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No change in LAC, says Antony
Hasina pays obeisance at Ajmer dargah
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Shrine routes strewn with trash
Error turns fatal for family
BSP bags 31 MLC seats in UP
No resurvey of Wakf property in Punjab
8 pilgrims killed in mishap
BJP moots party constitution review
Vyas meets PC, seeks graver rape punishment
Indo-Pak conference calls for media to be unbiased
Bihar cops to play Good Samaritan
Oust-CM-drive gathers steam in Goa
Bank transactions over Rs 50k
under lens
Oz won’t be allowed to play in M’rashtra: Thackeray
Lalu, Paswan mum on Mamata’s work
India gets consular access to detainees
in China
Krishna, Pak FM discuss terror Subba’s Citizenship RTI activist killed BSF arrests
seven Pak nationals from Cori Creek Indo-Pak conference calls for media to be unbiased
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No change in LAC, says Antony
New Delhi, January 13
Antony, who was in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday, told the media on the sidelines of a defence industry function here in reply to a query on China “… yesterday at a meeting this subject was raised. Intelligence agencies, state government agencies, the Chief Minister, Army chief and defence secretary attended… The Corps Commander (14 corps Leh) reported that as far as they are concerned, there is no change in the Line of Actual Control. There is not much change in the situations. This is the position explained by the Army commander and in the meeting nobody expressed a different view. But I told them to further study this in detail.” Just three days ago, it was reported in the media that Leh Commissioner AK Sahu had in a meeting chaired by him said “….it is clear and be accepted that we are withdrawing from LAC and our area has shrunk over a period of time. Though this process if very slow but we have lost substantial amount of land in 20-25 years." A brigadier and colonel of the Army were also present at the meeting Actually not just Antony, the Indian Army in its internal assessment had said, “ The Army does not agree with the position and perception expressed (by the Commissioner of Leh). There is no change is established demarcation and claim along the LAC.” Sources said the Army opines that though its officials were attending the meeting with the Leh Commissioner, this does not mean that it subscribed to the view. On infiltration in J&K he said we had a detailed discussion with the Chief Minister, intelligence agencies and the Army top brass. In 2009, the violence levels had come down. “My assessment is inimical forces across the country, across the border they are jittering. They feel if the situation continues like this, the state will fast be normal,” Antony said.
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Hasina pays obeisance at Ajmer dargah
Jaipur, January 13 Ahmed Raza, a shrine official, said Hasina arrived at the dargah around 12.45 pm along with a delegation of 17 members and spent almost an hour on the premises. She performed her ziyarat with the help of Khadim Kamaluddin Chishti. She also gifted Rs 1.5 lakh to the shrine. Earlier, shrine officials welcomed the Bangladesh PM and offered her a biograhphy of Khwaja Chishti and a sword. Unprecedented security arrangements were put in place at the shrine for Hasina’s visit. The main market nearby was closed and even windows facing the shrine were not allowed to be opened. Commandos were deployed on roof-tops of adjacent buildings. Earlier, Hasina arrived at Sanganer Airport here this morning with an entourage of 100 members. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot received her at the airport from where she and 17 other members left for Ajmer in an Indian Air Force helicopter. Other members of her delegation went on a sightseeing tour of the Pink City. Later, the Bangladesh premier left for her country.
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Shrine routes strewn with trash
Ajmer, January 13 Narrow lanes, teeming the Dargah Bazaar and garbage strewn on the streets make it difficult for devotees to reach the shrine. Normally, devotees take the popular Nizam Gate route from the main Dargah Bazaar to reach the shrine. However, their woes don’t lessen in any way even if they opt for the Babul Gate from the Langar Khana Gali or the Shariq Gate. Apart from devotees, those who are at the receiving end of the unhygienic condition prevailing around the shrine are the local residents. “These things don’t affect devotees as much as they do us. A devotee would at the most take two hours to enter the area, offer prayer and leave, but we have to confront these problems everyday,” rues Farzand Ahmed, a local shopkeeper. The narrow, cramped lanes are choc-o-bloc on Fridays, apart from Urs and other celebrations. Even noted musician AR Rehman, who also owns a house in the holy town, had aired his concern about the filthy conditions prevailing in the town, particularly around the shrine, a few weeks back and had urged the civic authorities to take some corrective measures. Meanwhile, another destination for devotees, Anasagar Lake, too is crying for attention. Legend has it that Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti had used the water from the lake. The lake is grappling with encroachment in the catchment areas. It also urgently needs de-silting and a sewerage treatment plant (STP). On the other hand, the district authorities maintain that various measures are in the pipeline to restore the lake as well as boost the amenities around the dargah. According to them, Rs 112-crore STP for the lake has got the necessary clearances while the work on
Kayad Vishramsthali, a lodging facility for devotees, is underway.
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Error turns fatal for family
Faridabad, January 13 The accident occurred when the family members were trying to cross railway tracks at the station. They were crossing the tracks without using the overhead foot bridge at the station. They have been identified as Kripa Shankar (35), his wife Bindoo Devi (32), his two daughters, Puja (6) and Kelly (3), and his mother, Bachani Devi (65). They were to board a train to go to Haridwar to take part in Mahakumbh. The tragic incident took place when the youngest daughter, Kelly, fell on a track while crossing it. The Rajdhani Express was scheduled to cross the railway station at that time. The other family members were also run over by the train while they were trying to rescue the girl. All died on the spot. The family members were trying to cross the tracks to reach platform no 1 from platform no 2 to purchase the train ticket.
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BSP bags 31 MLC seats in UP
Lucknow, January 13 Thanking her party cadre, elected representatives and office-bearers, Mayawati declared that the landslide victory of her party in the MLC election had once again proved that the her government’s policy of “sarvjan hitai, sarvjan sukhai” has caught the popular imagination. The results were a major setback for the Samajwadi Party, already reeling under its internal crisis, as it could bag only one seat. The BJP, however, did not even open its account. Despite Congress MP and youth icon Rahul Gandhi’s appeal to the party cadre to work cohesively to capture maximum seats, the party’s managed to win just one seat in Rae Bareli.
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No resurvey of Wakf property in Punjab
New Delhi, January 13 Rebuffing the commission’s view as “legally untenable”, the government, in consultation with the Central Wakf Council, which met in the Capital today, took a final position on the issue, saying registered Wakf properties were legal Wakf properties and could not be reviewed at any cost under the law. Only their titles could be challenged under the existing Wakf Act within 12 years of their mutation. The government based its view on a Supreme Court judgment in a related case, where the court ruled: “Once a Wakf property, always a Wakf property.” “The Punjab government or any other government must know the legal position in this matter. Resurveying of registered Wakf properties is illegal and unacceptable. It can’t be allowed. Punjab has also lost the case of appeal as many years have passed by,” Minister of Minority Affairs Salman Khursheed told The Tribune. He said the Home Ministry would be asked to convey the decision to the Punjab government, which is yet to take a view on the matter after the commission made its recommendations in October last. The commission justified the new survey saying the old one was conducted in times of joint Punjab and did not conform to the provisions of Wakf Act, 1954, and Punjab Wakf Rules, 1960. The commission, in its report, said a new study could well reveal that a lot of registered Wakf land was either farmland or state land. Commission chairperson also said lack of clarity on the status of Wakf properties in Punjab was leading to avoidable litigation. But the Central Wakf Council members negated its logic saying Punjab had enough time to go into appeal if it doubted the status of Wakf properties.
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8 pilgrims killed in mishap
Kolkata, January 13 Thirty others were injured in the accident that occurred near Dankuni toll plaza after the bus driver failed to spot the truck, a police officer said. Many of the injured were in serious condition. The pilgrims were headed to Ganga Sagar, a Hindu pilgrim spot about 150 km south of West Bengal. Every year on Makar Sankranti Hindus gather there to take a dip in the confluence of the Ganga. Many other Ganga Sagar pilgrims also experienced a great ordeal today following the 12-hour bandh called by the CPM in South 24 Parganas. The trains from Sealdah to Namkhana and some long-distance trains, which were carrying pilgrims from other states, had been detained at different stations by protesters.
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BJP moots party constitution review
New Delhi, January 13 The party had constituted a committee under vice-president Bal Apte under former president Rajnath Singh sometime back to suggest amendments in the party constitution. That report is now with president Nitin Gadkari. Gadkari partially admitted to this here yesterday when he said in reply to a quesetion, “We are going to make place for greater women representation.” However, sources said the whole idea of amending the constitution was motivated not just with the objective of accommodating more women, but with a larger purpose to create a kind of politburo or the Central committee, on the lines of the Communist parties, which should have the powers to overrule the president or even remove him if need be. According to sources, the RSS and the BJP alliance faced the first test when in 1995, there was a general outcry in the Sangh parivar over with the utterances of then BJP president LK Advani in Karachi extolling the virtues of Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Immediately, thereafter the Sangh wanted Advani to step down and make way for a new appointee of the Sangh. But while, on one hand, the RSS is reluctant to demonstrate that it is steering the BJP from the backseat, on the other hand, there is no provision in the BJP constitution to remove the party president once he is elected and till his term comes to an end. The BJP faced the same problem when it wanted to get rid of Bangaru Laxman after the Tehelka bribery episode, and the third time when it was unhappy with Jana Krishnamurthy as the president. But while the other two were not so powerful as to resist, Advani had good control over the party organisation and also being one of the senior most leaders, the Sangh could not have remove him without creating bad blood. Eventually, RSS did manage to persuade Advani to quit and pave way for Rajnath Singh. But since then, the Sangh has felt the need to build in a mechanism whereby the president’s powers could be checked if need be. But once Rajnath took over he was in the words of a BJP leader always perceived as a “challenger” rather than a “successor” of Advani and, therefore, remained unsettled throughout his four-year tenure. Sources said, “Tomorrow if Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi or someone like him becomes the party president, he may be too independent to be checked by anyone. Therefore, now is the right time since a trusted Nagpur appointee has assumed power in the BJP”. The move is not going to be rushed through in a hurry and may come only after Gadkari has fully settled, said party sources.
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Vyas meets PC, seeks graver rape punishment
New Delhi, January 13 The meeting, set against the developments in Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, was held at the office of the Home Minister, who is said to have told Vyas that a committee headed by the Home Secretary was already looking at laws involving sexual offences. The NCW, which earlier prepared a draft on the Sexual Assault Bill, sought at least seven years’ rigorous punishment for rape convicts, in place of two years, at present. She also sought that the definition of rape be enlarged to include emerging forms of sexual assault, which are completely negated in the present system. After the meeting, Vyas said she requested Chidambaram to explore the possibilities of enhancing punishments for men in uniform, found committing sexual offences.
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Indo-Pak conference calls for media to be unbiased
New Delhi, January 13 The 15-point declaration that was adopted at the Indo-Pakistan conference ‘A Road Map Towards Peace’, included long standing issues between the neighbours like Kashmir, distribution of water resources and Siachen. On visa regime, it was observed that stringent scrutiny could be done without undue restrictiveness. A need to open consulates in all major cities of the two countries was emphasised along with special consideration for visas for children and adults. Speaking at the conference, former member of National Assembly of Pakistan Chaudhary Manzoor Ahmed said a joint committee of the press clubs of Delhi and Lahore must be constituted. “Media on both sides start fueling war sentiments at times of disturbance, which could be settled by establishing contact between mediapersons of India and Pakistan,” said Manzoor. The last session in the conference on “Media and Culture in War and Peace” yesterday was addressed by prominent film-maker Mahesh Bhatt. Taking a dig on the electronic media, Bhatt said film-makers had quit using stereotypes of India and Pakistan in Bollywood, but now the trend was picked up by the electronic media. Veteran journalist Kuldeep Nayar said he was contemplating starting a South Asian news agency that was free of any prejudices and could report news from the region. The plan of action declared at the conference would be presented to the governments of either side.
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Bihar cops to play Good Samaritan
Patna, January 13 The police chief has also fixed the amount that has to be donated by different ranks of cops. The Constables have been asked to donate Rs 51 each, the Sub-Inspectors -Rs 101, Inspectors -Rs 151 and so on. The SP rank officers have to part with Rs 301, DIGs Rs 401, IG Rs 501 and the ADG Rs 601 and those in the rank of DG will have to donate Rs 1001. However, there is no restriction on donating more money voluntarily, says the office order. The order has also laid down the purchase rules for the blankets. The SPs of all districts and Commandants of different battalions of Bihar Military Police have been made the nodal officer for collecting the donations and purchasing the blankets. The Inspectors and Company Commanders have been made in charge of distribution in their respective areas. The office order has also fixed the price range for procuring the blankets which is Rs 150-Rs 175. The DGP feels that the policemen can improve their image and rapport with the common people by undertaking this humanitarian exercise. On being contacted by media persons to know the factors for such motivation among the police force, the DGP said when other organisations can raise money to help the family members of martyr police personnel why can’t we do the same for the needy and down trodden in our society?
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Oust-CM-drive gathers steam in Goa
Mumbai, January 13 Vishwajit, who is an Independent MLA in the Goa assembly, according to sources. The move against the Chief Minister gathered steam on Tuesday when five MLAs from the Congress sought a change in leadership in the state. The five legislators - Churchill Alemao, Agnelo Fernandes, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Fransico Silveira and Pandurang Madkaikar - are said to be backed by Vishwajit Rane. They are said to be lobbying for the support of other legislators from the Congress. The sources say an alternative plan mooted by them was anointing Alemao as Chief Minister if Pratapsinh Rane does not accept it. Three MLAs from the Nationalist Congress Party, two from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and one from the United Goans Democratic Party, who are backing the government, have also called for a change in the leadership.
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Bank transactions over Rs 50k
under lens
Chandigarh, January 13 In its directive issued yesterday, the RBI said the address and identity of the customer would now be verified, if he affects any transaction either through cash or any other financial instruments exceeding Rs 50,000. Banks have also been asked to check if several transactions are affected by a single person for amount lesser than Rs 50,000, but in case all these are somehow connected. The new directives said in case the bank has reason to believe that a customer is intentionally structuring a transaction into a series of smaller transaction, below the threshold of Rs 50,000, the bank will have to verify the identity and address of customer, besides filing a suspicious transaction report to FIU- IND. These directions come in wake of the recent directions issued by the apex bank to check money laundering, wherein banks have also been asked to maintain proper record of all receipts of over Rs 10 lakh by non-profit organisations. All such transactions will also have to be reported to the FIU-IND by the 15th of the succeeding month. Recently, the banks had also been asked to check money laundering by politically exposed persons (PEPs). The RBI has asked banks to conduct customer due diligence for all accounts owned by these persons, their family members and close relatives. As per the order, banks must gather sufficient information on PEPs (including heads of states or of governments, senior politicians, senior government/ judicial/ military officers, senior executives of state-owned corporations, important political party officials) in the public domain before establishing a relationship with them. The decision to open an account for any PEP should be taken at a senior level, which should be clearly spelt out in Customer Acceptance Policy.
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Oz won’t be allowed to play in M’rashtra: Thackeray
Mumbai, January 13 The editorial also noted that India should stop playing cricket with Australia in foreign soil as well as a mark of protest. Several Australian cricketers have been contracted to play in Indian Premier League matches to be played at Mumbai and Nagpur. Members of the Indian cricket team have also drawn ire for playing with the Australians. “Our boys are being killed in their country and still our shameless cricketers are playing with them. Where is their national pride?” the write up attributed to Thackeray asks. For good measure, Saamna likened the ban on Australian cricketers to that of Pakistani players who are still not allowed to enter stadiums in Mumbai and Maharashtra. Thackeray went on to praise Amitabh Bachchan for refusing to accept an award from an Australian university to protest the attack on Indians Down Under. “I would have been happy if our cricketers too had shown similar self-respect. But they are playing for money and self-respect and patriotism are no longer of use to them,” the piece said.
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Lalu, Paswan mum on Mamata’s work
Kolkata, January 13 Lalu said the Railways did not belong to either him or Mamataji but he, during his tenure, tried his best for improve it by adopting measures for better amenities, safety and security of the passengers. “We all are now watching Mamataji’s works and waiting for the Railway Budget. If we find that she is really doing something good for the Railways and passengers instead of following the populist measures, our supports and blessings will be with her”, Lalu remarked. Paswan, however, did not utter anything about Mamata. Instead he said he had come to the city for wishing Basuji’s quick recovery. He said the nation would have been benefited much if Basuji was made the Prime Minister during the political crisis in 1996.
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India gets consular access to detainees
in China
New Delhi, January 13 An official from the Indian Embassy in Beijing and another from the Indian Consulate in Shenzhen met the detainees and sought information about the circumstances under which they were held, official sources said here. The officials will now decide whether they need any help from the embassy in getting legal assistance, sources added. Twenty-one Indians were detained by the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Shenzhen in the southern Guangdong province on January 8 and charged with illegal transportation of diamonds from Hong Kong to Shenzhen. New Delhi says the Chinese authorities have treated all the Indian detainees very well.
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Krishna, Pak FM discuss terror New Delhi, January 13 A day after an Indo-Pak peace conference called for the resumption of the India-Pakistan composite dialogue process, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi and underscored the need for unraveling the full conspiracy behind the Mumbai terror attacks and bringing the perpetrators to justice expeditiously. The telephonic conversation between the two is being seen by diplomatic observers as the first sign of India’s clear indication to Pakistan that it was willing to engage with Islamabad if the neighbouring country acted sincerely and speedily on New Delhi’s demand with regard to the 26/11 terror attacks. In the first high-level official conversation between the two countries, the two Foreign Ministers reviewed the status of the trial in Pakistan of some of the accused and proclaimed offenders in the terrorist strikes. Conveying his New Year wishes to Qureshi, Krishna asked him that India must be informed of the progress of the trial in the Mumbai incidents, the External Affairs Ministry said. He thanked Pakistan for the recent release of 100 Indian fishermen and expressed the hope that over 500 Indian fishermen and 400 Indian fishing boats, still in Pakistan's custody, would also be freed soon. India released 31 Pakistani fishermen and will soon free the 19 remaining ones whose nationality has been confirmed by Pakistan, Krishna told Qureshi. "The two leaders agreed to pursue further cooperation on other humanitarian issues such as those relating to prisoners," the ministry said. India put the composite dialogue with Pakistan on pause after the 26/11 attacks involving 10 Pakistani terrorists, who sneaked into Mumbai by sea and killed nearly 170 people. Asked about the significance of the telephonic conversation, official sources said New Delhi’s position had time and again been articulated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that India was willing to have a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan only if Islamabad fulfilled its commitment in letter and spirit not to allow its territory to be used for anti-India activities. |
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Subba’s Citizenship New Delhi, January 13 "Let CBI take appropriate action," a Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan said. The apex court had ordered a CBI inquiry following a PIL alleging that Subba was a national of Nepal and had acquired Indian citizenship by fraud. According to the PIL petitioner, Birendra Nath Singh, a Noida resident who approached the apex court in 2005, the then Lok Sabha MP from Tezpur had come to India following a murder case against him in Nepal in the early 1970s. Subba, however, contended that he was born in Dadgram village in Darjeeling district of West Bengal on March 16, 1958 and his parents had migrated from Singtam village in Sikkim.
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RTI activist killed
Pune, January 13 “Around 7.15 am, when Shetty was on his morning walk, some unidentified people assaulted him and injured him seriously. He was rushed to a private hospital, but succumbed later,” said Pradeep Aphale, investigating officer of Talegaon Police Station. Shetty, a systematic whistleblower, was credited with throwing light on several major land scams in the picturesque Talegaon-Lonavala regions, now a favourite with realtors in the state. He shot to fame after exposing certain corrupt land deals in and around the country's first expressway, the Mumbai-Pune expressway, over a decade ago. Condemning the incident, leading Mumbai crusader Sumaira Abdulali said this comes barely a week after the attack on another prominent Mumbai social activist Nayana Kathpalia and threats to Neera Punj of Citispace. — IANS |
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BSF arrests seven Pak nationals from Cori Creek Ahmedabad, January 13 "Our men intercepted a vessel, which had crossed into Indian waters yesterday near the Cori Creek mouth in the Arabian Sea. There were seven men inside the vessel who have been arrested and are being handed over to the local police," BSF Inspector General AK Sinha said. "During preliminary investigation, the men said that they have come from Karachi and were here for fishing purpose," Sinha said, adding nothing incriminating was recovered from the boat. The vessel has also been seized and handed over to the local police, he said, adding further investigation would be carried out by the district police. — PTI
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Indo-Pak conference calls for media to be unbiased New Delhi, January 13 The 15-point declaration that was adopted at the Indo-Pakistan conference ‘A Road Map Towards Peace’, included long standing issues between the neighbours like Kashmir, distribution of water resources and Siachen. On visa regime, it was observed that stringent scrutiny could be done without undue restrictiveness. A need to open consulates in all major cities of the two countries was emphasised along with special consideration for visas for children and adults. Speaking at the conference, former member of National Assembly of Pakistan Chaudhary Manzoor Ahmed said a joint committee of the press clubs of Delhi and Lahore must be constituted. “Media on both sides start fueling war sentiments at times of disturbance, which could be settled by establishing contact between mediapersons of India and Pakistan,” said Manzoor. The last session in the conference on “Media and Culture in War and Peace” yesterday was addressed by prominent film-maker Mahesh Bhatt. Taking a dig on the electronic media, Bhatt said film-makers had quit using stereotypes of India and Pakistan in Bollywood, but now the trend was picked up by the electronic media. Veteran journalist Kuldeep Nayar said he was contemplating starting a South Asian news agency that was free of any prejudices and could report news from the region. The plan of action declared at the conference would be presented to the governments of either side.
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Jaipur, January 13
Ajmer, January 13
