N A T I O N

Fire at IOC’s Hazira terminal
Ahmedabad, January 5
Some 80 fire tenders and experts from Mumbai, Vadodara and other places are battling hard to control the fire that broke out in one of the nine petrol and diesel storage tanks of the Indian Oil Corporation at Hazira near Surat in south Gujarat today.

Raging blaze: Flames billow out of a storage tank of IOC's Hazira terminal in Gujarat on Saturday. PTI

Parvasi Bharti Divas
Red-carpet welcome, award await Mauritius President
Cochin, January 5
India in its endeavour to step up its African diplomacy is rolling out a red carpet to Mauritian President Rajkeswur Purryag and his 100-member entourage arriving here for the 11th Parvasi Bharti Divas (PBD) starting on January 7.


Mauritian President Rajkeswur Purryag and his wife Aneetah during a visit to Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi on Saturday. PTI

BPO employee ‘raped’, found dead in Noida
Noida, January 5
A 21-year-old woman employee of a garment factory, who was missing since last night while returning from a call centre where she worked, was found murdered near her house here today, with police suspecting that she might have been raped.

A child artiste carries the Tricolour at the 12th International Children's Festival of Performing Arts in Mumbai on Friday night. — PTI

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Congress gives suggestions to Verma panel, disfavours chemical castration
New Delhi, January 5
The Congress today submitted its suggestions on stringent laws for crimes against women to Justice JS Verma Committee even as it disfavoured chemical castration of rapists.

Eve-teasing: 2 girls attempt suicide
Akola (Maharashtra), January 5
Fed up with constant eve teasing and harassment by local youths, two college girls attempted suicide in two separate incidents in Akola and Buldhana districts, police said today.

Kidney racket busted; 7 held
Bangalore, January 5
A police team today arrested seven persons for running a kidney transplant racket, allegedly involving government officials and major hospitals in the city.

Centre waives M’rashtra’s dues for Kasab’s security
Mumbai, January 5
The Central government has acceded to Maharashtra’s request for waiver of dues towards deploying a contingent of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police to guard Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist to be taken alive during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil in Mumbai on Saturday. PTI

Soon: Seaplane services for tourists in Maharashtra
Mumbai, January 5
Tourists travelling through the interiors of Maharashtra will soon be able to experience the thrill of travelling aboard seaplanes that can land on water.

Sangma launches NPP, forms alliance with NDA
New Delhi, January 5 PA Sangma, who broke away from the NCP last year to contest the Presidential elections, today launched the National People's Party (NPP) and joined hands with the BJP-led NDA.

Fire at IOC’s Hazira terminal
Our Correspondent

Ahmedabad, January 5
Some 80 fire tenders and experts from Mumbai, Vadodara and other places are battling hard to control the fire that broke out in one of the nine petrol and diesel storage tanks of the Indian Oil Corporation at Hazira near Surat in south Gujarat today.

Even eight hours after the fire that first broke out around 11 am in storage tanker number four, the fire could not be controlled and instead aided by strong winds, the fire has spread to the nearby storage tank number five.

Official sources said fire tenders from Surat, Navsari, Bulsar, Broach, Vapi and even far-off Vadodara had rushed to the spot to contain the fire which was reminiscent of the recent fire in Jaipur oil tanks. Gallons of water and huge quantities of foam chemicals were being spread to keep the nearby storage tanks cool and prevent further spread of the fire but so far had failed to achieve any result. Experts in oil fire from Vadodara and Mumbai were also standing by besides the officials of the disaster management group.

There was no report of any casualty in the fire as the staff members were shifted out of the premises immediately. Since there were no residential areas in the close vicinity, the authorities did not feel there would be any need for evacuation if the fire could not be controlled. The people in the nearby areas said the flames could be seen as far as from about 5 km distance.

Parvasi Bharti Divas
Red-carpet welcome, award await Mauritius President
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Cochin, January 5
India in its endeavour to step up its African diplomacy is rolling out a red carpet to Mauritian President Rajkeswur Purryag and his 100-member entourage arriving here for the 11th Parvasi Bharti Divas (PBD) starting on January 7.

Besides inaugurating the annual event, Mauritian President will be felicitated by President Pranab Mukherjee on the third and final day of the event with the prestigious Parvasi Bharti award.

Around 2,000 delegates from over 70 countries will participate in the conclave that will also attract several Union ministers and six chief ministers.

Punjab, which gave the last edition held in Jaipur a miss, will be represented by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Nearly 60 per cent of the 1.3 million population of Mauritius is of Indian origin. Mauritius is the single largest source of foreign direct investment in India, as nearly 42 per cent of total FDI comes from there.

There will be special focus on overseas Indians living in the Gulf on the opening day.

A month-long cultural biennale is already in progress here showcasing rich cultural heritage not only of Kerala but also of the rest of India.

This year’s event will be preceded by the annual convention of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) where 500-odd delegates will deliberate upon various issues, including role of overseas Indians not only in investments back home but also in information and knowledge sectors. An exhibition is also being planned here. The GOPIO will also honour some eminent overseas Indians, including a Punjabi woman journalist from Australia.

The objective of this year’s Parvasi Bharti Divas is “Engaging Diaspora: The Indian Growth Story”. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will formally inaugurate the event on January 8. An oration will be delivered by a prominent historian on the Gaddar movement.

Danseuse Geeta Chandran of Delhi will perform on the opening day. Her repertoire will range from pure classical to the innovative finale choreographed to the haunting global sounds of Tchaikovsky’s western classical score.

Among the issues that are expected to come up for discussion are India’s growth and greater opportunity for investment, safe investment environment for overseas Indians, and engaging the youth Diaspora. There will be special discussion on issues concerning the Indian Diaspora living in the Gulf countries.

BPO employee ‘raped’, found dead in Noida

Noida, January 5
A 21-year-old woman employee of a garment factory, who was missing since last night while returning from a call centre where she worked, was found murdered near her house here today, with police suspecting that she might have been raped.

The victim was resident of Chotpur colony and was returning from the factory in Sector 65 at around 9 pm for her home in Sector 63 with four other female colleagues. — PTI

Congress gives suggestions to Verma panel, disfavours chemical castration

New Delhi, January 5
The Congress today submitted its suggestions on stringent laws for crimes against women to Justice JS Verma Committee even as it disfavoured chemical castration of rapists.

Party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said the suggestions have been given to the panel set up in the wake of the gang-rape incident in Delhi that led to outrage across the country.

While details of the suggestions given to the committee were not immediately known, the party has been favouring imprisonment up to 30 years for rapists and setting up of fast-track courts as also redefining the juvenile act by reducing the age limit.

Leaders like Renuka Chaudhary had sought chemical castration of rapists but the party has made it clear that no such suggestion has been made by party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Gandhi had recently held a meeting with top leaders as also experts for consultations over the issue. The suggestions were given a day after the party top brass, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Gandhi, held deliberations.

The Verma committee was set up with a mandate to review the present statute so as to provide for speedier justice and enhanced punishment in cases of aggravated sexual assault. — PTI

Eve-teasing: 2 girls attempt suicide

Akola (Maharashtra), January 5
Fed up with constant eve teasing and harassment by local youths, two college girls attempted suicide in two separate incidents in Akola and Buldhana districts, police said today.

A college girl residing near police station in Akot tehsil attempted suicide by hanging herself at her house on Friday. Also at Mehkar in the neighbouring Buldhana district, a college student tried to commit suicide by consuming poison. — PTI

Kidney racket busted; 7 held

Bangalore, January 5
A police team today arrested seven persons for running a kidney transplant racket, allegedly involving government officials and major hospitals in the city.

Among those arrested is Ranjan, a revenue inspector, CD Shrikanth, a contract labourer in Food and Civil Supplies Office located at Magadi and five others, including an agent, the police said. Ramanagara Superintendent of Police Anupam Agarwal said the probe team, set up to bust the racket, exposed the kidney sale network thriving in and around Bangalore.

The initial breakthrough came on December 31 last year with the arrest of two persons who were allegedly engaged with the task of luring poor people to donate kidney for monetary benefit.

Documents pertaining to the transplant of kidney and duplicate voters identity cards were seized from them, he said. Agarwal said their interrogation led to the arrest of Shrikanth who was allegedly behind creating and providing fake documents.

A computer, a scanner, an hard disk which were used to create duplicate voter ID were also seized, he added. Two more persons were also arrested the same day. — PTI

Well organised

• The racket involved transplanting kidneys by producing fake documents
• The accused collected between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh from the recipient but gave 10-20% to the donor

Centre waives M’rashtra’s dues for Kasab’s security
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, January 5
The Central government has acceded to Maharashtra’s request for waiver of dues towards deploying a contingent of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police to guard Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist to be taken alive during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who was on a visit to inspect the Arthur Road Central Jail here today, told mediapersons that the Centre had waived the bill of Rs 21 crore it had sent to the state government, which had requisitioned the ITBP to guard Kasab.

Kasab was guarded by the ITBP right after his capture in 2008 till his execution last November.

The bill for deploying the 250-man contingent at the Arthur Road Jail came to Rs 3.5 lakh per day. The share of the state for the entire four-year period was calculated at Rs 31.4 crore, which was later scaled down to Rs 21 cr after the state government expressed its inability to pay the amount.

Even this was unacceptable to the state government. “We have said in the past and we are saying it again that the 26/11 terror attacks were not an attack on Maharashtra alone but on the entire country,” state Home Minister RR Patil had said.

Subsequently, the Centre had threatened to reduce budgetary funding to the state kicking up a major storm in the state.

The state Home Department here pointed out that the state budget for prisons amounted to Rs 135 cr this year and there were no funds to pay the ITBP from the state’s coffers.

Soon: Seaplane services for tourists in Maharashtra
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, January 5
Tourists travelling through the interiors of Maharashtra will soon be able to experience the thrill of travelling aboard seaplanes that can land on water.

Under an agreement with a private operator, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, will open up several destinations as early as next month. “There are a number of areas along the Konkan coast like

Ganpatipule, Murud-Janjira, Tarkali and Sindhudurg that can be connected by seaplanes," says an official of the MTDC.

"Apart from the sea, the seaplanes can land on lakes like the catchment areas of dams," says Tourism Minister Chhagan Bhujbal who has mooted the idea of linking townships on the picturesque Western Ghats located close to the Pawana dam.

MTDC has already obtained clearance from the Maharashtra Coastal Management Authority for operations to begin. Initially, ferry wharfs and jetties used by local fishing communities will be spruced up, say officials.

A private company, Maritime Energy Heli Air Services, which has tied up with the MTDC is waiting for the green signal from the Navy before services could begin next month, say sources. The company claims to have started similar services in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Plane with water-skis

Seaplanes are small aircraft that have been fitted with water-skis that let them land on sea, rivers, lakes and other water bodies.

Sangma launches NPP, forms alliance with NDA

New Delhi, January 5
PA Sangma, who broke away from the NCP last year to contest the Presidential elections, today launched the National People's Party (NPP) and joined hands with the BJP-led NDA.

Launching his party at the "national level", Sangma said it has been active for long as a recognised party from Manipur. The former Lok Sabha Speaker, who is also president of the party, said his daughter Agatha, MP from Tura in Meghalaya will be "in NCP for the time being on technical grounds", but sounded confident that "she will fight next elections as an NPP candidate." Agatha had to resign as Union Minister on her party NCP's directions after she campaigned for her father PA Sangma in the July Presidential elections in defiance of the party.

Sangmasaid his party will give due importance to tribal and women issues. — PTI