Jaipur, August 28
The mystery shrouding the vanishing act of 164 explosive-laden trucks while on their way from RECL, Dholpur, to Madhya Pradesh may soon be resolved as one of the key accused in the case, Jaikishan Ashwani, has surrendered before the Sagar police. He was produced in a local court in Sagar today, which sent him to police remand.

Talking to The Tribune, Sagar SP Vijay Suryawanshi said, “Ashwani came with a lawyer and surrendered at the Baheria police station in Sagar.” Ashwani is a key aide of Shiv Charan Heda, a Bhilwara-based explosives dealer and alleged kingpin in the case.

It was Ashwani who had placed an order of 61 trucks of explosives before the RECL in the name of Ganesh Explosives, Sagar, and then allegedly diverted the consignment to the firms of his relatives, Heda and his wife Deepa. The Heda couple owns explosive firms in Bhilwara, Rajgarh (MP), Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) and Rajkot (Gujarat).

Ashwani exploited the licence of Ganesh Explosives, which was in the name of its real owner Devendra Singh Thakur. Also, the licence had expired on March 31, 2010, while the consignment was delivered between April and July. Ashwani’s involvement also came to the fore in the second case in which 103 trucks of explosives delivered by RECL to Sangam Explosives at Chanderi in Ashok Nagar district of MP went missing in transit.

Rajendra Chaubey, who was arrested by Sagar police from Bhopal in connection with the first case, turned out to be an aide of Heda and Ashwani, corroborating the latter’s link to the fresh case.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan police has announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for any information on Heda couple. The MP police has also announced a reward of Rs 10,000 each on Heda, Deepa and Thakur.

In a related development, the Bhilwara police has recovered around 1,500 cartons containing detonators, gelatin sticks and fuse wires from the godowns owned by Heda couple’s firm BM Traders. Circle Officer (Sadar) Ram Kumar Kaswa said they were yet to recover any explosives from the missing consignment. “Heda may have sold off the stock diverted to him by Ashwani. We are now examining his business transaction of the last few months,” he added.

On the other hand, the RECL has confirmed that it had indeed supplied 103 trucks of explosives to Sangam Explosives, Chanderi. RECL Deputy Manager (MIS) GS Parmar said, “We had supplied 103 trips of explosives to Sangam Explosives, Chanderi, through 31 trucks during April 1 to July 3, 2010.” He claimed that the licence of the Sangam Explosives was in the name of Rajendra Kumar Chaubey who was arrested by the MP police in Bhopal in connection with a similar case that came to the fore a fortnight back.

Srinagar, August 28
The police today arrested Aasiya Andrabi, chief of the hardline separatist women’s organisation Dukhtaran-e-Millat, along with her senior colleague in a raid conducted on the outskirts of the city.

She was picked up from a hideout in Zakoora area near Hazratbal along with her senior associate, Fehmeeda, this morning, the police said. The arrest is regarded as a major achievement in the wake of the ongoing agitation. She has been a staunch supporter of the hardline APHC, led by Syed Ali Geelani, and was evading arrest for quite some time. Andrabi, who had earlier also been jailed, is expected to be booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

Over the past more than two months of protest demonstrations, mainly the stone pelting incidents, in which 64 youths were killed and hundreds others injured in the clashes, Asiya Andrabi had been extending a strong support to the agitation.

New Delhi, August 28
Veena Kohli, mother of late Captain Sumit Kohli, today met Defence Minister AK Antony and demanded a fresh probe into his death independent of the Army, which she said was suppressing the truth behind the death of her son.

Shaurya Chakra awardee Kohli was found dead on April 30, 2006, in his room in the army camp in Lolab, which falls in the Kashmir valley. The Army had said he had committed suicide by shooting himself. His mother, though, maintained after meeting the minister that he had been killed by his colleagues as they feared that he would spill the beans on some fake encounters they had committed in Lolab.

The defence minister, she told reporters, assured her that he would probe the matter and get back to her soon. Accompanied by her daughter and lawyer, she said she would prefer a probe by the CBI as she did not trust the Army any longer as it had systematically tried to suppress facts regarding the death of her son.

Veena Kohli, who hails from Chandigarh, also alleged that Sumit’s medical documents and postmortem report presented many discrepancies. The Army had denied her these documents initially, which she had demanded under the RTI Act, on the pretext that the Act was not applicable in Jammu and Kashmir. It parted with documents after a Delhi High Court order.

Veena Kohli’s husband had died of heart attack a day after their son was cremated. “I will seek CBI probe as I have no trust left in the Army. They have only tarnished my brave son’s image,” she lamented.

Chandigarh, August 28
The Punjab and Haryana High Court will soon have a new look, with four senior judges expected to move out and another to come in.

It is believed the Supreme Court collegium has cleared the names of Justice Ashutosh Mohunta, Justice Vinod Kumar Sharma and Justice HS Bhalla for transfer from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel too is expected to be shifted in the near future. More transfers are likely to follow.

As they move out, Acting Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, is expected to be transferred here. He is likely to be administered oath as first puisne in September end. His file has reportedly been cleared by the Prime Minister’s office.

Justice Gogoi is expected to eventually take over as the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, after Justice Mukul Mudgal retires on attaining the age of superannuation in January 2011, if the retirement age of High Court judges does not increase from 62 to 65.

Already, a Bill to raise the retirement age of High Court judges from 62 to 65, and bring it on par with the retirement age of Supreme Court judges, has been introduced in the Lok Sabha. It is expected to come up for discussion on Monday. The measure is likely to help around 630 judges of 21 High Courts across the country.

Information available from Delhi suggests Justice Sharma is likely to go to the Madras High Court, Justice Mohunta to Andhra High Court and Justice Bhalla to Orissa. Once the Supreme Court collegium clears the transfers, the file is sent to the Union Law Ministry. From there it goes to the Prime Minister’s office for clearance and eventually to the President for final stamp of approval.

Justice Goel and Justice Mohunta are among the top five judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. With their moving out, the high court collegium and the administrative committee will change in its composition; and Justice M.M. Kumar may become first puisne, if Justice Mehtab Singh Gill retires this year.

New Delhi, August 28
In a new turn in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, senior Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Geetha Johri has accused the CBI of pressurising her to implicate some political leaders, including arrested BJP leader Amit Shah.

In a curative petition filed with the apex court, she has sought the removal of Balwinder Singh, CBI's Special Director who is supervising the investigation into the case, and said he be made a witness in it.

Johri said in the petition that she herself had interrogated him in connection with the case when he was the Police Commissioner of Hyderabad in 2007. — PTI

New Delhi, August 28
Responding instantly to Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj's objections yesterday, Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken abandoned halfway reading out his prepared statement for moving the Enemy Property Bill, 2010, making it obvious that he would not risk displeasing the main Opposition party, the BJP.

It is a different thing that Home Minister P. Chidambram had already taken the most important BJP concern regarding this Bill on board and only then instructed Maken to move it.

But such is the spirit of the new found bonhomie and camaraderie between the government and the principal opposition, that neither Maken nor for that matter Chidambram would dare spoil the party.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken a new initiative by specially thanking the BJP on Wednesday for its support to the Nuclear Liability Bill, 2010.

Singh called up Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj and BJP parliamentary party chairman LK Advani separately to express his gratitude for their cooperation.

"We told him," Sushma said, recalling her telephonic conversation with the Prime Minister, "We expected you to address our concerns, you responded positively, and we supported the Bill."

Sushma further said, "We are not in the Opposition merely to oppose the government on each and everything. We caught your (Government's) trickery and you rectified it."

But the Prime Minister would have none of it. He kept repeating "No Sushmaji, I am very, very grateful to you."

The first to follow the Prime Minister was Chidambram who worked hard and shuttled between Advani and Sushma's room for three days to make them support the Enemy Property Bill, 2010. Eventually, he heeded the BJP demand to protect the right of tenants and even postponed moving the Bill yesterday, because the Leader of Opposition asked for it.

Similarly, Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal won over the BJP for his Educational Tribunals' Bill by calling on Sushma and consulting BJP leaders, Sushma, Murli Manohar Joshi and Ahluwalia. And the Bill sailed through the Lok Sabha with no obstruction.

The government's move is in response to a long pending demand of the BJP that it should be consulted more regularly on all issues.

New Delhi, August 28
Israel today extended its unflinching support to India on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and combating terrorism emanating from Pakistan while strongly pitching for enhanced economic relationship with New Delhi.

“I would like to say without any compunction or ambiguity that Israel stands 100 per cent behind India, especially on the question of Kashmir and fighting terrorism emanating from Pakistan,” Israeli Ambassador to India Mark Sofer said in an interview to The Tribune. He said his country believed that on both these issues, India had an approach that was responsible, wide-ranging and with the best interest of the country at heart.

Referring to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, he said the incident reflected that terrorism could only be fought through concerted and unified international action. “The only way to fight terrorism of the extremist ilk coming from Pakistan or that we have in West Asia from Hamas and other Iranian proxies is through concerted international action…it cannot be done by just one country.”

Sofer said the international community could not afford to lose the fight against terrorism, be it in India, Europe, the USA or Israel. “There are state-sponsored terrorists in South Asia and West Asia,” he said.

He said the problem in South Asia between India and Pakistan could not be described as a conflict between two religions. Similarly, the conflict in Middle East had no religious overtones. “We have a territorial and political conflict and not a conflict between the Jewish and the Muslim religions under any circumstances,” he said. He said Israel had the greatest respect for Islam. However, the religion had been used and abused by the likes of Bin Laden and the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).

Asked to comment on speculation that Israel could establish diplomatic relations with Pakistan, the Israeli envoy acknowledged that reports to that effect had appeared in the international media from time to time. “However, nothing is on the cards,” he added. Having said that, he added Pakistan was an important nation and almost every country, including India, had diplomatic ties with it.

To a question if India could broker peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, he said there was no substitute to direct talks between the two parties. “We have been talking to the Palestinians for 18 years…there have been ups and downs. The two sides have to find a way out. Paradoxically, on paper, at least, we agree what the end game should be: the state of Israel living side by side with the state of Palestine,” he said.

He confessed that had there been the need for an international broker, India could have certainly fitted the bill.

Sofer declined to confirm or deny if India had sought any assistance from Israel to ensure foolproof security during the coming Commonwealth Games. He was also not prepared to throw light on the nature of increasing defence relationship between the two countries.

Mumbai, August 28
Rival groups of politicians cutting across party lines and real estate developers riding on their coat tails threaten to overshadow environmental concerns over the location of Mumbai’s second airport.

The original choice of Navi Mumbai as the location for the second airport has the backing of prominent Maharashtra politicians like Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Maharashtra’s Excise Minister Ganesh Naik, both from the Nationalist Congress Party. Naik, nicknamed the uncrowned king of Navi Mumbai, controls most of the stone quarries in the township and is a developer in his own right.

With most of the land for the 1140 hectare airport project located in the marshy areas, Naik stands to benefit the most from reclamation activities. Understandably, Naik is aggressively pushing for the project to be situated at Navi Mumbai. His supporters among the developers are warning that the state-owned City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), which is developing Navi Mumbai will suffer huge losses.

“Over the past several years, new projects have come in Navi Mumbai with the promise that the new airport will be built here,” says Arvind. Goel, president, the Navi Mumbai Chamber of Housing. Real estate prices will be affected if the project is moved elsewhere, warns Goel.

Sites for hotels, shopping malls and convention centres, which were auctioned by CIDCO have been grabbed by developers linked to prominent politicians in the hope of making a killing when the airport comes up. Real estate prices in Kharghar where the airport is to be located has risen from Rs 1,200 per square foot just two years ago to more than Rs 4,000 per square foot after speculators moved in.

On the other hand, another section of politicians is actively pushing for the airport to be located at Kalyan around 15 km away from Navi Mumbai after environmental groups pushed for this site. Supporters of this location cite the presence of an airfield built by the British during World War II.

With this location touted as an alternative site for the past several years, investors moved in pushing up prices. According to sources, land prices in the Kalyan-Ambernath area rose from around Rs 10 lakhs per acre earlier this year to more than Rs 1 crore at present. The biggest jump in property prices has been reported in the past two weeks with land titles reportedly changing hands for more than Rs 2 crore per acre in some areas.

The names of a number of builders linked to the Shiv Sena are being touted as having bought land in a big way here. Not surprisingly, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray is vocally opposing the Navi Mumbai airport. “The future generations of people and not Praful Patel will pay for this environmental destruction,” Thackeray said in his statement opposing the Navi Mumbai site.

Incidentally, Ganesh Naik was a major leader of the Shiv Sena before he switched to the Nationalist Congress party some years ago.

Sriganganagar, August 28
Officials of the Rajasthan Irrigation Department have asked their counterparts in the Ferozepur-based Eastern Canal Division to furnish details of utilisation of funds released during 2008 on account of maintenance of the Bikaner (Gang) canal and the Ferozepur Feeder.

Feeling that the controversy might delay urgently needed repair of the Bikaner canal, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti spokesman Capt Subhash Sehgal (retd) said the interests of farmers of Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts should not be overlooked.

Earnest efforts were needed to ensure adequate canal water supply by October 10 to enable farmers take up sowing of mustard crop, he said. “Rajasthan share had been fixed at 23,000 cusecs, but we hardly get 10,000 cusecs through the Ferozepur feeder, the Gang canal and the Bhakra canal system. Intriguingly, more than 2,500 cusecs of water was being allowed to flow to Pakistan from the Sutlej headworks, whereas the canals in our region were not running to capacity. No doubt the joint inspection conducted by senior officials of Rajasthan and Punjab during July-October in 2008 revealed that the Punjab irrigation officials were yet to utilise Rs 190 lakh out of maintenance funds released by Rajasthan, but the controversy over the balance sheet should not deprive farmers of the water for irrigation or drinking,” he said.

Sehgal said various organisations of farmers were being approached to boycott grain markets to express resentment over the attitude of the Rajasthan government. Punjab Eastern Canal Division XEN Jaswant Singh Sandhu, along with SDE Jagtar Singh, had, during a meeting with MR Doodi, the XEN Gang Canal Regulation Division, and Amarjit Singh Mehrada, SE, Sriganganagar, demanded payment of Rs 168 lakh that had so far been spent on the maintenance of the Ferozepur feeder and the Gang canal in Ferozepur district. They also put an estimate for Rs 199 lakh for the next year. SE Mehrada was quoted as saying that sanction for Rs 134 lakh, proposal for which had earlier been received, was awaited from the state headquarters since the Chief Engineer had sought some clarifications.

Officials from Ferozepur regretted that the amount of annual maintenance for the Gang canal had arbitrarily been reduced by Rajasthan from Rs 65 to 45 lakh. When Mehrada asked for details, Sandhu reportedly conceded that only the floor bed of the canal was cleaned last year. Rs 85 lakh was urgently needed to repair the canal beginning RD zero to 45 RD, Punjab officials submitted. Funds were also required to repair the pressure release valves that had got damaged near Khuikhera village on the Abohar-Fazilka road and some other places.

However, when all these officials met Chief Engineer TK Parmar at Hanumangarh, he reportedly asked for details of the maintenance works carried out during the period in question. No more funds can be released immediately, they were told. The stalemate might hamper repair of the Rajasthan canals that originated from this district, the Rajasthan Kisan Sangharsh Samiti feared.

New Delhi, August 28
Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab Ashwani Kumar yesterday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to raise with him the issue of reported attempts by forces hostile to India to reactivate terrorist outfits like the Babbar Khalsa International and the Khalistan Zindabad Force in Punjab.

“Punjab has borne the brunt of terrorism for long and it is after immense sacrifices that peace has been restored to this border state. At a time when Punjab needs to secure the future of its youth through rebuilding its economy, reported attempts by our enemies to reignite militancy in the state, are worrisome,” Kumar said, adding that the PM had assured him of action on the front.

The MP sought the PM to put all Central security and intelligence agencies on high alert in coordination with the state to nip in the bud any hostile adventure by terrorist organisations operating beyond borders. He also submitted to the PM The Tribune report in this regard, along with a reference to a CIA Report titled “Heroin in Pakistan, sowing the wind” which confirms the use of drug money by Pakistan’s Intelligence agencies to finance militancy in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

“The high level of drug addiction in Punjab could be explained in terms of cross border smuggling of narcotics,” said the MP, also asking the PM to set up a special committee of experts, senior central government officials and representatives of the state to device an action plan to revive industrial activity in the state.

The revival of Punjab’s economy to ensure a prosperous future is the ultimate solution to alienation of its people, he said.

Hyderabad, August 28
Come Ramzan, the Muslim holy month, the appetising aroma of “Haleem” wafts through the air as Hyderabadis gear up for the month-long festivities.

Haleem, the delectable meat delicacy popular among Hyderabadis, is likely to get a patent soon. Once the proposal for the Geographical Indicator (GI) tag is cleared, no other city can make or market the dish as Hyderabadi Haleem. The unique distinction is similar to Darjeeling Tea and Banarasi Silk.

The Haleem Makers Association of Hyderabad has applied for a patent with the Geographical Indicator (GI) Registry of India. “Like Hyderabad Biryani, Hyderabadi Haleem is also unique and a patent will help in retaining its identity,” said Mohammed Abdul Majeed, the Association President and owner of Pista House, a popular destination for Haleem lovers.

The patent has been filed by the Adhikari IP Consultants on behalf of the Haleem Makers Association. We hope that Hyderabadi Haleem will be granted the GI tag before the end of Ramzan. Once it is granted, no other city will be able to make or market the dish as Hyderabadi Haleem, the patent manager and Intellectual Property Consultant S Ravi said.

Currently, the Association has only 15 members but many more are expected to join soon as there are thousands of hotels and eateries in Hyderabad who prepare and sell Haleem, a nutritious delicacy with meat, wheat and ghee as the main ingredients.

Pista House has tied up with Gati Limited, a cargo delivery and supply chain management company, for door-delivery of the dish to all major cities in the country. By 2 pm every day, our Haleem will be ready and reach within a few hours to other cities, including Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Pune and Kochi, Abdul Majeed said.

It is also planning to tap other markets with sizeable population of Hyderabadis, including London and the US. We are waiting for the clearance by the FDA of the US to start commercial marketing of our product. Through our R&D, we have developed a variety of Haleem and a packaging system, which will give it a shelf life of six months, Majeed said.

Bangalore, August 28
Microsoft Research will conduct the first workshop in India on the WorldWide Telescope (WWT), a telescope that is designed to help in astronomical research, science education, entertainment and beyond, on September 2 and 3 at the Satish Dhawan Auditorium of Indian Institute of Science here and on September 4 at the IUCAA auditorium, PU Campus (Pune).

Guwahati, August 28
In view of frequent internecine clashes between militant outfits in Manipur which had signed an agreement of suspension of operation (SoO) with government of India forces, the Centre has asked all such 19 outfits to deposit their weapons by September 20.

The Centre issued the instruction to these outfits while extending the SoO agreement by another 45 days effective from August 20 last. The outfits, which belong to the Kuki-Chin-Mizo ethnic group in Manipur, have been warned against violating ground rules and also asked to deposit all weapons by September 20, a security source informed.

The decision to extend the SoO Agreement was taken at a meeting held in New Delhi last week among representatives of the union home ministry, state government and the outfits which were from two banner organisations called the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United Peoples’ Front (UPF). The meeting took serious note of severe clashes between the Kuki Liberation Army which belongs to the KNO and a faction of the Kuki National Front (KNF) which is represented in the UPF. Several cadres from both the outfits were reportedly killed in a series of gunbattles that lasted several days at Senapati district in Manipur last month.

The government representatives made clear their concern over the frequent clashes and fixed date for deposition of weapons by all the militant groups under the agreement of SoO and warned the groups against further violation of truce ground rules.

The SoO agreement was signed on August 21, 2008 between the government and the ultras following a prolonged period of ceasefire that became operational in 2005. While the KNO is a conglomerate of eleven groups, eight organisations are affiliated to the UPF.

Although chances for holding political talks with these outfits still remain a remote possibility, the ceasefire agreement has been extended regularly since the agreement was signed.

The 19 outfits flaunt diverse ideologies and some like the Kuki National Army ( KNA) even demand creation of “Zalengam” which means bringing all Kuki inhabited territories in India and Myanmar under a single administrative mechanism. Others like the Kuki National Front aimed at creating a homeland for the tribe within India which is similar to the demand placed by outfits from other states.

Guwahati, August 28
No one except the men in uniform would now be allowed to brandish weapons in areas along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. The decision was taken after a high-level meeting between ministers and officials of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh at the Capital Complex here. It was also decided that all bunkers set up by the Arunachal Pradesh Police along the stretch from Charaipung - in Upper Assam’s Sivasagar district where suspected cadres of the Naga rebel group NSCN-IM sparked a fresh boundary row by setting ablaze the houses of villagers on Assam side on August 12 - to Teok River would be dismantled.

The Assam police and the Arunachal Pradesh police would carry out joint patrolling along the troubled boundary area till the situation becomes normal. Both states also agreed not to make any claims and counter claims over the disputed area till the Supreme Court-appointed boundary commission submits its recommendations.

In order to keep the NSCN-IM cadres at bay, the meeting gave the police full powers to take strong action against militants if there is any display of arms by them or there is any extortion attempt by them. Small tea growers having estates on the Assam side of the boundary are tormented by NSCN-IM cadres through frequent extortion notices.

Both governments appealed to various organisations in Assam, which have resorted to economic blockade against Arunachal Pradesh to protest against the Charaipung incident to lift the blockade immediately so that the common man is not harassed.

New Delhi, August 28
As many as 62 ministries and departments would be implementing two crucial aspects of “sevottam (excellence in service)” model of public service, which was recommended by second administrative reform commission in its twelfth report, by December 31 this year.

Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances’ Secretary RC Mishra said these ministries, which include home, external affairs and finance, would have a citizen charter and public grievances system in place as it would help them improve their services and increase public satisfaction with their work.

The projects were run on pilot basis in 10 ministries and officials of the 62 selected ministries would be educated and trained for implementing the two of three modules of “sevottam” model in four workshops to be held through August and September. Rest of the Union ministries and departments would be covered later.

The Performance Management Division of the Cabinet Secretariat had included these two modules as mandatory success indicator.

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievance is already running the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System, which forwards public grievances to the different ministries and the state governments depending upon the nature of the complaint.

When asked how responsive the state governments are to complaints lodged by citizens, Mishra said, “It is a fact that monitoring of state-level grievances would not be very effective” as the Union government wielded little control over them. He, however, added that state governments are trying to reach out to the public in their own way. Haryana and Orissa have started seamless connectivity with the Union department, which would mean that it could communicate with them and get their replies online to the citizens’ grievances.

Asked which Union departments fared well in addressing people’s complaints, he took the names of the Central Board of Excise and Customs and the Central Board of Direct Taxes, which have got the ISO 15700 certificate for their grievance redress system.

In an effort to evaluate the performance of different ministries and open them to public’s concerns, the department had come out with “sevottam” framework in 2006 and the second ARC in its twelfth report called it a step in right direction and recommended it.

Apart from making it mandatory for all departments to have a citizen charter and public grievances mechanism, it had also called for enhancing service delivery capability.

One of the important recommendations was that departments and ministries go for independent evaluation of their work rather than being guided by their subjective understanding.