New Delhi, August 31
The government today cut a sorry figure in the Rajya Sabha as Congress members joined a determined Opposition to force it to defer the consideration of a crucial education reforms Bill to the next session of Parliament.

Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal had to bow to the demand of all sections of the House on the Educational Tribunals Bill, which, among other things, provides for the establishment of educational tribunals for effective and expeditious adjudication of disputes involving teachers and other employees of higher educational institutions and other stakeholders.

The Bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha. The government preferred not to press for division on the legislation in the Rajya Sabha since it does not have a majority in the House.

BJP members SS Ahluwalia, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Rama Jois, CPM members Sitaram Yechuri and Brinda Karat, D Raja of the CPI and others vociferously demanded that the Bill be deferred in deference to the demand of the members. They contended that the legislation fell short of expectations of all sections of the House, including the Congress. In fact, Congress member K Kesava Rao had also pointed out certain flaws in the bill while participating in the debate on it. The Opposition members also argued that the government had not even taken into consideration the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the HRD Ministry while drafting the bill.

Even as MPs from the Opposition raised a storm, Sibal was seen consulting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on what should be the government’s response to the demand.

Subsequently, the HRD Minister said in view of the sentiments expressed by the members, the government would bring forward the legislation for consideration in the next session of Parliament.

He, however, disagreed with the members’ apprehensions that the government would be undermining the rights of the states if the Bill were to be passed in its present shape.

New Delhi, August 31
The much talked about bill to hike salaries of MPs by over three times from Rs 16,000 to Rs 50,000 and doubling two of their key allowances to Rs 40,000 each was passed by Parliament today with the Rajya Sabha also giving its clearance to it.

The nod for the bill came even as a walk out protesting against the manner in which the salaries were being hiked and demanded a permanent solution to the process with an adequate mechanism in place. Replying to the debate the debate on the Salary, Allowance and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2010, parliamentary affairs minister, Pawan Kumar Bansal said that the government would consider to set up a permanent mechanism for the revision of the MPs salaries and also gave an assurance that a committee would be set up for it.

Members during the debate had made a strong demand for setting up an independent body to decide on their future pay. The bill proposed to raise the daily allowance of members from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 and the constituency and office expense allowances each from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000. — PTI

New Delhi, August 31
The BJP-led opposition disrupted proceedings of the Lok Sabha this morning asking the Government to reply to the debate on the recent violence in Kashmir. The House had debated the matter last week, with Speaker Lok Sabha Meira Kumar saying the discussions would continue on the matter which was taken up under Rule 193 that permits discussions on urgent matters.

Neither was the discussion resumed nor did Home Minister P Chidambaram reply to the debate which saw the House divided on whether greater autonomy should be granted to the valley.

Soon as the LS resumed today, the BJP demanded a reply, accusing the Government of laxity on the issue. BJP veteran LK Advani asked the Speaker to demand a reply from the Government saying the issue was sensitive and merited Government’s attention.

As heated exchanges followed, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal assured the House of a reply in the next session. “I will meet the Home Minister and ask him if he has the time to reply today. If he can’t make time, we can take up this issue in the next session,” he said, sending the House in a frenzy, with the BJP agitated over non-listing of the reply on the last day of the monsoon session.

The CPM also expressed shock at Government’s silence on the issue with leader Basudeb Acharia saying it was unusual for the reply not to come as the debate was held on the immediate situation arising out of violence in the valley.

In the Rajya Sabha, too, Congress veteran Karan Singh expressed deep anguish over the situation in Kashmir and sympathy for the families of those killed in the unrest. He hoped the situation in the valley would become normal before the Muslim festival of Eid.

New Delhi, August 31
Concerned over repeated disruptions of the Question Hour, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari today suggested re-scheduling of the important period in Parliament when members have the opportunity to seek information from the government.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has also expressed deep concern over "alarming" increase in disruptions and forced adjournments. Ansari, who in the past too has expressed unhappiness over political parties disrupting the Question Hour to press their point, suggested beginning the day's proceedings with the Zero Hour instead of the Question Hour.

In his valedictory speech, Ansari termed the work transacted by the Rajya Sabha in the session as "impressive", but concerned over loss of Question Hour on eight occasions, he said one option was to start proceedings with the Zero Hour at 11.00 am and take up the Question Hour later in the day.

"It is evident that we need to think collectively about the matter and explore possible options for saving the Question Hour from such disruptions. It may be noted that while the routine time lost is compensated by sitting beyond the normal hours, it is only the Question Hour which is irretrievably lost in disruptions. The Chair will, therefore, continue its consultations on the re-scheduling of daily items of business in order to strike a balance between expression of perceived concerns and the normal business for the day," he said.

The Lok Sabha Speaker in fact asked political parties to dwell over "irreparable" damage caused to Parliamentary democracy by their action. She cautioned that if this trend was not checked, it "will ultimately lead to unforeseen consequences".

"Let informed debates and discussions take place inside the Chamber at all time instead of slogans and mock discussions," she said.

As per the Speaker, the Lok Sabha lost 45 hours due to interruptions and forced adjournments. "Parliament is meant for debates and discussions. But the trend of disrupting theproceedings days on end is alarming," she said, adjourning the House sine die.

New Delhi, August 31
Faced with criticism that it had announced meager aid for Pakistan’s flood victims, India today announced a five-time increase in relief assistance from $5 million to $25 million.

Out of this amount, $20 million would be contributed to the Pakistan Initial Floods Emergency Response Plan launched by the UN Office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs. The remaining $5 million would be contributed to the World Food Programme for its relief efforts in Pakistan, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna told Parliament in a suo motu statement.

Krishna’s statement came three days after Pakistan accepted India’s aid after days of reluctance, but insisted that the aid be routed through the UN. Floods in Pakistan have claimed at least 1,600 lives and affected over 20 million people. More than 1.2 million houses have been damaged or destroyed besides widespread damage to infrastructure, crops and livestock.

India, Krishna said, “cannot remain unconcerned with this grave humanitarian crisis of enormous magnitude in our immediate neighbourhood”. He added that Pakistan had conveyed its “deep appreciation of India's offer of assistance”.

Quoting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Krishna said: “In such times of natural disasters, all of South Asia should rise to the occasion and extend every possible help to the affected people. We remain committed to assisting the people of Pakistan in all possible ways in this difficult hour.”

Ahmedabad, August 31
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today took a swipe at the Centre over the "mess" in Commonwealth Games preparations, saying even if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh mops the floor the sports facilities will not be ready in time.

Modi also taunted the CWG bosses telling them that any government body in Ahmedabad even would have ensured that all the stadia were ready before the commencement of the mega sporting event on October 3.

Congress was cool in its response to Modi's jibes and taunts saying "you can't expect anything better from him" while BJP defended the chief minister suggesting he was stating the obvious.

"I don't know what is happening in the Commonwealth Games. Even if the PM (Manmohan Singh) starts wiping the floor, the venues won't be ready for the game," Modi said at a function here.

"CWG people had four years to get the venues ready, but they are still struggling. They should have given it to Ahmedabad (Municipal Corporation), which would have built those stadiums in time," Modi said.

Modi also challenged the Union government calling it a 'Delhi Sultanate' and asked it to compete with the Gujarat government on development front.

The handing over of the games venues to the organisers has missed four deadlines prompting the prime minister to take charge to avoid further delays.

They were meant to be completed by August 31. Instead, blaming the rain, Union minister Jaipal Reddy, who heads a Group of Ministers supervising the Games, said some more days will be required.

Singh had visited the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, the venue of opening and closing ceremonies, on Sunday to inspect the progress in preparations. — PTI

New Delhi, August 31
Sachin Tendulkar will be conferred the rank of honorary Group Captain in the Indian Air Force, a post equivalent to a Colonel of the Indian Army, at a function here on September 3.

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshall PV Naik will do the honours of actually “piping” the epaulettes on the shoulders of the great cricketer. Among others expected to attend the function are the top brass of the forces and Marshall of the Air Force Arjan Singh.

A decision to confer the rank on Sachin was taken in June. However, the function had to wait as the dates of Sachin’s availability were to be kept in mind. These had to be coordinated with his cricket schedule.

An honorary rank in the Indian armed forces can be granted to an Indian national who has rendered service of high order to the nation. Normally, such ranks are granted as per the status of the person, his position and age. Tendulkar (37) is around the same age when an officer is just short of reaching the Group Captain level that is after 17/18 years of service. All proposals of honorary ranks have to be cleared by the President.

In 2008, the Indian Army had conferred the rank of Lieut-Colonel on former cricketer Kapil Dev.

Chandigarh, August 31
Relatives of eight of the 17 boys facing death sentence in a murder case in Sharjah could not have asked for more. Today, they not only met them inside Sharjah jail but also had interaction with the battery of lawyers defending them in the Sharia Appeal Court. Special visitors from India also met functionaries of the Indian Consulate-General in Dubai.

Next hearing in the case is scheduled for tomorrow where the Ministry of Justice of the United Arab Emirates is expected to produce a multi-language translator-cum-interpreter before the appeal against the death sentence can be taken up. On the last hearing on July 14, the court had refused to accept the Dubai-based translator-cum-interpreter produced by the Indian Consulate-General, saying he has to be from the Ministry of Justice.

Seventeen boys, 16 from Punjab and one from Haryana, were convicted early this year on the charges of murdering a Pakistani boy, Mishri Khan, following a clash between two groups allegedly engaged in illicit trade of liquor in Sharjah. A UAE Punjabi businessman SP Singh Oberoi, who has been following the case, made it possible for relatives of eight of the 17 boys to come to Dubai and visit them in the Sharjah Jail.

“They all come from lower middle-class families and have no resources to come here and follow the cases of their wards,” says SP Singh Oberoi,” maintaining that “today’s’ meeting was touching and these 17 boys were meeting anyone from their families for the first time in two to three years. Before I took them to Sharjah Jail, they were all gloomy. But after the meeting that lasted a little more than an hour, they come out relaxed and happy hoping for their acquittal and release.”

Relatives of Satgur Singh, Dharampal Singh, Kulwinder Singh, Arvinder Singh, Sukhjinder Singh, Kuldip Singh, Baljit Singh and Sukjot Singh, all convicted and sentenced to death in the Mishri Khan murder case, flew from Amritsar to Dubai yesterday. From passports, SP Singh Oberoi organised visas and visits to Sharjah Jail and Indian Consulate-General.

Bindu S. Chhettur, a lawyer, Consul A Sharma, besides SP Singh and a translator-cum-interpreter, accompanied the visitors to the jail. Ranjit Kaur, wife of Dharampal Singh, and Manjit Kaur, mother of Sukhjot Singh, told The Tribune over the telephone that they were satisfied with the facilities made available to boys in the Sharjah Jail.

“They get to play football or volleyball both in the mornings and evenings. They are given time to watch TV, read newspapers and also call home once a week,” said Ranjit Kaur. She met her husband after two years.

Manjit Kaur saw the face of her son after three years. “My husband is an electrician. We were so apprehensive about the well being of Sukhjot Singh as different newspaper reports suggested torture of Indian boys in the prison. And to our pleasant surprise, we found them cheerful and even little healthier than what we saw them before they left India for Dubai.”

She says that when Sukhjinder’s sister got married, he could not make it. At that time, we had even no inkling that he was in jail and facing murder charges. Sukhjinder has a younger brother also.

Balraj Singh, father of Arvinder Singh, is a marginal farmer and has been abroad for the first time. “It was Arvinder’s misfortune that he was picked from Dubai airport as he was heading back for home. He is innocent. Arvinder, who was hospitalised at the time of last hearing, is now much better and looks normal and healthy,” adds Balraj Singh revealing that members of the visiting team also talked to remaining nine convicts whose parents or relatives could not make it this time. Jaspreet Singh Sekhon found his brother Kuldip Singh in high spirits. Belonging to a marginal farmers’ family, Jaspreet says that his confidence of seeing his brother as a free bird soon has got a boost after the meeting in the Sharjah jail.

Mumbai, August 31
Drug cartels operating around the world are bringing in foreign experts to work at refining laboratories operating in the guise of chemical manufacturers to make high-end narcotics popular in the party circuit.

A series of raids over the past few weeks by the Narcotics Control Bureau has indicated that western India is emerging as a major refining and supply point for methamphetamine and amphetamine known for their mood altering properties. Both the drugs are popular in the party circuit in India and abroad.

Last week, the authorities busted a laboratory staffed by six Iranians in the suburb of Vasai on the outskirts of Mumbai. According to the police, the six arrested Iranians arrived in India on a tourist visa earlier this month and immediately moved to the remote Asangaon area in the suburb where they worked at processing metamphetamine.

Another laboratory busted in the suburb of Mira Road on Mumbai’s outskirts had employed several Chinese nationals to manufacture metamphetamine. The laboratory was owned by a retired chemistry teacher from the city who was in touch with the Colombian drug cartel to supply the finished products. The Chinese technicians were supplied by the cartel after Indians brought in for the job failed to produce metamphetamine of the required purity, the police said.

According to NCB officials, easy availability of ephedrine, the main raw material used for making metamphetamine, in India is drawing international drug cartels to Indian shores. “Drugs containing ephedrine are available from any chemist without prescription,” said an NCB officer.

New Delhi, August 31
In view of the growing military implications of the Chinese presence in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, the Defence Minister AK Antony was today briefed by the Chiefs of the three armed forces. The Defence Secretary was also present at the top-level briefing, sources confirmed today.

The Cabinet Committee on Security under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister met today and the matter was discussed in detail. Antony is also planning a visit to the forward areas in Ladakh in the coming few days, sources said. Here he will seek out the opinions of the top Army and IAF commanders who are expected to brief him on the implications of the Chinese presence in PoK and also what is India’s preparedness.

Actually, the Chinese presence has been noticed at Kunjerab pass that straddles the border between China and PoK. It is north-east of the recently opened Indian advanced landing ground at Daulat Beg Oldie where the IAF operates its AN-32 transport aircraft. The airstrip is on the Indian side that is south of the Karokaram range.

India has a “corps strength” stationed of the Army in Ladakh area that is equal to some 50,000-60,000 men, however, the area is so vast, isolated and difficult that some quick decisions will be needed to ramp up Indian infrastructure, said sources.

This visit of Antony to Ladakh is likely to fructify after he returns from a crucial two-day visit to South Korea on September 4.

Meanwhile sources said one of the key thrust areas where India would need change was its long-term plans and that would include rapid development of all-weather roads that could carry men and machines at faster pace in the entire Ladakh region. At present, the two road links -- via Srinagar and via Manali - remain cut-off for more than five to six months each year.

New Delhi, August 31
Even though the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has called for chanting of ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ to enthuse the masses to rise again to construct the Ram Janmabhoomi temple at the demolished Babri Masjid site, the BJP is not in a mood to cross the ‘Lakshman Rekha’ this time.

With the Allahabad High Court judgment on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute expected any time now, the BJP is counselling its men to act with utmost caution and restrain, whatever the outcome of the judgment.

A group of BJP Members of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh met party president Nitin Gadkari today and asked him what they should do in anticipation of the judgment. Gadkari reportedly said: “Whatever we do, we have to deal with this situation with utmost caution and restraint.”

Earlier in the day, an MP from Uttar Pradesh had asked Parliamentary party chief LK Advani the same question. Advani, too, advised caution, saying, “This is a sensitive issue involving the courts. We should act with utmost caution and restraint,” he said, adding “One should not do anything, at least till the judgment comes.” Gadkari, however, refused to comment on the last bit of Advani’s counsel.

The BJP’s stand is a marked departure from its 1990s stance. The party is careful not to allow the issue to escalate and get out of hand. And, as a BJP insider said, “Twenty years is a long time. Much water has flown under the bridge and the nature of polity, too, has changed substantially. Today’s young BJP supporter is equally charged up about Hindu issues, but he would rather blog than come out on the streets to raise slogans.”

The party is deliberating on the issue at every level and constantly interacting with the RSS and its affiliates like the VHP, the Bajrang Dal and the ABVP.

Counsel rules out negotiations

New Delhi: There is no move either by Babri Masjid supporters or those seeking construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to negotiate or work out an out of court settlement, according to Zafaryab Jilani, the counsel fighting the legal battle for the Babri Masjid in the Allahabad High Court.Speaking to The Tribune, Jilani, who has been arguing for the title suit of Babri Masjid, said today, “No such move has been made. No efforts are on either from our side or the other side. All this speculation is by those who are not aware of ground realities.”

The Allahabad High Court is expected to pronounce judgment on the title suit as also about half a dozen related suits filed by contending parties claiming the land as the site for the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir.

Bangalore, August 31
The humble cow is at the centre of a political dispute in Karnataka with the ruling BJP in the state all set to launch a statewide agitation from tomorrow demanding the assent of President Pratibha Patil on a Bill to prevent cow slaughter and sale of beef in the state.

The Bill, ratified by the Assembly in March, was passed by the legislative council in July amidst protests.

The opposition Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) have both opposed the proposed law. Governor HR Bhardwaj, who has already attracted controversy for his confrontationist attitude towards the state government, has sent the Bill across to the President of India for consideration.

As if proposing the law was not enough evidence of the BJP-ruled state government’s adherence to the controversial agenda of the Sangh Parivar, the ruling party has decided to launch an agitation from tomorrow to demand the assent of the President to the controversial Bill.

“Demonstrations will be held in all taluk and district headquarters of the state which will be followed by presentation of memoranda addressed to the President of India to tehsildars in taluks and deputy commissioners in districts. A daylong sit-in will also be held in Bangalore on September 6 to press the demand”, Prakash, Karnataka BJP spokesperson, told the TNS.

Watching the developments with trepidation are the beef sellers in Bangalore and elsewhere in the state whose livelihood will be threatened if the proposed law is implemented.

The Russel Market in Bangalore, having the maximum concentration of beef sellers, houses 63 butcher shops selling about 250 kg of beef daily in an average. The open space behind the market has another 17 shops engaged in the offal trade.

According to an official in the Animal Health department of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (the city corporation), 135 to 140 cattle were slaughtered in Bangalore everyday.

The BBMP earns annual revenue of Rs 30.6 lakh from slaughter of cattle. While the official figure of the number of shops selling beefs in the city is 259, other sources say that the number is actually many more.

According to Qasim A Qureshi, president, Karnataka association of beef butchers, there are around 5000 beef butchers in Bangalore alone.

Each butcher has around 10 others associated with them whose trades vary from bone collecting, tanning, selling intestines and so on.

In Gulbarga district, a major centre for consumption of beef in Karnataka, about 25,000 kg of beef is sold daily, says Mohammad Qureshi, president of the local association of butchers.

Priced at Rs 80 a kg - against goat meat sold at Rs 250 a kg and dressed chicken Rs 120 a kg - beef is found affordable by people who do not have any religious taboo with regard to eating the meat.

Kolkata, August 31
The CPI(M) and other left parties at a meeting at Netaji indoor stadium demanded a total ban on the export of food grains from India to other countries. They also demanded mandatory food rationing to all the country men and abolishing of the present statutory and modified rationing to the selected few.

Addressing the meeting, both the chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose alleged that the UPA government was more interested in serving the interests of the business men and other effluents, while the poor people were starving.

Both Bhattacharjee and Bose as well other Left Front leaders gave a call to the workers and supporters of the left front for launching massive movement throughout the state against the UPA’s anti-people policies. The elderly Forward Bloc leader Ashoke Ghose asked the workers to go to every nook and corner of the districts and expose the UPA’s policy against the poor and the have-nots.

The meeting was organised in memory of those poor people killed during the food movements in the late fifties and sixties when the Congress had been in power in the state. Several hundred poor people, fighting for bread and butter were killed in the police firing in the city and elsewhere in those days.

“We also wanted at least the Centre should assure supply of several items like rice, wheat, oil, sugar, pulses etc for distributing at cheaper rate to the people through rationing. But that demand too had been ignored” , the chief minister alleged, adding that at juncture they had no other alternative but to go to the people and ask them to fight against the Centre for their bread and butter.

The chief minister alleged as per agreement the Centre was to disburse Rs 1400 crore to the state for 100 days work programme. But so far only about about Rs 140 crore had been released. “We on our own, however, are trying to mobilise funds from other sources for the programme so that the poor farmers are not starved. But the resources are limited and as a result several hundreds workless poor farmers are now suffering enormously for which the UPA government will have to answer,” he added.

Bhattacharjee alleged the railway minister Mamata Banerjee and other Congress(l) leaders were silent on this issue. “She is only interested in the blame game against the CPI(M) by making all false, mischievous and malicious allegations”.

Chandigarh, August 31
The issue whether death or injury sustained by military personnel while on casual or annual leave can be attributable to military service or not continues raise its head even though the Supreme Court and some high courts have ruled that affected personnel in such circumstances are entitled to disability pension.

While some high courts, including the Punjab and Haryana High Court, have held in favour of personnel getting injured while on leave, some, including the Delhi High Court, have ruled to the contrary. Varying judgments on the same issue have led to some persons getting disability pension with the same being denied to others even though similarly placed. The matter is now once again under the judicial scanner, with several petitions coming up for collective hearing before the Chandigarh Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) yesterday. The petitioners are contending that they be granted disability pension for injuries sustained while they were on casual or annual leave because as per regulations such disability is attributable to military service.

Earlier this year, a Full Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ruled that an Army personnel, while on casual leave or annual leave, “shall be considered to be on duty except when by virtue of Rule 11 of the leave rules, he could not be deemed to be on duty if he had not actually performed duty in that year.”

The Bench observed that if an accident, which is not due to natural, pathological, physiological or psychological causes, the question that had to be asked was whether the activity or conduct that led to the accident was the result of an activity that was even remotely connected to military service.

Jaipur, August 31
Rajasthan Explosives and Chemicals Limited (RECL), which has been in the eye of storm ever since the matter of the disappearance of 164 explosive-laden trucks has come to light, is facing tough times ahead, as the Department of Explosives has reportedly cancelled its licence in wake of the controversy.

Hyderabad, August 31
Bowing to environmental objections, the Andhra Pradesh government has scaled down its plans to build a grand memorial for former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy at the helicopter crash site in Nallamala forest area.

Giving a go-by to the original proposal to develop a memorial spread over 1,412 hectares at Pavuralagutta, the crash site, which is part of the notified wildlife sanctuary, the government has now decided to confine the project to a 22-acre site away from the purview of the sanctuary. “There will be no construction activity whatsoever at Pavurlagutta,” a senior official of the state forest department said.

The decision follows objections raised by the Union Environment Ministry to the proposed memorial in the heart of Nallamala forests of Kurnool district. An expert committee headed by Dr Urmila Pingle, member of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, was understood to have asked the Centre not to clear the proposal as the site falls under the Gundla Brahmeshwaram wildlife sanctuary, a well-known tiger habitat.

The committee felt that construction of concrete structures would destroy the fragile ecology of the sanctuary. Several environmentalists and the local NGOs had also raised objections over the memorial in the heart of protected sanctuary.

The original plan involved construction of a “stupa”, a 4.5 km-long trekking path to the crash site, beautification of precincts with suitable landscaping, setting up of a nature interpretation study centre and a peacock and gray jungle fowl breeding centre. The sanctuary is home to the highly protected tigers. The hillock, where the twin-engine Bell 430 helicopter, carrying YSR and four others had crashed, is about 30 km from Atmakur town in Kurnool district.

Tigers, panthers, sloth bears, wild dogs, hyenas, jungle cats, bonnet monkeys, marsh crocodiles, pangolin, sambar, chowsinga, chinkara and mouse deer are some of the species found here.

Environmentalists argue that no one has a right to tamper with the Forest Act to build a memorial. If a memorial is to be erected, then roads will have to be laid and basic facilities such as lighting arrangements and drinking water will have to be provided. Such construction activities are not permitted in reserve forest areas as per the Wild Life Conservation Act of 1972.

Keeping these concerns in view, the government has come up with a modified proposal envisaging development of “YSR Smriti Vanam” spread over 22 acres of revenue land at Nallakaluva village on the other side of the road adjacent to Nallamala forest.