LS.The parties were furious over continued absence from the House of cabinet minister MK Alagiri, who has been seeking permission from Lok Sabha Speaker to talk in Tamil, the only language he is comfortable with.

As regarding fertilisers, the DoF had advised states to tie up supplies of decontrolled fertilisers like diammonium phosphates, monoammonium phosphates and NPK but several states have not yet done so.

“The states, as per the Fertiliser Control Order, were supposed to monitor their availability for the farmer and to take action if there was black marketing or smuggling. Now if there is any problem, you should write to the state government. I am not politicising the issue,” Jena told the agitating members in the LS.

New Delhi, November 27
The yesterday’s announcement of Delhi high court getting digitised next month has brought a good news for people who are tired of standing in queue to file there cases in the court. The court is set to become the nation’s first paperless ‘e-court’ by December 8 to facilitate speedy delivery of justice.

“From the first week of December, one civil court will start working as e-court in which all documents would be in digital form and later within two years that will expand to the whole court,” said Justice Badar Durez Ahmed, head of the computer committee of the High Court.

“This new format sounds really good as after the establishment of e-court, the lawyers would come to court along with their laptops instead of bulky files and the judge would peruse the documents with the help of a touch screen display board,” a group of lawyers standing at the High court premises, said today.

With the launch of the digitisation project, filing of cases and court proceedings will be done in digital mode. The lawyers could soon file their petitions through CD/DVD and by using USB drive, making it the first paperless court in the country.

Meanwhile, the court too has already digitised around 5.5 crore papers pertaining to various cases upto 2007. “Modernisation of the courts started in 2003. Since then, facilities like computerisation of all courts, digital signatures and video-conferencing facilities have already started in Indian courts. Let’s hope the added e-facilities are used towards quickly dispensing off the innumerable pending cases with the judiciary,” said Anwar Khan, a practising criminal lawyer in the high court.

The court is also considering recording of the statement of witnesses through video conferencing to avoid procedural delays.

Practising lawyer Ashim Vachher says, “For a client sitting in Chennai, it would be no more a harassment to come to the city and them record his statements for a case. This is going to be a revolution, if it happens.” The court had also proposed to have a web cast on its portal, which would live telecast of proceeding of selective cases.

Commenting on this initiative, advocate H S Phoolka said, “It would be great. Even the general public would know what is happening in the court and it would also attract public interest. I believe the working of the court will also see a great change.”

With the implementation of this digitisation project, benefits will be almost futuristic - SMS alerts about court hearings to advocates and litigants, summons sent through emails, e-stamps instead of stamp paper, and recording of evidence through video-conferencing.

Lawyers and litigants can stop carrying bulky files and piles of papers instead they will start using a pen drive or a compact disc.

“The necessity of e-courts has arisen due to shortcomings of a paper-based system like storage, maintenance and wastage of a lot of paper,” said Justice Ahmed.

At present, about a third of the area of the Delhi HC is used for storage of files and other relevant documents.

“The proceedings will be recorded online, and the judges will be able to watch it live through video conferencing. Lawyers can also view the proceedings through laptops or computers. The data will be available on the website, making it accessible to anyone. This system is already prevalent abroad. If it happens to the Indian courts, this is going to be the best thing for everybody.”

Justice Ahmad also said that they would also consider making the payment of court fees and filing of reports via the Internet.

Ahmedabad, November 27
An assessment study by Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO) has found presence of chemicals and bacteriological contamination, which could cause water-borne diseases in drinking water samples tested across rural areas in eight major districts of Gujarat.

Findings of the Multi-District Assessment of Water Safety (M-DAWS) study, which was released recently, also said residual chlorine, crucial for ensuring water quality and protection from micro-biological contamination, was absent in almost all samples tested across the districts.

Micro-biological contamination is a prime contributor for water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and dysentery.

The study conducted between March 2007 and December 2008, included Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Surat, Mehsana, Valsad, Dangs and Kutch districts.

The water samples for the study were collected for different sources of drinking water like handpumps, Individual Water Supply Scheme (IWSS), Regional Water Supply Scheme (RWSS), and open wells.

Along with water quality testing, sanitary surveillance was also conducted in rural areas of all the districts as sanitary conditions around drinking water sources leads to contamination and deterioration in water quality.

“Sanitary conditions near water sources of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Kutch and Surat is very poor and requires urgent attention,” the study observed.

Presence of small amounts of human and animal faeces, which is one of the important indicator for bacteriological contamination was found in many of the samples.

Based on various parameters like access to animal, distance from human bathing and washing place and toilets, and leakage in pipelines, near the source of drinking water, sanitary risk was calculated.

Highest sanitary risk observed was 47 per cent for handpumps in Vadodara district, while open well in Valsad had a risk of 38 per cent and RWSS in Gandhinagar district had risk of 29 per cent.

“Immediate attention pertaining to sanitary condition near water sources is recommended for Gandhinagar district,” the study said.

In terms of chemical contamination, the study had found more than permissible amount of nitrate, fluorides and TDS (total dissolved solids) in many of the samples collected from different water sources across eight districts.

The permissible limit of nitrate in potable water is 45 mg per litre (mg/l), but nitrate value of 150 mg/l was found in handpump samples of Valsad.

However, maximum occurrence of samples having values higher than permissible limit of nitrate was found in handpumps of Vadodara.

It was observed that 30 per cent of samples from water supply systems had nitrate value higher than 45mg/l.

“This (higher value of nitrate in water samples) is attributed to local mixing of unfit source of water, which needs to be critically looked into,” the study observed.

The study found presence of fluoride values as high as 2 mg/l in all water sources in Vadodara. However, in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Surat were about 1.6 mg/l.

The permissible limit of fluoride in potable water is 1.5 mg/l according to International Standards.

The highest TDS values, 3,800 ppm (part per million), were found in water samples of Gandhinagar, as against permissible limit of 2000 ppm.

In Ahmedabad district about 15 per cent samples tested had TDS values higher than permissible limit.

The study observed, “If samples are analysed keeping the upper limit of TDS as 1000 ppm the percentage samples values higher than desirable limit would be as high as 50-60 per cent in almost all districts except Dangs and Valsad.” M-DAWS study was conducted as per WHO (World Health Organisation) and UNICEF standards by WASMO which is an autonomus body of the state government. — PTI

New Delhi, November 27
Former UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh may be straining at the leash to rejoin the BJP and don the saffron robes again, but the BJP is not amused by his renewed profession of commitment to the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and is in no mood to forgive him.

Kalyan Singh, who once symbolised OBC support to Ram Mandir in the face of the Mandal Commission wave, recently parted company with Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and appeared enthusiastic on Tuesday to make amends and return to the saffron fold by reiterating that, “It will be a temple, a temple, a temple”.

But Kalyan once fondly called by the Parivar as “Hindu Hridya Samrat” failed to soften the BJP leaders. Kalyan had once gone out of the BJP and aligned with Mulayam Singh in the 2002 elections. But by 2003, he returned to his parent party announcing, “I have come back to seek forgiveness and serve a penal sentence for my past sins. But on the eve of the general elections he again quit the BJP and this time his son Rajvir Singh became a SP MLA.

Upon joining hands with Mulayam, Kalyan even tried to make some amends for the demolition of Babri Masjid by publicly owning responsibility for the demolition of the masjid. That time Kalyan apologists in the SP palmed it off as a virtual apology from the former UP Chief Minister.

This time he distanced himself from Mulayam when SP chief seeing the outrage in his Muslim constituency virtually broke off relations deserting fellow OBC leader.

But this time there appears to be virtual unanimity in the BJP not to be taken in by his self-professed renewed commitment to Hindutva. A BJP leader said, “What is the value of all his commitments when he has repeatedly broken these. He left once calling names to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and yet the party was generous and restored him to the old position. He was projected as the chief ministerial candidate in 2007. But in 2009, he betrayed again after his candidature had been declared. Kalyan has lost all credibility. All his reiterations sound so hollow”.

BJP leaders also pointed out that this time he was virtually discarded by Mulayam. Moreover, election figures show that he has lost mass appeal with his core Lodh Rajput constituency. After this he is of no use to any political party,” said BJP leaders.

Guwahati, November 27
A massive security alert was sounded in Assam on Friday, a day ahead of the 'black day' by the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to protest the first military offensive launched against the outfit in 1990.

"We are taking no chances as the ULFA in the past struck at vital installations like oil facilities, railway tracks, and even bombed crowded places to make their presence felt," a senior Assam police official said.

ULFA observes November 28 as 'black day' as it was on that day in 1990, that the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) government was dismissed by the central government and president's rule was imposed, besides launching operation Bajrang , the first full scale military offensive by New Delhi, following deterioration of law and order. The ULFA was declared an outlawed outfit on November 28, 1990.

"We have intelligence inputs of ULFA trying to stage violent attacks ahead of their Black Day to prove a point. We are on full alert and also seeking people's support to foil ULFA's terror designs," the official said.

Police said, a woman ULFA bomber who was arrested on Thursday from eastern Assam's Sivasagar district, told interrogators that there was a cycle bomb ready to be detonated, although, she was not able to specify the location.

"We are on the lookout for possible plans by the ULFA to stage violent acts," the official said.

Two more powerful landmines were recovered, with police claiming that major tragedies were averted. All these were blamed on the ULFA, a rebel group fighting for an independent homeland since 1979. — IANS

Gurukul University in Vrindavan, about 300 km from here, offered graduation and postgraduation courses under various streams. After charging students hefty amounts during admission, they were asked to take examinations at study centres in different states, said a police official.

“We are yet to ascertain the exact number of students enrolled with the fake university. However, those arrested have admitted that students from different states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar, were enrolled in courses offered by the fake university," police inspector Maneesh Kumar Saxena told reporters in the nearby town of Mathura.