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Transform police system: Prez
India hails Iran nuclear deal
Foreign Secy to visit US to discuss Afghanistan, N-deal
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with general election 2014 only a few months away...
For Bhopal survivors, NOTA a chance to show resentment
Mizoram votes today with VVPAT machines
AAP to file defamation suit against web portal
Rebels queer the pitch in R'sthan
Mewar epicentre in R’sthan poll battle
Andhra now braces for cyclone Lehar
Who killed Aarushi? Verdict today
Solar telescope project in Ladakh to be delayed
Faith Connections, The Fifth Season steal the show
Mumbai Film Festival to have participation from 34 nations
Dutch firm studying airport on sea
Delhi student helps school cut power use by 19%
Assam’s ‘disturbed area’ tag to continue for another year
Brigadier, two other officers face GCM
Govt concerned over clashes among Army officers, jawans
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Transform police system: Prez
New Delhi, November 24 He was addressing DGPs and IGPs along with heads of Central Police Organisations who had called on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan on
Saturday. Pranab said police officers must ensure that grievances of the common man are redressed. “They must, in partnership with other stake-holders, create a peaceful and secure atmosphere conducive to the growth and prosperity of our nation,” said the President. Expressing disappointment that the police sometimes fails to win adequate confidence of all sections of society, the President said the rule of law, which is a cardinal principle on which a modern state rests, must be strictly enforced in a prompt, fair and equitable manner. He also said leaders of the security forces must provide good and able leadership through their actions and values. The President said the police forces must strengthen external and internal communication to deal with the worrying increase in communal tension. Communication with people has to be maintained and at the same time, communication within the
organisation, right down to the beat level, must be improved. District and local administration must notice communal tensions in their initial stages and take necessary measures to contain them quickly. The President said everything must be done to prevent corruption and ensure accountability and probity in public life. But it would be inappropriate for police agencies to sit in judgement over policy formulation. The President said with growing
urbanisation, dimensions of crime have increased. The worst sufferers of this malady are women and children. Violence against these vulnerable groups of our population has to be dealt firmly. Effective policing of our urban areas, especially metropolitan cities, must be attended to with urgency. The President said there is need to ensure that affirmative police action is taken in respect of marginalised sections of society.
Focus on common man
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New Delhi, November 24 New Delhi was in the process of obtaining details of the deal from key Indian interlocutors.
"However, based on initial information available at this stage, I can say that India welcomes the prospect of resolving questions related to Iran's nuclear programme through dialogue and diplomacy," MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said. He said India also welcomed the earlier agreement reached on November 11 between Iran and the IAEA, which is the only technical agency to verify the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities, on political measures for enhanced IAEA verification activity at Iranian nuclear sites. The deal, announced by European Union policy Chief Catherine Ashton, is seen as a first step towards resolving a decade-old stand-off between Tehran and the West. The agreement between the Islamic state and the US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia was reached after more than four days of negotiations in Geneva. New Delhi considers the agreement consistent with its position that the issue should be resolved diplomatically on the basis of recognition of Iran's right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
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Foreign Secy to visit US to discuss Afghanistan, N-deal
New Delhi, November 24 Sources said Sujatha would hold Foreign Office consultations with her US counterpart Wendy Sherman apart from meeting other senior American officials. She is also scheduled to meet US Acting Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller. A detailed programme on Sujatha’s engagements was still being drawn up in consultations with the US side, sources added. The visit is being considered significant in diplomatic circles against the backdrop of the fact that relations between the two countries have cooled down in recent months due to various factors, particularly differences over implementing the landmark nuclear accord signed in October 2008. Despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington in September to meet President Barack Obama, the two countries have not been able to iron out differences over how to go ahead with the implementation of the nuclear pact. Major American nuclear players are upset with some of the provisions of India’s civil nuclear liability law but New Delhi has refused to make any amendments in it, arguing it was the property of the Indian Parliament. In the American Congress, many US lawmakers are now questioning Washington’s gain in supporting India to get nuclear waiver at the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) and have been pressing the Obama administration to seek dilution in the Indian law. On Afghanistan, India is expected to flag its concerns over increasing violence in the run up to the withdrawal by foreign troops from the trouble-torn nation. New Delhi’s fear is that violence in Afghanistan in going to increase in the coming months. It would be made clear to Washington that a solution to the Afghan issue must be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned and not one dictated by ‘outsiders’. Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan is also likely to be discussed at length by New Delhi and Washington. As far as China is concerned, both New Delhi and Washington share concerns over Beijing’s new found aggressiveness in the global arena, particularly on the disputed South China Sea. Carolyn Bartholomew, Commissioner of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission earlier this week told American lawmakers during a Congressional hearing that China was becoming over-assertive in its relations with India. Sujatha’s talks with her American interlocutors will provide the two sides an opportunity to share their respective perception on China.
The pact trouble
Concern of violence
On Afghanistan, India is expected to flag its concerns over increasing violence in the run-up to the withdrawal by foreign troops from the trouble-torn nation. New Delhi's fear is that violence in Afghanistan in going to increase in the coming months. It would be made clear to Washington that a solution to the Afghan issue must be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned and not one dictated by 'outsiders'.
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with general election 2014 only a few months away...  Photo finish likely in MP While CM Chouhan eyes hat-trick, Jyotiraditya awaits career push Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service
Bhopal, November 24 Interestingly, Chouhan making it to the Chief Minister’s Office for the third time is a more discussed topic than the Congress winning the state after two terms in exile, primarily because of its implications on the saffron party’s national-level politics. A day ahead of the polling after what will go down in the history of the state as the most lack-luster campaign due to the Election Commission’s eagle watch, the political situation here can only be defined as extremely fluid. While the festive kind of an atmosphere generally associated with the elections was missing, there was also no perceptible wave in favour of either of the two parties. The Congress’ onslaught concentrated on corruption in the Shivraj Cabinet and increase in crimes against women during his tenure. Chouhan sang about the development in the 10 years of BJP rule. Eventually, the fight was between Chouhan and the rest-Congress’ chief of election campaign committee Jyotiraditya Scindia and his colleagues Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath, Kantilal Bhuria, Ajay Singh and Suresh Pachauri. As it appears on date, it can be anybody’s gain on Monday though the ruling BJP seems to be enjoying a slight edge, largely due to the immense popularity of the incumbent Chief Minister who projected himself as mama (uncle) to the 1.60 crore plus young voters to drive home the message against “royal” Jyotiraditya-known as Maharaja or Shrimant in these regions. Jyotiraditya, who was lapped up by people at his public meetings, struck back reminding the BJP of its own association with his aunts Vasundhara Raje and Yashodhra Raje. “Who are they (the BJP) to question my status or relation with the people here,” he said to dislodge the BJP’s built up against his royal lineage. Though Chouhan was the BJP’s face here, Modi also remained a factor among young urban voters. With his aggressive tone and tenor, Modi proved to be a balancing factor to Chouhan’s soft spoken demanour. Considering that both the parties are banking on young voters, it is anybody’s bet on who among the Chouhan-Modi combine and the young Scindia will swing it for their respective parties. If BJP wins MP, it can change Chouhan’s course at the national level. He will able to stand next to Modi and stake claim in the national political arena. The section in the BJP which feels that Modi may not be acceptable in the coalition-era politics will eagerly promote Chouhan. With his humble image and a pro-minority attitude, he may turn out to be more acceptable among prospective allies. These elections are also important for the future of Jyotiraditya’s politics at Centre. The Congress in the state, with many regional satraps, was in a shambles till he stepped in. The bigwigs, convinced to throw might behind Jyotiraditya, managed to give a good fight to the BJP. “Satta bazaar” trends are also indicating that the Congress cannot be written off so soon. Sources say that people betting on the BJP’s return to power are getting better returns as on date.
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For Bhopal survivors, NOTA a chance to show resentment
New Delhi, November 24 Almost 30 years down the line, the catastrophe at the Union Carbide factory due to the leakage of deadly methyl isocynate on the intervening night of December 3-4 continues to pose environmental and health problems to second generation survivors, say the activists and NGOs working in the area. But it has long stopped being an issue for either the Congress or the BJP. While the BJP remains almost silent, all that the Congress assures is that it will run the schemes for victims in a better way if it comes to power. At least this is what the Congress candidate from the area (Bhopal north), Arif Vakil, in fact one the very few Muslim leaders of the state, is promising. In NOTA this time, Bhopal gas survivors have found a way to make their voices heard. Sitaram (24) and other young voters like him in the Chola naka and the Ayub Nagar area, adjacent to the abandoned UCIL factory, say they will press the NOTA button on the EVM machines on Monday to show their rejection of both the BJP and the Congress. New voters Sumit Rajput and Rohit Namdev also say that NOTA may help increase their political relevance. The lack of interest among political parties is hardly surprising. The group is insignificant in the terms of numbers for both the BJP and the Congress. Most of the local leaders also dismiss the activists working for the survivors as running “dukaans” (shops) for foreign funding and aid. “There is no problem anywhere, anymore,” they claim. But according to activists, Rachna Dhingra and Satinath Saringi, the health and environmental problems continue to affect the second generation survivors of the area. The underground water is contaminated and the tonnes of hazardous waste on the factory premises are still waiting for safe disposal. To the allegation of running “shops” on the name of the tragedy, Rachna says: “We are not making these claims. It is the scientific bodies like ICMR, CPCB who say so”. Rachna, who has been working to ensure that survivors press NOTA and reject all candidates in tomorrow’s election, says: “The BJP and the Congress are equally responsible for denial of legal rights and adequate compensation to gas victims. They have both provided support to the offending multinationals - Union Carbide and Dow Chemical.” The harsh fact is that 30 years down the line, the Bhopal gas tragedy is no issue, at least in India. Though it still makes a story in international circuits, perhaps due to the involvement of international NGOs with the activists working here.
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Mizoram votes today with VVPAT machines
Aizawl, November 24 For the first time in the country, voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) system will be used in this election in a larger scale, in 10 constituencies. It was first experimented in an assembly bypoll in Nagaland in September. The VVPAT is a machine attached to EVMs which allows voters to check if their votes are cast the way they wished. All the seats in Mizoram are reserved for ST nominees, except Lunglei South which is for general candidates. Both the ruling Congress and the opposition Mizoram Democratic Alliance (MDA) comprising MNF, Mizoram People’s Conference and Maraland Democratic Alliance have fielded candidates in all the 40 seats. Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla (Congress) is contesting from two constituencies - Serchhip, his home turf, and neighbouring Hrangturzo and opposition MNF leader and former Chief Minister Zoramthanga (MNF) is trying his luck from Tuipui East bordering Myanmar. Speaker R Romawia and Deputy Speaker Johalso are in the fray from Aizawl North -I and Mamit seats respectively. The Congress which had won 32 seats in 2008 has fielded 31 of the sitting MLAs. Only Nirupam Chakma was replaced by B D Chakma, chief executive member of the Chakma Autonomous District Council. There are six women candidates, three fielded by the BJP, one each by Congress and MNF and one rebel MNF candidate. There are 6,90,860 voters and 1,126 polling stations in the state, of which 94, mostly in border areas, have been identified as ‘critical’ where security has been beefed up. An additional 31 companies of central para-military forces and police from neighbouring states have been deployed for the polls besides seven armed battalions of the state police to ensure free and fair election. Security along the Manipur border from where militants from the neighbouring state might enter the state was tightened as along the unfenced 64 km border near the tri-junction of Mizoram-Tripura-Bangladesh in Mamit district.
— PTI
The voter-verifiable paper audit trail
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AAP to file defamation suit against web portal
New Delhi, November 24 After reviewing the content of the 14-hour-long unedited CD, party leaders said it was “a fraud and doctoring (of the CD) to malign the party and the candidates at the behest of leaders of BJP and Congress, who feel threatened of losing their ground in the election due to AAP’s rising popularity”. Giving a clean chit to all its nine candidates in question, AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said the party apologises to them for putting them under suspicion for 72 hours. Yadav, along with other party leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, said AAP was proud of its candidates, who have come clean in the sting operation by portal Media Sarkar. “After going through the CD, we can say that all our candidates have come clean, and we are very proud to field such honest candidates,” he said. “We have gone through the entire 14-hour long CD and found many discrepancies with respect to the edited CD released to the media. We have found in the edited CD, conversations of our two candidates, who had flatly refused to help the fake reporter, were removed,” Yadav said. Also, in five interviews, the important portions of the conversation of our candidates were “edited and suppressed”, and they have doctored the conversation by removing the context in which it was said, he claimed, adding wherever the candidates were shown as saying “yes... yes... ok...” it was an attempt to get rid of them and they used that conversation as acceptance of their offer. — PTI
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Rebels queer the pitch in R'sthan
Hanumangarh, November 24 Predominantly rural, issues being raised here by the parties are: more canal water for farmers in the countryside, good roads, drinking water and better infrastructure in the towns and cities across the districts of Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh. During a tour of Sangria, Hanumangarh, Pilibangan and Sadulshahr assembly segments, The Tribune team found that the rebel factor was giving the official candidates sleepless nights. In most of the cases, staunch party workers have opted to oppose the party nominees after being denied the tickets even after assurances in the previous polls. Sources said the maximum number of changes have been effected by the Congress by denying tickets to incumbent MLAs in the state. Punjabi dominant assembly, Sangria, is witnessing an undercurrent of resentment among the community after outgoing MLA Preet Navdeep Kaur was denied the ticket by the Congress in spite of having several developmental works to her credit. Instead newcomer Shabnam Godara has been fielded by the party this time. But youth leader Gurdeep Singh Shahpini is queering the pitch for her by contesting as an Independent on account of his popularity among the youngsters and the fact that the community has been overlooked by the both the Congress and the BJP. In Pilibangan, the Congress has shown the door to Aad Ram Meghwal who had won by an impressive margin last time and instead new comer Vinod Gothwal has been fielded. While the former has officially declared to toe the party line he is said to be sulking and not campaigning vigorously in favour of the official nominee.
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Mewar epicentre in R’sthan poll battle
Udaipur, November 24 In this region of Mewar and
Wagar, which comprises 28 assembly constituencies, the ruling Congress is capitalising on its various welfare schemes whereas BJP is trying hard to bring the voters to its fold. Politicians consider this region a key battle ground and believe that the party which wins the majority of seats here will form the next government. This is why no party can ill afford to ignore the significance of this region adjacent to Gujarat. Leaders like Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra
Modi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and others are visiting the tribal belt to address people. “Mewar Sarkar Banata
hai, (Mewar makes a government),” says Gulabchand Kataria, Leader of Opposition and a BJP stalwart. “We
(BJP) won 22 out of total 28 seats in 2003 and the party was comfortably able to form the government. Last time, Congress got majority of the seats but this time we will reverse this tally and win most of the constituencies, and will form the government,” he claimed at a public meeting here. A six-time MLA, Kataria lambasted Ashok Gehlot led Congress government which he said has lost ground for ignoring the region. “In the last five years, the government made budgetary provision of only Rs 1,973 crore for
Mewar, this share should have been around Rs 22,000 crore (in five years). This government has ignored Mewar now it will go (lost),” he
said. Udaipur MP and Congress leader Raghuveer Singh Meena also acknowledged the importance of the Mewar region, which is better known as the land of historic valiant Rajput rulers like Maharana
Pratap. — PTI
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Andhra now braces for cyclone Lehar
Hyderabad, November 24 ‘Lehar’ lay centred at 11.30 am today, about 230 km east-southeast of Port Blair over the Andaman Sea and is expected to cross Andaman and Nicobar Islands tonight. It would then emerge in South Eastern Bay of Bengal and intensify further gradually into a very severe cyclonic storm. It would move west-northwestwards and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machillipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada around November 28 noon, AP Disaster Management Commissioner C Parthasarathi told reporters here this evening, quoting India Meteorological Department
(IMD) reports. He said farmers, fishermen and others should be geared up to face the severe cyclonic storm, since four days' time is still available for preparation.
— PTI
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Who killed Aarushi? Verdict today
Ghaziabad, November 24 Special Judge S
Lal, who is retiring soon, will give his decision after a 15-month-long trial of dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur
Talwar, both out on bail at present, on charges of murder and destruction of evidence in the killing of their 14-year-old daughter and servant on the intervening night of May 15-16, 2008 at their Jalvayu Vihar residence in
Noida. — PTI
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Solar telescope project in Ladakh to be delayed
Jammu, November 22 The Rs 300 crore project was to come up at Hanle village in Leh district, close to the Pangong Lake, along the Line of Actual Control. “We are yet to receive a formal approval from the Union Science and Technology Ministry for the project. It (project) is under process and we are hopeful that the ministry will approve the project soon,” former Director of the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics and chief investigator of the project, S Siraj Hasan told The Tribune over phone from Bangalore. An official in the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Leh, said the project would come up on the “icy heights of Hanle village near the Pangong Lake”. “We have sufficient land, including a large hilly terrain in the village which has been identified for setting up of this largest solar telescope. We are still awaiting the formal approval of the Union Ministry. Work will be undertaken only after formal approval of the Union Ministry concerned,” the official said. Earlier in January, it was announced that work on the project would commence in December and it will be completed in 2017. The telescope will help scientists study the sun’s atmosphere and understand the process of creation and decay of
the sunspots. According to scientists the main objective of the telescope is to study the subsurface structure of the sunspots. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics is the nodal agency for the project, which will also witness participation of scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation, the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences and other prestigious institutions. At present, the world’s largest solar telescope --- the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope with an aperture size of 1.6 metres --- is at the Kitt Peak National Observatory at Arizona in the US.
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Faith Connections, The Fifth Season steal the show
Goa, November 24 Born out of the question what happens if spring doesn’t come that nagged its makers, The Fifth Season that looks at impending environmental catastrophe saw a full hall at the auditorium of the Kala Akademy with a seating capacity of nearly one thousand.
Of courses, audiences at the festival are no different from viewers in the rest of the country. So they kept walking in and out at varied intervals yet a fairly large majority watched it in pin drop silence and seemed to appreciate
its language of silence, visuals and its thought- provoking content. Nalin’s thoughtful documentary on the Kumbh mela too found an instant spiritual connect with its viewers. Films from Japan the country focus at the 44th International Film Festival of India, were well received as well. In fact, 12 films from Japan that are being showcased
here, shared the directors from the country, represent the vast spectrum of the variety that defines Japanese cinema. Two of its most commercially successful films Wolf Children and Gantz are part of the bouquet that they have brought here. However, the acclaimed director Kiyoshi Kurosawa whose film Tokyo Sonata created a buzz at international circles shared that the kind of films that people appreciate outside Japan are very different from what Japanese like. He also revealed that much has changed in the Japanese film industry when masters such as
Akira Kurosawa worked within the paradigm of studio environment. Today studio system is not the same and often director is sought after the project is undertaken. Interestingly, the world might be mighty impressed by their immortal masters, Sang Lee’s Unforgiven is a remake of a Clint Eastwood film. If commercially love story is a popular genre in Japan so are animation films. Animation was the subject of discussion as animation directors of the ‘Sketches on Screen’ segment discussed their craft. Seth Scriver and Shayne Ehman from Canada along with the Swedish comic creator, Max Andersson talked about how technology is merely a tool and software alone can’t augment the craft of storytelling. Similarly, on the growing trend of using animation in mainstream cinema, they argued that by itself it’s not a bad practice. But it can make a difference to a film only if the maker knows how to use it and juxtapose it well. Technically they claimed with animation anything is possible but the moot point is whether it does convey something and adds to the narrative. They also felt the big budgets are not crucial to making good animation films.
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Mumbai Film Festival to have participation from 34 nations
Goa, November 24 VS
Kundu, director general of the Films Division and director of MIFF, shared that this year’s edition of MIFF, which is otherwise the largest such festival in Asia and among the top 10 in the world, will witness the participation of makers from as many as 34 countries and will include about 205 films in the international section. The award process has been restructured and new technical awards in all three categories that is documentary, short fiction and animation films have been introduced. Other salient points of the 13th edition of the festival would be an award for the most innovative film and a popular film award in which the audiences get to vote. The move has been initiated to engage audiences. Aware that documentary viewing culture has yet to develop in the country, the FD has taken many initiatives and started FD zones in other cities. Of course, this endeavour draws its major sustenance from local resources and film buffs and, hence, so far, is limited to major cities. During the festival days national competitive section films will be shown simultaneously in several cities, including Chandigarh. Since funding is a major crunch for makers of short films, the MIFF has taken a tentative step in that direction and will be holding workshops on funding strategies. Internationally acclaimed pitching forum Good Pitch Squared partnered by BRITDOCS and Sundance Institute Documentary Program has been roped in and eight selected projects will be pitched before panelists comprising buyers and funding agencies, thus providing a platform for Indian makers. But then the film market, according to
Kundu, takes a long time to develop. So does audience development. Fortunately, today despite cinema being hijacked by entertainment industry, a large section of the Indian audience has become mature and ready to watch films with more serious content. And to those looking for meaning and purpose, the MIFF will showcase the best. A two-level selection process comprising zonal and final screening committee is already on its job and will be selecting films for the competitive section. —
Nonika Singh
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Dutch firm studying airport on sea
Mumbai, November 24 State government sources said construction of the Navi Mumbai airport in the sea is gaining traction as the government is still finding it difficult to acquire land from villagers. "There is a shallow island called Madh 2.5 km in the sea off the site of the proposed airport. The plan is to reclaim land around the island to construct the airport," Sanjay Bhatia, Managing Director, City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), which is developing Navi Mumbai said. Bhatia said the cost of reclaiming the land would be around Rs 3,000 crore and would be completed in around three years. It would also be far cheaper than rehabilitating people whose land would otherwise be acquired for the airport, Bhatia said. A preliminary study conducted by NACO indicates that an airport in the sea was feasible. A detailed study would be conducted in the next few months.
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Delhi student helps school cut power use by 19%
New Delhi, November 24 A Class XII student at DPS RK Puram, Aakanxit Khullar, rolled out a novel “Daily Power Saver Project” at school this April and by July had achieved 17 per cent monthly reduction in electricity consumption at the boys’ hostel, a major power guzzler. “Our target is 25 per cent cut in power consumption at school by year end. That would mean halving the Rs 1.3 crore power bill paid last year,” Khullar told The Tribune a day after his project was presented at a UN Habitat-led global conference on Green and Sustainable Schools here. The project started with Aakanxit first undertaking an extremely unpopular exercise. “I would run from one class to another switching off appliances left in on-mode. First everyone would laugh at me but when we managed 2 per cent power consumption reduction, people began to join me,” he says. But manual switching off wasn’t a permanent solution. So Aakanxit located the two electricity meters installed at the school and started jotting down meter-readings during school break every day. “Now we knew daily power consumption at school and didn’t have to wait for the monthly bills to see how we were doing. Switching off appliances became a practice. Next we formed a Club called Activists for Conservation of Energy (ACE) comprising volunteers with
whom I achieved 19 pc reductions in consumption by October,” Aakanxit said. His principal backed all his efforts. Energy Efficiency Services, a Government of India undertaking, gave funds to the school to replace obsolete appliances (identified by ACE) with new technology which can reduce power consumption by 25 per cent until December. EES funds green building projects. Besides, Aakanxit developed a colour-coded device called RACE (Reader for Activists for Conservation of Electricity) which helps any layman gauge instantaneous consumption of electricity from simple blinking of any of the four zones located on the Reader. “Blinking of the blue zone means we are in the sustainable range of 0 to 25 pc consumption; green light means for 25 to 50 pc consumption; yellow means 50 to 75 pc and red means over 75 pc consumption. The reader has been installed outside the principal’s office. It updates consumption patterns every five minutes and we know where to improve,” Aakanxit explains. Many agencies have expressed interest in further developing on Aakanxit’s Reader prototype.
Going green: The big idea
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Assam’s ‘disturbed area’ tag to continue for another year
Guwahati, November 24 The entire Assam state and 20-km belts along the inter-state boundary with Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have been declared “disturbed area” for one more year. The extension comes despite repeated claims by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi that the law and order situation in the state has improved following initiation of peace talks with insurgents groups. One of the reasons cited by the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) for declaring the state a disturbed area is the presence of Maoists in some of the districts and areas along
Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary. The ministry believes the Maoists have infested
Golaghat, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Tinsukia districts of Assam and the Namsai area of Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. Some other reasons for extending the “disturbed area” tag include deteriorating law and order situation, continued violence by underground militants, increasing activities of insurgents, rising
incidents of demand for extortions etc. The state was first declared a “disturbed area” on November 27, 1990 under the AFSPA and the tag has been renewed every year since then. The current term expires on December 3, 2013. It is for the first time that the MHA has cited presence of Maoists as one
of the reasons for continuing with the “disturbed area” tag.
MHA’s reasons for extension
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Brigadier, two other officers face GCM
Chandigarh, November 24 Sources say based upon complaints received by the Army authorities, the military intelligence had intercepted a shipment of salvage material being moved out of the depot and found the quantity of the material much more than that stated on the vouchers. A court of inquiry (COI) conducted into the matter by Maj Gen HS Nanda, Commander Uttar Bharat Area, had revealed that around 44 tonnes of material was moved out against the vouchers for only 16 tonnes. The entire quantity was moved on the basis of two vouchers. Subsequently, a third voucher was issued to cover up the excess quantity. The COI had held the COD Commandant and other officers blameworthy for the lapses and subsequently ordered disciplinary action against them on charges of intent to defraud and acts prejudicial to good order. The seven-member GCM, presided over by Major General Suresh Gupta, a sub-area commander, commenced on Friday. The trial had been convened earlier but had remained adjourned for several months, after the defence had, in its plea to jurisdiction, objected to the judge advocate, who is the legal adviser to the court. The Army has detailed a new judge advocate for the trial.
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Govt concerned over clashes among Army officers, jawans
New Delhi, November 24 It has comes in the backdrop of over five such incidents being reported in the Army in the last three years. The concern was expressed at the recently held Combined Commanders' Conference which was addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister AK Antony. The top defence brass was told that the educational and the social background of the jawans have changed in the recent years and there was a need for the officers to handle them in proper manner, sources said. A need for sensitising the officers regarding their dealings with the jawans was also felt, they said. There have been several such incidents since 2010. — PTI
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Badals to campaign in Delhi
Modi hits back at Sonia Youths pledge support to AAP
ISRO to launch German, French, British satellites
ATM attack: Bank says it has footage
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President Pranab Mukherjee has stressed on the need for transforming the police system and bringing it in tune with the requirements of a modern democratic nation.
He was addressing DGPs and IGPs along with heads of Central Police Organisations who had called on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan on
Saturday.
New Delhi, November 24
Known for its scenic beauty, history, modern urban planning and many lakes, Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, also has a dubious distinction as the ground zero of the world’s worst industrial disaster way back in1984.
Almost 30 years down the line, the catastrophe at the Union Carbide factory due to the leakage of deadly methyl isocynate on the intervening night of December 3-4 continues to pose environmental and health problems.
Poll officials check an EVM in Bhopal on Sunday. — PTI
The Aam Aadmi Party today charged a website with committing fraud by “doctoring” a CD that purportedly showed some of its candidates raising funds through illegal means and said it will file a criminal and civil defamation suit against the portal.
As Madhya Pradesh goes to polls on Monday, the talk of the town is whether Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be able to score a hat-trick, just like his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi.
Movies like The Fifth Season, directed by documentary filmmakers Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth and Faith Connections by Pan Nalin were the toast of the day.
