New Delhi, June 14
Home Minister P Chidambaram today reviewed anti-Naxal operations in Orissa and Chhattisgarh with Chief Ministers of both states and offered the Centre's full support to them to face the challenge posed by Maoists.

After an hour-long meeting with Chief Ministers Naveen Patnaik and Raman Singh, Chidambaram said joint operations of central and state police forces would be launched against the Maoists along the inter-state borders.

“We have made very clear that no operation will be conducted without the state police. The earlier practice has completely been discontinued for a year and a half. Now, all operations are conducted by paramilitary forces with complements of the state police. All operations are now joint operations,” he said.

The Home Minister, in a written statement, said violence and the number of casualties have been reduced considerably in areas falling under 270 police stations in 64 districts in eight states.

“Upto June 14, 2011, there were 811 incidents (1,025 last year) resulting in 270 deaths (473 last year). Of the 270 persons killed, 190 were civilians (296 last year) and 80 personnel of the security forces (177 last year),” he said at a press conference.

The Home Minister blamed the CPI (Maoist) and other Left wing extremist groups for continuing to target civilians and kill them after branding them as 'police informers'. Of the 190 civilians killed this year, 72 were branded as police informers.

Chidambaram said in today's meeting that they had reviewed the situation in Chhattisgarh and Orissa, especially the areas along the border of the two states. “We are not making public our strategy. The Centre has offered its full support to the two state governments to face the challenge of Left wing extremism through the two-pronged strategy of development and police action,” Chidambaram said, adding that the states’ request for additional support would be met.

The Home Minister said that Naxals continued to target infrastructure and businesses and this year, there were 13 attacks on railway property, 18 telephone exchanges and towers were attacked, four panchayat bhavans and 12 school buildings were destroyed and 82 roads and culverts were also damaged.

Mumbai, June 14
The Maharashtra Government late last night shifted Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Anil Mahabole from downtown Mumbai to the arms unit of the police in suburban Naigaon.

Mumbai journalists, who met Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan as part of a delegation, had demanded that Mahabole and other police officers close to him be probed in connection with the murder of Mid Day’s senior crime reporter Jyotirmoy Dey.

However, Mahabole said he hadn’t received the transfer orders till afternoon and stayed put in the city.

Senior police officials said Mahabole had been transferred so that a departmental probe could be held into allegations against him. Sources said investigators probing the Dey’s murder were expected to question Mahabole.

Mahabole is an influential officer who has spent most of his 25-year career in the police force in downtown Mumbai, unlike most of his colleagues who are routinely transferred around the state. The zone I area of the Mumbai police includes the Bhendi Bazar area which is a stronghold of the Dawood Ibrahim gang.

He has a controversial service record. In 2007, while he was an Inspector, Mahabole was suspended from the police force for allegedly trying to broker a deal between gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s sister Haseena Parkar and a builder. Subsequently, he was reinstated and promoted as the Assistant Commissioner of Police.

Last month, another reporter of the Mid Day newspaper, Tarakant Dwiwedi alias Akela, had accused Mahabole of threatening him in the custody following his arrest under the Official Secrets Act. The arrest was in response to Dwiwedi’s reports in another newspaper two years ago about the improper storage of arms and ammunition bought in the wake of the 26/11 terror attacks.

While Dwiwedi was in the custody of the Government Railway Police (GRP), Mahabole, who did not have jurisdiction over the GRP, entered the lockup where the journalist was lodged and threatened him with dire consequences, according to a complaint lodged with the state government. Dey, along with other reporters, had then participated in protests against Mahabole and submitted memorandums to Home Minister RR Patil.

Dey’s killing came shortly after he reportedly sought replies from Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik about results of investigations by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Mumbai Police against Mahabole. The ACB is said to have submitted a comprehensive report on Mahabole to the Maharashtra Home Department.

Meanwhile, taking to reporters Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan said, “I am confident that the police will get to the bottom. Give them time... to investigate.”

Kolkata, June 14
The Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill-2011 was passed in the West Bengal Assembly today by voice vote in the absence of the CPM and other Left Front MLAs, who staged a walkout protesting against the procedural steps adopted in presenting the Bill.

When the Bill was put to vote by Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay, the Left MLAs, who cited legal loopholes in the legislation, walked out of the House. The Bill was presented by Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee, Speaking on the Bill, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said it had been brought to undo the injustice meted out to the farmers whose land was forcefully acquired in 2006 for setting up Tata Motor’s Nano car manufacturing unit.

The Bill will be soon published in the official gazette as an Act after obtaining the Presidential assent. Mamata said it would take one or two days for completing the formalities and then the state government would start returning the 400-acre land to Singur farmers.

She rejected Opposition leader Surya K Mishra’s demand for returning land to farmers without making any discretion among “willing and unwilling farmers”. The CM said the blanket return of the entire 1,000-acre land to farmers was not possible.

“The government will be keeping 600 acre for Tata Motors and be waiting some more time to see whether the firm wants to utilise the land for some project or not. If they demand the compensation, we can consider it,” she declared.

Manesar/Gurgaon, June 14
The strike of Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) workers at the Manesar plant entered eleventh day today even as the estimated losses suffered by the company due to the ongoing stir crossed Rs 400 crore.

The protesting workers were, however, not allowed to interact with mediapersons.

Earlier today, top government functionaries of the state appealed to trade union leaders not to go ahead with the two-hour tool-down strike call given by various trade unions for today.

Responding to the message, employees’ leaders called off today’s stir at different industrial units in and around Gurgaon. However, by then, strike had reportedly been observed at several units.

Later in the day, Labour Department officials met representatives of workers and persuaded them to agree to the formula suggested by the MSI management.

Today’s meeting was necessitated after tripartite talks between government functionaries, the MSI management and workers failed yesterday and the workers decided to continue the stir.

The MSI management has agreed to take the sacked employees back and allow a workers’ union at the Manesar plant, but the structure of the union is the bone of contention between the two.

According to sources, all tricks of the trade were tried to convince the workers to call off the strike and resume work. Some private person(s) also mediated the parleys between the management and the workers.

However, the workers remained adamant on the formation of a separate and full-fledged employees union at the Manesar plant.

The venue and proceedings of today’s meeting were kept closely guarded secret by the local administration. The officials remained tight-lipped on the issue and either expressed ignorance or refused to divulge the details of the meeting. 

New Delhi, June 14
The SC has given a go-ahead for the selection of Haryana government doctors for higher studies, side-stepping the state’s order changing the eligibility criteria.

A Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar also issued notice to the state government yesterday on a petition filed by members of the Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) challenging the change in the eligibility criteria. The state has been asked to submit its response within four weeks.

The apex court clarified that the selection of the doctors would, however, be provisional as these would be subject to outcome of the petition pending before the Bench. “The selection shall be made as per the old rules and subject to the result of the petition,” the court order said.

According to the petitioners, the state government issued the order (dated March 31) on April 5 this year, just a day before counselling. Through the order, the government raised the number of years of regular service from three to five, besides changing other criteria as well for being eligible for admission.

Arguing for the doctor-petitioners, senior counsel Altaf Ahmed and Iftekhar Ahmad contended that since the common entrance test had been held on March 2 and the results declared the next day, the government order could no way be applicable for this year’s admissions in the PGIMS, Rohtak.

The order was issued when the admission process was almost over rendering the petitioners ineligible for admission. This was “completely illegal, discriminatory and arbitrary” and in violation of Articles 14 (equality before law) and 16 (equality in opportunity) of the Constitution, the doctors contended.

New Delhi, June 14
The longest and darkest total lunar eclipse of the century will occur on early Thursday morning, giving sky enthusiasts all over the country an opportunity to witness the event.

An unusually long lunar eclipse, with the moon immersed deeply inside the umbral (darker) shadow of the earth, will occur tomorrow, Nehru Planetarium Director N Rathnasree said.

“The total phase of this lunar eclipse will last 100 minutes. The last eclipse to exceed this duration was in July 2000,” she said. The next such eclipse will only take place in 2141.

The partial eclipse will begin at 23:52:56 (Wednesday) IST and end at 03:32:15 IST while the total lunar eclipse will begin at 00:52:30 IST (Thursday) and end at 02:32:42 IST.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth in course of its orbit around the sun, comes between the moon and sun in such a way that the moon is hidden in the shadow cast by earth. This can occur only when the sun, earth, and moon are in a straight line.

The eclipse will be visible completely in Africa and Central Asia. It will be visible rising over South America, Western Africa and Europe, and seen setting over Eastern Asia and Australia, CB Devgun from Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators said.

The magnitude of the one of the relatively rare total lunar eclipse will be 1.70, N Sri Raghunandan Kumar of the Planetary Society of India said. Sky enthusiasts can witness the whole sequence of the occultation in the zodiacal constellation of Ophiuchus. At 11.29 p.m. tomorrow, the moon will occult (hide) behind the star 51 Ophiuchi. The star will reappear after 90 minutes at 01:01 AM of June 16, Kumar said. — PTI

Dehradun, June 14
Tourism Minister Madan Kaushik today said that the Uttarakhand Government has announced a CB-CID probe into the death of Swami Nigmanand and rubbished opposition charges of ignoring him, while it went about appeasing Swami Ramdev.

Addressing a press conference today, Madan Kaushik, who is also an MLA from Haridwar, said that Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has ordered a CB-CID probe into the matter.

“We are aware that it is a sensitive matter and as the members of Matri Sadan are suspecting foul play, a CB-CID inquiry has been ordered. As the Swami was fighting for the larger issue of protection of the river Ganga and was against quarrying, at no point in time did we ignore his demands. From time to time, emissaries were sent to find out about his health and even the Chief Minister had met him,” emphasised Kaushik.

However, Kaushik continued to be evasive on the demand raised by the Matri Sadan saints of undertaking post-mortem examination of Swami Nigmanand’s body at the AIIMS, New Delhi.

He also rejected criticism that the party and the government went out of its way to ensure the welfare of Swami Ramdev, while ignoring Swami Nigmanand.

The minister maintained that the ban on quarrying continues in the Kumbh area.

New Delhi, June 14
Defence Minister AK Antony today discounted the possibility of Kargil-type operations in Arunachal Pradesh as apprehended by a minister of the state, saying the situation on the border was under constant monitoring and capabilities were being upgraded.

“Just as the other side (China) is increasing its capabilities in our part, the Army and the Air Force are steadily increasing capabilities. We are confident of protecting our interest in any territory. At the moment the border is peaceful,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

“We are closely monitoring the border situation. Our Armed Forces, especially the Army, are constantly upgrading its capabilities in the eastern sector,” he added.

Chandigarh, June 14
Flying activities in the National Cadet Corps will get a boost with the induction of 110 micro-light aircraft. The NCC has about 55 air squadrons based across the country and each squadron is authorised two micro-lights.

These aircraft would be used for adventure activities and to expose cadets to the basics of airmanship. Some NCC squadrons already have a micro-light in their inventory. Each squadron is authorised 200 flying hours annually.

Sources said that the NCC had initiated the move to procure micro-lights over a year ago, but problems had cropped up. A fresh tender for procurement was issued earlier this month. The planes are expected to be procured in batches of 30, with the first batch expected 12 months after finalisation of the contract.

The micro-lights will replace unpowered gliders in service in some squadrons. Earlier, the NCC also had a few indigenously built Pushpak aircraft for basic flying training, but these were phased some years ago.

New Delhi, June 14
Anyone aspiring for faculty position in a basic sciences department of any university or college across India can now apply online for recruitment under a unique web-based mechanism - the UGC-Faculty Recharge Programme (FRP) - developed by top technical experts.

The process will be open for all Indian citizens eligible under the UGC norms to take up faculty positions as also to the Indian citizens settled abroad who want to relocate.

The scheme follows an acute faculty crunch in Indian universities, especially those training in sciences and engineering, where the shortage is estimated at 50 per cent. Preference in selections through this mechanism will be given to applicants who volunteer to research; each applicant will be required to submit a research project with the application, which can be made at www.ugcfrp.ac.in.

Speaking to The Tribune about the merits of the scheme, Dr RP Gandhi, former IIT Delhi faculty and now national coordinator for the UGC-FRP, said, “The idea is to arrest the decline in research and stagnation of faculty and infrastructure. We also need to recruit faculty on a war-footing and still maintain quality. Most Indian universities, especially state universities, have not recruited faculty on a significant scale for a long time and are in the danger of losing more than a generation of researchers.”

The FRP aims to recruit 200 assistant and associate professors and professors in the first year of operation; gradually 1,000 faculty will be enrolled. “Each faculty will have UGC prefixed to his position for special recognition. Also, each institution interested in hiring faculty selected through this web-based national competitive process, will have to sign an MoU with the UGC, committing itself to providing research facilities to the recruit. Each such recruit will devote more hours researching than teaching,” Gandhi added.

The scheme, envisaged as a part of the 11th Plan, recognises the need to boost research and improve faculty hiring - something that has been strained with the recent creation of eight new IITs, five Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research and 16 Central Universities.

Except for the personal interview, the entire selection will be online by a special committee comprising fellows of national academies. Selection will be over in about four months. As for applications, they will be received throughout the year with four cut off dates being prescribed - March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31.

Hyderabad, June 14
The mystery shrouding the personal chamber of the spiritual guru late Sathya Sai Baba at his ashram in Puttaparthi is all set to be solved soon with the authorities deciding to unlock it in the presence of police and revenue officials.

A crucial meeting of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSCT), held at Puttaparthi today, decided to open ‘Yajurveda Mandir’, the residence of Sai Baba inside the sprawling ashram, to dispel doubts among devotees and general public. The unlocking of the chambers will be done on June 16 in the presence of Sai Baba’s close relatives, police and revenue officials.

There has been a flurry of reports in the local media that huge quantities of gold, jewellery, silver ornaments and cash donated by the devotees across the world, were kept inside the chambers accessed only by his trusted aides.

The mandir has remained closed ever since Baba was hospitalised on March 28. The keys of the chamber were with his controversial caregiver Satyajit who had subsequently handed them over to Trust Secretary K Chakravarthi after Baba’s death on April 24.

BRIEFLY

Chinese ship’s wreckage found near Wheeler Island
Kendrapara: Officials of the Bhitarkanika National Park have made a chance discovery of the wreckage of a sunken Chinese ship along the Gahirmatha coast in close vicinity of high security Wheeler Island test range centre. Forest officials, who spotted the ship wreck on Monday , have informed the DRDO, Coast Guard and the police. — PTI