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TN train accident probe points to over-speeding |
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Relook objectionable clauses, says advisory group member
Arun Shourie
Amar Singh
Games mess: CBI books 10 officials of DDA
IAF suspends Group Capt Amit Gupta
Pawar hints at review of onion ban
CBI quizzes Maran
Anna: No intentions of joining politics
It’s advantage women at IIM-Lucknow
Jaya govt slaps entertainment tax on IPL matches
WB frames new land policy
Chinese troops enter Indian side, Army denies it
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Chennai Train Mishap
Sitheri (TN), September 14 Speaking to reporters after visiting the mishap site and the injured in hospitals, he said preliminary findings indicated that the Chennai Beach-Vellore Cantonment Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) coach operator should have stopped at the signal. Instead, data showed the driver increased speed. Trivedi,who was earlier briefed by Southern Railway General Manager Deepak Krishan on details of the mishap, said doctors attending on the driver at Chennai had said he is out of danger. "It is too early to blame anybody". He said a breathalyser test was also done on the driver and it was ascertained he was not under the influence of alcohol. Asked whether the driver had proper rest, Trivedi said he had a 15-hour rest ahead of joining duty on Tuesday night. Preliminary probe points towards over-speeding. Earlier on arrival at Chennai airport along with a team of Railway officials, Trivedi said a comprehensive probe would be launched to ascertain if the accident occurred due to human error or technical fault. Railway authorities, however, maintain that a human error may have led to the train accident last night in which nine persons were killed, saying that the driver of the EMU train that rammed into the rear of a stationary passenger train jumped a few signals and ignored speed restrictions. The driver of the train that crashed into the Arakkonam-Katpadi passenger as it was waiting for signal clearance here around 9.40 pm last night also jumped out of his cabin just before the collision near Arakkonam junction, Railway officials said. — Agencies
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Communal Violence Bill
New Delhi, September 14 In the first public anti-Bill stance, member of the Advisory Group of NAC Harvinder Singh Phoolka today wrote to NAC to convene an urgent meeting for reconsideration of objectionable clauses of the draft legislation and, thereafter, meet all those political parties that have opposed the Bill. “Some clauses have generated major controversy and many political parties have opposed the Bill. This has endangered its passage. We need to reconsider the clauses pertaining to definition of ‘Group’ which, under the Act, is restricted to minorities, SCs and STs. Another clause which requires reconsideration is on functions and powers of the National Authority. This provision as it stands is being viewed as anti federal,” Phoolka said in a letter to Harsh Mandher and Farah Naqvi, NAC members and conveners of NAC Advisory Group. Phoolka has questioned the anti-majority face of the Bill (something the BJP has also said) saying, “This law should project zero tolerance for any type of communal or caste violence by any section of the society and provisions to this effect must be added,” Phoolka’s letter states, adding that though NAC had handed over the Bill to the Government, it must meet urgently to debate the controversial clauses and send its comments to the Government. The Bill’s most contentious part is the expression “Group” defined as a religious or linguistic minority and in a given state as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Clause 7 mentions that a person would be said to have committed sexual assault if he or she commits it against another person belonging to a “group”. Clause 8 says hate propaganda is an offence if a person by words spreads hate against a “group” or its member. Clause 9 lists the offence of communal and targeted violence and says a person who alone or jointly … engages in unlawful activity against a “group” is guilty of such violence. The Bill, therefore, as the BJP claims, assumes that only the majority is capable of targeted and communal violence and its members can never be victims. “The provision needs revision,” Phoolka told TNS today. Asked if he made these points earlier, he said, yes. He has also sought changes to the proposed structure of the seven-member National Authority for Communal Harmony, Justice and Reparations which will implement the Act. The authority will have at least four members, including chairman and vice-chairman, from the “group” (the minority).
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DoT under Arun Shourie ‘flouted’ all norms
New Delhi, September 14 Vaish, who served the Telecom ministry from June, 2002, to January, 2004, testified before the JPC on 2G scam here today. JPC chairman PC Chacko said the TRAI submitted its recommendations suo motu for the Unified Licensing Regime (ULR) in October, 2003; the GoM approved it on October 23, 2003 and the Union Cabinet cleared on October 31, 2003. The then Finance Minister Jaswant Singh chaired the GoM. But ignoring that policy, the first licence under the ULR was issued on November 11, 2003 and from November 24, 2003 to 24 June, 2003 as many as 28 licences were issued under the ULR scheme, in contravention of the TRAI guidelines, Chacko said. Vaish was also questioned about the Unified Access Services (UAS). Here the TRAI opined on 27/10/03 that the DoT may introduce additional players but only through a multi-stage bidding process. This TRAI recommendation, too, was approved first by the GoM and then by the Union Cabinet But the DoT ignored this too. When the committee asked Vaish, he argued that the TRAI guidelines had to be seen in harmony with and not in conflict with other recommendations. He also claimed that the TRAI recommendations were only for existing licensing regime and did not hold good for new licensees. “The committee did not find the former secretary’s replies very convincing,” said the JPC chairman. Vaish also failed to explain the migration process of the then existing cellular operators from the existing regime to the Unified Access Services Licence (UASL) regime. Vaish admitted that no written guidelines were issued for deciding the entry fees. Instead he and the then TRAI chairman Pradeep Baijal decided between themselves the entry fees in a telephonic conversation. Vaish disclosed that the reason for this “urgency” was to circumvent a possible stay by the Supreme Court which two petitioners had sought. Former DoT secretary also had a hard time explaining to the JPC the manner and procedure of distributing the spectrum to the cellular operators. His testimony also contradicted the submissions of his predecessor Shyamal Ghosh examined by the JPC in its earlier sitting. The former secretary also testified that December 19, 2003, Arun Shourie had recommended to the then Finance Minister to reduce the licence fee of the private operators by 2 per cent, to which the Finance Minister reacted in his note saying, “I agree. Implement the proposal as discussed.”
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Amar Singh’s medical reports paint grim picture
New Delhi, September 14 Director of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Tihar Jail authorities submitted the reports before Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal. “His white blood cells count has increased and is spreading infection. The urine culture test has been repeated. This is suggestive of severe urinary tract infection (UTI)...because of his infection, he needs to be hospitalised,” the report said. Moreover, Amar Singh's creatinine level too has gone up by 30 per cent and he is vomiting regularly. The Rajya Sabha member is also being given psychiatric consultation in AIIMS for his anxiety and restlessness. He has also been advised abdomen X-ray after he developed abdominal pain yesterday, which was later relieved by a medicine given by gastrologists. There has been a decrease in urine flow too, the report stated. Besides, he has acute allograft dysfunction, which means that certain organs in his body are not functioning properly. The Rajya Sabha member was arrested on September 6 for his alleged involvement in an attempt to bribe MPs ahead of the July 2008 Parliament trust vote. The court was to pronounce its order on Amar Singh's interim bail plea yesterday, but posted it for further arguments after his health deteriorated and he was admitted to AIIMS. The hearing on his interim bail plea is now posted for Thursday. — IANS
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Games mess: CBI books 10 officials of DDA
New Delhi, September 14 The estimated cost of the construction of squash and badminton courts was Rs 118 crore but the contract was finally awarded at a cost of nearly Rs 154 crore causing a loss of Rs 36 crore to the exchequer, the sources said. Soon after registering the case, CBI teams swooped down on the premises of DDA officials, contractors B E Billimoria Company Ltd in New Delhi and Mumbai, residence of retired Chief Engineer of DDA V K Panchal at Gurgaon in the case, they said. The search operations were spanned across 21 locations, including 16 in Delhi, two in Mumbai and one each in Noida, Gurgaon and Sahibabad. This is the first case to be registered after the agency created a special investigation team last month to study the Comptroller and Auditor General report. The SIT, headed by a Joint Director, collaborates with other investigating agencies like the Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate in the probe. Suresh Kalmadi, former Secretary General Lalit Bhanot and former Director General VK Verma besides other OC officials, contractors and private persons have been arrested in connection with the alleged irregularities in the sporting event. — PTI
Under lens
The estimated cost of the construction of squash and badminton courts at the Siri Fort sports complex was Rs 118 crore The contract was awarded at a cost of Rs 154 crore, causing a loss of Rs 36 crore to the exchequer
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Anjali Suicide Case
New Delhi, September 14 "Amit, who is currently posted at the Nagpur air base, has been suspended under the Air Force Act after he was arrested and taken into judicial custody by the local police authorities in Bhopal," IAF officials said here. They said the officer would remain suspended till the completion of the judicial process. Amit was arrested under Section 306 of the IPC in connection with the suicide committed by Anjali at his residence here on September 11. Family members of Anjali, who was the first IAF woman officer to be dismissed from service, have alleged she was in a live-in relationship with Amit since 2001 and that continued even after she was court-martialled in 2006. They have claimed Amit had promised to marry her but as it did not materialise, she committed suicide. — PTI
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Pawar hints at review of onion ban
New Delhi, September 14 Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said he would write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the GoM members, requesting for a review meeting to be convened soon. He also hinting that the ban could have been an over-reaction considering that onion’ prices had increased just for a few days. “Onion crop is good, only in some areas there has been a problem. We will have to give due attention to farmers’ problems. The way prices are dropping farmers will suffer and we don’t want that to happen,” he said. He ,however, refused to comment on whether the government took the decision on the basis of wrong data provided to it by the Horticulture Department. The raging onion crisis took a new twist when state agriculture minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil alleged that the Centre had decided to ban exports on the basis of wrong data. The Centre on September 9 banned onion exports, fearing a price rise in the domestic market. It said the ban would be reviewed on a fortnightly basis. The decision, however, invited the wrath of farmers, mainly from Maharashtra, the largest onion growing state in the country, as onion prices continued to decline. Onion exports were allowed from April to September. Estimated total onion production for 2011-12 will be 151.36 lakh tonnes, higher than the last year’s production of 145.62 lakh tonnes. But due to rain in some parts of the country and delayed sowing of kharif crop, trends of higher prices were observed. The government raised the minimum export price (MEP) of onions eight times since June to curtail export and improve domestic supplies as retail price showed little signs of falling.
Farmers’ stir enters day 6, supply takes a hit
MUMBAI: Supply of onions in the wholesale markets of Mumbai, Pune and other cities of Maharashtra have taken a hit after a stir by farmers protesting the ban on exports entered the sixth day on Wednesday. "Only the existing stocks held by traders are coming to the wholesale markets and even this will dry up if the strike is not called off in a day or two," says Nanjibhai Dedhia, a wholesaler at the Vashi wholesale market in Navi Mumbai.aAfter the government banned the export of onions in order to control prices, protesting farmers refused to bring their crop to the wholesale markets of Lasalgaon and
Pimpalgaon near Nashik, which account for the bulk of bulb traded in the country. — TNS
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CBI quizzes Maran
New Delhi, September 14 Earlier this week, the agency had questioned his brother Kalanidhi Maran in connection with the preliminary inquiry in the spectrum allocation during 2001-07 and allegations of pushing for Aircel takeover by Malaysia-based Maxis group, CBI sources said here. During the questioning, Maran is understood to have denied all the allegations against him, including his role in the Aircel takeover by Maxis, they said. It has been alleged by former Aircel Chief C Sivasankaran that Maran as the then Telecom Minister favoured Maxis-group in the takeover of his company and in return investments were made by the company. —PTI
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Anna: No intentions of joining politics
Ralegan Siddhi, September 14 “Absolutely not. I am taking extreme care to keep the anti-corruption movement free of politics. There is absolutely no such possibility,” the 74-year-old activist said in an interview. He was replying to a question whether his movement against corruption for a Jan Lokpal Bill could slowly take political hues following the recent announcement of Team Anna asking people to vote out MPs opposed to their version of the law in the next elections. Hazare, however, minced no words in branding the proposed anti-corruption yatra being launched by senior BJP leader L K Advani as the one designed to derive political mileage. “If this yatra is aimed at rooting out corruption, why do not they oppose the ruling party and bring the Jan Lokpal Bill? “If they are sincere in their fight against corruption, why can't they set up Lokayuktas in the BJP-ruled states? We suspect a political motive in this yatra,” he said. Asked about Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s statement that the Lokpal should have constitutional status on the lines of the Election Commission, Hazare said: “Both the Lokpal and the Election Commissioner would have an autonomous status without government interference in their functioning”. Hazare also strongly refuted the allegation of Congress leader Digvijay Singh that his anti-corruption movement was based on the support from the RSS and the claim by VHP leader Ashok Singhal that his organisation had backed it. “Our movement has nothing to do with the RSS or the VHP. All this is being talked to mislead people,” he said. Elaborating on the issues he wanted to be included in the resolution adopted by Parliament to break the deadlock over his recent fast, he said: “We wanted these three points to be adopted to create confidence among people about the Bill's scope which should ultimately bring Prime Minister, judiciary and MPs in its ambit after due deliberations.” Asked whether he was happy with the way Parliament responded to his agitation, he said he would not be satisfied until and unless the Lokpal Bill was made a law. — PTI
17 interviews in 11 hrs
It was a "talkathon" for Anna Hazare on Tuesday. He spoke for about 11 hours, giving interviews to 17 TV channels, his first interviews after his 12-day fast in the Capital. Hazare had refrained from interacting with the media till Tuesday.
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It’s advantage women at IIM-Lucknow
Lucknow, September 14 To be introduced in IIM-L from next academic session, the step has been taken to bring more diversity in the B schools which till now have been largely a male domain and dominated by engineers. Confirming the news, chairman IIML admission committee Arunabha Mukhopadhyay said the decision has already been put up on the institute’s web page. “The institute has changed its admission policy for 2012-14 giving a special weightage of two marks to women candidates. It has been done to encourage women to join the field of management,” said the chairman. In the current batch of 419 students at IIM-L, there are only 57 women (13 per cent). This is largely the trend in all IIMs. Mukhopadhyay said the admission policy for the 2012-14 Post Graduate Programme (PGP) and the PGP-ABM (Agriculture Business Management) has been prepared to attract talent from diversified fields other than engineering -medicine, law, arts and humanities. The decision to bring diversity in B schools has been a priority with all the IIMs in recent years. In fact, in the last couple of years, they have been experimenting in various ways by giving more weightage to non-engineering students in an attempt to break the stranglehold of engineers over B schools. “Till now those belonging to the engineering field were in maximum numbers on the campus. But with the new admission policy, we expect to attract people from diversified fields", said
Mukhopadhyay.
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Jaya govt slaps entertainment tax on IPL matches
Chennai, September 14 The AIADMK government amended the Tamil Nadu Entertainment Act, 1939 to bring the cricket tournaments conducted by the IPL and the DTH services under the tax ambit. Noting that certain states are already levying the tax on these two items, it said the 1939 Act did not contain any provision to levy entertainment tax on the IPL matches and DTH services. "In certain states, entertainment tax has been levied on these items. The government has, therefore, decided to include the DTH service and cricket tournaments conducted by the IPL within the definition of the term ‘entertainment’ and to levy entertainment tax under the Act," the Bill to amend the Act said. The Bill, moved by Commercial Taxes Minister SS Krishnamurthy, was adopted by a voice-vote. — PTI
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WB frames new land policy
Kolkata, September 14 Prior to that, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is keen on taking opinion of all the political parties on this sensitive matter and get a unanimous decision on the proposed bill. After the Cabinet meeting, nothing was disclosed officially to media persons as it would have violated the Election Commission’s Code of Conduct on the eve of the Assembly by-elections at Bhowanipre in Kolkata and Basirhat in North 24 Parganas scheduled on September 25. Incidentally, Mamata is contesting election from Bhowanipore seat which fell vacant following resignation of the state PWD and urban development minister Subrata Bakshi. Bakshi is likely to contest the Lok Sabha poll from Mamata’s constituency in south Kolkata. After obtaining huge public support on their stand against the former Left Front government’s forcible acquiring of land at Singhur for Tata Motor, Mamata now wants to stick to the same policy and ideology and accordingly, the new land policy has been framed. Interestingly, the Calcutta High Court today wanted to formulate a land compensation formula for Tata Motors for settling the on-going legal battle between the state government and the Tata Motors so that the unwilling land-losers could be distributed 300 acres of land as promised by Mamata Banerjee. The opinion of the state government and also Ratan Tata was also sought in this regards. According to official sources, the state government’s new land reforms bill which includes huge compensation and rehabilitation package largely on the Haryana model had been drafted by the Land Advisory Council headed by the former union revenue secretary D Bandopadhyya, now a TMC MP.
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Chinese troops enter Indian side, Army denies it
Leh, September 14 While some reports suggested that the Chinese troops in helicopters entered one-and-a-half km into Indian airspace, other reports said the helicopters landed in Chinese territory and then the troops marched into the area to dismantle the bunkers, a move aimed at displaying that the area belonged to them. The Army denied that any such incident had taken place. The Chinese troops attempted to dismantle an old Army bunker, which was not used by the troops for long, sources said. — PTI
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Less than a week after the GoM headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee banned the export of onions, efforts have begun to lift the “unwarranted” prohibition which has caused a lot of furore among onion growers and traders.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said he would write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the GoM members, requesting for a review meeting to be convened soon.
Lucknow, September 14
