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CWG body blames Kalmadi for graft
Govt to quantify black money in 16 months
CPM MLA commits suicide |
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Special package for West Bengal
BJP’s anti-corruption campaign losing steam
Pilots, ATCs get fresh norms after Faridabad crash Tagore’s popularity rising in China Promotion of Major Generals: Army seeks single policy
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CWG body blames Kalmadi for graft
New Delhi, May 29 Sources said the two-volume reply, in about 1,000 pages, has been sent and former top officials, including Kalmadi, have been held responsible on issues like ticketing, illegally inflated budgeting, Beijing Olympics observer programme, appointment of consultant and recruitment scam among others, which the Shunglu Committee had pointed out. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had on October 25 appointed a high-level committee to look into alleged corruption and managerial lapses in the conduct of the Games held between October 3 and 14 last year. The Games organising body has also agreed for CBI and ED probes into certain contracts executed by Kalmadi and his close aides. “We have sent our reply to the Sports Ministry,” said CEO of Games Organising Committee Jarnail Singh. The OC has, in its report, said that there was a revenue loss of Rs 52 crore in giving complimentary tickets to various government officials and private agencies among others. It has agreed that Kalmadi tried to inflate the budget by Rs 913 crore (from Rs 1,813 crore already allocated) to meet expenses. However, the amount was later denied. The OC said the Beijing Olympics observer programme, in which around 161 persons were taken to China, was an avoidable exercise that resulted in waste of money. Sources said the report had also found that many fake recruitments were made at high-level posts mainly at the instance of Kalmadi to allegedly conspire with him in various irregularities. — PTI
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Exhaustive study commissioned
New Delhi, May 29 The study has been undertaken by the National Council for Applied Economic Research, the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy and the National Institute of Financial Management. The effort began in March and would also profile activities used for money-laundering and identify the causes of black money and the sectors in which it is generated. "So far, there are no reliable estimates of black money generated and held within and outside the country," the Finance Ministry, which commissioned the study, said. The ministry said that the estimates, which are not reliable, vary from $462 billion to $1.4 trillion. The study will also suggest ways to detect and prevent unaccounted money, bringing it into the tax net. Yoga guru Ramdev has threatened to go on huger strike here from June 4 on the issue of black money. The government has also constituted a committee of high- level officials, including the chief of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), to suggest a legal framework for confiscating such wealth by declaring it as "national assets". The government had earlier also constituted a committee, comprising heads of various probe agencies and specialised departments, to monitor the investigation and initiate steps to bring back black money stashed in tax havens. Besides, the Government is also amending the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs) with different countries and entering into Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEA) with tax havens. — PTI
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CPM MLA commits suicide Kolkata, May 29 “The MLA jumped from the fourth floor of Room 411 and fell on a tin shed. He is dead,” the police said. A suicide note found on the 70-year-old MLA’s body said he was taking the extreme step due to acute depression and a number of other ailments, including kidney-related problems, for some time, according to the police. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Industry and Commerce Minister Partha Chatterjee visited the hostel and the hospital where the body was kept. Banerjee said she could have helped Quasem in his treatment had she been informed, but he died before she could be introduced to him in the new Assembly. She instructed the authorities to hand over the body to the family after postmortem examination and other formalities tomorrow. The Chief Minister expressed her condolences to the bereaved family and asked the administration to accord him due honour and respect. “If we receive any suggestion from the CPM, we will do the needful,” Banerjee said. Quasem was first elected to the West Bengal Assembly in 1977 from Baduria and Swarupnagar in the period between 1991-2006. He was recently elected from Basirhat North. The CPM leader, who was a MP of the Upper House from 1984 to 1990, was the Rajya Sabha Vice-Chairman from 1987 to 1988. Quasem is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Partha Chatterjee said there should be an inquiry on what led the CPM leader to his tragic end. Quasem was among the MLAs who had arrived here for the election of the West Bengal Assembly Speaker tomorrow. With Quasem’s death, the number of CPM MLAs in the Assembly has gone down to 39 and that of the opposition Left Front to 61. — PTI
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Mamata leaves security officials worried
Kolkata, May 29 Banerjee has refused to use her official bulletproof car, dispensed with the pilot car of her convoy, which she has also pruned and claims no preference for her vehicles at traffic signals, which has left security officials worried. "The chief minister has instructed the police that she didn't need any extra arrangements and will follow traffic rules like any other citizen," a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity. Commenting on her own security, the chief minister told a Madhymaik topper who said her mother was concerned about it, "I will keep in mind what you are saying. "Tell your mother that I am thankful to her for thinking about my safety," Banerjee told the girl Megha Mullick of the Ramkrishna Mission Sarada Vidyapeeth in Jayrambati during a TV interview. Banerjee after taking over the mantle has been using the car provided by a party colleague. On May 20, the day of swearing-in of the Mamata Banerjee government, the Trinamool Congress supremo walked the 500 metre from the Raj Bhavan to the Writer's Buildings. Huge crowds surged in from all sides for a glimpse of the state's first woman chief minister, as harried security personnel tried to maintain order. The crowds were so enthusiastic finding the chief minister walking in their midst that they followed her into the Writers' Buildings. There was a serious security lapse inside when security personnel found the main entry to the chief minister's chamber blocked by people who had gathered in huge numbers in the corridor. The harried security men had to escort her through the conference room to her chamber. According to West Bengal Director General of Police Naparajit Mukherjee, "The chief minister desires that the security will not look aggressive with less vehicles in the convoy, no pilot car and no bulletproof car." — PTI
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Special package for West Bengal
Kolkata, May 29 Besides West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the meeting
was also attended by state Finance Minister Amit Mitra, Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee and the senior officials of the
state and the Central governments. Later at a press conference, the Finance Minister said they had discussed in detail about the state’s present financial situation and it was decided that the Centre should sanction special financial assistance to
the state, but the quantum assistance will be decided afterwards. The Chief Minister alleged that the government had been left with a heavy financial burden of Rs 2,500-crore loan and an additional Rs 1,000-crore overdraft by the Left government. She further alleged that the previous government had not only misused the Central assistance but also ruined the state exchequer. The Chief Minister also conveyed her thanks to the Finance Minister for agreeing to help the state at this crucial time.
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Rajini in ICU in Singapore Singapore/Chennai, May 29 The 61-year-old actor flew in to Singapore yesterday and was immediately taken to the ICU for “rest and rehabilitation” after being discharged from the Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre where he was admitted on May 13 for respiratory infection and other problems. His son-in-law Dhanush, a Tamil actor, said his condition was stable and there was no cause for any alarm. With his fans converging at the Chennai hospital in large numbers enquiring about his health, the ‘Endhiran’ star left a brief recorded voice message in Tamil promising them that he will be back among them soon. “I am happily going about my routine. Will come as soon the treatment gets over,” Rajinikanth said in his one-minute message.
— PTI
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BJP’s anti-corruption campaign losing steam
New Delhi, May 29 Recently, a senior BJP leader had to back off when he attacked the UPA Government over corruption charges when his attention was drawn to the hurried manner in which the party had replaced its ministers in Punjab to brush aside allegations of their involvement in a bribery case. Even after these changes, murmurs in the state unit did not die down as Punjab legislator Jagdish Sahni levelled charges against another minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla while others raised questions about another minister Satpal Gosain. The latest is an implicit admission by BJP president Nitin Gadkari about charges of misuse of office and allegations of corruption against the Ramesh Nishank-led Uttarakhand Government. He admitted that two former Chief Ministers - Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and BC Khanduri - had demanded Nishank should not be projected as the next Chief Minister in the forthcoming Assembly elections as his image has dented the BJP’s profile. In a parallel development, BJP’s Himachal unit sacked Kangra MP Rajan Sushant from the membership of state executive after he pointed an accusing finger at senior party leaders. Though he promised to disclose all the names with documents to The Tribune at a later stage, insiders hinted that Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur was in the firing line. In J&K, the party is unable to resolve the issue of seven legislators who defied the party whip and voted against official party candidate in the legislative Council elections. The rebels, led by veteran leader Chaman Lal Gupta, insisted that the loyalists camp of four MLAs is also not free from dissidents. In the end, the BJP had made a big impact in the last Assembly elections by winning 11 seats is back to a rump party. In Gujarat, the BJP leaders were left dumbstruck when Anna Hazare, who the other day had issued a certificate of good governance to Narendra Modi, dubbed his government as corrupt and charged that it encouraged free flow of liquor in the state.
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When East met West
New Delhi, May 29 She had just listened to Schubert’s Symphony No 5 and Tchaikovsky, played by an orchestra that consists of 50 musicians, young and old, mostly young, from across India. She was particularly impressed by “a young trumpet player”. Her two daughters, who are learning piano and guitar, accompanied her. They were ecstatic about an “Indian” conducting an orchestra so beautifully! This gave them a strange sense of pride. The new symphony of western classical music being played and conducted by an Indian is a result of an ambitious project envisioned by renowned conductor Vijay Upadhyaya, who landed in India in January this year, with loads of hope and some of his savings, to actualise an initiative of Vienna University Orchestra, to establish the first-ever India Youth Orchestra ( IYO). For, though, western music lovers can find teachers in some parts of the country, they never get to perform a complete orchestra. Secondly, the quality of training is not world-class at most places, musicians carry on with faulty technique and movement all their lives, with no one to correct them. Since January, Upadhyaya has scouted around the country, looking for talent he could nurture to lend dignity to talented musicians who end up being orchestra players in a hotel or join Bollywood and remain anonymous. “If a lad from Lucknow like me could make an outstanding career in the Mecca of western classical music, Vienna, way back in the 80s, others too can,” he says. His dream is to provide jobs to all 50 of them, where they play music to earn a respectable living, so that their music is not killed by mundane routine. On Sunday evening, after conducting symphonies of the western masters, the orchestra played a Rajasthani tune “pallu latke” striking new chords of harmony. And the audience went ecstatic, clapping and tapping, the Indian way!
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Pilots, ATCs get fresh norms after Faridabad crash
New Delhi, May 29 Rules have also been framed to counter fatigue among ATC officers and pilots, apart from general working conditions. While several helicopters crashed in bad weather across the country, high velocity winds were suspected to have been the major cause of Thursday’s accident involving the air ambulance in Faridabad. On May 22 last year, 158 people were killed when Air India Express flight IX 812 overshot the Bajpe airport runway in Mangalore and crashed into a deep gorge. The crash shook up the aviation industry and the government, which was forced to undertake a review of the safety oversight systems covering all related issues relating to aerodromes, air navigation, airlines, flight operations and training of pilots. In a series of circulars on operations published in the past few days, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has recommended training of pilots should include unexpected or surprise situations which can crop up anytime mid-air or while landing and take-off. Issues like how to face sudden events like systems malfunction, deep air pockets, crew-member incapacitation or communication problems with the ATC or other crew members have been dealt with in detail, with the DGCA asking all training institutions and airlines to integrate these issues into their training programmes. In a circular on the workload of pilots, the DGCA has underlined that since the cockpit crew have a variety of tasks to perform, they could be vulnerable to errors if proper multi-tasking environment does not exist. The regulator has also directed the presence of cabin crew in the cockpit in case one pilot leaves it during flight, they said. Following reports of fatigue among pilots, a committee was set up by the government to examine the flight duty time limitations of crew members, which too submitted its report last year and a draft regulation has been prepared. — PTI FOR SAFETY
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Tagore’s popularity rising in China
"In the background of over two millennia of China and India having been interconnecting, interacting, and learning from each other, the Nobel Laureate was closest to our times, real and intimate to us," says Wang Bangwei of Peking University. "From Sakyamuni (as Buddha is referred to in China) we have enjoyed more of a reverent godliness, and from Tagore we have enjoyed a tangible humanness that was noble and admirable," writes Wang in "Tagore and China", arguably the first full account in English of the poet's visit to China and related issues. Along with Wang, the book published by Sage, is co-edited by Tan Chung, Amiya Dev and Wei Liming. The book charts Tagore's 'grand visit' in 1924 undertaken in response to China's 'Tagore fever' and the series of talks he gave there, their antecedents as well as impact. During the visit, the Chinese celebrated Tagore's 63rd birthday and conferred him the Chinese name of 'Zhu Zhendan'. — PTI
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Promotion of Major Generals: Army seeks single policy
New Delhi, May 29 Even while a decision is awaited on this, the government has promoted 23 Major Generals to the next rank of Lieutenant Generals under the existing two-stream policy. The two-stream promotion policy is being opposed on the grounds that it creates division at the upper ranks.
— PTI
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Centrestage
The irony is that nobody appears to be happy. The tourists complain of exorbitant prices ( at times paying Rs 200 for a plate of Rajma-Chawal ), poor service and getting cheated at every step. The local population disdainfully dismiss the seasonal influx of uncivilised hordes as a necessary evil. The government grudges the pressure tourism is putting on infrastructure, transport, law and order and ecology but cannot think beyond hotels and resorts. Businessmen are complaining that the tourists do not spend enough, demanding that the governments take steps to attract high-end tourists with more spending power. All said and done, it is a messy situation that calls for urgent attention. Even Kufri, which once drew film makers in droves for its excellent ski-slopes, today stinks of animal dung and is so crowded that film-makers think it better to keep away. Traffic chaos at Kufri would come as a shock to those who have visited the place a decade or two earlier. Tourists still make a beeline to Naldehra, Mashobra and Narkanda but with the limited tourism infrastructure giving way under the weight of tourists, they are no longer what they used to be.
Undoubtedly, authorities need to do much more by way of creating way side amenities, better roads, more parking lots, augmented water supply to meet the demand of the huge floating population of visitors and so on. A lot has been done but a lot more needs to be done. All hill stations do not have uniform facilities, rates and signage-for example. AK Dwivedi, Joint Director, Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board claims to have provided toilets and rain shelters at various places on the "Char Dham" route. Emergency ambulance service with toll-free number 108 too has also been introduced while more than seven thousand oxygen cylinders have been provided, he says, at the government guesthouses in the hills. MANALI Manali has degenerated into a "mad Mecca" for low-budget domestic tourists and backpackers. Dust and emissions from three wheelers and vehicles, traffic jams, large crowds, heaps of debris on the Mall and stench from leaking sewers and gutters and dirty toilets greet the tourist at Manali. Parking of vehicles is a major problem at Manali and even a 50-room hotel provides parking for just five vehicles. Tough the district tourism council since 2004 has collected Rs 17 crore by way of green tax imposed by the High Court on tourists to improve tourist infrastructure, visitors are still forced to park their vehicles on the roadside as Manali has just five public parking lots , which can cater to about 600 vehicles. The proposed additional parking lots have remained on paper for the last seven years. Manali needs at least 150 policemen but it has 70 in place to handle the summer rush. Manali needs 2 lakh liters of water daily, but the supply is about one lakh litres. The employees are said to be at the beck and call of hoteliers, who allegedly bribe them to provide 24 hrs supply. The Tourism department has two inspectors and no independent tourism officer to check fleecing. "Fleecing is rampant here. Rooms are not up to the mark and lack parking facilities", complains Amit Shah, a Mumbai tourist. "The touts get commission even if they manage bus or taxi ickets". Manali produces more than 20 tonnes of solid waste daily and one quintal of plastic. While the Nagar panchayat collects about 15 tonnes of solid waste daily and dispose it off in the treatment plant, which is overflowing, rest of it ends up in the Manalsu khad or in the Beas river. Manali's green lungs- deodars are in danger. Over 100 trees have dried up. 72 more trees face the axe to make room for the proposed Manali Bypass. The encroachers are pruning trees or drying them up in the upper reaches of Hidimba Devi, Ram Bagh and other places for expanding their business. "Tourism is growing, but we are missing out on quality tourists. Perhaps we need more five star hotels, more tourism activities, proper parking and infrastructure and proper monitoring so that only good people come here", says Gajender Thakur, president, Manali hoteliers association. GULMARG, PAHALGAM At Gulmarg and Pahalgam, tourists are often shocked to see the filth spread by ponies in the area, the stink raised by droppings considerably dampening the mood. "This is a beautiful place and should be kept neat and clean, but as you enter the area you are greeted by the droppings littered everywhere in the meadow," cribs Alok Kumar from Chandigarh. Tourists who come to these hill resorts are also shocked to find that not a single public convenience is available. . Although the government has fixed rates for the Pony ride in summer and sledge ride in winters, tourists complain they are invariably fleeced and forced to pay much more by the pony walas and the sledge pullers. "Wherever you go, hotel charges are so high and the service so poor. During the peak tourist season, one suspects hotel owners create an artificial shortage of rooms to increase the rates and the tourists are forced to pay," complains Gulzar Singh from Delhi . Tourists also complain of being cheated by traders who sell them spurious stuff in the name of Kashmiri handicrafts and handloom. "Last time when I came here, a shopkeeper in Sonmarg sold me a shawl, assuring that it was a pure Kashmiri pashmina shawl but when I reached home I discovered that it was a factory made shawl which was made in Ludhiana. Since then I have decided not to purchase anything from here," said Abhiskeh Lokhande a resident of Maharastra. Nainital At Nainital also, the administration has simply failed to regulate the basics of tourism namely getting hotels to display their tariff cards and to regulate the fares of taxis. This has led to undue harassment of tourists and even hoteliers agree that the number of return tourists is going down sharply, the bitter experience forcing tourists to decide against visiting the place. The hotel accommodation in Nainital is of course inadequate to handle the peak season rush. Hence, the hotels and guesthouses that are running illegally are doing brisk business and are charging as per their whims and fancies. A room that is normally available for Rs 1,500 in similar towns in other parts of the country can cost up to Rs 6,000 in Nainital during the peak season. The spokesperson of the Nainital Hotel and Restaurant Association Kamal Jagati says,"We can answer for our members who have been issued certificates by us and have been asked to put up tariff cards. The best way to check the illegally run guest houses is to register them as regular entities and get them to operate under the norms." A prominent hotelier who has been working for promotion of tourism in the area for several decades, Pravin Sharma, pointed during the said meeting , " There are schemes like the Bed and Breakfast initiative of the tourism ministry that need to be promoted." Parking and traffic management is another major problem in the town. Although plans are drawn every year to deal with the problem but thecity remains choked as ever during tourist season. Jagati says the long term solution lies in creating parking lots on the periphery with dormitories for the drivers. Reckless driving at night, parking at random by tourists leading to chaos are other major problems. Mussoorie The present population of Mussoorie is around 42078 thousand but more than 23, 00,000 tourists visit the town every year and this unrestrained inflow of tourists is far beyond the carrying capacity of the town. According to Mussourie Jal Santhan officials, the water availability in the town is around 7.67 MLD (million liters per day) as against the requirement of 7.77 MLD during off seasons. But during the peak tourist seasons, the requirement increases to 14.42 MLD. The department tries to compensate this gap by manipulating the water supply from the reservoirs. The water supply is interrupted when pumping stations fail to work due to the frequent power cuts and in that case the water is supplied through the storage tanks. Hotelier Kanwal Jeet Singh recalls that several projects were announced to increase the capacity, such as upgrading the Kolti drinking water project, Hardy Fall water supply project, increasing the storage capacity of other reservoirs but none has curiously been completed. According to the Mussoorie Hotel Association (MHA) spokesperson Sandeep Sahni, the economy of the town is based on tourist inflow but the lack of adequate parking facility and traffic congestion leave tourists cursing their luck and vow never to revisit the town again. According to the police officials this year they have increased the number of traffic personnel to manage the traffic. One way zones have been created at several points of congestion which have yielded good result. Mussoorie Traders Association president Rajat Agarwal is of the view that lack of solid waste management despite council collecting the eco- fee from tourists is another major problem faced by the town. He further said that as there is no concrete project for the disposal of the garbage, it is strewn all over the town. Encroachment on Mall Road by the street vendors has also led to increase in filth and congestion. The Municipal Council President OP Uniyal confided that on an average Mussoorie generates around 18 tons of garbage per day of which 34% is dry and 66 % is wet garbage. At present the garbage is not being processed and it is being disposed at the trenching ground that exists at Gaddi Khana near library bazaar. Uniyal further said that Council has ordered for a compacter which will compress the garbage and send it to a recycling unit. (Inputs from Kuldeep Chauhan in Manali, Rajeev Khanna in Nainital, Tejinder Sodhi in Pahalgam, Rakesh Lohami in Shimla, SMA Kazmi in Dehradun, Ajay Ramola in Mussoorie and Ehsan Fazili in
Srinagar)
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New Delhi, May 29
Amid mounting pressure to unearth black money, the government today announced it has commissioned an in-depth study to quantify unaccounted income and wealth stashed within and outside the country in 16 months.
Kolkata, May 29
New Delhi: Civil society members are expected to make a strong pitch for graver punishment, including life imprisonment for high-ranking officials in cases of corruption, when the joint committee to draft the Lokpal Bill meets here tomorrow.
New Delhi, May 29
