The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Naxals kill 4 security men in Chhattisgarh Doordarshan office, camp targeted in Bastar Raipur, May 12 Four security personnel were killed while another was seriously injured in two separate insurgency-related incidents in Chhattisgarh's Bastar division, the police said on Sunday. In the first incident, suspected Maoists attacked the Akashwani and Doordarshan Centre at Bade Marenga village on National Highway 16, 13 km away from divisional headquarters Jagdalpur, and killed three Chhattisgarh Armed Forces (CAF) personnel. Another CAF personnel was injured and was later shifted to Raipur after initial treatment at the Medical College Hospital at Jagdalpur. According to Bastar Superintendent of Police Mayank Shrivastava, five to six Maoist insurgents entered the premises by removing the fencing wire. They first fired at the sentry, constable Alexander Ekka, killing him on the spot. The insurgents then entered the relay centre and fired on the security personnel there. Constables Silwani Ekka and Basudeo were killed immediately and constable Mazhar was critically injured in the attack. On hearing the gunshots, the nearby police station was informed and a team rushed to the scene. The insurgents fled towards the jungle firing indiscriminately but were unable to take away any arms belonging to the slain security men. Later, Bastar Inspector General of Police Himanshu Gupta also reached the site and thoroughly enquired about the incident. In the other incident, Maoist insurgents fired at a CAF camp at Sukma on Sunday morning, killing one man. He was identified as Samaylal Kanwar of the 11th Battalion. — IANS Red terror The Maoists attacked the Akashwani and Doordarshan Centre at Bade Marenga village on National Highway 16 Five to six Maoist insurgents entered the premises by removing the fencing wire. They first fired at the sentry, constable Alexander Ekka, killing him on the spot Then the insurgents entered the relay centre and fired on the security personnel there. Constables Silwani Ekka and Basudeo were killed on the spot and constable Mazhar was critically injured
	BJP activists stage protest, seek PM’s resignation Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 12 A large number of activists of Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, staged a protest here demanding resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his “dubious” role in scams, the recent being ‘railgate’ and ‘coalgate’ in which under pressure from the main opposition party in Parliament two ministers - Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar - had to resign. The police force deployed there used water cannon to thwart the protesters when they tried to break through the barricades and reach PM’s residence. The police had shut Race Course Road Metro Station as it was easy to reach PM’s residence by Metro. Besides, all roads leading to Race Course road were closed and Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code was imposed in central Delhi so that protesters could not gather. The Metro Station of Race Course Road was thrown open for public after 2 pm. Heavy police force was deployed at the PM residence. The BJYM activists gathered near Tughlak Road police station around 12 noon where from they started marching towards the PM’s house. Setting ablaze PM’s effigy near his official residence, the BJYM protesters overran two police barricades. When they tried to push through the third one, the police used water cannon. The police detained their leaders, including Anurag Thakur and Vijay Goel, along with protesters and took them to Tughlak Road police station. Later, they were released.
	PAKISTAN verdict India, Pak hint at resuming peace process Ajay Banerjee/TNS New Delhi, May 12 Soon after the Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League (N) emerged victorious in the General Election, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today invited Nawaz Sharif to visit India, signaling that both sides are ready to ‘re-pick threads of peace’. A statement by Manmohan Singh said he “expressed India’s desire to work with the new government of Pakistan in charting a new course for the relationship between the two countries.” Nawaz Sharif has been invited to visit India at a mutually convenient time, the statement said. Sharif’s keenness to ‘work with India’ had amply reflected in an interview to The Tribune (May 12) in which he talked about “restarting the journey”. During the interview Sharif was asked: “What about Pakistan’s relations with India, which have not improved despite efforts? Your own initiative in 1999 was derailed after the historic Lahore visit by Atal Behari Vajpayee. Where would you pick up the threads to improve relations with India?” The PML leader responded: “From where we both left it in 1999. That was a defining moment and I think we will have to start the journey again from the same point. I am quite inclined and prepared to do that. I think that this is the only answer to the problems of the two countries.” Sharif and Vajpayee made the famous Lahore declaration in March 1999 only to see a bloody war in June-July 1999 in Kargil when Gen Pervez Musharaf was the Army chief. Today, Manmohan Singh not only extended his congratulations to Nawaz Sharif and his party for an emphatic victory in Pakistan’s elections, he also congratulated the people and the political parties of Pakistan for braving the threats of violence and voting in large numbers. The PM’s invite to Sharif could see a turnaround in the relations between the two neighbours, which witnessed many negative incidents in the past six months. In December 2012, Rehman Malik, the verbose Interior Minister of Pakistan, stirred a controversy when he, on a visit to India, equated the 1992 Babri demolition to terror attacks. In January this year, the beheading of two India Army soldiers along the LoC had the Indian Army Chief Gen Bikram Sigh seething with anger as he told Islamabad: “India reserves the right to retaliate at the place and time of its choosing”. The PM had then intervened and added weight to back the Army Chief saying: “It cannot be business as usual with Pakistan after the heinous act. Those who are responsible will have to be brought to book... I hope Pakistan realises this. The government’s point of view has been communicated in detail by the Defence Minister, Foreign Minister and the Army Chief.”
	Railgate may throw projects off track Girja Shankar Kaura/TNS New Delhi, May 12 The scam of fixing posts of Railway Board members and Pawan Kumar Bansal’s ouster from the Railway Ministry may have a negative impact on the overall working of the public sector behemoth, which for years has been trying to unshackle itself from the influence of its political bosses. The Railways, one of the most important ministries, had landed in the lap of the Congress after decades, raising hopes of it getting rid of political interference and getting back on the path of recovery from the financial mess it has been for the past few years. Even now, the ministry remains with the Congress with CP Joshi being asked to take additional charge, but the “railgate” and its emerging consequences only reflect the rot that has set in and the uphill task ahead of the new minister to cleanse the organisation of the same. The immediate consequence of the scam, which involves a Railway Board member willing to pay Rs 10 crore as bribe to Bansal’s nephew to get a posting where he would have controlled Rs 50,000 crore, will be that all modernisation projects in the Railways will come to a standstill. With the seven-member Railway Board, the highest decision-making body in the ministry, under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), officials at all levels will have a second thought about clearing projects or approving any schemes. There is a sense of disbelief at the Rail Bhawan, with officials not willing to discuss issues. They point out that the immediate effect will be on the operational front as many important projects at crucial stages will now get stuck. The fallout The immediate effect will be on the operational front as many important projects at crucial stages may get stuck The private sector may also stay away from getting involved with railway projects
	Sanjay Dutt may go to Pune’s Yerwada jail Shiv Kumar/TNS Mumbai, May 12 Actor Sanjay Dutt, whose review petition was rejected by the Supreme Court recently, is likely to be sent to the Yerwada Central Jail in Pune, officials of the state Home Department have said. Dutt is expected to surrender before the authorities on May 16 if his legal team does not come up with some remedial measures, officials here say. “The Yerwada jail is the best possible place because of its tight security,” says an official. Dutt is likely to be given a separate cell with Yusuf Nalwalla, another convict in the case. Depending on the availability of space, some carefully chosen cellmates will be lodged with him, sources have said. Dutt will have to surrender before the TADA court, which will hand him over to the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai. He will then be shifted to another prison if required, say sources. The Maharashtra Government has so far spread the convicts in the 1993 blasts case in different jails across the state. While some have been sent to the Nashik Central Jail, others have been lodged in the Kolhapur jail.
	IAS candidate ends life after UPSC result ‘goof’ Bangalore, May 12 A 24-year-old IAS aspirant allegedly committed suicide, with the police stating that he was upset over a 'goof-up' in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) results published here. Manjunath VY, a resident of Shrirampura in the city, committed suicide by hanging himself in an under construction building on May 10 after he had left for his friend's house in Kodagu area, they said. According to the police, Manjunath was upset over finding a different name under his roll number in the list of selected candidates in this year's civil services examination. The victim had secured 264th rank in the examination, but in the final results after the interview, a different name was mentioned under his roll number on the list, they said. A shocked Manjunath then contacted UPSC officials and wrote to them seeking clarification, but allegedly got no response, police added. — PTI
	PM to contest RS poll for 5th term from Assam Bijay Sankar Bora/TNS Guwahati, May 12 Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is all set to become a Rajya Sabha member from Assam for the fifth consecutive term as his nomination as Congress candidate from the state has been expectedly confirmed. Dr Singh, who has been representing Assam in the Rajya Sabha since 1991, will be visiting the state on May 15 to file his nomination papers for the RS polls scheduled for May 30 next. He was first elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam in 1991. He was then re-elected in 1995, 2001 and 2007. He has a rented house in the city, which is owned by Hemaprova Saikia, a senior Congress leader, former minister and widow of former Assam chief minister and Congress leader late Hiteswar Saikia. Election will be held to two Rajya Sabha seats from Assam which will fall vacant on expiry of the current term of Dr Singh and Kumar Dipak Das of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). There are several contenders within the Congress for nomination to contest the second Rajya Sabha seat, making the task of selection extremely difficult for the party’s state unit, PCC which has finally left it for the party High Command to have the final say. Party spokesman Bichitra Choudhury said 38 Congress leaders submitted application seeking nomination. Twelve names have been shortlisted and forwarded to the party high command. It is learnt that chief minister Tarun Gogoi is backing Hemoprova Saikia while a section of the party is rooting for an industrialist, who is also agriculture adviser to the Chief Minister. Everything about the second Congress candidate for the RS poll will be clear May 18, two days before the last date of submission of nomination on May 20 next, the party spokesman said.
	China keen on setting up industrial park in India Ashok Tuteja/TNS New Delhi, May 12 Notwithstanding the recent Sino-Indian tension over People’s Liberation Army (PLA) incursion in Ladakh, China proposes to set an industrial park in India to enhance economic engagement between the two countries. The issue came up for discussions between the Chinese leadership and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid during the latter’s visit to Beijing earlier this week. A team from China’s Commerce Ministry is expected to visit India soon to see the areas where the proposed industrial park could be set up. “But that will be seen in conjunction with the attempts that we are making to balance our existing trade that is looking up, growing very fast. However, our concerns about balance remain. The Chinese were agreeable that we have to very specifically address the issue of balance in our trade to make it sustainable,” said Khurshid. The two-way trade between India and China in 2011 was to the tune of $ 75 billion but the gap was more than 20 billion in favour of China, causing concerns in India. New Delhi has been seeking from China more market access for its products, particularly in the sectors like pharmaceuticals and information technology. The two countries have set an ambitious target of $ 100 billion of bilateral trade by 2015. The Chinese side had also proposed a Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor and a regional trading arrangement. The economic corridor, Khurshid said, was something India was also looking forward to but it needed some more engagement with Bangladesh. The regional trading arrangement, however, could ‘take a pause’ until the trade imbalance issue was addressed satisfactorily. To promote economic links, there was also a proposal for an agreement for establishing a relaxed visa regime for the business communities. It would be discussed further when Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits India later this month for talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Khurshid indicated that Beijing and New Delhi were likely to sign agreements on micro-irrigation and waste-water management during the Chinese Premier’s visit beginning May 19. The Chinese leader would also be visiting Mumbai. Noting that China had released two Indian nationals languishing in its jails recently, the minister said India was hopeful that six Indian diamond merchants undergoing imprisonment in South China would also return home before the Chinese Premier visits India. Balancing trade A team from China’s Commerce Ministry is expected to visit India for the purpose of setting an industrial park External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said attempts were being made to balance our existing trade that is looking up The Chinese were agreeable that the issue of balance in trade should be addressed to make it sustainable
	Amidst complaints, ministry orders testing of bottled water Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 12 If you think packaged water is safe to consume, think again!. Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has raised suspicions on the quality of bottled water being sold in the market and asked the apex food regulator to determine the chemical content of bottled water and report back to him in a month. In a letter to the Food Safety and Standards Association (FSSA) responsible for maintaining quality standards of consumable products, Azad said teams must be deputed to collect samples from water collection sites of packaging firms and the process followed for their purification be tested. This comes after scores of complaints were received by the Health Ministry raising concerns over poor quality of bottled water available in the market, say sources. The minister has also directed the FSSA to immediately begin the process of testing the extent of chemicals used by these companies in the process of water purification. “Please see whether the chemical content in the bottled water products is fit for human consumption and within the levels permissible for the same,” Azad wrote today. The FSSA confirmed the receipt of the letter and said it would collect water samples from plants set up by various firms in Delhi and its periphery and test these for chemicals used. “This is a very serious issue concerning human health and no chances can be taken. Some complaints the ministry has received include allegations that firms were collecting polluted groundwater from several sites across the city and subjecting the water to chemical treatment before marketing it, endangering people’s health,” sources in the ministry said. On whether or not directions were aimed against any particular packaged drinking water firm, ministry officials said all firms would be put to the test of quality, including water being sold in trains under the brand ‘Rail Neer’. “Bisleri, Kinley and all other firms will have to be tested for quality of bottled water they are selling,” a source said. Quality concerns Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has written to the Food Safety and Standards Association asking it to collect samples from water collection sites of companies The extent of chemicals used in the water purification process will also be tested The ministry has received complaints regarding poor quality of bottled water