New Delhi, November 2
A decision on Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan’s fate would be taken after November 8, Congress sources said here today.

Chavan is at the centre of the controversy surrounding Mumbai’s Adarsh Housing Society, in which three of his close relatives were allotted flats, originally meant for widows of Kargil martyrs. “We don’t want to spoil anybody’s Divali,” remarked a senior Congress leader.

Perturbed over the ongoing revelations in the Adarsh Housing Society scam, Congress president had summoned Chavan to Delhi last week and subsequently asked senior leaders AK Antony and Pranab Mukherjee to probe the issue. The two ministers had said it would take some time to submit their report, on the basis of which a final view would be taken on Chavan’s continuation in the office.

The Congress hesitated in taking a quick decision as it did not want anything to mar today’s AICC meeting. US President Barack Obama’s forthcoming visit to India was another factor as his first halt would be Mumbai.

But, most importantly, the Congress leadership is in a dilemma over naming Chavan’s successor. The Chief Minister, who is in the firing line for giving clearances to the project as the Revenue Minister, has implicated his predecessors and chief contenders for the CM’s post, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Vilasrao Deshmukh, in the controversy. All three Maharashtra leaders were prominently seated at today’s AICC meeting.

The situation has been further complicated with fresh revelations showing the involvement of senior defence officers, including former army and naval chief, bureaucrats and leaders of other political parties in the scam.

While this is one reason for going slow, the party is also worried that if it shows bankruptcy of leadership, its ally, Sharad Pawar-led NCP, could lay claim to the Chief Minister’s post. Pawar has been ominously silent on the controversy.

CWC reconstitution

Armed with a formal authorisation from AICC delegates, Congress president Sonia Gandhi will now get down to the task of reconstituting the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body. Highly placed Congress sources said the new CWC should be in place when the three-day AICC plenary session is held in Delhi from December 18 to 20.

New Delhi, November 2
As a wide spectrum of allegations have surfaced around the activities of the Mumbai-based Adarsh Housing Society, the Ministry of Defence is looking to set an “example of punishment” in the matter. It is likely to ask the CBI to probe the issue and can even take over the 31-storey building located in the plush Colaba area of the western metropolis.

Taking over of the building will be an exemplary punishment for the people who committed the fraud, sources said. One of the ideas is to use it as a block of apartments for accommodation for service officers posted in Mumbai where there is a severe shortage of accommodation. An in-house expert committee is busy studying the law and will advice Defence Minister AK Antony on the same in the next couple of days.

The ministry feels it is a clear case of “criminal conspiracy” and has not ruled out “collusion of officials”. More than 35 officials of the Army, the Navy and the Defence Estates Department are beneficiaries in the entire episode.

One of the key aspects is to hand over the case to civil agencies like the CBI, which will probe the “criminal conspiracy” and to the Income Tax Department to ascertain the money trail.

New Delhi, November 2
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is under pressure from his Cabinet colleagues not to put green hurdles before projects important for the progress of the country.

Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh, who a couple of days ago exasperatedly urged Ramesh to be “pragmatic” when it came to giving environment clearances to development works, on Friday said all “hurdles” in environment clearance to South Korean major Posco’s steel project to be removed “expeditiously”.

“Our demand is that hurdles (in environment clearances to Posco) should be removed expeditiously. Whether or not the Prime Minister goes to South Korea next month, the demand is not dependent on that. We want the technology to come in India as soon as possible,” the Steel Minister was quoted as saying by agencies.

Criticism has been piling on Ramesh, especially after the MoEF-appointed Forest Advisory Committee’s decision to refer the South Korean major Posco’s $12 billion steel project to the Tribal Affairs Ministry to ascertain whether Forest Rights Act (The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, has been violated in the proposed plant site villages.

The contention is that the Forest Right Act was not in existence, either at the time of bilateral commitment or when the ministry considered the project, therefore, the question of violating it does not apply. Environment Ministry officials also fear that involving another ministry while deciding the issue of environment clearance will only complicate matters. Referring specifically to the Posco issue, they add whenever there is a bilateral commitment between countries there can be no going back.

After strong criticism from Steel Minister Virbhadhra Singh and some Posco-favouring signals from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a final decision on the project expected soon.

Ramesh, who has become the face of green delays in the projects crucial to the economy, has come under lot of criticism for the appointing activists in the panel for clearing the steel project. The four member panel has three activists - Uma Pingle, Devendra Pandey and V Suresh - all of who have opposed the proposed project.

New Delhi, November 2
With the Rajasthan ATS appearing to be closing in on senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar in the Ajmer terror blast case of 2007, the BJP has got cracking in defending Indresh.

Simultaneously, the party has also avoided a comment on the development feigning ignorance about the meetings and conventions its office-bearers are organising in defence of Indresh Kumar.

And yet any number of BJP functionaries are vying to issue a certificate of secular patriotism to Indresh Kumar.

A day after the RSS Karyakari Mandal issued a whip asking all the parivar members to “Come to the aid of the party,” BJP’s Minority Morcha convenor Tanveer Ahmed advanced his Muslim workers’ meet by a day. Originally, some 200 Muslim workers from all over the country were invited to attend a two-day training camp beginning today at Jhinjauli where Indresh Kumar among others, was to train them on appropriate responses on ‘Hindu terror’, Kashmir and Ayodhya dispute.

Suddenly that programme was advanced by a day and BJP president Nitin Gadkari addressed a handful of them at party headquarters 11, Ashoka Road yesterday. The main conference hall booked earlier for the BJP Human Rights Cell meet, was occupied by these Muslims and the original allottees were shifted to the Constitution Club.

Minority Morcha passed a resolution describing the Rajasthan ATS investigations as a Congress conspiracy to the eminent Indresh Kumar working tirelessly to bring patriotic Muslims to the fore, said Tanveer Ahmed later.

Today, the Delhi Study Group run by an important office-bearer of Delhi BJP, Vijay Jolly held a meeting forcefully defending Indresh Kumar and stating “How can anyone level a charge of anti-national terror against Indresh Kumar under whom several former IB, RAW and other intelligence chiefs are working to strengthen nationalist forces.”

He also reinforced the secular credentials of Indresh Kumar by recalling that Indresh had founded the Rashtriya Muslim Ekta Morcha. Indresh had recently organised a “Kashmir ki Awaz” convention at Malvalankar Hall here on October 22, to raise voice against Kashmir separatists.

The party may avoid an official comment, but prominent BJP leaders Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Balbir Punj and the now forgotten Muslim leader of BJP, Arif Baig, all recorded their presence there and recalled their association with Indresh Kumar vouching for impeccable secular, patriotic credentials.

Indresh to address workers

Those who are scheduled to lecture the “patriotically-inclined Muslims” include RSS leader Indresh Kumar, currently in the news for his alleged involvement in the Ajmer, Mecca Masjid, Malegaon and Samjhauta Express blasts He has been working for long to create a following for the RSS among the microscopic “patriotic” section of Muslim population.

New Delhi, November 2
The forthcoming visit of the US President is unlikely to provide any relief to India in the area of outsourcing of jobs, according to former Campaign Chief of Staff of Barack Obama.

At an interaction on “US-India relations: How India can strengthen its position” organised by the Observer Research Foundation, Pete Dagher said he did not foresee the US President announcing any change in his policy that disallowed tax breaks to companies outsourcing jobs to other countries.

“It’s unlikely. I don’t think the President will open up for jobs,” he said.

He said the President was unlikely to mention anything against China and Pakistan. He was responding to a query from Arundhati Ghose, former Indian Representative at the United Nations, who said New Delhi expected Obama to do some plain-speaking about these two neighbours of India.

“Unlikely. I don’t see any such likelihood. May be he will,” Dagher responded, adding Obama, however, had been quite outspoken against Pakistan in the USA, which has cost him popularity. He said the US believed that Pakistan should not become a failed state.

Dagher asked India to use its strong diaspora more aggressively to lobby for its interests, as was being done by the Chinese. “India is respectful while China is squeaky,” he said, adding that the 2012 presidential campaigns would begin in four months.

New Delhi, November 2
It is not everyday that one stumbles upon a bagful of money but for a CISF jawan posted at the airport, lost bags with cash inside are a constant phenomenon and has earned praise for his conduct.

A CISF constable posted at the X-Ray belt in the domestic terminal of the Indira Gandhi International Airport recently earned praise from his force's chief after he tracked down a man who had left behind a bag with Rs 80,000 in it.

Tej Singh, official sources said, saw a bag lying unclaimed at the X-Ray unit. On Checking it, he found Rs 8,000 in cash, $196, Canadian Dollar 1,300 and other currencies totalling to about Rs 80,000.

He saw a tag attached to the bag with a name of the passenger. After making some rounds of announcements on the public hearing system, a man named Paramjit Singh, an NRI approached the constable. Singh, who was on his way to Amristar was relieved to find his cash intact. Till the announcements were made, the passenger had no clue about his missing bag.

Sources said the CISF Director General N R Das, impressed by the honesty of Tej, rewarded him with a commendation letter. —PTI

New Delhi, November 2
People in India may invoke Goddess Lakshmi during Divali for prosperity but it is also during this period that her mount -- the owl -- faces maximum danger to its life.

A report by conservation group Traffic highlights how thousands of owls are traditionally sacrificed on “auspicious” occasions like Divali. Killing of owls in black magic and sorcery driven by superstition, totems and taboos is one of prime drivers of the covert owl trade, the report “Imperiled Custodians of the Night” says, seeking better protection for the endangered species.

Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh, who released the report, echoed the thought. India is a natural habitat for about 30 species, Ramesh said, calling for massive public awareness campaign to protect and save birds like owls. He said his ministry would examine recommendations to take strict actions under the Wildlife Protection Act.

“Owls are as important to our ecosystem as tigers. It is important that the threat to them during Divali is brought to light and concrete ground action undertaken to curb such activities,” he said. Owls play a beneficial and vital role in the ecosystem, particularly to farmers through their predation of rodents and other crop pests.

Shaman or black magic practitioners frequently referred to as tantriks in India, prescribe the use of owls and their body parts such as skull, feathers, ear tuffs, claws, heart, liver, kidney, blood, eyes, fat, beak, tears, eggshells, meat and bones for ceremonial pujas and rituals. According to the report, the threat comes from some communities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Hunting of and trade in all Indian owl species is banned under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 of India.

The Traffic investigation finds that besides black magic, owls are trapped and traded for use in street performances, killed for taxidermy and for their meat, their parts are used in folk medicines, even their claws and feathers are sometimes used in headgear. Live owls are also used as decoys to catch other bird species.

Bird in Trouble

Of the 30 recorded owl species in India, 15 have been recorded by this study in the domestic live bird trade. Owl species most highly sought after by traders are the larger ones, especially those with false “ear-tufts”, which are thought to bestow greater magical properties.

In danger: Spotted Owlet, Barn Owl, Rock-Eagle Owl, Jungle Owlet, Collared Scops-owl, Brown Fish-owl, Dusky Eagle-owl, Mottled Wood-owl, Asian Barred Owlet, Collared Owlet, Brown Wood-owl, Oriental Scops-owl, Spot-bellied Eagle-owl, Tawny Fish-owl and the Eastern Grass-owl.

New Delhi, November 2
The interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir today submitted their report to Home Minister P Chidambaram after their maiden visit to the state, with their leader Dileep Padgaonkar saying he is "hopeful" of a solution of the issue but did not have a "magic formula".

The three-member group today briefed Chidambaram about its visit to the J-K and presented its report. “This was our first visit to the state. We gave our set of recommendations," Padgaonkar told PTI but refused to divulge details about the contents of the report. — PTI

Lucknow, November 2
The ghoulish content of a parcel received by the family of two abducted boys from Fatehpur Sikri near Agra has left them shaken. It contained four human fingers.

After much persuasion, the family members of the abducted boys have agreed to give samples for a DNA test, which has now been sent to Chandigarh to match with the severed fingers, said ADG, Law and Order, Brij Lal today.

On September 15, the victims, Gaurav Kumar and his cousin Rajat Kumar, had gone out to buy milk and were reportedly abducted on the way by a gang belonging to Rajasthan, said Brij Lal. The next day, their motorcycles were recovered from a field at Jahanpur village on the Uttar Pradesh-Rajasthan border. A few days later, their families received a ransom call, with the abductors demanding a whopping Rs 1 crore.

When the families expressed inability to pay such a hefty amount, the abductors agreed to scale it down and negotiations continued over the phone for well over a month.

On October 19, the families were asked by the abductors to pick up a packet from the nearby cremation ground. When the families found four human fingers inside the packet, they informed the police.

The district police asked Agra Chief Medical Officer Rajesh Kumar to conduct an examination of the fingers found in the parcel. A forensic expert at Sarojini Naidu Medical College, Dr Ajay Agarwal could not establish whether the fingers were from a dead body or were severed from a living person.

To ascertain if the fingers indeed belonged to the abducted boys, they have been today sent to Chandigarh for a DNA test.

Mumbai, November 2
American President Barack Obama will be in Mumbai for a short visit, but the country's financial capital or at least its southern-most part will put on its Sunday best to welcome the dignitary.

According to the information made available by the Mumbai police, President Obama's stay in Mumbai will be cut back sharply. The President who was to arrive in Mumbai during the early hours of Saturday will now touch down at noon. However, even this itinerary is expected to change, according to sources.

As per the tentative plan available, President Obama will be received by dignitaries from Maharashtra and then escorted to Taj Mahal Hotel in South Mumbai. The US security officials have shot down a proposal to get the President to drive down from the airport to Colaba where Taj hotel is located. Obama will, instead, be flown to his hotel by a helicopter.

As part of his official engagements, the President is scheduled to visit the Gandhi Museum to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi after making a statement in memory of those killed in the 26/11 terror attacks.

The President will then attend a business summit organised by the US-India Business Council which would include Indian entrepreneurs and CEOs of American corporations.

Mumbaiites living around the periphery of the airport and in South Mumbai have been asked to sacrifice their Diwali celebrations to ensure President Obama's security. “Diwali crackers like rockets that fly in the air will not be permitted,” said a police spokesperson.

The police has also asked people not to congregate near the Gateway of India, at a stone's throw from Taj Hotel, to celebrate Diwali from November 4 to 7. Even the movement of ferries from the Gateway of India to Alibaug and Elephants has been suspended as a precautionary measure.

Residents living along the President Obama's route in posh Marine Drive have also been asked to curtail their movements.

Mumbai, November 2
Nearly five years after he split away from the Shiv Sena to form the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Raj Thackeray has emerged as a major player in Maharashtra politics following his party's spectacular performance in the recently concluded elections to the Kalyan-Dombivli civic polls.

The results of the elections, which were declared yesterday, saw the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena bag 26 seats in the 107-member house and thus emerge as a kingmaker in the fast-growing township on the outskirts of Mumbai.

The Shiv Sena-BJP combine, which won the KDMC polls in 2005 with 29 and 16 seats, respectively, managed just 40 seats. The Shiv Sena gained marginally with 31 seats in its kitty but the BJP won only nine seats.

The Congress and the NCP alliance bagged 15 seats each. The two parties did not have an alliance in 2005 and had bagged 21 and 23 seats, respectively.

Following his party's spectacular performance, Raj Thackeray has emerged as a kingmaker in Kalyan-Dombivli. The charismatic leader is expected to demand that the post of mayor be given to the MNS since it was the party's main campaign plank before the polls.

While the Shiv Sena is not prepared to call its performance a defeat since it gained two seats after a no-holds barred battle, the BJP will have to do some soul-searching. The party will meet after Divali to assess its performance, according to sources.

For the Congress and the NCP, the strategy to prop up the MNS as an alternative to the Shiv Sena may be counter productive. The two parties have turned out to be the biggest losers in a contest dominated entirely by regional and local issues.

Kolkata, November 2
The two-day CPM’s state committee meeting ended in the city yesterday targeted Mamata Banerjee as their main rival in the Assembly elections and accordingly, the comrades had been advised to launch massive campaign against Trinamool Congress by breaking the TMC’s unity drive with the Congress against them.

The party workers were also told to maintain friendly relations with the Congress. CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had been all through soft towards the Congress and he even did not hesitate to oppose the politburo’s stand on the nuclear deal vis-à-vis the decision of withdrawal of support from the UPA.

But in the changed political scenario, his relationship with both Singh and Mukherjee also had embittered to some extent in the past few months.

However, from now Bhattacharjee would be renewing his past “friendly” relationship with Singh, Mukherjee and other UPA leadership for counteracting Mamata Banerjee in Bengal.

The CPM state committee had acknowledged officially that Mamata Banerjee’s fast growing popularity had been a cause of real threat to them and if the partymen still failed to restore the confidence and support of the people it would be difficult for the Left Front to retain power for the sixth time in Bengal.

The CPMleadership is convinced that there has been no possibility for declaring the President’s rule in Bengal by imposing Article 356 at this stage as demanded by Trinamool Congress. But the leadership feels that the election commission could suggest the holding of the next state Assembly polls any time within next six months prior to the official termination of the government in July. 

Kolkata, November 2
Maoists today called for a 24-hour nationwide shutdown on November 8 to protest against the visit of US President Barack Obama.

"The Maoist central committee will observe a 24-hour Bharat Bandh on November 8," Maoist central committee member Kishenji said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were out to sell the country to American imperialism and Obama's visit to the country was just another step in the process, Kishenji alleged. He also termed CPM's protest programmes over Obama's visit on the same date as a "drama". — PTI 

Guwahati, November 2
Who will be more appropriate than the most powerful woman in the country to set the ball rolling for the newly built all-women market complex in Imphal?

The market complex will house the all-women market (Ema Keithel) that is now operating from make-shift sheds. According to sources, Sonia is expected to inaugurate the market comprising three state-of-the-art blocks.

The government is trying to complete the construction work by this week. The new complex is being built on the place where the old all-women market was located. There were over 1,800 women traders operating in the old market dealing in items ranging from grocery to gold ornaments. The market has been a must-visit site for tourists.

The new market complex has been built to accommodate much more women traders in addition to existing 2,500 traders in the old bazaar.

There have also been demands for reserving places for tribal women vendors in the new market complex. The Kabui Mother Association, Manipur (KMAM) has submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Ibobi Singh demanding allotment of 200 vendor seats for the womenfolk of the Kabui community.

Guwahati, November 2
Dengue is stalking Assam and has already taken two lives prompting the health authorities in the state to sound an alert asking people to remain on guard against mosquito bites.

Assam health minister Dr Himanta Bishwa Sharma informed that as per the government record, two persons have so far died of dengue, one each at Guwahati and Dergaon. He further informed that 97 suspected dengue cases had been detected in the state so far, out of which 14 have tested positive. “During an entomological survey carried out by the state Health Department in 754 households in the city’s three densely-populated localities, the dengue-causing ‘Aedes aegypti’ mosquito was found in nine households. So it is no longer a foreign disease as the killer mosquito is breeding right in our backyard,” Dr Sharma said.

The minister called upon the people of the state to take all possible precautions to prevent mosquito bites and try to keep their households as much free from mosquitoes as possible. 

Hyderabad, November 2
Torrential rains triggered by a depression in Bay of Bengal, left a trail of death and destruction in coastal Andhra Pradesh, claiming at least 16 lives in the last three days, causing extensive damage to crop and shattering government’s dream of achieving a record foodgrain production of 220 lakh tonne this agricultural season.

Seven coastal districts bore the brunt of incessant rains, prompting authorities to take emergency measures to evacuate people from low-lying and vulnerable areas. “So far, 30,000 people from the affected areas have been evacuated to about 80 camps set up by the district administration. In all, 23,710 houses have been submerged in these districts,” an official of the Chief Minister’s Office said.

Chief Minister K Rosaiah, who is away in New Delhi to attend the All India Congress Committee meeting, held a teleconference with top officials, including the Commissioner of Disaster Management this morning.

Soon after his return to the city, he held an emergency meeting with top officials again to review the situation and to chalk out an effective plan of action to mitigate the sufferings of the people affected by the heavy rains.

The heavy rains dashed hopes of record foodgrain production. The state government had been, in fact, upbeat about the anticipated record production of foodgrain in the state following the plentiful monsoon rains.The government had even sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention to lift existing stocks in government godowns to make room for the expected heavy arrival of paddy and other foodgrain during the Kharif season.

Paddy crops in about 2.16 lakh hectares had been damaged in the heavy rains, Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy said. “The damage was mainly in East Godavari and West Godavari districts besides Krishna and Nellore,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rosaiah has asked the Commissioner of Disaster Management to open a control room in Hyderabad and the district collectors are also to have similar arrangement in their headquarters.

The Army, Navy and Air Force have also been requested to be on standby for deployment of forces in case of any exigency. Alternative communications network such as the Ham Radio network and Satellite phones were kept ready at the disposal of district administration. 

India’s first jail BPO

n Why Cherlapally Prison? Nearly 40 per cent of its 2,100 inmates are educated

n The workforce: The unit will initially employ 200 educated convicts to handle back office operations and process and transmit info

n Work profile: Selected inmates would work for Indian banks and insurance firms after basic training

n Security: Selected inmates would be involved in bank-related work of data entry and transfer but won’t have access to phones

n Office space: A special space has been created in the jail complete with computers, connectivity and other facilities 

Hyderabad, November 2
After his poor show in politics, the matinee idol of Telugu cinema, Chiranjeevi, is all set for a comeback to the tinsel world.

The 55-year-old megastar will don the greasepaint after a gap of over two years that saw his political journey take a bumpy ride.

“I have decided to get back to acting in deference to the wishes of my fans. The shooting for my next movie is likely to begin in February next,” Chiranjeevi, who heads Praja Rajyam Party, said. However, he said he would devote 20 days a month for the party activities. “Films and politics are like two eyes for me. There is no question of neglecting my political responsibilities,” the actor said.

Incidentally, the forthcoming venture would be his 150th movie in a career spanning three decades. His actor-son Ramcharan Teja will be the producer of the new film while the director, heroine and other cast are yet to be finalised.

“The story is ready and it is going to be an entertainer with a strong social message,” he said. Of late, the ageing star has been on a fitness regimentation to get back into shape.

The last time he donned the greasepaint was for “Shankar Dada Zindabad,” a Telugu remake of the Bollywood hit “Lagey Raho Munnabhai”. The comeback movie will have all the ingredients of a commercial film including dance numbers.

“My fans will not accept a film without song and dance,” the megastar says.

The megastar”s tryst with politics has been anything but fruitful. Despite being a hugely popular actor, he had failed to convert his star power into votes. As a result, his PRP bombed at the ballot box in the 2009 elections.

Promising “social justice and change”, Chiranjeevi entered politics with a bang on August 26, 2008, conducted hugely successful road shows, reminiscent of the NTR magic, and raising hopes that he might emerge as an alternative to the two main contenders for power - Congress and Telugu Desam Party.

However, his political show turned out to be a flop. The PRP drew blank in the Lok Sabha while managing to win just 18 seats in the 294-member Assembly.

Since then, the party’s support base been steadily eroding amid reports that the actor is warming up to the ruling Congress for a long-term alliance.

Though Chiranjeevi politely turned down the demand from his fans to get back to films in the past, the artiste in him was rekindled while he was watching the promos of “Robot” starring Tamil superstar Rajnikanth and Bollywood diva Aishwarya Rai in the lead. During the film’s audio release function, Chiranjeevi spoke of his desire to get back to the silver screen. That was enough to send his fans into a tizzy, and Rajnikanth, who was also present at the function, did his bit by encouraging his friend to seriously consider a return to films.