First ever women police inducted in Arunachal Pradesh

ITANAGAR, Dec 12: Altogether 154 widows and daughters of Arunachal Pradesh Police (APP) personnel, who died in harness, were inducted as the first batch of women police constables in the state.

They were inducted after successful passing the ten months rigorous training schedule at the Police Training Center (PTC) here.

The Government had relaxed the upper age limit to 40 years and minimum educational qualification to standard three to accommodate 20 widows and 134 daughters of officers and other personnel of APP, who died while fighting on duty or in accidents.

Addresssing them at the unique passing out parade, State Director General of Police Amod Kanth said though he did not differentiate between male and female constables, he expected more from women constables as they have "a kind heart and compassion".

"They will be more useful to the needy specially children, aged and marginal section of the society," Mr Kanth said. Keeping this in mind, it has been decided to give only field duty to these lady constables who have received all their training in handling even AK47 rifles and in IPC and other law and police manuals, he added. (UNI)

HC asks college Principal to pay Rs 7,500 to an employee

NEW DELHI, Dec 2: The Delhi High Court has asked the Principal of a city college to pay Rs 7,500 to an employee on a contempt petition filed against her for the delay in complying with its earlier order to hike the latter’s salary since his promotion in 1992.

Justice Ravinder Bhat directed Jitender Kaur, the Principal of Bhagat Singh College here, to pay the amount to N R Sharma within four weeks to N R Sharma for the delay of one year in complying with the court’s order.

The order came after the counsel for Kaur informed the court that all arrears pending since 1992 have been released to Sharma recently in compliance with the High Court’s earlier direction.

The court, however, said the Principal was directed to release the arrears and hike the pay scale immediately but the administration has failed to follow the order.

Earlier, the High Court had directed the Principal to pay the arrears to Sharma and hike the pay scale within six weeks on Sharma’s petition seeking direction to the authorities to provide all benefits and release the arrears.

Sharma alleged that the Princiapl being head of the governing body of the college has willfully disobeying the court order. He, therefore, was entitled to get the backwage with 12 per cent interest, Sharma stated in the petition.

Sharma was working as a section officer in the college and was promoted to the rank of administrative officer in 1992, however the college administration did not hike his pay scale since then.

In 2000, Sharma approached the Delhi High Court by way of a writ petition after the college ignored his request to the Principal. (PTI)

Vandalism in WB Assembly an attack on par
democracy: Somnath

KOLKATA, Dec 2: Describing the ransacking of West Bengal Assembly by Trinamool Congress members as an attack on Parliamentary democracy, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today favoured the enactment of a law to prevent such behaviour by legislators.

"The matter is shocking and condemnable. This is an attack on Parliamentary democracy," Chatterjee told reporters after visiting the Assembly where Trinamool MLAs had indulged in vandalism on Thursday on the Singur-Tata motors issue.

Chatterjee, who visited the house on invitation from Assembly Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim, said enacting a law against vandalising legislators was "permissible", but it was upto the speakers of the respective assemblies to take a decision on the matter.

"Merely enacting a law, however, will not do. It is a question of the attitude of the legislators," he said.

Asked whether, as the Lok Sabha Speaker, he would take any steps to prevent such incidents in future, he said, "I have a request from the Speaker (Halim). We will discuss the matter at the presiding officer’s forum and take a decision."

Pointing out that the West Bengal Assembly had a rich history and tradition, he said, the vandals should have realised it belonged to the people and not the Governnment.

"There may be grievances against the Government. But does that justify an attack on the Assembly? If it cannot be protected, then it is a slur on the functioning of democracy in West Bengal," Chatterjee said.

He said those who do not follow the Code of Conduct inside the house betray the trust of their voters. "This needs to be protested against. And this is why even a cricket coach can point a finger at us." (PTI)

3 held for corruption in courts

INDORE, Dec 2: In a drive against corruption in Subordinate Courts, two court officials and an employee of the Forest Department were caught redhanded yesterday while taking bribe at the Burhanpur Court in Madhya Pradesh.

The action followed High Court Chief Justice A K Patnaik’s directive to end corrupt practices among the court ministerial staff. High Court Registrar General K C Sharma, Registrar(Vigilance) Jayant Chavan and Indore’s District Judge (Vigilance) N K Garg were directed to lay the trap, official sources said.

A resident of Burhanpur had complained about the demand of Rs 10,000 as bribe by a court reader and a forest official to dispose off a case relating to cheque bouncing. Another complaint relates to demand by a copyist Rs 300 to provide a certified copy of one-page order.

A 10-member team, including two Judges of Indore, conducted the operation with the assistance of the complainant. The copyist was caught taking bribe of Rs 300.

Later the forest official, who acted as middleman due to his frequent visit to the court in connection with departmental cases, was offered Rs 4000 as he was earlier given Rs 4000 after he scaled down the bribe demand from Rs 10,000 to Rs 8,000.

The reader also received Rs 500 inside the court itself. The raiding party caught the three officials and recovered the bribe amount.

Both court officials were suspended immediately. (UNI)

1500 DMDK workers on fast over Mullaperiyar issue

COIMBATORE, Dec 2: Nearly 1500 workers of Desiya Murpoku Dravida Kazhakam today observed one-day fast here, protesting the ‘negligence’ of both the State and Central Governments in solving the Mullaperiyar dam issue.

The workers, including 75 women, squatted in a specially erected pandal near central bus stand,under the leadership of district DMDK president, E M Ponnusami.

The protesters accused both the Tamil Nadu and Kerala Governments of ‘enacting a political drama,’ without attempting to solve the issue.

The Centre could easily have intervened and solved the problem, since the ruling parties in both the states were either a partner in the UPA Government or extending outside support, the workers said. (PTI)

Indian Navy associates with costner-starter ‘The Guardian’

MUMBAI, Dec 2: The Indian Navy is associating with the Hollywood movie ‘The Guardian,’ which depicts the activities of rescue swimmers.

Scheduled to hit the Indian screens on December 8, the film depicts a stirring drama about rescue swimmers, who jump from helicopters into icy waters to save shipwrecked personnel and other accident victims.

A special premiere has been arranged for navy officers at Inox on December 7, which will be followed by a reception onboard Indian Museum Ship (IMS) Vikrant.

"This is a great example of how our stories draw inspiration from real life heroes. Disney India is proud to be a part of this celebration of camaraderie and selfless service. This association with the Indian Navy is our way of thanking our guardians, " Walt Disney Company (India) managing director Rajat Jain said.

"We are honoured to be distributing ‘The Guardian’ in India. All around the world, the members of the Navy and coast guard risk their lives and rush into the unknown. Now, for the first time, the spotlight is on these unsung heroes," Uday Singh, the CEO of SPE Films India Ltd, which is distributing the film in the country, said.

Defence Spokesman Captain Abhay Lambhate noted that it was "only right that the Indian Navy Associates itself with this film, which depicts bravery on the high seas," adding that it was an "appropriate way" to tell the public about the service and dedication the young men and women of the navy and coast guard put into their jobs on a daily basis.

‘The Guardian’ revolves around legendary rescue swimmer ben randall who becomes the sole survivor of a deadly crash in a massive storm. In the wake of the accident, he is sent against his will to teach at ‘A’ school, the elite training program that turns arrogant young recruits into the best and bravest of rescue swimmers.

Reeling with grief and regret, Ben throws himself into teaching the only way he knows how, turning the entire program upside down with his unconventional, out-of-the-box training methods.

Directed by Andrew Davis, from a screenplay written by Ron L Brinkerhoff, and presented by Touchstone Pictures and Beacon Pictures, The Guardian, has Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, Melissa Sagemiller, Clancy Brown, Sela Ward, Bonnie Bramlett, Neal Mcdonough, John Heard, Brian Geraghty, Duli Hill and newcomer Shelby Fenner. (UNI)

Need to focus on tax administration: Rakesh Mohan

MUMBAI, Dec 2: Tax administration should be the focus of the next phase of taxation reforms at the Centre as well as in the states, Dr Rakesh Mohan, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India has said.

The Deputy Governor was speaking as the chief guest at a function to release a book "indirect tax reform: challenge and response" by V S Krishnan, Pune Commissioner of Central Excise at the Indian Merchants Chamber here last evening.

He said Information Technology should be used to a greater extent to minimize direct interaction between the Tax Collector and the taxpayer. The scope of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) should be expanded to improve collection and reduce hassles for taxpayers, he said.

Dr Mohan pointed out that tax reforms in India have come a long way since they began in 1986 with the introduction of modvat. The number of tax slabs have come down from 22 to 3 in the case of excise duty and 4 in the case of customs duty.

Despite moderation of tax rates, the tax base remained narrow, both for direct and indirect taxes, he said adding that tax administration should be reformed to expand the tax base and increase the tax-GDP ratio.

Mr Krishnan said the Central Excise and Service Tax rates can come down only by expanding the tax base. This would necessarily require phasing away of the various exemptions and that, in turn, would also help in the merger of cenvat and service tax duty into a common service tax.

He emphasized the need for sequencing the reforms so as to ensure its political acceptability. If SSI exemption are to be phased away, this would have to be preceded by creation of a modernization fund for the SSI together with improving their access to credit facilities at reasonable rates of interest.

Nayan Patel, president of Indian Merchants Chamber said the State Governments also should put their own finances in order to reform their tax administration and eliminate outdated levies such as octroi.

He said that Gujarat and Maharashtra are the only two states in the whole of India which still retain octroi and urged the centre to persuade them to remove the same, (UNI)

BJP would remove criminals from UP: Kalyan Singh

NEW DELHI, Dec 2: BJP Chief Ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh today said banking upon a three-point formula, his party was confident of ridding the state of criminal elements in 30 days.

Speaking to newspersons here, Mr Singh, who has been the state Chief Minister twice, said the criminal mafia and land sharks, who have been having a good time in the state, will be given three options — "go to jail, get out of the state or go to heaven or hell".

This formula worked in the past and the people fondly remember the "good old" days, he said.

Recommending President’s rule for holding free and fair elections in the state, he said the Election Commission should revise the voters’ list and proper security arrangements should also be made.

"The people have had all the three Governments — BJP, BSP and SP, nobody was secure under SP and BSP and now people are eager to revert to the BJP," Mr Singh said.

Asserting that the BJP would go it alone and would win ‘more than the requisite majority’ in the 402-member Assembly in the upcoming elections, he said people were looking for a good alternative and BSP chief Mayawati cannot be the one.

The BJP after its recent successes in the urban local bodies had become the focal point for the people, he added.

He said the BJP could not afford to strike any alliance after its past bitter experiences with the various parties.

"Our party should contest on its own and draw support from the people," he said, adding his party was well prepared to face the elections.

The BJP would be ready with its list of candidates by the end of this month and would have "neat and clean" persons as party nominees, he said.

"Our effort would be to accommodate one woman candidate in each district," he said, adding the BJP was now very much in the centerstage after the local bodies elections. (UNI)

‘Increasing role for Navy in destiny of nation’

KOCHI, Dec 2: The Indian Navy is technologically advanced and has an increasing role to play in the destiny of the nation, a top Naval Officer said today.

Vice Admiral J S Bedi, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, who reviewed the passing out parade of the 72nd integrated cadets course on board INS Tir and INS Sujatha, said the cadets would inherit a very potent Navy, centred around two aircraft carriers, with MiG 29 aircraft.

"Potent frigates, destroyers and submarines are slated for commissioning in the near future’, he said.

He reminded them that the sea is an alien medium and an extremely hard taskmaster, the elements of which have to be respected.

A total of 113 cadets from the national defence academy and coast guard completed their basic afloat training.

The 24 week sea training commenced on June 16. Cadets were exposed to various facets of seafearing and survival training. Some of them sailed on a submarine off the east coast. The cadets also interacted with personnel of the Sri Lankan Navy during the squadron’s visit to Colombo.

Cadet Nitin Sharma received the ‘Chief of Naval Staff Trophy’ and ‘Binoculars’ for standing ‘first in overall order of merit’.

Cadet P K Mishra received the ‘Telescope’ for the ‘Best All-Round Cadet’ and Cadet C Pradeep Raja, the ‘FoC-in-C East Rolling Trophy’ for the most promising cadet.

The cadets will now join frontline warships of western and eastern fleet as midshipmen for next six months before they being commissioned as officers in the Indian Navy. (PTI)

Bihar Govt to probe criminal angle of
bridge collapse: Nitish

PATNA, Dec 2: Holding the negligence of the railways responsible for collapse of an abandoned road overbridge on a running train at Bhagalpur today, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said his Government will probe criminal angle of the incident and take appropriate legal action.

He, however, did not not elaborate on what legal action the Government proposed to take.

The rules pertaining to dismantling of overbridges under which train traffic had still not been stopped had not been followed in the present case resulting in an "avoidable tragedy," he told reporters.

Kumar, the Railway Minister before Lalu Prasad, launched a broadside against his arch political rival saying "the railways are sans an effective leadership. Instead of beating its own drum over huge profits, the railways should concentrate on improving performance. They should do some introspection".

He criticised prasad for allowing increase of axle load of trains for increased profit leading to damage to the tracks despite being advised against it by the Railway Safety Commission.

Asked whether any deaths had been reported in the incident, Kumar avoided a direct reply saying "the fact that such an avoidable incident has happened is more important than cold statistics".

Over 20 passengers were injured when a portion of an overbridge collapsed over Howrah-Jamalpur Superfast Express near Bhagalpur Railway Station today. (PTI)

SHO replaced, Dalit parties demand
judicial, vigilance probes

KANPUR, Dec 2: The SHO of Kakadeo area here which triggered widespread violence after vandalisation of A B R Ambedkar Statue has been replaced and two police constables suspended as Dalit parties today demanded judicial and vigilance probes into the incidents.

Authorities shifted the SHO and placed the constables under suspension for alleged negligence in preventing the violence, officials said adding the situation in the troubled area was tense but under control.

Republican Party of India President Ramdas Athawale, who was put under "house arrest" in circuit house here late last night after his arrival from Maharashtra, threatened violent protest in Uttar Pradesh like those in Maharashtra, saying "atrocities against Dalits will not be tolerated".

He said the RPI would also raise the issue of police action on Dalits in Parliament on Monday and alleged that atrocities against backwards had gone up under the Mulayam Singh Yadav regime.

He demanded an inquiry of the entire episode by a retired Supreme Court Judge and arrest of the "real culprits".

Dalit Panthers sought Rs 20 lakh compensation to the families of the four persons killed in violence in Maharashtra and a vigilance probe into the matter.

A delegation led by panthers state chief Dhani Ram Baudh gave District Magistrate Anurag Srivastava a memorandum of demands to be sent to President A P J Abdul Kalam.

Arun Valmiki, who was arrested for desecrating the statue and later released, has meanwhile alleged "inhuman treatment" by the police to make him confess. (PTI)

Goa has film-culture, says Konkani producer

PANAJI, Dec 2: Lashing out at detractors who have been advocating the shifting of the International Film Festival of India from Goa, Konkani Film producer Rajendra Talak today said the state has a film culture.

He contended that those criticising the lack of a film culture in Goa were doing so with the sole aim of shifting the festival outside the state.

"Goa has a film culture and it has contributed most to Bollywood right from the 70’s. It will figure in the list of five states which have contributed most to the Hindi film industry," Talak told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing IFFI-2006 here.

He said several cine-artistes and technicians like music composer anthony gonsalves, cameraman K Vaikunth and others hailed from the state.

"Even the Mangeshkar family migrated from Goa," he said, referring to the famed family to which film singers Lata, Asha and Usha belong.

IFFI this year has been marred by controversies surrounding organisational glitches and allegations of the domination of the festival by Bollywood made by several regional filmmkers and actors like T V Chandran, Girish Kasaravalli and Nandita Das.

"There is a strong lobby from south and bengal working to shift the festival from Goa, which is not fair. I don’t understand why they are against Goa. West Bengal does not require this festival and neither does Kerala," Talak said.

Commenting on festival’s mismanagement, Talak held delegates responsible for the mess.

"I suggest that next time one delegate should be allowed to watch two to three films a day so that there is no chaos," he said.

Talak, whose Konkani movie "Aleesha" was screened during IFFI 2005 and later at the Asia Pacific Film Festival 2006, is in news again for his film "Antarnaad", shot in two languages.

"In Konkani it is called `Antarnaad’ while in Marathi it is titled `Sawli’," he explained.

"Sawli" will be released in Pune on December 15, he said. (PTI)