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Dhruv, IJT attract buyers in Paris
Gujarat Muslims under pressure to sell land
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US threatens India on gas pipeline
Greenpeace to boycott containment of Carbide waste
Brig blamed for manipulating statements in Tehelka case Geelani removed from panel
ASI seeks graft, suspended
Elevated highway at Panipat by 2008
Ahamed wants development on global agenda
Hi-tech communication equipment seized
Sunil Arora is CM’s Secy
Haj costlier
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Dhruv, IJT attract buyers in Paris
Bangalore, June 16 If reports are to be believed, the ALH and the IJT are receiving rave reviews at the show which will be on till June 19 with a number of international players evincing interest in buying the aircraft. Team HAL is also showcasing the Cheetal helicopter which is an advanced version of its old Cheetah helicopter but it is the Dhruv and the IJT which are commanding most attention. HAL has sold Dhruv to the ONGC and two to Nepal and has leased another one to Israel. The helicopter is presently undergoing flight tests in Israel. The helicopter has also undergone successful flight tests for one and a half years in Chile and negotiations are on with a few other countries for sale of the helicopter. HAL sources say Dhruv, which is being marketed as a multi-role helicopter, can be used for heliborne assault, logistic support, reconnaissance, air observation post, casualty evacuation and training besides transportation of cargo. The helicopter has been designed to provide high degree of survivability which includes low radar, thermal and acoustic features besides use of composite material which gives it increased battle damage tolerance. There is also an armed version of the aircraft which is equipped for anti-submarine warfare and anti- surface vessel warfare. The intermediate jet trainer which is being marketed at the Paris show has been designed to replace the Kiran aircraft which is the workhorse of the Indian Air Force for stage two training of pilots. This is a tandem seat aircraft for training in general flying, formation flying, instrument and cloud flying besides other training mediums. It is equipped with the latest Zvezda light weight ejection seats with zero speed and zero altitude ejection capabilities besides having a state of the art avionics system. At the Paris Air show today HAL pilots flew Dr Arjoon Suddhoo, Chairman of Air Mauritius, who, HAL sources said, was highly impressed with the versatility of Dhruv in a civil role. He expressed keen interest on Dhruv for possible employment for tourism in Malaysia. Besides this, HAL has claimed that its Chairman Ashok K Baweja also held discussions with BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, Bell Helicopter and Schweizer Helicopters. HAL is also in the process of tying up with TCS, a global software provider, to provide end to end engineering solutions to global customers. Mr Baweja has held discussions in this regard with TCS head S Ramadorai. HAL is hoping its unique combination with TCS will enable it to source engineering services to global clients from India. |
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Gujarat Muslims under pressure to sell land
Ahmedabad, June 16 “My old neighbours do not want me back. We don’t even go there to harvest crops,” says Niyazbanu. Her husband Bhanumiya plies an auto-rickshaw while her two adult sons are unemployed. “Earlier they used to work at companies owned by Hindus, but they were sacked after the 2002 riots,” says Niyazbanu. Niyazbanu’s neighbours are all fellow Muslims from Ognej who fled the post-Godhra fury. “All the 19 Muslim families were resettled in this building,” says Hydermia Syed, 45, who plies an auto-rickshaw. “NGOs did not want to rebuild houses of Muslims in the village as the money would have been wasted in case of similar attacks in the future,” says Dr Shakeel Ahmed, head of IRC’s legal cell. The local mosque’s fallen minarets greet visitors to Ognej. “They brought in tractors to pull them down,” says Hydermia. Adjacent to the mosque is the gutted shell of his house, remnants of hay and straw used as tinder still inside. “It took me Rs 3.5 lakhs to build it,” says Hydermia. Next door is the newly painted house of Tanaji Thakur. “I bought it from Hydermia’s uncle Noora Kaka for Rs 2.25 lakhs,” says Thakur. According to Hydermia, his uncle sold the house in distress as he needed the money. “Now he wants to buy my gutted house for Rs 1.5 lakh,” says Hydermia. Thakur however insists that he is only helping his old neighbours in need. “The Muslims can of course come back and live peacefully,” says Thakur. Other Hindus in the village disagree. “The sarpanch decides on whether the Muslims will return,” says Bamaji Thakur, a friend of Hydermia. Sarpanch Ramesh Patel, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, insists that the Muslims are welcome to return home “at their own risk”. “If some rioters choose to attack them again, there is no way
we could protect them,” says Patel. Ognej’s Muslims allege that outsiders willing to pay more are not allowed to buy land from them. “Potential buyers are driven away by the Bajrang Dal activists,” alleges Niyazbanu. Meanwhile, land prices in Ognej have begun to rise after it was brought under the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority after the post-Godhra riots. “One bigha of land which cost Rs 3.5 lakhs earlier cost Rs 25 lakhs now,” admits Patel, the sarpanch. Only, the Muslims who collectively own land worth nearly Rs 2.5 crore can’t wait for the right buyer. “I will sell my bigha of land for even
Rs 2 lakhs as I need the money to survive,” says Niyazbanu. Activists say, more than 15,000 Muslim families across Gujarat are still not being allowed to return to their native villages. Many of them have been forced to sell their property at throw way prices. (Part of a series on Communal Polarization and Threat to Shared
Traditions supported by the National Foundation for India) |
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US threatens India on gas pipeline New Delhi, June 16 “We think it will be a mistake. Because such a pipeline project could provide funds to the Iran government which could use it for funding terrorism and weapons of mass destruction,” visiting Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control Stephen G. Rademaker told reporters here. “We have in place a legislation in the USA that threatens sanctions against particular projects that will develop oil resources in Iran... So that is our policy and we continue to discourage construction...such as this proposed pipeline.” “We are aware of India’s growing energy requirements and that is why we have started talks (with it) on energy cooperation.” Rademaker was briefing journalists after his talks with India’s Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and Additional Secretary, External Affairs Ministry, Meera Shankar. Robert Blake of the US Embassy, however, noted the USA had not yet taken a “formal position” on the Iran pipeline as there was “no formal proposal on the table” about the project. During the recent visit of Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar to Tehran, India and Iran had agreed to form a special joint working group to thrash out technical, commercial, financial and legal issues for the pipeline to takeoff in early 2006.
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Greenpeace to boycott containment of Carbide waste
Bhopal, June 16 Greenpeace protest has came under attack from local organisations fighting for the cause, who alleged that the NGO, which has an office in the USA, was “trying to delay the containment without understanding intricacies of the procedures.” Refuting the allegations, Greenpeace toxics campaigner Vinuta Gopal told PTI that it was not against containment, but wanted to prevent a second generation of victims that might emerge due to unsafe procedures that were being followed. “We are not stopping containment. That is why we have boycotted it and not blocked it. That too, because authorities backed off from their commitment of transparency and refused us access to the factory premises,” Gopal claimed. “The labourers working in unsafe conditions with toxic waste might take the chemical dust home making their family members second generation of victims,” she said, adding that “our main aim is to fight for the rights of the victims.” She said the agitations against Dow Chemicals was on in the USA and the NGO had initiated a massive cyber action to exert pressure on the Indian government to act for the victims. On funds generated through international agencies, she said it was being used to offer direct relief to the victims. Medical facilities were being offered through Sambhavana Clinic here, besides running enterpreneurship projects for women, the Greenpeace toxics campaigner said. Alleging that safety precautions were not being followed during temporary containment of toxic waste, Gopal demanded that the authorities should allow independent experts, community representatives and NGO’s to monitor the process to ensure complete transparency and accountability, best safety standards for workers and the communities living around the factory
site. — PTI |
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Sankararaman murder case posted to July 12
Chengalpattu, June 16 When the hearing in the case resumed at the Sessions court here after the summer vacation, Senior Acharya Jayendra Saraswati and his Junior Vijayendra Saraswati and 20 others were present in the court. Junior seer’s brother Raghu and former Kanchi Mutt Manager N. Sundaresa Iyer could not appear before the court as they were on conditional bail and were staying at Coimbatore and Villuppuram, respectively. When the prosecution objected to their absence and demanded issuance of a warrant for their production, defence counsel filed a petition under Section 317 of the CrPC seeking to dispense with their personal appearance for the day. After taking it on file and recording the presence of the other accused, Sessions Judge G.M. Akbar Ali posted the case to July 12 for framing of charges and directed all accused to be present on that day. In all 24 persons were cited as accused in the case. While both the Acharyas and four others, who were granted bail appeared before the court, 16 other accused under judicial custody, including Appu, were produced before the court from various prisons amid tight security.
— UNI |
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Brig blamed for manipulating statements in Chandigarh, June 16 Deposing before the court, he stated that Brig S. S. Gill, who had recorded the SOE, had done it at the behest of the accused to help him. The witness also cast doubts on his signatures in the additional SOE. While being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Maj R.S. Randhawa (retd), Aniruddha Bahl, who had been in charge of the sting operation which had caught senior officers, politicians and bureaucrats on video tape allegedly demanding and accepting bribes, said certain words and sentences had been added to his answers. He stated that the answers concerned had only been “yes” or “no”. To a question asked during the SOE whether he was present in the hotel room where recording of events concerning the accused was done, the witness had simply stated “No”, the witness said. The words “Hence I have no personal knowledge of the facts” and other words like he had no personal knowledge of the allegations made by Mathews that the accused did not accept gratification, were added later on, he added. Similarly certain portions had been added to other four answers, the witness maintained. Prosecution counsel, Arvind Moudgil contended before the court that the added portions had no significance to the questions asked, which proved that there had been certain manipulations. Earlier, the witness was questioned by the prosecution counsel about the scope and methods of the investigation carried out by the news portal and results thereof.
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New Delhi, June 16 A letter was sent to Geelani late last night informing him about his “replacement” and directions to vacate his residence, Amir-E-Jamaat Nazir Ahmed Kashiani told PTI today. Mr Kashiani, however, refused to divulge the name of Mr Geelani’s successor in the council. Mr Geelani along with his close associate Ashraf Sehrai and two others, had been suspended from the Majlis-E-Shoora (General Advisory Council) a few months back. Confirming receipt of the letter, Mr Geelani said it was “unconstitutional” and his replacement or the decision to expel him from the Advisory Council had to be taken by the council itself. “No individual is authorised to take the decision on behalf of the council,” he said. Mr Kashiani said, “As and when Geelani and others dissociate themselves from Tehrik-E-Hurriyat (a parrallel Hurriyat Conference formed by Geelani), they will be welcomed back into the fold.” — PTI
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Kochi, June 16 Coconut oil with 48.6 per cent lauric acid is a potential source for producing monolaurin (lauricidin), which has been experimentally found to reduce the AIDS virus, Dr P. Rethinam, Executive Director of the Jakarta-based Asian and Pacific Coconut Community, told a gathering at the India International Commodity Fair here. Jon Kabara, a US Scientist, had done some preliminary work. However, a pilot-scale testing with a large number of AIDS patients needed to be done, Rethinam said. The Philippines had done some basic studies and would like to take up a pilot study, he said. — PTI
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ASI seeks graft, suspended
Bhopal, June 16 The bodies of Surendra Singh (30), his five-year old son Totaram and three-year-old Gendibai were found on the railway tracks near Obaidullahganj in Raisen district, about 40 km from here, on Wednesday. Surendra Singh, of Sindhi Camp village, near Obaidullahganj, had an altercation with his wife and then he left the house with the two children. Immediately thereafter, his younger brother Hoshiar Singh rushed to the Obaidullahganj police station to report that Surendra Singh had threatened suicide along with the children and that the police should prevent it. The staff present at the police station registered a case but reportedly told Hoshiar Singh to bring Rs 1,000 if he wanted his brother to be saved. By the time Hoshiar Singh returned with the money, Surendra Singh had already jumped in front of the Dakshin Express along with the children. DIG U. C. Shadangi today placed ASI Rajesh Singh under suspension. |
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Elevated highway at Panipat by 2008
New Delhi, June 16 The work on the project is likely to begin in another three months and will be completed by 2008. A top official of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) told The Tribune today that the project would be executed on a built-operate-transfer (BOT) basis by the contractor. The official said most of the preliminary work, including land procurement by the state government, had been completed. The next step would be to shift electricity poles and sewerage etc, the process for which was at an advanced stage. Meanwhile, the detailed project report (DPR) for the 20-km stretch from Panipat to Delhi up to Panchi Gujran was also at its last stage. The tender process for the project, which is likely to be ready by December, 2007, will be completed by July. As far as two more areas on the highway towards the Delhi side, for which the contracts had been terminated, are concerned, the NHAI would soon start the re-bidding process. The tenders for the six-laning of the 21.7-km stretch between Panchi Gujran to Kamaspur in Sonepat and the eight-laning of the 12.9-km stretch near the Delhi border, where the work had been stalled after a breach of contract by the respective contractors, would be floated again. |
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Ahamed wants development on global agenda
New Delhi, June 16 Addressing the second South Summit in Doha today, Mr Ahamed said it was only the permanent membership of developing countries as a group in an expanded UN Security Council that could contribute effectively to realising the political and economic agenda of the developing world. He called for democratisation and increased transparency in the international financial, monetary and trade institutions and stressed the need for the successful conclusion of the Doha round of trade talks which meets the interests of developing countries. The Ministry of External Affairs said in a note here that the summit adopted the Doha Declaration and the Doha Plan of Action which address a range of issues of interest to the South. A meeting of the foreign ministers of NAM was also held on Monday to discuss various aspects of the ongoing UN reform process. During his stay in Doha, Mr Ahamed had bilateral meetings with leaders of more than 30 African, Latin American and Asian countries. |
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Hi-tech communication equipment seized
New Delhi, June 16 “Satellite phones and radio transmitters are not used by common people and their being brought
in a clandestine manner is a matter of concern,” a senior police official said. He said the consignment was probably meant
for terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir as they were known to use such equipment for communicating with their masters in
Pakistan. Customs officials last evening intercepted a cargo, comprising two carpets and three pillows, at the airport when it arrived from Jeddah by an international carrier. Its search led to the recovery of six satellite phone hand sets, one large set of the phone,
40 radio transmitters and 60 antennae, police sources said. Kashmiri businessman Mohmmad Amin Khan, who came to receive the consignment and stays in the Jangpura area of South Delhi, has been arrested. |
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Sunil Arora is CM’s Secy
Jaipur, June 16 Educated at Hoshiarpur College of Panjab University, Mr Arora belongs to the 1980 batch of the IAS. He relinquished as CMD of the Indian Airlines on June 12 after a stint of five years. Mr Arora is in the Rajasthan cadre and has been OSD in the Planning Commission, Director, Banking in the Union Ministry of Finance, and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Earlier, he was Secretary to the former Chief Minister, Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, currently Vice-President of India. Mr Arora also served as Collector of Alwar, Jodhpur, Nagaur and Dholpur districts in Rajasthan. |
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Haj costlier
New Delhi, June 16 Saudi government’s decision to auction the land at Mina at very high price would be offset on the pilgrims going through the private operators. However, those going through the Central Haj Committee will not be affected by this decision. Pilgrims have to spend at least four days at the holy place of Mina for completing their Haj rituals. The All-India Haj Ummrah Tour Organisers Association, which is responsible for carrying Indian pilgrims, has lodged a protest to the Saudi government in this regard. |
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