New Delhi, December 29
If the pitch fiasco was not bad enough, the Delhi and District Cricket Association’s Annual General Meeting today turned into a fracas with some members alleging that they were manhandled though the ruling faction claimed that it was a “peaceful” meeting. Heated exchanges among members, a walk-out by former India cricketer Kirti Azad and mud-slinging marked the AGM two days after the dangerous Kotla pitch led to the abandonment of the fifth and final one dayer between India and Sri Lanka.

Storming out of the meeting, Kirti Azad alleged he had been insulted while Sunil Goel, a lifetime DDCA member, claimed he has been manhandled by the Sports Committee members. The top brass of the DDCA, however, said no such incident happened during the meeting. Azad alleged some members of the DDCA Sports Committee stopped and insulted him when he raised some questions about the functioning of the state cricket body.

“During the meeting, I raised some pertinent questions on the accounts and formation of the Cricket Committee, among others. I asked them what is the DDCA doing on cricketing matters but then a lot of people tried to insult me,” an angry Azad told reporters.

“They say they have spent about Rs 30 crore since January in the stadium but they had no answer when I asked them the specific areas where the money was spend,” he said. — PTI

New Delhi, December 29
The Union Cabinet today recommended the lifting of the President’s Rule in Jharkhand here today, clearing the way for the new government to take over the reigns of power under JMM leader Shibu Soren, who would take oath as the Chief Minister of the state in Ranchi tomorrow.

A note prepared by the Union Home Ministry was placed before the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which immediately approved it, official sources said.

The Cabinet recommendation is expected to go to President Pratibha Patil immediately, who has to sign the proposal on ending the Central rule in the state.

Jharkhand Governor K Sankaranaryanan has already invited Shibu Soren to take oath as the Chief Minister tomorrow. He met the Governor two days ago along with leaders of the BJP, the JD-U and the AJSU to submit a list of 44 MLAs supporting him in a House of 81.

Meanwhile, the President deferred her visit to southern states with Rashtrapati Bhavan officials attributing it to her wish to be in Delhi to sign the proclamation to revoke the President’s Rule to facilitate installation of the new government in Jharkhand within the stipulated time.

Soren, 65, has been the Chief Minister three times, but with criminal cases filed against him, he had never managed to complete his term in the office.

The new Soren government, with the BJP support, would be the seventh coalition set-up in the mineral-rich state since its creation in November, 2000.

New Delhi, December 29
Reacting to reports from Islamabad about the sale of land belonging to gurdwaras in Pakistan, India today said it had asked the Pakistan Government to look into the issue and take corrective action.

“The reported incidents of sale of land attached to gurdwaras in Pakistan has caused concern in India,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said. “The government has conveyed the concerns in this regard to the government of Pakistan, and requested it to look into the matter and take appropriate remedial action,” he said.

The issue of transfer of 150 acres of gurdwara land in Lahore for a military housing project had created uproar during the winter session of parliament. At that time, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna had assured the House that India would take up the issue with Pakistan.

New Delhi, December 29
Twelve journalists were killed, most of them in the ongoing conflict in South Asia, as risk to mediapersons’ lives and job increased in 2009, says a report of the South Asia Media Commission.

The report, released at a press conference here today, regretted that over commercialisation, monopolisation and excessive political clout chipped away at professional and ethical norms, especially in India and Pakistan, during the year.

The situation for the functioning of a free media rapidly deteriorated as vested interests outmanoeuvred editorial controls. Confronting the fallout of the global economic downturn, media outlets that have had a buoyant growth in recent years laid off hundreds of their staff members deflating professional morale in the region where physical threats abound.

The report observed that there had been a rise in violent incidents reported from India. The impunity with which journalists had been killed in Afghanistan (2), India (1), Pakistan (7), Nepal (1), and Lanka (1) was still there and the state authorities had failed to bring to justice the murderers of mediapersons.

The ongoing conflict in the frontier regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan and the surge of terrorism had brought media under tremendous pressure. 

New Delhi, December 29
A ‘once in a blue moon’ event awaits sky gazers on New Year's Eve. When a second full moon in a calendar month appears in the night sky, the occurrence is known as a ‘blue moon’.

There are 12 full moons most years but every two or three years there is an extra full moon which is called a blue moon. "We've already had a full moon on December 2 and the next one is on New Year’s Eve that is on December 31," Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE) president C B Devgun said.

On rare occasions the moon actually had a blue appearance often caused by smoke from large-scale fires or excessive dust particles in the atmosphere. Explaining the phenomena of blue moons, Devgun said the moon cycle takes about 29.53 days to complete which is almost a month. That is why there's one full moon once a month, at least on most years.

“Because the lunar cycle does not reach a full 30 days, the full moon happens about a half a day earlier each month. So over time, this small difference eventually pushes the date of the full moon until there can be two full moons in one month. When this happens, the second full moon in that month is called the blue moon," Devgun said. This comes about quite rarely, only about seven times in 19 years, which is equal to one blue moon every 2.7 years more or less. The next blue moon will occur on November 21, 2010. After that, planet watchers will have to wait until August 21, 2013, to see another blue moon. — PTI

Chennai,December 29
Sky enthusiasts in India, especially in Tamil Nadu will have a rare opportunity to witness the longest annular eclipse of the sun, occurring on January 15.

"The annular phase runs from 10.44 am (IST), when the eclipse begins in the Central African Republic to the end of the eclipse on the Chinese Yellow Sea coast at 14.29 pm (IST)," Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre Executive Director Dr P Iyamperumal said. He said the maximum duration of annularity would reach 11 min 08 sec over Indian Ocean thus making it the longest annular eclipse.Stating that this was a rare event happening about 108 years in Tamil Nadu, he said, "The annular eclipse will be visible from Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Tuticorin, Rameshwaram, Madurai, Rajapalayam, Sivaganga, Karikudi, Pudukottai, Nagapatinam, Tanjavur, Kumbakonam, Mayiladuthurai and Chidambaram".

The difference between a total solar eclipse and annular one, he said, is that during a total solar eclipse the sun will be fully covered by the moon whereas during an annular one, the sun would not be fully covered and “one will be able to see it like a thin ring around the black moon”.

Stating that the eclipse would be visible partially in North India, Iyamperumal said, "In the north the visibility range will be from 45 per cent to 25 per cent".Official also said it is unsafe to look at the sun directly during the eclipse time. Even during partial eclipse one should not attempt to view the sun without any eye protection. He said arrangements were being made by the Science centre to enable the public to observe the event safely at Kanyakumari.Meanwhile, Repute Infotech and Enterprises Limited with the support of Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre launched web portal www.pongaleclipse.com to provide information about the annular solar eclipse and break myths surrounding the phenomena.— PTI

Chandigarh, December 29
The slugfest between UT Administrator SF Rodrigues and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources and Chandigarh MP Pawan Bansal over mega projects could be a thing of past in the year 2010.

With Rodrigues on his way out in the backdrop of expiry of his tenure on November 16, the turf war between the Administrator and the MP is set to end with the residents hoping for smooth functioning of the Chandigarh administration giving a filip to the development activity which had been on a back burner for the past several years.

In fact, the new year would also clear the clouds of uncertainty over controversial mega projects of the administration. While the film city had already been scrapped, the ultra-luxurious housing project - Prideasia- at the Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park(RGCTP) is under arbitration.The fate of the amusement park, which is under the scanner of the CBI, and the modern terminal market and medi-city would also be known even as the education city seems to be on track.

And with this, the dust raised by mega projects, which also saw the relations between Administrator and Adviser Pradip Mehra touching the nadir, would also settle down.

However, apart from the mega projects the ongoing major developments projects, including upgrade of the airport, railway station and new transport area will continue in the new year.

The UT farmers, who have been on warpath against the setting up of the Phase III of the RGCTP following low land compensation, could hope for better deal in the coming year as the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, 2007, and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007, could be passed in 2010. The two bills, which provided for market rates for the acquired land, fell in Rajya Sabha on “technical grounds” earlier this year.

On the hospitality and the entertainment fronts, the city could expect several new hotels. Besides, the shopping mall culture would take the city by storms in the wake of several new shopping mall-cum-multiplexes.

And the city may finally make it to the international air map with international flights scheduled to be started next year following expansion of the Chandigarh Airport into international airport.

The otherwise “non-political” city will gear up for the elections to the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) scheduled to be held in 2011. The ruling Congress will have a tough time in retaining the power in the civic body in the wake of anti-incumbency factor in play due to its lacklustre performance during its tenure in office.

Chandigarh, with a total area of 114-km square km, will continue to take fancy of the people from all over the world in the wake of the burgeoning property prices as was evident from the recent auction where the average price per square of residential land was Rs 74,820.

Kolkata, December 29
Neither the Centre nor the states so far has taken any steps to tackle the Maoists problems, former Army Chief Gen. Shankar Roychowdhury alleged. He did not think the problem could be solved either with the deployment of the joint action force in the vulnerable areas or allowing the troops to operate there.

Roychowdhury said the Maoists problem was a human problem and an Army operation against the Maoists would be disastrous. He suggested that both the Centre and the respective state government should adopt a joint master plan for developing those neglected villages on a war footing. But for some time, the joint action force should remain there and from time to time conduct the flushing-out operations of Maoists.

Talking to a private TV channel today, the former Army chief suggested that all political parties, irrespective of their differences, should come to a common platform and launch welfare activities in those vulnerable areas with the involvement of the local people. This would compel the Maoists and other vested interests to gradually withdraw.

Roychowdhury did not think the Maoists problems could be treated merely as law and order problems of the state, meant only for the respective state government to tackle. The Centre should share the responsibility of protecting the people against the Maoists since the Centre too was responsible for their plight. He suggested that the Maoists should be brought into the mainstream in phases and they should be engaged in suitable alternatives for earning their livelihoods.

The Bengal government had taken a foolish step, according to the former Chief, by engaging the police force for combating the Maoists in the first stage instead of initiating a dialogue with the local people and redressing their grievances. 

Guwahati, December 29
The Koch-Rajbongshi community living in parts of Assam and West Bengal is all set to embark on an “intense and indefinite” phase of agitation from the New Year to press for their demand for separate Kamatapur state carved out of Assam and West Bengal areas.

President of the All-Koch Rajbongshi Students Union (AKRASU), which is spearheading the movement, Bishwajit Rai said the protesters from the community would resort to indefinite “railway and national highway” blockades in protest against the alleged failure of the Central Government to address their demand for a separate state.

The blockade, if it takes place, will cut off the entire north-eastern region through surface routes. The Koch-Rajbongshi agitators will block traffic along the “chicken neck” in North Bengal that connects Assam and the North East with the rest of the country.

“A massive protest rally of Koch-Rajbongshis held at Bongaigaon today decided to take to agitation in view of the Centre’s lukewarm attitude to our demand for statehood. The opposition parties have also remained indifferent to our demands,” the AKRASU leader said.

The Koch-Rajbongshi community demands a separate Kamatapur state comprising a huge area in Brahmaputra Valley in Assam and six adjoining districts of West Bengal. The AKRASU leader claimed there were 40 lakh Koch-Rajbongshi people living in Assam, while another 35 lakh were living in West Bengal.

Patna, December 29
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar presided over the last meeting of his cabinet ministers in 2009 near the Buddhist Peace Pagoda at Rajgir today. Rajgir is a famous winter tourist spot of the state known for its natural sulphur water springs.

While the Chief Minister used a chopper to reach the convention centre (venue of the meeting) atop Gidhakuta hills, his cabinet colleagues used the ropeway. A visibly delighted Nitish Kumar was seen playing ‘Shanti dhak’ (a musical instrument played by the buddhists for peace) soon after he alighted from the Chopper.

He played it all along the way till he reached the meeting place. This is the second cabinet meeting of Nitish Kumar’s cabinet outside the state capital this year. 

Hyderabad, December 29
Pro-Telangana students today called for boycott of the New Year celebrations in support of the statehood cause even as the ministers from the Telangana region, who had submitted their resignations, vowed to stay away from cabinet meetings till the Centre announced a time frame for the creation of the new state.“We urge people of the Telangana region to boycott the New Year celebrations to express solidarity with the agitation and mount pressure on the government to take immediate steps for the formation of Telangana state,” said leaders of the joint action committee of students of Osmania University.

The JAC of Osmania University here has already given a call for “Vidhyarthi Maha Garjana” (students’ roar) in the city on January 3. Over 5 lakh students from the Telangana region, comprising nine districts and the state capital, are expected to descend on the city in a massive show of strength.

City Police Commissioner B Prasada Rao, however, said permission had not been given for the proposed rally and warned of stern action if students took to streets and disturbed normal life.

A defiant JAC said no police permission was required as the Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University had already given the permission.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC would be imposed in the city from tomorrow for a week to maintain peace and tranquillity, the Police Commissioner said.Meanwhile, the ministers from the Telangana region, who had sent their resignations to Sonia Gandhi, declared they would not attend Cabinet meetings until the Centre came up with an unambiguous statement on the statehood issue.

Chennai, December 29
MDMK leader Vaiko was arrested in Theni district while leading a procession of farmers towards an arterial route leading to Kerala in a “symbolic agitation” to block the supply of essential commodities from Tamil Nadu, in protest against the Kerala Government’s plan to construct a new dam near the existing Mullaiperiyar Dam. A large number of farmers were also arrested.

Addressing the farmers, before his arrest, Vaiko said this was only a “symbolic agitation” against the Kerala Government that was trying to deprive Tamil Nadu farmers of their livelihood. Real protests blocking the supply of essential goods like rice, meat, milk, cereals and vegetables would follow if the neighbouring state refused to change its plans on the Mullaiperiyar Dam issue, he said. He appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu to prepare themselves for an economic blockade against Kerala.

He alleged Kerala was planning to break the existing Mullaiperiyar Dam under the pretext of building a new dam near it. “To build a new dam, the builders should blast rocks in the region using 1,200 kg of explosives. Use of a large quantity of explosives will damage the existing Mullaiperiyar Dam,” he said.

“The day the Mullaiperiyar Dam is broken, India’s unity will be shattered into pieces,” he said. The dam was the lifeline of five southern districts and about 217 acres of land would have no water for irrigation, if the dam was broken, he said.

At present, Tamil Nadu is a major supplier of milk, rice, cereals, eggs, vegetables and meat to Kerala. All land and rail routes to Kerala also pass through Tamil Nadu.

Thiruvananthapuram, December 29
Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has said though the state had made good progress in the field of Human Resources Development , its high rate of suicide was a major concern.

Suicide rate in Kerala at about 33 per one lakh was two times more than the national average, he said addressing a workshop on Human Resources Development organised jointly by the UNDP , the Planning Commission and the State Planning Board yesterday. A comprehensive study on the transformation that takes place in families and social set up due to changes in socio-economic front was necessary, Achuthanandan said.

Many more things have to be achieved in the field of human resources, he said, adding economic progress alone would not lead to Human Resource Development. On the occasion, Achuthanandan also released the Human Resources Development Report of Waynad and Kottayam districts prepared by the Centre for development studies here. — PTI 

Aurangabad, December 29
Armed Maoists detonated dynamites to blow up a school building at Jurati village in Bihar's Aurangabad district early today, the police said.

Around 200 Ultras surrounded the state-run school and triggered dynamite blasts partially damaging its building, the police said. A patrol soon arrived and locked the Ultras in an encounter for more than two hours, the police said. No casualty was reported from either side.The police recovered two cane bombs, cable wires, several police uniforms and naxal literature from the spot. A combing operation has been launched to nab the Maoists, the police added. — PTI