Epaper Lucknow English Edition 09-08-2014

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CAPSULE

WONT LET E-RICKS PLYSANS REGISTRATION: HCNew Delhi: The Delhi High Courton Friday made it clear that itwill not allow the plying ofunregulated e-rickshaws in the

Capital unless the vehicles haveregistration and insurance andtheir drivers have licences.

LOOKING FORWARD TOUS VISIT: MODI TO HAGELNew Delhi: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi told visiting USDefence Secretary Chuck Hagelthat he looked forward to visitingthe US in September that wouldprovide an opportunity to seehow the worlds oldestdemocracy and the worldslargest democracy can build apartnership for peace, stabilityand prosperity in the world.

PAK HANDS OVER BSFTROOPER TO INDIAJammu: A BSF trooper who wasswept away by strong currentsin the Chenab River intoPakistani territory was on Fridayhanded over to Indian officialson the international border inJammu, officials said.

ONE HELD FOR KILLING,EATING HUMAN LIVER

Lucknow:In a bizarre incident ofcannibalism in Gorakhpur, a tribalcouple and another person killed aperson, took out his liver and ateit. One accused has been arrested.Pieces of the cooked liver of thedeceased have been seized andsent for examination.

S RAJAGOPALAN nWASHINGTON

In a new military operation inIraq after a gap of nearly threeyears, the United States onFriday launched airstrikes onthe advancing Islamic mili-tants, targeting their mobileartillery outside Irbil, a city witha presence of American diplo-mats and military personnel.

Two F/A-18 fightersdropped 500-pound laser-guid-ed bombs on the artillerybelonging to the Islamic State

in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that wasbeing used to shell Kurdishforces defending Irbil, thePentagon said.

Pentagon spokesman RearAdmiral John Kirby said it wasnot immediately clear how manymilitants might have been killed

in the strike. The F-18s hadtaken off from the aircraft car-rier USS George HW Bush inthe Persian Gulf for the mission.

The airstrikes followed anauthorisation by PresidentBarack Obama late on Thursdayin a concerted move aimed atpreventing a potential geno-cide of thousands of Christiansand Yazidis and protecting theAmerican personnel.

Obama also ordered animmediate airdrop of human-itarian supplies for the religiousminorities who were confinedto a mountaintop after fleeingfrom the ISIS extremists. Thetrapped men, women and chil-dren were without food andwater and facing almost certaindeath, he said in a statementdelivered on Thursday night.

The US fighters hit IslamicState positions in Makhmour,about 35 miles southwest of

Irbil, an official of the KurdishInterior Ministry was quoted assaying. This is a victory for allthe Iraqi people, for the PeshMerga (the Kurdish securityforce), and for America, com-mented the official.

Details on Page 13

PNS n NEW DELHI

The BJP National Councilwill meet at JawaharlalNehru Stadium in the Capitalon Saturday to ratify theappointment of party presidentAmit Shah. The day-long meetwill be attended by over 2,000party representatives fromacross the country.

The session will start withShahs ratification as new partychief and conclude with Prime

Minister Narendra Modisaddress to the gathering.

This is the first meeting ofthe partys National Councilafter BJPs sweeping victory inthe Lok Sabha polls. Partypatriarch LK Advani will alsoaddress the meet. UnionMinisters Rajnath Singh,Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitleyand other party leaders too will

take part in the deliberations.The meeting will start at 10

am and conclude by 6 pm. TheNational Council, the highestpolicy making body of theparty, will adopt a political res-olution detailing political andeconomic issues as well as theinitiatives taken by the BJP-ledNDA Government and itsroadmap ahead. Therewill not be any separate eco-nomic resolution.

The meeting will adopt aresolution that will includepolitical and economic issuesas also achievements of thenew Government and itsroadmap ahead, BJP vice-president Mukhtar AbbasNaqvi said.

He added that besides topcentral leaders of the party,Chief Ministers and Ministers

in the BJP-ruled States andOpposition leaders or BJPLPleaders in States where BJP isnot in power will participate inthe meet.

BJP national executivemembers and presidents ofpartys State units and BJPgeneral secretaries and heads of

various morchas and fronts inStates and at the central level

too will take part in theNational Council session.

Senior BJP leaders led byNaqvi, along with party gener-al secretary JP Nadda and oth-ers, reviewed the arrangements

at the Nehru stadium onFriday. Shah had taken over asBJP chief on July 9 afterRajnath Singh resigned fromthe post soon after joining theNarendra Modi Cabinet.

Shah (50), the closest aideof Modi, was unanimouslyappointed to the top partypost at its parliamentary boardmeeting on July 9.

After the ratification of hisappointment, Shah will recon-stitute his team that will leadthe party.

The announcement of theteam is expected soon after theconclusion of the ongoingParliament session on August14. The new team may includea number of young faces,including women leaders.

PRAMOD KUMAR SINGH nNEW DELHI

The Additional SessionsJudge (ASJ) of PatialaHouse courts on Friday con-victed Sher Singh Rana, theprime accused in the sensa-tional murder of Phoolan Devi,who was then Member ofParliament from Mirzapur-Bhadohi Lok Sabha seat on aSamajwadi Party (SP) ticket.

Phoolan Devi, the bandit-turned-politician, was gunneddown at the gate of her officialresidence at July 25, 2001. ASJBharat Parashar, however,acquitted the ten other accusedin the case due to lack of evi-dence against them. The courtwill pronounce the quantum ofpunishment on Tuesday.

Except for Sher SinghRana, I am acquitting all otheraccused. Sher Singh Rana isconvicted of offences underSections 302 (murder), 307(attempt to murder) and 34(common intention) under theIPC, the ASJ stated in his

judgement while acquitting theother accused. The court fixed

Tuesday (August 12) for argu-ments from the prosecutionand defence and for the pro-nouncement of quantum ofsentence.

After the ASJ pronouncedthe verdict, Rana pleaded:Why have you convicted onlyme? The others were also there.

I have passed the judge-ment, you can file an appeal inthe High Court, the judgesaid.

The other accused arrest-

ed and tried by the courtincluding Dhan Prakash,Shekhar Singh, Rajbir Singh,Vijay Singh, alias Raju (Ranasbrother), Rajender Singh, aliasRavinder Singh, KeshavChauhan, Praveen Mittal, AmitRathi, Surender Singh Negi

alias Suri and Sharavan Kumar,were let off for lack of evidence.There were murmurs in

the prosecution after Ranaspartners in crime were acquit-ted by the court. They havebeen in jail for the last 13 yearsand were not granted bail. Butnow they have been acquitted,said a police official involved inthe investigation.

One of the accusedPradeep Singh had died inTihar Jail and the proceedings

against him were dropped. Outof the 11 accused, Rana,Shekhar Singh, Rajbir Singhand Sharavan Kumar were pro-duced before the court.

Rana was present at thehouse and lay in wait withother conspirators. He wasaware that Phoolan would becoming home for lunch.Ironically he had droppedPhoolan Devi to ParliamentHouse in the morning. Heshot her in the head frompoint-blank range before firingindiscriminately. She had thenuttered Arrey maar daalaand collapsed in a heap.

Her bodyguard BalinderSingh, then a Delhi PoliceConstable had fired in retalia-tion and he too was shot byRanas associate Dhan Prakash.

The bullet fired by BalinderSingh was later discoveredlodged in Ranas getaway vehi-cle and the same was used bythe Crime Branch to build thesequence of the murder.

Inspector Suresh Kaushik(now ACP) had filed a volu-minous charge sheet and 11people, including Rana, werecharged for murdering Phoolanto avenge the 1981 Behmaimassacre in which she had

Continued on Page 6

STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI

After suffering a severe head injury due to afall at his residence, former BJP leaderJaswant Singh is in a very critical condition atthe Army Research and Referral Hospital.Singh was admitted there early on Friday andis currently in coma.

According to a release issuedby the Defence Ministry, a life-saving decompressive hemi-

craniectomy had been performedon Singh. At present his condi-tion is very critical. He is on thelife support system and under

constant monitoring by a team of neurosurgeonsand critical care providers, said the Ministry.

The 76-year-old former Defence Ministerwas admitted to the hospital in a highly criticalcondition around 1 am on Friday with an injuryon his head. The Ministry said that his familymembers brought him to the hospital after find-ing him lying on the floor of the house in anunconscious state.

Continued on Page 6

SWETA GOSWAMI n NEW DELHI

Shaggy stray dogs roaming aroundthe streets of New Delhi are soongoing to be a rare sight soon.

The New Delhi MunicipalCouncil (NDMC) has decided totrain strays to create its ownguard dog squad in order to

enhance security.A proposal in this regard hasbeen forwarded by NDMC to DelhiPolice and other authorities con-cerned. We are trying to rope inpolice dog trainers to train andgroom stray dogs in the NDMCarea. We have also written to theAnimal Welfare Board and havesought necessary permissions, saidJalaj Shrivastava, Chairperson,NDMC. The move will address thetwin-problem of security and dogmenace in the posh area.

Explaining how NDMC plans toget hold of stray dogs and trainthem, Shrivastava said: Our pro-

posal is well within the boundariesof animal rights. We will adopt thestrays and send them for training toDelhi Police. It is only going to bet-ter their lot.

Significantly, after monkeys, itis the stray dog menace that tops thelist of complaints from residents ofthe VVIP area. As of now, on

receiving a complaint, the agency,because of a court directive, is notleft with much choice but to take thedog away, sterilise it and leave it b ackat the same spot.

Not just this, the guard dogswill be accompanied by NDMCshome guards. The agency plans totrain around 700 personnel anddeploy them at various placesincluding markets, to aid people.Called the May I help you force, thefirst batch will be deployed at KhanMarket and Connaught Place onIndependence Day.

The May I help you force willbe stationed at different markets and

parks to attend to the public. It willprovide a sense of security at nightas they will carry walkie-talkies,whistles and will be trained in first-aid and soft skills, said Shrivastava.

The plan is in line with NDMCsproposal to extend market hours till11 pm and restaurant timings till 1am. Besides, it had already decidedto keep parks under its jurisdictionopen till 11 pm.

At present, we deploy 40 of ourpersonnel at various parks duringthe morning hours. The responsehas been good and we plan toextend this to markets too,Shrivastava said.

The force will be selected fromNDMCs Temporary-Muster-Roll.Launching the entire force is expect-ed to take time and it may take offby March next year.

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Friday held that the10 per cent strength rule relied on by theNDA Government to deny Congress the post ofLeader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was notamenable to judicial review.

The rule is part of a ruling given by GVMavalankar, the first Speaker of Lok Sabha, wholaid down that the Leader of Opposition postwould go to any political party that garnered 10

per cent strength in the House. Following thislogic, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had rec-ommended the Centre that since Congress hasonly 44 seats, short of 10 per cent (55 seats) ofthe House membership, there was no questionof granting it the Leader of Opposition post.

Armed with this information contained in anews report, advocate ML Sharma approached theapex court in a PIL challenging the Mavalankarrule. He sought scrutiny of the Governments deci-sion to deny Leader of Opposition post toCongress, which had the highest numericalstrength among Opposition parties in the House.

Continued on Page 6

PNS n NEW DELHI

The prolonged absence ofcricket legend SachinTendulkar and Bollywoodactress Rekha from RajyaSabha created uproar in theHouse on Friday.

Members were miffed asTendulkar attended the Housefor only three days last yearand Rekha was present for justseven days, since their nomi-nation two years ago. Theduo invited criticism fromleaders of all political parties.

The last time Tendulkarattended the session was onDecember 13, 2013, whileRekha came on February19, 2014.

However, Rajya SabhaChairman Hamid Ansari saidthere was no violation of theConstitution as Tendulkar hadbeen absent just for 40 daysand Rekha less than that.

As per Article 104 of theConstitution, if a member isabsent from either House ofParliament for a period of 60days then the seat is consid-ered vacant. In case of SachinTendulkar, he has not attend-

ed Parliament for 40 dayswhereas Rekhas absence isless than this, he observed.

Under attack over notattending the House,Tendulkar said there was amedical emergency that kepthim away from Delhi andthat he did not mean disre-spect to any institution. Myabsence in Delhi has been dis-cussed rather too much. Idont mean to disrespect anyinstitution. Just to let you

know, my elder brother Ajithad to undergo a bypasssurgery and I had to be by hisside, he said hours after mem-bers in the Rajya Sabha rakedup his prolonged absence fromthe House and demanded hisparticipation in its business.

Continued on Page 6

Gulf War 3in making?

Speakers decisionnot open to judicialreview, says SC

Jaswant Singhslips into comaafter head injury

BJP posters and flags ahead of the partys National Council Meeting at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Friday PTI

Rana convicted ofPhoolans murder10 others acquittedfor lack of evidence,sentence on Aug 12

National Council toadopt resolution onpolitical-economicissues, roadmap

Rajya SabhaChairman HamidAnsari said therewas no violation ofthe Constitution asTendulkar had beenabsent just for 40days and Rekhaless than that

BJP to formally crown Shah today

This image made from AP video shows smoke rising from airstrikes targetingIslamic State militants near the Khazer checkpoint on the outskirts of Irbilin northern Iraq on Friday AP

Over 2,000 party leaders fromacross the country, including ChiefMinisters and Ministers in the BJP-

ruled States and Oppositionleaders or BJPLP leaders in Stateswhere BJP is not in power too will

take part in the meet

NIRJ R

After the ASJ pronounced the verdict, Ranapleaded: Why have you convicted only me?The others were also there. I have passed thejudgement, you can file an appeal in theHigh Court, the judge said

Investigations had proved that Rana had plotted themurder for more than two years and had gatheredfinance for buying arms and ammunition. He hadeven robbed a bank for generating funds to carryout his designs

US airstrikes hit ISISmilitants in Iraq;Obama calls it a bidto prevent genocideof Christians, Yazidis

Why keep a dog and bark yourself? Canine brigade to secure New Delhi

MPs raise concernsover absence ofstar members

New Delhi Municipal Council has decided totrain stray dogs to create its own squad inorder to enhance security. A proposal in thisregard has been forwarded by NDMC toDelhi Police and other authorities concerned

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CHANDIGARH DEHRADUN

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city 02LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014

Printed and Published by Vijay Prakash Singh for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., 4th Floor, Sahara Shopping Centre, Faizabad Road, Lucknow-226016 and Printed at Tin Tin Printech Pvt Ltd., C-33 Amausi Industrial Area, Nadarganj, Lucknow. Tel: (0522) 2438656 / 9336266608.Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident Editor: Vijay Prakash Singh. RNI No. 2016/57. Lucknow Telephones: EPABX: 4036600 Fax: 2345582. Allahabad Office: (95532) 2420818, 2421018, 3290460. Kanpur Office: (95512) 2304006, 2304416. Varanasi Office: (95542) 2414294, 2414295. DelhiOffice: Link House, II Floor, 3 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110 002. Tel: (011) 23755271-274, 41509074.

NOTICE

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW

The body of a 60-year-oldfarmer was recovered froma canal in Bakshi-ka-Talabpolice area on Friday.

As per reports, some resi-dents of Sansarpur village spot-ted the body of an elderly manlying in a canal passing throughthe village. The body was iden-tified to be of ChandrikaPrasad. Chandrikas nephewSurendra Kumar Yadav alongwith other family membersreached the spot and laterinformed police.

A police team sent thebody for the post-mortemexamination. Police said thebody bore injury marks and itseemed that Chandrika hadbeen strangulated.

After the police talked todeceaseds family, it surfacedthat two motorcycle-borne per-sons had visited Chandrikashouse on Thursday eveningand after a chat, Chandrika leftwith them. Surendra claimedthat the unidentified personstook Chandrika along withthem for a drinking session andhe did not return home after

that.My uncle could not betraced even as we searched forhim last night, Surendra told

the police. He suspected thatthe same unidentified personsmight have killed him.

The police suspected that itmight have been a handiworkof some insider, and they tookclaims of the deceaseds fami-ly with a pinch of salt.

Elsewhere, in Gossainganj,a 55-year-old man was killed byhis wife, brothers-in-law andmother in law during a brawlon Thursday night. Buddha Lallived with his wife Sanjo andthree children in Gossainganj.On Thursday night, he andSanjo went to his in-laws housein Bastiya village. His mother-in-law Ganga Dei and brothers-in-law Rajendra and Garibewere there in the house.

The police said male mem-bers of the family sat for adrinking session on Thursdaynight during which they foughtover some issue which soonturned into Buddha versus hisbrothers-in-law. He was bashedup badly, police said.

Hearing commotion,Ganga Dei and victims wifealso reached the scene. Policesaid Sanjo attacked the victimwith a stick and he died on the

spot. A murder case was regis-tered against the named per-sons and efforts were on totrack them down.


Has the brother-sister rela-tionship undergone a seachange over the years? Has itbeen taken over by peergroups?

Well, there have beenmixed reactions with somefamilies agreeing while othersrejecting the theory. Somefamilies admit that the friend-ship of cousins is a conceptwhich has completely disap-peared even as psychologistsstate that informationtechnology has played a rolein it.

Madhu Verma, a house-wife, says her children arebusier with their friendsinstead of gelling with eachother. There is a usual banterbetween the sister and broth-er with each being morefriendly with respective groupof friends. Rakshabandhan iscelebrated in the usual tradi-tional style with a lot of gaiety

but it is simply restricted tobeing a festival. With infor-mation technology bringing achange in the lifestyles of peo-ple, it is bound to affect therelationship between siblings,said Madhu.

Supriya Saxena, a youngstudent who has passed class12, said it was natural that theywere more into their ownfriends. My brother went intoan engineering college afterclass 12 and has his own life.It is natural that I have my owngroup of friends whom I sharemy daily secrets and life with.There are times when mybrother is unable to comehome on Rakshabandhanbecause of his hec tic routine,said Supriya.

Meeta Vashisht (namechanged) said she was fightinga court case with her brother.It is unfortunate but truethat I am involved in a legalcase with my brother on prop-erty issue which has turned

our relationship sour, shesaid.

There are others who,however, disagree with the

view and state that the siblingbond is still going strong.The bond is still strong andyou realise their importancewhen parents pass away. Icame closer to my brotherafter my parents death, awoman said.

Manju Aggarwal, a socialpsychologist, said one couldnot generalise as there werecases showing that the broth-er-sister bond had grownstrong over the years. Thereare also cases which showthat the love between siblingshas diluted. It is true thatinformation technology hasbrought a change and rela-tionships have undergone achange. Friendship betweencousins is a concept becominga thing of past since people donot have time even for theirreal siblings, she said.


Pent-up anger in farmersover a land dispute witha private land developer

in Mohanlalganj circle ofLucknow police on Friday tooka violent turn with farmers set-ting fire to three motorcyclesand damaging four JCBmachines during protest.

In retaliation, the landdevelopers supporters alleged-ly opened fire in air to intimi-date their opponents. Threefarmers were reportedly injuredin the incident.

The brawl continued forover three hours even as localpolice and senior officials incity locked horns over thecrime scene jurisdiction.

The enraged farmers, ledby Kisan Union leaders,

blocked the main road, posinga threat to law and order situ-ation. The senior police officialsare still undecided over the

jurisdiction. However, officialspokesman of the SSP,Lucknow, said a case had beenregistered in PGI police area.

As per reports, Shiv Prasadof Gossainganj owns 1.9 bighaland in Mahmood NagarBhuswal village. A few monthsago, a private realtor startedacquiring land to develop res-idential and commercial build-ings in the area.

As Shiv Prasads land fell intheir project plan, employees ofthe realtor contacted ShivPrasad and allegedly forcedhim to sell his land, but in vain.

On Friday afternoon, 50-odd employees of the realtorreached Shiv Prasads land and

started digging work.When Shiv Prasad came to

know about this, and he andfellow villagers reached thescene and objected to the workgoing on. This led to a fracasand Shiv Prasad and his sup-porters were allegedly man-

handled. As the news reachedthe village, hundreds of vil-lagers marched to the place anddamaged JCB machines besidessetting fire to three bikes.

Employees of the realtorallegedly opened fire in air tointimidate the farmers. Threefarmers suffered injuries inthe incident.

A farmer, Premchand,alleged that he suffered bruis-es caused by a stray bullet,while two others Kuldeepand Ayodhya were also hurtafter being attacked.

On the directive of seniorofficials, police reached thescene and enraged the farmersfurther by a dispute over juris-diction. Meanwhile, leaders offarmers unions joined the agi-tating mob and later blockedthe main road.


Sleuths of the surveillance celland crime branch ofLucknow police unearthed anextortion racket intimidatingsenior officials of RuralEngineering Services,Electricity, Excise and othergovernment departments.

Those arrested were iden-

tified as Kamlesh SharmaBhatt, Chanchal Bhatt (both ofFaizabad) and Praveen Singh ofPGI area in Lucknow. Thecops recovered Rs 25,000 incash, four mobile phones anda telephone directory of UPand Uttarakhand governments.

Explaining the modusoperandi of the racket, sur-

veillance cell incharge AkshayPratap said the miscreants usedthe Right to Information (RTI)Act as a tool to pester the offi-cials. The miscreants used tocollect information about the

Lucknow (PNS): Principalsecretary, Health, ArvindKumar visited Thakurganj TBHospital on Friday. He direct-ed the officials to set up a park-ing area and shelter for patientsattendants. He also reviewedthe ongoing construction workat the hospital.

He also asked the officialsto update him about resourcesand necessary equipment pre-sent at the hospital. Kumar,inspected the OPD room, oper-ation theatre, X-ray room, TBminor OT, DOT centre,administrative room andkitchen area. He also said thatconstruction work at the hos-pital should be completed soonand the chief medical officer toensure work was completed intime. He also laid emphasis onthe need of a separate com-munity health centre and TBhospital.


There were two importantmeetings regarding theLucknow Metro project held inDelhi on Friday. A senior offi-cial of Lucknow Metro RailCorporation (LMRC) told ThePioneer that E Sreedharanattended the crucial meetingregarding Mavaiyya crossingand responded to queries of thetwo companies interested in theproject.

The tender meeting wasimportant because it was con-cerned with the special spanover the Mavaiyya crossing,which is an extremely sensitivearea. Sreedharan himselfattended the meeting andanswered all the queries, mak-ing it clear that the train wouldnot be stopped in the area.

There were two companieswhich showed interest in thistender. Sreedharan made itclear that the designs should besuch that the train does notstop at that point during con-struction, the LMRC officialsaid. The other meeting washeld under the Ministry ofUrban Development, whereindifferent departments raisedqueries regarding the LucknowMetro project.

It may be noted that DelhiMetro Rail Corporation(DMRC) Ltd, on behalf ofLMRC Ltd had invited opentenders from eligible appli-cants for design and construc-tion of balanced cantileverspan of approx 230 m (centralspan of 96 m and end spans,each of 67 m approx) atMavaiyya railway crossing onnorth-south corridor ofLucknow Metro.

60-yr-old farmerfound murdered

work being carried out by var-ious government agencies.They would then make calls tothe officials concerned anddemand extortion money, hesaid. Pratap said the gangwhich had amassed hugewealth was arrested from nearthe Haj Committee office gate.

SUICIDE ATTEMPTA man, identified as

Pyarelal, attempted to immo-late himself in Hasanganj onFriday afternoon but he wasoverpowered by passersby. Theman claimed that his house hadbeen grabbed and the policewas not helping him.

SODOMISEDA minor was allegedly

sodomised by a mechanic liv-ing in the same locality inHasanganj. The incident tookplace some days back but apoliceman allegedly coerced

the victims father to strike acompromise with the miscre-ant, who is married man. Policedenied the report while a casewas yet to be registered in thisconnection.

Extortion rackettargeting govtofficials busted

Rakshabandhan: Sea changein brother-sister relationship?

Special train between Lucknow, DelhiLucknow (PNS): To facilitate people going home for Rakshabandhan,Northern Railway on Friday announced a Rakshabandhan special trainbetween Lucknow and Delhi. NRs chief PRO Neeraj Sharma said thetrain would be pressed into service for a single trip between Lucknowand Delhi. The train will depart from Anand Vihar at 7.30 pm on August 9while the return train from Lucknow at 8.20 pm on August 10.

Girls at a rakhishop ahead of Rakshabandhan, in Lucknow on Friday ion r

Lucknow (PNS): The mostauspicious muhurtfor tying rakhithis year will be between 1:45 pmand 4:23 pm as planetary align-ments are the most suitable dueto aprahan paksha, suggestastrologers. They also cautionpeople not to celebrate the festi-val before 1:36 pm on Sunday dueto bhadra paksha, which is con-sidered the most unfavourable timeas per Hindu calendar. Stating thatnakshatra for Rakshabandhanthis year will be from 1:37 pm to9:11 pm, pundits said followingaprahan paksha between 1.45 pm

and 4.23 pm, pradosh kaalbetween 7:01 pm and 9:11 pm willbe the second most auspicioustiming. However, astrologers sug-gest people strictly against cele-brating Rakshabandhan before1:36 pm due to three continuousstages of bhadra, which is con-sidered to be the sister of Shani.

Auspicious timing

Farmers clash with realtoremployees over land rowPolice inactive owing to jurisdiction dispute

THE BRAWLCONTINUED FOR OVERTHREE HOURS EVENAS LOCAL POLICEAND SENIOROFFICIALS IN CITYLOCKED HORNS OVERTHE CRIME SCENEJURISDICTION

Principal secy

visits TB hosp

Lucknow Metro: Tender meeting

held for Mavaiyya crossing


3/16


PIONEER NEWS SERVICE nLUCKNOW

The state Government saidon Friday that there wereseveral contradictions in

the statement given by the 20-year-old girl who alleged gang-rape and forced conversion inMeerut.

Sources said theGovernment had sent a reportof the incident to Union HomeMinister Rajnath Singh.

The girl has given con-tradictory statements due towhich the police investigationhas been affected and thecharge of abduction levelled byher family members is totally

false, Home Secretary KamalSaxena disclosed here onFriday.

Saxena said there was noevidence of conversion and itwas found that the girl had notsigned an affidavit.

The Home Secretary saidthe police had arrested five ofthe seven accused in the casewhile the prime accusedSalauddin was absconding anda non-bailable warrant hadbeen issued against him.Besides, he said, one of thethree persons accused ofpreparing fake affidavit wasalso evading arrest.

The Home Secretary point-ed out that in her statement

recorded before the magis-trate, the girl had said that shewas admitted to a hospital inMuzaffarnagar where she wasoperated on. However, he said,the fact was that the girl wasadmitted to the MeerutMedical College Hospital onJuly 23 and underwent surgerythere for some complicationand was released on July 27.

Saxena said that in thehospital document, the girlhad written that her husbandKalim was with her when therewas no trace of Kalim duringthe entire episode. He said itcould be said that Salauddincould have gone to the hospi-tal with the false name of

Kalim. The Home Secretarysaid that before the operation,the girl had gone to a privatehospital in Meerut where thedoctors detected some com-plication and also that she wasone-and-half month pregnant.

Saxena also questioned thereport lodged by the girls par-ents. He said while on July 31,the parents lodged an FIR withKharkaunda police that theirdaughter was missing sinceJuly 29 while on August 3, theyhad claimed that she was miss-ing since July 23.

He said the police were stillinvestigating the case and fur-ther details would be madeavailable soon.

Govt finds contradictionsin girls statement

MEERUT CASE


On the eve of the QuitIndia Movement anniver-sary, Chief Minister AkhileshYadav said the SamajwadiParty Government was com-mitted to fulfill the dreams ofthe freedom fighters who sac-rificed their lives for the coun-try.

The agitation formed thebasis of social harmony. Itgave every Indian a sense ofpride. That was why despite allsenior leaders being arrestedand sent to jail the agitationcontinued. New leadersemerged and they led thepeople against the Britishrule, Yadav said in a state-ment issued here on Friday.

He said that on this daywe Indians should take aresolve to take the country onthe path of progress anddevelopment as this wouldhelp in fulfilling the dreams ofthe freedom fighters.

My Government willwork for bringing smiles onthe faces of those deprived ofbasic necessities of life. OurGovernment is pro-youth,pro-farmers and pro-poor.My Government is committedto building a strong UttarPradesh that in turn will helpin making India strong, Yadavsaid.

On August 9, 1942,Mahatma Gandhi had giventhe call to Do or Die and hadlaunched the Quit IndiaMovement.

SP Govt to fulfill

dreams of freedom

fighters: Akhilesh

Tribal couple, 2

others kill manand eat his liverPIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW

In a bizarre incident of cannibalism that has come to lightin Gorakhpur, a tribal couple and some other personslynched their tribesman, took out his liver and ate it.

One person has been arrested in this connection by thepolice. The cops have also seized some pieces of the cookedliver of the deceased and sent it for forensic examination.

Reports said the incident occurred on Wednesday night,when four labourers working at a brick kiln in Bhoga vil-lage of Sonbarsa area of Gorakhpur clashed following a dis-pute during gambling.

Subsequently, Janak Lohar, a native of Gumla inJharkhand, along with two other labourers identified asPawan and Sonu, killed Pappu. Janak then called his wifeRadha and they took out the liver from the body of Pappuand she cooked it.

Later, the trio Janak, Radha and Pawan ate someportion of the cooked liver and threw the remaining.

Police have arrested Pawan, who disclosed the detailsof the incident. Some pieces of the cooked liver and the sharpweapon by which the liver was taken out of the body havebeen recovered by the police. However, Janak, his wife Radhaand Sonu are absconding.


Cracking the disciplinary whip, ChiefMinister Akhilesh Yadav suspendedtwo chief medical officers and a district sup-ply officer for being absent from their officesbetween 10 am and 12 noon on Thursday.

Official sources said here on Friday thatthe CMO of Kanpur Dehat, Dr KarnSingh, the CMO of Lalitpur, Dr RCNiranjan, and DSO of Lucknow,Chandrashekhar Ojha, had been suspend-

ed by the Chief Minister.Yadav had earlier issued an order ask-

ing the district level officers to remain pre-sent in their offices between 10 am and 12noon and redress the grievances of the peo-ple. He had also asked the district level offi-cers to install basic phones in their officesso that their presence could be checked.The district magistrates and divisionalcommissioners had been asked to ensurepresence of officers in their offices and tosend the attendance report to Chief

Secretary Alok Ranjan on fortnightly basis.The spokesman said that on the directive

of the Chief Minister, officials in his secre-tariat made random calls to district officialsand found these three officers absent. O nthe directive of the Chief Minister actionwas taken against them, the spokesman said.The spokesman said that the Chief Ministerhad made it clear that the Governmentwould take stern action against officialsfound absent from their offices between 10am and 12 noon on working days.

3 officers not found in office suspended


The state Government onFriday shifted 14 IndianPolice Services (IPS) officers,appointing new police chiefsin seven districts and pro-moting five ASPs to the rankof SP.

According to an officialcommuniqu, ChitrakootRange DIG Amitabh Yashhas been attached to theDGP Headquarters andDIG (Telecom) MohitAgarwal has been posted in

his place.SP of Maharajganj, Sharad

Sachan, has been attached tothe DGP office and PACCommandant at Gonda,Himanshu Kumar, has beenposted as the new SP ofMaharajganj.

Superintendent of Policeof Sonebhadra, Ram B ahadur,has been shifted as SP, SIT atLucknow while SP ofAmbedkarnagar, Satya

Bhushan Pathak, has beenposted as SP, PTC at Sitapur.

SP of Amroha, SubhashSingh Baghel , has beenattached to the DGP officeand Additional SP,Moradabad, Anil KumarSingh, has been posted in hisplace as the new districtpolice chief.

SP, Banda, Amit Verma,has been shifted as SP, FoodCell at Lucknow, whileSP, Chitrakoot, Kiran S, hasbeen shifted toAmbedkharngar in the samecapacity.

ASP, Fatehpur, SantoshKumar Singh, has beenposted as SP of Badaunand ASP, Lucknow, SaumitraYadav has been postedas SP of Sultanpur.

ASP, Shahjahanpur, ShivShanker Yadav, has beenposted as SP of Sonebhadraand ASP, Banda,Swami Prasad, has been post-ed as the new SP ofChitrakoot.

Govt shifts 14IPS officers


The Lokayukta, Justice(Retd) NK Mehrotra, hasrecommended a high levelprobe into the charges of

appointment of Dr SangeetaAneja as principal of medicalcollege in Saharanpur onfinancial consideration.

In his recommendationsent to the Chief Minister onFriday morning, theLokayukta said the agencywhich would investigate thecharges should also look intoinvolvement of two seniorIAS officers who reportedlyfacilitated posting of Dr Anejaas principal.

He recommendedremoval of Dr Aneja from thepost and also removal of herhusband from one of thetwo posts he is presently hold-ing.

Earlier, Justice (Retd)Mehrotra had ordered regis-tration of case against DrAneja and two senior bureau-crats who had facilitated herto become acting principal ofthe medical college inSaharanpur despite her notfulfilling the eligibility crite-ria.

After my inquiry revealedthat Dr Sangeeta Aneja didnot fulfill the eligibility crite-ria set by the Medical Councilof India for appointment asprincipal of medical college, Igot a case registered and rec-ommended her removal fromthe post, Justice (Retd) NKMehrotra said here onFriday.

The Lokayukta said hehad sent his findings to the

Chief Minister with recom-mendation for removal of DrSangeeta Aneja from her postand further probe by somecompetent agency to find outwhether a huge sum of moneywas paid by her to somesenior officers to get the postdespite not fulfilling the eli-gibility criteria.

It is alleged that as gadgetsand equipment worth severalcrore rupees were to be pur-chased and many appoint-ments were to be made in thenew medical college atSaharanpur by its principal, ahuge amount was paid asbribe to get the post.

According to sources, theLokayukta has also recom-mended a probe into the roleplayed by the than PrincipalSecretary (Medical Education)JP Sharma and SpecialSecretary (Medical Education)Subhash Chandra in

facilitating the appointmentof Dr Aneja as acting princi-pal.

When the Lokayukta hadenquired from these two offi-cers whether Dr Aneja met theeligibility criteria, they mis-guided him and gave afavourable report.

Justice (Retd) Mehrotrahas also recommendedremoval of Dr Anejas husbandfrom the two posts he holds in

violation of laid norms. He isholding the post of addition-al director in Medical andHealth Department and ishead of the Medicine depart-ment in Meerut MedicalCollege.

It may be mentioned herethat the Medical Council ofIndia had informed theLokayukta that there is no rulefor appointing acting or tem-porary principal of medicalcollege.

The state officials hadcontended that anyone couldbe appointed as acting prin-cipal and that it was notmandatory for the acting prin-cipal to have the same expe-rience as required for fulltime principal. Subsequently,the Lokayukta had started theinquiry against Dr Aneja,Principal Secretary (MedicalEducation) JP Sharma andSpecial Secretary Subhash

Chandra.The Lokayukta had

received a complaint that thestate Government had over-looked the laid norms to facil-itate Dr Anejas appointmentas principal of MedicalCollege in Saharanpur.

She was working as pro-fessor in Meerut MedicalCollege but did not have thefive years experience requiredfor the post.

APPOINTMENT OF MEDICAL COLLEGE PRINCIPAL

Lokayukta recommendshigh-level probe

Lucknow (PNS): Close on the heels of murder of twominors after gang-rape, three more girls of the same agegroup met similar fate in Aligarh, Hathras and Bijnordistricts. In Bijnor, an 11-year-old girl of Mudholalocality in Kotwali Saher went out to cut grass and grazecattle on Thursday afternoon. When she did not returnhome till late evening, the family members went out tolook for her and found her lying dead in a sugarcanefield owned by Sher Khan in Kishenpur locality, alsounder Kotwali police station. The girls hands and legshad been tied and it appeared that she was raped before

being strangulated to death. In Hathras, a 12-year-old ofManisiyakala hamlet of Sadabad was nabbed by a localresident, identified as Babu, on Thursday evening.Babu, reportedly tried to rape the girl and when sheraised an alarm, he strangulated her to death. However,some locals saw him strangulating the girl and rushedto nab Babu but he managed to escape. I n anotherincident reported from Aligarh, the semi-nude body of a16-year-old girl was recovered from a field in Lyohasrahamlet of Lodha on Friday morning. Circu mstantialevidence suggested that she was gang-raped and thenhacked to death with some sharp-edged weapon. Thepolice sent the body for post-mortem and were makingefforts to trace out the killers. Meanwhile, some morerape cases were reported since Thursday. A 22-year-oldwoman was allegedly abducted and gangraped by her

relative and his two accomplices in Rampur. Thewoman, a native of Ghanshyampur village under Patwaipolice station, alleged that her relative wanted to marryher and without her consent he had obtained a fakemarriage certificate. The woman told the police that therelative along with two accomplices abducted her fromher house on Wednesday and took her to Rudrapurtown of Uttarakhand in a car, where the trio gang-rapedher in a house and illegally confined there.The woman said she somehow managed to flee andapproached the Patwai police to lodge a complaint in

this regard but the cops there did not register her report.It was after she approached the SP that a case wasregistered. In Faizabad, the 14-year-old daughter of aresident of Sahawadi hamlet of Cantonment was alonein the house on Thursday afternoon when one ManojKumar Nishad (24) of the same area barged in andraped her. He later escaped after threatening the girl withdire consequences if she told anyone about the incident.In Pratapgarh, a 35-year-old woman of Amsona hamletin Kanhai was returning from the local market onThursday evening when she was nabbed by ChandraBhan and Dr Bishun. They forcibly took her to asecluded spot and raped her. Both escaped when thewoman fell unconscious. Some villagers found her lyingin the field and admitted her to hospital and informedthe police. The cops arrested one of the accused.

3 minors killed, rape suspected

IN HIS RECOMMENDATION SENT TO THE CHIEFMINISTER, THE LOKAYUKTA SAID THE AGENCYWHICH WOULD INVESTIGATE THE CHARGESSHOULD ALSO LOOK INTO INVOLVEMENT OFTWO SENIOR IAS OFFICERS WHO REPORTEDLY

FACILITATED POSTING OF DR ANEJA ASPRINCIPAL


4/16


ICAI RESULTSThe Institute of Charted

Accountants of India (ICAI) onThursday announced the resultof charted accountancy finalexamination held in May andJune earlier this year. ICAIpresident K Raghu said thecourse was regularly updatedand revised to meet thedemand of modern, dynamicsociety so as to produce com-petent CAs. The top threerank-holders of the final exam-inations are from Jaipur,Jodhpur and Pune.

PARK TIMINGSLucknow Development

Authority (LDA) has decidedto open the newly-inauguratedJaneshwar Mishra Park forpublic from 6 am to 8 am andthen from 5 pm to 7 pm onweek days. It will be openfrom 6 am to 7 pm on week-ends. LDA officials stated thatsince there was constructionwork going on at the park, tim-ings had been decided forsecurity reasons.

MUSHAIRAA unique mushaira and

kavi sammelan was organisedby Save The Children atSangeet Natak Academy onFriday which focused on moth-erhood and childhood. Poets

have the power to influence theminds of progressing India,organisers said. Bekal Utsahi,Naresh Saxena, MunawwarRana, Rahat Indori, SampatSaral, Madan Mohan Danish,Preeti Chaudhary, TariqQamar, Afzal Manglori,Rajendra Pandit and AbhishekShukla took part in themushaira with Nirmal Darshanbeing the compere.

BDAY CELEBRATEDThe birthday of founder-

director of City MontessoriSchool Bharti Gandhi was cel-ebrated on Friday with joy and

festivity in an atmosphere ofspirituality and divine unity. Inspecial celebrations organisedat CMS head office, the work-ers showed enthusiasm whileteachers and students alsowished Bharti Gandhi withgarlands and bouquets.

ICYGH-2014On International Youth

Day, Centre for Research andInterventions for Adolescents(CRIA-AIBAS), AmityUniversity, in collaborationwith Uttar Pradesh State AIDSControl Society (UPSACS) isholding an InternationalConference on Youth, Genderand HIV (ICYGH-2014) onAugust 12-13. A dance concertMadhushala will be presentedby Surabhi Singh.

TRIBUTELucknow Hindustan

Republican Army Associationorganised a programme onthe occasion of the 89thanniversary of Kakori loot caseto pay tribute to freedom-fighters. The event took placeat Shaheed Smarak.

REBATEOn the occasion of

Independence Day, the CentralBank of India has came up witha new retail loan scheme inwhich a rebate of 0.5 % to 1%

rebate will be given on home,mortgage, trade, retail and per-sonal loans.

BLOOD DONATION CAMPFamily welfare committee

has organised a blood donationcamp at the blood bank at KingGeorges Medical University at10 am on August 9.

MARCHUttar Pradesh unit of

Janata Dal (Secular), on theoccasion of Kranti Diwas onAugust 9, garlanded the statueof Shubhash Chandra Bose at11 am here on Friday. A KrantiMarch was taken out whichculminated at the statue ofMahatma Gandhi.

COMPENSATIONA delegation of traders will

visit Sahranpur to demandcompensation for the losses

incurred by the business com-munity due to violence. Theydemanded that the Centralgovernment should providethem interest free loans.

HOME LOAN ON WHEELSChief General Manager,

State Bank of India, Lucknow,Karnam Sekar flagged-off themobile van Home Loan OnWheels on the occasion of thegolden jubilee of Lucknow cir-cle of the bank. GM (NW-11)Brajesh Verma, DukabandhuRath (NW-1) and other seniorfunctionaries of the bank werepresent on the occasion.

RAKSHABANDAHANChief Minister Akhilesh

Yadav will particiapte in afunction being organised onthe occasion ofRakshabandhan near GandhiStatue in Hazratganj at 9:30 amon Sunday.

SCIMAX SHOWSUSPENDED

Due to half-yearly mainte-nance work of Scimax facility,there will no show for public onMonday. The show will resumeas per schedule from Tuesdayonwards.

KAVI SAMMELANUttar Pradesh Press Club

organised a Kavi Sammelan in

which poet Dr Suresh wonaccolades for his verses. UPPress Club also honouredyoung ghazal singer KshitijSrivastava and Dr Suresh.Sanjay Sauk, Kusum Verma,Varsala Pandey, Nitish Tiwari,Gaurav Dixit, Dhiraj Mishra,Pankaj Prasoon and othersparticipated in the event.

TRIBUTES PAIDShaheed Smriti Samaroh

Samiti, on the occasion of 89thanniversary of Kakori case andon the 72nd anniversary ofQuit India Movement organ-ised a programme at KakoriShaheed Memorial GPO Park,Hazratganj, on Friday to paytributes to freedom-fighters.

The occasion was markedby garlanding of the statues ofRam Prasad Bismal, AshfaqUllah Khan, Rajendra NathLahri and Roshan Singh.


Chairman, Sangeet NatakAkademi, Nawed Siddiquion Friday made announce-ments of the programmes thatwill be organised by the SNA inthe months to come.

He said that a Kala Darbarwill be organised everySaturday where the problems ofthe artists will be solved. Hepointed out that artists are

facing several problems andattempts would be made tosolve them by contacting thedepartments concerned.

He said that legends in thefield of music would be invit-ed to the Sangeet NatakAkademi and they would inter-act with the media and discussthe music scenario. He said thata workshop for scriptwritingfor radio, stage and televisionwill be started for a fee of Rs

SHARMILA KRISHNA n LUCKNOW

T

he actor, Rajesh Kumar, isnot bored with doing com-

edy roles and does not take hisserious offers seriously. Hewas in the city on Friday alongwith the veteran actor,Aloknath, and the actress,Aparna Mehra, for the pro-motion of his show, Tu MereAgal Bagal Hai, and in a chatwith The Pioneer said that heequated comedy with spiritu-ality.

Tu Mere Agal Bagal Hai isa show which is a wholesomehumorous family entertainerfeaturing the television indus-try veterans like Aloknath,Supriya Pathak, Shweta Gulatiand Rajesh Kumar amongstothers. Directed by RajanWaghdhare, it is an innovativefamily comedy show whichrevolves around the lives of theowners and the tenants livingunder the same roof ofBungalow No 6. This TV seriesexplores the funny side of theincidents that happen in thedaily lives of all the charactersin a comical manner. One of

the many USPs of this fiction-al comedy show is the presenceof a live audience on the setswhich adds the element ofspontaneity to the entirehumorous offering.

While explaining the con-cept of the show, Rajesh Kumarsaid that they were experi-menting with the idea of the-atre on the television. Therethe stage depicts a theatreambience and the storyrevolves around a couple and

their father. There is a bit of astand-up comedy but since weare actors therefore we aredoing our share of the actingtoo, he said.

The actor said that he wasnever bored of doing comedy.It has been a decade since Idid comedy and I enjoy it andnever feel bored. It is very easyto make people emotional and

make them cry. I find comedyequivalent to spirituality and Inever take serious roles offeredto me seriously. I am a comicperson off camera too, hesaid. The veteran actor,Aloknath, said that he wasgetting a character with thecomic edge for the first time. Iam doing a character with acomic edge after being stuckwith the traditional image forso long. I was offered this roleprobably because of the sever-

al jokes on me on the socialnetworking sites wherein peo-ple thought that my comicside should be explored also,he said.

The actor pointed out thatthe character that he was por-traying was of a naughty babu-

ji who is not as traditional ashe has been portraying duringthe past several years. I admit

that it has been challenging forme doing the role because Ihave been doing the same kindof role for several years and onecannot change the image sud-denly, he pointed out. Onbeing asked why he had nottried to break his image in thepast so many years, the actorsaid that this was not some-thing in his hands. When youstart getting a certain type ofrole then you do the same rolesand you cannot refuse similar

roles which are offered to youhence I was stuck with thesame kind of roles, he said.

Aloknath added, Thebeauty of the show is that it isfilmed in front of a live audi-ence and has an amazing starcast. The satisfaction that onegets from entertaining liveaudiences has a different feel.We all know humour is evolv-

ing and I am positive that thepeople will love our show.Shweta Gulati, while talk-

ing about her character, saidthat she was playing the role ofa woman who runs a feministgroup and is a little overboardabout her feminism. This is awoman who goes about mak-ing a distinction betweeneverything which is masculineand feminine and thus goes alittle overboard with her fem-inism, she said.

CDO reviews statusof several projects

Varsity employeesstill on strikePIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW

Still on strike on Friday theemployees of universities ofthe state continued their agita-tion to the fourth day claimingthat they would resume workonly after their demands wereconceded by the government.

Agitating under the bannerof the UP RajyaVishwavidyalaya KarmachariMahasangh, the employees ofseveral universities boycottedthe work on Friday too. Theemployees of LucknowUniversity, DeendayalUpadhyaya GorakhpurUniversity, RohilkhandUniversity, Bareilly, ChaudharyCharan Singh University,Meerut, Kanpur University,Sampoornanand SanskritUniversity, Mahatma GandhiKashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi,Avadh University, Faizabad,and Ambedkar University,Agra, have been on strike.

Out of the 12 demandsraised by the workers, 300days encashment after retire-ment was their major demand,which they claimed was a facil-ity ignored by the state gov-ernment. "As per the rules, theuniversity employees used toget a payment for 300 days afterretirement but this facility wasremoved by the state govern-

ment. Since our agitation weheld several meetings, includ-ing the one with the PrincipalSecretary, Higher Education,where the officials said that theadministration would agree onthree demands but they didn'tagree to state them in written.So we dec ided to continue ourstrike," said Ajay Kumar Singh,a union leader from LucknowUniversity.

He said that they did nothave any intention to disturbthe classes but no universityworker would cooperate withthe administration of his or herinstitution and would not evenopen or close the classroomsand the teachers would have todo that themselves. The work-ers union of the state univer-sities had now started gather-ing support from the stateaffiliated colleges while theemployees of LucknowUniversity took out a proces-sion in the University premis-es and staged a demonstrationoutside the Vice- Chancellor'soffice.

CITYBRIEFS

1,000 for three days on the daysof the availability of the candi-date concerned.

Kala Darbar to be started at SNA

Tu Mere Agal Bagal Hai is afamily entertainer: Rajesh


On the directive of theDistrict Magistrate, RajShekhar, the ChiefDevelopment Officer (CDO),

Yogesh Kumar, presided over areview meeting of the ChiefMinisters priority programmesand schemes here on Friday.

The CDO reviewed thestatus of several projects,including solar streetlights,construction of clean toilets,fisheries, free of cost boring,construction of houses underthe Indira Avas and Lohia AvasYojanas, the SamajwadiPension Scheme, pension andMNREGA.

He said that the worksunder the MNREGA schemeshould be carried out as per thegiven guidelines and the actiontaken as per social audit shouldbe presented on time.

All the Block DevelopmentOfficers (BDOs) should carryout inspections in their respec-tive areas in order to review theprogress of the developmentworks being carried out there,he said. Not only this, they

should also keep a tab on theproblems of localities like dam-aged roads, defunct hand-pumps etc.

The construction worktaking place under the Lohia

Avas Yojana should b e carriedout strictly as per the normslaid down for it and the offi-cials concerned should notshow any laxity in it. Thedefunct handpumps shouldbe rebored as soon as possible,he added.

While speaking about thedifferent welfare schemes, hesaid in the Samajwadi PensionScheme the verification of theapplications should be doneaccurately and timely.

The schemes of the stategovernment should be imple-mented properly and no laxi-ty should be shown in thisregard. The officials con-cerned should ensure that thewelfare schemes run by theirrespective departments wereimplemented as per the guide-lines and the constructionworks were carried out withoutcompromising on their quali-ty, he added.

Out of 12 demandsraised by theworkers, 300 daysencashment afterretirement was theirmajor demand

Actor, Rajesh Kumar, along with veteran actor, Aloknath, and actress, Aparna Mehra, was in the city on Friday for the promotionof his show, Tu Mere Agal Bagal Hai.

ion r


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6/16

city/nation 06LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014


UP Madhyamik ShikshaParishad on Fridayannounced last date for sub-mitting online application ofregular and private studentsappearing in High School andIntermediate Board examina-tions in 2015.

The application will besubmitted online onwww.upmsp.edu.in and aspi-rants will have to submit appli-cations to school principals lat-est by August 20.

Principals of the schoolswill have to depositing theexamination fees in treasuryand upload educational detailsof students on the website lat-est by August 31 (midnight).

If they fail to submit theapplications by August 31,principals can submit the samewith late fees of Rs 50 perapplication till September 20.

Private students willingto appear in the UP Boardexaminations will have todeposit the examination feesand submit complete docu-ments to principals by August20. The principals will then

follow the procedure ofdepositing the fees in treasuryand upload documents on thewebsite.

Lucknow (PNS): Demanding their recognition as class IV employeesof the state government, the watchmen from all over the state held a mas-sive agitation here on Friday. Agitating under the banner of the Pahredar BhartiNational Whistleblower Organisation, thousands of watchmen gathered infront of the Vidhan Bhawan here in the morning and when the district admin-istration objected to it they marched towards the Laxman Mela Ground.

Shrikant Shukla, who was spearheading the agitation, said that therewere around 68,000 watchmen in the state, who not only worked in the ruralareas and coordinated with the panchayat but also briefed the local police,but they were still not recognised. Shukla said that since the British era theydid not have any separate department or code of conduct due to which theyneither received any facility which the government employees were enjoy-ing nor did they have any departmental head.

"When a state like Bihar can grant recognition to its watchmen and accordthem the status of class IV employees then why cant our government?he quipped. The state government takes the services of a watchman for fourdays in a week while they have to remain vigilant everyday and they get ameasly sum of Rs 1,500 for it. If the government will grant recognition tothem and regularise their services it will not just help these people but alsohelp in controlling the law and order situation in the small villages whichare always untouched," said Shukla.

The demonstrators held a meeting with the Home Secretary, Arun KumarMishra, who assured them that he would highlight their problems beforethe Chief Secretary. They then handed over a memorandum, addressed tothe Chief Minister and the Governor, to the ADM. Setting a deadline of onemonth, Shukla, who was leading the agitation, said that if their demandswere not conceded within a period of 30 days the watchmen from all overthe state would come to Lucknow along with their families then and wouldnot leave it until their demands were met.

KUSHAGRA DIXIT n LUCKNOW

Flagrantly flouting the rules,the owners of an unautho-rised building restarted its con-struction after breaking theseal leaving the LucknowDevelopment Authority (LDA)red-faced. Alleging that it wasthe responsibility of theKaiserbagh police to act againstthe people who broke the sealand began the work, the LDAhas decided to approach the

Senior Superintendent of Police(SSP) urging him to act againstall such unauthorised con-structions. The LDA officialscorroborated the report that theseal of an unauthorised underconstruction hotel under theKaiserbagh police station hadbeen broken and its construc-tion was restarted on Thursday.

Stating that when theysealed the building monthsago their job there was com-plete and it was the responsi-bility of the local police to lookafter this disputed propertytill the LDA reached a finaldecision on the matter.

Being a nodal agency wecan only get an illegal buildingsealed with the help of the law-enforcing agencies. After thatit becomes the responsibility ofthe local police to ensure thatthe seal is not broken and thehalted work is not restarted. Inthis case we cant simply go andreseal it and the recommend-ed procedure is that thoseinvolved in it will be booked

under Section 427 and then thelaw will follow its own course,said an LDA official.

According to the reports,the land use of plot No 82/74on Guru Gobind Marg wassanctioned for a residentialbuilding but its owners con-structed a hotel there instead

following which the LDA actedand sealed the unauthorisedstructure. However, throwingnorms to the winds the ownersof the said plot started con-structing a hotel there eventhough the LDA officialsclaimed that they had con-ducted several drives againstillegal construction in thatarea. The officials asserted thatthey were now marking all thesealed and unauthorised struc-tures and after making a report

they would approach the SSPwithin the next three days.We had already sealed

several unauthorised buildingsin the city. However, reportscame from some areas that theseals had been broken and theconstruction work had restart-ed there. We have now decid-ed to report the matter to theSSP. The report will be hand-ed over to him within the nextthree days, claimed an LDAofficial. However, its not thefirst time that any illegal con-struction was reported aroundthe thickly-populated areas ofthe city. Two months ago theresidents of the congested RamMandir Lane of Husainganjarea protested when a privatebuilder constructed a five-storeyed residential apartmenton a road which was merely 8feet wide without the consentof the LDA. However, thebuilders halted its constructionfor some time as the mattergenerated a lot of heat.However, the residents claimed

that its construction was start-ed again.

While asserting that theywere working strictly againstthe illegal constructions in thecity, the concept of land auditwas also swept under the car-pet by the LDA as planned inthe month of January this year.


After waiting for a year foraction against formerEnergy Minister in the

Mayawati Government,Ramveer Upadhyay, in con-nection with a disproportionateassets case, the Lokayukta(Retd) NK Mehrotra has nowsent a special report toGovernor Ram Naik, requestinghim to place the documents onthe floor of the Assembly alongwith the action taken report(ART).

The Lokayukta had earliersent a similar report toGovernor against formerAnimal Husbandry and DairyDevelopment Minister, AwadhPal Singh Yadav, in a similarmatter. Justice (Retd) Mehrotrahas also recommended action indisproportionate assets casesagainst eight senior ministers ofthe Mayawati Governmentincluding NaseemuddinSiddiqui, but the Governmenthas so far not initiated actionagainst any of them and has for-warded the matter to theVigilance Establishment for fur-ther inquiry.

Sources said that when the

state Government did not ini-tiate action against RamveerUpadhyay, the Lokayukta sentsome reminders to the Chief

Minister and finally dispatcheda special report to GovernorRam Naik on Friday. Herequested the Governor toensure that the issue was tabledon the floor of the Assemblyalong with the ATR.

The Lokayukta had probedthe charges levelled againstUpadhyay and his family mem-bers of amassing assets, grab-bing lands and cornering majorPWD contracts in western dis-tricts for close relatives by mis-using position in the MayawatiGovernment. In the inquiryinitiated on a complaint filed byHathras resident AshwiniSharma, Justice (Retd) Mehrotrafound that many family mem-bers of Upadhyay, includinghis father, had donated proper-ties to each other, purchasingthem after low-valuation.

Ramveer Upadhyays fatherRamcharan Upadhyay, who wasa class four employee in UPState Road TransportCorporation, had purchased aplot at a prime location in Agraand later donated it to SudhirUpadhyay who happened to be

the brother and public relationofficer of the former minister.Besides, a lady from Etah

district, Savita, had purchased a

property in Hathras at one-fourth price of its market rateand had donated it to KalpnaUpadhyay, the wife of SudhirUpadhyay. During the inquiry,it also came to light that theincome of Savita was meagreand she had purchased theproperty only to donate it.

It also came to light thatKalpna Upadhyay owned a con-struction company which wasfrequently given big contracts byPWD in Hathras and neigh-bouring western districts forfour years. The then incharge ofAligarh PWD division hadadmitted that contracts worthover `40 lakh were awarded toKalpna Upadhyay and otherfamily members of the ministerat rates exceeding the govern-ment approved rates.

On the basis of this, theLokayukta had recommended a

vig ila nce pro be agai nstUpadhyay. The minister wassubsequently removed byMayawati.

Agitated over the inquiry,Ramveer Upadhyay had chal-lenged the jurisdiction of the

Lokayukta and had accusedJustice (Retd) Mehrotra of usingderogatory language againsthim.

Lokayukta urges Guv to senddocuments, ATR to Assembly

Last date to applyonline for UPBoard examsAugust 20

Owners flout LDA rules,restart construction ofsealed building

Watchmen protest, demandstatus of class IV employees


The King Georges MedicalUniversity administrationhas once again proposed toincrease the age of re-employ-ment of retired teachers fromthe present 65 years to 70years.

The KGMU administra-tion if of the view that increas-ing the age of re-employmentof teachers to 70 years wouldhelp in retaining the experi-enced faculty members andmaintaining the high quality ofmedical education.

The move has, however,been criticised by the youngerfaculty who say it would hin-der their growth.

They point out that earli-er the age of re-employmentwas increased from 60 years to62 years and then to 65 yearsto the disadvantage of the sec-ond line faculty.

They say medical educa-tion is developing day by dayand there is need for new ideasand methods and in this sce-nario, younger faculty is moresuited. On the other hand, theKGMU administration saysthe proposal will help in savethe universitys recognition by

the Medical Council of India asthe guidelines require a certainnumber of professors in eachdepartment.

The officials say a decisionto propose increase in the ageof re-employment has beentaken in accordance with a gov-ernment order issued inSeptember 2013, that says thatmedical institutes can increasethe re-employment age up to 70years.

KGMU Vice-ChancellorRavi Kant said that re-employ-ment would not be open for all

and would be considered onneed base in order to save MCIrecognition of departmentswhere teachers are short.

KGMU move to increaseage of re-employment


the Ram Manohar LohiaInstitute of Medical Sciencesis contemplating to start adepartment of EmergencyMedicine after getting a nodfrom the Medical Council ofIndia.

After the Cabinet decisionfor merger of Lohia Hospitaland RMLIMS, their heads havestarted holding meetings toplan the opening of the newdepartment. The institute willrun the Emergency Medicinedepartment in co-ordinationwith Lohia Hospital.

Lohia Institute DirectorNuzhat Hussain said the MCIhad given them permission torun Emergency Medicinedepartment. He said the newdepartment would have expertsand para medical staffs fromthe institute and hospital.

The state Governmentdecision to merge RMLHospital and RMLIMS amonth back will enable theinstitute to run undergraduate(MBBS) courses apart fromimparting super specialitymedical education.

At present, the RMLIMS isrunning only super speciality

medical courses.The merger of the 350-bedinstitute and 350-bed hospitalwill pave the way for RMLIMS

to start undergraduate (MBBS)course with 150 seats.

The institute is awaitingMCI nod to its infrastructurefor starting MBBS course.

At present, there are closeto 1400 MBBS seats in themedical institutes of the stateand the 150 of RMLIMS wouldincrease the intake of under-graduate medical students.

Once the merger of theLohia hospital and institute iscompleted in a few months, theRMLIMS will advertise theteaching and non-teachingposts. Lohia hospital doctorswill also be eligible for teach-ing posts if they clear the inter-

views.The institute will also ask

the MCI to make a combinedinspection infrastructure ofthe institute and the hospital asthey are being merge.

DA case against Ramveer Upadhyay

JASWANT SINGH...Prime Minister Narendra

Modi has spoken to his familyand prayed for Singhs speedyrecovery. Examination at thehospital showed him to be incoma, with signs of raisedintracranial tension and ahaematoma scalp. Urgent CTscan of the head showed anacute subdural haematoma withmass effect, a midline shift andcontusion of the brain sub-stance. A lifesaving decom-pressive hemicraniectomy wasdone, the Ministry said.

Singh had also served asExternal Affairs and Finance

Minister and was expelled fromBJP early this year when hedecided to contest the LokSabha polls from Barmer inRajasthan as an Independentcandidate after the party decid-ed to field Colonel SonaramChaudhary.

SPEAKERS DECISION...The bench headed by Chief

Justice RM Lodha scorned at thepetitioner for failing to raise alegal issue through the petition.Under Article 32, we are notdeciding on political issues. Ifruling is given by Speaker in thechamber of the House, it is not

amenable to judicial review.The Court asked whether theMavalankar ruling was notifiedor part of any statute to whichthe answer was negative. Thebench, also comprising JusticesKurian Joseph and RohingtonNariman said, Once you sayMavalankar ruling is not noti-fied, can the legality of such rul-ing given by Speaker beamenable to judicial review.

MPs RAISE...He was addressing a sports

function at Vigyan Bhavan inDelhi. CPI(M) member PRajeev raised the issue and

wanted to know whether theyhad sought permission for it.Kurien said Tendulkar wasnominated to the Upper Housein April 2012 and had attendedthe session for three days. Lasttime he had come to the Houseon December 13, 2013, hesaid. Reacting to the prolongedabsence of the celebrities, lyri-cist and scriptwriter and a nom-inated member of the UpperHouse Javed Akhtar said:Membership of Parliament isnot a trophy. Sachin shouldcome to Parliament.Mentioning that both Tendulkarand Rekha have not taken a sin-

gle MP privilege, Rajeev Shuklasaid: They should attendParliament more f requently. Ithink Sachin should attendParliament. When he was play-ing cricket, he never missed apractice, so now that he hasretired, he should come toParliament, said t he BJPs KirtiAzad, also a former cricketer.

RANA CONVICTED...allegedly killed a number of

Thakurs, reportedly to avengeher gang-rape by the Thakurs ofthe same village. Delhi Policehad charged all the accused formurder, criminal conspiracy

and destruction of evidence.They also faced charges ofattempting to murder her secu-rity guard and under variousprovisions of the Arms Act.Police had said that Rana want-ed to establish himself as aThakur leader by mastermind-ing the killing and ruled out anyother motive behind Phoolansmurder. Investigations hadproved that Rana had plottedthe murder for more than twoyears and had gathered financefor buying arms and ammuni-tion. He had even robbed a bankfor generating funds to carry outhis designs.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Friday took seri-ous exception to a petition filed by aNGO that sought urgent orders to rescueclose to 40 girls from madarsasin easternUttar Pradesh complaining that such cen-tres of learning had become dens of ille-gal activities.

You should not unnecessarily givethese matters undue shade. The words youhave used are not in national interest. It candisturb the peace of the country and dam-age the secular fabric in the country, saida bench headed by Chief Justice RMLodha. The petition filed by Jayati Bhartam,

representing NGO that claimed to have res-cued many girls from madarsas, relied ona recent news report to suggest that sever-al girls were forcibly abducted and con-

verted in the madarsas.

The news report was based on a state-ment of a 20-year-old girl who narrated herordeal as to how she was abducted on July23, taken to a madrasa in Hapur where shewas gang-raped and forced to convert toIslam.

The bench, also comprising JusticesKurian Joseph and Rohington Narimanenquired that besides newspaper reportwhat other material was there to suggestsuch incidents. You do not produce anyrepresentation that you have made toNational Commission for Women (NCW)or any complaint lodged with the policeauthorities. Certain issues need to be takenforward responsibly.

PNSn NEW DELHI

Even as the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) onFriday declared deadly Ebolaepidemic as an internationalhealth emergency, UnionHealth Minister HarshVardhan told Parliament thatIndia need not panic over itsoutbreak as there has been noreported case of the virus inthe country and theGovernment is taking all pre-cautions.

As of today, this moment,there is no Ebola case report-ed in India. There is no needto panic, he said.

The Minister said that theGovernment was taking allprecautions and keeping aclose watch on the movement

of people into India fromcountries affected by the virus.

In the light of the outbreakof Ebola virus in west Africancountries, the Governmenthad earl ier this weekannounced a slew of stepsincluding screening and track-ing of passengers originatingor transiting from there, andasked Indians to defer non-essential travel to that region.

There are close to 45,000Indians in affected countriessuch as Guinea, Liberia, SierraLeone and Nigeria where anoutbreak of the disease haskilled 932 people. Indianauthorities are on alert for theEbola virus, the health minis-ter said, suggesting there is arisk the deadly virus could be

imported into country if thelarge population of Indiansworking in the four affectedWest African nations returns,the Minister had said recent-ly.

Vardhan said. While therisk of Ebola virus cases inIndia is low, preparednessmeasures are in place to dealwith any case of the virusimported to India. Liberiahas declared a state of emer-gency to tackle the worst-everoutbreak of the disease, itshealth system is collapsing.

Mandatory self reportingby the passengers comingfrom or transiting throughthe affected countries wouldbe required at immigration

check, Vardhan had said,adding in-flight announce-ments regardingthis would also be made.

The WHO has declaredthe killer Ebola epidemic rav-aging parts of West Africa aninternational health emer-gency and appealed for glob-al aid to help afflicted coun-tries.

The global health agencymove comes as US healthauthorit ies on Thursdayadmitted that Ebolas spreadbeyond West Africa wasinevitable, and after medicalcharity Doctors WithoutBorders (MSF) warned thatthe deadly virus was now outof control with more than 60outbreak hotspot.

India need notpanic: Vardhan

EBOLA OUTBREAK

RMLIMS set to startemergency medicine dept

After the Cabinet

decision for merger

of Lohia Hospital

and RMLIMS, their

heads have startedholding meetings

to plan the

opening of the new

department

STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI

Apedestrian subway con-structed by the DelhiMetro Rail Corporation(DMRC) to avoid any trafficdisruptions on the busy ITOintersection was thrown opento public. The subway con-structed was inaugurated by theDelhi Police CommissionerBhim Sain Bassi in the presenceof the DMRC ManagingDirector Mangu Singh andother DMRC Directors.

Built using a special box-pushing technology to avoidany traffic disruptions, thesubway connects Delhi Police

Headquarters and theEngineers Bhawan on theextremely busy

ITO road. It is a part of theunder-construction ITO Metrostation and will cater to thepedestrians who will cross ITOintersection. The timings of thesubway for the general publicwill be from 6 am to 10 pm.Delhi Metro is committed tothe safety of its commutersespecially women. We arehopeful that this subway will beof great benefit to the pedes-trians who cross the busy ITOintersection everyday, DMRCManaging Director said.

The subway, which is 9 mdeep from the ground level, willprovide a safe and easy passageto pedestrians crossing thebusy intersection at ITO as wellas provide connectivity to theupcoming ITO Metro station atthe concourse level, a DMRCofficial spokesperson said.

The interiors of the sub-way have been built using

black, grey and red granite forthe flooring of subway alongwith false ceiling and facia onthe walls. The subway has oneescalator at gate no. 6 (towardsEngineers Bhawan) and oneescalator at gate no. 5 (towardsPolice Headquarters) for theconvenience of the passengers.There is a provision for one lifteach at gate Nos 5 and 6which are under construc-tion. Work on the subwaywas started in June-July lastyear and was completedin August.

The ITO station has 6entry/exit points twoentry/exits on Indraprastha

Marg are near Agarwal Chowk(ITO) near Delhi PoliceHeadquarters and EngineersBhawan, two entry/exits are

on both sides of DeenDayal Upadhyay Marg andtwo entry/exits on BahadurShah Zafar Marg. Anotherpedestrian subway is underconstruction on Deen DayalUpadhyay Marg. This subwayis also being built using thebox-pushing technology andwill connect entry no. 1(towards Andhra EducationSociety) and entry no. 2(towards Indian NationalScience Academy) of theupcoming ITO station.

Delhi Metro opens subway at ITO

Crossing the road at the ITO intersection becomes easier. Delhi Metro, which is constructing an underground Metrostation at ITO, threw open one of the subways on Friday. The subway will connect the police headquarters to the spacealongside the Institute of Engineers building Ranjan Dimri | Pioneer

The subway, which is9 m deep from theground level, will

provide a safe andeasy passage to

pedestrians crossingthe ITO as well as

provide connectivityto the upcoming ITOMetro station at the

concourse level

SC raps NGO for using vexed words in plea


7/16

LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 nation 07

MOHIT KANDHARI

n OCTROI POST, RS PURA

After spending more than48 hours in the custody ofPakistan Rangers, BSF jawanSatyasheel Yadav on Fridaywalked free after he was hand-ed over to the Indian borderguards at the Octroi post alongthe International border inSuchetgarh area of RS Purasector in Jammu.

The 30-year-old jawan,Yadav was swept away by theChenab river to Pakistan onWednesday after theirpatrolling boat had developeda technical snag during a rou-tine patrolling exercise.

Three other BSF jawans,present in the boat, swam backto safety after jumping off theboat. Yadav survived the strongcurrents of Chenab riverbecause he was wearing a life

jacket but landed in the Pakterritory along with thedefunct boat.

The much awaited releaseof the Indian soldier was, how-ever, delayed by the PakistanRangers for reasons bestknown to them by over onehour. Before the formal handover ceremony at the Zero lineof the International border,certain necessary formalitieswere completed by the

Pakistan Rangers.Satyasheel Yadav, dressed

in his combat fatigue, lookedcheerful and healthy while hewas handed over to hisBattalion commander VareshSingh. BSF officers present atthe ceremony greeted Yadavand patted his back beforewalking into the Indian terri-

tory. On his return, DirectorGeneral BSF, DK Pathak, spe-cially flown in to Jammu tosupervise the smooth handover. I am grateful to them(Pakistan Rangers) for treatinghim well, told reporters.

He was treated well, therewas no mishandling of theIndian jawan, medical treat-ment was also given to himafter they took him intotheir custody

From the Octroi post theBSF jawan was escorted to thenearby battalion headquarterswhere he met DG BSF andother senior officers. SatyasheelYadav is expected to bedebriefed by senior BSF offi-cers and others beforereturning to his battalionheadquarters. Briefing media-persons, DG BSF maintainedthat the BSF jawan returnedsafely due to collective effort ofthe Govt of India at the high-est level and efforts made bythe BSF authorities to secure

his safe release in record time.Pressure was mounted by

the Government of Indiathrough their Foreign Officeon Thursday to hand over thecustody of Indian jawan whowas accidentally swept away bythe Chenab river to Pakistan.

Responding to the persis-tent query of mediapersonswhy it took so long for thePakistan Rangers to hand overthe custody of the BSF jawan,the DG BSF claimed, I cantanswer why they took so longto hand him over. It is they whohave to answer this question.

On the issue of allegedinterrogation of the BSF jawanby officers of the militaryIntelligence and ISI inPakistan, DG, BSF DK Pathakresponded candidly saying,They did ask some questionsand it isnt uncommon. Healso clarified BSF jawan wasdrifted into their territory bythe strong currents of Chenabriver. This was an accident but

he went there unauthorisedly.They have a right to find outhow he came there, he elabo-rated. Before BSF jawan washanded over to the Indianauthorities, Yadav toldreporters in Pakistan that hisboat accidentally strayed intothe neighbouring land after itwent out of control in strongriver currents.

My colleagues swam outbut I do not know swimming.The boat took me intoPakistani territory. I jumpedinto water near a Pakistanpost and was rescued by

jawans of Pakistan Rangers, hesaid in his narration of theevents leading to his capture.

Yadav, flanked by Rangersofficials, said he was madecomfortable by them.

They took my introduc-tion. They helped me to theextent they could. They keptme better than what I hadthought. I have no complaints.I am happy, he said.

Pak hands over captured BSF jawan

VR JAYARAJ n KOCHI

The Congress-ledGovernment in Keralahas sparked off a controver-sy by making UPA chairper-son Sonia Gandhi the chiefguest of the annual meet and the only invitee from out-side of Kudumbashreewomens empowerment pro-

ject.Critics say that the move

is proof of the rulingCongress efforts to bringKudumbashree, launched bythe State Government andcoming under the Local Self-Government bodies, under itstotal control.

The BJP and the CPI(M)have launched an attack

against Congress for invitingSonia, who is just an MPholding no constitutionalposition, to inaugurate the16th annual meet of thewomens self-empowermentestablished in 1998 duringthe rule of the LDF led byMarxist party. The anniver-sary is being held fromAugust 12 to 14 atThiruvananthapuram.

What is Sonias right toinaugurate the programme?What role has she played inthe growth ofKudumbashree? Why shealone is invited to the meetwhen the first person to beinvited from outside theGovernment to such

meetings is the StateAssemblys Opposit ionLeader? asked CPI(M) cen-tral committee member TMThomas Isaac.

It is equally strange thatthe organisers, the Local Self-Government Department ofthe Kerala Government head-

ed by Muslim LeaguesMinister MK Muneer, havenot bothered to invite even asingle Minister from theUnion Government to themeet despite the fact that theCentre has been allottingcrores of rupees forKudumbashree projects every

year. Sonia Gandhi is just thepresident of a party. She doesnot hold any official position.She is not even theOpposition Leader. This isproof of a deliberate Congressmove to keep UnionMinisters away from StateGovernment programmes. Itis a mean practice which noteven the Marxists would liketo fol low, saidState BJP president VMuraleedharan.

The annual meeting willbe inaugurated by Sonia

Gandhi on August 12 at thePutharikkandam Grounds inthe State capital. GovernorSheila Dikshit will inauguratethe valedictory programmeon August 14. Chief MinisterOommen Chandy will makea declaration on the new ini-tiatives which Kudumbashreeis planning to undertake.

This is not the first timethe Congress-ledGovernment has sparked offa controversy by invitingSonia to a programme. Ithad made her inaugurate theGovernments Zero Landlessprogramme of giving threecents land each to the land-less on September 30 last.When criticisms arose, theGovernment said Sonia did itin her capacityas NationalAdvisory Councils head.

Isaac, Finance Minister inthe former LDF Government,warned the Congress and theUDF Government againstany effort to hijack theKudumbashree.

If it is planning tochange the projects by-lawsduring the meet we willlaunch strong agitation. Itwill be in their interest toavoid a direct conf rontation,Isaac said. Immediately afterassuming office, theCongress-led Government

NAYAN DAVE n DIU (UT)

In lines with some of themost famous oceanariumsin the world, the UnionTerritory (UT) Daman, Diu,Dadara & Nagar Haveli admin-istration is working on Indias

first oceanarium at exotictourist location and island townDiu situated on the westernborder of Gujarat.

The Union Ministry ofEarth Sciences has already con-sented for the `600 crore ocea-narium project in principle.The UT administration hasalready earmarked nearly 35acres of land, suitable for theNational Oceanarium Project.The picturesque location ofthe oceanarium project is arocky highland approximately7 meters higher to sea level inMalala village of Diu district.

A team comprising seniorofficials from the Ministry ofEarth Sciences, geologists andNational Institute ofOceanography (NIO) recently

visited the site and were happyto see the location. In next 2-3months feasibility report of theproject will be prepared, saidBhupinder Singh Bhalla,Administrator of Daman, Diu,Dadara & Nagar Haveli.

Bhalla is aiming high for

the upcoming project. Heplans to develop world-classoceanarium at the erstwhilePortuguese colony on tinyisland spread across hardly 40sq km keeping some of theworld famous oceanariums like Seaworld, San Diego,USA, Ocean Park, Hong

Kong, China, Marineland,Niagara Falls, Ontario,Canada, Lisbon Oceanariumand Portugal in mind.

According to Diu CollectorVinod Kavle, Diu is the perfectlocation for the project lookingto huge tourist flow. Though

population of picturesqueisland Diu is hardly around50,000, it witnesses tourist flowof over four lakhs annuallythat include nearly 10-15 per-cent foreign tourists, says Kavle.

Since the project is fundedby the Government of India(GOI) to create awareness onmarine life, there wouldnt beany hiccup related to CoastalRegulatory Zone (CRZ), hesaid adding that the Diu admin-istration will son sign an MOUwith the Ministry of EarthSciences. Against the UnionTerritorys annual budget ofnearly `800 crore, it fetchesincome of over `4000 core dueto heavy flow of tourists interms of Central Excise, VATand other indirect taxes.

Interestingly, every yearGOI allocates `100 crores forthe National OceanariumProject since 2009. In fact theCentral Government zeroed inon couple of locations in Keralaand Goa, but both the StateGovernments on some or other

reason shown unwillingness toallot huge chunk of land thattoo right on the shore. Finally,The UT administration seizedthe opportunity and decided toapproach the concernedMinistry and within a week ata time when GOI was about todrop the project.

Island town Diu all

set for Indias firstoceanarium project Sonias right toopen annualmeet questioned

SAUGAR SENGUPTA n

KOLKATA

The war of words betweenTata patriarch Ratan Tataand the Bengal Governmentintensified with both ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjeeand her Education MinisterPartha Chatterjee on Fridaytaking on the pioneerindus-trialist for trying to showBengals industria l atmos-phere in poor light and

advising the critics to com-pete but not spread canards.The Chief Minister who

was addressing aGovernment function inNadia without naming thetop industry magnet said thatsome critics are spreading adisinformation campaignagainst the industrial climatein Bengal butinstead of doing

Documents

Epaper Lucknow English Edition 09-08-2014