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Trans-border drug smuggling racket busted, two arrested
NCP flexes muscles as Congress watches
Chavan’s actions benefited kin in Adarsh scam: Probe
BJP pulls out all stops for mega-Modi rally
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Sanjay Dutt gets parole again
Election Commission for making paid news electoral offence
We are proud of his sacrifice, say relatives
AAP widens base ahead of LS polls
AAP leader Manish Sisodia addresses a ‘jan sabha’ in Delhi. A Tribune photo
Indigenous anti-missile system to protect Mi-17
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Trans-border drug smuggling racket busted, two arrested
New Delhi, December 21 The accused have been identified as Ragmeet Singh and Shurbir Singh, said Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell. Heroin weighing 9 kg worth Rs 30 crore in the international market was recovered from them, he said. The accused are members of a large trans-national narcotics racket and Shurbir was wanted by the Punjab Police. The police received information about a drug syndicate operating out of Delhi and engaged in receipt and onward distribution as well as trans-national peddling of high-quality Afghanistan-made heroin. They had information that the syndicate was being orchestrated by one Ali, based in Kuwait and one
Samiullah, based in Afghanistan and that there were several Pakistani, Indian and Sri Lankan members, who were engaged in this trade. The police came to know that several conduits from Andhra Pradesh were frequently visiting Delhi and meeting certain Sikh families, who had migrated from Afghanistan two decades ago. Police came to know that one Reddy had to come to Shankar Road on December 18 for drugs. A trap was laid and Venugopal Reddy was arrested with 3-kg narcotics. He disclosed that he had been in this trade for past six months along with his associate Gopi and Durra. He said he received two consignments from two Delhi residents. He disclosed that Afghani
Sikh-Shurbir Singh and Ragmeet Singh were at Majnu Ka Tilla waiting for a consignment. They were arrested and 6-kg drugs were recovered from them. Ragmeet Singh and Shurbir Singh disclosed that they are members of a large trans-national narcotics racket, being jointly coordinated by Ali of Kuwait and Samiullah of Afghanistan.
Modus
Operandi
Conduits based in Afghanistan and Pakistan used to push heroin into India through Punjab border, from where it was carried by road/rail to Delhi and delivered to the two arrested accused and other Afghani Sikhs. Tamil and Telugu regulators then took over and utilised several South Indian conduits to distribute the heroin into the southern part of the country.
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NCP flexes muscles as Congress watches
New Delhi, December 21 Senior NCP leader and Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel today publicly slammed the Government for failing to defend its own policies in the 2G Spectrum and coal scams and failing to signal to bureaucrats that it would stand behind them come what may. "The political executive must drive change. That’s possible when you inspire confidence in those who deliver. In past three years, we have lost the direction on this count and that has cost us politically," Praful said today adding that the Government had failed to assure officers that it would back them when they implemented the policy the Government had decided to follow. Praful was speaking during a session titled “Industry in Conversation with the Government” at FICCI’s annual general meeting in the capital. More significant is the fact that he spoke while Jyotiraditya Scindia, a close aide of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, sat on the dais, and listened. The remarks are politically significant as they come on the eve of BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi’s rally in Mumbai tomorrow, and mirror the increasingly aggressive posture which UPA’s once trusted ally, the NCP, is taking post Congress’ recent election defeats in four states. Also, the remarks follow NCP boss Sharad Pawar’s open attack on the Congress’ “weak leadership.” For Pawar, the period post Congress’ poll debacle in four major states presents an opportunity where the NCP can flex its muscles to get its pound of flesh ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2009 general elections, Congress and NCP had contested as a pre poll alliance with the seats divided in the 29: 19 ratio. But the NCP now wants more with top party sources saying they would not settle for anything less than 22 seats, three more than the last time. That would mean the Congress would have 26 instead of 29 as earlier. NCP’s anti UPA posturing relates not just to its demand for a greater pound of flesh in the LS seat pie but also its urge to position itself as a potential leader in case of a hung Parliament in 2014. Pawar wants to keep his options open as a viable leadership option for the third front alternative in case the same emerges post the 2014 verdict. But whatever be the NCP supremo’s wish list, he sure is giving the Congress troubled times and is doing so openly riding on recent better performances (than the Congress) in local body elections in
Maharashtra. Out in the open
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Chavan’s actions benefited kin in Adarsh scam: Probe
Nagpur, December 21 In its 891-page report, the panel, set up by the state government in 2011, also found fault with former Chief Ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde and Shivajirao Nilangekar Patil over the way issues of land allotment and grant of construction right were handled. Membership of the 31-storey Adarsh Housing Society building in south Mumbai was not an "open affair" and clearances for the residential high-rise were given on "quid pro quo" (give and take) basis, the two-member panel has said. Three close relatives of Chavan were granted membership of the society during his tenure (December 2008 to November 2010). Chavan handled the Adarsh file as Revenue Minister in 2002 and later allegedly asked the housing society to take 40% members from civilian category, when it was meant only for war veterans, it said. "There was certainly a nexus between the acts of Chavan and benefits derived by his close relatives. The membership process clearly indicates that grant of requisite permission by Chavan was by way of quid pro quo," it said. According to the commission, whose report was tabled in the Assembly yesterday, membership to the housing society was not open to general public but was controlled by a small coterie. "A few lords or coterie of Adarsh like former MLC late Kanhaiyalal Gidwani and RC Thakur (a defence estate cadre officer) played vital and effective role in proposing the names of the new members of the society. They had a final say in the matter of proposing names of members." Deshmukh, as Chief Minister, had sanctioned additional FSI (floor space index or construction right) for the building. This was done despite a similar proposal being rejected by his predecessor Shinde on November 24, 2003.
— PTI Wrongs done
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BJP pulls out all stops for mega-Modi rally
Mumbai, December 21 BJP leaders admitted that filling up the grounds could be difficult for them, so they had asked activists from across Maharashtra and Gujarat to chip in to manage the logistics. Party leaders said they had been asked to mobilise at least 8 lakh people in what is seen as an exercise to upstage all major parties in Maharashtra, including the Congress and the Shiv Sena. “We have hired 22 special trains and 10,000 vehicles to bring our supporters to the venue,” said party spokesperson Madhav Bhandari. Since the Congress had dismissed Modi as a former tea vendor, the BJP has invited more than 10,000 people from Mumbai and surrounding areas. The party is using social networking sites and mobile applications such as WhatsApp to convince people to attend the rally. “People can get themselves registered online or can give a missed call on our hotline and we will arrange for their pickups and drops,” BJP leader Niranjan Shetty said.
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Election Commission for making paid news electoral offence
Thiruvananthapuram, December 21 "Corruption implications of paid news has its impact on every one... media, candidates and people and it is one that causes maximum damage to the electoral process", Sampath said while delivering an address at a seminar on electoral reforms, here. Paid news should be made an electoral offence so that all those who indulge in it face consequences, he said. On election model code of conduct for political parties, Sampath said the practice of giving advertisements by governments in power on its achievements just days before the announcement of poll dates should be stopped. However, there could be exception for issues connected with health, poverty alleviation schemes and on consumer interest, he said. Stressing the need for radical reforms in the poll arena, Sampath said decriminalisation of politics, transparency in the functioning of political parties and auditing of political parties funds were some of the areas that needed urgent attention. On the steps taken in this regard, Sampath said, "We have a long way to go in electoral reforms. Inadequacies have been felt and expressed in many areas. Remedial measures are slow in coming". Law to prohibit candidates with criminal records was underway. "However, you cannot expect a drastic change in such things in a short time", he said. He ruled out the possibility of making voting by a person mandatory by law. In the last Parliament polls, about 30 crore people did not vote. "So if voting was made mandatory by law, CEC has to take cases against 30 crore people", he said, adding, it would only add burden of judiciary. The Election Commission does not believe in compulsion and instead it has launched a nation-wide campaign to promote participation of electorates in voting process, he said, adding the efforts in this regard have reaped success in the recent elections held in five states. The voting percentage was the highest in the recent history.
— PTI
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Bhiwani village waits for its martyred son
Bhiwani, December 21 Sangwan, 32, was deployed in South Sudan and was among the two Indian soldiers killed in an attack on a United Nations compound on Thursday night. Reports said that rebels from the second-largest ethnic group, the Nuer, stormed the compound and targeted their rival ethnic community who had taken refuge at the base camp. Sangwan and another soldier, Kumar Pal Singh, suffered bullet injuries in the crossfire between the two groups that led to their death. He was recruited to the Rajputana Rifles at the age of 18 years. Later, he adopted rowing as a sport and emerged as the star performer. According to information, he had won gold medals in two different categories at the 2005 Asian Championships in Hyderabad and again bagged the first rowing silver at Doha Asiad in 2006. A pall of gloom has descended on the dusty village located near the Aravali range. The stream of visitors to his house has not taken a break since the news of his death reached the village yesterday. Hailing from a modest family of this village, Dharmesh had excelled in sports. He was an Asian Games silver medallist and an Asian Championship gold medal winner. Village sarpanch Satbir Singh said that the entire village was proud of the martyrdom of their son.
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We are proud of his sacrifice, say relatives
Gurgaon, December 21 He added that the entire Bhondsi village was proud of him. “I am proud that he got the death dreamt by every soldier. My brother has been true to the pledge he took while joining the Army. The generations shall remember his sacrifice," added
Raghav. The martyr is survived by his wife and two children.
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AAP widens base ahead of LS polls
New Delhi, December 21 The party’s membership account has risen inch-by-inch under its mission “Buniyad” with which the party has roped in volunteers and touched the length and breadth of the country since January. In this, the AAP’s impressive Delhi innings has certainly added with the party in the next seven days witnessing a jump in its online registration with over two lakh people enrolling themselves, including 30,000 in UP, 10,000 plus in Kerala and over 25,000 in Delhi alone. The online mode has picked up with the total registration since the Delhi election result was declared for some states being 1,640 for Himachal Pradesh, 14,674 for Haryana, 34,595 in Uttar Pradesh and 6,477 in West Bengal. “Since January this year under “Buniyad” programme, people have been applying and taking membership. It is not that it picked up only after December 8 (when AAP won 28 seats), as people having been saying, though it has been increasing tremendously,” says Bipul Dey an AAP member at Delhi office. There has been a constant inflow of visitors and aspiring members of AAP at its 41 Hanuman Mandir Road office in Central Delhi and A-119 Kaushambi in Ghaziabad, which missed the usual media presence and queues of OB vans on a day, when party held scores of public meetings across Delhi to seek feedback over government formation. Even as a major strength of AAP’s workforce remained engaged on war footing at Jan Sabhas, volunteers continued to attend to visitors and register those interested who either walked into the main offices or its constituency units in the Capital. On and off people could be seen jostling at Hanuman Road office, where four tables were placed for manual registration. “We have a good batch of volunteers among whom party work has been segregated. They are also involved in relation-building as you can see people are coming for being a part of the historic change. I even ran out of stock and few had to return. On an average, we complete 500 odd ordinary membership of Rs 10 each and most of them are from Delhi. Those who come from outside Delhi visit Kaushambi office,” says
Bipul.
Likely to form govt
The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday said Delhiites had responded positively to its proposal of forming government at the Centre. “We have received a positive and explicit response from people of Delhi during meetings held at various constituencies. If things progress in the same direction, AAP will definitely form the government,” party leader Manish Sisodia said. He said the party would hold meetings on Sunday as well to know people’s final decision.
— IANS
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Indigenous anti-missile system to protect Mi-17
The missile protection gear, also called counter measure dispensing system (CMDS), has been developed by state-owned Bharat Dynamics Limited and has undergone flight trials. These systems work by dispensing flares or metallic chaff to deflect or “confuse” the heat-seeking sensors or radar receivers of incoming hostile missiles. Composite armour, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), will replace the existing imported heavy-steel armour, thereby improving their net payload capacity in high altitude areas like Ladakh. One set of prototype armour panels has undergone successful integration and flight trials on a Mi-17 1-V version at No.3 Base Repair Depot (BRD) here and the airworthiness certification process is underway. The modification and retrofitting of the Mi-17 fleet with the CMDS and composite armour will be undertaken at 3 BRD here, which is the nodal agency for providing technical support for Soviet-origin helicopters. The modification of Mi-17s with defensive measures is significant because of their tactical operational role that includes offensive close-air support by mounting rocket pods and machine guns, carrying out special missions, airborne assaults, supporting the Special Forces and undertaking logistic support in forward areas. The IAF had lost a Mi-17 along with its crew while undertaking armed missions in high altitude areas during the 1999 Kargil conflict. Earlier this year, in the first incident of its kind, an IAF Mi-17 crash landed in Chhattisgarh after it was hit by ground fire from naxalites. A police radio operator on board was injured by fire. The IAF began inducting the Mi-17 in 1986, when a total of 53 such helicopters were ordered from Russia. The significance
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Strain in the Congress-NCP ties became even more pronounced today with another leader of the Sharad Pawar-led outfit questioning the manner in which the government conducted itself in the face of corruption allegations in both the coal and 2G Spectrum scams.
Actor Sanjay
Dutt,
who is undergoing a jail sentence for possessing illegal weapons
during the 1992-93 Mumbai riots, was today released from Pune's
Yerwada jail on a month's parole. He left the jail premises for his
home at 10 in the morning. This is the second time in less than six
months that the actor has been granted parole by the authorities.
While he had sought parole on health grounds earlier, this time he was
granted furlough on account of his wife Maanyata's ill-health. Though
Dutt was to have been released on parole earlier this month, this was
ostensibly delayed due to formalities pertaining to sureties provided
by the actor. According to the provisions of his parole, Dutt will
have to report to the Khar police station every two days. Dutt's
application for parole came in for criticism after Maanyata was
spotted at Bollywood parties just one day before furlough was granted
to him.
Whichever way the Aam Aadmi Party’s final call swings based on the referendum it has sought from people in Delhi on forming the next government with an alliance with the Congress, the prospects of the year-old party will certainly be one to watch out for ahead of the Lok Sabha polls given the steadily growing member-base of AAP.
Chandigarh, December 21
