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Recovery of illegal arms makes CPM see red
India, Uzbekistan sign 34 accords
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HC stays proceedings in Parsvnath case
JPC goes after NDA; to question Soli Sorabjee
Kaskar wasn’t fired at: Police
Gogoi takes oath as Assam CM
Chandy is Kerala CM
Alliance Air extends operations to Assam
Rajnikant shifted to ICU
22 killed in dust storms in Uttar Pradesh
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Recovery of illegal arms makes CPM see red
Source : National Election Watch Sonia to skip Didi’s swearing-in ceremony New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will not be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee as West Bengal Chief Minister in Kolkata on Friday. Instead, Home Minister P Chidambaram will represent the Congress at the
function. — PTI
Kolkata, May 18 During the last five days after election results were declared, the state police, in joint operations conducted with Central para-military forces, has been steadily recovering illegal arms in the districts. What is more, most of it, according to the police, are being recovered from the
CPM party offices and from the houses of CPM cadres. The CPM state secretary Biman Bose, however, attributed the recoveries to a conspiracy by TMC workers, who, he alleged, had planted the firearms in CPM party offices and other places after they were abandoned by the party cadres following attacks by TMC workers. Hundreds of CPM workers, their families and party supporters, he claimed, have been forced to flee from villages after results were declared on May 13. A formal complaint had already been lodged with the Governor, he added. On Wednesday too, a large quantity of illegal weapons and other firearms were recovered from Garbeta, Salboni, Keshpur and other areas in west Midnapore, claimed the police. At least 20 persons stated to be CPM workers were also arrested. The district police also confiscated assets and other properties of the 14 absconding CPM workers, who had been named as the prime accused in the Netai incident in which nine TMC workers were gunned down. Apprehending post-poll violence, Central para-military forces deployed on election duty have been allowed to stay back for the next few months to assist the state police in maintaining law and order. But despite Mamata Banerjee’s appeal for peace, several political killings have been reported from the districts this week. The overdrive by the police in the last few days has also raised eyebrows. “This means the police had the information about illegal arms and the ability to recover them but did nothing till the Left Front government was in the saddle, claimed a newly elected Trinamool Congress legislator on condition of
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Sohanpal sworn in as pro tem Speaker
Kolkata, May 18 Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will be sworn in as the Chief Minister on Friday at 1.01 pm. Along with her, over 20 ministers belonging to the party will also take oath on that day. The SUCI has already rejected Mamata Banerjee’s invitation to join her cabinet. The WBPCC was still awaiting the AICC’s formal clearance for joining the Mamata Banerjee’s ministry, though the central leadership had already okayed the party’s participation in the new ministry.
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India, Uzbekistan sign 34 accords
New Delhi, May 18 The two countries also agreed to cooperate closely in stabilising the situation in Afghanistan and condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Uzbekistan reaffirmed its support for India’s candidature for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. The The two sides also resolved to expand their cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). India is currently an observer at the SCO and is keen to become a member of the six-nation Central Asian organisation. Just a month after he visited Kazakhstan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today hosted Uzbek President Islam Karimov, another important leader from resource-rich Central Asia, at the Hyderabad House here. This was the first high level interaction between the two nations after the killing of Osama bin Laden, whose ideology had caused violence in several Central Asian countries, as well. During their talks, the PM and the Uzbek leader discussed a wide-range of issues, including the unstable situation in Afghanistan. They underlined the importance of peace and stability in the embattled nation. The PM shared his perspectives on Afghanistan, based on his recent visit to Kabul. Great importance is being attached to the establishment of the strategic partnership which envisages active cooperation in a wide spectrum on areas, including political, counter-terrorism, economic, education, health, human resource development, energy, science and technology, tourism and culture. More than 30 bilateral agreements were concluded at the government level and between business entities in areas such as information technology, pharmaceuticals, textiles, standardisation, small and medium enterprises, coal gasification
etc.
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HC stays proceedings in Parsvnath case
Chandigarh, May 18 Taking cognizance of a petition filed by the housing board alleging payment of “huge amount of money to the arbitrators”, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed the proceedings before the arbitral tribunal. “All further proceedings and action before the arbitral tribunal shall remain stayed,” the order reads. The order will remain in force at least till July 6. It comes as a relief to the housing board suffering from crumbling finances. Justice Hemant Gupta also put on notice the three arbitrators - Punjab and Haryana High Court’s retired judge, Justice Amar Dutt, and Supreme Court’s former Chief Justice G.B. Patnaik and Justice D.P. Wadhwa. Notice of motion has also been issued to Parsvnath Developers Limited. This is the first time in the conceivable past that three former judges, including two judges of the Apex Court, have been put on notice by the high court. So far, a sum of nearly Rs 80 lakh has been paid as fees. The housing board alone has paid more than Rs 39 lakh. In addition, close to Rs 10 lakh has been spent by the Chandigarh Housing Board on the travel, accommodation and other expenses for the arbitration. This does not include the expense incurred by Parsvnath on the multiple sittings held in Hotel Lalit and Hotel Le Meridian in New Delhi. The board has asserted: “Despite a lapse of a year and an expenditure close to Rs 1 crore in arbitrators’ fee and expenses, substantive hearing in the matter has still not commenced before the tribunal, owing in part due to the extremely busy scheduled of the arbitrators”. The developers and the housing board had launched a scheme some five years back to develop costly flats and villas at the IT Park, Chandigarh. Housing board transferred 135 acres as freehold to Parsvnath Developers on November 15, 2005, for the residential and commercial project to come up. Due to controversies between the parties on issues, including passing of the maps, the project could not be completed on time. In its petition filed through barrister-at-law Harpreet Singh Giani, the housing board challenged the tribunal’s order of May 2 dismissing its application for the reduction in the quantum of arbitral fee. The board has asserted: “The arbitrators are charging the parties the entire arbitral fee of Rs 1.5 lakh per arbitrator even for sitting conducted solely for the purpose of granting adjournments, even if the other side has given its prior consent; and for two sittings in a day if the proceedings take up more than half of the working day”. The petition, argued before Justice Gupta by UT senior standing counsel Sanjay Kaushal and advocate Giani, says “numerous arbitral sittings have also been conducted at New Delhi in premium five star hotels at expectedly high prices”. Going into the background of the controversy, the housing board said the arbitrators’ fees was initially fixed at Rs 1 lakh per arbitrator per sitting, along with other expenses. The order did not provide for payment for two sittings the same day. But on April 9 last, the fee was enhanced by Rs 50,000 each. “Over the course of next year, the tribunal met on a total of 13 occasions, amounting to a total of 18 sittings, because of two sittings on the same day on five occasions…. “Owing to the spiralling cost of arbitration, as well as financial constraints of the petitioner, the housing board wrote to the arbitrators to reduce the fee; and a fee of Rs 25,000 per sitting was suggested”. But, the tribunal replaced the administrative fee of Rs 1,000 by secretarial allowance of Rs 5,000 and “the decision to charge for two sittings on one day was formalised”. Eventually, on May 2 the application for reduction in fee was dismissed. The petition adds: “The imposition of very high and limitless fee by the arbitrators defeats the very objective and purpose of alternate dispute mechanism…. Even though the arbitrators’ fee are the prerogative of the arbitrators themselves, the same cannot be arbitrary and uncapped”.
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When single women unite, they become a force to reckon with
Chandigarh, May 18 In the context of the growing number of single women in the state due to development, changing gender equations and consumerism; giving rise to newer categories of single women like widows of farmers who commit suicide due to indebtedness, brides cheated by NRI bridegrooms and widows of HIV positive men, a framework has been developed to understand their problems. Ginny Shrivastava, shared her experience of starting the movement from Rajasthan, where they began with 21 districts and 450 members in 1999. An organisational structure beginning from the level of the village has been created. Members elect block-level representatives, who meet thrice a month at the same spot and time to document problems of members. These representatives carry these reports to district-level meetings for remedial action, and finally meet thrice a year at the state level to address their issues and concerns. From helping these women get a separate ration card, BPL card to helping children’s admission and fighting for women’s right over the land, in unity they have discovered power of success. Rajasthan Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan issues three newsletters a year to educate single women about their rights and processes that can help them reduce suffering. Hamare Sangharsh Hamara Jeevan, a booklet documents case studies of the struggle of single women across the country. Very often, when the land comes to a woman, after the death of husband or divorce, her problems begin; from being declared a dayan to being gangraped by relatives, tales vary but the underlying suffering remains the same. From Rajasthan, the movement travelled to neighbouring states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, MP, Bihar, Jharkhand and HP. Now Punjab is gearing up to join the movement. In 2009 state sangthans came together to form a National Forum for Single Women’s Rights. With 80,000 registered members from 13 states, they are now loud enough, not to be ignored. The event was organised by Voluntary Health Association of Punjab.
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JPC goes after NDA; to question Soli Sorabjee
Chacko: We are self-sufficient Chacko said there was no need for the JPC to look at the PAC report which did not exist officially. "We have collected more documents that any other committee. We need not look into any report that’s not official. We are self-sufficient," he said.
New Delhi, May 18 Meeting under the chairmanship of Congress leader P.C. Chacko here, the 30-member JPC decided to summon the-then Attorney General Soli Sorabjee on whose advice the Cabinet approved the National Telecom Policy (NTP) 1999. It also directed Telecom Secretary R. Chandrashekhar (who briefed the committee on Spectrum allocation and pricing today) to quantify losses caused by the shift as mentioned by the CAG in its 2000 report. "The CAG made adverse remarks on the migration package for Cellular Mobile Service Providers (CMSPs) and Basic Service Operators (BSOs) and concessions granted to them on account of a shift from fixed licence fee regime to revenue sharing pattern in 1999. It said the shift caused huge losses but it did not quantify these losses probably due to lack of data. Although we don’t call it an attempt to cover up, we believe the losses can be quantified now. All committee members agreed to call the-then AG and to seek a report from the Telecom Secretary on the quantum of loss caused by the NDA Cabinet decision of July 6, 1999," Chacko said after the meeting during which Ashok Chandra, Wireless Advisor to Department of Telecommunication also briefed the panel on scientific aspects of radio frequency Spectrum. At the heart of today’s debate was the NTP 1999 which allowed CMSPs and BSOs to migrate from fixed licence fee regime (which they were finding hard to honour as the fee was very high and the business generation low) under the NTP 1994 to a revenue sharing regime under which a share of 15 per cent of the Adjusted Gross Revenue was chargeable as licence fee from the service providers. All existing CMSPs and BSOs migrated to revenue sharing from August 1, 1999 after the NDA took a decision. While this shift was said to have been based on AG Sorabjee’s advice, the same Sorabjee had earlier concurred with former Telecom Minister Jagmohan against such revenue sharing. Jagmohan was later sacked as Telecom Minister. Importantly, the BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi-led Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which went into the 2G issue makes generous references to the NTP 1999 in its draft report: "The NTP 1999 stipulated the availability of affordable and effective communications for the citizen and open the sector to competitors, subject to recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India," it says. The JPC, which has a Congress majority, obviously wants to know if the shift helped and who did it help. The ICICI Bank at that time was said to have prepared an industry friendly report which the NDA government considered
favourably.
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Kaskar wasn’t fired at: Police
The incident had taken place outside a restaurant at Pakmodia street in the Mumbai’s Nagpada area. The police had then said that Iqbal Kaskar had escaped unhurt in the attack. Today Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajkumar Vhatkar told reporters that Kaskar was not in the car when the gunmen opened fire at the vehicle. “Only his driver and bodyguard were present,” Vhatkar said. Kaskar’s driver was later identified as Arif Syed Abubaker, 45. He received six bullet injuries, the police said. Passers-by chased and caught two shooters, identified as Syed Bilal Mustafa Ali and Inderlal Bahadur Khatri, suspected to be a Nepali national. Both were remanded in police custody till May 26 by a local court. The police said three revolvers, 12 live cartridges and five used cartridges were seized from them. Tight security arrangements were made at the Mazgaon court where the two hitmen were produced with personnel from the bomb disposal squad and the quick response team stationed in anticipation of a revenge attack by the Dawood Ibrahim gang, the police said. According to senior police officials, Dawood Ibrahim’s rival Chhota Rajan is suspected to be behind yesterday’s attack. “We are still trying to ascertain who is behind the attack,” Vhatkar said.
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Gogoi takes oath as Assam CM
Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court Madan B Lokur, Union DoNER Minister Bijoy Krishna Handique, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, chief executive member of the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTADC) Hagrama Mohilary, APCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita were among those dignitaries who were present on the occasion. Talking to the media after taking oath, Gogoi said the top priority for the new government would be to expedite the development process in the state, besides accelerating the ongoing peace process with various militant groups, including the ULFA and the NDFB. “The people of Assam have voted us to power for the third consecutive term not because of our speeches, but for the development works we have carried out during the past 10 years. We will focus on development programmes that will help solving unemployment, elevate poverty, eradicate illiteracy and increase income of farmers. We want to see a substantial increase in the state’s per capita income in the next five years,” Gogoi said. Regarding the ongoing peace process with militant groups, he said:“Centre’s peace interlocutor PC Haldar is in constant touch with all the militant groups in truce. There will be efforts to expedite the peace process so as to find solution as early as possible.” Gogoi is slated to leave for New Delhi tomorrow for finalisation of the council of ministers in consultation with the party high command.
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Chandy is Kerala CM
The UDF unseated CPI-led LDF by securing a thin majority of 72 seats in the 140-member House after April 13 Assembly polls. Those sworn in as ministers were P K Kunhalikutty (IUML), K M Mani (Kerala Congress-M), K P Mohanan (SJD), T M Jacob (Kerala Congress-J), K B Ganesh Kumar (Kerala Congress-B) and Shibu Baby John (RSP-B). The ministry will be expanded on May 23 with the induction nine Congress nominees, three representatives of IUML and one more from Kerala Congress (Mani). Chandy's predecessor and CPI veteran V S Achuthanandan, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, Union ministers Mullapally Ramachandran and K C Venugopal were also present.
— PTI
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Alliance Air extends operations to Assam New Delhi, May 18 The Air India subsidiary will mount six additional flights each week with turbo-prop ATR-42 aircraft to Tezpur and Lilabari to serve Arunachal Pradesh. These flights will connect these townships with Kolkata and Guwahati. Five weekly frequencies will be operated on the Kolkata-Guwahati-Lilabari-Guwahati-Kolkata sector, while two will be mounted on the Guwahati-Tezpur-Jorhat-Guwahati sector. — TNS
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This has been done to improve his breathing pattern, a hospital press release said adding that the actor was showing positive response to treatment. A multi-disciplinary team of doctors is busy closely watching his vital parameters to assess benefits from multi-pronged treatment strategies, it said. Doctors said he was responding well to treatment. Rajnikant had suffered from exhaustion on April 29, the first day of the shoot of his new period film “Rana.” — PTI
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22 killed in dust storms in Uttar Pradesh Lucknow, May 18 Eight members of a marriage party were killed when a tree, uprooted by a fierce duststorm, fell on their jeep in Siddhartnagar district. Six perished in Jaunpur, four in Ambedkarnagar, three in Bhadhoi and one in Kanpur as dust storms hit several areas in the state, officials said. Rains, accompanied by high-velocity winds, lashed Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Bahraich and Sultanpur disrupting normal life. — PTI
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Mishap kills 4 Navy men Minissha held with jewellery 24-hr shutdown in
Darjeeling hills Adarsh case: Bail pleas rejected
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