The Delhi High Court ruled that e-rickshaws in Delhi must be registered and have insurance, and drivers must be licensed. Prime Minister Modi told the visiting US Defense Secretary that he looked forward to visiting the US to build partnerships between the two countries. A BSF trooper who was swept into Pakistan was returned to India. One person has been arrested in connection with killing and eating a human's liver in Gorakhpur. The US launched airstrikes on ISIS artillery in Iraq to protect US personnel and prevent potential genocide. The BJP National Council will meet to ratify Amit Shah as the new party president.
The Delhi High Court ruled that e-rickshaws in Delhi must be registered and have insurance, and drivers must be licensed. Prime Minister Modi told the visiting US Defense Secretary that he looked forward to visiting the US to build partnerships between the two countries. A BSF trooper who was swept into Pakistan was returned to India. One person has been arrested in connection with killing and eating a human's liver in Gorakhpur. The US launched airstrikes on ISIS artillery in Iraq to protect US personnel and prevent potential genocide. The BJP National Council will meet to ratify Amit Shah as the new party president.
The Delhi High Court ruled that e-rickshaws in Delhi must be registered and have insurance, and drivers must be licensed. Prime Minister Modi told the visiting US Defense Secretary that he looked forward to visiting the US to build partnerships between the two countries. A BSF trooper who was swept into Pakistan was returned to India. One person has been arrested in connection with killing and eating a human's liver in Gorakhpur. The US launched airstrikes on ISIS artillery in Iraq to protect US personnel and prevent potential genocide. The BJP National Council will meet to ratify Amit Shah as the new party president.
SANS REGISTRATION: HC New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday made it clear that it will not allow the plying of unregulated e-rickshaws in the Capital unless the vehicles have registration and insurance and their drivers have licences. LOOKING FORWARD TO US VISIT: MODI TO HAGEL New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi told visiting US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel that he looked forward to visiting the US in September that would provide an opportunity to see how the worlds oldest democracy and the worlds largest democracy can build a partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the world. PAK HANDS OVER BSF TROOPER TO INDIA Jammu: A BSF trooper who was swept away by strong currents in the Chenab River into Pakistani territory was on Friday handed over to Indian officials on the international border in Jammu, officials said. ONE HELD FOR KILLING, EATING HUMAN LIVER Lucknow: In a bizarre incident of cannibalismin Gorakhpur, a tribal couple and another person killed a person, took out his liver and ate it. One accused has been arrested. Pieces of the cooked liver of the deceased have been seized and sent for examination. S RAJAGOPALAN n WASHINGTON I n a new military operation in Iraq after a gap of nearly three years, the United States on Friday launched airstrikes on the advancing Islamic mili- tants, targeting their mobile artillery outside Irbil, a city with a presence of American diplo- mats and military personnel. Two F/A-18 fighters dropped 500-pound laser-guid- ed bombs on the artillery belonging to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that was being used to shell Kurdish forces defending Irbil, the Pentagon said. Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said it was not immediately clear howmany militants might have been killed in the strike. The F-18s had taken off from the aircraft car- rier USS George HW Bush in the Persian Gulf for the mission. The airstrikes followed an authorisation by President Barack Obama late onThursday in a concerted move aimed at preventing a potential geno- cide of thousands of Christians and Yazidis and protecting the American personnel. Obama also ordered an immediate airdrop of human- itarian supplies for the religious minorities who were confined to a mountaintop after fleeing from the ISIS extremists. The trapped men, women and chil- dren were without food and water and facing almost certain death, he said in a statement delivered on Thursday night. The US fighters hit Islamic State positions in Makhmour, about 35 miles southwest of Irbil, an official of the Kurdish Interior Ministry was quoted as saying. This is a victory for all the Iraqi people, for the Pesh Merga (the Kurdish security force), and for America, com- mented the official. Details on Page 13 PNS n NEW DELHI T he BJP National Council will meet at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the Capital on Saturday to ratify the appointment of party president Amit Shah. The day-long meet will be attended by over 2,000 party representatives from across the country. The session will start with Shahs ratification as new party chief and conclude with Prime Minister Narendra Modis address to the gathering. This is the first meeting of the partys National Council after BJPs sweeping victory in the Lok Sabha polls. Party patriarch LK Advani will also address the meet. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and other party leaders too will take part in the deliberations. The meeting will start at 10 am and conclude by 6 pm. The National Council, the highest policy making body of the party, will adopt a political res- olution detailing political and economic issues as well as the initiatives taken by the BJP-led NDA Government and its roadmap ahead. There will not be any separate eco- nomic resolution. The meeting will adopt a resolution that will include political and economic issues as also achievements of the new Government and its roadmap ahead, BJP vice- president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. He added that besides top central leaders of the party, Chief Ministers and Ministers in the BJP-ruled States and Opposition leaders or BJPLP leaders in States where BJP is not in power will participate in the meet. BJP national executive members and presidents of partys State units and BJP general secretaries and heads of various morchas and fronts in States and at the central level too will take part in the National Council session. Senior BJP leaders led by Naqvi, along with party gener- al secretary JP Nadda and oth- ers, reviewed the arrangements at the Nehru stadium on Friday. Shah had taken over as BJP chief on July 9 after Rajnath Singh resigned from the post soon after joining the Narendra Modi Cabinet. Shah (50), the closest aide of Modi, was unanimously appointed to the top party post at its parliamentary board meeting on July 9. After the ratification of his appointment, Shah will recon- stitute his team that will lead the party. The announcement of the team is expected soon after the conclusion of the ongoing Parliament session on August 14. The new team may include a number of young faces, including women leaders. PRAMOD KUMAR SINGH n NEW DELHI T he Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) of Patiala House courts on Friday con- victed Sher Singh Rana, the prime accused in the sensa- tional murder of Phoolan Devi, who was then Member of Parliament from Mirzapur- Bhadohi Lok Sabha seat on a Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket. Phoolan Devi, the bandit- turned-politician, was gunned down at the gate of her official residence at July 25, 2001. ASJ Bharat Parashar, however, acquitted the ten other accused in the case due to lack of evi- dence against them. The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Tuesday. Except for Sher Singh Rana, I am acquitting all other accused. Sher Singh Rana is convicted of offences under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) under the IPC, the ASJ stated in his judgement while acquitting the other accused. The court fixed Tuesday (August 12) for argu- ments from the prosecution and defence and for the pro- nouncement of quantum of sentence. After the ASJ pronounced the verdict, Rana pleaded: Why have you convicted only me? The others were also there. I have passed the judge- ment, you can file an appeal in the High Court, the judge said. The other accused arrest- ed and tried by the court including Dhan Prakash, Shekhar Singh, Rajbir Singh, Vijay Singh, alias Raju (Ranas brother), Rajender Singh, alias Ravinder Singh, Keshav Chauhan, Praveen Mittal, Amit Rathi, Surender Singh Negi alias Suri and Sharavan Kumar, were let off for lack of evidence. There were murmurs in the prosecution after Ranas partners in crime were acquit- ted by the court. They have been in jail for the last 13 years and were not granted bail. But now they have been acquitted, said a police official involved in the investigation. One of the accused Pradeep Singh had died in Tihar Jail and the proceedings against him were dropped. Out of the 11 accused, Rana, Shekhar Singh, Rajbir Singh and Sharavan Kumar were pro- duced before the court. Rana was present at the house and lay in wait with other conspirators. He was aware that Phoolan would be coming home for lunch. Ironically he had dropped Phoolan Devi to Parliament House in the morning. He shot her in the head from point-blank range before firing indiscriminately. She had then uttered Arrey maar daala and collapsed in a heap. Her bodyguard Balinder Singh, then a Delhi Police Constable had fired in retalia- tion and he too was shot by Ranas associate Dhan Prakash. The bullet fired by Balinder Singh was later discovered lodged in Ranas getaway vehi- cle and the same was used by the Crime Branch to build the sequence of the murder. Inspector Suresh Kaushik (now ACP) had filed a volu- minous charge sheet and 11 people, including Rana, were charged for murdering Phoolan to avenge the 1981 Behmai massacre in which she had Continued on Page 6 STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI A fter suffering a severe head injury due to a fall at his residence, former BJP leader Jaswant Singh is in a very critical condition at the Army Research and Referral Hospital. Singh was admitted there early on Friday and is currently in coma. According to a release issued by the Defence Ministry, a life- saving decompressive hemi- craniectomy had been performed on Singh. At present his condi- tion is very critical. He is on the life support system and under constant monitoring by a team of neurosurgeons and critical care providers, said the Ministry. The 76-year-old former Defence Minister was admitted to the hospital in a highly critical condition around 1 am on Friday with an injury on his head. The Ministry said that his family members brought him to the hospital after find- ing him lying on the floor of the house in an unconscious state. Continued on Page 6 SWETA GOSWAMI n NEW DELHI S haggy stray dogs roaming around the streets of New Delhi are soon going to be a rare sight soon. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to train strays to create its own guard dog squad in order to enhance security. A proposal in this regard has been forwarded by NDMC to Delhi Police and other authorities con- cerned. We are trying to rope in police dog trainers to train and groom stray dogs in the NDMC area. We have also written to the Animal Welfare Board and have sought necessary permissions, said Jalaj Shrivastava, Chairperson, NDMC. The move will address the twin-problem of security and dog menace in the posh area. Explaining how NDMC plans to get hold of stray dogs and train them, Shrivastava said: Our pro- posal is well within the boundaries of animal rights. We will adopt the strays and send them for training to Delhi Police. It is only going to bet- ter their lot. Significantly, after monkeys, it is the stray dog menace that tops the list of complaints from residents of the VVIP area. As of now, on receiving a complaint, the agency, because of a court directive, is not left with much choice but to take the dog away, sterilise it and leave it back at the same spot. Not just this, the guard dogs will be accompanied by NDMCs home guards. The agency plans to train around 700 personnel and deploy them at various places including markets, to aid people. Called the May I help you force, the first batch will be deployed at Khan Market and Connaught Place on Independence Day. The May I help you force will be stationed at different markets and parks to attend to the public. It will provide a sense of security at night as they will carry walkie-talkies, whistles and will be trained in first- aid and soft skills, said Shrivastava. The plan is in line with NDMCs proposal to extend market hours till 11 pm and restaurant timings till 1 am. Besides, it had already decided to keep parks under its jurisdiction open till 11 pm. At present, we deploy 40 of our personnel at various parks during the morning hours. The response has been good and we plan to extend this to markets too, Shrivastava said. The force will be selected from NDMCs Temporary-Muster-Roll. Launching the entire force is expect- ed to take time and it may take off by March next year. PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n NEW DELHI T he Supreme Court on Friday held that the 10 per cent strength rule relied on by the NDA Government to deny Congress the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was not amenable to judicial review. The rule is part of a ruling given by GV Mavalankar, the first Speaker of Lok Sabha, who laid down that the Leader of Opposition post would go to any political party that garnered 10 per cent strength in the House. Following this logic, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had rec- ommended the Centre that since Congress has only 44 seats, short of 10 per cent (55 seats) of the House membership, there was no question of granting it the Leader of Opposition post. Armed with this information contained in a news report, advocate MLSharma approachedthe apex court in a PIL challenging the Mavalankar rule. He sought scrutiny of the Governments deci- sion to deny Leader of Opposition post to Congress, which had the highest numerical strength among Opposition parties in the House. Continued on Page 6 PNS n NEW DELHI T he prolonged absence of cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood actress Rekha from Rajya Sabha created uproar in the House on Friday. Members were miffed as Tendulkar attended the House for only three days last year and Rekha was present for just seven days, since their nomi- nation two years ago. The duo invited criticism from leaders of all political parties. The last time Tendulkar attended the session was on December 13, 2013, while Rekha came on February 19, 2014. However, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari said there was no violation of the Constitution as Tendulkar had been absent just for 40 days and Rekha less than that. As per Article 104 of the Constitution, if a member is absent from either House of Parliament for a period of 60 days then the seat is consid- ered vacant. In case of Sachin Tendulkar, he has not attend- ed Parliament for 40 days whereas Rekhas absence is less than this, he observed. Under attack over not attending the House, Tendulkar said there was a medical emergency that kept him away from Delhi and that he did not mean disre- spect to any institution. My absence in Delhi has been dis- cussed rather too much. I dont mean to disrespect any institution. Just to let you know, my elder brother Ajit had to undergo a bypass surgery and I had to be by his side, he said hours after mem- bers in the Rajya Sabha raked up his prolonged absence from the House and demanded his participation in its business. Continued on Page 6 Gulf War 3 in making? Speakers decision not open to judicial review, says SC Jaswant Singh slips into coma after 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 of Phoolans murder 10 others acquitted for lack of evidence, sentence on Aug 12 National Council to adopt resolution on political-economic issues, roadmap Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari said there was no violation of the Constitution as Tendulkar had been absent just for 40 days and Rekha less than that BJP to formally crown Shah today This image made from AP video shows smoke rising from airstrikes targeting Islamic State militants near the Khazer checkpoint on the outskirts of Irbil in northern Iraq on Friday AP Over 2,000 party leaders from across the country, including Chief Ministers and Ministers in the BJP- ruled States and Opposition leaders or BJPLP leaders in States where BJP is not in power too will take part in the meet NIRJHAR After the ASJ pronounced the verdict, Rana pleaded: Why have you convicted only me? The others were also there. I have passed the judgement, you can file an appeal in the High Court, the judge said Investigations had proved that Rana had plotted the murder for more than two years and had gathered finance for buying arms and ammunition. He had even robbed a bank for generating funds to carry out his designs US airstrikes hit ISIS militants in Iraq; Obama calls it a bid to prevent genocide of Christians, Yazidis Why keep a dog and bark yourself? Canine brigade to secure New Delhi MPs raise concerns over absence of star members New Delhi Municipal Council has decided to train stray dogs to create its own squad in order to enhance security. A proposal in this regard has been forwarded by NDMC to Delhi Police and other authorities concerned Established 1864 Late City Vol. 150 Issue 216 *Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable WORLD 13 ISRAEL, HAMAS RESUME FIRE AFTER THREE-DAY GAZA TRUCE MONEY 11 AMERICANS STRUGGLING EVEN 5 YRS AFTER RECESSION: FED OPINION 8 KAMLA BENIWALS OUSTER GOES BEYOND POLITICS } { Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPUR CHANDIGARH DEHRADUN @TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneer Follow us on: www.dailypioneer.com LUCKNOW, SATURDAY AUGUST 9, 2014; PAGES 16 `3 RNI NO.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2013-15 MARKETS SENSEX 25,329.14 8 259.87 NIFTY 7,568.55 8 80.70 WEATHER MAX 30.3 0 C (-3) MIN 27.7 0 C (+2) Partly cloudy sky. RAIN PLAYS SPOILSPORT AS ENG TAKE LEAD 14 SPORT city 02 LUCKNOW | 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. Delhi Office: Link House, II Floor, 3 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110 002. Tel: (011) 23755271-274, 41509074. NOTICE PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW T he body of a 60-year-old farmer was recovered from a canal in Bakshi-ka-Talab police area on Friday. As per reports, some resi- dents of Sansarpur village spot- ted the body of an elderly man lying in a canal passing through the village. The body was iden- tified to be of Chandrika Prasad. Chandrikas nephew Surendra Kumar Yadav along with other family members reached the spot and later informed police. A police team sent the body for the post-mortem examination. Police said the body bore injury marks and it seemed that Chandrika had been strangulated. After the police talked to deceaseds family, it surfaced that two motorcycle-borne per- sons had visited Chandrikas house on Thursday evening and after a chat, Chandrika left with them. Surendra claimed that the unidentified persons took Chandrika along with them for a drinking session and he did not return home after that. My uncle could not be traced even as we searched for him last night, Surendra told the police. He suspected that the same unidentified persons might have killed him. The police suspected that it might have been a handiwork of some insider, and they took claims of the deceaseds fami- ly with a pinch of salt. Elsewhere, in Gossainganj, a 55-year-old man was killed by his wife, brothers-in-law and mother in law during a brawl on Thursday night. Buddha Lal lived with his wife Sanjo and three children in Gossainganj. On Thursday night, he and Sanjo went to his in-laws house in Bastiya village. His mother- in-law Ganga Dei and brothers- in-law Rajendra and Garibe were there in the house. The police said male mem- bers of the family sat for a drinking session on Thursday night during which they fought over some issue which soon turned into Buddha versus his brothers-in-law. He was bashed up badly, police said. Hearing commotion, Ganga Dei and victims wife also reached the scene. Police said Sanjo attacked the victim with a stick and he died on the spot. A murder case was regis- tered against the named per- sons and efforts were on to track them down. PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW H as the brother-sister rela- tionship undergone a sea change over the years? Has it been taken over by peer groups? Well, there have been mixed reactions with some families agreeing while others rejecting the theory. Some families admit that the friend- ship of cousins is a concept which has completely disap- peared even as psychologists state that i nformati on technology has played a role in it. Madhu Verma, a house- wife, says her children are busier with their friends instead of gelling with each other. There is a usual banter between the sister and broth- er with each being more friendly with respective group of friends. Rakshabandhan is celebrated in the usual tradi- tional style with a lot of gaiety but it is simply restricted to being a festival. With infor- mation technology bringing a change in the lifestyles of peo- ple, it is bound to affect the relationship between siblings, said Madhu. Supriya Saxena, a young student who has passed class 12, said it was natural that they were more into their own friends. My brother went into an engineering college after class 12 and has his own life. It is natural that I have my own group of friends whom I share my daily secrets and life with. There are times when my brother is unable to come home on Rakshabandhan because of his hectic routine, said Supriya. Meeta Vashisht (name changed) said she was fighting a court case with her brother. It is unfortunate but true that I am involved in a legal case with my brother on prop- erty issue which has turned our relationship sour, she said. There are others who, however, disagree with the view and state that the sibling bond is still going strong. The bond is still strong and you realise their importance when parents pass away. I came closer to my brother after my parents death, a woman said. Manju Aggarwal, a social psychologist, said one could not generalise as there were cases showing that the broth- er-sister bond had grown strong over the years. There are also cases which show that the love between siblings has diluted. It is true that information technology has brought a change and rela- tionships have undergone a change. Friendship between cousins is a concept becoming a thing of past since people do not have time even for their real siblings, she said. PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW P ent-up anger in farmers over a land dispute with a private land developer in Mohanlalganj circle of Lucknow police on Friday took a violent turn with farmers set- ting fire to three motorcycles and damaging four JCB machines during protest. In retaliation, the land developers supporters alleged- ly opened fire in air to intimi- date their opponents. Three farmers were reportedly injured in the incident. The brawl continued for over three hours even as local police and senior officials in city locked horns over the crime scene jurisdiction. The enraged farmers, led by Kisan Union leaders, blocked the main road, posing a threat to law and order situ- ation. The senior police officials are still undecided over the jurisdiction. However, official spokesman of the SSP, Lucknow, said a case had been registered in PGI police area. As per reports, Shiv Prasad of Gossainganj owns 1.9 bigha land in Mahmood Nagar Bhuswal village. A few months ago, a private realtor started acquiring land to develop res- idential and commercial build- ings in the area. As Shiv Prasads land fell in their project plan, employees of the realtor contacted Shiv Prasad and allegedly forced him to sell his land, but in vain. On Friday afternoon, 50- odd employees of the realtor reached Shiv Prasads land and started digging work. When Shiv Prasad came to know about this, and he and fellow villagers reached the scene and objected to the work going on. This led to a fracas and Shiv Prasad and his sup- porters were allegedly man- handled. As the news reached the village, hundreds of vil- lagers marched to the place and damaged JCB machines besides setting fire to three bikes. Employees of the realtor allegedly opened fire in air to intimidate the farmers. Three farmers suffered injuries in the incident. A farmer, Premchand, alleged that he suffered bruis- es caused by a stray bullet, while two others Kuldeep and Ayodhya were also hurt after being attacked. On the directive of senior officials, police reached the scene and enraged the farmers further by a dispute over juris- diction. Meanwhile, leaders of farmers unions joined the agi- tating mob and later blocked the main road. PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW S leuths of the surveillance cell and crime branch of Lucknow police unearthed an extortion racket intimidating senior officials of Rural Engineering Services, Electricity, Excise and other government departments. Those arrested were iden- tified as Kamlesh Sharma Bhatt, Chanchal Bhatt (both of Faizabad) and Praveen Singh of PGI area in Lucknow. The cops recovered Rs 25,000 in cash, four mobile phones and a telephone directory of UP and Uttarakhand governments. Explaining the modus operandi of the racket, sur- veillance cell incharge Akshay Pratap said the miscreants used the Right to Information (RTI) Act as a tool to pester the offi- cials. The miscreants used to collect information about the Lucknow (PNS): Principal secretary, Health, Arvind Kumar visited Thakurganj TB Hospital on Friday. He direct- ed the officials to set up a park- ing area and shelter for patients attendants. He also reviewed the ongoing construction work at the hospital. He also asked the officials to update him about resources and necessary equipment pre- sent at the hospital. Kumar, inspected the OPD room, oper- ation theatre, X-ray room, TB minor OT, DOT centre, administrative room and kitchen area. He also said that construction work at the hos- pital should be completed soon and the chief medical officer to ensure work was completed in time. He also laid emphasis on the need of a separate com- munity health centre and TB hospital. PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW T here were two important meetings regarding the Lucknow Metro project held in Delhi on Friday. A senior offi- cial of Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) told The Pioneer that E Sreedharan attended the crucial meeting regarding Mavaiyya crossing and responded to queries of the two companies interested in the project. The tender meeting was important because it was con- cerned with the special span over the Mavaiyya crossing, which is an extremely sensitive area. Sreedharan himself attended the meeting and answered all the queries, mak- ing it clear that the train would not be stopped in the area. There were two companies which showed interest in this tender. Sreedharan made it clear that the designs should be such that the train does not stop at that point during con- struction, the LMRC official said. The other meeting was held under the Ministry of Urban Development, wherein different departments raised queries regarding the Lucknow Metro project. It may be noted that Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Ltd, on behalf of LMRC Ltd had invited open tenders from eligible appli- cants for design and construc- tion of balanced cantilever span of approx 230 m (central span of 96 m and end spans, each of 67 m approx) at Mavaiyya railway crossing on north-south corridor of Lucknow Metro. 60-yr-old farmer found murdered work being carried out by var- ious government agencies. They would then make calls to the officials concerned and demand extortion money, he said. Pratap said the gang which had amassed huge wealth was arrested from near the Haj Committee office gate. SUICIDE ATTEMPT A man, identified as Pyarelal, attempted to immo- late himself in Hasanganj on Friday afternoon but he was overpowered by passersby. The man claimed that his house had been grabbed and the police was not helping him. SODOMISED A minor was allegedly sodomised by a mechanic liv- ing in the same locality in Hasanganj. The incident took place some days back but a policeman allegedly coerced the victims father to strike a compromise with the miscre- ant, who is married man. Police denied the report while a case was yet to be registered in this connection. Extortion racket targeting govt officials busted Rakshabandhan: Sea change in brother-sister relationship? Special train between Lucknow, Delhi Lucknow (PNS): To facilitate people going home for Rakshabandhan, Northern Railway on Friday announced a Rakshabandhan special train between Lucknow and Delhi. NRs chief PRO Neeraj Sharma said the train would be pressed into service for a single trip between Lucknow and Delhi. The train will depart from Anand Vihar at 7.30 pm on August 9 while the return train from Lucknow at 8.20 pm on August 10. Girls at a rakhi shop ahead of Rakshabandhan, in Lucknow on Friday Pioneer Lucknow (PNS): The most auspicious muhurt for tying rakhi this year will be between 1:45 pm and 4:23 pm as planetary align- ments are the most suitable due to aprahan paksha, suggest astrologers. They also caution people not to celebrate the festi- val before 1:36 pm on Sunday due to bhadra paksha, which is con- sidered the most unfavourable time as per Hindu calendar. Stating that nakshatra for Rakshabandhan this year will be from 1:37 pm to 9:11 pm, pundits said following aprahan paksha between 1.45 pm and 4.23 pm, pradosh kaal between 7:01 pmand 9:11 pmwill be the second most auspicious timing. However, astrologers sug- gest people strictly against cele- brating Rakshabandhan before 1:36 pm due to three continuous stages of bhadra, which is con- sidered to be the sister of Shani. Auspicious timing Farmers clash with realtor employees over land row Police inactive owing to jurisdiction dispute THE BRAWL CONTINUED FOR OVER THREE HOURS EVEN AS LOCAL POLICE AND SENIOR OFFICIALS IN CITY LOCKED HORNS OVER THE CRIME SCENE JURISDICTION Principal secy visits TBhosp Lucknow Metro: Tender meeting held for Mavaiyya crossing city 03 LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW T he state Government said on Friday that there were several contradictions in the statement given by the 20- year-old girl who alleged gang- rape and forced conversion in Meerut. Sources said the Government had sent a report of the incident to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The girl has given con- tradictory statements due to which the police investigation has been affected and the charge of abduction levelled by her family members is totally false, Home Secretary Kamal Saxena disclosed here on Friday. Saxena said there was no evidence of conversion and it was found that the girl had not signed an affidavit. The Home Secretary said the police had arrested five of the seven accused in the case while the prime accused Salauddin was absconding and a non-bailable warrant had been issued against him. Besides, he said, one of the three persons accused of preparing fake affidavit was also evading arrest. The Home Secretary point- ed out that in her statement recorded before the magis- trate, the girl had said that she was admitted to a hospital in Muzaffarnagar where she was operated on. However, he said, the fact was that the girl was admitted to the Meerut Medical College Hospital on July 23 and underwent surgery there for some complication and was released on July 27. Saxena said that in the hospital document, the girl had written that her husband Kalim was with her when there was no trace of Kalim during the entire episode. He said it could be said that Salauddin could have gone to the hospi- tal with the false name of Kalim. The Home Secretary said that before the operation, the girl had gone to a private hospital in Meerut where the doctors detected some com- plication and also that she was one-and-half month pregnant. Saxena also questioned the report lodged by the girls par- ents. He said while on July 31, the parents lodged an FIR with Kharkaunda police that their daughter was missing since July 29 while on August 3, they had claimed that she was miss- ing since July 23. He said the police were still investigating the case and fur- ther details would be made available soon. Govt finds contradictions in girls statement MEERUT CASE PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW O n the eve of the Quit India Movement anniver- sary, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said the Samajwadi Party Government was com- mitted to fulfill the dreams of the freedom fighters who sac- rificed their lives for the coun- try. The agitation formed the basis of social harmony. It gave every Indian a sense of pride. That was why despite all senior leaders being arrested and sent to jail the agitation conti nued. New l eaders emerged and they led the people against the British rule, Yadav said in a state- ment issued here on Friday. He said that on this day we Indians should take a resolve to take the country on the path of progress and development as this would help in fulfilling the dreams of the freedom fighters. My Government will work for bringing smiles on the faces of those deprived of basic necessities of life. Our Government is pro-youth, pro-farmers and pro-poor. My Government is committed to building a strong Uttar Pradesh that in turn will help in making India strong, Yadav said. On August 9, 1942, Mahatma Gandhi had given the call to Do or Die and had launched the Quit India Movement. SP Govt to fulfill dreams of freedom fighters: Akhilesh Tribal couple, 2 others kill man and eat his liver PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW I n a bizarre incident of cannibalism that has come to light in Gorakhpur, a tribal couple and some other persons lynched their tribesman, took out his liver and ate it. One person has been arrested in this connection by the police. The cops have also seized some pieces of the cooked liver 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 in Jharkhand, along with two other labourers identified as Pawan and Sonu, killed Pappu. Janak then called his wife Radha and they took out the liver from the body of Pappu and she cooked it. Later, the trio Janak, Radha and Pawan ate some portion of the cooked liver and threw the remaining. Police have arrested Pawan, who disclosed the details of the incident. Some pieces of the cooked liver and the sharp weapon by which the liver was taken out of the body have been recovered by the police. However, Janak, his wife Radha and Sonu are absconding. PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW C racking the disciplinary whip, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav suspended two chief medical officers and a district sup- ply officer for being absent fromtheir offices between 10 am and 12 noon on Thursday. Official sources said here on Friday that the CMO of Kanpur Dehat, Dr Karn Singh, the CMO of Lalitpur, Dr RC Niranjan, 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 12 noon and redress the grievances of the peo- ple. He had also asked the district level offi- cers to install basic phones in their offices so that their presence could be checked. The district magistrates and divisional commissioners had been asked to ensure presence of officers in their offices and to send 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 officials and found these three officers absent. On the directive of the Chief Minister action was takenagainst them, the spokesmansaid. The spokesman said that the Chief Minister had made it clear that the Government would take stern action against officials found absent from their offices between 10 am and 12 noon on working days. 3 officers not found in office suspended PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW T he state Government on Friday shifted 14 Indian Police Services (IPS) officers, appointing new police chiefs in seven districts and pro- moting five ASPs to the rank of SP. According to an official communiqu, Chitrakoot Range DIG Amitabh Yash has been attached to the DGP Headquarters and DIG (Tel ecom) Mohit Agarwal has been posted in his place. SP of Maharajganj, Sharad Sachan, has been attached to the DGP office and PAC Commandant at Gonda, Himanshu Kumar, has been posted as the new SP of Maharajganj. Superintendent of Police of Sonebhadra, Ram Bahadur, has been shifted as SP, SIT at Lucknow whi l e SP of Ambedkarnagar, Sat ya Bhushan Pathak, has been posted as SP, PTC at Sitapur. SP of Amroha, Subhash Si ngh Baghel , has been attached to the DGP office and Addit i onal SP, Moradabad, Ani l Kumar Singh, has been posted in his place as the new district police chief. SP, Banda, Amit Verma, has been shifted as SP, Food Cel l at Lucknow, whi l e SP, Chitrakoot, Kiran S, has been shi f ted to Ambedkharngar in the same capacity. ASP, Fatehpur, Santosh Kumar Si ngh, has been posted as SP of Badaun and ASP, Lucknow, Saumitra Yadav has been posted as SP of Sultanpur. ASP, Shahjahanpur, Shiv Shanker Yadav, has been posted as SP of Sonebhadra and ASP, Banda, Swami Prasad, has been post- ed as t he new SP of Chitrakoot. Govt shifts 14 IPS officers PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW T he Lokayukta, Justice (Retd) NK Mehrotra, has recommended a high level probe into the charges of appointment of Dr Sangeeta Aneja as principal of medical college in Saharanpur on financial consideration. In his recommendation sent to the Chief Minister on Fri day morni ng, t he Lokayukta said the agency which would investigate the charges should also look into involvement of two senior IAS officers who reportedly facilitated posting of Dr Aneja as principal. He recommended removal of Dr Aneja from the post and also removal of her husband from one of the two posts he is presently hold- ing. Earlier, Justice (Retd) Mehrotra had ordered regis- tration of case against Dr Aneja and two senior bureau- crats who had facilitated her to become acting principal of t he medi cal col l ege i n Saharanpur despite her not fulfilling the eligibility crite- ria. After my inquiry revealed that Dr Sangeeta Aneja did not fulfill the eligibility crite- ria set by the Medical Council of India for appointment as principal of medical college, I got a case registered and rec- ommended her removal from the post, Justice (Retd) NK Mehrotra sai d here on Friday. The Lokayukta said he had sent his findings to the Chief Minister with recom- mendation for removal of Dr Sangeeta Aneja from her post and further probe by some competent agency to find out whether a huge sum of money was paid by her to some senior officers to get the post despite not fulfilling the eli- gibility criteria. It is alleged that as gadgets and equipment worth several crore rupees were to be pur- chased and many appoint- ments were to be made in the new medi cal col l ege at Saharanpur by its principal, a huge amount was paid as bribe to get the post. According to sources, the Lokayukta has also recom- mended a probe into the role played by the than Principal Secretary (Medical Education) JP Sharma and Speci al Secretary (Medical Education) Subhash Chandra i n facilitating the appointment of Dr Aneja as acting princi- pal. When the Lokayukta had enquired from these two offi- cers whether Dr Aneja met the eligibility criteria, they mis- gui ded hi m and gave a favourable report. Justice (Retd) Mehrotra has al so recommended removal of Dr Anejas husband from the two posts he holds in violation of laid norms. He is holding the post of addition- al director in Medical and Health Department and is head of the Medicine depart- ment in Meerut Medical College. It may be mentioned here that the Medical Council of Indi a had i nformed t he Lokayukta that there is no rule for appointing acting or tem- porary principal of medical college. The state officials had contended that anyone could be appointed as acting prin- cipal and that it was not mandatory for the acting prin- cipal to have the same expe- rience as required for full time principal. Subsequently, the Lokayukta had started the inquiry against Dr Aneja, Principal Secretary (Medical Education) JP Sharma and Special Secretary Subhash Chandra. The Lokayukt a had received a complaint that the state Government had over- looked the laid norms to facil- itate Dr Anejas appointment as pri ncipal of Medi cal College in Saharanpur. She was working as pro- fessor in Meerut Medical College but did not have the five years experience required for the post. APPOINTMENT OF MEDICAL COLLEGE PRINCIPAL Lokayukta recommends high-level probe Lucknow (PNS): Close on the heels of murder of two minors after gang-rape, three more girls of the same age group met similar fate in Aligarh, Hathras and Bijnor districts. In Bijnor, an 11-year-old girl of Mudhola locality in Kotwali Saher went out to cut grass and graze cattle on Thursday afternoon. When she did not return home till late evening, the family members went out to look for her and found her lying dead in a sugarcane field owned by Sher Khan in Kishenpur locality, also under Kotwali police station. The girls hands and legs had been tied and it appeared that she was raped before being strangulated to death. In Hathras, a 12-year-old of Manisiyakala hamlet of Sadabad was nabbed by a local resident, identified as Babu, on Thursday evening. Babu, reportedly tried to rape the girl and when she raised an alarm, he strangulated her to death. However, some locals saw him strangulating the girl and rushed to nab Babu but he managed to escape. In another incident reported from Aligarh, the semi-nude body of a 16-year-old girl was recovered from a field in Lyohasra hamlet of Lodha on Friday morning. Circumstantial evidence suggested that she was gang-raped and then hacked to death with some sharp-edged weapon. The police sent the body for post-mortem and were making efforts to trace out the killers. Meanwhile, some more rape cases were reported since Thursday. A 22-year-old woman was allegedly abducted and gangraped by her relative and his two accomplices in Rampur. The woman, a native of Ghanshyampur village under Patwai police station, alleged that her relative wanted to marry her and without her consent he had obtained a fake marriage certificate. The woman told the police that the relative along with two accomplices abducted her from her house on Wednesday and took her to Rudrapur town of Uttarakhand in a car, where the trio gang-raped her in a house and illegally confined there. The woman said she somehow managed to flee and approached 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 was registered. In Faizabad, the 14-year-old daughter of a resident of Sahawadi hamlet of Cantonment was alone in the house on Thursday afternoon when one Manoj Kumar Nishad (24) of the same area barged in and raped her. He later escaped after threatening the girl with dire consequences if she told anyone about the incident. In Pratapgarh, a 35-year-old woman of Amsona hamlet in Kanhai was returning from the local market on Thursday evening when she was nabbed by Chandra Bhan and Dr Bishun. They forcibly took her to a secluded spot and raped her. Both escaped when the woman fell unconscious. Some villagers found her lying in the field and admitted her to hospital and informed the police. The cops arrested one of the accused. 3 minors killed, rape suspected IN HIS RECOMMENDATION SENT TO THE CHIEF MINISTER, THE LOKAYUKTA SAID THE AGENCY WHICH WOULD INVESTIGATE THE CHARGES SHOULD ALSO LOOK INTO INVOLVEMENT OF TWO SENIOR IAS OFFICERS WHO REPORTEDLY FACILITATED POSTING OF DR ANEJA AS PRINCIPAL city 04 LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 ICAI RESULTS The Institute of Charted Accountants of India (ICAI) on Thursday announced the result of charted accountancy final examination held in May and June earlier this year. ICAI president K Raghu said the course was regularly updated and revised to meet the demand of modern, dynamic society so as to produce com- petent CAs. The top three rank-holders of the final exam- inations are from Jaipur, Jodhpur and Pune. PARK TIMINGS Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has decided to open the newly-inaugurated Janeshwar Mishra Park for public from 6 am to 8 am and then from 5 pm to 7 pm on week days. It will be open from 6 am to 7 pm on week- ends. LDA officials stated that since there was construction work going on at the park, tim- ings had been decided for security reasons. MUSHAIRA A unique mushaira and kavi sammelan was organised by Save The Children at Sangeet Natak Academy on Friday which focused on moth- erhood and childhood. Poets have the power to influence the minds of progressing India, organisers said. Bekal Utsahi, Naresh Saxena, Munawwar Rana, Rahat Indori, Sampat Saral, Madan Mohan Danish, Preeti Chaudhary, Tariq Qamar, Afzal Manglori, Rajendra Pandit and Abhishek Shukla took part in the mushaira with Nirmal Darshan being the compere. BDAY CELEBRATED The birthday of founder- director of City Montessori School Bharti Gandhi was cel- ebrated on Friday with joy and festivity in an atmosphere of spirituality and divine unity. In special celebrations organised at CMS head office, the work- ers showed enthusiasm while teachers and students also wished Bharti Gandhi with garlands and bouquets. ICYGH-2014 On International Youth Day, Centre for Research and Interventions for Adolescents (CRIA-AIBAS), Amity University, in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (UPSACS) is holding an International Conference on Youth, Gender and HIV (ICYGH-2014) on August 12-13. A dance concert Madhushala will be presented by Surabhi Singh. TRIBUTE Lucknow Hindustan Republican Army Association organised a programme on the occasion of the 89th anniversary of Kakori loot case to pay tribute to freedom- fighters. The event took place at Shaheed Smarak. REBATE On the occasion of Independence Day, the Central Bank of India has came up with a new retail loan scheme in which a rebate of 0.5 % to 1% rebate will be given on home, mortgage, trade, retail and per- sonal loans. BLOOD DONATION CAMP Family welfare committee has organised a blood donation camp at the blood bank at King Georges Medical University at 10 am on August 9. MARCH Uttar Pradesh unit of Janata Dal (Secular), on the occasion of Kranti Diwas on August 9, garlanded the statue of Shubhash Chandra Bose at 11 am here on Friday. A Kranti March was taken out which culminated at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. COMPENSATION A delegation of traders will visit Sahranpur to demand compensation for the losses incurred by the business com- munity due to violence. They demanded that the Central government should provide them interest free loans. HOME LOAN ON WHEELS Chief General Manager, State Bank of India, Lucknow, Karnam Sekar flagged-off the mobile van Home Loan On Wheels on the occasion of the golden jubilee of Lucknow cir- cle of the bank. GM (NW-11) Brajesh Verma, Dukabandhu Rath (NW-1) and other senior functionaries of the bank were present on the occasion. RAKSHABANDAHAN Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will particiapte in a function being organised on the occasion of Rakshabandhan near Gandhi Statue in Hazratganj at 9:30 am on Sunday. SCIMAX SHOW SUSPENDED Due to half-yearly mainte- nance work of Scimax facility, there will no show for public on Monday. The show will resume as per schedule from Tuesday onwards. KAVI SAMMELAN Uttar Pradesh Press Club organised a Kavi Sammelan in which poet Dr Suresh won accolades for his verses. UP Press Club also honoured young ghazal singer Kshitij Srivastava and Dr Suresh. Sanjay Sauk, Kusum Verma, Varsala Pandey, Nitish Tiwari, Gaurav Dixit, Dhiraj Mishra, Pankaj Prasoon and others participated in the event. TRIBUTES PAID Shaheed Smriti Samaroh Samiti, on the occasion of 89th anniversary of Kakori case and on the 72nd anniversary of Quit India Movement organ- ised a programme at Kakori Shaheed Memorial GPO Park, Hazratganj, on Friday to pay tributes to freedom-fighters. The occasion was marked by garlanding of the statues of Ram Prasad Bismal, Ashfaq Ullah Khan, Rajendra Nath Lahri and Roshan Singh. PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW C hairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Nawed Siddiqui on Friday made announce- ments of the programmes that will be organised by the SNA in the months to come. He said that a Kala Darbar will be organised every Saturday where the problems of the artists will be solved. He pointed out that artists are facing several problems and attempts would be made to solve them by contacting the departments concerned. He said that legends in the field of music would be invit- ed to the Sangeet Natak Akademi and they would inter- act with the media and discuss the music scenario. He said that a workshop for scriptwriting for radio, stage and television will be started for a fee of Rs SHARMILA KRISHNA n LUCKNOW T he actor, Rajesh Kumar, is not bored with doing com- edy roles and does not take his serious offers seriously. He was in the city on Friday along with the veteran actor, Aloknath, and the actress, Aparna Mehra, for the pro- motion of his show, Tu Mere Agal Bagal Hai, and in a chat with The Pioneer said that he equated comedy with spiritu- ality. Tu Mere Agal Bagal Hai is a show which is a wholesome humorous family entertainer featuring the television indus- try veterans like Aloknath, Supriya Pathak, Shweta Gulati and Rajesh Kumar amongst others. Directed by Rajan Waghdhare, it is an innovative family comedy show which revolves around the lives of the owners and the tenants living under the same roof of Bungalow No 6. This TV series explores the funny side of the incidents that happen in the daily lives of all the characters in a comical manner. One of the many USPs of this fiction- al comedy show is the presence of a live audience on the sets which adds the element of spontaneity to the entire humorous offering. While explaining the con- cept of the show, Rajesh Kumar said that they were experi- menting with the idea of the- atre on the television. There the stage depicts a theatre ambience and the story revolves around a couple and their father. There is a bit of a stand-up comedy but since we are actors therefore we are doing our share of the acting too, he said. The actor said that he was never bored of doing comedy. It has been a decade since I did comedy and I enjoy it and never feel bored. It is very easy to make people emotional and make them cry. I find comedy equivalent to spirituality and I never take serious roles offered to me seriously. I am a comic person off camera too, he said. The veteran actor, Aloknath, said that he was getting a character with the comic edge for the first time. I am doing a character with a comic edge after being stuck with the traditional image for so long. I was offered this role probably because of the sever- al jokes on me on the social networking sites wherein peo- ple thought that my comic side should be explored also, he said. The actor pointed out that the character that he was por- traying was of a naughty babu- ji who is not as traditional as he has been portraying during the past several years. I admit that it has been challenging for me doing the role because I have been doing the same kind of role for several years and one cannot change the image sud- denly, he pointed out. On being asked why he had not tried to break his image in the past so many years, the actor said that this was not some- thing in his hands. When you start getting a certain type of role then you do the same roles and you cannot refuse similar roles which are offered to you hence I was stuck with the same kind of roles, he said. Aloknath added, The beauty of the show is that it is filmed in front of a live audi- ence and has an amazing star cast. The satisfaction that one gets from entertaining live audiences has a different feel. We all know humour is evolv- ing and I am positive that the people will love our show. Shweta Gulati, while talk- ing about her character, said that she was playing the role of a woman who runs a feminist group and is a little overboard about her feminism. This is a woman who goes about mak- ing a distinction between everything which is masculine and feminine and thus goes a little overboard with her fem- inism, she said. CDO reviews status of several projects Varsity employees still on strike PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW S till on strike on Friday the employees of universities of the state continued their agita- tion to the fourth day claiming that they would resume work only after their demands were conceded by the government. Agitating under the banner of the UP Rajya Vishwavidyalaya Karmachari Mahasangh, the employees of several universities boycotted the work on Friday too. The employees of Lucknow University, Deendayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, Kanpur University, Sampoornanand Sanskrit University, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi, Avadh University, Faizabad, and Ambedkar University, Agra, have been on strike. Out of the 12 demands raised by the workers, 300 days 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, the university employees used to get a payment for 300 days after retirement but this facility was removed by the state govern- ment. Since our agitation we held several meetings, includ- ing the one with the Principal Secretary, Higher Education, where the officials said that the administration would agree on three demands but they didn't agree to state them in written. So we decided to continue our strike," said Ajay Kumar Singh, a union leader from Lucknow University. He said that they did not have any intention to disturb the classes but no university worker would cooperate with the administration of his or her institution and would not even open or close the classrooms and the teachers would have to do that themselves. The work- ers union of the state univer- sities had now started gather- ing support from the state affiliated colleges while the employees of Lucknow University took out a proces- sion in the University premis- es and staged a demonstration outside the Vice- Chancellor's office. CITYBRIEFS 1,000 for three days on the days of the availability of the candi- date concerned. Kala Darbar to be started at SNA Tu Mere Agal Bagal Hai is a family entertainer: Rajesh PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW O n the directive of the District Magistrate, Raj Shekhar, the Chief Development Officer (CDO), Yogesh Kumar, presided over a review meeting of the Chief Ministers priority programmes and schemes here on Friday. The CDO reviewed the status of several projects, including solar streetlights, construction of clean toilets, fisheries, free of cost boring, construction of houses under the Indira Avas and Lohia Avas Yojanas, the Samajwadi Pension Scheme, pension and MNREGA. He said that the works under the MNREGA scheme should be carried out as per the given guidelines and the action taken as per social audit should be presented on time. All the Block Development Officers (BDOs) should carry out inspections in their respec- tive areas in order to review the progress of the development works being carried out there, he said. Not only this, they should also keep a tab on the problems of localities like dam- aged roads, defunct hand- pumps etc. The construction work taking place under the Lohia Avas Yojana should be carried out strictly as per the norms laid down for it and the offi- cials concerned should not show any laxity in it. The defunct handpumps should be rebored as soon as possible, he added. While speaking about the different welfare schemes, he said in the Samajwadi Pension Scheme the verification of the applications should be done accurately and timely. The schemes of the state government should be imple- mented properly and no laxi- ty should be shown in this regard. The officials con- cerned should ensure that the welfare schemes run by their respective departments were implemented as per the guide- lines and the construction works were carried out without compromising on their quali- ty, he added. Out of 12 demands raised by the workers, 300 days encashment after retirement was their major demand Actor, Rajesh Kumar, along with veteran actor, Aloknath, and actress, Aparna Mehra, was in the city on Friday for the promotion of his show, Tu Mere Agal Bagal Hai. Pioneer LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 nation 05 PNS n NEW DELHI T he Centre on Friday said that in order to develop high speed rail network across the country, a separate corpo- ration has been incorporated. Railway Minister DV Sadanand Gowda said the objectives of the High Speed Rail Corporation (HSRC) is to conduct pre-feasibility studies and preparation of detailed project report (DPR) for the corridor. The HSRC will also go into preparation of techni- cal parameters for High Speed Rail (HSR) system and model concession agreement. Replying to BJP member Chandan Mitras query regard- ingthe HSRCinRajya Sabha, the Minister said skills of staff and officers will be developed at appropriate institutes in India and abroad through training programmes. The HSRC has been incorporated as a fully- owned subsidiary of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) which is a Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) of Ministry of Railways. Studies will be conducted on Diamond Quadrilateral Network of High Speed Rail connecting four major metro and growth centres of the country i. e. New Delhi- Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata- New Del hi. Mumbai- Ahmedabad sector, where a number of studies has been done, identified for further development for High Speed Trains. A provision of `100 crore has already been made in the Railway Budget this year, Gowda said. The Minister also informed the House that the present composition of Board of Directors of HSRC is chairman and three directors. In a separate answer to Mitras query on introduction of new train between holy cities of Ujjain to Varanasi, Minister of State for Railway Manoj Sinha said in addition to three pairs of direct mail/express train ser- vices available between Ujjain and Varanasi, a new train viz. Ahmedabad-Patna Express (weekly) has beenannouncedto benefit the pilgrims. In regards to direct con- nectivity, Sinha informed the House that direct daily train service between Ujjain and Varanasi is not feasible, at pre- sent, due to operational and resource constraints including terminal/mainte- nance constraints. PNS n NEW DELHI T he Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to expeditiously deal with a petition that demanded a time- limit to probe complaints of corruption filed by whistle- blowers under the newly- enacted Whistleblowers Protection Act. The petition by lawyer N Rajaraman referred to Section 5(2) of the Act that provides a discreet enquiry by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on receipt of any complaint by a whistleblower. However, it does not specify any timeframe for completion of such enquiry. He argued that by not pre- scribing a time-limit the enquiry could be delayed exces- sively to defeat action against corruption. Moreover, it even jeopardised the safety of the whistleblower. The Bench headed by Chief Justice RM Lodha asked the petitioner to suggest if he had knowl edge of any instances where enquiry on a complaint took four to six months or beyond it. Rajaraman said that the Act had been notified just three months ago. The Bench then wished to know if any attempt was made to bring this matter to the notice of the executive. The petitioner admitted that he approached the Court directly. Having regard to the nature of grievance raised in the petitionwe direct the Central Government to expe- ditiously deal with it said the bench, also comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and Rohington Nariman. Swiftly deal with petition demanding time limit for corruption probe: SC PNS n NEW DELHI T he Government has made it clear that it is against any interference in the working and functioning of the media and suggested that it should have its own self-mechanisms to maintain accountability and responsibility . Taking part in a discus- sion on the functioning of the media and freedom of expres- sion in the Rajya Sabha, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar asserted that medias freedom will be maintained and there will not be any attempt to gag it. He added that the Press Council of India (PCI) has to be strengthened in such a way that it can act properly as a watch dog. No freedom comes with- out responsibility. Media has to devise its own mechanisms. These self-mechanisms should have provision for penal acti on for i rresponsi bl e reporting, Javadekar said. The Minister also mentioned `sensationalism in news reports related to political leaders or other public figures which has at times led people to commit suicide. While talking about social media Javadekar called for evolving a mechanism to reg- ulate social media. He said this is an issue for consideration but it pertains to a subject administered by another min- istry as social media is covered under the Information and Technology laws. The Minister said the PCI for the print media was a toothless wonder and even its orders are not published. Issues related to paid news, cross holdings by media companies, neutrality of media houses, working con- dition of journalists were some of the issues elaborate- l y di scussed. Samaj wadi Partys Naresh Agrawal demanded restriction on social media saying that it is affecting younger generation. Trinamool Congresss Derek OBrien raised a point of need for an independent regulatory mechanism for media. He suggested setting up of an expert committee on social media also. BJPs Tarun Vijay said China has 22 correspondents to cover India, while there are only 3 Indian correspondents covering China. China is reported to India through for- eign news agencies. Why dont Indian media houses deploy their correspondents in coun- tries like China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, Vijay said. Condemning the ban on two television channels TV9 and Andhra Jyothi in Telangana, members wanted the Government to address the issue and protect media freedom. Media should devise its own self-mechanism, says Govt PNS n NEW DELHI A large number of the Rajya Sabha members on Friday demanded that the House Chairman and Deputy Chairman should be empowered to take decisions on crucial issues like permitting members for foreign vis- its and allotting rooms to parliamen- tary parties instead of such issues being dealt by the Lok Sabha Speaker. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal said, It has become a precedent that the Lok Sabha Speaker decides on issues of foreign visits of the Rajya Sabha mem- bers and even allotment of rooms to parliamentary parties. Art i cl e 80 and 81 of t he Constitution through which Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were constitut- ed bestow similar priorities, privileges and responsibilities to members of both the Houses but no decisions regarding Upper House members were taken by its Chairman and Deputy Chairman, Agarwal said demanding such matters should be di sposed of by Upper House Chairman and Deputy Chairman besi des const itut i on of a Committee for that. Supporting him, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said, Parliamentary Affairs Minister is here and we need to have a commit- tee to go into this for a final decision. K C Tyagi of JD(U) too supported the demand for formation of a commit- tee to take such decisions. While Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the Chairman can discuss the matter with representatives of political par- ties and changes may suggested in the syste, Kurien said that he will bring the matter to the notice of Chairman who will take an appropriate decision in this regard. PNS n NEW DELHI A midst speculation that Congress president Sonia Gandhis daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, may take up a significant role in the party soon, Priyanka on Friday dis- missed such reports and state- ments by Congressmen as baseless rumours. The constant conjecture about my assuming various posts in the Congress party and the manner in which this issue is brought up at opportune moments is incorrect. I would be very grateful to all con- cerned if they desisted from encouraging such baseless rumours, Priyanka said in a brief statement to PTI. Priyankas remarks put the lid on speculations that she could formally join the party either in the capacity of a general secretary in the AICC or the chief of Uttar Pradesh Congress. The speculation of Priyankas larger role in the party was also interpreted in the media as diminishing role for Rahul, an interpretation which was stoutly rejected by the party leaders in public. Senior party members dur- ing the last few days have been making statements about Priyankas major role in the party. While AICCspokesperson Shobha Oza on Thursday said that the party wants all three members of Gandhi family to take leadership role, senior Congress leader and a Gandhi family loyalist Oscar Fernandes on Thursday said that Priyanka should have a more active role in the Congress and that she should take up an important responsibility. A few months ago, a top leader had indicated that Priyankas role would not be of replacing Rahul but supple- menting him in running the party. A banner put out in Allahabad a couple of days back read Congress ka Moon, Priyanka is coming soon. Priyanka Gandhi, who for a long time confined her role in party affairs to Rae Bareli and Amethi parliamentary seats rep- resented by her mother Sonia Gandhi, who is the party presi- dent and brother Rahul Gandhi, vice president of Congress. When Priyanka had attend- ed some of the party meetings at her brothers residence in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the party then too had down- played it saying it was just to bring some coordination about the rallies and visits of Sonia and Rahul. Whena similar spec- ulation about her larger role in the party hadgainedmomentum a month before the general elec- tions, the then Union Minister Shashi Tharoor had said, Congress has a president and a vice-president, who is not only functioning but also active... There is no vacancy at the moment. We have a president anda vice-president andthey are doing a job. The chorus to bring Priyanka in the party for a larg- er role has all the more grown after the worst-ever poll debacle of Congress in this Lok Sabha elections, where its tally came to 44 from 206 in 2009. Soon after the results were out, Kerala leader andformer Minister KVThomas had said that Priyanka should assume a larger role and work with Rahul as a team. PNS nNEW DELHI T otal 257 Army personnel were killed in various oper- ations during the last three year and the current year. According to the data provided by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley in the Lok Sabha on Friday, 21 personnel lost their lives in 22 accidents involving naval warships and submarines. In a written reply, the Minister said 32 soldiers from Uttar Pradesh lost their lives in these operations while 26 of them belonged to Rajasthan. A total of 22 accidents have been reported involving warships and submarines during the last 3 years and the current year. 21 navypersonnel includingsixoffi- cers and 15 sailors lost their lives in 3 of these accidents, he said. The accidents involving INS Sindhurakshak and INS Sindhuratna account for 20 of these deaths. 18 personnel were killed in Sindhurakshak mishap which sank after an explosion in its torpedo compartment on August 14 last year while two officers had lost their lives in mishaps involving the INS Sindhuratna. In the last one year, the Navy has suffered over 15 accidents and this led to the resignationof former NavyChief Admiral DK Joshi taking the overall responsibility of these mishaps. PNS n NEW DELHI E nvironment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Friday that developed nation should play greater role to combat the challenge posed by the climate change. He was speaking on the occasion of the 18th Meeting of BASIC Countries that concluded in New Delhi on Friday. The meeting is an impor- tant precursor to the crucial UN Climate summit meeting in September and the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris next year. The Environment Ministers from Brazil, South Africa, India and China called on developed countries to walk the talk and meet their com- mitments on emissions cuts and green finance, in keeping with their historic responsibilities. Earlier, speaking at the meeting, Javadekar also empha- sised on enhanced action by developing countries. What we found out is that even on the mitigation front, actions of the BASIC countries of South Africa, Brazil, China andours, are more concrete than the developed world., said the Minister. He suggested for mak- ing a compendium of what has been done and put up before the forthcoming UN Climate Summit meeting in September. The vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission of China, Xie Zhenhua said 60 per cent of the cut in emission is con- tributedbydevelopingcountries. He said discussions between US and China at the bilateral level is sharedwiththe BASICcountries. He allayed apprehensions that bilateral meetings were diluting multilateral discussions on climate change. Responding to a query on what the Ministers were expecting from the UN sum- mit, South African Minister for Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa said they need a polit- ical momentum and a will to combat climate change and for developed countries to lead in the endeavour. Later, the Environment Ministers stressed in the joint statement that the 2015 out- come to be adopted in Paris should be comprehensive, bal- anced, equitable and fair in order to enhance the full, effec- tive and sustained implemen- tation of the UN Convention. It reaffirmedthat the process and outcome of the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) must be in full accor- dance withall the principles, pro- visions and structure of the Convention, in particular the principles of equityandcommon but differentiatedresponsibilities and respective capabilities. DEEPAK K UPRETI n NEW DELHI A fter derailing the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, the Congress is now insisting that the Factories Amendment Bill 2014 should also be referred to a standing com- mittee for further vetting. The Bi l l , whi ch was i nt roduced by t he Government in Lok Sabha on Thursday, seeks to provide flexibility in the matter of employment of women dur- ing late night hours. In a bid to give boost to labour reforms, the Cabinet gave its approval for introduc- tion of official amendments to the Factories (Amendment) Bill 2005 pending in the Lok Sabha since August 16, 2005, to amend section 66 of the Factories Act, 1948 that would make it easy for women to work during night. The Congress is, however, not in favour of women working in night shifts in fac- tories. The Congress, Left and Trinamool Congress want a detailed scrutiny of the Bill before it is passed by the Parliament. As in the Insurance Laws Regulation Bill, the Modi- Government is reaching out to the Congress to have the Bill passed in Parliament. We may seek that the Bill be referred to a Parliamentary standing committee as serious issues are involved, said a senior Congress leader in Lok Sabha. The Congress women wing chief and spokespersons Shobha Oza said, As a chief of the Womens organisation, I oppose this amendment that women be allowed to work dur- ing the night shifts in factories. She said women should not be working in night in factories but made exception in case of BPOs where private companies have arrangement of vehicles for dropping women employ- ees, she said. The Congress leader said that for safety reasons, the party feels women should be given day duties in factories. The Government is also planning to introduce the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014, in the Lok Sabha, but has yet not listed it as part of next weeks business. The Factories (amend- ment) Bill, 2005 was placed before Parliament in August 2005 to amend section 66 of the Factories Act, 1948. In August 2007, the Union Cabinet had approved amendment in the Factories Act paving the way for women employees to work in late night shifts. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) adopted in 1948, Convention No.89 which stipulates that women, without distinction of age, should not be employed during the night in public or private industrial undertakings. The Convention does not apply to women holding responsible positions of a man- agerial or technical character or to women employed in health and welfare services who are not ordinarily engaged in manual work. India has ratified this Convention on February 27, 1950. Subsequently, the General Conference of the ILO in June, 1990 adopted a Protocol relat- ing to Convention No.89. Under the provisions of this Protocol, national laws and regulations may authorise the competent authority to modi- fy the duration of the night- shift or to introduce exemp- tions from the prohibition within certain limits. PNS n NEW DELHI I n a step forward to enhance co-development and co-pro- duction of weapon systems, India and the US on Friday decided to take Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) forward and nominated officials from two countries as contact persons. The DTTI was inked between the two countries last year to explore ways to defence indus- try partnership and give a boost to Indian industry. Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and visiting US Defence Secretary ChuckHagel reviewed the progress of DTTI here at del- egation level talks and nomi- nated Secretary Department of Defence Production from the Indian side and Under Secretary for acquisition, technology and licensing, Frank Kendall from the US as contact persons. The two officials will meet regularly to iron out hurdles in jointly designing and manu- facturing weapon systems. So far, India has this kind of an agreement only with Russia and the US for the last few years was keen to have a similar pact given the growing market for defence products in India. The push for India-US partnership in defence indus- try at the political level comes at a time when New Delhi is poised to spend more than 30 billion dollars over the next five to eight years for procuring state-of-the-art weapons. Moreover, India has opened up the defence sector for more private participation and increased FDI from 27 per cent to 49 per cent earlier this week. However, India is deter- mined to do away with buyer- seller relationship and go in for joint development of weapons to save precious foreign exchange and expand its defence industrial base. The two leaders also decid- ed to start the process of extending the overarching agreement named the New Framework for the India-US Defence Relationship. This pact covering all aspects of defence ties including DTTI, joint mil- itary exercises and training of military personnel was signed in 2005 for a period of ten years. Jaitley and Hagel dis- cussed steps to renew the pact for another decade in the com- ing months, officials said. They said the two Minister took note of the progress made over the years in deepening defence ties and reaffirmed their desire to further enhance bilateral defence cooperation, especially in technology and discussed ways for strengthen- ing this partnership. Stressing on faster indi- genisation of the defence indus- tries, Jaitley said, The devel- opment of our own indigenous capabilities is a major objective that guides our present policies. In this direction, we have taken steps to raise the FDI cap in the defence sector. We look for- ward to work closely with the US in this regard. The two delegations also held talks on the entire range of bilateral defence relations besides terrorismandglobal andregion- al security situation. Hagel invit- ed Jaitley to visit the Pentagon, the Headquarters of the United States Department of Defence, in October during the latters visit to Washington DC to attend the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank. Jaitley has accepted the invitation. Apart from meeting Jaitley, Hagel, who is here on a three- day visit starting Thursday, also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. 257 jawans killed in last three years, says Jaitley Priyanka dismisses reports of taking up formal post in Cong Time for action by developing nations Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar (2nd R) joins hands with, from left to right, Brazils Deputy Minister for Environment Francisco Gaetani, Minister for Environment of South Africa Edna Molewa and Vice-Chairman of National Development and Reform Commission of China Xie Zhenhua during the 18th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change in New Delhi on Friday PTI RS members demand Chairman to decide on their foreign visits It has become a precedent that the Lok Sabha Speaker decides on issues of foreign visits of the Rajya Sabha members and even allotment of rooms to parliamentary parties Officials nominated from both countries as contact persons New Delhi: Voicing concern over deteriorating situation in Iraq and its potential implications for the region where India has vital stakes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he looked forward to his Summit meeting with President Barack Obama to discuss how India and the US can build a partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the world.Modi conveyed this to Defence Chuck Hagel who called on him here. During the meeting, the Prime Minister was briefed on the announcements made by President Barack Obama on the steps the US plans to deal with the situation in Iraq.On the bilateral front, the Prime Minister welcomed the sustained high-level engagement by the US with the new Government here. Modi underlined the importance of defence relations in the overall strategic partnership between the two countries and indicated his desire to see further progress in defence relations, including in defence manufacturing in India, technology transfer, exercises and higher studies in the field of defence. PNS MODI VOICES CONCERN OVER IRAQ AS HAGEL MEETS HIM Defence Minister Arun Jaitley shakes hands with US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel before he was presented a Guard of Honour at South Block in New Delhi on Friday PTI 21 PERSONNEL LOST LIFE IN 22 ACCIDENTS INVOLVING NAVAL WARSHIPS AND SUBMARINES Congress now against Factories Amendment Bill o In a bid to give boost to labour reforms, the Cabinet gave its approval for introduction of official amendments to the Factories (Amendment) Bill 2005 pending in the Lok Sabha since August 16, 2005, to amend section 66 of the Factories Act, 1948 that would make it easy for women to work during night o The Congress is, however, not in favour of women working in night shifts in factories. o The Congress leader said that for safety reasons, the party feels women should be given day duties in factories o The Factories (amendment) Bill, 2005 was placed before Parliament in August 2005 to amend section 66 of the Factories Act, 1948 o In August 2007, the Cabinet had approved amendment in the Factories Act paving the way for women employees to work in late night shifts DV Sadanand Gowda India, US agree to boost defence cooperation Separate corporation formed for high speed rail network The constant conjecture about my assuming various posts in the Congress party and the manner in which this issue is brought up at opportune moments is incorrect. I would be very grateful to all concerned if they desisted from encouraging such baseless rumours city/nation 06 LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW U P Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad on Fri day announced last date for sub- mitting online application of regular and private students appearing in High School and Intermediate Board examina- tions in 2015. The application will be submitted onl i ne on www.upmsp.edu.in and aspi- rants will have to submit appli- cations to school principals lat- est by August 20. Principals of the schools will have to depositing the examination fees in treasury and upload educational details of students on the website lat- est by August 31 (midnight). If they fail to submit the applications by August 31, principals can submit the same with late fees of Rs 50 per application till September 20. Private students willing to appear in the UP Board examinations will have to deposit the examination fees and submit complete docu- ments to principals by August 20. The principals will then fol l ow the procedure of depositing the fees in treasury and upload documents on the website. Lucknow (PNS): Demanding their recognition as class IV employees of 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 Bharti National Whistleblower Organisation, thousands of watchmen gathered in front 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 there were around 68,000 watchmen in the state, who not only worked in the rural areas and coordinated with the panchayat but also briefed the local police, but they were still not recognised. Shukla said that since the British era they did not have any separate department or code of conduct due to which they neither 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 accord them the status of class IV employees then why cant our government? he quipped. The state government takes the services of a watchman for four days in a week while they have to remain vigilant everyday and they get a measly sum of Rs 1,500 for it. If the government will grant recognition to them and regularise their services it will not just help these people but also help in controlling the law and order situation in the small villages which are always untouched," said Shukla. The demonstrators held a meeting with the Home Secretary, Arun Kumar Mishra, who assured them that he would highlight their problems before the Chief Secretary. They then handed over a memorandum, addressed to the Chief Minister and the Governor, to the ADM. Setting a deadline of one month, Shukla, who was leading the agitation, said that if their demands were not conceded within a period of 30 days the watchmen from all over the state would come to Lucknow along with their families then and would not leave it until their demands were met. KUSHAGRA DIXIT n LUCKNOW F lagrantly flouting the rules, the owners of an unautho- rised building restarted its con- struction after breaking the seal leaving the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) red-faced. Alleging that it was the responsibility of the Kaiserbagh police to act against the people who broke the seal and began the work, the LDA has decided to approach the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) urging him to act against all such unauthorised con- structions. The LDA officials corroborated the report that the seal of an unauthorised under construction hotel under the Kaiserbagh police station had been broken and its construc- tion was restarted on Thursday. Stating that when they sealed the building months ago their job there was com- plete and it was the responsi- bility of the local police to look after this disputed property till the LDA reached a final decision on the matter. Being a nodal agency we can only get an illegal building sealed with the help of the law- enforcing agencies. After that it becomes the responsibility of the local police to ensure that the seal is not broken and the halted work is not restarted. In this case we cant simply go and reseal it and the recommend- ed procedure is that those involved in it will be booked under Section 427 and then the law will follow its own course, said an LDA official. According to the reports, the land use of plot No 82/74 on Guru Gobind Marg was sanctioned for a residential building but its owners con- structed a hotel there instead following which the LDA acted and sealed the unauthorised structure. However, throwing norms to the winds the owners of the said plot started con- structing a hotel there even though the LDA officials claimed that they had con- ducted several drives against illegal construction in that area. The officials asserted that they were now marking all the sealed and unauthorised struc- tures and after making a report they would approach the SSP within the next three days. We had already sealed several unauthorised buildings in the city. However, reports came from some areas that the seals had been broken and the construction work had restart- ed there. We have now decid- ed to report the matter to the SSP. The report will be hand- ed over to him within the next three days, claimed an LDA official. However, its not the first time that any illegal con- struction was reported around the thickly-populated areas of the city. Two months ago the residents of the congested Ram Mandir Lane of Husainganj area protested when a private builder constructed a five- storeyed residential apartment on a road which was merely 8 feet wide without the consent of the LDA. However, the builders halted its construction for some time as the matter generated a lot of heat. However, the residents claimed that its construction was start- ed again. While asserting that they were working strictly against the illegal constructions in the city, the concept of land audit was also swept under the car- pet by the LDA as planned in the month of January this year. PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW A fter waiting for a year for action against former Energy Minister in the Mayawati Government, Ramveer Upadhyay, in con- nection with a disproportionate assets case, the Lokayukta (Retd) NK Mehrotra has now sent a special report to Governor Ram Naik, requesting him to place the documents on the floor of the Assembly along with the action taken report (ART). The Lokayukta had earlier sent a similar report to Governor against former Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister, Awadh Pal Singh Yadav, in a similar matter. Justice (Retd) Mehrotra has alsorecommendedactionin disproportionate assets cases against eight senior ministers of the Mayawati Government including Naseemuddin Siddiqui, but the Government has so far not initiated action against any of them and has for- warded the matter to the Vigilance Establishment for fur- ther inquiry. Sources said that when the state Government did not ini- tiate action against Ramveer Upadhyay, the Lokayukta sent some reminders to the Chief Minister and finally dispatched a special report to Governor Ram Naik on Friday. He requested the Governor to ensure that the issue was tabled on the floor of the Assembly along with the ATR. The Lokayukta had probed the charges levelled against Upadhyay and his family mem- bers of amassing assets, grab- bing lands and cornering major PWD contracts in western dis- tricts for close relatives by mis- using position in the Mayawati Government. In the inquiry initiated on a complaint filed by Hathras resident Ashwini Sharma, Justice (Retd) Mehrotra found that many family mem- bers of Upadhyay, including his father, had donated proper- ties to each other, purchasing them after low-valuation. Ramveer Upadhyays father Ramcharan Upadhyay, who was a class four employee in UP State Road Transport Corporation, had purchased a plot at a prime location in Agra and later donated it to Sudhir Upadhyay who happened to be the brother and public relation officer of the former minister. Besides, a lady from Etah district, Savita, had purchased a property in Hathras at one- fourth price of its market rate and had donated it to Kalpna Upadhyay, the wife of Sudhir Upadhyay. During the inquiry, it also came to light that the income of Savita was meagre and she had purchased the property only to donate it. It also came to light that Kalpna Upadhyay owned a con- struction company which was frequently givenbig contracts by PWD in Hathras and neigh- bouring western districts for four years. The then incharge of Aligarh PWD division had admitted that contracts worth over `40 lakh were awarded to Kalpna Upadhyay and other family members of the minister at rates exceeding the govern- ment approved rates. On the basis of this, the Lokayukta had recommended a vigilance probe against Upadhyay. The minister was subsequently removed by Mayawati. Agitated over the inquiry, Ramveer Upadhyay had chal- lenged the jurisdiction of the Lokayukta and had accused Justice (Retd) Mehrotra of using derogatory language against him. Lokayukta urges Guv to send documents, ATR to Assembly Last date to apply online for UP Board exams August 20 Owners flout LDA rules, restart construction of sealed building Watchmen protest, demand status of class IV employees PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW T he King Georges Medical University administration has once again proposed to increase the age of re-employ- ment of retired teachers from the present 65 years to 70 years. The KGMU administra- tion if of the view that increas- ing the age of re-employment of teachers to 70 years would help in retaining the experi- enced faculty members and maintaining the high quality of medical education. The move has, however, been criticised by the younger faculty who say it would hin- der their growth. They point out that earli- er the age of re-employment was increased from 60 years to 62 years and then to 65 years to the disadvantage of the sec- ond line faculty. They say medical educa- tion is developing day by day and there is need for new ideas and methods and in this sce- nario, younger faculty is more suited. On the other hand, the KGMU administration says the proposal will help in save the universitys recognition by the Medical Council of India as the guidelines require a certain number of professors in each department. The officials say a decision to propose increase in the age of re-employment has been taken in accordance with a gov- ernment order issued in September 2013, that says that medical institutes can increase the re-employment age up to 70 years. KGMU Vice-Chancellor Ravi Kant said that re-employ- ment would not be open for all and would be considered on need base in order to save MCI recognition of departments where teachers are short. KGMU move to increase age of re-employment PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW t he Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences is contemplating to start a department of Emergency Medicine after getting a nod from the Medical Council of India. After the Cabinet decision for merger of Lohia Hospital and RMLIMS, their heads have started holding meetings to plan the opening of the new department. The institute will run the Emergency Medicine department in co-ordination with Lohia Hospital. Lohia Institute Director Nuzhat Hussain said the MCI had given them permission to run Emergency Medicine department. He said the new department would have experts and para medical staffs from the institute and hospital. The state Government decision to merge RML Hospital and RMLIMS a month back will enable the institute to run undergraduate (MBBS) courses apart from imparting super speciality medical education. At present, the RMLIMS is running only super speciality medical courses. The merger of the 350-bed institute and 350-bed hospital will pave the way for RMLIMS to start undergraduate (MBBS) course with 150 seats. The institute is awaiting MCI nod to its infrastructure for starting MBBS course. At present, there are close to 1400 MBBS seats in the medical institutes of the state and the 150 of RMLIMS would increase the intake of under- graduate medical students. Once the merger of the Lohia hospital and institute is completed in a few months, the RMLIMS will advertise the teaching and non-teaching posts. Lohia hospital doctors will also be eligible for teach- ing posts if they clear the inter- views. The institute will also ask the MCI to make a combined inspection infrastructure of the institute and the hospital as they are being merge. DA case against Ramveer Upadhyay JASWANT SINGH... Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to his family and prayed for Singhs speedy recovery. Examination at the hospital showed him to be in coma, with signs of raised intracranial tension and a haematoma scalp. Urgent CT scan of the head showed an acute subdural haematoma with mass effect, a midline shift and contusion of the brain sub- stance. A lifesaving decom- pressive hemicraniectomy was done, the Ministry said. Singh had also served as External Affairs and Finance Minister and was expelled from BJP early this year when he decided to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Barmer in Rajasthan as an Independent candidate after the party decid- ed to field Colonel Sonaram Chaudhary. SPEAKERS DECISION... The bench headed by Chief Justice RMLodha scornedat the petitioner for failing to raise a legal issue through the petition. Under Article 32, we are not deciding on political issues. If ruling is given by Speaker in the chamber of the House, it is not amenable to judicial review. The Court asked whether the Mavalankar ruling was notified or part of any statute to which the answer was negative. The bench, also comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and Rohington Nariman said, Once you say Mavalankar ruling is not noti- fied, can the legality of such rul- ing given by Speaker be amenable to judicial review. MPs RAISE... He was addressing a sports function at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi. CPI(M) member P Rajeev raised the issue and wanted to know whether they had sought permission for it. Kurien said Tendulkar was nominated to the Upper House in April 2012 and had attended the session for three days. Last time he had come to the House on December 13, 2013, he said. Reacting to the prolonged absence of the celebrities, lyri- cist and scriptwriter and a nom- inated member of the Upper House Javed Akhtar said: Membership of Parliament is not a trophy. Sachin should come to Parliament. Mentioning that bothTendulkar and Rekha have not taken a sin- gle MP privilege, Rajeev Shukla said: They should attend Parliament more frequently. I think Sachin should attend Parliament. When he was play- ing cricket, he never missed a practice, so now that he has retired, he should come to Parliament, said the BJPs Kirti Azad, also a former cricketer. RANA CONVICTED... allegedly killed a number of Thakurs, reportedly to avenge her gang-rape by the Thakurs of the same village. Delhi Police had charged all the accused for murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. They also faced charges of attempting to murder her secu- rity guard and under various provisions of the Arms Act. Police had said that Rana want- ed to establish himself as a Thakur leader by mastermind- ing the killing and ruled out any other motive behind Phoolans murder. Investigations had proved that Rana had plotted the murder for more than two years and had gathered finance for buying arms and ammuni- tion. He hadevenrobbeda bank for generating funds tocarry out his designs. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 PNS n NEW DELHI T he Supreme Court on Friday took seri- ous exception to a petition filed by a NGO that sought urgent orders to rescue close to 40 girls from madarsas in eastern Uttar Pradesh complaining that such cen- tres of learning had become dens of ille- gal activities. You should not unnecessarily give these matters undue shade. The words you have used are not in national interest. It can disturb the peace of the country and dam- age the secular fabric in the country, said a bench headed by Chief Justice RM Lodha. The petition filed by Jayati Bhartam, representing NGO that claimed to have res- cued many girls from madarsas, relied on a 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 her ordeal as to how she was abducted on July 23, taken to a madrasa in Hapur where she was gang-raped and forced to convert to Islam. The bench, also comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and Rohington Nariman enquired that besides newspaper report what other material was there to suggest such incidents. You do not produce any representation that you have made to National Commission for Women (NCW) or any complaint lodged with the police authorities. Certain issues need to be taken forward responsibly. PNS nNEW DELHI E ven as the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday declared deadly Ebola epidemic as an international health emergency, Union Health Mi ni ster Harsh Vardhan told Parliament that India need not panic over its outbreak as there has been no reported case of the virus in the country and the Government is taking all pre- cautions. As of today, this moment, there is no Ebola case report- ed in India. There is no need to panic, he said. The Minister said that the Government was taking all precautions and keeping a close watch on the movement of people into India from countries affected by the virus. In the light of the outbreak of Ebola virus in west African countries, the Government had earl ier this week announced a slew of steps including screening and track- ing of passengers originating or transiting from there, and asked Indians to defer non- essential travel to that region. There are close to 45,000 Indians in affected countries such as Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria where an outbreak of the disease has killed 932 people. Indian authorities are on alert for the Ebola virus, the health minis- ter said, suggesting there is a risk the deadly virus could be imported into country if the large population of Indians working in the four affected West African nations returns, the Minister had said recent- ly. Vardhan said. While the risk of Ebola virus cases in India is low, preparedness measures are in place to deal with any case of the virus imported to India. Liberia has declared a state of emer- gency to tackle the worst-ever outbreak of the disease, its health system is collapsing. Mandatory self reporting by the passengers coming from or transiting through the affected countries would be required at immigration check, Vardhan had said, adding in-flight announce- ments regardi ng this would also be made. The WHO has declared the killer Ebola epidemic rav- aging parts of West Africa an international health emer- gency and appealed for glob- al aid to help afflicted coun- tries. The global health agency move comes as US health authoriti es on Thursday admitted that Ebolas spread beyond West Africa was inevitable, and after medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that the deadly virus was now out of control with more than 60 outbreak hotspot. India need not panic: Vardhan EBOLA OUTBREAK RMLIMS set to start emergency medicine dept After the Cabinet decision for merger of Lohia Hospital and RMLIMS, their heads have started holding meetings to plan the opening of the new department STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI A pedestrian subway con- structed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to avoid any traffic disruptions on the busy ITO intersection was thrown open to public. The subway con- structed was inaugurated by the Delhi Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi in the presence of the DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh and other DMRC Directors. Built using a special box- pushing technology to avoid any traffic disruptions, the subway connects Delhi Police Headquarters and the Engineers Bhawan on the extremely busy ITO road. It is a part of the under-construction ITO Metro station and will cater to the pedestrians who will cross ITO intersection. The timings of the subway for the general public will be from 6 am to 10 pm. Delhi Metro is committed to the safety of its commuters especially women. We are hopeful that this subway will be of great benefit to the pedes- trians who cross the busy ITO intersection everyday, DMRC Managing Director said. The subway, which is 9 m deep from the ground level, will provide a safe and easy passage to pedestrians crossing the busy intersection at ITO as well as provide connectivity to the upcoming ITO Metro station at the concourse level, a DMRC official spokesperson said. The interiors of the sub- way have been built using black, grey and red granite for the flooring of subway along with false ceiling and facia on the walls. The subway has one escalator at gate no. 6 (towards Engineers Bhawan) and one escalator at gate no. 5 (towards Police Headquarters) for the convenience of the passengers. There is a provision for one lift each at gate Nos 5 and 6 which are under construc- tion. Work on the subway was started in June-July last year and was completed in August. The ITO station has 6 entry/exit points two entry/exits on Indraprastha Marg are near Agarwal Chowk (ITO) near Delhi Police Headquarters and Engineers Bhawan, two entry/exits are on both sides of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg and two entry/exits on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg. Another pedestrian subway is under construction on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg. This subway is also being built using the box-pushing technology and will connect entry no. 1 (towards Andhra Education Society) and entry no. 2 (towards Indian National Science Academy) of the upcoming ITO station. Delhi Metro opens subway at ITO Crossing the road at the ITO intersection becomes easier. Delhi Metro, which is constructing an underground Metro station at ITO, threw open one of the subways on Friday. The subway will connect the police headquarters to the space alongside the Institute of Engineers building Ranjan Dimri | Pioneer The subway, which is 9 m deep from the ground level, will provide a safe and easy passage to pedestrians crossing the ITO as well as provide connectivity to the upcoming ITO Metro station at the concourse level SC raps NGO for using vexed words in plea LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 nation 07 MOHIT KANDHARI n OCTROI POST, RS PURA A fter spending more than 48 hours in the custody of Pakistan Rangers, BSF jawan Satyasheel Yadav on Friday walked free after he was hand- ed over to the Indian border guards at the Octroi post along the International border in Suchetgarh area of RS Pura sector in Jammu. The 30-year-old jawan, Yadav was swept away by the Chenab river to Pakistan on Wednesday after their patrolling boat had developed a technical snag during a rou- tine patrolling exercise. Three other BSF jawans, present in the boat, swam back to safety after jumping off the boat. Yadav survived the strong currents of Chenab river because he was wearing a life jacket but landed in the Pak territory al ong with the defunct boat. The much awaited release of the Indian soldier was, how- ever, delayed by the Pakistan Rangers for reasons best known to them by over one hour. Before the formal hand over ceremony at the Zero line of the International border, certain necessary formalities were compl eted by the Pakistan Rangers. Satyasheel Yadav, dressed in his combat fatigue, looked cheerful and healthy while he was handed over to his Battalion commander Varesh Singh. BSF officers present at the ceremony greeted Yadav and patted his back before walking into the Indian terri- tory. On his return, Director General BSF, DK Pathak, spe- cially flown in to Jammu to supervise the smooth hand over. I am grateful to them (Pakistan Rangers) for treating him well, told reporters. He was treated well, there was no mishandling of the Indian jawan, medical treat- ment was also given to him after they took him into their custody From the Octroi post the BSF jawan was escorted to the nearby battalion headquarters where he met DG BSF and other senior officers. Satyasheel Yadav is expected to be debriefed by senior BSF offi- cers and others before returning to his battalion headquarters. Briefing media- persons, DG BSF maintained that the BSF jawan returned safely due to collective effort of the Govt of India at the high- est level and efforts made by the BSF authorities to secure his safe release in record time. Pressure was mounted by the Government of India through their Foreign Office on Thursday to hand over the custody of Indian jawan who was accidentally swept away by the Chenab river to Pakistan. Responding to the persis- tent query of mediapersons why it took so long for the Pakistan Rangers to hand over the custody of the BSF jawan, the DG BSF claimed, I cant answer why they took so long to hand him over. It is they who have to answer this question. On the issue of alleged interrogation of the BSF jawan by officers of the military Intel l igence and ISI in Pakistan, DG, BSF DK Pathak responded candidly saying, They did ask some questions and it isnt uncommon. He also clarified BSF jawan was drifted into their territory by the strong currents of Chenab river. This was an accident but he went there unauthorisedly. They have a right to find out how he came there, he elabo- rated. Before BSF jawan was handed over to the Indian authorities, Yadav tol d reporters in Pakistan that his boat accidentally strayed into the neighbouring land after it went out of control in strong river currents. My colleagues swam out but I do not know swimming. The boat took me into Pakistani territory. I jumped into water near a Pakistan post and was rescued by jawans of Pakistan Rangers, he said in his narration of the events leading to his capture. Yadav, flanked by Rangers officials, said he was made comfortable by them. They took my introduc- tion. They helped me to the extent they could. They kept me better than what I had thought. I have no complaints. I am happy, he said. Pak hands over captured BSF jawan VR JAYARAJ n KOCHI T he Congress-l ed Government in Kerala has sparked off a controver- sy by making UPA chairper- son Sonia Gandhi the chief guest of the annual meet and the only invitee from out- side of Kudumbashree womens empowerment pro- ject. Critics say that the move i s proof of t he rul i ng Congress efforts to bring Kudumbashree, launched by the State Government and coming under the Local Self- Government bodies, under its total control. The BJP and the CPI(M) have launched an attack against Congress for inviting Sonia, who is just an MP holding no constitutional position, to inaugurate the 16th annual meet of the womens self-empowerment established in 1998 during the rule of the LDF led by Marxist party. The anniver- sary is being held from August 12 t o 14 at Thiruvananthapuram. What is Sonias right to inaugurate the programme? What role has she played in t he growt h of Kudumbashree? Why she alone is invited to the meet when the first person to be invited from outside the Government to such meet i ngs i s t he St ate Assembl ys Opposi t i on Leader? asked CPI(M) cen- tral committee member TM Thomas Isaac. It is equally strange that the organisers, the Local Self- Government Department of the Kerala Government head- ed by Musl i m Leagues Minister MK Muneer, have not bothered to invite even a single Minister from the Union Government to the meet despite the fact that the Centre has been allotting crores of rupees for Kudumbashree projects every year. Sonia Gandhi is just the president of a party. She does not hold any official position. She i s not even t he Opposition Leader. This is proof of a deliberate Congress move t o keep Uni on Ministers away from State Government programmes. It is a mean practice which not even the Marxists would like to fol l ow, sai d St ate BJP presi dent V Muraleedharan. The annual meeting will be inaugurated by Sonia Gandhi on August 12 at the Putharikkandam Grounds in the State capital. Governor Sheila Dikshit will inaugurate the valedictory programme on August 14. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will make a declaration on the new ini- tiatives which Kudumbashree is planning to undertake. This is not the first time t he Congress-l ed Government has sparked off a controversy by inviting Sonia to a programme. It had made her inaugurate the Governments Zero Landless programme of giving three cents land each to the land- less on September 30 last. When criticisms arose, the Government said Sonia did it in her capacityas National Advisory Councils head. Isaac, Finance Minister in the former LDF Government, warned the Congress and the UDF Government against any effort to hijack the Kudumbashree. If it i s pl anni ng to change the projects by-laws during the meet we will launch strong agitation. It will be in their interest to avoid a direct confrontation, Isaac said. Immediately after assumi ng of f i ce, t he Congress-led Government NAYAN DAVE n DIU (UT) I n lines with some of the most famous oceanariums in the world, the Union Territory (UT) Daman, Diu, Dadara & Nagar Haveli admin- istration is working on Indias first oceanarium at exotic tourist location and island town Diu situated on the western border of Gujarat. The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences has already con- sented for the `600 crore ocea- narium project in principle. The UT administration has already earmarked nearly 35 acres of land, suitable for the National Oceanarium Project. The picturesque location of the oceanarium project is a rocky highland approximately 7 meters higher to sea level in Malala village of Diu district. A team comprising senior officials from the Ministry of Earth Sciences, geologists and National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) recently visited the site and were happy to see the location. In next 2-3 months feasibility report of the project will be prepared, said Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, Administrator of Daman, Diu, Dadara & Nagar Haveli. Bhalla is aiming high for the upcoming project. He plans to develop world-class oceanarium at the erstwhile Portuguese colony on tiny island spread across hardly 40 sq km keeping some of the world famous oceanariums like Seaworld, San Diego, USA, Ocean Park, Hong Kong, China, Marineland, Ni agara Fal l s, Ont ari o, Canada, Lisbon Oceanarium and Portugal in mind. According to Diu Collector Vinod Kavle, Diu is the perfect location for the project looking to huge tourist flow. Though population of picturesque island Diu is hardly around 50,000, it witnesses tourist flow of over four lakhs annually that include nearly 10-15 per- cent foreign tourists, says Kavle. Since the project is funded by the Government of India (GOI) to create awareness on marine life, there wouldnt be any hiccup related to Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ), he said adding that the Diu admin- istration will son sign an MOU with the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Against the Union Territorys annual budget of nearly `800 crore, it fetches income of over `4000 core due to heavy flow of tourists in terms of Central Excise, VAT and other indirect taxes. Interestingly, every year GOI allocates `100 crores for the National Oceanarium Project since 2009. In fact the Central Government zeroed in on couple of locations in Kerala and Goa, but both the State Governments on some or other reason shown unwillingness to allot huge chunk of land that too right on the shore. Finally, The UT administration seized the opportunity and decided to approach the concerned Ministry and within a week at a time when GOI was about to drop the project. Island town Diu all set for Indias first oceanarium project Sonias right to open annual meet questioned SAUGAR SENGUPTA n KOLKATA T he war of words between Tata patriarch Ratan Tata and the Bengal Government intensified with both Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Education Minister Partha Chatterjee on Friday taking on the pioneer indus- trialist for trying to show Bengals industrial atmos- phere in poor light and advising the critics to com- pete but not spread canards. The Chief Minister who was addressi ng a Government function in Nadia without naming the top industry magnet said that some critics are spreading a disinformation campaign against the industrial climate i n Bengal but instead of doing so they should take into account what we have done in the past three years adding Bengal is today number one in developing small and medi- um scale industries which many of our friends are ignoring. On the other hand, former Industries Minister and present Educat i on Minister Partho Chatterjee said he was pained at what Ratanji has said adding when he came to Kolkata after two years he should have brought some good news like that of returning the occupied lands to the farmers of Singur. Instead of doing so he criticised the industrial climate of Bengal. Tata had a couple of days ago said that Bengals indus- try sector was not in a good shape showing how he could not find any industrial activ- ity at the Rajarhaat New Town through which he trav- elled while coming from the airport. A number of Banerjees cabinet colleagues including Finance Minister Amit Mitra immediately picked up the cudgel criticising Tata for his remarks. He has lost his senses he said adding he was truly surprised that he was not even aware before mak- ing this comment that the area through which he was driving was strictly for resi- dent i al and commerci al development and therefore could not have had any industrial plants visible to him. It indicates that Mr Ratan Tata is ill-informed and confused about the area he is driving through. The Tata Motors and the Government were currently locked in a legal battle in the Supreme Court where the State had appealed against an earlier High Court order rejecting the Government plea to return the occupied lands at Singur where the botched Nano plant was to come up. Reacting rather strongly to Mitras statements the Tata chairman emeritus twitted saying Mr Mitra might believe I have lost my mind. I would be delighted if he could show me what indus- trial development I missed whi l e dri vi ng t hrough Rajarhat. If he cannot then I would have to conclude that he has a very fertile imagi- nation. Cong hijacking Keralas womens self-help project Panaji: Goa which admittedly has a as much as 1% of its pop- ulation infected with the HIV virus is considering bringing the States population as Below Povery Line to help them avail Government schemes. Health Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said that the step will make them get the facilities eas- ily. Bringing the HIV+ve pop- ulation under BPL (below poverty line) could be a good step, because it could help them get all the facilities easi- ly. We could discuss this with the CM (Chief Minister) and my colleagues, Parsekar said. Parsenkar also said that since 2009, fresh detection of HIV cases have been on a downswing, with 523 fresh HIV cases detected last year. Those covered under the BPL have relatively easy and cheap or free access to basic essentials, which includes food, health facilities, transport, etc. Around 14,000 living HIV infected persons are still there (in Goa), the Health Minister said, adding that the Government was aiming at bringing down the rate of infection to zero over the next five years. For a popula- tion hovering around 14-15 lakh the figure make it one lakh. Principal secretary (Health) Parimal Rai said that nearly one per cent of Goas population was infected and that Goas tourism-prone coastal areas were more vul- nerable to the disease. The areas in Goa which are most vulnerable are the coastal areas as per our sta- tistics, Rai said. The AIDS virus was first detected in Goa in a foreign tourist, in the 80s who is believed to have brought it to the State. Goa to put its 1% HIV+ population under BPL BSF jawan Satyasheel Yadav being handed over to BSF officials by the commanders of the Pakistan Rangers at Octroi border post along the International Border in RS Pura sector of Jammu on Friday PTI THE 30-YEAR-OLD JAWAN, YADAV WAS SWEPT AWAY BY THE CHENAB RIVER TO PAKISTAN ON WEDNESDAY AFTER THEIR BOAT HAD DEVELOPED A TECHNICAL SNAG DURING A ROUTINE PATROLLING EXERCISE PNS n GANDHINAGAR T he Ahmedabad police on Friday filed a closure report in a metropolitan court and gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a case of alleged violation of model code of conduct after he came to cast his vote during the Lok Sabha election. Confirming the develop- ment senior officials in Gujarat police said that a closure report was submitted before the met- ropolitan court. The closure summary maintaining that no case was made out against Modi was f i l ed i n the court of Metropolitan Magistrate MH Patel. On April 30 an FIR was registered against Modi after a controversy created over his Press conference out- side the poll booth in which he displayed BJPs symbol lotus in front of TV cameras. The Congress party had filed a complaint against the for- mer Gujarat Chief Minister and under the provision of sections 126 (1)(a) and 126 (l)(b) of Representation of People Act, 1951 FIR was lodged against him. Modi is also facing a sep- arate case in connection with the incident wherein an Aam Aadmi Party worker has said that the police had filed an incomplete FIR in the case. Nishant Verma, in his complaint to the Ahmedabad (rural) court, has demanded that Modi be additionally charged under section 130 of RPA and IPC sections 114, 171 (c) and (f ). At the last hearing in the case on August 5, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) MM Sheikh of Ahmedabad rural court had given the crime branch three weeks to file an action taken report. Bengal-Tata war of words hots up In poll code violation case Bengal is today number one in developing small and medium scale industries which many of our friends are ignoring Ahmedabad cops give clean chit to NaMo had faced allegations that it was t r yi ng to st i f l e Kudumbashree, which at that time was said to be con- trolled by the CPI(M), Giving credence to the charge, the Congress had then launched Janasree, a mi cro-credit organisation. Meanwhi l e, Kudum- bashree, one of the biggest projects of its kind in the country with about 4.1 mil- lion members and covering almost half the households of the State, is planning to start four community colleges for technical education. The first such college would be launched on August 14 at Thiruvananthapuram. It will also sign an agree- ment with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences for a post- graduate diploma programme in development. TISS will provide the required techni- cal assistance for the new pro- gramme. The other three col- leges will offer programmes in agriculture, pest control, dairy farming, automobile and construction technology and general administration. 3 intruders shot dead along LoC in encounter KHURSHEED WANI n SRINAGAR T hree militants have been killed in an encounter in Tangdhar sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmirs Kupwara dis- trict, Defence sources said. The operation began in the area earlier this week when Army received infor- mation that a group of mili- tants has sneaked in and gone into hiding in the vast forest- ed area. A soldier Nail Damodar was killed when Army estab- lished first contact with the group on Wednesday near Eagle Post. Early today (Friday) morning as the joint team was conducting searches in the upper belt of Gagdori forest close to the LoC, the intrud- ers opened heavy fire upon the forces ensuing a fierce gun-battle that lasted for more than three hours, defence sources said. During the exchange of gunfire, three intruders have been killed, they said. The slain intruders have not been identified. The bodies of slain mil- it ant s al ong wit h t hei r weapons have been recov- ered, Defence spokesman Lt. Col NN Joshi said adding the operation was in progress when last reports poured in from the remote area. DHOLPUR HOUSE, SHAHJAHAN ROAD, NEW DELHI-110069 INDICATIVE ADVERTISEMENT NO. 13/2014 Online Recruitment Applications (ORA) are invited for direct recruitment by selection through web- site http://www.upsconline.nic.in to the following posts by 28th August, 2014. i) 03 Assistant Directors (Chemistry) in Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Faridabad, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture. ii) 04Assistant Directors (Plant Pathology) in Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Faridabad, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture. iii) 04Assistant Directors of Air Safety in Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation. iv) 15 Aeronautical Officers in Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation. v) 02 Legal Officers in Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation. vi) 04 Deputy Registrars of Trade Marks & Geographical Indications in Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. vii) 01 Professor of Agriculture Chemistry in National Sugar Institute, Kanpur, Department of Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. viii) 11 Assistant Engineers (NQA) in Mechanical Engineering in Directorate of Quality Assurance (Naval), Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence. ix) 03 Assistant Engineers (NQA) in Metallurgical Engineering in Directorate of Quality Assurance (Naval), Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence. x) 10 Assistant Drugs Controllers (India) in Directorate General of Health Services, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. xi) 08 Specialists. Gr.III, Assistant Professors (Neurology) in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. xii) 03 Specialists, Gr.III, Assistant Professors (Paediatric Cardiology) in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. xiii) 06 Specialists, Gr.III, Assistant Professors in Orthopaedic Surgery (Sports Injury) in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. xiv) 02 Superintendent (Legal) in Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice. xv) 32 Assistant Public Prosecutor in Directorate of Prosecution, Home Department, Govt. of NCT of Delhi. The candidates willing to apply for the above posts are advised to visit Commission's Website http://www.upsc.gov.in for further details. The detailed advertisement has also been published. in the Employment News/ Rozgar Samachar on 09.08.2014 vide Recruitment advertisement No.13/2014 CANCELLATION (Ref. No. F.1 /91(24)/2014-R.V) It is notified for information to. all concerned that the process of recruitment to one post of Assistant Director (Remote Sensing) in the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) in the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation under Ministry of Agriculture published in the Employment News/Rozgar Sarnachar and leading Newspapers of the Country on 24th May 2014 vide Commission's Advertisement No.9, Item No. 05, Vacancy No, 14050905524 has been withdrawn by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture. Therefore, the Commission has decided to close the process of recruitment to the above said posts: CANCELLATION (Ref. No. F .I/357(119)/2013-R.I) It is notified for lnformation of all concerned that the process of. recruitment of 02 unreserved posts of Senior Lecturer (Community-Medicine), in the Govt. Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh, Department of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh Administration, published in the Employment News/Rozgar Samachar and leading Newspapers of the Country on 23rd November, 2013 vide. Commissions Advt. No. 18, Item No. 24 Vacancy No. 13111824123 has been withdrawn by the Chandigarh Administration therefore the Commission has decided to close the process of recruitment to the above said posts. davp 55102/14/0011/1415 UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION I became an admirer of Milovan Djilas immedi- ately after reading his The New Class, a year after its first publication in the West in 1957. By then the dichotomy between communist promises and the claims, and performances of communist regimes on the ground, had become known. The East Berlin bread riots of 1953 had con- firmed the essentially colonial nature of Soviet domination over East Europe. Ni kita Khrushchevs speech at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in February 1956 had confirmed chilling accounts of Stalins purges and the tyrannical system over which he presided. The God That Failed, an anthology of essays by Louis Fischer, Andre Gide, Arthur Koestler, Ignazio Silone, Stephen Spender and Richard Wright, and edited by Richard Crossman of Britains Labour Party, explaining their break with communism, had sent shockwaves round the world after its first publication in 1949. What had struck me about The New Class, was the sincerity, passion and clarity with which Djilas had analysed the emer- gence of party and governmental officials in communist regimes as a new, exploiting category using official positions to amass wealth and privileges that set them apart from the rest of their countrymen wallowing in poverty and with- out democratic rights. This devel- opment, I learnt later, had been foreseen as early as the late 19th century by Georgi Plekhanov, an early mentor with whom Lenin had broken subsequently. In his Socialism and Political Struggle (1883), he had argued that any attempt to establish socialism in Russia without modern industry and a concen- trated, enlightened and organ- ised industrial proletariat, would discredit the very idea of social- ism and create a new socialist caste he did not use the word class like the one the ruling Incas of Peru constituted. These Peruvian sons of the sun, would act as guardians, bureaucratic socialisers, administrators, trib- ute takers, absolute rulers over the people, who would have to obey the centralised supreme command and its bureaucratic functionaries. Far from being educated for socialism, they would be reduced to total sub- servience to a state more power- ful that even that of the Tsars, and would lose their capacity for further progress toward freedom, democracy and socialism. I had not read Plekhanov then and known nothing about his warning which proved prophetic. But even my later acquaintance with his work did not diminish my admiration for Djilas whose rare commitment to principles made him speak his mind despite knowing full well that this would not only mean the loss of his position of being only next to Titos in the Yugoslav Communist Party, but imprison- ment. No stranger to torture and prisons under the royal Yugoslav Government, he was by all means an extraordinary individual. I had, therefore, leapt to buy a copy of Djilass Conversations with Stalin, which I saw in a Kolkata bookshop recently. There he describes graphically the new class prospering in the Soviet Union in the midst of the blood- letting and devastation of World War II. For example, Djilas writes, As children of the Party and the revolution, who acquired faith in themselves and the faith of the people through ascetic purity, we could not help being shocked at the drinking party that was held for us on the eve of our departure from the front, in Marshal Konevs headquarters, in some village in Bessarabia, adding, Girls who were too pretty and too extravagantly made up to be waitresses brought in huge quantities of the choic- est victuals caviar, smoked salmon and trout, fresh cucum- bers and pickled young egg- plant, boiled smoked hams, cold roast pigs, hot meat pies and piquant cheeses, borsch, sizzling steaks and cakes a foot thick and platters of tropical fruit under which the tables buckled. Simultaneously, the personal- ity cult around Stalin was clear- ly manifest. Referring to it, Djilas writes that the deification of Stalin, or the cult of personality, as it is now called, was at least as much the work of Stalins circle and the bureaucracy, which required such a leader, as it was his own doing. The relationship, however, changed. Turned into a deity, Stalin became so power- ful that in time he ceased to pay attention to the changing needs and desires of those who had exalted him. It was worse. His country was in ruins, hungry, exhausted. But his Armies and marshals, heavy with fat and medals and drunk with Vodka and victory, had already trampled half of Europe under foot, and he was convinced that he would trample over the other half in the next round. He knew he was one of the cruellest, most despotic personalities in human history. But this did not worry him one bit, for he was convinced that he was executing the judgement of history. His conscience was trou- bled by nothing, despite the mil- lions who had been destroyed in his name and by his order, despite thousands of his closest collabo- rators whom he had murdered as traitors because they doubted that he was leading the country and the people into happiness, equality and liberty. External domination was an extension of the internal. A man who has subjected all activities in his own country to his views and to his personality, Stalin could not behave differently outside. Having identified domestic progress and freedom with the interests and privileges of one party, he could not act in foreign affairs other than as a hegemonist. Noting that every crime was possible for Stalin, for there was not one he had not committed, Djilas asks how such a dark, cunning and cruel individual could ever have led one of the greatest and most powerful states? Stalin, he explains, had the advantage of dealing with an exhausted and desperate Russian post-revolutionary society, but it is also true that certain stra- ta of the same society, to be more exact, the ruling political bureau- cracy of the Party, found use for just such a man The basic cause, of course, was the utterly secretive and authoritar- ian character of the CPSU organ- ised on the Lenins principle of democratic centralism. It facilitat- ed dictatorship. Referring to it, Vera Zasulich once said that Louis XIVs idea of the state [The State? Thats me] was Lenins idea of the party. In a pamphlet entitled Our Political Tasks, Trotsky predicted a situation in which the party is replaced by the organisation of the party, the organisation by the central commit- tee, and finally the central commit- tee by the dictator. These words too proved prophetic Photo courtesy: www.paperblog.fr U S Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel's primary goal during his three-day India trip has been to get better acquainted with the Modi regime and help the Obama Administration understand the contours and nuances of the new Government in Delhi. Generally speaking, the BJP-led NDA Government marks a clear break from the past decade of Congress-led UPA rule; however, in the case of foreign policy, which has traditionally been characterised by continuance and bipartisan support, it is unclear how exactly the Modi Government will chart its course. To further complicate matters, the India-US relationship, described not so long ago as the defining partnership of the 21st century, has lost much of its natural spirit. Upon the large bureaucracies in Delhi and DC, highfalutin phrases like shared democratic values and goals' now hang heavy, even as old suspicions and misgivings from an era gone by, occasionally crawl back. A strong political push from both ends is needed to revive the bilateral, and the Modi- Obama meeting, scheduled for September, is a great first step towards that end. Hence, the long line of top American officials who have travelled to India in recent months, hoping to get the dynamics of the India-US relations just right. Mr Hagel's trip builds on the visit of his colleague from the State Department, Mr John Kerry, who was in Delhi only last week, accompanied by Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. His discussions with the country's top political and military leadership are being watched especial- ly closely because defence trade and cooperation are really the only bright spots in the India-US bilateral at the moment. The US is hungrily eyeing the vast Indian defence market, which is poised to open up to greater for- eign investment after the Union Cabinet raised the ceiling for foreign holding in defence firms from 26 per cent to 49 per cent. India is one of the world's top arms buyers, and even though Russia gets the lion's share of busi- ness from this country, others like Israel and France have been moving in fast. America too has several big ticket deals in the pipeline negotiations for the purchase of 15 Chinook heavylift and 22 Apache helicopters, worth $2.5 billion, have progressed significantly, although discussions on the procurement of the 145 M-777 ultra-light howitzers do not seem to be promising. These are some of the specific projects that Secretary Hagel has been discussing, apart from the Javelin infra-red-guided anti-tank missiles which India and the US hope to co- produce and co-develop. If the latter works out, it will be a huge plus for India which has sought to avoid off-the-shelf purchases, preferring technology trans- fers and domestic production, so as to boost the indigenous defence produc- tion industry. Also, on the agenda is the renewal of the 10-year India-US defence framework agreement which has enhanced importance given the deteriorating security situation both to India's east and west. T he fact that the Congress is agitated over the Union Government's decision to sack Mizoram Governor Kamla Beniwal, gives its political game away and mitigates the accusation that the Narendra Modi regime had acted out of vendetta. Ms Beniwal had been no ordinary appointee. As Governor of Gujarat, she had, much to the delight of the Congress (some would say at its behest), made life difficult for the State's then Chief Minister and now Prime Minister Modi. She routinely clashed with the regime on a variety of issues. Ms Beniwal had acted less as a President's appointee and more as a Congress agent. Yet, she was not dismissed after Mr Modi became the Prime Minister. She was, as were some other Governors, transferred to another State. The Congress did not raise a hue and cry when the other transfers happened, nor did it say anything when one particular Governor was eased out. That the party should have taken up Ms Beniwal's case with gusto, even in the face of compelling evidence about some of her acts of impropriety, to say the least, demonstrates that it still considers her to be of some value to needle the Prime Minister. Unfortunately for the Congress, the case against Ms Beniwal appears strong. This should be evident by the fact that the President signed the order to dismiss her after a careful scruti- ny of the charges that stood against her and opinion from the Attorney General of India. The Congress has been demanding that the Government should officially reveal the reasons for its recommendation to the President on the matter. But the Government is not bound to do so. Indeed, even the President need not explain his deci- sion. The Supreme Court ruling of May 2010, which the Congress has been touting to buttress its stand that Governors cannot be changed mere- ly because a new Government assumes power, stated that the President need not assign reasons. While the court also said that the power under Article 156(1) of the Constitution cannot be exercised in an arbitrary, capricious or unreason- able manner, it made clear that the President can dismiss a Governor if there are valid and compelling reasons. The NDA Government sought Ms Beniwal's sacking on valid and compelling reasons. It pointed to the President that her actions (or inactions) as Gujarat Governor had cost the State exchequer a loss of more than `1,200 crore, and that she figured in a case of unethical involve- ment in the functioning of a cooperative society in Jaipur. These are serious charges in themselves; they are more so if the high constitutional post of a Governor is involved. The President must have been convinced about the grav- ity of the accusations, which is why he signed the dismissal order. If Ms Beniwal or her sympathisers in the Congress or outside are aggriev- ed over the sacking, they have the right to approach the courts for redressal. They can try to prove what they allege as mala fide intent of the Modi Government. It makes no sense for them to keep parroting that she was ousted because of her earlier confrontations with Mr Modi. This may for them be akin to putting two and two together', but a Government's recommendation and a President's order should be challenged on legal merit, not political perception alone. Matter of impropriety Kamla Beniwals ouster goes beyond politics opinion 08 LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 Stalin syndrome has gripped communism Milovan Djilas has analysed with sincerity, passion and clarity the emergence of party and governmental officials in communist regimes as a new category using official positions to amass wealth and privileges Refreshing India-US ties Hagels visit to enhance bilateral defence trade Such hypocrisy! Sir It is natural that the dis- missal of Mizoram Governor Kamla Beniwal has drawn flak from opposition parties, more so from the Congress, since she was the partys appointee. When Ms Beniwal was Gujarat Governor, she did not have smooth sailing with then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress and its alliance partners have accused the NDA Government of political vendet- ta. When the Congress came to power in 2004, it had dismissed Governors. Article 156 of the Constitution does not lay down grounds upon which a Governor can be removed by the President. The Supreme Court has made it clear that a President can sack a Governor in case of bribery, cor- ruption, treason and the like or conduct unbecoming of Constitution. The said four Governors were not guilty of any of the above. The lame excuse given by the then Congress Government for dismissing these Governors was that they had long-time associa- tions with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The RSS is not a banned organisation. It is ridiculous for the Congress and its partners to now say that the NDA Government led by Mr Narendra Modi has dismissed Ms Beniwal because of political vendetta against her. KV Seetharamaiah Hassan Harsh punishment Sir The timing of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014, is perfect on a day when the country, through various television channels, has witnessed a gruesome murder of a youngmanallegedlybysome juve- niles a few day ago. As the footage aired on the channels showed, the attackers had come pre-planned, gone through the crime in a clini- cal manner, andescaped. There was no trace of repent or remorse. In such cases and those like Nirbhaya, one can hardly find a child in the accused monsters, who have grown much beyond their age in heinous criminal acts. There should not be any special treatment in handling such mis- creants. We should be driven by only one consideration: If anyone is mature enough to commit a grave crime, he/she is mature enough to face harsh punishment. S Prabhakar Delhi Existential crisis Sir This refers to the editori- al, New battleground, Delhi (August 7). While it is true that the Aam Aadmi Party has been clamouring for Assembly election in Delhi, its not for the sake of the people. The demand stems more from the partys desire to remain relevant. The morale of the AAP is down after it failed miserably in the Lok Sabha election. Manu Taneja Delhi Right choice Sir This refers to the editorial, Newbattleground, Delhi (August 7). Mr Arvind Kejriwal succeeded due to his refreshing approach and a new ethos of public engagement. The fortuitous sabbatical (from power) will have given him the requisite political insight andmatu- rity. Delhi has little tolose by bring- ing the AAP back to power, but much to gain as it would set in motion a pilot project on conduct- ing politics differently. R Narayanan Ghaziabad www.dailypioneer.com p a p e r w i t h p a s s i o n HIRANMAY KARLEKAR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR By their continued absence, they (Sachin Tendulkar and Rekha) have insulted Parliament. Such people should have never been nominated. NCP leader DP Tripathi Characters in Singham Returns are the same as in Singham, and rest is different. The new film is more realistic, has more real-like actions. Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn The world is confronted by many challenges. While America has never been able to right every wrong, it has made the world a more secure place. US President Barack Obama NOTING THAT EVERY CRIME WAS POSSIBLE FOR STALIN, DJILAS ASKS HOW SUCH A DARK, CUNNING AND CRUEL INDIVIDUAL COULD EVER HAVE LED ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL STATES SOUNDBITE Obstinate Congress learns no lesson from defeat T he conduct of the Congress after its defeat in the Lok Sabha election is clear from Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's remark that the Government felt let down by the Congress stonewalling its own propos- al to hike FDI in insurance sector to 49 per cent from the current 26 per cent. She further said, Of course, there are whispers that it could be because they do not want to give credit to Modi before he goes to US. I have reasons to suspect that it is true. Therefore, a defeated Congress of today is the same Congress of a few months back during the pre-election period. Decimation of its strength to the present level has not taught any fruitful lesson to its leaders. The coming State Assembly elections are likely to do more harm to the party. The Congress should try to work as a good Opposition and win back the hearts of the people. Gulab Shanker Singh Lucknow Send your feedback to: letterstopioneer@gmail.com LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 A s the three-day humani- tarian ceasefire brokered by Egypt commenced on August 5 and the indirect talks between the Palestinian groups and Israel commenced in Cairo, there was a sense of cautious optimism in the embattled, bruised and bat- tered Gaza strip. Coupled along with it was growing apprehen- sion that this ceasefire would also fail like the earlier attempts. Hamas rockets had stopped firing across Gaza into Israel and Israel too withdrew its ground troops to a line along the Gaza border. While the guns were silent, at least for the time being, the question being asked was whether this tempo- rary truce could hold and can it actually signal an end to this war. Too often conflicts in Gaza have ended in truce, but all have unfortunately provedtemporary with resumption of hostilities shortly thereafter. True to pre- vious experiences, the hopes of an extended ceasefire or a per- manent truce were shattered as Hamas commenced firing of rockets on Friday, August 08, rejecting any extension of the truce, saying that Israel had failed to meet its demands while Israel pulled out of the negotiations with Hamas and Palestinian factions, stressing they will not negotiate under fire. As the two parties re- engage in a bloody battle again, the cost of the conflict is to be borne unfortunately by civilians in Gaza. The present conflict takes its immediate roots in the kid- napping and killing of the three Israeli teenagers on June 12, 2014. Israel blamed the Hamas, which denied any role in it. Israel launched Operation Brothers Keeper and rounded up a large number of Hamas leaders and cadre besides tar- geting Hamas military targets. The bodies of the three teenagers were finally found on June 30 in a village near the West Bank. Infuriated, some Israeli citizens caught and killed a Palestinian teenager on July 2. Israel, on its part, intensified its crackdown on the Hamas lead- ership and conducted strikes over the Hamas targets. By July 7, there were reports of increase in rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel too. Israel for- mally launched an offensive in Gaza on July 8, code-named Operation Protective Edge, commencing with air strikes and artillery shelling. On the night of July 17, Israel moved the offensive into a higher gear by moving in troops into Gaza and launching a ground offensive. While the immediate cause has been stated above, the pri- mary causes of the conflict could, however, be debated. One of the primary reasons could also be the failed peace talks, which ended abruptly in April this year when Israel broke off from the talks once Hamas and Fatah announced the formation of a unity gov- ernment. The unity govern- ment, which finally came about on June 2, was viewed as a potential threat in Israel as it not only strengthened the intra-Palestinian unity but also led to increased calls for a sep- arate Palestinian state. The prevailing regional security sit- uation too may have been one of the reasons prompting Israel to take this step. Syria has been battling rebels for past three years and is in a state of civil war; Iraq has imploded under the weight of assault from the ISIS; and Lebanon too is in a state security chaos as it battles jehadis on its border with Syria as also threat from ISIS inside its territory. President Al Sisi in power in Egypt was a welcome step for Israel as the former Muslim Brotherhood Government was sympathetic to Hamas. In turn, Hamas had been weakened considerably due to the removal of support from Egypt after the ouster of President Morsi in July last year; and there was strain in ties with Iran over the Syrian conflict. In such a situation, Israel found itself in a geo- political sweet spot where it thought it could eliminate the threat from Hamas in Gaza once and for all. The initial international reactions were mixed. While the US, the UK and the EU ini- tially stood by Israel in its right to defend itself against rocket attacks, Turkey, Iran and Qatar were some nations in the region, which stood solidly behind Hamas. Irans Supreme Leader in his Eid address called for destruction of Israel as the only way forward. Egypt under a new regime, while blaming Hamas for the rocket attacks did not even name Israel for causing civilian casualties in Gaza. However, the most surprising response (or lack of it) was from major- ity of the Arab nations. There was a deafening silence on the issue for almost three weeks until, presumably under pres- sure at home especially from prominent clerics, King of Saudi Arabia issued a statement calling the conflict in Gaza as a war crime condemning the international community over its silence. He, however, did not mention Israel in his state- ment. The UN was critical of the large number of civilian casu- alties and targeting of UN facil- ities in Gaza by Israel. It, how- ever, proved incapable of taking any viable steps to stop the con- flict. India on its part continues to maintain a delicate balancing act between Palestine and Israel, clearly reflected in the MEA statement on July 10 stating India is deeply concerned at the steep escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine, particularly, heavy air strikes in Gaza, resulting in tragic loss of civilian lives and heavy damage to property. At the same time, India is alarmed at the cross- border provocations resulting from rocket attacks against tar- gets in parts of Israel. India calls upon both sides to exercise maximum restraint and avoid taking actions that may further exacerbate the situation, and threaten the peace and securi- ty of the region. The conflict has so far resulted in over 1,900 Palestinian deaths, including over 400 children, destruction of over 5,000 homes, 30 schools and damage to three UN school-cum-refugee camps. Over half of population in the tiny Gaza Strip has been dis- placed. On the other hand, Israel has lost 64 soldiers and three civilians till now. Israel has claimed to have destroyed 32 underground tunnels, the pri- mary objective of its military campaign. There has been widespread international con- demnation of the conflict. Mass protests took place in New York, London and Paris besides other cities in the West. Some of the Latin American countries recalled their envoys from Israel in protest. One of the ministers in UK Government Baroness Warsi resigned calling the stance of her country as inde- fensible. Even the US, the UK, France and other nations, which had initially supported Israels right to defence against rocket attacks, have condemned Israel over the disproportionate killings of civilians and target- ing of UN facilities. The most significant reactions are how- ever the ones from inside Israel where the social media, promi- nent Rabbis, Jews, and even some film stars and musicians who generally stay away from politics have questioned Israels justification behind the disproportionate killing of civilians. As the two parties re- engage, it is clear that the bat- tle is far from over. Hamas, which is seeking permanent peace guarantees from Israel, has called for lifting of block- ade, opening of crossing points and release of some prisoners. Israel on its part is seeking complete de-militarisation of Gaza. Both are unlikely to cede fully to each others demands. Hamas and the Palestinians have clearly indi- cated that they have the right to resistance till the time blockade is in force while Israel does not trust Hamas enough to let go of the blockade. Prime Minister Netanyahu had issued a veiled warning already on August 6 saying that it would be a moral mistake not to hit back at terrorist strongholds in mosques and schools while the Israeli military chief had stated that the military action could be restarted if needed. In such a situation, any chances of a lasting truce look distant. The conflict on the other hand could take an ugly turn resulting in more civilian casu- alties now that both parties to the conflict can claim that they gave peace a chance. Only strong international interven- tion or a surge in public opin- ion in Israel against its military option can change the tide quickly. Till then, this conflict could continue as an unend- ing war. (Colonel Rajeev Agarwal is Research Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi) Only strong international intervention or a surge in public opinion in Israel against its military option can change the tide quickly. Till then, this conflict will continue Gaza conflict: No logic in Final Solution S eldom has the United States found itself caught in such a cleft stick on the Israel- Palestine front as by its responses to the raging conflict of the past one month. Successive administrations in Washington, whether Republican or Democratic, have reaffirmed the special relations with Israel by backing it to the hilt in about every cri- sis situation over the decades. But the heavy-handed retalia- tion by the Benjamin Netanyahu Government in Gaza following Hamas provocative actions has result- ed in the death of more than 1,800 Palestinians as opposed to 67 Israelis. If the dispropor- tionate offensive and casualty figures have put Israel in the dock, the United States, too, finds itself in a tight spot in the court of international public opinion with its undiminished support for Israel. At the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva a fortnight ago, the United States was the only country to vote against a resolution condemning Israel and instituting a commission of enquiry to investigate all vio- lations of international human- itarian law and international human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Twenty-nine nations, including India, oth- erwise a friend of Israel, voted in favour of the resolution, while 17 countries, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, abstained. Public opin- ion within America has been divided on the issue. According to a recent Gallup poll, 42 per cent of Americans believe that the Israeli action in Gaza is jus- tified, while 38 per cent think otherwise. Israel derives much of its American support from the Republicans, rather than the Democrats. The massive death toll on the Palestinian side (an esti- mated 20 per cent of them chil- dren) and the scale of destruc- tion of property have in recent days prompted the Obama administration to attempt a course correction. Following last Sundays Israeli shelling outside a UN relief site in Gaza that killed 10 more Palestinian civilians and injured many more, the United States for the first time denounced the Israeli offensive and did so with surprisingly strong language, saying it was appalled by the disgraceful attack. Asking Israel to do more to meet its own standards and avoid civilian casualties, it stated bluntly: The suspicion that militants are operating nearby does not justify strikes that put at risk the lives of so many innocent civilians. But barely 24 hours later, Washington appeared to beat a hasty retreat with President Barack Obama signing a Bill that was overwhelmingly approved by the Republican- control led House of Representatives (395 to 8) to give Israel $225 million to restock its Iron Dome missile defence system to counter short-range rocket threats. One of the largest recipients of American aid, Israel gets $3.1 billion annually, mostly in mil- itary aid. And support for the Iron Dome, projected as con- crete US assistance to enable Israel protect its citizens, remains strong and bipartisan. As Republican Senator John McCain puts it, Israeli civilians are alive today because of Iron Dome, and American taxpay- ers can be extremely proud of the contribution we have made to this life-saving programme. Articulating the American position on the current crisis, Mr Obama told a news con- ference this week: I have con- sistently supported Israels right to defend itself, and that includes doing what it needs to do to prevent rockets from landing on population centres and, more recently, as we learned, preventing tunnels from being dug under their ter- ritory that can be used to launch terrorist attacks.Now, having said all that, Ive also expressed my distress at whats happened to innocent (Palestinian) civilians, includ- ing women and children, dur- ing the course of this process. But he steered clear of the thrust of a question on whether he agreed with Mr Netanyahus contention that Israels Gaza operations have been justified and proportionate. For all its close bond and public solidarity with Israel, the Obama administration has in private been miffed with the Netanyahu Government. The New York Times recently chron- icled a history of Obama- Netanyahu tensions. Noted political commentator David Gergen has dubbed it the worst relationship between a US President and an Israeli leader since the days of Eisenhower. A CNN account recalled how an open microphone in 2011 caught then French President Nicolas Sarkozy calling Netanyahu a liar, with Obama commenting: Youre tired of him; what about me? I have to deal with him every day. At the height of the current hostilities in Gaza, Mr Obamas Secretary of State John Kerry incurred the formidable Israeli premiers ire with his peace- making efforts. Mr Netanyahu felt that Mr Kerrys ceasefire proposal tended to favour Hamas and its continuity. He reportedly asked Mr Kerry and US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro not to ever second- guess me again on how to deal with Hamas, which he calls a terrorist outfit committed to the destruction of Israel. Mr Netanyahu eventually agreed to an abortive 72-hour ceasefire amid mounting criticism over the Israeli shelling near the UN facility that prompted Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon to term it a moral out- rage and a criminal act. The periodic rift over Mr Netanyahus approach notwith- standing, the United States continues to be a steadfast supporter of Israel and its right to defend itself. In a world of bitter enmities, the Israeli- American dispute is more akin to a family quarrel, comments The New York Times. The White House, too, has sought to play down the differences, with Press Secretary Josh Earnest asserting: The nature of our relationship is strong and unchanged. And Mr Netanyahu for his part has sought to apply balm, lauding President Obamas unequivo- cal stand with Israel on our right to defend ourselves and Mr Kerry for his untiring efforts. This bonhomie has not gone down well with Americas much smaller pro- Palestinian segment that staged demonstrations outside the White House to demand the stoppage of US aid to Israel and Israeli vacation of its occupa- tion of Palestine. (The writer is Washington Correspondent, The Pioneer) THEOTHERVOICE 3rdeye 09 S RAJAGOPALAN A fter a month of constant aerial bombing since the Israelis began their air offensive Operation Protective Edge and three weeks of artillery shelling after they invaded Gaza, the residents of Gaza had a short respite to have limited experience of lead- ing a normal life during a period of three days ceasefire which ended on Friday at 8 am local time. This was the longest ceasefire in more than a month after Israel began its air operation between Israel and Hamas, quite unlike the earlier ceasefire efforts which failed to hold even for a few hours with one ceasefire breaking even before it began. There were hopes that the talks held in Cairo night result in a more sustained truce after Israel announced that it was ready to extend the ceasefire indefinitely. Hamas leaders had earlier indicated their opposition to any extension of ceasefire in the absence of an Israeli commitment to agree to a number of Hamas pre- conditions, including lifting of all blockades of Gaza. Israel had its own conditions for a ceasefire agreement, including disar- mament of Hamas military, although in its case these were not preconditions for the extension of the ceasefire truce. Now that the ceasefire period is over and hostilities have begun, unless a miracle happens and another ceasefire truce is arranged, the residents of Gaza will have to again undergo the ordeal of surviving air operations with consequent loss of life and damage to properties. According to conservative estimates, more than 1,800 Palestinians had lost their lives during the Israeli air attack and artillery shelling, many of them women and children (almost all counts of casualties so far put their proportion at nearly a third of total casualties). In addition, thousands of structures were either destroyed or severely damaged. There were 67 Israeli casualties, almost all of them being Israeli military personnel. Renewed air attacks and artillery shelling will only increase the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza without any major loss of human lives in Israel. While Israelis may face some disruption in their normal life, they will not experience any major dam- age to their property or any substantial loss of lives, especially civilian ones, with the almost ineffectual rocket attack by Hamas. While there will be no doubt universal sympathy for the Palestinians with protests against Israel of alleged criminal acts by them it will have little impact on Israeli military attacks. With the West united in its support for Israels right to respond militarily to Hamas rocket attacks, disarray in the Arab and Muslim world, the obduracy of Hamas and their almost total failure to inflict any damage or pain to Israelis, the lot of the Palestinians in Gaza is not an enviable one. Where do we go from here? First efforts must be made through strongest possible means to extend the ceasefire pending an Israel-Hamas ceasefire agree- ment. If it is along the lines of November 2012 agreement, it would only be a temporary palliative with certain future con- flicts of the type just witnessed. That agreement required that All Palestinian factions shall stop all hostilities from the Gaza Strip against Israel, including rocket attacks and all attacks along the border. And opening the crossings and facilitating the move- ments of people and transfer of goods, and refraining from restricting residents free movements and targeting residents in border areas and procedures of implementation shall be dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the ceasefire. Neither of these two was resolved at any of the subsequent meetings and these are still precisely the requirements that are being currently demanded by both sides. Unless these are resolved in a meaningful manner, there will be similar hostilities in the near future. However, the presence of a large number of well-built con- crete tunnels in Gaza has made the various openings between Gaza and its neighbours more difficult now. It is very unlikely that after its efforts to destroy a large number of these tunnels, Israel would consent to any free flow of construction material to Gaza without some sort of international assurance/guaran- tee that these materials will not once again be diverted to the construction of tunnels from Gaza into Israel. It is difficult to see how arrangements to give such an assurance can be put in place. Hence, even a truce of the November 2012 type may not suffice now. While Hamas has suffered substantial losses, both in respect of men and material, which will blunt its force for some time, it will no doubt redouble its efforts to replenish its war material. Meanwhile it has won some sort of victory in the international political field with vast majority of the world sympathising with the Palestinians and condemning Israel with accusations of war crimes. It will be difficult to prove these charges, especially when the Palestinians are reluctant to accept ICC jurisdiction. As an ICC Press release stated on August 5, 2014 after the visit of H.E. Riad al-Malki, the Foreign Minister of Palestine, to the ICC headquarters, Palestine is not a State Party to the Rome Statute; neither has the Court received any official doc- ument from Palestine indicating acceptance of ICC jurisdiction or requesting the Prosecutor to open an investigation into any alleged crimes following the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution (67/19) on 29 November 2012, which accorded non-member observer State status to Palestine. Therefore, the ICC has no jurisdiction over alleged crimes com- mitted on the territory of Palestine. What can India do? Very little. Its sympathies with the Palestinians are well known. It has very little influence on this matter with either the Israelis or the Palestinians. It can attempt to influence the international efforts at brokering a ceasefire through whatever influence it may have on the other major international actors on the stage. (Dr G Balachandran, formerly a consultant to the Americas Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, is a Consulting Fellow at IDSA) G BALACHANDRAN US caught in a cleft stick over Israeli offensive Hamas tunnel vision wont help Palestine PERSPECTIVE Barely 24 hours after denouncing attack on civilians, Washington beat a hasty retreat with Obama signing a Bill to give Israel $225 million to restock its Iron Dome missile defence system to counter short-range rocket threats Palestinian protesters hurl stones towards Israeli soldiers during a demonstration against the Israeli military action in Gaza, at the Beit Fourik checkpoint near the West Bank of Nablus on Friday AP Demonstrators rally to end violence in Gaza near the White House in Washington AP It is unlikely that after its efforts to destroy a large number of tunnels, Israel will consent to any free flow of construction material to Gaza without international guarantees. Saturday Special focusses on the resumption of Gaza conflict and looks for its solution (Main) and the role of the US (OtherVoice) RAJEEV AGARWAL LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 nation 10 MOHIT KANDHARI n JAMMU O n Fri day PDP chi ef Mehbooba Mufti gar- landed Vikramaditya, the elder son of Karan Singh and welcomed him into the party fold and claimed to have come another step closer to t he hearts of peopl e i n Jammu region. The entry of Maharaja Hari Singhs grandson into PDP has already created a buzz in the political circles as the PDP is aiming to improve its seat tally in the Jammu regi on i n t he comi ng Assembly polls scheduled for November 2014. Before taking the plunge, Vikramaditya is learnt to have sought blessings of his father and veteran Congress leader Karan Singh. Vikramadityas younger brother is currently a National Conference MLC in the State Legislature. The PDP top brass is making lot of efforts to rope in credible leaders in to the party fold to brighten its chances and fill the void cre- ated by the poor performance of the Omar Abdullah-led al l i ance Government i n the State. The highlight of the join- ing ceremony was presence of PDP workers donning tradi- tional Dogra turbans in saf- fron and Gulabi shades. Even posters of PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed wearing saffron Dogra pagdi, holding a sword greet- ed party workers at the venue. Responding to the polit- ical development, a seasoned political commentator said, The pi cture of Muf t i Mohammad Sayeed clad in Dogra pagdi gives me a feel- ing that in his second innings former Chief Minister is plan- ning to implement his heal- ing touch policy by holding a sword in his hand to cut his political adversaries to size. Previously, routine func- tions of the PDP in Jammu region saw prominent leaders of the Gujjar community occupying front row seats donning white coloured tra- ditional headgear pagdis. None of the leaders present in the ceremony were seen wear- ing traditional turbans. Addressing the function to welcome Vikramaditya in the party, Mufti Mohd Sayeed said he was extremely delight- ed with this joining. It is not a routine joining function. Todays develop- ment is going to change polit- ical discourse of the State because this event would be a turning point in cementing relations between Jammu and Kashmir regions, Mufti asked Vikramaditya to play an important to change history of J&K. KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n CHENNAI T he Madras High Court on Friday granted a perma- nent injunction in favour of senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in the defamation case filed against him by one of the directors of Advantage Strategic Consultants Private Ltd in a Singapore court. The ruling by Justice RS Ramanathan means that no courts outside the jurisdiction of India could take up the defamation case against Swamy till a decision is taken on the petition filed by him in the Madras High Court against the move by the ASC Ltd in which Karti, son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram has major stakes. During his expose on Aircel-Maxis scam in April 2012, Swamy had alleged that the Karti controlled Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Ltd was running an illegal branch in Singapore. In a `10 crore transaction, the Indian company has declared the Singapore unit as its wholly owned subsidiary. However, the details about it were not furnished in the documents of Registrar of Companies, a mandatory requirement. Though Karti linked Indian company declared of fil- ing a defamation suit against Swamy, the company filed defamation against him in Singapore a Court and thus summons were issued. Swamy approached the Supreme Court accusing Chidambaram and son for filing defamation case in Singapore through their benami firms. According to him, filing cases in international forums was a dubi- ous move by the father-son duo in retaliation for exposing them in Aircel-Maxis and 2G scam. The Apex court did not consid- er Swamys petition for filing contempt case on this issue. Following this, Swamy approached the Madras High Court seeking the Chennai based firm to desist from opt- ing filing cases in internation- al forums. Karan Singhs son joins PDP Yuvraj Vikramaditya Singh shakes hands with Peoples Democratic Party patron and former J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed after joining the party in the presence of President of PDP Mehbooba Mufti in Jammu on Friday PTI THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE JOINING CEREMONY WAS PRESENCE OF PDP WORKERS DONNING TRADITIONAL DOGRA TURBANS IN SAFFRON AND GULABI SHADES OMER FAROOQ n HYDERABAD T elangana Telugu Desam Party l eaders have launched a scathing attack on Chi ef Mi ni ster K Chandrashekar Rao describ- ing him Nizam and Tuglaq. Three senior leaders of TDP found fault with KCR on various issues ranging from Independence Day celebra- tions at Golkonda Fort to the power crisis in the State. M Narasimhulu said, I see the Nizam in KCR. His decision to have Independence Day celebrations at Golkonda Fort smacks of his feudal mind- set, he said. The Telangana Government should start celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day on September 17 officially. There should not be any delay in the auspicious action, he said. He was echoing the similar demand by the State BJP pres- ident G Kishan Reddy. Another senior TDP leader E Dayakar Rao alleged that KCR was behaving like Tuglaq in his decisions. He wonderedhowthe State Government could com- plete the household survey in entire Telangana State on a sin- gle day. Let the Government extend the period to one week for completing survey. He said that KCR has been talking of paradise but is giv- ing hell to the people. He promised 8 hours of free elec- tricity to the farmers. But now when they were demanding the same, they are being lathi charged, he said referring to the recent incident in Medak district when farmers agitation turned violent forcing the police to lathi charge. Thi rd l eader and Telangana TDP president L Ramanna charged KCR with deviating from TRS election manifesto. KCR who had said that his partys manifesto was like Quran, Geeta and Bible has now forgoten the promises he made. Referring to KCRs state- ment that it will take another month for the Government to start functioning fully, Ramanna said, Is the Government his personal prop- erty to work like this. As a Chief Minister he should work every minute for the people. Swamy granted permanent injunction AIRCEL-MAXIS DEFAMATION CASE TDP leaders attack KCR, dub him as Nizam, Tuglaq Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah jumps over a rope during the inauguration of the Annual Flower show at Lal Bagh botanical garden in Bangalore on Friday PTI 1 killed, 30 hurt in Mumbai hotel fire Mrashtra Minister sustains eye injury in ink attack Rajnath asks Delhi Police to become model force STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI B an on e-rickshaws plying on city roads continued as the Delhi High Court on Friday made it clear that it will not allow plying of unreg- ulated e-rickshaws in the Capital unless these vehicles have their registration, insur- ance and driving licence. A division bench of Justices BD Ahmed and Siddharth Mridul said it will not permit drivers to ply the vehicles without a driving licence and refused to vacate the stay on ban of e- rickshaws. We are concerned about the livelihood of these oper- ators, but our concern is also with the citizen of India. One thing we are very clear that people driving on roads must have driving license and they should know how to drive. The e-rickshaws should be regulated and they must have expertise to drive on road, the court said. Meanwhile, the Central Government also submitted the draft guidelines to the court to regulate plying of e- rickshaws by bringing these battery-operated vehicles under the ambit of the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA). Filing the guidelines for framing rules for operation of e-rick- shaws, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said it will finalise the guidelines in about two months and till that time the ban on the vehicles plying should be suspended. The bench refusing to vacate stay said that its pri- mary consideration is they must have drivers licence, registration and insurance unt i l t hen t hese battery vehicles will not be allowed to ply. The bench also asked Centre whether it want court to suspend the law for two months as under Motor Vehicle Act its compulsory to have registration of vehicle, licence and drivers licence. India has a rule of law. Its not a Banana Republic. We are the largest democracy. Its a country with rules and reg- ulations, the bench observed. The court said that untrained people and even minors are plying these e-rickshaws. The court also suggested the Government to set up camps to register these vehi- cles, get an insurance com- pany to cover these for speedy process. There are some rules for three-wheelers like autos as they have colour, uni- form etc. You (Government) can do the same thing for these vehicles also, suggested the court. The court had earlier banned the plying of e-rick- shaws saying that their unreg- ulated operation is haz- ardous to other traffic on the road as well as to citizens. Asking the court to allow plying of e-rickshaws, the Centre said that more that 50,000 e-rickshaws operators families are involved and dif- ficulties are being faced by lakhs of Delhi commuters who were using such e-rick- shaws for last mile connec- tivity. RAJESH KUMAR n NEW DELHI D elhi Governments Revenue Department has imposed `69 crore on Holcim (India) Private Limited suppliers of cement and aggregates (crushed stone, sand and gravel) for evasion of stamp duty. It also directed the company to pay stamp duty of `218.87 crore along with penalty of `69 crore within 30 days for violation of stamp duty. Collector of Stamps (HQ) Lalit Mohan has passed an order in this regard. Collector of Stamps (HQ) Lalit Mohan told The Pioneer that Holcim (India) Private Limited has violated the payment of stamp duty on the merger of Ambuja Cement Private Limited under the Stamp Act. The stamp duty on the merger order is payable at the rate of 3 per cent on t he tot al amount of `72,959,397,242 which comes out to be `2,188,781,917. The transferee company is there- fore, directed to pay the aforesaid stamp duty within 30 days of the date of order failing which the same should be recovered as land revenue. The company is required to adjudicate or pay stamp duty with- in a period of one month which it failed to do so. In view of that com- pany is liable for penalty under the provi si ons of t he Indi an Stamp Act, on account of delay of more than two years, I impose penalty of `69 crore. The company is directed to pay stamp duty of `2188,781917 along with penalty of `69 crore within 30 days falling which the same should be recovered as arrear and revenue, Collector of Stamps said in the order. However, in its submission before the Revenue Department, the company stated that there is no transfer of movable and immovable assets from transferor company (Ambuja Cement Private Limited) with transferee company Holcim (India) Private Limited except shares held by transferor company in other companies have been trans- ferred to transferee company. Under the scheme approved by the Delhi High Court, no fixed assets both movable and immovable were transferred from Ambuja Cement Private Limited to the com- pany. Accordingly, the question of payment of stamp duty under the head of conveyance on the order passed by the Delhi High Court does not arise, the company said. Mohan further stated that if they dont pay stamp duty and other penalty, under the Indian Stamp Act the revenue department can seize their property and land. Wont let e-ricks ply sans registration: HC n Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said that steps will be taken to restart e-rickshaw operations in Delhi after the HC gives its nod. The e-rickshaw issue is in the court. We have submitted our suggestions in the court. We have kept the provisions of the Light Motor Vehicle in our mind for the purpose of insurance in the event of an accident... Steps on commencing the operations of e- rickshaws will be taken after the court gives permission for it, he told reporters on the sidelines of a workshop on Rurban Mission. Holcim (India) leaves footprint in wet cement? Directed to pay stamp duty of `218.87 crore along with `69 crore penalty within 30 days DELHI HC BENCH The push is on India has a rule of law. It is not a Banana Republic. We will not allow e-rickshaws without a registration and insurance STAFF REPORTER n NEW DELHI U nion Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday exhortedDelhi Police tobecome a model police force. The Home Minister declared the Union Government will fully back its personnel and protect their honour if they serve people with dedication, sincerity and honesty. The Home Minister spoke while inaugurating a web application of Delhi Police. The specially designed application can be used for the issue of police clearance certificate, get- ting passport, visa andother ser- vices. The Home Minister also said that he wants Delhi to become a model State too. If that happens, the whole country will emulate Delhi, he said in a function at Vigyan Bhavan organised by the Delhi Police. The Home Minister maintained that the country is facing a crisis of credibility, and asked all Delhi Police personnel totake it as a challenge andserve people with dedication, sincer- ity and honesty to gain confi- dence andgoodwill of people. If you can do that I am fully with you. Our Government will stand by you to protect your honour and prestige, he added in the same breath. Terming the fresh initiative of the Delhi Police as confi- dence building measure, the Home Minister stated that around a lakh people will be benefited every year by this new service. Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, Home Secretary Anil Goswami, Director of Intelligence Bureau Syed Asif Ibrahim, Chief Secretaryof Delhi SKShrivastava and other senior officials of the Home Ministry andDelhi Police were present on the occasion. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh with Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami and Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi at the launch of a web app of Delhi Police for issuing Police Clearance Certificate in New Delhi on Friday Ranjan Dimri | Pioneer Pune: Senior Congress leader and Maharashtra co-operatives Minister Harshvardhan Patil sustained an injury in his eye after some activists hurled ink at him at a public function here on Friday, an aide said. Some activists belonging to the Dhangar community hurled ink at the Minister when he was attending a func- tion along with Health Minister Suresh Shetty to inaugurate a primary health centre in Bhigwan village, the aide said. Patil took the brunt of the ink attack on his left eye and complained of irritation and a burning sensation, though the extent of the injury or the kind of ink used is not known yet. He was immediately rushed to a hospital in Baramati for preliminary treat- ment and was later due to go to Pune for specialized care, the aide said. Police rounded up three youths of the Dhangar com- munity and later placed them under arrest, even as some other members protested. The incident led to tension between Congress and Dhangar community activists, prompting the district author- ities to deploy additional secu- rity forces there to prevent any untoward incident. Congress activists put up road blockades in Indapur sub-district protest- ing the incident. Dhangars, a very back- ward community engaged in rearing sheep and other domes- tic animals, have been classified as a nomadic tribe, but have been demanding at least 3.5 per cent reservation in education and jobs. After the state gov- ernment granted reservations to Marathas and the Muslim community, the Dhangars have been aggressively agitating, demanding reservation for themselves. IANS Mumbai: One personwas killed and 30 others were injured in a major fire at a hotel in Navi Mumbais Vashi area early this morning, civic officials said. Out of the 30 injured, 20 people are reported to be in a serious condition, they said. A short circuit in one of the AC ducts of the three-storey Hotel Wanton House appar- ently led to the massive blaze at the premises, located in Sector- 26 on the Palm Beach Road of V a s h i , they said. We got a call at around 5 AM that a fire has broken out in the hotel which also has a con- siderable number of foreigners staying in it. Following the call, we pressedeight fire engines and water tankers into service to douse the flames at the hotel, an official from Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation informed. The deceased is yet to be identified. The injured have been admitted to a Navi Mumbai civic hospital for treat- ment, he said. Fire brigade officials saidthe blaze was brought under control after over four hours of hectic fire-fighting. The operation that began at 5 am took more than four hours to end. A lot of time was required to evacuate those trapped in the hotel and bring them to safety, a fire official from the Navi Mumbai fire brigade said. Since the fire was a major one, getting the trapped to safe- ty amidst the smoke was an uphill task. We also did not have a blueprint of the hotel initially which added to the confusion, he added. Several bank officials were also staying in the hotel to attend a seminar in the city, he said. PTI LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9 , 2014 money 11 MUMBAI: A day after the arrest of Bhushan Steel vice chair- man in the cash-for-loan case at Syndicate Bank, SBI - a big lender to the firm - today said it will press for an external agency to take over the day- to-day management of the company. The suggestion that I have made, which has been accepted by the banks that I have talked to, is that we will try to bring in an external management agency who will oversee the day to day run- ning of the company, State Bank of India Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya said. The bank has called for a meeting of the lenders con- sortium next week to discuss the proposal, she added. The system has a whop- ping `40,000-crore exposure to the Delhi-based Bhushan Steel through 51 lenders. There are two consortia, one on working capital loans led by SBI and the second on term-loans led by Punjab National Bank, representing the lenders interests. Bhattacharya said the bank has an exposure of `6,000 crore to the steel- maker which is a standard asset at present. The company i s embroiled in a controversy fol l owi ng t he arrest of Syndicate Bank chairman and managing director S K Jain last week for allegedly receiv- ing a bribe of `50 lakh to enhance the credit limits of the company. The CBI, which arrested Jain, also arrested Bhushan Steels vice-chairman and managing director Neeraj Singal yesterday. Bhattacharya said the Bhushan Steel pl ant i n Odisha is running well and the lenders do not want to expose their assets to any dif- ficulties as a result of the imbroglio. I dont think the bor- rower will have any objec- tions andwe will like to put in a management agency to ensure that day- to-day oper- ations are not impacted, she said, adding that there is no need for a forensic audit on the firm at present. When asked if it is possi- ble for lenders to enforce such directions, especially when the account is a per- forming asset, a senior SBI official said it is very much possible but added that the borrower is free to go to the court. Bhattacharya said mean- while that in the past, after an accident at the companys plant, the lenders had decid- ed to make the company appoint a safety expert, which was readily accepted. Comment i ng on t he arrest of Jain, Bhattacharya called it an aberration on an individual basis which is not related to the institution or the financial system per se. She said SBI, which itself was embroiled in similar alle- gations last year after its deputy managing director Shyamal Acharya got dragged into a cash-for-loans scam, is not changing any of its prac- tices following this. She said the bank does due diligence on every loan proposal irrespective of who gets the business for a bank and will continue with the same practice without wor- rying about any middlemen who would have helped in the sourcing. Bhushan Steel i s the largest manufacturer of auto- grade steel in India and is spending Rs. 260 billion to expand its capacity to 12 million tonnes annually, from the present installed capaci- ty of around one million tonnes. The Khopoli plant in Maharashtra was commis- sioned in 2004 and has been producing colour coated sheets, high tensile steel strappings, hardened and (aluminium and zinc coated sheet) for the first time in India. At its Sahibabad plant in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, it has a 1700 mm mill, which produces the widest sheets in India for the automotive industry. It has highly auto- mated systems. At i t s Meramandal i , Dhenkanal plant in Orissa, Bhusan Steel produces hot rolled coils and has mills for hot rolling. SBI wants external agency to run Bhushan Steel; meeting next week The suggestion that I have made, which has been accepted by the banks that I have talked to, is that we will try to bring in an external management agency who will oversee the day to day running of the company STATE BANK OF INDIA CHAIRMAN ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA PNS n MUMBAI C ountrys largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) on Friday announced its Q1 results showing a rise in net profit by a nominal increase of 3.3 per cent at `3,349.08 crore for the quarter ended June 30 due to higher provisioning for bad loans. Provision for bad loans increased to `3,903.41 crore as against `2,265.83 crore a year earlier, registering an increase of 72 per cent. However, the banks gross non-performing assets (NPAs) declined to 4.90 per cent of total advances at the end of June, against 5.56 per cent a year-ago.The countrys largest bank had a standalone net profit of Rs 3,241.08 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income increased to `40,739.21 crore during the quarter, against `36,192.62 crore in the year-ago period, the bank said in a BSE filing. During the quarter, the net interest income increased 15.12 per cent to `13,252 crore as against `11,512 crore in the April-June period of last fiscal. On a consolidated basis, the banks net profit increased 3.4 per cent to `4,448.15 crore for the quarter ended June 30, against `4,298.56 crore in the year-ago period. Total income increased to `60,620.93 crore as against `52,502.29 crore in the April- June quarter of 2013-14. Net Profit of the 5 associate banks declined to `702 crore from `837 crore, a fall of 16.09 per cent on an annual basis. The associate banks of SBI are State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Hyderabad. Among these, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Travancore are listed entities. Another subsidiary, SBI Cards & Payment Services, registered a 70 per cent increase in net profit at `114 crore in June quarter, against `67 crore in the year-ago period. In value terms, SBIs Gross NPAs declined to `60,434.24 crore during the quarter under review, from `60,891.46 crore in the year-ago period. However, net NPAs of the bank rose to `31,883.80 crore at the end of first quarter, against `29,989.84 crore in the year-ago period. Fresh slippage declined 27 per cent to `9,932 crore from `13,766 crore in June 2013. As of June 30, Capital Adequacy Ratio of the bank as per Basel III was 12.33 per cent. Shares of SBI closed 0.90 per cent down at `2,415.25 apiece on the BSE. In the Budget, the Government had sounded positive about consolidation in the banking space and Financial Services Secretary GS Sandhu had said the process will kick-start with a merger within the SBI Group this fiscal. Net profit of the five asso- ciate banks of SBI declined to `702 crore from `837 crore, a fall of 16.09 per cent on an annual basis. The associates are State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Hyderabad. Among these, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Travancore are listed entities. PNS n NEW DELHI D omestic car sales grew for the third month in succes- sion in July with a rise of 5.04 per cent, prompting industry body SIAM to hope for 5-10 per cent increase this fiscal. According to the data released by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), domestic passenger car sales stood at 1,37,873 units in July this year as compared to 1,31,257 units in the same month of 2013. The negative sentiments have gone. People are coming back to showrooms. As the economy revives we are going to see higher growth in the com- ing months, SIAM Director General Vishnu Mathur told reporters here. He added: With a lot of newmodels linedupfor launch- es aheadof the festive season, we are hoping that there will be at least single digit growth this year. While he declined to give an exact forecast for car sales growth, Mathur said: In the first quarter of this fiscal we have grown by 2.89 per cent. If the trend continues we hope that we could end the year with a growth of anything between 5 and 10 per cent. Giving credit to the new government, he said: The very fact that there is a stable gov- ernment at Centre has improved consumer sentiment. Besides, the reduced excise duty rates on cars have been extend- ed and also income tax rate has also been reduced to an extent which has put more money in the pockets of consumers. All these have helped revive demand to an extent. During the month, market leader Maruti Suzuki India posted a growth of 15.45 per cent in domestic sales at 72,782 units as against 63,040 units in the same month last year. Rival Hyundai Motor India Ltd had a growth of 12 per cent at 29,067 units as against 25,939 units in July last year. Honda Cars India saw its sales jump 10.77 per cent to 12,286 units in July from 11,091 units in the year-ago month. Home-grown Tata Motors posted a decline of 21.56 per cent in domestic car sales in July to 6,703 units as compared to 8,546 units in the same month last year. Utility vehicles (UV) major Mahindra & Mahindra saw its UV sales decline 1.06 per cent to 14,348 units as against 14,503 units last year. Car sales in India had fall- en for the second consecutive fiscal in 2013-14 with a drop of 4.65 per cent as the auto indus- try continued to struggle with demand slump due to a sluggish economy. In the two-wheeler seg- ment, total sales in July 2014 grew 13.73 per cent to 12,87,462 units from11,32,066 units inthe same period of previous year. According to SIAM, motorcycle sales during the monthgrew6.17 per cent to 8,59,290 units from 8,09,386 units in the same month previous year. Market leader Hero MotoCorpsawits domestic sales increase 10.34 per cent to 4,63,869units as against 4,20,397 units in July last year. Rival Bajaj Auto posted a decline of 18.35 per cent at 1,25,053units as against 1,53,173 units in the year-ago month. Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) saw its bike sales grow 5.26 per cent to 1,48,012units as against 1,40,611 units inthe same monthlast year. Inthe scooter segment, total sales stood at 3,72,136 units as against 2,71,438 units in July last year, up 37.1 per cent. Market leader HMSI posted a jump of 59.28 per cent in its scooter sales during the month at 2,15,965 units as compared to 1,35,584 units in the corre- sponding month last year. On the other hand, Hero MotoCorp saw its scooter sales dip 7 per cent to 52,792 units from 56,798 units in July last year. Chennai-based TVS Motor Co saw its scooter sales zoom 63.98 per cent to 57,412 units from35,010units inthe year-ago month. According to SIAM, the total sales of commercial vehicles (CV) were down by 13.64 per cent to 47,765 units from 55,310 units in the year-ago period. This is the 15th consec- utive month of decline in CV sales. This sector is still a con- cern but we hope in the next 5-6 months this will also see revival, Mathur said. The total sale of vehicles across categories registered a growth of 12 per cent to 15,86,123 units in July 2014 as against 14,16,182 units in the same month of 2013, it added. July domestic car sales up 5% SIAM sees 5-10% growth in FY15 PTI n NEW DELHI H onda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) on Friday announced that its compact sedan Amaze has crossed one lakh sales milestone, 16 months after it was launched in the Indian market. Honda Amaze has wit- nessed great success in the Indian market and the one lakh sales milestone only validates its strong pres- ence, Jnaneswar Sen, HCIL Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales, said in a statement. Honda entered the diesel car segment with the Amaze and it became fastest in HCIL history since its inception in the Indian mar- ket to cross the milestone, the company said. PANAJI: Force Motors plans to invest around `1,000 crore over the next four years on various activities, including product development and setting up of a dedicated facility for assembling engines for BMW vehicles. We are looking toinvest around `1,000 crore in the next four years on technol- ogy advancement, new vehi- cle development and also on a dedicated engine assembly facility for BMW in Chennai, Force Motors Managing Director Prasan Firodia told the news agency here. This investment would be in addition to the `1,000 crore that the company had announced in 2012, he added. PTI Force Motors plans to invest around `1,000 cr Honda Amaze crosses one lakh sales milestone TI Cycles launch Ducati bicycles in India SBI Q1 net profit rises 3.3% to `3,349 crore PTI nWASHINGTON N ot quite an American dream! Many Americans are struggling financially more than five years after the recession with aquarter of thefamilies sayingtheywerejust getting by, according to US Federal Reserve data. As of September 2013, when the central bank conducted the poll, a quarter of fami- lies said they were just getting by, while an additional 13 per cent struggling to make ends meet. Asked to compare their current finan- cial situation with how they were faring five years ago, as the housing crash was wreak- ing havoc on the economy, 34 per cent of respondents saidtheywere doingsomewhat or muchworse thanin2008. The same per- centage reported essentially treading water, while 30 per cent said they were doing bet- ter. Given that respondents were being asked to compare their incomes to 2008, when the United States was in the depths of the financial crisis, the fact that over two- thirds of respondents reportedbeingthesame or worse off financiallyhighlights the uneven nature of the recovery, the Federal Reserve said in the report. The Fed found that more than 60 per cent of US families were either doing OK or living comfortably, CBS News reported. The surveyof 4,100households was con- ducted between September and October of last year. Since then, economic growth has been inconsistent. The nations GDP shrank 2.1 per cent over the first three months of the year, when harsh winter weather slowed consumer spending and dented the housing sector. But GDP surged to an annualised 4 per cent between April and June, while the job market has strengthened in recent months. Americans biggest financial concerns centered on three issues, the Fed found: retirement, education and jobs. And even with the economy seemingly on the mend, other findings fromthe Fedsurvey highlight the financial challenges manyAmericans still face. For instance, a third of households who had applied for credit in the previous 12 months reported being turned down or get- ting less than they asked for. Meanwhile, 10 per cent of households said their income fluctuates significantly from month to month, largely because of an irregular work schedule or because respon- dents are unemployed. Wage growth has been soft throughout the recovery, which officially began in June 2009. That has strained household budgets and damped consumer spending, slowing the pace of recovery. The Great Recession was a global eco- nomic decline in the late 2000s decade. The effects of this economic downturn are hav- ing a continued influence into 2014. Americans struggling even 5 yrs after recession: Fed {usp} FICCI Ladies Organisation organised interactive session with Shiv Khera on Winners dont do different things, they do it differently. Khera is the Founder of Qualified Learning Systems USA and Renowned Author, Educator, Business Consultant and a successful Entrepreneur. Seen in the photograph - in the centre - Neeta Boochra- President FICCI Ladies organization, from left - Manju Kalra Prakash, Executive Director FLO, Ritu Vadhera and on the right- Archana Luthra A Special State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) meeting for West Bengal on implementation of Comprehensive Financial Inclusion in mission mode (Sampoorn Vittiyea Samaveshan) was held on6th August 2014 at Suchintan Hall, United Bank of India. The meeting was attended by Shri Deepak Narang & Sanjay Arya, Executive Directors, United Bank of India, H.K.Dwivedi, Principal Secretary, Finance Deptt. Govt. of West Bengal, Anna Roy, Director, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India & Nodal Officer of SLBC, West Bengal,. Nandana Munshi, Dy. Director General of Unique Identification Authority of India and other top executives of State Government, Banks, RBI, NABARD were present in the meeting. N.P. Aggarwal, CGM, NBCC and Shri Abdul LatifHita, CEO,Construction Industry Development Board Holdings (CIDBH), on August 4, 2014, signed anMoUon behalf of NBCC and CIDBH, Malaysia, in the presence of Anoop Kumar Mittal, CMD, NBCC; Tan Ahmad Tajuddin Ali, Chairman and Dato IrDr.Judin B Abdul Karim, Chief Executive, CIDB, Malaysia.NBCC, the Navratna CPSE, has entered into an MoU with CIDBH, a wholly owned subsidiary of the ConstructionIndustry Development Board Malaysia, to promote technicalco-operation for mutual benefits by sharing experience and expertise inplanning, design, construction, operation and maintenance, managementand financing of infrastructure projects as well as to jointly execute and develop large infrastructure projects. ONGCs subsidiary MRPL has a new Managing Director in H Kumar, whose candidature was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). The Government head hunter Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) had on January 22 selected Kumar, Executive Director, Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), to head MRPL upon retirement of P P Upadhya.According to a statement issued by MRPL, after the ACCs approval, orders for Kumar heading the company were issued on Thursday.Upadhya retired on July 31 and Kumar was to take over from August 1, however his appointment was delayed.Pending this, Vishnu Agrawal, Director (Finance) at MRPL, was given additional charge of Managing Director of the company.PESB had selected Kumar after interviewing 11 candidates, including five group general managers of MRPLState-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) holds 71.63 per cent stake in MRPL, which operates a 15 million tonnes per annum capacity oil refinery at Mangalore. KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n CHENNAI A s the scorching heat of the summer is giving way to the placid Monsoon, people in metros all over the country could look forward to ride Ducati, the super-premium range of bicycles designed and manufactured by CyclEurope Group, one of the leading bicy- cle conglomerates in the world. Track and Trail, the retail net- work owned by Chennai-based TI Cycles of India, has launched seven models of the imported Ducati, which are available over the counter. The models are priced in the `50,000 to `1.52 lakh range and is targeted at the high end customers, according to KC Ramamoorthy, vice president, International Business, TI Cycles. Please do not confuse the brand name with Ducati, the Italian bike manufacturer. CyclEurope are licensed to manufacture and market these bicycles under the Ducati brand name and we are the Indian retailers, said Ramamoorthy. Made of aluminium alloy and carbon, each of the mod- els weigh just 8.7 kg, said Ramamoorthy. These are some of the lightest bicycles ever made in the world. These bicycles will infuse fresh dynamism to the Indian con- sumers, said Arun Alagappan, President, TI Cycles. Ramamoorthy said he was confident of selling 25,000 to 30,000 Ducati bicycles per year. There are certain constraints which prevent our population from taking to bicycles in a major way. Our roads, espe- cially those in metros and major cities are unfriendly and unsafe to bicycles. There is no right-of-the way for our cyclists, he pointed out. TI Cycles, manufacture BSA, Hercules and Montra brand bicycles . We manufacture four million bicycles per year and have almost 40 per cent of the market share in the country. If bicycle friendly laws are legis- lated, Indias oil import bill could be brought down con- siderably and the health of the population will see a marked improvement, said Ramamoorthi. money 12 LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 PTI n MUMBAI T he BSE benchmark Sensex on Friday plunged by 260 points to close at nearly four-week low of 25,329.14, tracking global sell- off sparked by escalating geopo- litical tensions after US President Barack Obama autho- rised targeted air strikes in Iraq. Adding to the worry of global investors, Russian President Vladimir Putin went on retaliatory measures by ban- ning food imports from Western countries. Russia faces sanctions imposed by the US and European countries. Jayant Manglik, president (retail distribution), Religare Securities, said: Investors were also cautious after Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan warned that global markets are at the risk of a crash due to the lingering competitive loose monetary policies being fol- lowed by the developed economies. After opening lower by over 180 points, the 30-share Sensex at one point was down over 350 points before ending the day at almost four week low of 25,329.14 a level not seen since July 15 registering a steep loss of 259.87 points or 1.02 per cent. In straight three days, the key index has plunged by 578.87 points or 2.23 per cent. American President Barack Obama on Thursday said that he had authorised targeted air strikes against militants in Iraq, a key crude producer. The development will fur- ther stoke up the global oil prices. India imports 80 per cent crude oil of its requirements and it will be a big jolt to the countrys economy, ultimately affecting the current account deficit. Global markets closed in the negative for the week on the back of geopolitical tensions. The US authorising targeted air strikes on Iraq was the latest trigger. There was growing unease over the crisis in Ukraine. Indian markets were not insulated from the sell-off in global markets as it signed off the week in the negative zone..., said Sanjeev Zarbade, vice- president (private client group research, Kotak Securities. The broader 50-issue NSE Nifty also stumbled by 80.70 points or 1.06 pc to end below 7,600-mark at 7,568.55. Previously, it had finished at 7,526.65 on July 15, 2014. Ten out of 12 sectoral indices closed weak between 0.29 per cent and 3.86 per cent with realty, metal, power, con- sumer goods, consumer durables, Bankex and Auto tak- ing the lead in the downslide. Only select defensive shares from pharma and FMCG seg- ments closed with small gains. In Asian, key benchmark indices in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea ended lower by 0.23 per cent to 2.98 per cent while China closed up by 0.31 per cent. European markets were also trading lower as indices in France, Germany and UK moved down by 0.57-1.08 per cent. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net `73.07 crores on Thursday, as per provisional data from the stock exchanges. Of the 30-share Sensex pack, 24 ended with losses while only six finished with gains. Major losers were SSLT (5.71 per cent), Tata Power (3.79 per cent), BHEL (3.74 per cent), Tata Steel (3.22 per cent), Gail India (2.85 per cent), Hindalco (2.75 per cent), Larsen (2.63 per cent), Axis Bank (2.60 per cent), Coal India (2.12 per cent), NTPC (2.09 per cent), Tata Motors (2.07 per cent), HDFC Bank (1.91 per cent) and ONGC (1.56 per cent). However, Bharti Airtel firmed up by 2.09 per cent. Among the BSE sectoral indices, realty fell by 3.86 per cent, followed by Metal 3.15 per cent, power 2.92 per cent, cap- ital goods 2.50 per cent, con- sumer durable 1.62 per cent, auto 1.36 per centand Bankex 1.51 per cent. Market breadth remained negative as 2,074 stocks closed in the red, 826 stocks finished in the green while 99 ruled steady. Total turnover dropped further to `2,479.34 crore from `2,680.64 crore on Thursday. Global crisis pulls Sensex down Gold regains `29,000-level New Delhi (PTI): Gold prices again crossed the `29,000-mark to hit over two-month high by rising `300 to `29,100 per ten gram in the national capital today, mostly in tandem with a firm- ing trend overseas as worsening tensions in Iraq fuelled safe- haven demand. In addition, rising physical demand in view of festive season and depreciating rupee that slumped to five-month low sup- ported the upside in the precious metal prices. Silver also rose by another `200 to `44,700 per kg on increased offtake by industrial units and coin makers. RUPEE HITS 5-MONTH LOW Mumbai (PTI) The rupee on Friday plunged by 52 paise to five- month low of 61.74 against the dollar but the domestic currency managed to close seven paise higher at 61.15 on suspected RBI intervention in the Forex market. Script Last Abs Change Traded Price Change % 3M India 5317 -66.9 -1.24 Aban Offshore 754.3 -24.7 -3.17 ABB India Ltd. 1015.55 -13.65 -1.33 Abbott India 2070.35 -10.25 -0.49 ABG Shipyard 246.2 -2.65 -1.06 ACC 1438.25 -33.3 -2.26 ACCELYA 644.1 -19.75 -2.98 Adani Enter 453.9 -8.65 -1.87 Adani Ports 262.05 -3.85 -1.45 ADANI POWER 53.35 -2.25 -4.05 Aditya Birla Nuv 1414.65 -21.1 -1.47 ADVANTA 304.75 -12.15 -3.83 Agro Tech Foods 544.4 -17.1 -3.05 AIA Engineering 771.5 -10.45 -1.34 AIL 516.55 -9.6 -1.82 Ajanta Pharma 1517.2 -64.6 -4.08 AKZOINDIA 1016 -5.7 -0.56 Alembic Pharma 339.05 -14.15 -4.01 Allahabad Bank 118.7 -0.15 -0.13 Alok Inds 10.86 -0.59 -5.15 Alstom T&D 325 -1.35 -0.41 Amara Raja 521.95 -1.3 -0.25 Ambuja Cements 203.65 -6.8 -3.23 Amtek Auto-$ 231.5 -10.55 -4.36 Amtek India-$ 92.65 -4.4 -4.53 ANANTRAJ-$ 60.55 -2.65 -4.19 Andhra Bank 76 -3.05 -3.86 Apollo Hosp 1011.2 23 2.33 Apollo Tyres 167.45 -1.2 -0.71 Arvind 227.95 -11.7 -4.88 Asahi India 82.05 -3.5 -4.09 Ashok Leyland 33.9 -0.6 -1.74 Asian Paints 618.5 -13.8 -2.18 Astral Poly 690 -3.15 -0.45 Astrazeneca Phar 1079.35 -7.4 -0.68 Atul 1179.15 -42.9 -3.51 Aurobindo Phar 721.5 7.85 1.1 Axis Bank 371.25 -9.9 -2.6 Bajaj Auto 2120 -20 -0.93 Bajaj Corp 240.5 0.95 0.4 Bajaj Elect-$ 268.9 -4 -1.47 Bajaj Finserv 929.65 -12.6 -1.34 Bajaj Hind 22.45 -1.3 -5.47 Bajaj Holdings 1278.9 -9.45 -0.73 BAJFINANCE 2206 14.6 0.67 Balkrishna Inds-$ 732.05 -16.2 -2.17 Ballarpur Inds 16.1 -0.3 -1.83 Balmer Lawr 547.95 -23.35 -4.09 Balrampur Chini 70.2 -3.3 -4.49 Bank of India 267.35 -7.7 -2.8 Bank of Maharashtra 43.45 -1.6 -3.55 BASF India 827.5 -16.55 -1.96 Bata India 1174.15 -35.25 -2.91 Bayer Crop 2045 -49.5 -2.36 BEML 640 -32.95 -4.9 Berger Paints 307.05 -13.95 -4.35 BF Utilities-$ 629.95 -32.5 -4.91 BGR Energy 174.35 -10.95 -5.91 Bharat Elect 1792.65 24.05 1.36 Bharat Forge 737.1 -21.05 -2.78 Bharti Airtel 373.7 7.65 2.09 Bharti Infratel 258.75 5.7 2.25 BHEL 221.6 -8.6 -3.74 Bhushan Steel 219.35 -24.35 -9.99 Biocon 458.8 -2.25 -0.49 Birla Corp 440.85 18.1 4.28 Blue Dart 3815 -4.4 -0.12 Blue Star 296.95 -5.6 -1.85 BOB 858.25 -20.05 -2.28 Bombay Dyeing 66.85 -5.7 -7.86 Bombay Rayon 150.95 -6.1 -3.88 Bosch 13551.6 -94.7 -0.69 BPCL 566.6 -18.35 -3.14 Britannia Inds 1130.5 -16.05 -1.4 Byke 317.95 -1.85 -0.58 C. Mahendra Exports 89.4 -9.9 -9.97 Cadila Health 1097 -1.45 -0.13 Cairn India 311.2 -4.95 -1.57 Canara Bank 378.4 -15.85 -4.02 Capital First 256.8 -6 -2.28 Carborundum Uni 177.05 -6.35 -3.46 Care 1198 -7.65 -0.63 Castrol India 336.3 -3.5 -1.03 CCL Intl 429.55 3.6 0.85 Ceat 533.1 8.95 1.71 Central Bank 65.1 -2 -2.98 Century Tex 574.4 -19.7 -3.32 CESC 667.4 -13.75 -2.02 Chambal Fert 56 -0.65 -1.15 Chennai Petro 89.1 1.45 1.65 CHOLAFIN 394 -6.8 -1.7 Cipla 436.5 1.4 0.32 City Union Bank 73 -0.1 -0.14 Clariant Chem 822.05 -14.85 -1.77 Claris Lifesciences 175.75 1.45 0.83 CMC 1865 -41.05 -2.15 Coal India 354.9 -7.7 -2.12 Colgate Palmolive 1493.45 -32 -2.1 Container Corp 1290.35 -4.6 -0.36 Coromandel Intl 240.1 -1.55 -0.64 Corporation Bank 332.65 -19.55 -5.55 COX KINGS 258 -6 -2.27 Cressanda Sol 54.8 -5.95 -9.79 CRISIL 1933 11.25 0.59 Crompton Greav 193.35 -5.2 -2.62 Cummins India 660 -22.5 -3.3 D B CORP 319.8 -3.35 -1.04 D B REALTY 77.45 -1.9 -2.39 Dabur India 204.8 2.05 1.01 Dalmia Bharat 449.9 -19.05 -4.06 DCBBANK 79.2 0.6 0.76 DCMSHRIRAM 188.6 -10.7 -5.37 Deepak Fert 148.15 -6.15 -3.99 Delta Corp 85.2 -4.5 -5.02 DEN NETWORK 196.15 -4.75 -2.36 Dena Bank 64.2 -2.45 -3.68 Dewan Housing 347.55 -3.2 -0.91 DHANLAK BANK 45.25 -3 -6.22 Dhanleela Inv 198 0.05 0.03 Dish TV India 57.75 -1.5 -2.53 Dishman Pharma 140.15 -2.75 -1.92 Divis Lab 1498.15 -5.2 -0.35 DLF 194.55 -8.35 -4.12 Dr Reddys Lab 2780.55 24.6 0.89 Eclerx Serv 1208.45 -20.8 -1.69 Edelweiss Financial 56.25 -2.95 -4.98 Eicher Motors 8492.3 -20.55 -0.24 EID Parry 186.55 -6 -3.12 EIH 95.1 -3.4 -3.45 Elder Pharma 179 -7 -3.76 Elgi Equipments 123 1.15 0.94 Emami-$ 535.5 1.95 0.37 Engineers India 275.35 -1.4 -0.51 Entertainment Netw 454 15.2 3.46 Eros Intl Media 222.5 -5.8 -2.54 Escorts 110.95 -3.35 -2.93 Ess Dee Alum 514.7 -4.05 -0.78 Essar Oil 115.1 -0.9 -0.78 Essar Ports 85.8 -2.5 -2.83 Exide Inds 157.3 -4.6 -2.84 FAG Bearings 2700 -120.6 -4.28 FDC 135 -4.7 -3.36 Federal Bank 113.15 -3.75 -3.21 Financial Tech 285.2 -14.45 -4.82 Finolex Cables 200.85 -1.8 -0.89 Finolex Inds 268.7 5.9 2.25 Firstsource Sol 38.95 0.65 1.7 Fortis Healthcare 114.15 -1.05 -0.91 FUTLIF FAS 90.9 -2.05 -2.21 Future Retail 124.35 -5.9 -4.53 Gail India 406.9 -11.95 -2.85 Gateway Distr 236.15 -2.55 -1.07 Gati 137.45 6.5 4.96 GBLINFRA 13.12 -0.26 -1.94 Geometric 138.2 -4.9 -3.42 GIC Housing 156.25 -3.55 -2.22 Gillette India 2292.6 -46.4 -1.98 Gitanjali Gems 66.3 -2.6 -3.77 Glaxosmithkl Cons 4780 -105.7 -2.16 Glaxosmithkl Phar 2500 0.55 0.02 Glenmark Pharma 656.8 -11.7 -1.75 GMR Infra 26 -1.25 -4.59 Godfrey Phil 2814.4 -43.35 -1.52 Godrej Cons 860.15 -13.8 -1.58 Godrej Inds 326 -12.8 -3.78 GODREJ PROP 224.4 -5.2 -2.26 Graphite India 109.9 -0.5 -0.45 Grasim Inds 3255.05 -36 -1.09 Great Eastern Sh 357.65 -0.85 -0.24 Greaves Cotton 108.8 -0.15 -0.14 Grindwell Nor-$ 420.25 -6.5 -1.52 Gruh Finance 208.55 6.15 3.04 Guj Nar Val 90.45 -0.1 -0.11 Gujarat Alk 192.75 -7.2 -3.6 Gujarat Fluo 488 -12.1 -2.42 Gujarat Gas 437 -9.75 -2.18 Gujarat Mnrl 146.85 -3.25 -2.17 Gujarat Pipavav 141.9 -7.65 -5.12 Gujarat State Fert 78.5 1.65 2.15 Gujarat State Pet 85.6 0.2 0.23 GVK Power 13.54 -0.48 -3.42 HATHWAY CAB 288.25 -11.95 -3.98 Hatsun Agro 273.5 -9.35 -3.31 Havells India 1178.5 7.95 0.68 Hawkins Cook-$ 3284.6 -54.7 -1.64 HCL Infosystems 75.35 -3.8 -4.8 HCL Tech 1527.75 7 0.46 HDFC 1026.25 -2.7 -0.26 HDFC Bank 796.3 -15.5 -1.91 HDIL 93.65 -3.4 -3.5 Hero MotoCorp 2590.15 -12.35 -0.47 Hexaware Tech 145.15 3.25 2.29 Himachal Futur 14.04 -0.35 -2.43 Hindalco Inds 184.05 -5.2 -2.75 Hinduja Glob 632.45 -15.15 -2.34 Hindustan Const 35.4 -2.35 -6.23 Hindustan Copp 85.25 -3.15 -3.56 Hindustan Unilever 701.95 -0.1 -0.01 Hindustan Zinc 159.2 -1 -0.62 HMT 43.4 -1.05 -2.36 Honeywell Auto 4750 -218.35 -4.39 HPCL 397.9 -19.9 -4.76 HSIL 247.55 3.75 1.54 HT Media 104.05 -0.8 -0.76 IBUL HSG FIN 389.6 -4.6 -1.17 ICICI Bank 1437.35 -7.85 -0.54 ICRA 2595 -29 -1.11 IDBI Bank 83.1 -1.45 -1.71 Idea Cellular 159.85 0.3 0.19 IDFC 144.45 -5.2 -3.47 IFCI 36.45 -1.2 -3.19 IIFL 136.5 -4.8 -3.4 IL&FS TRANS 207.45 -11.9 -5.43 India Cements 103.95 -3.6 -3.35 INDIAB POWER 11 -0.3 -2.65 Indiabulls Real Est 71.2 -4.05 -5.38 Indian Bank 140.85 -4.3 -2.96 Indian Hotels 85.65 -2.6 -2.95 Indian Info 3.64 0.01 0.28 Indian Oil Corp 323.85 -14.7 -4.34 Indoco Remedies 223.7 -1.35 -0.6 Indraprastha Gas 350.45 -15.4 -4.21 Indusind Bank 535.65 -13.9 -2.53 Info Edge India 750.85 12.85 1.74 Infosys 3480.35 -34.2 -0.97 INFOTECH ENR 392.45 0.6 0.15 ING Vysya Bank 606.25 -8.95 -1.45 Ingersoll Rand 564.55 -19.3 -3.31 Inox Leisure 156.3 2.9 1.89 IOB 65.2 -2.65 -3.91 IPAPPM 282 -11.65 -3.97 IPCA Lab 692.15 -32.7 -4.51 IRB Infra 245.1 -9.3 -3.66 ITC 348.45 2.5 0.72 IVRCL LTD 19.45 -0.95 -4.66 J&K Bank 1552.3 -20 -1.27 Jagran Prakashan 109.5 -2.7 -2.41 Jai Corp 92.9 -4.55 -4.67 Jain Irrigation 97.15 -3.05 -3.04 Jaiprakash Asso 58.3 -2.1 -3.48 JB Chemicals 183.45 -5.55 -2.94 Jet Air India 244.35 -7.8 -3.09 Jindal Saw 75.05 -2.5 -3.22 JINDAL SOUTH 824 2.2 0.27 Jindal Stainless 49.2 -3.55 -6.73 Jindal Steel 276.9 -5.7 -2.02 JK Cement 421 -9.15 -2.13 JK Lakshmi Cem 260.3 -8.7 -3.23 JK Tyre 294.3 -14.15 -4.59 JM Financial-$ 36.95 -1.4 -3.65 JPINFRATEC 33.6 -1.7 -4.82 JPPOWER 17.2 -1.1 -6.01 JSW ENERGY 73.95 -3.25 -4.21 JSW Steel 1153.2 -22 -1.87 JUBILANT 173.7 -8.05 -4.43 JUBL FOOD 1125.75 -60.45 -5.1 Just Dial 1795.2 -19 -1.05 Jyothy Lab 179.65 -3.55 -1.94 Kailash Auto 35.1 0.1 0.29 Kajaria Cerm 600.1 -14.2 -2.31 Kalpataru Power 161.35 -5.15 -3.09 Kansai Nerolac 1530 -49.95 -3.16 Kappac Pharma 307.55 14.6 4.98 Karnataka Bank 122.35 -3.6 -2.86 Kaveri Seed 783.2 11.15 1.44 KEC Intl 97.15 -6.05 -5.86 Kesoram Inds 108.9 -5.15 -4.52 Kirloskar Oil Engines 253.5 -8.85 -3.37 Kolte Patil 149.05 -3.95 -2.58 Kotak Mah Bank 932 -7.45 -0.79 KPIT CUMMIN 154.05 -1.25 -0.8 KSK Energy 96.5 -2.2 -2.23 L&T 1442.75 -39 -2.63 L&T Finance Holdings 65.8 -1.55 -2.3 Lakshmi Mach 3785.2 -68 -1.76 Lakshmi Vilas Bank 80.4 -0.7 -0.86 Lanco Infra 8.8 -0.34 -3.72 LIC Housing Fin 279.1 -8.25 -2.87 LINDEINDIA 353.95 -5.55 -1.54 Lovable Lingerie 362.75 -9.05 -2.43 Luminaire Tech 4.98 -0.26 -4.96 Lupin 1160 -1.9 -0.16 Magma Fin 97.05 -0.95 -0.97 MAH HOLIDAY 280.4 -0.35 -0.12 Maharashtra Seam 279 -1.6 -0.57 MAHINDCIE 155.15 -7.3 -4.49 Mahindra & Mah Fin246.85 0.95 0.39 Mahindra & Mahindra1229.1 -17.65 -1.42 Mahindra Lifesp 545.7 -13.05 -2.34 Manappuram Finance 21.55 -0.35 -1.6 MANDHANA 235 -4.6 -1.92 Mangalore Ref 63.1 -1.55 -2.4 Marico 268.5 0 0 Maruti Suzuki 2618.45 -33.5 -1.26 Max India 302.85 -2.5 -0.82 Mcleod Russel 273.55 -4 -1.44 MCX 809.5 -19.65 -2.37 Mindtree 997.55 -5.35 -0.53 MKEL 49.8 0 0 MMTC 70.75 -3.6 -4.84 MOIL 288.35 -6.8 -2.3 Monnet Ispat Energy122.85 -5.45 -4.25 Monsanto India 1897.65 -22.75 -1.18 Motherson Sumi 365.1 0.7 0.19 Motilal Oswal 210.15 -3 -1.41 Mphasis 430.5 -3.3 -0.76 MRF 23434.7 -117.65 -0.5 MTNL 28.55 -1.75 -5.78 Muthoot Fin 175.25 -2.6 -1.46 Natco Pharma 1014.4 -38.1 -3.62 National Alum 56.5 -2.85 -4.8 Nava Bharat Vent 218.2 -4.95 -2.22 NAVNETEDUL 82 -0.7 -0.85 NCC 69.2 -0.95 -1.35 NESCO 1254.5 -33.15 -2.57 Nestle India 5360.8 -45.8 -0.85 Network18 Media 50.4 -2.2 -4.18 Neyveli Lignite 89.4 -2 -2.19 NHPC 21.95 -0.45 -2.01 NIIT Tech 382.25 7 1.87 Nitin Fire 63.35 -0.9 -1.4 NMDC 171 -2.7 -1.55 Novartis India 677.35 8.65 1.29 NTPC 138 -2.95 -2.09 Oberoi Realty 240.55 -10.45 -4.16 OIL INDIA 564.65 -13.7 -2.37 Omaxe 125 -0.4 -0.32 ONGC 394.15 -6.25 -1.56 Opto Circuits 28.15 -0.9 -3.1 Oracle Fin 3455.1 83.4 2.47 Orchid Chem 70.15 -4.45 -5.97 ORIENT CEM 114.8 -1.35 -1.16 Oriental Bank 270.25 -14.5 -5.09 Page Inds 7819.4 -80.8 -1.02 Parag Shilpa 505.3 -26.55 -4.99 Parsvnath Dev 25.75 -0.8 -3.01 PC Jeweller 147.1 3.05 2.12 Peninsula Land 34.55 -1.65 -4.56 Persistent Sys 1232.4 -15.3 -1.23 Petronet LNG 171.1 2.1 1.24 Pfizer 1336 0.35 0.03 PHOENIX MILL 332.55 -13.6 -3.93 PI Inds 403.55 -2.5 -0.62 Pidilite Inds 366.7 6.95 1.93 PINEANIM 82.95 -0.75 -0.9 Pipavav Defence 49.4 -1.95 -3.8 Piramal Ent 651.85 -4.7 -0.72 PMCFIN 736.5 -3.3 -0.45 PNB 902.9 -23.25 -2.51 Polaris Fin Tec 207.25 -5.85 -2.75 Power Finance 259.7 -7.5 -2.81 Power Grid Corp 132.05 -2.4 -1.79 Praj Inds 59.1 -0.5 -0.84 Prestige Estates 243 -5.4 -2.17 Prism Cement 74.8 0.05 0.07 Procter & Gamble 4535 -49.5 -1.08 PTC India 80.4 -3.6 -4.29 Punj Lloyd 38.35 -1.55 -3.88 Punjab & Sind Bank 60 -2.7 -4.31 Puravankara Proj 82.1 -14.7 -15.19 PVR 657.35 -9.6 -1.44 Radico Khaitan 94.25 -3 -3.08 RAIN 39.55 -1.55 -3.77 Rainbow Papers-$ 79.25 -0.65 -0.81 Rajesh Exports 150.65 -6.65 -4.23 Rallis India 223.2 -2.7 -1.2 RAMCOCEM 275.35 -5.6 -1.99 Ranbaxy Lab 560.35 -1.35 -0.24 Rashtriya Chem 50.45 -1.3 -2.51 Rasoya Proteins 17.35 0.2 1.17 Raymond 400.4 -28.2 -6.58 REC 288.65 -11.55 -3.85 Redington India 94.3 -2.55 -2.63 Reliance Cap 559.55 -18.7 -3.23 Reliance Comm 126.8 -2.3 -1.78 Reliance Indl Infra 526.2 -21.6 -3.94 Reliance Infra 718.45 -29.45 -3.94 Reliance Power 85.9 -3.9 -4.34 Religare Enter 318 -5.35 -1.65 Repco Home Fin 437 -2.55 -0.58 RIL 980.4 -8.95 -0.9 Risa Intl 1146.6 -21.65 -1.85 Rolta India 108.35 -3.45 -3.09 Ruchi Soya 40.2 -0.1 -0.25 S R K Inds 29.05 -1.5 -4.91 Sadbhav Engr 206 -4.5 -2.14 SAIL 81.35 -3.45 -4.07 SANOFI 3080 57.2 1.89 SBI 2415.25 -21.9 -0.9 Schneider Elec 127.05 -2.15 -1.66 SE Investments 370 32.15 9.52 Selan Expl-$ 562.3 -17.6 -3.04 Shasun Pharma 147.55 -1.65 -1.11 Shipping Corp 53.8 -2.55 -4.53 Shoppers Stop 421.6 7 1.69 Shree Cement 7377.8 33.75 0.46 Shree Renuka Sug 21.35 -1 -4.47 Shrenuj 56 -2.55 -4.36 Shriram City Uni 1608 5 0.31 Shriram Trans 878.75 -28.45 -3.14 Siemens 855.7 -23.8 -2.71 Sintex Inds 80.5 -3.7 -4.39 Siti Cable 27.9 -1.45 -4.94 SJVN 23.85 -0.4 -1.65 SKF India 1103.75 -62.1 -5.33 SKS Microfinance 271.7 -7.85 -2.81 Sobha Dev 424.4 -18.1 -4.09 Solar Inds 2115 -35.2 -1.64 Som Distill 214.45 -0.45 -0.21 South Indian Bank 28 -0.8 -2.78 Spicejet 13.32 -0.3 -2.2 SREI Infra 42.7 -2.25 -5.01 SRF 602.85 -28.8 -4.56 SSLT 268.5 -16.25 -5.71 Standard Chartered 116.25 -0.3 -0.26 State Bank BikJpr 631.8 -14.9 -2.3 State Bank Mysre 534.15 -11.3 -2.07 State Bank Trav 580 -7.75 -1.32 STC 197.6 -8.3 -4.03 Sterlite Tech 56.55 -1.95 -3.33 Strides Arco 665.25 1.65 0.25 Sulabh Engr 240.9 -0.15 -0.06 SUN ASIAN 486.7 5.7 1.19 Sun Pharma 759.3 0.2 0.03 Sun Pharma Adv 161.75 -2.45 -1.49 Sun TV Network 420 -2 -0.47 Sundram Fast 119.4 1.95 1.66 Sunteck Realty 319 -0.85 -0.27 Supreme Inds 615.8 -3.05 -0.49 Surabhi Chem 90.5 -0.9 -0.98 Suzlon Energy 23.4 -0.45 -1.89 Swan Energy 59.65 0 0 SYMPHONY 1078 10.55 0.99 Syndicate Bank 127.85 -3.2 -2.44 Tamil Nadu News 168.5 -1.4 -0.82 Tata Chemicals 362.45 -17.7 -4.66 Tata Coffee 912.9 -9.55 -1.04 Tata Comm 342.2 -10.05 -2.85 Tata Elxsi 581.9 -7.45 -1.26 Tata Invest 527.95 -13.55 -2.5 Tata Motors 433 -9.15 -2.07 Tata Power 91.45 -3.6 -3.79 Tata Sponge 849.05 -45.9 -5.13 Tata Steel 537.55 -17.9 -3.22 Tata Teleservices 11.13 -0.48 -4.13 TATAGLOBAL 150.3 -3.9 -2.53 TBZ 148.55 -4.45 -2.91 TCS 2476 5.8 0.23 Tech Mahindra 2187.25 -20.5 -0.93 Thermax 838.3 -10.65 -1.25 Thomas Cook 133.2 -0.8 -0.6 TILAKFIN 304 0 0 Tilaknagar Inds-$ 46.05 -1.2 -2.54 Timken India 304.15 -9.6 -3.06 TITAN 342.05 -4.75 -1.37 Torrent Pharma 746.45 -4.15 -0.55 Torrent Power 123.5 -7.6 -5.8 Tree House Edu 376 -13 -3.34 Trent 1134 -48.75 -4.12 TRITRADE 78.95 2.05 2.67 Triveni Turbine 88.35 -1 -1.12 TTK Prestige 3780.25 -107.55 -2.77 Tube Invest 270.45 -2.2 -0.81 TV18 Broadcast 29.7 -0.45 -1.49 TVS Motor 170.3 1.85 1.1 Uco Bank 95.25 -3.6 -3.64 Uflex 132.2 -1.35 -1.01 Ultratech Cem 2479.85 -65.9 -2.59 Unichem Lab 212.8 -2.85 -1.32 Union Bank 193.25 -8.3 -4.12 Unitech 25.95 -1.55 -5.64 United Bank 46.25 -1.75 -3.65 United Brew-$ 724.95 -16.35 -2.21 United Spirits 2321.95 -20.6 -0.88 Unno Inds 22.45 1.35 6.4 UPL 303.6 -12.85 -4.06 Usha Martin 45.15 -0.45 -0.99 Uttam Galva 73.25 -3.1 -4.06 VA Tech Wabag 1364.2 -1.05 -0.08 VAIBHAVGBL 839 6.45 0.77 VAKRANGEE-$ 133.45 -3.55 -2.59 Vardhman Tex 441.55 -43.55 -8.98 VGuard Inds 721 -24.4 -3.27 Videocon Inds 164.2 -2.75 -1.65 Vijaya Bank 45.8 -1.55 -3.27 VIP Inds-$ 99.9 -3.85 -3.71 Voltas 197.45 -11.65 -5.57 VST Inds 1537 -6.4 -0.41 WABCO India 3366.95 2.3 0.07 WELCORP 79.25 -3.6 -4.35 Westlife Dev 320 -10 -3.03 Whirlpool 371.45 -4.6 -1.22 Wipro 547.8 -4.95 -0.9 Wockhardt 698.2 2.5 0.36 Wyeth 915 -9.15 -0.99 Yes Bank 521.35 -11.1 -2.08 Zee Entert 271.55 -7.45 -2.67 Zensar Tech 438 4.6 1.06 Zydus Wellness-$ 600.6 -13.15 -2.14 NIFTY STOCK WATCH SCRIP OPEN HIGH LOW LTP CHANGE BHARTIARTL 363.85 375.35 361.25 375 9.2 DRREDDY 2,760.00 2,804.70 2,746.00 2,780.00 24.7 ITC 345.25 349.5 343.2 349.2 2.95 HCLTECH 1,514.95 1,540.70 1,512.10 1,530.40 12.15 HEROMOTOCO 2,574.00 2,600.00 2,549.25 2,599.00 18.05 CIPLA 431 437.65 430 437 2.05 TCS 2,465.00 2,507.70 2,465.00 2,478.00 8.2 SUNPHARMA 744.15 767.3 743.3 760.65 1.8 HINDUNILVR 699.05 703.5 695.95 702.15 0.2 HDFC 1,018.90 1,029.80 1,016.60 1,025.00 -1.85 LUPIN 1,153.00 1,171.80 1,107.30 1,159.10 -2.55 ICICIBANK 1,430.00 1,441.35 1,411.80 1,440.00 -4.85 BAJAJ-AUTO 2,125.00 2,132.95 2,109.00 2,122.00 -17.25 INFY 3,500.00 3,520.00 3,475.00 3,479.00 -28.35 RELIANCE 979.55 983.5 973.1 981 -8.3 MARUTI 2,629.00 2,635.00 2,593.50 2,626.30 -23.1 KOTAKBANK 933 935.15 919 931.05 -8.8 GRASIM 3,270.00 3,275.00 3,232.05 3,256.90 -32.2 MCDOWELL-N 2,323.10 2,352.00 2,320.00 2,320.35 -23.2 WIPRO 550.9 551.6 541.1 547 -5.65 TECHM 2,207.00 2,224.95 2,176.85 2,182.20 -28.55 CAIRN 314 315.85 310.15 311.75 -4.3 NMDC 172.5 172.8 170 171.3 -2.5 SBIN 2,412.00 2,445.40 2,390.00 2,399.90 -36.2 M&M 1,230.00 1,246.40 1,201.75 1,230.00 -19.4 ONGC 395 396 390 393.6 -6.45 COALINDIA 359.4 360.45 351.6 356.7 -6.3 HDFCBANK 805 807.8 795 795.75 -15.75 JINDALSTEL 280.2 282.55 274.55 276.5 -5.65 NTPC 139.65 140 137 138 -2.85 TATAMOTORS 437.5 437.85 430.4 433 -9 POWERGRID 133.75 134.15 130.45 131.6 -2.9 BANKBARODA 865.7 868.7 855.55 859.15 -19.25 ASIANPAINT 628 628 614.25 618 -13.95 ACC 1,460.00 1,464.90 1,432.50 1,438.15 -35.6 INDUSINDBK 544.7 551 535.3 537.1 -13.35 AXISBANK 375 377.3 369.05 371.85 -9.25 PNB 917.1 919.5 898.25 903.5 -22.85 HINDALCO 186.8 187.2 180.55 184.3 -4.8 GAIL 416 416.05 406 408 -11.05 ULTRACEMCO 2,521.90 2,525.00 2,440.00 2,473.00 -71.25 LT 1,468.35 1,475.00 1,440.00 1,440.30 -41.6 AMBUJACEM 208 208.25 202.65 204.25 -6 BPCL 573 574.95 560.5 567.6 -17.35 IDFC 148 148.2 143.5 144.8 -4.65 TATASTEEL 552.2 552.2 535.4 537.9 -17.9 TATAPOWER 94.2 94.2 91.05 91.7 -3.2 DLF 199.25 200 193.2 194.1 -8.75 BHEL 228 228 219.5 220.15 -10.7 SSLT 281.55 281.8 267 268.2 -16.45 se 500 B VITAL STATS GOLD SILVER Delhi 29300 44565 Mumbai 29170 44565 Kolkata 29280 44565 BSE: SENSEX Open High Low Current value Previous close Change (Pts) Change (%) 61.32 103.05 82.14 0.60 JUNIOR NIFTY SCRIP OPEN HIGH LOW LTP CHANGE OFSS 3,499.00 3,507.00 3,259.70 3,470.00 94.35 APOLLOHOSP 989.85 1,019.20 975 1,013.30 25.45 PETRONET 167.75 172.7 165.7 172.35 2.85 INFRATEL 250.7 261.45 243.2 256.95 4.1 DABUR 201.7 206.55 201.55 204.8 2.05 M&MFIN 243.25 248 241.3 246.2 0.3 IDEA 158.8 160.5 157.05 159.8 0.15 RANBAXY 557 567.65 550.1 561.7 -0.2 CONCOR 1,290.00 1,307.80 1,271.15 1,298.95 -0.85 DIVISLAB 1,499.45 1,521.05 1,488.00 1,500.20 -2.15 GLAXO 2,514.90 2,514.90 2,492.00 2,501.90 -4.2 MPHASIS 430 435.05 424.05 430 -2.5 TATACHEM 367.7 367.95 358.65 365.85 -4.1 GLENMARK 667.45 668.95 653.85 661.5 -7.55 GODREJCP 874 874 850 864.7 -10.1 BOSCHLTD 13,650.0013,749.9513,550.0013,552.05 -161.75 INGVYSYABK 612.5 613.5 597 608.5 -8.05 ABIRLANUVO 1,434.75 1,434.75 1,390.00 1,416.00 -19.8 ADANIPORTS 262 263.9 258.3 262.1 -4.05 BAJAJFINSV 932 934.5 912.65 925.55 -16.1 GSKCONS 4,889.95 4,890.00 4,780.00 4,815.65 -86.7 TITAN 343.5 347.6 339.45 340.5 -6.8 JSWSTEEL 1,165.10 1,173.70 1,139.10 1,151.35 -23.9 OIL 575 575 560 566 -12 UBL 739.75 739.75 718.05 727 -15.5 YESBANK 524 526.9 516.05 520.55 -11.65 BAJAJHLDNG 1,287.00 1,295.00 1,261.05 1,270.00 -28.7 ADANIENT 458.5 458.5 447.35 453.4 -10.65 RCOM 128 128.55 125.65 126.25 -3 PFC 263.7 264.6 258.75 260.5 -6.7 BANKINDIA 271.05 271.7 264.65 267.35 -7.05 ZEEL 276.5 279 269.35 271.75 -7.2 COLPAL 1,516.75 1,528.00 1,485.20 1,486.50 -39.45 BHARATFORG 750 754.95 731.95 738.25 -19.9 CROMPGREAV 194 195.5 190.35 193.3 -5.3 TATAGLOBAL 152.7 152.9 149.55 150 -4.15 LICHSGFIN 283.65 284.35 275.5 279.4 -7.8 SIEMENS 875 876.35 850.85 854.9 -24.65 EXIDEIND 160.5 161.5 156.05 157 -4.95 SRTRANSFIN 897.1 900.45 872.05 878 -28.55 CUMMINSIND 670 670 642.65 661.95 -21.9 FEDERALBNK 115.8 115.8 112.5 113.1 -3.8 RELCAPITAL 570 570.9 557.6 558 -20.25 RECLTD 296.95 297.2 287.35 288.75 -11.45 UNIONBANK 198.05 199.25 192.1 193.55 -8.15 UPL 314.4 314.4 302 303.5 -13.05 CANBK 390.5 390.5 376.45 378 -16.4 RPOWER 88.5 88.8 85.55 85.85 -3.8 SAIL 84.5 84.5 80.3 81.05 -3.75 HINDPETRO 409.25 410 393 398.75 -19.3 25406.87 25406.87 25232.82 25329.14 25589.01 -259.87 -1.02 BSE: GAINERS Oracle Fin 3,455.10 (2.47) Apollo Hosp 1,011.20 (2.33) Bharti Infratel 258.75 (2.25) Bharti Airtel 373.70 (2.09) Pidilite Inds 366.70 (1.93) Current (Chng %) NSE: GAINERS BHARTIARTL 375.00 (2.52) DRREDDY 2,780.00 (0.90) ITC 349.20 (0.85) HCLTECH 1,530.40 (0.80) HEROMOTOCO 2,599.00 (0.70) Current (Chng %) BSE: LOSERS Bhushan Steel 219.35 (9.99) JPPOWER 17.20 (6.01) Torrent Power 123.50 (5.80) SSLT 268.50 (5.71) Unitech 25.95 (5.64) Current (Chng %) NSE: LOSERS SSLT 268.20 (5.78) BHEL 220.15 (4.64) DLF 194.10 (4.31) TATAPOWER 91.70 (3.37) TATASTEEL 537.90 (3.22) Current (Chng %) SENSEX NIFTY PNS n NEW DELHI Y amaha Motor Co on Friday announced a restructuring of its business in India, bring- ing all its group companies under one single leadership. The company will re-start Yamaha Motor India Pvt Ltd (YMI) as the regional control company for India operations. YMI would function as the regional headquarters and cor- porate control body of India business operations for Yamaha Motor Co (YMC), the compa- ny said in a statement. It further said effective August 15, 2014, Hiroyuki Suzuki, CEO & Managing Director of India Yamaha Motor (IYM), has been appointed as the Managing Director of YMI. He would also function as the Chairman of the other Yamaha group companies in India India Yamaha Motor (IYM), Yamaha Motor India Sales (YMIS) and Yamaha Motor Research & Development India (YMRI), the statement said. Takashi Terabayashi, Deputy MD of IYM woul d be the new Managing Director of IYM, it said. In 2008, Yamaha Motor Co announced setting up a joint venture with Mitsui Corp to produce motorcycles in India. PTI n MUMBAI M arkets regulator Sebi on Friday slapped a penalty of `13 crore on corporate giant RIL on charges of repeated non-dis- closure of a key earnings ratio for sixquarters, sayingthisinformation wouldhavehadasignificantimpact oninvestors decisiontobuyorsell shares. The penaltyincludes a fine of `1 crore for violation of Listing Agreement andanother`12crore for violation of the Securities Contracts(Regulation)Actinrela- tion to non-disclosure of the DilutedEarningsPerShare(DEPS) in the quarterly and annual dis- closures. Theorderfollowsaprobe bythecapital markets regulator in anoverseven-yearoldcaseinvolv- ingallegedirregularitiesinissuance of 12 crore warrants by Mukesh Ambani-led RIL to its promoters entitlingitsholderstosubscribeto equivalentnumberofequityshares of RIL. Itwasallegedthatthisissuance inApril 2007hadresultedindilut- ing the pre-issue paid-up equity share capital of RIL, but the com- pany repeatedly failed to disclose such dilution in earnings for as many as six quarters. WhileRelianceIndustriesLtd (RIL)didnotreplytoqueriesrelat- edtoSebi fine, theregulatorsaidin its 15-page order that the compa- nyhadsubmittedbeforeitthatthere wouldbe nodilutive effect inthe EarningPerShare(EPS)if thepro- ceeds from the issue are not less than the fair value of the shares issued. Sebi, however, ruledthatcon- version of warrants into equity shares would necessarily result in reductioninnet profit pershareof the company as the same amount of profit needs tobe distributedto additional equity shares as well uponsuchconversion. Thelatest penaltycomes over one year after another fine of `11 croreslappedbySebi inMay2013 on Reliance Petroinvestments, an RILsubsidiary, inaninsider trad- ing case. That case was related to charge that Reliance Petroinvestmentsbought sharesof erstwhile IPCL (Indian Petrochemicals CorpLtd) inearly 2007justbeforeitdeclaredaninter- im dividend and announced the merger of IPCLwithRIL. Also, the Securities Appellate Tribunal dismissed a plea by RIL on June 30 this year against Sebi, whichhadrejectedthe companys consent application on an alleged irregularities inrelationtotrading insharesofReliancePetroleumLtd, thenaseparatelylistedgroupcom- pany, inNovember, 2007.Inthepre- sent case, ashow-causenoticewas servedonRILinFebruarylastyear, listingoutallegationslevelledagainst the company. After looking into the com- panysreplyandfurtherprobeinto the matter, Sebi said that EPS (Basic or Diluted) is a vital factor oroneof thefundamental toolsfor theinvestorswhilearrivingatdeci- sion to continue or invest in the shares of a particular company. Theregulatorsaidfurtherthat RILunderanobligationtodisclose separately the DEPS for the quar- ters ended June 2007, September 2007, December 2007, March 2008, June 2008 and September 2008, whichthenoticeehadfailed to do so. In view of aforesaid observations, facts andrecords of the case, Sebi said, the company wasinviolationof therelevant pro- visions of the Listing Agreement andtheSCRAandthereforeit was liable to a penalty. Noting that a specific quan- tum of any direct or indirect unfair gain made by RIL and the loss caused to the investors were not available onrecords, Sebi said that the fact cannot be ignored that millions of shareholders/investors were deprived of correct disclosures about DEPS. As regards to the repetitive nature of default, as observed above that the Noticee had failed to disclose the DEPS repetitively for the six quarters. Hence, an appropriate penalty needs to be imposed upon the Noticee, taking into account the aforesaidgravity of the violations committed, Sebi said. Accordingly, the regulator has decided to impose a penal- ty of Rs one crore for violation of Listing Agreement and of another Rs 12 crore for violating the SCRA provision. Sebi fines RIL `13 cr for not disclosing earnings dilution Yamaha rejigs India biz; all group firms under one umbrella world 13 LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 AP n LONDON T he World Health Organisation on Friday declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to be an interna- tional public health emergency that requires an extraordinary response to stop its spread. It is the largest and longest outbreak ever recorded of Ebola, which has a death rate of about 50 per cent and has so far killed at least 932 people. WHO declared similar emer- gencies for the swine flu pan- demic in 2009 and for polio in May. The WHO chief, Dr Margaret Chan, said the announcement is a clear call for international solidarity although she acknowledged that many countries would probably not have any Ebola cases. Countries affected to date simply do not have the capac- ity to manage an outbreak of this size and complexity on their own, Chan said at a news conference in Geneva. I urge the international com- munity to provide this support on the most urgent basis pos- sible. The agency had con- vened an expert committee this week to assess the severity of the continuing epidemic. The current outbreak of Ebola began in Guinea in March and has since spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia, with a suspected cluster in Nigeria. There is no licensed treatment or vaccine for Ebola. The impact of the WHO declaration is unclear; the dec- laration about polio doesnt yet seem to have slowed the spread of virus. Statements wont save lives, said Dr Bart Janssens, director of opera- tions for Doctors Without Borders. For weeks, (we) have been repeating that a massive medical, epidemiological and public health response is des- perately needed. ... Lives are being lost because the response is too slow. In the United States, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention have already elevated their Ebola response to the highest level and have recommended against travelling to West Africa. On Thursday, CDC director Dr Tom Frieden told a Congressional hearing that the current outbreak is set to sick- en more people than all previ- ous outbreaks of the disease combined. I dont know what the advantage is of declaring an international emergency, said Dr David Heymann, who directed WHOs response to the SARS outbreak and is now a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. This could bring in more foreign aid but we dont know that yet, he said. Other experts hoped the declaration would send more health work- ers to West Africa. The situation is very crit- ical and different from what weve seen before, said Dr Heinz Feldmann, chief of virol- ogy at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. There are so many locations with transmission popping up and we just need more people on the ground. WHO did not recommend any travel or trade bans but said people who had close contact with Ebola patients should not travel internationally. For coun- tries with Ebola, WHO issued various recommendations, including exit screening at international airports and bor- der crossings to spot potential cases. It also discouraged mass gatherings. AGENCIES n WASHINGTON/GAZA A merican warplanes began bombing Islamic militant targets outside the Kurdish city of Irbil on Friday, in the first offensive action by the US in Iraq since it withdrew ground troops in 2011. Following authority granted by Barack Obama on Thursday, the Pentagon said two FA-18 jets dropped 500- pound laser-guided bombs on fighters with the Islamic State, also known as Isis or Isil. The US claimed the mili- tants were using artillery to shell peshmerga forces defend- ing Irbil and threatening US personnel in the city. As the president made clear, the United States military will con- tinue to take direct action against Isil when they threaten our personnel and facilities, said Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby. Obamas orders to his mil- itary commanders were wide- ly drafted and included per- mission to take action against Isis forces threatening either the thousands of Yazidi refugees trapped on Mount Sinjar, or the cities of Irbil and Baghdad, where US military advisers are based. Since Obamas state- ment on Thursday night, there has been relatively little criti- cism of his return to Iraqi mil- itary intervention s in Congress although there is thought to be deep unease within the White House about the risk of being sucked back into a prolonged campaign against Isis. White House officials who briefed reporters on Thursday night made clear it was the rapid Isis advance on Irbil that had triggered the latest inter- vention, although Obama also stressed the need for the US to take action to prevent possible genocide of the Yazidi popula- tion. The two FA-18 Hornets that carried out Fridays oper- ation were launched from the USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier in the Gulf. The oper- ation began at 1.45pm local time (6.45am ET, 11.45am BST). Separate humanitarian air drops have already began to bring relief to thousands of minority Iraqis trapped on a mountain in the north-west of Iraq. Describing the threats against stranded Yazidi refugees as holding the poten- tial for genocide, Obama said he had authorised limited air strikes to help Iraqi forces, to assist in the fight to break the siege and protect the civilians trapped there. Following Obamas autho- risation to his military com- manders, they are able to act independently of the White House on tactical matters. The decision to strike was made by the US central command com- mander under authorisation granted him by the comman- der-in-chief, said Kirby. The US portrayed its initial action on Friday as a necessary step to protect its joint opera- tion centre in Irbil, which is being used to co-ordinate defences with Peshmerga fight- ers. The fact of the matter is we have people in Irbil and if Irbil is allow to fall, they will be at risk, said national security adviser Ben Rhodes on Friday. But US jets have been operat- ing over Kurdish areas for some time and the Pentagon believes the Islamic militants advancing toward Irbil pose a significant threat to the city. PTI n GAZA/JERUSALEM E xplosions and gunfire resounded in Gaza on Friday after a 72-hour ceasefire ended with Israel bombarding the coastal strip, killing a 10- year-old boy in retaliation to a barrage of rockets fired by Hamas, as talks in Cairo for a durable truce virtually col- lapsed. Gaza-based militants fired first after the temporary truce expired at 8 am (local time), launching 21 rockets toward Israel and marking the resumption of the month-long devastating conflict that has killed nearly 1,900 Palestinians and 67 people in Israel, includ- ing 64 soldiers. The IDF said, in total, more than 36 rockets were fired at Israel today. The mili- tary said its Iron Dome anti- missile shield had intercepted three rockets, while the remain- ing ones fell on open ground. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to retaliate after the rocket attacks. The Israeli prime minister and defence minister have ordered the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) to retaliate forcefully to the Hamas breach of the cease- fire, an official said in a state- ment. Thousands of Palestinians who had returned to their houses again took refuge at UN shelters. The moment it dawned upon people this morning that there was no chance of a long- term ceasefire agreement they started leaving their houses, especially in the eastern part of Gaza. Some of them whose houses had been destroyed in bombings earlier and had pitched tents also returned to our facilities, a UN worker in Gaza told PTI. IDF retaliated strongly to rocket fire by Gaza militants calling the unprovoked attacks unacceptable, intolerable and short-sighted. Israeli jets struck multiple targets across the Gaza Strip, following the barrage of rocket attacks in which two people, including a soldier, were injured. A ten-year old Palestinian boy was killed and five others injured in an Israeli air strike on a mosque in the Sheikh al- Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City. Six other Palestinians were injured across Gaza. UN figures indicate that 73 per cent of the 1,890 Palestinian victims, or 1,354 people, were civilians. At least 429 of those civilians were children, it said. Fire from Israeli tanks and gunboats was also reported from northern and central Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel pulled out of talks in Cairo, officials and medics said. Israel will not negotiate under fire, an official said. The Israeli delegation arrived back from Egypt about an hour before the cease-fire ended, Israeli officials said. Hamas said Israel had failed to meet its key demands, including the lifting of the blockade of Gaza, the release of prisoners and the end of the Israeli offensive. Hamas also rejected Israel's call for the demilitarisation of Gaza. A Hamas spokesman said his organisation was ready for "a long war". Israel had informed Egypt of its willingness to extend the truce by another three days before "Hamas breached the ceasefire". There were also reports of shelling in northern Gaza by Israeli naval forces. Israel has rubbished claims about civilian casualties saying that about 900 Palestinian mil- itants were killed and blamed the militant factions for the civilian deaths, arguing that innocent people were being used by them as "human shield". Israel launched Operation Protective Edge on July 8 with the stated aim of halting rock- et fire from militants in Gaza and later added destroying the network of tunnels which it said were being used by mili- tants among its major obec- tives. Two militant factions -- Islamic Jihad and the Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades -- who have fought alongside Hamas in Gaza under the banner of "the resistance" said they had fired rockets at Israel on Friday. PTI n BEIJING C hinese President Xi Jinping will face his biggest political test to muster support for his stepped up anti-graft campaign against top retired officials at a gathering of ruling Communist Party elite this week. Analysts say the meet- ing of party elders for annual informal get-together at Beidaihe resort will test President Xis authority to hold the party together as senior cadres and interest groups feel the heat from his sweeping anti-corruption campaign. The meeting of party elders and the leadership at the seaside resort for the traditional low-key gathering comes after the president reportedly acknowl- edged that his two-year-old drive against graft faced challenges. The two armies of corruption and anti-corrup- tion are in opposition and are at a stale- mate, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted President Xi as saying. The report did not elaborate, but analysts and insiders suggested the campaign had damaged interest groups with links to some of the party elite, and Xi had clearly realised that it was make-or-break time in the fight against them, it said. The anti-corruption cam- paign - the biggest in Chinas recent his- tory involving both civil and army offi- cials - led to the investigations against Zhou Yongkang, who was part of the Communist Party of Chinas nine- member Standing Committee which ruled the country till 2012. Xi, who has emerged as a strong leader, broke an unwritten rule that incumbent and retired Standing Committee members were immune from corruption probe, intensifying speculation that some affected political groups were trying to challenge his authority. Renmin University political science professor Zhang Ming said the situation was complicated, and different parties might hit back in Beidaihe. Zhang said the anti-graft campaign would domi- nate the informal summit, as leaders were expected to discuss how far the crusade would go, or if any bigger tigers would be caught. The announce- ment of probe against Zhou suggested that Xi did not want to discuss the case at the meeting, but move forward on other possible major corruption cases and issues, he told the Post. At the cen- tre is what kind of rule of law the lead- ers want, he said. Last week, the CPC Politburo said the annual plenary session in October of the partys 205-member decision- making Central Committee would dis- cuss ways to advance the rule of law. There were also concerns over the crackdown on multi-nationals in China which have invested billions of dollars in the country in the past decade. Firms like Microsoft, Accenture, Mercedes and Audi faced anti-monop- oly probes. Jonathan Holslag, research fellow at the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies, said Xis biggest challenge was that he was becoming isolated. Business leaders are losing patience with his economic policies. The military complains about being stripped of some of its privileges. The party is get- ting increasingly plagued by distrust and the public is starting to feel that the easy times are over, he said. One aim of the Beidaihe summit was to reduce behind-the-scenes power struggles and reunite the party under Xi ahead of the annual plenary session, the analysts said. Steve Tsang, director of the China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham in Britain, said: This is meant to deliver a pow- erful, effective and efficient Leninist party, to enable Xi to introduce the reforms he feels essential to secure the China Dream of promoting a rich and powerful China under the leadership of the party and himself . Whether this process of unrelent- ingly reinforcing the power of the party will gather a momentum of its own, so much so that it just keeps going, is an open question, Tsang said. US jets strike in Iraq: Pentagon Israel, Hamas resume fire after 3-day Gaza truce Smoke, dust and debris rise over Gaza City after an Israeli strike on Friday as Israel and Gaza militants resumed cross-border attacks after a three-day truce expired and Egyptian-brokered talks on a new border deal for blockaded Gaza hit a deadlock AP AGENCIES n KIEV U krainian army units, which had been trapped by separatists on the border with Russia, broke out of the bl ockade on Friday and rejoined government forces, but 15 soldiers and border guards were killed in the oper- ation, the Ukrainian military said. Military sources quoted by Ukrainian media said Ukrainian units had been effectively encircled by the rebels on a section of the bor- der with Russia south of the town of Luhansk and east of the main regional city of Donetsk. After government forces opened up an escape corridor, the trapped units were able to force their way out, military sources quoted by the media said. "Seven service staff and eight border guards were killed and 79 injured," military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told journalists. Government forces say they are gradually tightening the noose around the heavily armed pro-Russian separatists whom they have been battling since mid-April in a conflict which the United Nations high commissioner for human rights says has cost the lives of more than 1,100 people in all, including government forces, rebels and civilians. The latest military deaths from the fight- ing in the Russian-speaking east of Ukraine push the death toll among government forces alone to more than 400. The Kiev government and its Western allies accuse Russia of seeking to destabilize Ukraine and arming the rebels, who have declared indepen- dent "people's republics" in the two main industrial regions. Moscow denies involvement. In the biggest Russia-West confrontation since the end of the Cold War, the United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia. Moscow has retaliated with a sweeping ban on imports of many Western foodstuffs. Fighting has intensified since the shoot- ing down of flight MH17 on July 17, killing all 298 passen- gers and crew, an act which the West laid at the door of the rebels. Russia and the rebels blame the disaster on Kiev's military offensive. Ukrainian troops trapped by separatists break free, 15 killed Ebola outbreak is a public health emergency: WHO Director General of the World Health Organization, WHO, China's Margaret Chan and Assistant Director General for Health Security Keiji Fukuda of the US, right, share a word during a press conference after an emergency meeting at the headquarters of the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday AP Xi Jinping faces tough test at CPC leaders meet PTI n WASHINGTON A toddler squeezed through the White House fence, triggering a security lock down and forcing President Barack Obama to delay a major announcement to the nation on Iraq. The incident occurred yes- terday at around 8 pm (local time) when the toddler got away from his parents, squeezed through the fence and entered the heavily protected White House grounds, causing a brief commotion at the 132- room presidential mansion. President Obama was about to address the nation on Iraq when the briefing was delayed because of the security breach on the North Lawn of the White House. Obama later announced that he has autho- rised US air strikes in northern Iraq against Islamic militants to protect American military per- sonnel and prevent potential genocide of thousands of dis- placed religious minorities trapped on a mountaintop in northwest Iraq. Secret Service Spokesman Edwin Donovan made light of the security breach, saying: We were going to wait until he learned to talk to question him, but in lieu of that he got a timeout and was sent on way with parents. The toddler was soon handed over to his par- ents. Secret Service agents reg- ularly close off the area due to suspicious packages or inci- dents near the White House, but pint-sized intruders are a rare occurrence. PTI n LONDON A man was killed when a charging e-cigarette exploded and ignited oxygen equipment he is believed to have been using, fire service in the English town of Wallasey said on Friday. The 62-year-old victim was found in the living room of a house in Penkett Road, Wallasey. A small fire in the bedroom of the property had gone out before firefighters arrived, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) said. The exact cause of death is yet to be established, the BBC reported. An MFRS spokesman said: "The subsequent fire investigation identified that an e-cigarette that had been charg- ing in the bedroom exploded, caught fire and ignited the oxygen tube of an oxygen con- centrator, which may have been in use by the occupier." Myles Platt, MFRS area manager said: "The investiga- tion into the cause of this fire is continuing but at this stage it is thought that the charging device being used at the time may not have been the one sup- plied with the e-cigarette. "We urge people to always use elec- trical equipment in accordance with the manufacturer' s instructions and guidance, always ensure that no electri- cal items are left charging overnight or left unattended for a long period when being charged, and do not mix parts from different e-cigarettes. Since January, nine fires involv- ing e-cigarettes have been recorded on Merseyside. An electronic cigarette is a battery- powered vaporiser which sim- ulates tobacco smoking by pro- ducing an aerosol that resem- bles smoke. Toddler breaches White House security, delays Obamas speech Man killed as e-cigarette explodes' in English town President Barack Obama speaks about the situation in Iraq in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, on Thursday. Obama said he has authorized the US military to launch targeted airstrikes if Islamic militants advance toward American personnel in northern Iraq. He also has announced that the military carried out airdrops of humanitarian aid Thursday to Iraqi religious minorities threatened by the extremists AP United Nations (PTI): The UN Security Council has condemned"inthe strongest terms" attacks on minorities by Islamist militants in Iraq as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the international community to support the Iraqi government during the cur- rent crisis. "The Secretary-General is deeply appalled at today's reports of attacks by the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) in Kirkuk, and Qaraqosh, and earlier attacks in Tal Afar and Sinjar district, affecting mainly the vulnerable communities of Christians, Turkomen, and Yezidis," Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson. "Reports of Yezidis amassing along the Turkish border as well as thousands also trapped in the Sinjar Mountains in des- perate need of humanitarian assistance are of urgent and grave concern," the statement said. The Secretary-General welcomed the suc- cessful humanitarian airdrop that has taken place so far but expressed his "continuing and deep concern" for the safety of those civilians. Ban called on the international community, "especially those with the influence and resources" to positively impact the situation, to support the government and people of Iraq and to do all it can to help alleviate the suffering of the population affected by the current conflict in Iraq. The UN Security Council condemned the attacks by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and again expressed its "deep out- rage" about the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis - many of them from vulnerable minority communities, especially Yezidis and Christians displaced by ISIL's attacks and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. "The members of the Security Council condemn in the strongest terms the systematic persecution of individu- als from minority populations and those who refuse the extremist ideology of ISIL and asso- ciated armed groups," the 15-nation body said in a statement. The UNSC reiterated that wide- spreador systematic attacks directedagainst any civilian populations because of their ethnic background, political grounds and religion may constitute a crime against humanity, for which those responsible must be held accountable. UNSC condems ISIL attacks in Iraq, Ban calls for Intl support sport 14 LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 PTI MANCHESTER E ngland pacer Stuart Broad has said that their bowling attack made good use of the overcast conditions after losing the toss and they now need to bat India out of the fourth Test. India were bowled out for 152 runs on the opening day at Old Trafford and the hosts are now looking to capitalise on the visitors' failure in the first innings. "I was disappointed to find out that we lost the toss and then we got lucky with over- head conditions," said Broad. "But it wasn't just about the conditions. We bowled well and hit the right lengths with the new ball and it was swing- ing nicely. We challenged the Indian batsmen with right lengths and took our catches to put ourselves in a really good position." India were reduced to 8/4 at one stage as Broad (6-25) and James Anderson (3-46) wreaked havoc. Broad said that the England bowlers were just spot on in favourable con- ditions. "It happened very quickly for us and they were all decent balls. It's not like the Indian batsmen will be kicking them- selves for playing those shots. They certainly had to play at those deliveries. I can't remem- ber a Test match where we knocked out a top-order like that. "The bounce was very good and getting a leg before was very hard. So it was good bowling because we didn't get carried away with that bounce," said Broad. "The big thing was that the nicks were carrying and as a bowler that is a huge advantage. The ball was swinging nicely but when the sun came out, R Ashwin and MS Dhoni showed that it was a decent wicket to bat on. "The zip in the pitch went away to some extent so we did really well in the first hour and it was really good for us," he added. Dhoni and Ashwin added 66 runs for the 7th wicket and rescued India from total embarrassment. Broad was appreciative of the Indian skip- per's efforts as well as of his bowling partner's. "Anderson bowled very well today. In conditions like this, he has the ball on a string and can move it both ways. "Certainly, the first two wickets he took, the batsmen had to play at it and couldn't have left the balls," said Broad, referring to the beautiful outswingers Anderson bowled to Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli. "The Indian batsmen did- n't get more than 5-6 balls to bat and that is the most danger- ous period for any batsman. But Dhoni showed his team how he wanted them to bat on this pitch. "He is perhaps the best batsman in the world today when batting with the tail. He has made some changes from the previous tours and comes across more now, and some- times when the length is not there to be hit, he can take blows. "If our batsmen bat like him, and one of them goes on to get a hundred, we will be in a fantastic position," the all- rounder said. Broad also confirmed that he will be shortly undergoing surgery on his trouble-some knee. "I am going to have surgery, probably after this series. I don't know if it will be before the ODI series or not. But it will take about three months for rehabilitation and I should be available for the 2015 ODI World Cup," he said. PTI MANCHESTER E ngland consolidated their position by taking a handy 85-run lead as they reached 237 for six before heavy rain washed away nearly two ses- sions of play on the second day of the fourth cricket Test against India, here on Friday. Resuming at overnight 113 for three, England lost three wickets in the pre-lunch session as India removed removed Ian Bell (58), Chris Jordan (13) and Moeen Ali (13). A 67-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Joe Root (48) and Jos Buttler (22) dashed India's hopes of anymore breakthroughs. Only nine overs were pos- sible after lunch which meant that only 36 overs were bowled on day two as wet outfield in a small area around square pre- vented further action. The rain did stop around the scheduled tea-time but the outfield had been rendered completely wet and big puddles formed at various spots on the square as well as the boundary ropes which meant that the ground-staff were unable to get play started again. This was after Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-47) picked up two quick wickets in the morning session to peg England back, restricting the hosts to 201 for six at lunch. Varun Aaron (3-48) also added another to the two wick- ets he picked up last evening. The second morning began with grey clouds still looming large over the ground, but they seemed lighter than the ones on day one that had helped English bowlers wreak havoc on the Indian top-order. The Indian bowlers need- ed to make use of whatever conditions were available to them though, and take as many quick wickets as possible. That plan seemed a bit flustered at the start as 21 runs came off the first four overs itself, with Ian Bell (58) and Chris Jordan (13) setting a hectic pace. Bell, starting at his overnight score of 45, reached his half-century in the second over of the day off 63 balls. Soon after, Kumar got rid of Jordan, caught by Aaron at midwicket off a short ball. Two overs later, India had wicket of Bell as Kumar set him up with two beautiful outswingers, the second getting a faint edge as the batsman played at it. BRIEF SCORES: India 1st Innings: 152 England 1st Innings: 237 for six in 71 overs (Ian Bell 58; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3/47, Varon Aaron 3/44). PTI NEW DELHI C heteshwar Pujara may not have got a big score in the ongoing Test series against England but his father and coach Arvind Pujara believes that this "learning experience" will only make his son a better player in the coming days. "This England series is a learning experience for Cheteshwar. The pitches, the condition and the quality of attack are all from the top drawer. Any batsmen would find these conditions challeng- ing but he would learn a lot of things from this tour," Pujara senior told PTI from Rajkot on Friday. Having coached his son since he had held a cricket bat in hand, the former Saurashtra Ranji Trophy player knows his game like the back of his hand but he feels that with Duncan Fletcher aroud, he need not worry about any technical problem. "Duncan Fletcher is a superb coach. He is the best person to guide Cheteshwar at the moment. It will not be fair on my part to say what kind of tehnical discussions both have had," the father said. But having played the game and coached Cheteshwar, does he find any problem with his batting, and Pujara senior replied, "I wouldn't say problem but Cheteshwar needs to work hard on countering sharp swinging deliveries. "Swinging deliveries are not always a problem but do we regularly play in these condi- tions where there is so much of bounce as well sharp swing. Look, how much swing a sea- soned bowler like Anderson is getting. One needs to play the ball late and eyes should always be on bowler's release. You need to pick up the direction of the swing early," said the for- mer wicketkeeper. Pujara senior said that the difference between South Africa and England has been the conditions which has led to balls swinging prodi- giously. "In South Africa, there is bounce but in England, the cli- matic conditions leads to the kind of swing that bowlers are getting. Even if we prepare bouncy pitches in India, we can't create an atmosphere where the deliveries will swing so much. These are pressures of international cricket and one needs to adapt quickly. But full credit to the England bowlers for the areas that they have bowled," he said. PTI CHENNAI I CC chairman N Srinivasan on Friday made it clear that the apex cricket body was "not considering" a complete over- haul in the 'Code of Conduct' for players, which has become a subject of debate following the infamous James Anderson- Ravindra Jadeja 'Pushgate' inci- dent. "We are not considering to revamp ICC Code of conduct for players," Srinivasan, a for- mer BCCI president, told reporters. Srinivasan' s response comes a day after BCCI secre- tary Sanjay Patel pushed for a complete revamp in the ICC players code of conduct. "As I see it, the ICC Code of Conduct needs to be revamped or rehauled, whatev- er you may call it. Currently the BCCI could not have asked for an appeal against the decision of the judicial commissioner (Gordon Lewis who let off Anderson). The appellant in this case could have been only the ICC. It's a big flaw (in the process)," Patel had said on Thursday. Former India skipper Rahul Dravid, too, slammed the 'not guilty' verdict given to Anderson in the 'pushgate' incident and said the adminis- trators of the game have sent out a "wrong message" by let- ting off the England pacer without any punishment. "The message we've given out at the moment, the game has given out, is that it's okay to do this stuff (abuse), which I think is wrong. I think there needed to be some sort of action taken," Dravid had said. The incident took place as the players were leaving for lunch during the second day of the first Test at Trent Bridge. India had charged Anderson with a Level 3 offence for pushing Jadeja but England resorted back by filing a Level 2 charge against the Indian all-rounder, arguing that he had allegedly wheeled around aggressively prompting Anderson to act in self-defence. However, with no video evidence and with testimony from both sides being "hope- lessly biased", judicial commis- sioner Gordon Lewis' have found both Anderson and Jadeja not guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct at a hearing in Southampton last week. HARARE: Freshly re-installed as the top- ranked Test team in the world, South Africa appear disinclined to take any mercy on their struggling neighbours Zimbabwe when the two teams engage in a rare Test starting on Saturday. Given Zimbabwe's lowly ranking and the myriad problems infecting its cricket, the Proteas could have been forgiven for resting key players in the one-off Test but have instead stuck with the 15-man squad that recently clinched a series victory in Sri Lanka. That means that a Zimbabwe side who have not played a Test in almost a year are set to come up against the best and most feared bowler in the world in Dale Steyn, as well as top-ranked batsman AB de Villiers and top-ranked all- rounder Vernon Philander. "Whether you're playing Australia or Zimbabwe, the pressure is always there. We are here to play our best brand of cricket," South Africa captain Hashim Amla promised on arrival in Harare. "My firm belief is that you don't take any- thing for granted. I've come here to play Test cricket as intensely as we played even in Sri Lanka." The expectation, therefore, is that the Proteas will inflict a similar defeat to the ones Zimbabwe suffered back in 2005 -- the last time that the sides encountered each other in Test cricket. Not only did Zimbabwe lose both Tests by an innings, but the first match ended inside two days and the second lasted just three. Hamilton Masakadza, Elton Chigumbura and Brendan Taylor are the three current Zimbabwe players who will have some harsh memories from that match, while AB de Villiers is the only South African to have spanned the nine-year gap. This clash finds the hosts at a particularly low ebb following their one-day series draw at home to Afghanistan last month, but captain Taylor insists they are excited by the challenge. Boxing trials for Asian Games postponed NEW DELHI: The selection trials to pick Indian boxers for the upcoming Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, has been postponed due to request from the medal win- ners in the recently-concluded Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The selection trials were earlier scheduled to be held from August 9-11 at the NIS Patiala. "Selection Trials scheduled from August 09-11, 2014 for selection Elite (Senior) Men/Women Boxing teams for forthcoming Incheon Asian Games-2014 have been postponed due to request received from medal winner Boxers of Glasgow Commonwealth Games," a release from the Ad-hoc Committee on Boxing appoint- ed by Indian Olympic Association said. "This decision has been taken after discussion with National Coach Mr G S Sandhu and AIBA EC Member Mr Kishen Narsi. The fresh dates of the said Selection Trials will be intimated soon," committee chairman Tarlochan Singh said in the release. Indian boxers, including 2008 Olympic bronze medal- list Vijender Singh, had won four silver and a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Rain plays spoilsport as England take 85-run lead Bhuvneshwar Kumar, centre, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's Chris Jordan for 13 at Old Trafford cricket ground on the second day of the fourth test match of their five match series, in Manchester on Friday PTI MANCHESTER I ndian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has not lost hope after the team's surrender in the first innings of the fourth Test against England but felt disappointed on getting out after doing all the hard work. India were bowled out for a paltry 152 in their first innings, but Ashwin (40) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (71) did try to save some face with a 66-run sev- enth-wicket partnership after the visitors were reduced to 8 for 4 in 5.1 overs. "There have been times in the Ranji Trophy when teams have made a similar start. Mumbai were 0/5 at one stage if I remember and then they went on to win. So I am per- sonally drawing inspiration from that and I believe we are still in the game. I am just dis- appointed that I threw away my wicket because maybe I could have scored more runs," said Ashwin, who has 3 fifties and 2 centuries under his belt in 19 Tests. "There was something in the wicket for the bowlers to exploit and they bowled really well. Maybe we could have got a few more runs, you always want more runs. But we did well to get those wickets in the end and we are still in the game," he added. Playing his first Test of the series, Ashwin was not happy with the way he got out after doing the grinding bit. "I don't know how I feel about getting back again in the side. But when I went out to bat, I felt like a chicken out of the box. I was very scratchy when my innings started and the ball was doing too much. "So I just tried to stick in there for a while and see what happens. But I am disappoint- ed with the way I got out. I have only myself to blame for that. If we had more runs we could have put more pres- sure on them," he said, after being trapped by a short ball from Broad and caught in the deep. With the five-match series tied at 1-1, Dhoni opted to bat first in overcast conditions, but Ashwin defended his cap- tain's call. "The wickets are pretty much similar in all the match- es and the conditions were a bit different. So it was entire- ly the management's call to bat first after winning the toss. In the end they bowled very well and used the conditions very well," he said. Ashwin though was full of praise for his captain who, despite an unorthodox tech- nique, showed the top-order batsmen how to bat on this pitch. "Dhoni played a brilliant innings, a gutsy innings," Ashwin said. "The bal l was going around and in fact it was kicking off good length. So when we got together, he asked me to play my game, and play my shots, because that was the way to go. There were hardly any runs on the board and we were looking to rotate the strike. We didn't want to be sitting ducks in those conditions." I believe we are still in the game: Ashwin Made good use of the conditions: Broad England tour a learning experience for Cheteshwar: Father No plans to revamp ICC code of conduct for players: Srinivasan The message we've given out at the moment, the game has given out, is that it's okay to do this stuff (abuse), which I think is wrong. I think there needed to be some sort of action taken - Rahul Dravid South Africa pledge no mercy on struggling Zimbabwe SINGLES sport 15 LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 DJOKOVIC UPSET BY TSONGA Toronto: Top-ranked Novak Djokovic was upset by 13th- seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Thursday in the Rogers Cup, falling 6-2, 6-2 in only 63 minutes in the third round. Second-seeded Roger Federer narrowly avoided another upset, edging Marin Cilic 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-4. Tsonga's serve gave Djokovic plenty of trouble. The Frenchman had only eight aces, but Djokovic continually struggled to keep his returns in play. Serving on match point, Tsonga won when Djokovic's return went wide. Tsonga did some shadow boxing and jumped up and down before waving to a receptive crowd. On Wednesday, Djokovic needed three tough sets to outlast Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2) in the second round. Tsonga will play Andy Murray. KVITOVA, SHARAPOVA OUSTED AT MONTREAL Montreal: Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and French Open winner Maria Sharapova suffered third-round shock exits while top seed Serena Williams avoided the upset bug Thursday at the WTA Montreal hardcourt tournament. Russian Ekaterina Makarova upended second-seeded left- hander Kvitova 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, while diminutive Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro stunned fourth-seeded Sharapova 6- 2, 4-6, 6-2, following a third-set rain delay, at Uniprix Stadium. Williams advanced by defeating Lucie Safarova 7- 5, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals. DEEPIKA TO FIGHT FOR BRONZE IN WC Kolkata: Deepika Kumari will battle for a bronze in the individual recurve section after she lost in the semifinal of the Archery World Cup Stage IV being held in Wroclaw, Poland. According to information received here, Deepika lost to Jing Xu of China 6-5 in the semifinals yesterday and she will now take on Tatiana Segina of Russia in the bronze medal play-off on Sunday. The loss may also prove to be a dampner for the three-time World Cup Final silver medalist's hope for a place in the season-ending meet in Lausanne from September 5-7. In the women's compound individual, Purvasha Shende lost to Sara Lopez of Colombia 143-141 in the quarters while none of the other Indians could even make the last eight. DROGBA QUITS INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL London: Didier Drogba has announced his retirement from international football after 12 years playing for the Ivory Coast. The 36-year-old striker made more than 100 appearances for the Ivorians and played in three World Cups, most recently in Brazil this summer. He also played in two editions of the African Cup of Nations. Drogba says he is "proud ... to have contributed to placing my country on the world stage of football." KABADDI GOES INTERNATIONAL WITH WKL London: It's quintessentially Indian but Kabaddi is all set to make waves across three continents with the first-of-its- kind World Kabaddi League kickstarting here on Saturday as Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha will add a dash of glamour to the ambitious event. Featuring eight teams, including one from Pakistan, the tournament will be played for four months in USA, England, Canada, UAE and India. What makes it unique is the presence of international players. The Khalsa Warriors, Yo Yo Tigers, Vancouver Lions, Punjab Thunder, Lahore Lions, United Singhs, California Eagles and Royal Kings will fight it out for a winner's cheque of `1.7 crores. RFC LAUNCHED IN PANJIM PANJIM: The maiden edition of the Force Gurkha Rainforest Challenge (RFC) India was launched on Friday at the International Centre Goa in Dona Paula. With 25 competitor teams from all over India, the six day event will be filled with nail biting moments and courageous efforts by the competitors. Comprising of a driver and a co-driver, each team will navigate through multiple offroad obstacles or Special Stages from South to North Goa wherein competitors will face pouring skies and unforeseen challenges. AP n LOUISVILLE (KY) R ory McIlroy showed no sign of letting up. Lee Westwood might just be getting started. Momentum was a big theme Thursday in the opening round of the PGA Championship, and it even applied to Tiger Woods. Except that Woods kept going the wrong direction. Westwood followed up a season- best 63 four days ago at Firestone by matching his best score in a major championship. He made nine birdies at Valhalla for a 6-under 65, giving him a share of the lead with Ryan Palmer and Kevin Chappell. One shot behind was McIlroy, the No. 1 player and overwhelming favorite in the final major of the year. McIlroy, coming off back-to-back wins at the British Open and a World Golf Championship, overcame a wild double bogey on the par-5 10th hole by running off four straight birdies. His eagle attempt on the 18th hole narrowly missed. He settled for a 66, a solid start in his bid to become only the seventh player to win the last two majors of the year. Woods achieved that feat twice, including at Valhalla in 2000. That now seems even longer than 14 years ago. On a day when nearly half the field shot par or better, Woods opened with a 3-over 74. He hit two tee shots that missed the fairway by some 30 yards, hooked a 3-wood into a creek and hit a spectator with his tee shot on a par 3. His two best putts were for par and bogey. He didn't look very sharp. In his last competitive round, Woods with- drew after eight holes at Firestone because of another back injury. He said his trainer was able to pop a joint back into place above the sacrum, eliminating the pain. But it apparent- ly did little for the rust. Woods wasn't the only player who hit a few wild ones. Right when McIlroy was building momentum, he hooked his second shot on the par-5 10th hole over a fence and out-of- bounds, leading to a double bogey. He was more upset about a three-putt bogey on the next hole, but then Boy Wonder bounced back with four straight birdies to get right back into the mix. Everything is very much going his way right now. It was his 11th straight round under par, and his third straight round of 66. Westwood also had a double bogey on his 10th hole that kept his score from being even better. He played the back nine first, and hit his tee shot right down the middle at No. 1, and right at the edge of a divot that wasn't entirely filled with sand. He flubbed a chip trying to be too perfect and missed a 4-foot bogey putt. Much like McIlroy, he respond- ed in splendid fashion by closing out his round with four straight birdies, finishing with a 30-footer on the ninth hole. Westwood also had a 65 in the third round at Congressional in the 2011 U.S. Open. The timing was great for Westwood, who is trying to avoid missing the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1995. European captain Paul McGinley told Westwood he wanted to see some form, and Westwood has delivered a 63 at Firestone and a 65 in the opening round of the final major. GRITTY LAHIRI SCORES 72 Anirban Lahiri grinded it out for a one-over 72 on a warm and muggy opening day to give himself a decent chance of making the halfway cut. The 27-year-old Bangalorean, who drove the ball well and found more than half the fairways missed a lot of greens in regulation and putted less than satisfactorily. Lahiri was tied 79th after first round and would need a sub-par round to make sure he stays on for weekend action at the Valhalla Golf Club which is playing to 7,458 yards but that was counter balanced with the somewhat soft and receptive greens. Lahiri, despite struggling on the greens, scrambled well to make pars, of which he had 16. After starting on the tenth, his big mistake of the day came on the 16th, where he double bogeyed and his lone birdie of the day came on the seventh, where he made up for a terrible pitch which he left short with a fine putt. James hopes World Cup form continues at Madrid ALEXIS SANCHEZ: THE INSIDE STORY London: Arsenal were without their three World Cup winners at the annual members' day on Thursday but, even if Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski had suddenly arrived wearing their new medals, the star attraction would have been the same. All eyes from the stands were on the squat 5ft 7ins figure of Alexis Sanchez and inside the Armoury the club shop most wallets were being emptied in appreciation of Arsenal's most expensive ever striker. The '17 Alexis' shirts have been the top sell- er of the summer but some novel- ty masks of the club's first player from Chile have also been moving with considerable speed. Sanchez obliged for pictures with fans and a few words in bro- ken English but was at his most elo- quent once the practice match began. A blur of passing followed. Sanchez to Mathieu Debuchy. Back to Sanchez again. A one-two with Yaya Sanogo and then a goal that drew audible gasps from the 5,000 or so fans at the Emirates. It was not quite as good as Jack Wilshere's 'goal of the sea- son' against Norwich last year but something comparable. By last night, the YouTube count had already risen beyond 100,000 and, even in that 15 seconds or so of grainy footage, there was a glimpse of why Sanchez is generating more excitement that any other Premier League newcomer this summer. The pace, versatility and tech- nical qualities are obvious. They were evident during the World Cup but also on his one previous trip to Wembley ahead of Sunday' s Community Shield against Manchester City when he scored both goals in Chile's 2-0 win over England. Sanchez's skills were more fleetingly apparent during three years atBarcelona which ultimately ended with him discovering that there can only be one attacking focal point at the Nou Camp - and his name is Lionel Messi. Yet it is still worth recalling the words of Pep Guardiola shortly before he stood down as Barcelona manager in 2012. "Alexis Sanchez has stolen my heart," said Guardiola. "He is very young, but he came for- ward and sacrificed himself a lot. He is very humble. I think the club has made a special signing." Speak to anyone at Arsenal and it is quickly obvious that research- ing Sanchez's personality was as fun- damental to the scouting process as his footballing qualities. And to understand Sanchez, to appreciate the mentality that is so admired by both Guardiola and Wenger, you must also know about a small coastal town called Tocopilla. There are less than 25,000 inhabitants in Tocopilla but, beyond being the birthplace of Sanchez, it has attract- ed global attention for also being the town in Chile that was most devas- tated in 2007 by an earthquake that reached 7.7 on the Richter Scale. It displaced 15,000 people and destroyed 30 per cent of all stand- ing structures. It did not take long for word of Sanchez's talent - and dedication - to spread. "Here in Tocopilla, Alexis became known immediately; those who saw him realised he was one of a kind," says Segovia. "All clubs have wanted him. He played with adults and was not afraid. And you could tell, he had it in his head that he wanted to become a professional footballer. He said, 'I'm going to get to the top, to be one of the best play- ers in the world'. "It was not his mum that pushed him, nor his relatives. Sanchez pushed himself. He has no obligation to anyone but nonetheless has helped a lot of people." By the age of 16, Sanchez had moved 100 miles east to the min- ing desert of Calama, a city that stands at an altitude of 2,260 metres and which is also home to the Primera Division club Cobreloa. Sanchez's hero, unsurprisingly, was Marcelo Salas but his former team- mate, Nelson Tapia, remembers advising him not to broadcast his allegiance for rivals Universidad de Chile (La U). "We told him not to identify with any shirt even though he was a fan of La U and his idol was Marcelo Salas," recalls Tapia. "Nearly all the players in that squad had played for big teams and we knew that the fans held it against you when you make that confession. We went along teaching him important things, like how to be the man of the house. We showed him how to fold his clothes, we taught him how to cook. We made salads, meat. He was very good at making pizzas." Salas, who was to become a mentor, agrees that the time spent in Calama was pivotal to Sanchez's development. "The group at Cobreloa were the ones that did the most for him," says Salas. "He had the fortune to land in a squad of men, good people, with a lot of experience. They were the ones that guided him." Cobreloa's fitness coach, Italo Traverso, also recalls how Sanchez grew in stature after being invited by then manager Nelson Acosta to train with the Chile national team in 2005. "There, in the training camps, Marcelo (Salas) spoke to him," he says. "Alexis's kind and friendly nature was key. At Cobreloa, he was in a group of big men, who were well travelled and they welcomed him and protected him." The Cobreloa youth players lived in club houses and money was scarce. Francisco Pia, one of Sanchez's teammates, recalls that they were still paid a flat fee of 50,000 pesos (45) per month even when they broke into the senior team. "Alexis played every game and they called me up, but they never gave us more than that money," he says. Sanchez lived with a man called Luis Astorga who had two daugh- ters, Barbara and Andrea. "It upset us so much when he said he was leaving, even though he told us he would miss us," says Barbara. "Then, when he actually left, it was like saying goodbye to a brother, and for my parents, a son. My par- ents were in tears." The next stop was Udinese, who had paid 1.7 million for the 17- year-old Sanchez. They promptly loaned him out for seasons in Chile and Argentina where he was respec- tively part of league title winning teams with Colo Colo and River Plate. Having made his internation- al debut at the age of 18, Sanchez played for the first time with Salas Chile's all-time record goalscor- er in September 2007. "Alexis will be better than me," says Salas. "He endears himself to you. It is impos- sible to dislike him." That largely still applied after his 25 million move to Barcelona in 2011 but whether he was ever truly loved at the Nou Camp is less cer- tain. In the context of the 75 mil- lion arrival this summer of Luis Suarez, it is interesting to consider how high-profile outsiders - Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry and Yaya Toure - have often struggled to establish themselves at a club that so revers its homegrown talent. Even if Barcelona effectively valued Suarez as worth 40 million plus Sanchez, it would be impossible to judge his time in Spain as anything other than a qualified success. He won six medals and was only out-scored in La Liga last season by Messi, Diego Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo. It was no surprise then that he was coveted this summer by Liverpool as well as Arsenal. Four factors are understood to have been crucial in Sanchez's decision. The London location, the belief that Arsenal are better placed to regular- ly qualify for the Champions League, the chance to play with Mesut Ozil and also the personal intervention of Wenger, who speaks fluent Spanish, and met with Sanchez's representa- tives in Brazil during the World Cup. Wenger's long-standing admiration for Sanchez is even easier to under- stand. An ability to play across the front four positions in his usual 4- 2-3-1 formation will give Arsenal numerous options. Daily Telegraph Tales of how the Chilean went from small town hero to Arsenal's 35 million man, writes JEREMY WILSON Lee Westwood hits a chip on the first hole during the first round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on Thursday in Louisville, Ky AP MADRID: James Rodriguez hopes the scoring streak that earned him the Golden Boot award at the World Cup continues after his move to European champion Real Madrid. Madrid paid Monaco a reported $108 millionfor the Colombia forward after he scored a tournament-leading six goals at this summer's World Cup in Brazil. He was presented with the Golden Boot trophy on Friday. "I was hoping to win it because I have always dreamed of winning something like this," James said. "This is also a source of happiness to my country Colombia. Because they gave me lot of strength so I could win the award." James' first goal against Uruguay in the round of 16, when he chested the ball down and then volleyed it in, was voted the best of the competition. "It was something so special that will always stay with me," Rodriguez said about that spectacular strike. He also scored the second in a 2-0 win. "Those are goals that stay in the memory. I think I left a mark with that goal. It made us pass to the quarterfi- nals andthat was alsohistoric," he said. Now the 23-year-old must find a way into a star-studded attack already featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema. "I have big hopes, but first I have to train well and earn my place in the team so I can play regularly and win titles," James said. "I am now in a club that is always hungry for titles. And I think that if you want to play here you must always keep a high level of per- formance. AndI ampreparedfor that." James' quest for playing time could be further complicated if Angel Di Maria stays withMadrid, withother clubs apparently put off by the large price tag for the Argentina winger. That would leave James compet- ing for time with the versatile Argentine, Francisco "Isco" Alarcon, Luka Modric and fellow new signing Toni Kroos. "They are all stars," James said. "For me it is a pleasure to be with them. Even training with them. It is something unique and I hope I can play here together with them for many years." Alexis Sanchez has shifted to Arsenal from Spanish leading club Barcelona AP James Rodriguez AP WESTWOOD IN THE LEAD Englishman Lee shares first day of PGA Cships honour with Palmer & Chappell Verdict in Pistorius trial on Sep. 11 Pretoria: The judge in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius said Friday that she will give a verdict on Sept. 11, bringing closer to an end a globally televised five-month trial that has transfixed South Africans and others around the globe. Judge Thokozile Masipa made the announcement after the prosecution and defense ended their final arguments. Masipa will decide with the help of two legal assistants if the double-amputee athlete faces prison for killing Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year in his home. If foundguilty of premeditated murder, Pistorius could face 25 years and up to life in prison. Pistorius said he mistakenly shot Steenkamp through the closed door of a toilet cubicle, thinking there was an intruder in his home. The prose- cution alleges the world-famous runner intentionally killed her after an argument. "The accused intended to kill a human being," chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel said at the very end of closing arguments. "There must be consequences." Nel has urged the judge to dismiss Pistorius' entire story as an elaborate lie and to convict him of premeditated mur- der. South Africa does not have trial by jury, nor does it have the death penalty. Pistorius could also be convicted of a less- er murder charge or negligent killing, both of which call for years in jail. Judge Masipa could acquit him if she believes he only made a trag- ic error. In the prosecution's final arguments, Nel accused the once-celebrated Paralympic champion of being an "appalling witness" who was constantly "deceitful" during his testimo- ny to try to cover up a murder after a fight between the couple. Pistorius, 27, sat on the bench Friday behind his lawyer, the same place he has spent every one of the 41 days of proceedings. He wore glasses, mostly looking straight ahead. Chief defense lawyer Barry Roux argued the killing was an accident and said Pistorius' disability had made him particularly vulner- able and anxious about crime over the years, comparing him to a victim of abuse who kills an abuser after a long period of suffering. Pistorius' had his lower legs amputated as a baby, and Roux said that the athlete's long-held fear of being attacked with the disability played a central role in the shooting on Feb. 14, 2013. At one point Friday, Roux slammed his hand down onto a desk in the Pretoria courtroom to mimic a sudden sound he says the disabled athlete heard during the fatal night, startling him and causing him to fire four shots. AP Oscar Pistorius AP T o give your taste buds a treat, Foodhall and United States Department of Agriculture have come up with American food fiesta. For this festival, Foodhall has the best of the diverse cuisine of America, right from doughnuts, waffles, pancakes, American deli-style potato salads, coleslaws and pasta salads. Sandwiches, burgers, sausages, salami, pastrami and pepperoni are also on the offering. W ith its own unique spin on the internationally popular concept, Monkey Bar is the Indian avatar of the Gastropub. The new menu at Monkey Bar stays true to bring in deceptively simple dishes, like pat pong chicken skewers, which is made of chicken mince and Thai herbs and chilli flavoured skewers cooked on a grill. The kung fu rolls or the spring rolls are also on the list. For cheese lovers, ricotta and paneer kebabs are a must try. B ukhara at ITC Maurya celebrates 35 years of its glory. You can become a part of this legacy as you soak in the intense flavours, the rustic ambience and the unforgettable experience since 1978. The authentic cuisine of the North West Frontier will be honoured and famous dal Bukhara will on the offering with chef's special delicacies. R oost Bistro, a popular food joint in Hauz Khas village, has introduced a new monsoon menu. Somerset mushroom soup with garlic, mushroom and onion cooked with stock and white wine is on the offering. The rich and creamy leek and potato soup, which is American soup finished with butter leek, can also be relished. Appetisers like baby corn bezule, chicken pancakes florentine are also available to pamper the taste buds. Main course comprises of taste and health with delectables like cottage cheese rollatoni, ginger honey hunter chicken and grilled corn fed thyme lemon chicken. LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2014 vivacity {food} 16 R arel y do we come across chefs, who in their introductory part of speech say, I will make sure you eat today more than what you had yester- day. And if your host is say- ing so with beaming eyes, you are surely on a great gourmet crui se. For a mi nute, chef Anay Mukherjee makes us forget all the noise and hoopla that this newly launched outlet, The Townhouse Caf, boasts of. Anay doesnt have a magic wand to enhance your appetite, but a simple formu- la that he has infused in almost all his dishes. Lemon, ginger and citrus are his tricks. I have always loved fruit so I have experiment- ed with them. I have mysel f cre- a t e d s y r u p s which I put in almost every item, says t he chef. To begin with, we order assorted mush- rooms with cheese chilli oil, quesadilla bites and bhutiya ka kebab. However, Anay suggests us to start with orange salad and have it in gaps. By now, we have understood how peculiar the chef is about the combinations on the platter. You have your stuff and then a bite of this salad, you will feel like gorging on those items again. I bet, declares the chef. As we follow his guide- lines, we discover what change an orange can bring to your meal and appetite. Suddenly, the appetite is much larg- er. Theres no secret. Citrus just tit- illates your taste bud drastically. So you end up having much more, quips the chef. The salad is served with fresh green leaves, orange reduction and a few orange slices. But isnt it worrisome to eat more? Not really, especially when you have carefully crafted items, which are clearly customised in a healthy way. The bhutia kebab is stuffed with corn, nuts and almonds but little spicy. The combo is deli- cious for those in love with corn but to maintain the spices, you better inform the staff while they take the order. In the burger section, there are burgers with three kind of beans. Theres a tendency to snub beans in our diet and even restaurateurs dont pay heed to include it in the menu. I have cleverly put them in burgers so that one consumes them in fast food with- out extra baggage, he says. The caf, which is just a couple of months old, is garnering citys attention. At first, it looks like a fine dine place but as you scroll further, the huge space turns into a luxurious party destination. Inspired by Gothic architecture, Townhouse has an old school charm as well as a modern setting. Some of the materials are rusted, weathered and to contrast them some are polished and made to shine. The caf-like, high chairs, red couches and the family sofas make it a perfect mix for every kind of revelers. The dim lights are at their best in the night. Chesterfields, leather and some animal prints are thrown in and all woodwork has soft gilded and carved lines. Nothing is sharp and straight as its all rounded off to complement the use of arch- es in the ceiling and the arched openings on the walls. I wanted to give urban youth a cool and lux- urious place to hang out at night. It took over a year to conceptualise the interiors. Its like an European church where all sins are allowed, says Akshay Anand, co-owner of the caf, who also joins us on the treat but is on ghar ka khana. With so much of detailing given to food here, we didnt regret miss- ing our homely stuff for a day. Apart from the essentials of Mediterranean and Indian cuisine, the chefs at Townhouse Caf offer healthy options like corn and almond kebabs, orange salads and bean burgers, says KARAN BHARDWAJ The citrus trick T he barbeque pulled pork burger, seared mushroom and garlic potatoes on a crusty French bread, crunchy salads and yummy homemade hand-pulled ice cream. Everything that I have enjoyed at Indigo Deli (Mumbai outlet) came to my mind while I waited for the copy of menu to reach my table. This first out- let of Mumbais popular joint, Indigo Deli, at a mall in Vasant Kunj was packed com- pletely even on a week day. The twin-level Delhi outlet has a seating capacity of over 100 diners between the indoor restaurant on the main floor with cosy booths and a buzzing open kitchen, and an alfresco terrace dining area, which is yet to be operational. The sense of familiarity is drawing the crowd to the place which is now suc- cessfully running in its fourth week. I could see all kind of guests around those whohave beena regular at Mumbai outlets andthose whoheardabout it fromfriends and family. If you belong to the former category, it will be so much pleasure to find all your favourites listed in the menu. In fact, the menu is almost the same as the Mumbai one with one or two additions like stuffed corn-fed chicken. For a few open- ing days of the restaurant, men who take charge of the Mumbai kitchens are man- aging the show here. Developed by chefs Rahul Akerkar and Jaydeep Mukherjee, the menu boasts an extensive selection of sandwiches, salads, pastas, light meals and a wide range of scrumptious desserts, a bevy of beverages and a daily changing specials menu. All-time favourites like Bombay chicken wings, eggs divinity, Philly cheese steak sandwich, chorizo pizza, baked yoghurt, silky souffls and rich cheesecakes are the most demanded so far. But chef Akrekar says that apart from all-time favourites, guests are trying almost everything on the menu. Be it the salads, soups or main course dishes there isnt just one thing that we can say is most demanded here. We are getting all kinds of guests from all age groups. Some just come prepared with what they want to order, these are the ones who have known Indigo as a brand for long and have their favourites, and then there are others who come with big groups and try almost everything on the menu, from steaks to fried chicken and pizza. In less time, our breakfast menu has really got popular here, said the chef. The breakfast menu that is served from nine in the morning comprises por- ridge, bircher musli, sandwiches, smoked or house cured salmon, couscous upma, appam and a wide variety in egg section. I started the meal with citrus salad. Fresh citrus fruits, garden greens, red onions, kalamata olives came with generous citrus dressing and feta cheese. Perfect for the season, the salad was filling enough and the flavours were perfectly balanced. As I digged into the salad, I wondered how difficult it must be for the chefs to replicate flavours here. Since most of our guests have dined at our Mumbai outlets, they sometimes order the same dishes and they expect the flavours to be same. So we cannot go wrong with that. The food here is our take on classic American/Western feel-good foods. The prime ingredients that we use, freshness of our veggies and meats and attention to detail reflect in the quality of food served. While develop- ing the menu for New Delhi, we have ensured that its a mix of our favourites and more, the chef told me. An interesting list of main course can tempt you no ends. From cheese fondue to lemon butter calamari, everything seems like a must try. Leaving the place without sampling desserts (readice creams) wouldbe a sin. Croissant pudding with bourbon sauce, flourless chocolate orange cake with orange sorbet, triple chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, desserts here are to die for. From the ice cream section, you should go for flavours like Belgian chocolate and Dulce de Leche. In few days time, the second outlet in Delhi, which will be on the lines of Indigo, Colaba, will come up. All things familiar