New Delhi, October 25
Defence Minister A.K. Antony opened the five-day Army Commanders' Conference here on Monday. Being presided over by the Chief of the Army Staff, General VK Singh, the conference is being organised to review the security situation, emerging challenges, options and strategies.

Addressing top Army commanders, Defence Minister AK Antony today said Pakistan needs to “shed its ambivalence on terrorism”. Pakistan, it appears had not given up posturing against India.

New Delhi, he said, was not unduly concerned, however, he asked the Army to maintain a constant vigil on developments in Pakistan. Pointing out that fighting terrorism had cost the nation substantially, Antony affirmed: “We will crush terrorism with all our might”. Due to the constant vigil by the Army, incidents of violence have declined in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Army has been quite successful in countering the proxy war and in minimising the incidents of terror,” Antony said while warning, “…..still, as long as the terror infrastructure across the border continues to flourish, we cannot afford to drop our guard”.

The Defence Minister said that the security situation in the ‘Af-Pak’ region continues to be a cause for concern. “Despite the physical and material cost involved, India has at all times, advocated peaceful and stable ties with all nations, including our neighbours,” Antony said. “The volatile political situation in our immediate neighbourhood has the potential of having a debilitating impact on the region. India’s role in preserving peace and stability thus, becomes all the more important,” he added.

Antony underlined the need for probity and transparency in defence deals. “I wish to strongly reiterate that we must adopt zero tolerance towards corruption. Even the slightest hint of corruption will erode the lofty image of our Armed Forces,” Antony said.

Earlier this morning in response to questions by reporters, he had said the ministry was examining the alleged irregularities in the Adarsh housing society in Colaba, Mumbai where senior generals like former Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor and Gen NC Vij reportedly own flats.

Issues pertaining to operational logistics, including infrastructure development and modernisation, will also be discussed. The conference will also focus on training and its effectiveness based on state-of-the-art technology for meeting the future challenges as also attaining a high state of combat readiness.

Separately, A.K. Antony has said that Coastal Surveillance Network (CSN) station at Tarapore in Maharashtra will be commissioned very soon. The Defence Minister wanted that establishing a chain of 46 static sensors atop the lighthouses along our coastline needs to be hastened. A lot more needs to be done compared to what has been achieved till now, the Minister added.

New Delhi, October 25
India’s model city - Chandigarh - has finally broken the inertia northern states have been displaying towards the much-awaited Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) which the Union Cabinet approved last year.

This week, the Chandigarh Administration became the 28th state/UT to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government to implement this scheme as an umbrella programme for children trapped in difficult circumstances, including trafficking. Over 40,000 children go missing in India annually and 20 per cent of all are in need of protection.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is relieved that the UT has at least responded when most other northern states continue to keep child protection off their priority list.

Still defaulting on the front are Punjab, Haryana, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Andaman and Nicobar Islands - the only seven states/UTs that are yet to sign an MoU with the Centre. Signing the MoU is the first step towards operationalisation ICPS.

The scheme was drafted in 2006 due to steep rise in crimes against children and their unabated trafficking for domestic and sex work. The scheme was readied at the start of the 11th Plan. It sought to provide preventive, statutory, care and rehabilitation services to all children in need of care and protection or in conflict with law as defined under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.

Under the scheme, child protection societies must be set up at state and district levels. State project support units and state adoption resource agencies must register every single licensed adoption agency.

The Tribune recently highlighted how Commonwealth Games served as a business opportunity for traffickers who smuggled in minor girls to use them for commercial sex.

Much of the trafficked lot that comes to Delhi is ending up in Haryana and Punjab, data with anti-trafficking helplines and organisations shows. That’s one reason why the WCD Minister Krishna Tirath recently wrote to the defaulting states to start the ICPS and use Central funds available under the scheme. The problem, however, is - most states have no will to match the grants from their own kitty.

New Delhi, October 25
Days ahead of Barack Obama’s visit to India, the United States has reassured India that the American President has no intention of playing the role of a mediator between India and Pakistan on the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

“The US policy on Kashmir is very clear…the conflict in Kashmir is an issue between India and Pakistan,” senior US government officials told reporters here today, underlining that America or any other country had no role to play in resolving the issue. The US officials, who did not wish to be identified, were asked to comment on the perceived shift in China’s stand on Kashmir and the fresh attempts being made by Pakistan to internationalise the issue in the wake of the recent unrest in the valley.

New Delhi believes that China is trying to make the issue ‘trilateral’ since it is in illegal occupation of a part of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) seceded to it by Pakistan. Beijing has of late been issuing stapled visas to Indian nationals from Jammu and Kashmir and recently denied visa to a top Indian General, Lt Gen BS Jaswal, who commands the Indian forces in the sensitive border state.

The American officials sought to justify the latest military aid of more than $2 billion announced by Washington for Pakistan, saying it was meant to enhance Islamabad’s capabilities to fight terror. “It is important for both India and the US that Pakistan fights terrorism…we are constantly telling Pakistan that it has to do more on this front.”

Briefing the media on the November 6-9 visit of President Obama to India, they said the itinerary of the American leader’s trip would be announced ‘very soon’ by the White House.

The focus of the visit would be to demonstrate what the two countries could do together on a host of issues from health to defence and trade to climate change than talk rhetoric. “We have some great things going since President Obama engaged with your prime minister in Washington,” the officials said, referring to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s state visit to the US last November.

It was quite clear from the statements of the American officials that Washington was quite keen on signing three key defence pacts with India, including a logistics support agreements (LSA) and the communications interoperability and security memorandum of agreement (CISMOA).

“It is not an issue that has been taken off the table,” one of the officials said when asked if the defence pacts would come up for discussions during Obama’s visit. Defence Minister AK Antony, who had visited Washington last month, had told his American interlocutors that the proposed defence accords were now undergoing ‘internal consultations’ in India.

The US spokespersons were hopeful that India would adhere to its commitment to abide by international norms while joining the Convention on Supplementary Compensation (CSC) with the IAEA now that Parliament has passed the civil nuclear liability bill. The US has expressed certain reservations over the liability clause in the legislation passed by Parliament. However, India has ruled out making any changes in the bill, saying it was in conformity with international norms.

Asked if the US would assist India in becoming a member of the nuclear suppliers’ group (NSG), they explained that the NSG was a voluntary organization, which worked on the basis of consensus. Any change in its character would have to be approved by all members of the grouping.

On India’s candidature for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, the officials reiterated the ambiguous stand that it has been taking for years. 

New Delhi, October 25
T3 is still not ready to take on full-scale operations. The date for domestic operations from the glitzy new terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport has been shifted again, this time to November 14 as erratic power supply continues to be a major issue.

Civil Aviation Secretary M. Madhavan Nambiar today reviewed preparedness of T3 for starting domestic operations and decided that the LCC arms of Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher airlines should shift business to the new terminal only from mid-November.

According to officials, the decision has been taken to ensure least inconvenience to passengers. “Traffic is expected to increase during Diwali and to ensure maximum convenience to passengers, it was decided to shift operations to T3 on November 14,” they said following a meeting with representatives of the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), concerned airlines, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Police and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Another issue that resulted in postponement of domestic operations to T3 include the fact that metro connectivity to the Airport is expected to be in place by mid-November.

Even though integration of Dwarka Underpass being executed by the DDA and Northern Access by the DMRC is expected to be completed by October-end, this connectivity requires trial operations and simulations to ensure smooth traffic flow. Traffic police expects to complete this exercise only by the middle of November.

Meanwhile, a number of simulation exercises will be carried out during the period.

Airlines have also been raising concerns over erratic power supply .

Voicing inability to shift to T3 unless assured uninterrupted power supply, they were of the opinion that it would be better to postpone opening than cause inconvenience to passengers.

T3 has been facing power cuts and domestic operations shifting to T3 would have added extra load on the facilities with increased number of flights and passengers. Apparently, the 220 KVA sub-station of Delhi Transco Ltd (DTL) station is still not ready.

While domestic carriers Air India, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and their low-cost arms will shift to T3 , budget carriers IndiGo, SpiceJet and Go Air will continue to operate from the domestic departure terminals 1D and 1C.

One of the largest airport terminals in the world with an integrated facility for both international and domestic flights, T3 was formally inaugurated on July 3 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Patna, October 25
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to campaign for the Bihar Assembly polls, as his magic need not work at “every place”, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said today.

Swaraj made it clear that Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, had not put any condition on the issue of Modi campaigning.

She said it would be better if the “old arrangement” continued where Modi had not campaigned during the 2005 Bihar Assembly polls.

“Modi's magic has worked in Gujarat, but it is not necessary that everybody's magic works at every place. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar and Sushil Kumar Modi’s magic is at work and we are confident of our victory,” she said.

New Delhi, October 25
Ruling that policeman committing crimes “deserve harsher punishment,” the Supreme Court today awarded jail terms to three police officials for varying periods for cutting off the penis of a man in a Rajasthan police station in February 1994.

“If the protector becomes predator civilised society will cease to exist…In our opinion, policemen who commit criminal acts deserve harsher punishment than other persons who commit such acts, because it is the duty of the policemen to protect the people and not break the law themselves,” a Bench comprising Justices Markandey Katju and TS Thakur held.

The Bench said the case showed how “some policemen in our country have not got over their old colonial mentality and are still persisting in barbaric acts in a free country which claims to be run by a democratic Constitution and the rule of law. It also reveals a grisly state of affairs prevailing in our police set up even today.”

The trial court had awarded life imprisonment to Constable Kishore Singh, 10-year sentence to ASI Sumer Dan and one year to SHO Sohan Singh. But the Rajasthan High Court acquitted the SHO and the ASI and reduced the sentence of the constable to the period already undergone.

The apex court awarded five years to the Constable, three years to the ASI and six months to the SHO. It also slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the Constable and the ASI and Rs 10,000 on the SHO which would go to the victim as compensation.

The CBI had appealed against the HC verdict and its case was argued by senior counsel JS Attri.

The convicts had taken one Jugta Ram to the police station and cut off his penis for allegedly having an affair with the wife and daughter of his employer, a relative of one of the policemen. Incidentally, the victim had taken the cut-off part to a hospital, had it re-attached, got married and has five children.

Justice Katju who wrote the verdict for the Bench began the judgment stating: “What should be done to policemen who Bobbitt a person in a police station and think that they can get away with it? That is the question to be decided in this case.”

Guwahati, October 25
Opposition parties Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have joined apolitical organisations that have launched a tirade against the construction of mega dams in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. They want the Congress government in Assam to clarify its stand vis-à-vis these mega dams that “pose a threat to the entire Brahmaputra valley in Assam”.

The All Assam Students Union and the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity have vowed to oppose the construction of the 2000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydro-electric Project along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary as well as all other proposed mega river dams in the upper reaches of Arunachal Pradesh, fearing catastrophic impact on life and livelihood in the Assam valley.

All these organisations are incensed with the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government in Assam for “failing to honour the mass sentiment against mega dams.” They said the government had failed to register its protest with the Centre against the construction of these dams even after a committee comprising experts from IIT-Guwahati, Guwahati University and Dibrugarh University in its report clearly mentioned that it was not advisable to construct mega dams in the fragile lesser Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh.

The expert committee, which was constituted by the National Hydro-Power Corporation (NHPC) in consultation with the Assam government, has in its report advised against the construction of the 2000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydro-electric Project with the proposed dam height as it might have a devastating downstream impact.

Gogoi criticised the AGP and the BJP for trying to undermine the achievements of his government in development fronts by trying to whip up public sentiment against his government over the construction of mega dams in Assam and upper reaches of Arunachal Pradesh.

Gogoi said it was the AGP that had demanded construction of mega dams for flood moderation in the 1980s. “We need dams for power and flood moderation, Gogoi said, adding that his government would ensure that the NHPC adhered to the recommendations of the expert committee in constructing the Subansiri project.

Meanwhile, the Dorjee Khandu government in Arunachal Pradesh is lobbying hard with the Centre to get its nod for the construction of 132 river dams, including 23 mega dams, even as a protest against mega dams is on in Assam.