Taxi Drivers Clash at Chennai City Airport

Tension prevailed at Chennai airport on Sunday night after two groups of taxi drivers came to blows following allegations that call taxi drivers were “hijacking” customers meant for pre-paid taxi drivers.

Senior police officials had to rush to the spot to avoid the scuffle turning into a major chaos at the airport.
Pre-paid taxi drivers on Monday said that they were registered to operate in the airport unlike call taxi and tourist taxi vehicles.

They also said that their income completely depended on passengers arriving from different destinations.
“However, other drivers who arrive there to drop passengers take away our passengers by offering fares that are 20 per cent lower than ours,” said Mr Rajesh a cab driver.

If the prepaid taxi token states Rs 500 for traveling from the airport to Egmore, other drivers ask for Rs 400, the police noted.

However, call taxi and tourist taxi drivers said that it was up to the passengers to decide which service they would avail.

They offered their service for less so the passengers would use their vehicles, the police said quoting call taxi and tourist taxi drivers.

Police and Airport Authority of India officials pacified the drivers and promised to solve the issue amicably in the coming days.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com

Read More

Kudankulam nuclear plant: Police lathicharge protesters

KUDANKULAM: Police lathicharged and fired teargas shells on villagers protesting against Kundakulam nuclear plant at Vairavikinaru shore to chase them away on Monday morning. The villagers, men and women ran helter-skelter from the shore, some of them into the sea as police personnel began to chase them. Some of the villagers also retaliated by throwing stones at the police.

The incident sparked fresh round of tension in the coastal villages in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts where fishermen are opposing the multi-crore Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), an Indo-Russian venture, which is to be commissioned soon.

"The situation is now under control," ADGP (Law and Order) S George told reporters in the afternoon. While at least a dozen villagers were injured, police too claimed that some of them were injured as protestors pelted stones at them.

The Vairavikinaru village shore, about half a kilometer from the nuclear project site, resembled a war zone as police fired tear gas shells forcing the protestors to run for safety. The whereabouts of People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) S P Udayakumar, who has been spearheading the protests, is not known.

The lathicharge started after south zone IG Rajesh Das issued a warning to the villages to leave the spot in ten minutes. When the villagers refused to leave, police lobbed tear gas shells at them and chased them away with lathis.

The protestors from Idinthakarai, Vijayapathi, Kutapuzhi and adjoining villages had gathered at Idinthakarai on Sunday morning and took out a march to Kudankulam, opposing enriched uranium fuel loading in the first reactor that is being prepared for commissioning. But police prevented them at Vairavikinaru and asked them to leave the spot. The villagers however decided to continue their protests at Vairavikinaru shore where collector R Selvaraj and SP Vijayendra Bidari held talks that failed.

Source: timesofindia.com

Read More

Devotees protest work at Parthasarathy temple

Devotees of one of Chennai’s oldest temples, the Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Temple, are up in arms against construction by the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department inside the temple prakara. The department laid new granite stones and built a shed. Residents have planned a series of protests including group-chanting of the Vishnu Sahasranamam.

They say that the shed was preventing them from having darshan of the Anandha vimanam (tower over the sanctum of Sri Parthasarathy Swamy sannidhi), Vedavalli Thayar Vimanam and Varadhar Sannidhi Vimanam over the pradakshina course.

“Having darshan of vimanams is equivalent to having darshan of the presiding deity. Now if we want to have darshan of vimanams, we will have to go to one of the buildings on the mada veedhis and view them from a distance,” said a senior citizen.

He was speaking at a gathering of devotees, heritage enthusiasts and advocates, who met under the auspices of Srinivasa Young Men’s Association, Nanbargal Kuzhu, Triplicane Brahmins Welfare Association and Yadava Sabhai, among others, to think of an action plan to save the temple that has a recorded history of over 1200 years.

T.R. Ramesh, president, Temple Worshipers Society, and general secretary (legal affairs) of Janata Party, said the HR&CE had control only over the administration of temple properties and not the idols or jewellery.

“A few years ago, at Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, there was a move by the department to construct rest rooms, after the demolishing of a kottaaram in the temple premises was thwarted,” he said.

Advocate M. Vivekanandan said the department was not allowed to make any new innovations under the HR&CE Act. They can only preserve what is there. He said while more recent constructions including the Ripon Building, Fort St. George and Victoria Public Hall were being protected as monuments and every care was being taken in their maintenance and repairs, nothing has been done to preserve this temple, which has been in existence since time immemorial.

A senior priest, who retired from a temple in Thiruvarur, said that temple bhattacharyas and priests could not be expected to join the protests because if they did, they would be treated badly by the officials.

RTI activist V.S. Rajkumar said over 15,000 residents had signed a petition stating that the works must not be taken up. But the department had gone ahead and completed the construction.

Read More

Assam fallout: Govt blocks 80 internet pages, user accounts

New Delhi, Aug 19: Government is learnt to have ordered blocking of 80 more Internet pages and user-accounts on social networking sites including Facebook, Google and Twitter to avoid panic among people of northeastern region living across India.

All these sites were found hosting inflammatory and hateful content, spreading rumours and inciting violence targeting the people from north-east, government sources said.

Yesterday, the government had issued instructions to block 76 Internet sites, which included web-pages and some websites, and had said that bulk of the rumours that triggered panic among people of North-eastern states in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra were sourced from Pakistan.

"We have found inflammatory and objectionable contents on some pages of Facebook and Google. Some user-accounts at Twitter were also found spreading similar contents. All together, around 80 such pages and accounts have been ordered to be blocked today," the sources said.

The rumours about a possible attacks have led to mass exodus of people from northeast from many places including Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune.

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today asked his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik to crackdown on elements based in that country that were using social media networking sites to whip up communal sentiments and spreading hate in India.

According to a report prepared by the Home Ministry, a Pakistan-based hardline group is suspected to have been involved in doctoring images and spreading them across social networking sites to create panic among people of northeastern region living across India.

Source: oneindia.in

Read More

Boy dies in school swimming pool in Chennai

In the aftermath of the drowning of nine-year-old Ranjan, a class IV student of PSBB School, safety aspects at swimming pools have come into question. 

“It is hard to imagine how one coach can manage 26 children in a pool at a time. Ideally, there should be a coach for every five to seven students because his line of vision will be limited to five metres. Also, two lifeguards in uniform must monitor the entire pool,” said T. Elango, a coach and owner of V.V. Swimming Pool.

If the children are just beginners then each of them should be coached individually with care, he said.

There are other aspects of safety that requires attention, Mr. Elango pointed out. For instance, there should be lifebuoys and a rope, and the depth of the pool should be clearly indicated on the pool walls. Also, only if the water is clear, can the coach see if a child drowns. 

“For clear water, the right amount of chlorine must be added and water should be tested every two months,” he said. When the depth varies from three to seven feet, it is difficult to make out if a child drowns if clarity is poor, he said.It is not always the case that only a beginner drowns, said a swimming coach. “Even good swimmers get tired and when they do, they are also susceptible to drowning,” he said. 

 

In such cases, the coach or the lifeguard must press the victim’s stomach to pump out the water, give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or chest compressions, and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, he said. For this, he must undergo first-aid training provided by some agencies especially for coaches. 

Some schools which are equipped with swimming pools and give regular coaching to their students say utmost care has to be taken while handling children in water. 

“We ensure there are only five to six students in the pool at a time. Two coaches and four lifeguards are always on duty,” said Sarah Selvakumari, vice principal of Maharishi International Residential School.

Read More

10 killed, 38 missing as heavy rains batter Uttarakhand

Ten people were killed and 38 others went missing as incessant rains battered Uttarakhand today triggering landslides, cloud bursts and flash floods which flattened homes and stranded hundreds of pilgrims with the Chardham Yatra coming to a grinding halt.

The Garhwal region bore the brunt of the natural calamity.

The state government has sounded a high alert after the MET department’s warned of very heavy rains and sought the help of the army to mitigate the sufferings of the people.

Nineteen labourers of the state—run UJVN Ltd’s Assi Ganga hydel project went missing following a cloud burst in the upper hills of Uttarkashi district.

Similarly, 19 other people also went missing from Gangori, Dunda, Uttarkashi town and Barkot areas in the district.

“We have launched a manhunt to trace the missing people,” said R Rajesh Kumar District Magistrate Uttarkashi.

Elsewhere in the state, 10 people were killed in different incidents following heavy rains during the past 24 hours, said sources in the Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre (DMMC) here.

 In the disaster—prone Uttarkashi district, flash floods hit several low—lying areas creating havoc there.

At least three jawans of the fire brigade department and two others were killed at Gangori area even as Chardham yatra to Gangotri and Yamunotri remained suspended for the second day on Saturday.

In Gangori area of Uttarkashi, Bhagirathi is flowing above the danger level with people being evacuated to safer areas.

Nearly 30 homes were washed away in the floods with the Gangori bridge also collapsing.

“We have now reports that three jawans of the fire brigade and two others were killed in Gangori,” said state disaster management minister Yashpal Arya. 

Source : The Hindu

Read More

Major fire in Abirami Mega Mall

Chennai, July 2: A major fire broke out at Abirami Mega Mall, here in Purasawalkam at 6.45 am on Monday. Since the intensity of the fire is high, fire service personnel are still trying to put out the fire.

The mega mall houses 6 theatres, shops, a food court and a gaming zone. Since the fire happened before the busy business hours, nobody is injured or trapped in the building, Police said.

Sources say, an electrical short circuit caused the fire at the building. Traffic has been affected on Purasawalkam High Road and adjoining areas because of the diversions.

Read More

Minor girl sexually exploited by nearly 100 people in Kerala

Kochi:  Police teams have been sent to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and various parts of Kerala to nab at least 70 persons for the alleged sexual exploitation of a 14-year old girl in connivance with her father.

The action came after the girl revealed to police about her sexual exploitation, including by her own father, police said.

The child is being treated for venereal diseases at a government hospital here. According to the police who believe that 100-odd persons might be involved in the case, 29 had been arrested in recent days.

The girl told police that her father, who used to do odd roles in Malayalam films, first exploited her and then let many others in the industry and outside to do the same.

Hailing from Paravoor in Ernakulam district, the girl had revealed to a close relative about her plight following which a police complaint was filed some three months ago.

Police said 71 accused are absconding and five squads have been formed to trace them.

The victim had named some persons and a few more have to be identified, Crime Branch SP S Surendran told PTI today.

'We are collecting the details of the accused. There is no information about involvement of politicians,' he said.

Police had arrested a Tamil Nadu PWD contractor two days ago. His car which was used to transport the girl to his farm house had been seized.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/minor-girl-sexually-exploited-by-nearly-100-people-in-kerala-113230?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NdtvNews-Cities+%28NDTV+News+-+Cities%29&utm_content=Google+International&cp

Read More

33 trawlers with 550 fishermen missing in Bay of Bengal

Kolkata:  As many as 550 fishermen in 33 trawlers went missing in the Bay of Bengal today in rough weather due to heavy rains triggered by a depression, prompting a search by a Coastguard ship and a Dornier aircraft.

The trawlers had set sail from Kakdwip and adjacent areas in South 24-Parganas district yesterday and were reported missing in heavy rains following the depression lying 80 km east of Kolkata, District Magistrate N S Nigam told PTI over phone.

A Coastguard ship and a Dornier aircraft were dispatched to trace the trawlers but the search was being "hindered by low-level high speed air circulation and low clouds", Defence sources said.

Nigam said he had earlier alerted the Coastguard and that the Navy has been approached to locate the missing fishermen.

He said the trawlers could have drifted towards Bangladesh. The West Bengal administration has contacted the Bangladesh deputy high commissioner here to help in the rescue operations, he said.

The naval officer-in-charge of West Bengal was also assisting in the search operation, the sources said.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/33-trawlers-with-550-fishermen-missing-in-bay-of-bengal-113009?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NdtvNews-Cities+%28NDTV+News+-+Cities%29&utm_content=Google+International&cp

Read More

Rajnikanth discharged from Singapore hospital

Superstar Rajinikanth has “recovered completely” and has been discharged from the Mount Elizabeth Hospital here after being treated for respiratory problems.

“Superstar discharged from hospital. He has recovered completely and taking rest,” his son-in-law, actor Dhanush tweeted.

Rajinikanth, 61, was admitted to the hospital here on May 28 after being flown in from Chennai a day earlier after he was discharged from Sri Ramchandra medical centre where he was undergoing treatment since May 13.

The film icon is expected to spend some more time in Singapore along with his family before he returns home.

Dhanush, who has won the best actor national award for his role in ‘Aadukalam’, said they are planning to celebrate their success with the superstar. “Soon award celebrations,” Dhanush tweeted.

Read More

Fee panel report disappointing, say private school heads

Heads of private schools across the State, who received the report of the revised fee structures from their respective Chief Educational Officers (CEOs) on Tuesday, said they were disappointed with the new fee amounts. 

A section of correspondents said they were contemplating moving the Madras High Court, while another said they might appeal to the Chief Minister. 

The reports released by the Private Schools Fee Determination Committee headed by former Madras High Court judge K. Raviraja Pandian suggested a nominal increase from the amounts determined by the Committee earlier, when former Madras High Court judge K. Govindarajan chaired it. 

M. Senthilnathan of Tagore Vidyalaya, Madurai, who represents the Private Schools Correspondents' Confederation, said: “We are likely to appeal at the High Court as individual schools against this Committee's order.” The formula used by the Committee was not made known and several expenses incurred by the schools had not been taken into account, he added.

In the case of some schools such as Lakshmi Nursery School, Ariyamangalam, the revised fee was lesser than that prescribed earlier. Correspondent of the school R. Subramanian said that the fee structure given earlier was Rs. 2,920 for class IV and Rs. 3,320 for class V. “Now, they have said we should collect just Rs. 2,650 for class IV and V. The new fee structure is not justified,” he said.

The management representatives of schools in Coimbatore said they would convene a meeting and decide on the next course of action. They noted that the Committee had clubbed the kindergarten sections, classes I to V, classes VI to VIII, IX and X and classes XI and XII in groups and determined the fee by calculating the average fee per class.

Erode District Private School Managements Federation president D. Chandrasekaran said that on an average, the fee had been increased by about 15 per cent. “It will be very difficult to run the schools with this fee structure,” he said.

Schools in Erode that were earlier charging Rs. 16,000 to Rs. 32,000 for Plus-Two have been asked to charge between Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 17,000 henceforth. P. Kottravel, correspondent of Kongu Matriculation School in Solangapalayam said: “With this fee, we will be able to meet only the expenses on teachers' salaries. We will not be able to run the school.”

Reports pending

Not all the schools, of the nearly 6,400 that sought revision, received reports of their revised structure on Tuesday. Some school heads and correspondents in districts, including Madurai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore and Chennai were asked to get in touch with the CEOs' offices in the next few days to collect the details.

In Chennai, for instance, only 291 schools of the 533 that had appealed for revision received their revised structure. In Krishnagiri, only 104 schools of the 141 schools that sought revision received the reports.

Special Officer in the Private Schools Fee Determination Committee A. Thirugnanasambandam said the exercise had been completed. “The reports of a few schools are pending and will be handed over tomorrow [Wednesday]. We will also hand over a CD with the details for all the schools to the Directorate of School Education, which will publish it on the official websites,” he said.

Responding to schools' unhappiness, he said the revised fee was calculated using the details provided by the schools on various factors, including the number of teachers, student strength, infrastructure, and teacher-student ratio.

On enforcement of the revised fee structure, he said the Committee's role was over and it was the School Education Department that had to ensure that the new fee structure is implemented.

Parents' speak

While school managements are an anxious lot, parents expressed satisfaction over the revised fee structure.

P. Vanathi, a parent in Periya Semur, Erode, said that the managements should come forward to implement the government fixed fee as it would enable a large number of students from the lower and middle class families to study in private schools.

M. Mari Muthu, parent of a student going to Our Lady Matriculation School, Chennai, said the emphasis had to be placed on enforcement. “The exercise is being done in haste. Why couldn't have it been planned well and the fees released in public domain well ahead of the reopening dates? The government must at least ensure that the new fee structure is implemented,” he said.

With most schools seeming rather disappointed with the revised fee structure, the information on the new fee structure was not put up on school notice boards.

CEOs burdened?

Distribution of the fee reports to school heads came as additional responsibility to many CEOs, who were involved in getting the textbooks ready for dispatch to various districts.

Krishnagiri CEO G. Murthy said there was no comprehensive report for the reference of the CEO. “The work should have been entrusted to the Inspector of Matriculation Schools,” he said. 

Sources in the School Education Department said that some of the educational officers were given the responsibility of ensuring that the content in the textbooks brought out by the Tamil Nadu Textbook Corporation was appropriately modified after certain representations of the previous DMK regime's achievements were removed.

Read More

Jayalalithaa wants Chidambaram to quit, asks PM to drop Maran

Accusing Home Minister P. Chidambaram of getting himself elected to Parliament through “fraudulent” means, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Tuesday said his continuance in the Union Council of Ministers was untenable and sought his resignation.

“Our party has always maintained that Mr. Chidambaram’s victory was through fraudulent means...his continuance in the Union Council of Minsters is untenable,” Ms. Jayalalithaa told reporters at her maiden press conference in New Delhi after assuming office last month.

“Mr. Chidambaram was never elected to Parliament in 2009. He has played a fraud on the nation. Our party candidate won the election,” she said when pressed further on the issue.

The Chief Minister alleged that Mr. Chidambaram was announced the successful candidate because of a fraud committed by a data entry operator. 

On Maran

She also said that Dayanidhi Maran should step down from the Union Cabinet over allegations of quid pro quo in the 2G scam and if he does not do on his own, the Prime Minister should drop him.

On whether there was a possibility of Congress and AIADMK coming together again, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the DMK and Congress continue to be partners and both parties have been maintaining their alliance.

Asked whether she was open to the idea of aligning with the Congress in the event of the DMK walking out, she said, “I cannot answer hypothetical questions.”

To a question whether she would meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, she said as of today, Congress still has an alliance with the DMK and Congress and DMK continue to be partners in the coalition government at the Centre.

“In such a situation, it would not be appropriate for me to call on Sonia Gandhi.”

To a volley of questions on whether Congress and AIADMK could come together again and whether her offer of support to Congress made in November, 2010 is still open, she said the situation has completely changed since then.

“Much water has flown down the bridge. The offer was made in a different situation,” she said.

 

Discusses Sri Lankan issue with Manmohan

Earlier, during her meeting with the Prime Minister, she proposed sending a delegation of Tamil Nadu MLAs to Sri Lanka to see for themselves the condition in which Sri Lankan Tamils displaced due to the decades-old civil war are living.

Read More

Jayalalithaa meets PM, won't call on Sonia

New Delhi:  Everybody loves a winner, nowhere more so than in politics. On her first visit to Delhi after sweeping the Tamil Nadu elections, Jayalalithaa received the political equivalent of a standing, with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, the BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad and D Raja of the Left all visiting her at Tamil Nadu Bhawan in the Capital.

When she left Tamil Nadu House to meet the Prime Minister, it was directly in an SPG car. Apart from those given SPG protection, even Cabinet ministers change cars at the gates of the PM's 7 RCR residence.

After that meeting with the Prime Minister, Jayalalithaa arrived straight for a press conference, glowing in maroon, smile firmly in place. The PM, she said had held out a lot of hope for Central assistance for Tamil Nadu. The good humour was evident when she quipped - "About the DMK being worried, I'll have to take your word for it." A reporter had asked about the DMK worriedly watching for warm vibes between her and its partner, the Congress. The Tamil Nadu CM said though that talk about a political realignment was premature.

Later she pointed out that the Congress had made clear that it was still in partnership with the DMK at the Centre, so a question of aligning with her did not arise. "If anyone wants my support they have to ask for it," she said. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister met only the Prime Minister and not UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. She noted that it was not "appropriate" for her to call on Sonia Gandhi as the Congress and DMK continued to be allies.

She did say though that her government was committed to fostering friendly relations with the Centre in interest of her state's development. Her views on the Centre's home minister were less than friendly though. She attacked P Chidambaram saying, "My party stand is that the position of the home minister is untenable, he must quit. He won the election through fraudulent ways, my candidate will continue to fight."

Jayalalithaa claimed that her party had given evidence to the High Court that a "fraud was committed by data operator...all votes polled by my candidate were credited to Chidambaram and vice versa (In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections)...Chidambaram was never elected in the first place."

She also answered questions on a slew of diverse topics swiftly. Some Jayalalithaa answers: She was studying the draft Lok Pal Bill she said and had sought time to formulate her views; Anna Hazare, as indeed, any Indian had the democratic right to protest against corruption; The 2G scam was now being monitored by the Supreme Court and she had full faith in the judiciary; Dayanidhi Maran, accused in a telecom scam, should be dropped from the council of ministers.

She also talked at length on development issues in Tamil Nadu. With Dr Manmohan Singh, she said, she discussed Sri Lankan Tamils, issues facing Tamil Nadu fishermen with regard to ill-treatment at the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy and a power crisis in her state.

The Congress has stressed that its alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu remains intact. However, there's much speculation about whether the Congress is looking to replace the DMK with Jayalalithaa. In an editorial in his party's mouthpiece last night, Mr Karunanidhi who heads the DMK blamed the media for trying to end his seven-year alliance with the Congress. "None of the party workers is agitated. Only some media are agitated and wailing and writing reports since their intention (of breaking the alliance) did not materialize. And reporters ask such questions at the behest of their management...Hail Manu dharma, hail media dharma," he wrote.

Jayalalithaa's AIADMK swept the recent elections in Tamil Nadu, virtually obliterating Mr Karunanidhi's party for now from the political landscape in their home state. In a recent article, the Congress magazine, Sandesh, blamed the DMK's poor performance on the 2G telecom scam, which has sent two senior DMK leaders to jail, including Mr Karunanidhi's daughter, Kanimozhi.

Slamming the DMK at her press conference she said more leaders of that party were likely to go jail. She flayed DMK policies and rule in Tamil Nadu over the last five years, but pointed out that her AIADMK had nothing do to with the DMK's woes. "AIADMK is not vindictive...the DMK is paying the price for its mistakes," she said.

Highlights of Jayalalithaa's press conference:

• Faith of people restored by Supreme Court action in 2G

• DMK supremo's family facing a slew of corruption cases, many more likely to go to jail. Not a single case initiated by me or my party, so no question of being vindictive. They are paying a price.

• DMK made Tamil Nadu a garbage dump. Main reasons are all pervasive corruption, nepotism, domination of one family, everything was monopolized, no freedom of expression, ideas.

• PM should drop Dayanidhi Maran from Cabinet

• Chidambaram won poll by fraudulent means, must quit (Read: Chidambaram never won election, must quit, says Jayalalithaa)

• Number of Sri Lankan Tamils by Sri Lankan govt is 10,000 but private agencies have higher numbers. Have requested PM to verify the numbers...want to bring back these Tamilians back from camps.

• Question of my offer of support to UPA doesn't arise

• If anyone wants my support, they have to ask

• Congress and DMK continue to be partners. Not appropriate for me to call on Sonia Gandhi.

• Have sought time to give views on Lokpal Bill

Read More

Supreme Court issues notice to CBI on Kanimozhi’s bail plea

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Central Bureau of Investigation’s response on Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi’s bail plea and also wanted to know the status of Rs. 200 crore allegedly given to Kalaignar TV. 

Terming corruption as the worst form of “human rights violation”, the apex court asked the CBI to estimate loss accrued to the exchequer on account of licences issued to telecom operators during the tenure of A. Raja as Telecom minister. 

Status report

A bench comprising justices B.S. Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar also asked the investigating agency to inform it about the status of trial in the 2G case before a CBI special court. The court granted a week’s time to the CBI to file its response on the bail plea of Ms. Kanimozhi and Sharad Kumar, MD of Kalaignar TV. 

Ms. Kanimozhi and Mr. Kumar, named as accused in the second charge sheet for allegedly taking bribe of Rs 200 crore, were arrested on May 20 after the special court dismissed their bail pleas in the case. 

Both Mr. Kanimozhi and Mr. Kumar have 20 per cent stake each in Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd, which allegedly received Rs 200 crore through a “circuitous” route from Shahid Balwa promoted DB Realty.

The matter has been posted for further hearing on June 20.

Read More

Jayalalitha in Delhi today to meet PM

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa will be in Delhi on Monday on a two-day politically significant visit with both the Congress and DMK, not on the best of terms, keenly watching her signals.

On her first visit to the capital after assuming office, Jayalalithaa will meet the PM and is expected to discuss issues like Sri Lankan Tamils and various developmental projects in her state.

The visit comes at a time when there are growing strains in the seven-year-old ties between the two parties after the drubbing in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry . Jayalalithaa has been avoiding questions on whether she will meet Sonia.

Read More

Congress launches campaign against Hazare, Ramdev

New Delhi, June 12: Congress, campaign, Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev7 Kolkata: The Congress on Sunday launched a campaign to counter the anti-graft movement by Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev and accused a section of civil society of trying to weaken democratic institutions.

"The Constitution has given the power to legislate only to Parliament and the state Assemblies. If 5,000 or 6,000 people dictate from outside what the Parliament ought to do, this will weaken democracy," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told a press conference.

Mukherjee, who released a document in English containing his party's views on the issue, said the Congress was launching an awareness campaign all over the country.

"The documents will be made available in other languages. Debates, discussions and seminars would be organised right from the district to the block levels to put forth our views," he said.

Referring to Hazare's deadline of August 15 for passing the Lokpal Bill, Mukherjee said the Centre had suggested that the Lok Pal Bill would be placed during the monsoon session of the Parliament.

It was not possible, however, to give a timeframe by when the bill would be passed, he said.

--Agencies

Read More

Baba Ramdev's health worsens, moved to hospital in Dehradun

Haridwar:  Yoga guru Baba Ramdev was taken on a stretcher from his ashram in Haridwar this afternoon; he will be admitted to the ICU at the Jolly Grant Hospital in Dehradun. Before that, doctors who examined him said his hunger strike, now in its seventh day, had affected his liver and caused his blood pressure to drop significantly.

So far, he has remained adamant about continuing his fast against black money and corruption. 

In Delhi, activist Swami Agnivesh met with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to discuss the Ramdev crisis. Mr Mukherjee is expected to brief the PM on the matter in the next few hours.

The government and Baba Ramdev have been at war since Saturday night, when he was evicted from his camp in Delhi where he had combined a sit-in protest with yoga classes and the launch of his hunger strike.
  
"His blood pressure is 104/70 which is low and pulse rate is 58 per minute which is also low. If his pulse rate and BP continue to go down, it may put some pressure on his heart," Chief Medical Officer Yogesh Chandra Sharma said after examining the Baba at his ashram.

Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar was scheduled to meet Baba Ramdev on Friday afternoon to persuade him to end his fast. 

Yesterday, district administration officials suggested that they may resort to force-feeding the Baba.

The yoga icon whose followers run into lakhs started his fast in Delhi at the Ramlila Maidan.  65,000 people were in attendance on Saturday night when the police broke up the camp with teargassing and a lathicharge. The Baba was evicted and flown back to Uttarakhand.

The action at Ramlila Maidan ended days of negotiation between the government and the Baba over his suggestions for how to tackle the problem of crores of untaxed money that have been shipped abroad. The late-night violence united Opposition parties who accused the government of violating citizens' right to peacefully protest.  Civil activists who have declared Gandhian Anna Hazare their leader pounded the government too, with public criticism and a one-day fast at Rajghat on Wednesday.

The government has disclosed that various tax inquiries are being conducted against the Baba's business empire whose reported turnover is more than a thousand crores. Yesterday, the Baba retaliated by declaring online the balance sheets of the four trusts that he runs for charitable purposes.  However, he did not share the financial records of the 34 companies that are linked to him and are run by his close aide, Acharya Balakrishna.

The Baba has also been forced to defend a controversial remark he made earlier this week - that he would recruit 11,000 young men and women who would reciprocate if attacked.   Yesterday, he said his remark had been distorted and misreported. "The words should be used in the right context... I said I will make a force who will not beat anyone but they will not get beaten either," the yoga teacher said, adding, "what is the harm or wrong if I speak about shaurya (valour)"

The Baba's remark - seen as incendiary by his critics - had also provoked criticism from other social activists and a warning of legal action from the government.

Read More

Ramdev’s business empire worth over Rs 1,100 crore

Yoga guru Ramdev, who is on an indefinite hunger strike against black money and corruption, on Thursday made public details of his business empire worth over Rs 1,100 crore, claiming everything was in order. 

On his sixth day of fast, Baba Ramdev addressed a press conference here during which his close aide Acharya Balkrishna said that the capital involving the four trusts run by him totalled Rs 426.19 crore while the expenditure incurred on them amounted to Rs 751.02 crore.

“We believe in transparency in work and in financial matters. There is proper audit of all our firms and companies.

“As per rules, government renews our trusts after every two years only when our audits are clean. What has come and what has gone, who has given it and how was it spent, is all maintained,” Acharya Balkrishna said. 

The move to make public assets followed questions raised by Digvijay Singh and other Congress leaders who wanted a thorough probe into the source of the wealth acquired by Baba Ramdev in the last five years.

Acharya Balkrishna, however, did not give details of the companies associated with Baba Ramdev, saying it can be obtained from Registrar of Companies under the RTI Act.

“We pay tax as per government norms. TDS is deducted. We follow all rules. Details of all out associate companies can be taken from Registrar of Companies and from the government under the RTI Act. Tax details and balance sheets of trusts have been put on the web site,” he said.

While Divya Yoga Mandir Trust has a capital of Rs 249.63 crore, Patanjali Yogapeeth Trust has Rs 164.80 crore, Bharat Swabhiman Trust has Rs 9.97 crore and Acharyakul Shiksha Sansthan has Rs 1.79 crore — all totalling Rs 426.19 crore. The expenditure outlined for these trusts since their inception came to Rs 751.02 crore.

The yoga guru, who is on a fast since June 4 demanding that black money stashed away abroad be brought back, said his hunger strike will continue till his demands are met.

“Fast will continue till my objective is achieved. I do not care even if I die. The fast will go on,” Baba Ramdev said.

He also said that Patanjali Yogapeeth Trust will bear all expenses for the treatment of people injured in the police action at Ramlila grounds, especially Rajbala (the woman who received spinal injuries in the police lathicharge at Ramlila Ground) who has been grievously hurt.

Read More

Rajni to be discharged in a day or two

Dhanush while speaking from Singapore about Rajnikanth’s health said, "Super star Rajni is keeping good health. He has become normal. He is healthy and happy like before. He will be discharged in few days. Super star’s health has improved because of the intensive treatment of doctors and prayers of Crores of his fans.

Latha Rajnikanth, my wife Aishwarya, her sister Soundarya, my sons Yaatra, Linga and I are staying in an apartment in Singapore. We all are taking care of Rajni who is admitted in the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. It has not been decided whether Rajni will be staying in this apartment after his discharge.

The doctors have advised complete rest after his discharge. Rajni only should decide that whether he will take rest in some other country or in this apartment or in Chennai. Rajni is now hail and healthy. He is cheerful and is watching TV in his room. He is reading devotional books. He is meditating and also walks in his room. Apart from this he is also indulging in some other exercises. He is playing with his grandsons. Rajni is very much interested to meet his fans on his return to Chennai."

Read More

ELEPHANT ATTACK IN MYSORE - 1 MAN KILLED

Questions are being raised over the manner in which the Forest Department woke up to emergency calls that harried citizens made to the police, media and the forest department staff themselves, when two wild elephants strayed into Mysore city in the early hours of Wednesday. Was the Department too late to react to the anxious calls or was it ill-equipped to handle an unexpected situation, were the questions that many asked here during the capture of the elephant at Dhobi Ghat. 

“This is a lesson for the Forest Department to keep itself ready for any emergency related to animal attacks,” said Satish Naidu, who, along with his friend, kept track of the elephants that went on a rampage in the city, killing one person and injuring three others. Indeed, the city woke up to distressing TV visuals that showed the bull attacking a man, who eventually died. It also showed it attacking cattle. People also should be blamed in this incident as they threw stones at the animal making it furious, Mr. Naidu said. 

Caught off guard

In this case, the Forest Department was completely caught off-guard. It needs to remain in readiness to tackle emergencies, said Mahalingappa, who was playing football at the pavilion grounds when the bull passed by. Another person who was with him recalled an incident in which a palace elephant unshackled itself and came out to stroll down the streets a few years ago, but harmed no one. The animal returned to the palace later. Such emergencies could not be ruled out, he said. 

 

For Madaiah Naika, a watchman at a house under construction in Dhobi Ghat, his wife Jayasheela and two children, it was a horrifying scene to see the bull pass by their hut. Fortunately, the elephant turned the other way to find shelter in a small forested area. Rajamma, wife of another watchman, from nearby said she was petrified to see the animal pass at such a close distance. Doddamallappa from Salundi village was at hand to say, “think of the plight of the farmers who suffer from elephant attacks every day in remote areas close to forests”.

Ill-equipped

Some days ago, preparations were being made in Kodagu at Polibetta to capture one of the two wild elephants identified. The Forest Department had stated that the operations had begun, but there were no ropes, no medicines including the one required to immobilise the animal, leaving the staff in disarray. Medicines and veterinarians arrived only after days. Amidst cries from the people of the district who said translocation was no solution, the captured animal was shifted to Bandipur National Park. M.B. Prabhu, a member of the Elephant Core Committee, which had given recommendations to the government to contain the elephant problem in the State, feels that the same elephant has returned.

News of the elephants' presence had reached the forest officials as early as 6 a.m. but, they could not manage the experienced ‘kumkis’ (tamed elephants) either from K. Gudi, Balle or Murkal or Dubare camps in the following six hours. Field Director, Project Tiger, Ajay Mishra, told The Hindu at Dhobi Ghat that getting trucks to lift the elephants from the camps was too difficult as the vehicles had to go from Mysore to fetch them. In that case, trucks would come slowly and it could take at least five to six hours, Mr. Mishra said. He was informed about the elephants at 7 a.m. he said. The Forest Mobile Squad, wildlife staff, territorial staff along with officers had been put on job, Mr. Mishra stated. 

Read More