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N-power plants generate record power
Kudankulam Unit 1 to be commissioned in 2 months
Govt open to address concerns on proposed law for judges
Now, MNS says ‘no’ to Bihar Day celebrations in Mumbai
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Claimants line up for land vacated by Ghai’s school
Gadkari re-election high on BJP core committee agenda
Rabri Devi likely to be lone RJD candidate for Bihar Vidhan Parishad polls
Major fire in Assam refinery, ULFA claims responsibility
High-security number plates’ contract quashed
Lucknow lawyers take to the stage
Govt docs into pvt practice to face action
MCI secy questions dismissal
Thunderstorm kills 5 in WB
60 girls take ill after mid-day meal
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N-power plants generate record power
According to a spokesman, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), which operates 19 nuclear power reactors in the country, surpassed its previous electricity generation record of 26,473 MU last year by generating its highest-ever energy of 32,455 MU during the year ending on March 31, 2012. This is an increase of about 23 per cent. FY 2011-12 also saw robust financial growth of NPCIL. The turnover increased to Rs 7,500 crore from Rs 6,000 crore in the previous fiscal. The overall average availability factor of nuclear power plants continued to be 91 per cent during the year. Average capacity factor (CF) for nine reactors run with imported uranium fuel recorded an all-time high at 97 per cent during the year. The overall average capacity factor for NPCIL reactors was 79 per cent against the target of 66 per cent. The spokesman said there were no untoward incidents while achieving this operational performance. “The safety performance of Indian nuclear power reactors continued to be impeccable. The safety review post-Fukushima for the existing operating nuclear power reactors and the reactors under construction has found these to be safe from extreme natural events like earthquake and tsunami. Several additional safety measures have been implemented at Indian nuclear power plants to further enhance the safety to a higher level,” the spokesman said. The hot run for unit-1 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project was successfully completed in July 2011 and the unit is being made ready. Unit-2 is closely following unit-1, the spokesman said. He said construction activity at new projects were progressing as planned including works at Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP-7&8) and at Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP-3&4). The current installed capacity of NPCIL of 4,680 MW will reach 9,580 MW by the end of 2017 on progressive completion of reactors under construction. What’s ahead
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Kudankulam Unit 1 to be commissioned in 2 months
Madurai, April 7 Talking to reporters
here, Union Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanaswamy said, "We only need to load uranium in the first unit for
its functioning". Regarding the second unit, he said only five per cent works remain to be completed and almost all construction activities were over. He said the Centre
was looking into Tamil Nadu's demand for allocation of entire power to be generated from the KNPP to the state. "It is under the serious consideration of Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh," he said, and hoped that a good decision will be taken on the matter. He said "as of now" Tamil Nadu government would get 965 MW of power from the two units. Narayanaswamy said India voted in favour of a resolution in UNHRC against Sri Lanka last month for alleged war crimes as "we were unhappy" with the neighbouring country for not implementing the rehabilitation programmes for the war-hit Tamils.
— PTI
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Govt open to address concerns on proposed law for judges
"Even at this stage, after the lower house of Parliament has passed the Bill, if there are any doubts, if any improvements are needed or required, we shall make it," he said, while speaking at a convention on rule of law, here. Khurshid was responding to the remarks made by former Chief Justice of India J S Verma, who yesterday at the same forum, had expressed his resentment saying that he felt "demeaned and insulted" by the proposed Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill. The minister said the government was fulfilling the demand of the civil society which has pitched for radical reforms demanding that accountability must reach even the judiciary. However, Khurshid said he cannot overlook the views of members associated with the judiciary as the government was committed to "enlightened form of legislation" in this regard. "I came to know about the views (on the proposed law) of someone (Justice J S Verma) for whom I have immense respect, through newspaper reports and I cannot overlook responding to his views," he said. "We need an enlightened form of legislation, and views and suggestions from everyone are welcome," he added. Khurshid said that he was under the impression that the general public, including the civil society was demanding that accountability should not be limited just to the legislature and the executive, but should also reach the judiciary, and that the government was working to fulfil this demand through the proposed law. "My impression was that there was a sense in the nation, especially from the members of the civil society who have made a pitch for radical reforms in the country, demanding from me that accountability must reach even the judiciary. "I believe what we were doing is work towards fulfilling this demand," the minister said. He was quick to make it clear that while the demand for accountability of the higher judiciary were being met, at the same time the government kept the principle of independence of judiciary in mind. "At the same time we have kept the priniciple of independence of the Judiciary in mind," he said. Justice Verma while speaking at the same convention yesterday had said that he was "demeaned and insulted that a law was needed to regulate our actions" and warned the judiciary that if they don't self regulate, someone else will do it for them. The Bill seeks to lay down judicial standards, provide for accountability of judges, and establish mechanisms for investigating individual complaints for misbehaviour or incapacity of a judge of the Supreme Court or High Courts and also provides a mechanism for the removal of judges.
— PTI
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Now, MNS says ‘no’ to Bihar Day celebrations in Mumbai
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is scheduled to preside over the function which is being held at the open air Somaiya College grounds in the city. The grand scale of the proposed celebrations which is expected to draw Mumbaiites of Bihari origin in large numbers has drawn the ire of the MNS. "Those living in Mumbai and Maharashtra should celebrate Maharashtra Diwas only and not Bihar Diwas," Shirish Parkar, party spokesman, said. Another MNS leader Vageesh Saraswat went on to say the celebration of Bihar Diwas would hurt the sentiments of Maharashtrians. "We hope Nitish Kumar will not hurt our sentiments," Saraswat said. Both MNS leaders said Raj Thackeray would soon be issuing a statement. The MNS leaders say, the scale of Bihar Day celebrations in Mumbai has been expanding every year. "At first they held small events at the Shanmukhananda Hall. Now they are gradually expanding and holding it in public grounds. It only shows how some people want to fan sentiments of migrants," Saraswat said. According to the MNS, such celebration go against the federal spirit of the Indian constitution. "Our leader wants Maharashtrians living in Bihar to celebrate Bihar Day instead of Maharashtra Day in that state," says Parkar.
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Rapes at children’s home
Lucknow, April 7 After reports of the rapes surfaced yesterday, the main culprit Vidya Bhushan Ojha, till now the only perpetrator of the crime, was fired from his job. Taking suo moto cognisance of media reports regarding the rape of minors at the home, the Allahabad High Court has sought an explanation from the government and expressed its interest to settle the matter within three months. The District Magistrate and SSP have been asked to personally appear before the court on April 11 to explain how such an incident could take place in a government-run home. Treating the matter as a PIL, the Division Bench of Justice Amar Saran and Ashok Srivastava issued a directive in which they stated: “We would be interested that the investigation and trial in all the three matters be concluded within three months so that an exemplary deterrent message goes out that neither courts nor society can tolerate such abhorrent conduct by persons who are given the charge of providing shelter to such hapless little orphan girls, and that such miscreants would be dealt with severely and with utmost expedition.” Expressing shock, the directive issued said that the court failed to “understand how the said miscreant could be working in the home for so many years and nothing had come to light, even though as many as three girls complained of molestation by this miscreant.” Summoning the District Magistrate and SSP, Allahabad, to personally appear before the court on April 11 and explain what action had been initiated against the other employees of the home under whose supervision such grave violations took place. The court has also sought a personal affidavit from the state’s Principal Secretary, Women and Child Welfare, listing the steps taken to ensure that sincere, sensitive and hard-working persons are appointed as superintendents or in charges of this home as well as the other homes being run by the state government.
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Claimants line up for land vacated by Ghai’s school
The Supreme Court had last week ordered Ghai to return the entire property to the Maharashtra government by 2014. While Ghai will have to surrender 14.5 acres of land to the Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation Ltd (MFSCDCL), owners of Film City, immediately, the rest of the land will have to be returned by 2014 after the last batch of students trained at the school pass out. The promoters of Whistling Woods will also have to pay a lease rent of Rs 5.5 crore per year from the year 2000 when the 20 acres of land was allotted to the institute. However, the institute has been allowed to withhold the cost of constructing the building from the lease rent since the property will belong to the government agency, according to state government sources. MFSCDCL which is to take possession of the entire property by 2014 has mooted the idea of setting up of a museum on Indian cinema since the Film City attracts a number of tourists every year. According to Shyam Tagde, Managing Director MFSCDCL, the property is suited to house such museum. "We have already laid the ground work for such a museum. The project report has also been prepared. When the project is approved we can draw up plans to use the property for the museum," Tagde said. But the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority backed by the powerful builder lobby in Mumbai is pressing for the land to be used for mass housing schemes. MHADA officials told reporters that the agency would lay claim for the property if the government earmarks it for mass housing. As per prevailing land-use norms in Mumbai 5,000 flats measuring 425 sq. ft each can be built on this property. Observers say Mumbai's developers expect to partner with MHADA in developing the property under the public-private partnership model. Meanwhile, environmental groups in the city are keen on preserving the land as a green zone since it is adjacent to the Sanjay Gandhi national park. Amidst all the din however a down cast Subhash Ghai said felt cheated by the court's order asking him to return the land to the Maharashtra government. He has been quoted as saying that the promoters of the institute spent Rs 75 crore in the project which was approved by former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. Plot Trouble
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Gadkari re-election high on BJP core committee agenda
New Delhi, April 7 The general secretaries earlier this week had
tentatively suggested holding the two together late next month in Shimla, but left the
final decision to the core committee. The unstated agenda of this national council, meant to be held once a year, is the amendment of the party constitution, apparently to enable president Nitin Gadkari to secure a second term as his tenure is coming to an end in December. But there is resistance to the proposal from a dominant section of the party leadership that holds him responsible for the recent loss of face in the UP Assembly elections and then Rajya Sabha poll by awarding party ticket to money bags. After the general secretaries’ meeting, Gadkari met senior RSS leader Suresh Soni and it is being said that through this meeting, the matter has been “amicably resolved.” Besides these, the demand of former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa to be reinstated is pending before the equally divided core committee. Those favouring Yeddyurappa’s restoration have pleaded that Advani was an obstacle in the way and that Gadkari and Jaitley were game to it. Meanwhile, ticket distribution for the Bihar legislative council elections, currently under way, has become contentious with rival camps lobbying for the exclusion of one or the other candidate. While there is no resistance to the re-nomination of Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi and PWD minister Nand Kishore Yadav, a section in the state BJP is suggesting replacing Council chairman Tarakant Jha, whose term is also coming to an end, with Mangal Pandey. But a third term for another prominent leader Baleshwar Bharti has become contentious. Bihar BJP president CP Thakur has therefore asked the core committee to take a call on this. But this tremendous clamour for entering the Assemblies and Parliament has visibly annoyed Gadkari. He told a gathering of party workers at the BJP heritage meet at the party headquarters yesterday that the BJP was no
factory for turning out MLAs and MPs and that the founders of the BJP had visualised a team of workers dedicated to serving the nation selflessly when they floated the BJP.
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Rabri Devi likely to be lone RJD candidate for Bihar Vidhan Parishad polls
Patna, April 7 Sources in the RJD said their party supremo had already made up his mind to send his wife to the Legislative Council. However, he would like to formalise his plan by holding a meeting of his party MLAs during which someone will propose her name and others would second it. Lalu has already arrived here to organise and chair this meeting. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. Ever since her party’s debacle in the 2010 assembly elections and her personal defeat from both the constituencies she had contested
from, Rabri had become aloof from political affairs. She was never seen in any of her party activities in Bihar. When the party nominates her formally for the lone council seat, it can stake its claim on by virtue of the 21 votes of its own MLAs and one from its alliance partner, Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP. Rabri Devi would be making a fresh foray into active politics after a hiatus of almost two years. Apart from being the CM for almost seven years, she was also the Leader of Opposition for five years when Nitish Kumar donned the mantle of Chief Minister in 2005. The remaining 10 seats of state legislative council would all be bagged by the ruling NDA. While the JD(U) is likely to renominate its sitting members, including the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the six seats that is going to the party, its coalition partner BJP would also
win all the four seats by virtue of its strength in the state Assembly. The Congress having only four MLAs in the 243-member state Legisative Assembly has no chance to win even one seat. As a matter of fact, the strength of the Congress would be reduced to just one in the 75-member Upper House after this election.
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Major fire in Assam refinery, ULFA claims responsibility
Golaghat (Assam), April 7 Company fire tenders were pressed into service and brought the blaze under control around 9 pm. The plant was shutdown immediately as part of the company's disaster management drill. A senior NRL official told PTI that there was no casualty or injury as the plant was automated and there was minimum deployment of human resources in the area. ULFA's anti-talk faction claimed responsibility for the fire but the claim was dismissed as "unlikely" by senior police officials. In an email to PTI, ULFA's central publicity committee member Joy Asom claimed that the outfit had carried out the blast with a 'magnetic time device' on the occasion of its Raising Day today. Senior police officials, however, said, "It is highly unlikely that it (the fire) is an act of sabotage as the fire broke out in the middle of the plant area probably due to a technical fault." The ULFA claimed that it had used the same device earlier in the Duliajan and Guwahati refineries last year but these too had been debunked by both police and refinery authorities, who attributed the blaze to technical problems. The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage was yet to be ascertained. Senior police and civil officials were at the scene.
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High-security number plates’ contract quashed
Lucknow, April 7 The Division Bench of Justices DP Singh and SC Chaurasia took a serious view of the role of senior government officials in the entire tendering process, for which the vehicle owners in the state would have had to cough up an extra Rs 800 crore. The judges passed the order allowing a writ petition filed by a Kolkata-based firm, Celex India Private Limited. Petitioner's counsel Gaurav Bhatia alleged that in the tender procedure finalised during the Mayawati regime, certain conditions were imposed to favour Mumbai-based Shimnit India Private Limited. The court had earlier reserved its decision after hearing both the sides last week. In its 143-page judgment, the court has also slapped a penalty of Rs 50 lakh to be paid equally by the state government and the private firm. After completion of the investigation within a time-bound manner, the money would be recovered from the officials concerned. Meanwhile, the money is to be submitted in the court treasury within six months, failing which it would be recovered like defaulting land revenue. After the 2005 order by the Supreme Court, the UP Transport Department issued a tender for the high-security number plates on July 5, 2011 for more than 1.25 lakh vehicles in the state. Seven companies, including Shimnit India Private Limited, had applied for the tender.
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Lucknow lawyers take to the stage
Lucknow, April 7 And this is exactly what a group of lawyers did when they got to perform “Court Martial”, a play produced by the Oudh Bar Association. Directed by SA Mehdi, Joint Registrar of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, the all-lawyer cast has been practicing at a local degree college compound for months. Shedding their black coats every evening, the dozen-odd lawyers headed for hours of rehearsals to perfect their act under the watchful eyes of Mehdi and reputed criminal lawyer IB Singh who is producing the play on behalf of the Oudh Bar Association. “Court Martial”, written by reputed playwright Swadesh Deepak, is the story of a “low-caste” soldier Ramchander who is repeatedly humiliated by two senior officers merely on account of his caste. When matters become unbearable, Ramchander opens fire killing one officer and seriously injuring the other. During his court martial, his long-drawn trauma unfolds. The presiding officer of the court, bound by the rule book, is helpless as he can empathise with Ramchander but can do precious little. According to Mehdi, who along with IB Singh has been active in theatre for many years, the play has been staged twice with a different casts and received well. For the lawyers, acting is a de-stressing exercise which also helps
break the monotony of their routine.
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Govt docs into pvt practice to face action
Guwahati, April 7 There are four functioning medical colleges and hospitals in the state while two others are being under construction. In an office memorandum issued in the name of M Hagjer Barman, Secretary of State Health and Family Welfare Department, the government has notified the faculty members and doctors of medical to provide information within 30 days (by May first week) on their ownership interests, if any, in private nursing homes and diagnostic centres. The order has come into force with immediate effect. An official source said the government has been prompted to act after learning that some of the faculty members who are also prominent physicians, have direct or indirect ownership interests in private nursing homes. With this backdrop, the government believes that there is possibility of indulgence of unscrupulous practice in treating patients in medical colleges by these doctors by referring cases to private institutions even though similar facilities exist in government-run medical colleges.
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MCI secy questions dismissal
New Delhi, April 7 Sharma said the least she deserved to know was why she was being sacked. “On March 30, I got the termination letter at 2.30 pm and was asked to hand over the charge by 5 pm. The letter is silent on why I was being asked to go. This is not legal as I am a permanent employee having completed one-year probation,” Sharma said. The termination letter of Sharma, which the Tribune has accessed, says nothing on why she was terminated. The MCI had earlier constituted an inquiry committee headed by a senior AIIMS faculty to determine whether Sharma, employed by the previous MCI Board of Governors (BOG) headed by Dr SK Sarin, was eligible for the position. The inquiry went against her, but the question she asked today was, “I was duly selected and appointed last year. There were four months between my selection and joining. Why were these questions not raised then? ” The biggest case against Sharma is that her appointment was made without the approval of Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and she allegedly had a corruption charge against her (which she denies).
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Malda/Murshidabad, April 7 While in Malda district, a woman died in lightning strike in Englishbazar last night and a man was killed after being hit by a hailstone during the storm at Chanchol, officials said. Besides damaging 5000 kuchcha houses, the storm lashed the blocks of Harishchandrapur I and II, Chanchol I and II to hit mango and other crops, sources said. — PTI
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Stuntman hurtles to death, actress hurt
Greater Noida, April 7 The bungee jumping trainer, identified as Shailendra Kumar (25), met with a gruesome death when the rope supporting him snapped near the seventh floor of the Great Adventure Mall, police said. Horrified onlookers saw Kumar hurtling to death from that height when he was trying to perform the stunt. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead. Actress Sayali Bhagat (28) was driving a jeep which suddenly overturned and she suffered a hairline fracture in her hand. After first aid, she was taken to a hospital in Delhi by the organisers of the adventure sports. "We are investigating how the incidents took place-- whether safety measures were taken or not for such events", said a police officer. — PTI
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