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OVERDRAWING FROM GRID
Azad Maidan violence
Coal blocks: Stand-off between govt & BJP in Parliament to persist
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Bailable warrants issued against Jodhpur IG
Army Chief opens institute for jawans at Chandimandir
Teesta river Treaty
MPs not quitting House: BJP
PAC adopts CAG reports on coal, power & aviation
Gogoi seeks media help in restoring normalcy
26/11 fallout: 12 coastal radars ready to work
NATURAL RESOURCES
GSI to map rare earth elements in Ladakh
India, US continue to differ on Iran, Syria
Lakshya-1 test-flown successfully
Court raps UP Govt, CBI for delay in probe
As MNS activists gloat, Maharashtra looks to nail Raj
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Officers of state load dispatch centres to be penalised
Manish Sirhindi/TNS
Ambala, August 23 The commission said the officers of “state transmission utilities and SLDCs of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir had failed to comply with repeated notices issued by the Northern Regional Load Dispatch Centre (NRLDC) warning them against overdrawals.” The commission said the officers concerned could be held responsible for having failed to discharge their duties of maintaining the grid discipline. The order was passed in connection with a petition moved by the NRLDC before the commission over continued overdrawal by northern states. During a hearing on August 14, officers of the power utilities of the constituent states had denied overdrawal from the grid. Most of them ascribed overdrawals to outage of generation units, shortage of coal, poor maintenance and the monsoon failure. The officers said the SLDCs were not independent. These were controlled by the state electricity boards or transmission utilities, which were government companies. SB Moudgil, Chief Engineer (Power System), Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (HVPNL), said the HVPNL had to overdraw during the last three months due to the failed monsoon and teething problems of newly established thermal plants, some of which had been hit by non-availability of coal. He also submitted that whenever frequency touched 49.5 Hz, action was initiated to reduce the load. Meanwhile, the commission has asked its staff to initiate proceedings to penalise the official concerned.
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Mumbai police chief shifted
Satyapal Singh takes over as the new Police Commissioner Shiv Kumar/TNS
Mumbai, August 23 Patnaik was promoted to the rank of Director General of Police and posted as Managing Director of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation, Home Minister RR Patil told reporters today. Patnaik has been replaced by Satyapal Singh, Additional Director General (Law and Order). Making the announcements, Patil said the transfer of Patnaik was a routine administrative matter. He also stated that SP Gupta, another IPS officer, has been appointed Additional Director General (Training). Patnaik had drawn flak from the opposition Shiv Sena, BJP and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena for not being tough on protesters at a rally organised in Mumbai on August 11. Several thousand people, who had gathered to protest the attacks on Muslims in Myanmar and the displacement of people in Assam, targeted police personnel posted at the venue. At least 58 persons, mostly policemen, were injured. Patnaik later told reporters that he was concerned that his men could open fire on the protesters, thus creating a major communal conflagration in the city. An MMS clip circulated on social networking sites that showed Patnaik berating an officer for arresting a protester also gave rise to allegations that the administration was soft on trouble-makers belonging to the minority community. Defending his position, Patnaik said the police was using footage gathered from CCTVs and mediapersons to nab the real trouble-makers. Opponents of Patnaik within the force alleged that his actions lowered the morale of the constabulary. Satyapal Singh (57), who takes over as the new Police Commissioner, holds a doctorate in terror studies. Two years ago, he was the Pune Police Commissioner when he was transferred for not clearing the renewal of the passport of then Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagwe because the latter was allegedly involved in criminal activities.
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Coal blocks: Stand-off between govt & BJP in Parliament to persist
New Delhi, August 23 Efforts to find a way out of the deadlock in Parliament by the Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari and the Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar failed today with the BJP once again tossing out the ruling coalition idea to discuss CAG reports that led to the latest uproar. Having trained its gun on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the BJP finds it difficult to alter the course and allow Parliament to function without disruption. With tomorrow being the last working day of the current week, there is little hope for the Congress parliamentary managers to salvage the situation. BJP leaders maintained through the day that any debate on a serious charge by CAG on huge revenue loss will not make a difference. The party senses an opportunity to stick charges of corruption not only on the Congress-led coalition but also smear Manmohan Singh’s name. While other parties in the Opposition, including some allies in the BJP-led NDA, disagree with the tactics of stalling Parliament, in the end their leaders grudgingly concede that eventually it is for the two principal parties - the Congress and the BJP - to arrive at an understanding. “It is the responsibility of the Government to ensure smooth functioning of the House and the BJP as the main Opposition party to cooperate’’ CPI MP D Raja said. BJP general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan told The Tribune that the party will continue to agitate on the issue since corruption is touching everyone’s life. “How has the debate helped? The Government rubbished CAG reports. Even in 2G Spectrum the Joint Parliamentary Committee work is not moving as Congress MPs are blocking move to examine Prime Minister and Finance Minister....’’ Justifying the stalling tactics, he said the protest was a way to build public opinion and create an atmosphere against corruption. Interestingly, BJP leadership came under attack from some of its allies, including Shiv Sena and Janata Dal (United), following vague suggestions of en mass resignation from Parliament to pressurise the Government. Today, the BJP was in a denial mode.
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Bailable warrants issued against Jodhpur IG
Chandigarh, August 23 The court had issued summons against the IG twice earlier, but he failed to appear before it. Now, he has been ordered to appear before it on September 19. The CBI had arrested four officials of the Rajasthan Police (posted in Sirohi district of that state) on the charge of taking bribe from a city-based liquor contractor in 2010. IG Dak had later granted prosecution sanction against the accused - Sub-Inspector Bharat Kumar, Head Constable Shakeel Mohammed and constables Khambe Ram and Ashwini Kumar. The accused were apprehended from a Sector 32 liquor vend while accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from vend contractor Praveen Chugh. A truckload of liquor from his vend had been impounded by the Rajasthan Police and the driver booked in a case there. The accused cops struck a deal with the liquor vend contractor to save him from a case.
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Army Chief opens institute for jawans at Chandimandir
Chandigarh, August 23 The state-of-the-art institute has been named the Jadunath Sainik Institute after an Army war hero decorated with the Param Vir Chakra, a statement issued here said. Naik Jadunath Singh of the 1 Rajput was awarded the highest gallantry award for his acts during the 1947 operations against Pakistani raiders in the Naushahra sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The institute, stated to be the first of its kind in the country in terms of standards and services, will provide a host of facilities like restaurant, gymnasium, library, cyber café, conference hall and indoor games. The Army Chief, who is on a two-day visit to the Western Command Headquarters, Chandimandir, also met Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda to discuss various civil-military issues. This is Army Chief’s second visit to the operationally sensitive Western Command within a fortnight. He was here on August 9, when he had reviewed the operational preparedness in the western theatre, interacted with senior formation commanders and addressed officers.
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Krishna may meet Mamata to allay her fears
Anita Katyal/TNS
New Delhi, August 23 The matter was raised by the government at yesterday’s meeting of the UPA coordination committee, but Mamata was not convinced with the arguments put forth in favour of these two agreements. The Prime Minister said he would ask Krishna to meet Mamata to explain the details of the accords and allay her fears. The UPA government has been embarrassed internationally after it was forced to put the Teesta River Treaty on hold following strong objections from Mamata. She maintained that the agreement favoured Bangladesh and would deprive West Bengal of its due share of Teesta River waters. The treaty was to be signed by the two countries when Singh travelled to Dhaka last year, but had to be put off when Mamata, who was supposed to travel with him to Dhaka on the landmark visit, pulled out at the last minute. The India-Bangladesh boundary agreement was signed by the Prime Minister and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina last September and was subsequently cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security. However, it is still pending as the accord, retaining the status quo on enclaves under adverse possession in both countries, has been red flagged by Mamata. Besides convincing its ally, the UPA has to get the Opposition on board as it can only be ratified through a constitutional amendment since the accord involves exchange of land. Given the political climate in the country today, this appears to be an uphill task. Bangladesh has been pressing India to expedite the implementation of the two accords. Dhaka conveyed its unhappiness over the delay during a recent meeting of the foreign secretaries of the two countries. The issue also came up during Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh’s visit to Bangladesh earlier this month.
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MPs not quitting House: BJP
New Delhi, August 23 “We will be jumping the gun if we respond to this question,” senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said at a press conference when asked if the BJP members could go in for en mass resignations as suggested by a leading newspaper. Referring to the walkout by the BJP members from a meeting of the JPC on the 2G spectrum allocation, Sinha asserted that his party would continue with its demand that the PM and Finance Minister P Chidambaram be called before the parliamentary panel. “The game-plan of the ruling party is very clear...they want to scuttle this probe as they did at the PAC.” He alleged that “Congress members of the JPC used the worst kind of language and insisted that former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee should also be called before the panel if we continue with our demand that the PM and the FM should appear before the JPC...the ill health of Vajpayee is not a secret.’’ The senior BJP leader said the objective of the UPA regime was to indulge in corruption and then cover it up. “The brazenness of this government is not acceptable to us,” he added. Asked if the BJP would attend the JPC meetings in future, Sinha said the party would wait for a response from JPC Chairman PC Chacko before deciding its future course of action. Behind the scene, the BJP also attempted to rope in the Trinamool Congress in its campaign against the government over the CAG report but TMC chief Mamata Banerjee rejected the main Opposition party’s overtures. The BJP’s strategy to disrupt Parliament also did not find favour with the JD-U whose leader and NDA convenor Sharad Yadav stated that discussions should take place in the two Houses on the coal block allocation issue. At the same time, Yadav said his party was with BJP for the sake of NDA discipline and unity.
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PAC adopts CAG reports on coal, power & aviation
New Delhi, August 23 Headed by BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, the PAC decided to make the CAG report on allocation of coal blocks, expansion of IGIA and Ultra Mega Power Projects and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board part of its future agenda. Congress and BJP members of the PAC had bitterly clashed last year after the committee report indicted telecom former minister A Raja and also the PMO for omissions in the Rs 1.76 lakh crore 2G Spectrum licence allocations. Similar acrimony could be expected in future PAC meetings on the coal block allocation issue, which has seen the Opposition demand PM Manmohan Singh’s resignation on the grounds that he was Coal Minister when the coal blocks were being given away to private players on nomination instead of auction.
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Gogoi seeks media help in restoring normalcy
Guwahati, August 23 Gogoi appealed to the media to extend all help and cooperation to the government in its endeavour to restore peace in the affected areas and to start the process of rehabilitating the displaced people. The Chief Minister categorically pointed out that only genuine Indian citizens would be rehabilitated. Gogoi said all-out efforts have been directed towards allaying the apprehensions from the minds of the people by involving local leaders from both the communities and members of different organisations active in those areas. “We have to remove the fear psychosis so that they return to their homes. Instilling a sense of security is a must,” Gogoi added. Referring to the exodus of the North East people from the southern states, Gogoi emphasised on the need to create a congenial atmosphere so that the students and workers can go back at the earliest.
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26/11 fallout: 12 coastal radars ready to work
Two operating stations have been set up to control and access information originating from these 12 radars in Maharashtra and Gujarat along the western coast. The Gujarat operation will be covered by the remote operating station at Porbandar. It will get information form eight radars set atop lighthouses at Diu head, Porbandar, Hazira (LPG shipping terminal), Mangrol, Dwarka, Daman, Gopinath and Navadra. The regional operations in station in Mumbai will have four radar supplying information from Tarapur (atomic station), Devgarh Fort, Korlai Port and Tolkeshwar. Information received will be remitted to control rooms in Mumbai and Gandhinagar and also for central control room in Delhi The two operating stations and the 12 radars are under a Rs 602-crore security plan. These have undergone tests in the past six weeks and are in a state of readiness along the West Coast. Defence Minister AK Antony will formally inaugurate these on Saturday. The remaining 34 radars will come up soon and will be integrated with each other, thus covering the entire 7,500-km Indian coastline. The island territories of Andaman Nicobar and Lakshadweep will also get such radars as these are close to the international sea lanes of communication (SLOCS). More than 80 per cent of the Indian trade takes place through the sea route. As soon as any rogue ships is seen approaching the Indian coast, ground-based controllers will pass on the information to the authorities concerned. They will then arrange either for a chopper or a plane, a UAV or a warship to deal with the emerging situation. Installing coastal radars is government’s top priority. After a high-level review carried out by Antony last year, he was shocked to find that no progress had been made in the radar installation process initiated by the government following the Mumbai attacks. The radars will beam information to joint operation centres at Mumbai, Kochi, Vishakhapatnam and Port Blair. The Indian Navy and the Coast Guard man these centres. Following the Mumbai attacks, the Navy has been given overall responsibility of the coastal security.
Guarding India’s coast
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Expert panel didn’t insist on auction: Govt
R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, August 23 In fact, the expert panel —Committee on Allocation of Natural Resources (CANR) headed by the then Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla — itself was not in favour of going for auction in all cases, Attorney General GE Vahanvati informed a five-member Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia. In its report submitted on June 2, 2011, the committee had underlined the need for striking a balance between the need for maximizing revenue generation and protecting public interest. “The merits of competitive mechanisms and the consequent revenue generation need to be offset against other public purpose,” the AG said quoting the CANR. “In the allocation of natural resources, it is not always the best method to offer the resource to the highest bidder. Public purpose may demand a different use of the resource from what the market may put it to. This evident in the case of urban land, where commercial uses could displace all other uses, were all land to be auction. “Similarly, one may need to ensure that certain uses of a resource be prioritized, e.g. gas for fertilizer in the current situation,” the committee had clarified while explaining its suggestion for maintaining a balance between various needs.
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GSI to map rare earth elements in Ladakh
Chandigarh, August 23 According to GSI officials, surveys were undertaken recently near Hanle in south-eastern Ladakh as part of the GSI’s ongoing National Geochemical Programme (NGP) and the results were promising. A few weeks ago, a visiting parliamentary panel was also briefed in Srinagar about the prospect of mining rare earth elements in that region. The GSI is undertaking special thematic mapping of volcanic and ophiolite rocks in Ladakh. Rare earth elements are a group of 17 chemicals that are so named not because they are generally not found in abundance, but because their presence is widely dispersed in ores and rocks making it economically difficult to exploit their resources. Their applications include lasers, aerospace, mercury vapour lamps, high temperature superconductors, nuclear batteries, rare earth magnets, X-ray and other medical equipment, high refractive glass and special chemical agents. The project to map the rare earth element-bearing areas for future exploitation comes in the wake of the presence of uranium being detected in Ladakh. About four yeas ago, a geologist from Kumaon University, Nanital, claimed that a survey undertaken by him near Udmaru village in north-eastern Ladakh, about 30 km from Leh, found exceptionally high concentration of uranium in rocks. These rocks were analysed at a laboratory in Germany. The presence of uranium -- a key element of nuclear energy, both for war and peace, as well as rare earth elements has added a vital dimension to the geo-strategic signification of the Himalayan belt, which also houses one of the world’s largest and most important fresh water sources. It is well known that China is extensively mining uranium and other rare elements in Tibet, which is said to hold the world’s largest uranium deposits. A little after the 1962 debacle with China, there were some reports in the western Media that the Pamir region between the Soviet Central Asia and the Xinjiang (Sinkiang) providence in north-western China stretching into Ladakh is a major resource area for uranium and this was felt to be the reason behind the Sino-Indian clash over Ladakh. There were also reports that Nepal is gearing up to explore uranium along its border with Tibet. For India, uranium is vital as it is needed to fuel power generation reactor. At present, major areas for uranium mining in India are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Rajasthan has also cropped up on the uranium map of India.
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India, US continue to differ on Iran, Syria
New Delhi, August 23 ''The world's two largest democracies may not always agree at the UN but we share many mutual interests and core values,'' Rice tweeted after her talks with National Security Adviser Shivshanker Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai. Rice is in India on a private visit but her trip is being viewed with interest, coming as it does barely a week before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flies out to Tehran for the Non-Aligned Movement summit. Though Indian officials did not give details of the discussions, it is understood that the US asked India to convey its concerns on Tehran’s alleged nuclear programme to the Iranian leadership. India is believed to have reitereated its decision of not joining the US sanctions against Iran and sought a peaceful resolution of the issue. Against the backdrop of the escalating crisis in Syria, the two sides discussed the situation there. Rice, who is known for her criticism of India's voting record at the UN, also hinted at areas of disagreement between the two countries but emphasised that India and the US were bound by mutual interests and core values. The meeting came days after US President Barack Obama warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to cross the "red line" of shifting unconventional weapons (biological and chemical weapons) in a threatening manner.
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Lakshya-1 test-flown successfully
Balasore (Odisha), August 23 Lakshya-1, fitted with an advanced digitally controlled engine, was test flown from the launch complex-2 of the ITR at about 12.15 PM successfully, defence sources said. The test was carried out to check the validity of its engine and duration enhancement, they said, adding that usually the flight duration of the six-foot-long micro light aircraft is 30 to 35 minutes. Lakshya-1, a sub-sonic, re-usable aerial target system, is remote controlled from the ground and designed to impart training to both air borne and air defence pilots. It is launched by a solid propellant rocket motor, and sustained by a turbojet engine in flight. — PTI
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Court raps UP Govt, CBI for delay in probe
Lucknow, August 23 The court today summoned the Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Agarwal, by 2 pm to explain why the state government had not given permission to start prosecution against 34 chargesheeted doctors and government employees in the NRHM scam. Rushing to the court, Agarwal reportedly told the court that the delay was not due to the Health Department. The CBI had sent a request letter to the government on May 23 seeking prosecution of 34 doctors and IAS officer Pradeep Shukla in the NRHM scam. But the files have been reportedly shuttling between the Health and the Law Departments delaying matters. The court also rapped the CBI on its knuckles for offering to present a verbal status report. The court demanded a written report asking the agency to file it within 48 hours. The court also refused to give another extension of 30 days to the CBI for completing the investigation into the NRHM scam. It has ordered the CBI to wrap up the probe within 20 days and fixed August 29 as the next date of hearing in the case. In July, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court had asked the CBI to complete within three months the twin probes in the murder of two Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) AK Arya and BP Singh as well as the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the NRHM in the state.
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As MNS activists gloat, Maharashtra looks to nail Raj Mumbai, August 23 According to Maharashtra Home Department officials, legal experts are looking at video recordings of the speech made by Thackeray at Azad Maidan for inflammable remarks that could be used to prosecute him. In the past, acerbic speeches and remarks to television channels have earned the MNS leader gag orders from the police and courts. "Cases would be registered if and when something objectionable is found against him," a senior bureaucrat said. Already the Mumbai police has filed police complaints against MNS activists for violating prohibitory orders for taking out a rally from Girgaum in Central Mumbai to Azad Maidan earlier this week. Despite the police not giving him permission, Thackeray took out a rally of party workers disrupting traffic for several hours.
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Lucknow
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Chandigarh, August 23
New Delhi, August 23
New Delhi, August 23
