The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Kerala ex-CM Achuthanandan stopped on way to Kudankulam

Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 18
Ignoring the CPM’s official line, party veteran VS Achuthanandan today set out to Kundankulam to pledge solidarity with anti-nuclear protesters. He was, however, stopped by the Tamil Nadu Police at the border town of Kaliyikkavila near here.

As Achuthanandan’s car entered the border town, an officer of the Tamil Nadu Police stopped the vehicle and requested the 88-year-old leader not to proceed further in view of the security concerns.

Complying with the request, Achuthanandan said he was disappointed that he could not visit the coastal village in Tamil Nadu to pledge solidarity with the protesters, but did not want to create any law and order problem in the neighbouring state.

“I don’t wish to worsen the law and order situation in your state. I only wish that peace prevails in Tamil Nadu. So I am returning by complying with your request,” the former Kerala Chief Minister told the police official.

Achuthanandan, however, said he was firm in his opinion that nuclear plants were dangerous and recalled that his party had withdrawn support to the UPA government in protest against the Indo-US civil-nuclear pact. — PTI

Ignoring party line

CPM veteran leader VS Achuthanandan set out to Kundankulam on Tuesday to pledge solidarity with anti-nuclear protesters

He was halted by the Tamil Nadu Police at the border town of Kaliyikkavila, near Thiruvananthapuram

Achuthanandan said he was disappointed he could not visit the coastal village and had to return

German firm refuses to dispose of toxic waste from Bhopal

New Delhi, September 18
A German firm has refused to remove 350 tonnes of toxic waste from the Bhopal gas disaster site for disposal in Germany, claiming the soil was contaminated with insecticides and that the waste was not related to the world’s worst industrial accident.

The refusal may come as a blow to efforts of the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh Government to dispose of the toxic waste. A Group of Ministers (GoM) had in June this year approved removal of toxic waste, at a cost of Rs 25 crore, by German agency-GIZ IS.

The German company has said, “This is not hazardous waste related to the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. Over the past 20 years, GIZ has taken on more than two dozen similar works in developing and emerging countries and disposed of hazardous chemicals in a way that was safe to humans and the environment,” it said.

After three months of contract negotiations between the Indian Government and GIZ for the disposal of 350 tonnes of soil contaminated with pesticides from Bhopal, GIZ withdrew its waste-disposal offer yesterday, the statement said.

Negotiations between the Centre and the German company collapsed after the latter backed out following an uproar from the civil society in Germany.

The firm has written a letter to Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who heads the GoM, to inform him about its decision.

About 346 MT toxic waste is lying on the premises of the erstwhile M/s Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) in Bhopal.

The worst-ever industrial disaster had taken place at the Union Carbide plant on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984.

According to government data, over Rs 3,000 crore has been given as compensation in 5,295 cases of death, 4,902 cases of permanent disability, 5,27,894 cases of minor injury and 35,455 cases related to temporary disability due to the tragedy among others. — PTI

BJP, JD-U hail Trinamool decision; SP blames Cong

New Delhi, September 18
The BJP and the JD-U today welcomed the Trinamool Congress’ decision to withdraw support from the UPA saying it indicated the downfall of the Central Government even as the ruling dispensation’s outside supporter Samajwadi Party (SP) blamed the Congress for the situation.

The CPI, citing parliamentary procedures, asked the government to prove its majority after 19-member Trinamool Congress withdrew support to it.

The Congress, however, said it had not lost all hopes on ties with the Trinamool Congress, saying it still considered the party a “valuable ally”.

“We have always considered the Trinamool Congress our valuable ally. Even after all that Mamata Banerjee has said, we still consider her our valuable ally till a final result comes out,” Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.

He said the Congress “will definitely discuss the issues raised by Banerjee with the government”.

JD-U chief and NDA convener Sharad Yadav said, “I salute Mamata Banerjee for the step she has taken. She has taken a big step to save the nation.” He said, “Such an injustice was never done to people in the past 64 years since the country got Independence. By bringing FDI in multi-brand retail, the government is shutting the door on the employment of 22 crore people.”

The BJP said the decision of the Trinamool Congress was the beginning of the “downfall of the UPA government”.

“Practically it is now a Congress government... After the withdrawal of support by the Trinamool Congress, a serious question mark is there on the stability of this government,” BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

“We need to applaud and compliment Mamataji for taking such a bold stand, purely in the interest of the people of the country,” he said.

The Samajwadi Party, an outside supporter of the UPA, blamed the Congress-led government’s attitude for being behind the situation. — PTI

Fed up by harassment over phone, girl ends life in school
Shahira Naim/TNS

Lucknow, September 18
A day after a class 11 student from Kanpur succumbed to burn injuries after being set ablaze by a two men for resisting rape, another class 11 student in Sitapur today committed suicide in the school premises allegedly being fed up by the continuing harassment by a local boy over the mobile phone.

The two incidents coming in quick succession not only substantiate the claim of the National Women’s Commission that Uttar Pradesh is not a safe place for young women but also exposes the passive role of the police in the cases of sexual harassment.

The students of Arya Kanya Vidhyalaya near the Sitapur bus stop were in for a shock when they arrived in school in the morning. They discovered the body of 16-year old Prateeksha, a class 11 student, hanging from the ceiling fan of the teachers’ room of the primary section.

Principal Gyanwati Dixit informed the police and the girl’s family. According to the girl’s father Dharmendra Awashti, his daughter had been facing mental torture for almost a year by a boy who had been tormenting her over the mobile phone.

The sobbing father held the district police responsible for his daughter’s death. He alleged that the police did not take any action against the culprit despite several complaints.

Buried for 46 years, diplomatic bag back in India
Ashok Tuteja/TNS

The contents of the diplomatic bag on display in New Delhi on Tuesday. — PTI

New Delhi, September 18
In a miracle of sorts, a bag of Indian diplomatic mail found recently on Mont Blanc in the French Alps where Air India plane 'Kanchenjunga' crashed on January 24, 1966, has finally arrived in India after more than 46 years.

Then Indian Atomic Energy Commission chairman Homi Jehangir Bhabha was among the 106 passengers on board the Mumbai-New York Boeing 707 flight. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today put on display for curious media personnel the contents of the jute bag, stamped 'dimlomatic mail', which travelled from France to New Delhi last week.

The bag contained calendars, magazines and crumpled copies of some leading English and Hindi dailies and some letters. One of the mails was marked to then Indian Consul General in New York, CGK Menon.

Said MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, ''To the credit of newspapers of that period, they have survived for more than 40 years in the snow at a height of 1,830 metre on Mont Blanc.''

On what the government proposed to do with the contents of the bag, weighing around 9 kg, he said: ''At this stage, we don't have a set idea... if anybody shows interest, we will take it from there.''

Akbaruddin explained two Air India crashes took place on Mont Blanc. The first occurred on October 10, 1950 and the second on January 24, 1966. That this bag belonged to the 1966 air crash had been established from its contents, particularly the date on the newspapers.

The bag was recovered by a French rescue worker Arnaud Christmann on August 21 after he and his neighbour were alerted to some shining objects on the glacier by tourists. The two men also came across a plane wheel and, 20 metre further on, the diplomatic bag.

The diplomatic bag was handed over to police in the town of Chamonix at the base of the mountain. It was later given to the Indian Embassy in Paris.

In September 2008, well-known climber Daniel Roche had discovered Indian newspapers dated January 23, 1966 in the same area. Roche had also reportedly come across part of an engine from the Malabar Princess, another Air India plane which had crashed in a virtually identical location in 1950.

The journey

A diplomatic bag containing newspapers and many other articles from India was found on Mont Blanc in the French Alps close to where an Air India plane crashed 46 years ago

The bag was recovered by a mountain rescue worker and his neighbour after some tourists spotted it on a glacier last month

Indian Atomic Energy Commission chairman Homi Jehangir Bhabha was among the 106 passengers on board the ill-fated Mumbai-New York flight

Despite Tamil protests, Rajapaksa’s visit is on To meet President, Prime Minister on Thursday
Ashok Tuteja/TNS

Relatives of Vijayaraj (inset), who immolated himself, mourn outside a government hospital in Salem on Tuesday. — PTI

New Delhi, September 18
Despite protests by Tamil parties, including the DMK, a key ally of the UPA government, New Delhi is going ahead with preparations for Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to India, primarily to lay the foundation stone of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh later this week.

According to MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, Rajapaksa has been invited by the Madhya Pradesh Government for the event while his ministry was making necessary arrangements for the visit on behalf of the Indian Government. ''During his stopover in New Delhi on September 20, the Sri Lankan President will call on the President (Pranab Mukherjee) and also meet the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh),'' he said.

Asked if the Prime Minister was hosting a lunch in honour of the Sri Lankan leader, Akbaruddin said Manmohan Singh would have dinner with him.

Asked if India would take up the issue of Tamil refugees in the island nation during talks with Rajapaksa, he said all issues of mutual interest would be taken up.

Tamil Nadu’s political parties, particularly the DMK and the MDMK, have opposed the visit, alleging that the Lankan President was responsible for the killing of thousands of Tamils in the last phase of the war against the Tamil Tigers in 2009 and that he was still keeping the Tamils under subjugation militarily. MDMK leader Vaiko has threatened to go to Sanchi and stage a black flag demonstration in protest.

A 26-year-old auto driver from Salem who had attempted self-immolation in Tamil Nadu yesterday to protest the proposed visit of Mahinda Rajapakse to India died today, the police said. Twenty-six-year-old Vijayaraj died at the Mohan Kumaramangalam Government Hospital where he was admitted yesterday with 95 per cent burns.

Story so far

Tamil Nadu's political parties, particularly the DMK and the MDMK, have opposed Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit

They say he was responsible for the killing of thousands of Tamils in the last phase of the war against the Tamil Tigers in 2009 and that he was still keeping the Tamils under subjugation militarily

The MEA said Rajapaksa was invited by the MP Government and his ministry was making arrangements for the visit on behalf of the Indian Government

Loktak, once ultras’ shelter home, being readied to host tourists
Bijay Sankar Bora/TNS

Guwahati, September 18
Security personnel are still on guard at the vast and magnificent fresh water lake of Manipur - Loktak - which was once considered a ‘shelter’ for ultras but is now being readied to welcome tourists.

Believed to be the largest fresh water lakes in India, Loktak is located around 48 km away from Imphal in the vicinity of little town called Moirang. Spread over 287 sq km area in three districts of Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur, the lake is also considered the only floating lake in the world due to the floating ‘phumdis’ (heterogeneous mass of vegetation, soil, and organic matters at various stages of decomposition) on it.

The water body is flocked by various species of birds, especially during winter. Known for its treasure trove of fish, Loktak used to be source of livelihood for the local population. The fisher folk used to manoeuvre their slander boats through the phumdis of the lake. But the ‘phumdis’ have been cleared now by the security forces who said the vegetation was being used by insurgents to take shelter.

With the phumdis, the once omnipresent fishermen’s boats on Loktak water have also disappeared. The Manipur government aspires to make this splendid water body a tourist attraction. For the purpose, several Alpine Huts have been constructed by the government for tourists in and around the lake. The officials, however, say the situation needs to be more stable for tourists to visit the place. The cottages have no occupancy. “The cottages haven’t been put to use. The fear of militants in and around the lake area still stalks the people,” said a securityman posted at the lake.

The process is to evict the families of fishermen from the lake settlement is on. The Loktak Development Authority had burnt down temporary bamboo shelters built by fisher folk on the lake waters. However, there has been resentment over lack of proper rehabilitation plan for the evicted lake settlers. The fishermen community is worried about their future as there is plan to regulate fishing on designated area of the lake.

The lake is home to Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only remaining natural habitat of the endangered brow-antlered deer or the dancing deer, locally known as Sangai.

Manipur’s Lake Wonder

Loktak, one of the largest fresh water lakes in India, is located around 48 km away from Imphal in the vicinity of a little town, Moirang

The Manipur Government plans to develop the place as a tourist destination and is building necessary infrastructure for the purpose

The lake is also considered the only floating lake in the world due to the floating ‘phumdis’ (heterogeneous mass of vegetation, soil, and organic matters at various stages of decomposition) on it

PIL wants ban on Sonia’s photo in Centre’s ads

Ahmedabad, September 18
A PIL has been filed in the Gujarat High Court seeking a prohibition order on Central government's advertisements carrying photos of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who does not hold any constitutional position.

City resident Dhaval Shah has through the PIL sought the court's directions to stop publication and withdrawal of advertisements being published and telecast in the state ahead of the elections. — PTI

CBI raids SSC exam venue, four arrested
Tribune News Service

Lucknow, September 18
The CBI arrested at least four persons of a cheating mafia in Allahabad on Sunday. They were caught using a bluetooth device on a mobile phone to cheat during the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examination.

The CBI action came following a tip-off that some persons were planning to facilitate cheating at KP Girls Inter College in Allahabad on Sunday when the Combined Graduate Level Examination (Tier II) 2012 was scheduled be held there. The CBI also nabbed the person in whose place the impostor was appearing in the examination.