Indian scientist develops solar vaccine cooler

NEW DELHI, Oct 31: Resurgence of polio in parts of India could be attributed to faulty storage of vaccines, but an Indian scientist has invented a solar vaccine cooler for use in rural parts where electricity is in short supply.

SolarChill, a vaccine cooler developed by Rajendra Shende under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), promises to be viable eco-friendly solution which replaces the lead batteries and the ozone depleting chloro-fluro-carbons used in conventional refrigerators.

Paris-based Shende, the head of UNEP’s OzonAction Branch, is in the capital to deliver two units of SolarChill to its first Indian customer-President A P J Abdul Kalam, who proposes to intall them at the clinic in the Rashtrapati Bhavan complex.

"SolarChill does not use lead batteries or kerosene used in conventional solar chillers. Instead, we use the sun’s energy to create a thick layer of ice which helps in maintaining temperature in the cooler between minus two degrees and eight degrees celsius," Shende told PTI.

Shende hit upon the idea during his travels in Burkina Faso in 2000.

"I thought that if we could develop a vaccine cooler that uses the solar energy so abundant in Burkina Faso and other developing countries, it would be a boon for vaccination programmes implemented there," he said.

Shende said he thought of an affordable, eco-friendly version of solar coolers as he was already working with WHO on ozone depletion.

"As the lead batteries are toxic, difficult to carry, and need replacement every three to five years, we decided to utilise to create ice box within the refrigerator that will provide the required insulation even during night," Shende said adding in the absence of the sunshine, SolarChill can sustain for four to five days.

He said the cooling unit, too, did not use regular freon-based chemicals, which deplete ozone and add to global warming.

One unit can serve the vaccine needs of some 50,000 people. The units will be available for commercial manufacture by 2007, Shende said.

Shende’s idea was jointly taken up by UNEP, UNICEF, WHO, the Danish Technological Institute, Greenpeace, GTZ Proklima, and Programs for Appropriate Technologies in Health (PATH).

Refrigeration companies Vestfrost and Danfoss took part in the development of SolarChill, which took place in Senegal, Indonesia and Cuba. (PTI)

Dalits threaten to convert after being denied temple-entry

KENDRAPARA, ORISSA, Oct 31: About 1,200 dalits here have threatened to embrace some other religion if they are not allowed into a Hindu temple in the locality.

The dalits are peeved at the restriction on their entry to the Jagannath temple at Keredagarh in the district’s Rajnagarr tehsil and have floated a new outfit, ‘Dalit Manch’, to take forward their stir.

"While dalits are free to enter temples elsewhere in the district, upper caste people have been debarring us from doing so here," Raj Kishore Muduli, convenor of the manch said.

"In case we are not allowed entry, we will embrace some other religion", he said.

The agitating dalits belonged to Sandhapalli, Ostia, Balisinghpatnam, Sanabada, Gopalpur and Keredagarh gram panchayats.

"We organised a meeting on October 22 and most members expressed their disgust at the denial of entry into the temple," Muduli, said adding that they had decided to launch a peaceful agitation on ‘Kartika Purnima’ (November 5).

District Collector Kashinath Sahu said he had asked the local tehsildar and the police to look into the matter and settle the row.

Refusal of entry of dalits into the temple had triggered tension in the area a year ago after some women were allegedly penalised for "desecration", following which the National Human Rights Commission asked the local administration to inquire into the matter. (PTI)

Gangetic dolphin rescued from shallow waters

BARIPADA, Oct 31: A male gangetic dolphin, sighted in Budhabalanga river, was rescued by wildlife personnel after it got trapped in shallow waters, officials said today.

The dolphin, whose movement was being monitored by wildlife authorities, was traced to Panchaputali, about 15 km upstream of this town, and found caught in a shallow pit where the water was four feet deep.

The wildlife personnel put the dolphin on a makeshift raft and floated it to a spot about eight kilometres downstream where it was released in an area where the depth of water is about 35 to 40 feet.

A few months ago, a team of experts from the Wildlife Institute of India had rescued the dolphin from shallow waters by transporting it by road to deep waters.

The dolphin is said to have swam upstream for about 40 km when the Budhabalanga river was flooded in the monsoon. But as the water dried up, it found itself trapped in shallow waters.

According to officials, two gangetic dolphins were sighted in the river, but one of them has gone missing for long. (PTI)

Farmer consumes poison, dies

BERHAMPUR, Oct 31: A 25-year old poor farmer consumed poison and died in hospital here last night, police said.

Police said driven by penury, Yakub Ali of Bhapa village in Murshidabad district consumed poison and was rushed to Murshidabad Sadar hospital where he breathed his last yesterday.

Yakub Ali owned three bighas of land and used an electric pump to irrigate his land. However, the pump became non-functional and remained so despite his repeated efforts to repair it leading to consequent failure of crops, police said.

Family members of Ali said when he found no way out, Yakub decided to swallow poison.

Police are investigating the matter. (PTI)

First Arunachali film in Goa film fest

ITANAGAR, Oct 31: "Sonam", Arunachal Pradesh’s first feature film that depicts polyandry in the Brokpa tribe, has been selected for the Indian panorama section of the international film festival to be held in Goa from November 26.

Y Eshe Dorjee Thongchi, a Sahitya Academy award winning writer who is also Arunachal’s tourism secretary, told a press conference that the film was based on his novel about polyandry practised by Brokpas, a sub-tribe of the Monpas.

Thonchi said "Sonam" was shot last year in Tawang and Dirang areas and the Monpas extended support because they knew the practice was prevalent in their society.

Male tribals spend six months a year away from home in search of food. When one tribesman goes to yak farms in high altitude, his brothers look after his family. This practice gives rise to polyandry in family.

Besides Arunachal, Brokpas are found in large numbers in high-altitude Himalayan ranges in Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Leh, Bhutan, Tibet and Mongolia, he said.

Directed by Ahshan Mazid, a Doordarshan official, the film’s features mostly local artistes who had never faced the camera before. They were trained at a 15-day workshop in Dirang before the shoot, he said.

Thonchi said a drama based on his latest novel "Sa Kata Manuh" on Dalai Lama’s entry into India through Arunachal Pradesh in 1959 and the 1962 war with China will be presented in New Delhi by the National School of Drama in January. The novel has also been translated into Orya, Bengali and Hindi.

He said some producers had recently approached him for its film rights but he had declined.

"I am looking for a big producer of international status who can pump in lots of money because the recreation of some scenes, including one when thousands of followers of the Dalai Lama in their traditional costumes touched his feet as he entered India, would be very expensive for any Indian producer.

"Without these shots the film will not have the desired effect," he said. (PTI)

PMK did not want to field Dalit for Dy Mayor post:Karuna

CHENNAI, Oct 31: Joining issue with PMK founder-leader Dr S Ramadoss over his charge that DMK attempted to dictate terms to his party on the Chennai Deputy Mayoral nominee, DMK supremo and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said he had only suggested that a Dalit candidate be fielded.

In a statement, he said the DMK had announced a Dalit women as its nominee for the Deputy Mayor post. Since Ramadoss wanted the post for his party, he (Karunanidhi) had only suggested that a Dalit woman could be fielded by the PMK if the post was given to it.

‘I never interfere in the affairs of other parties’, he said adding his suggestion was based on the fact that there was a considerable Dalit population in the city.

But the PMK had stated that it would forego the post instead of fielding a Dalit woman, he said.

Ramadoss had yesterday said that the Deputy Mayor post was offered as the last minute. But the DMK insisted that the field a particular candidate. (PTI)

Maoists set ablaze three buses

SITAMARHI, BIHAR, Oct 31: CPI (Maoist) naxalites set ablaze three private buses in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district early today, after the bandh called by them to protest arrest and alleged torture of their comrade had ended, officials said.

Guerrillas of the banned organisation descended on Balua- Gausnagar village under Runni Saidpur police station, about 30 km from here, and set on fire three private buses parked in front of the house of former Sitamarhi Block Development Committee chief Rameshwar Yadav, Deputy Superintendent of Police J N Jha told PTI.

They also severely beat up a cleaner, who was hospitalised, he said.

The CPI (Maoist) had called a 24-hour bandh in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh from Sunday midnight to Monday midnight to protest the recent arrest of their leaders Narendra alias Osho in West Champaran district of Bihar and Sheela Marandi at Raniganj in Jharkhand.

Meanwhile, the Bihar Government has extended the alert sounded across the state for the bandh till November seven, the day the naxalites have declared to observe ‘Kranti Divas’ (revolution day), state’s Home Secretary Afzal Amanullah said in Patna.

He said the leave of all senior police officers had been cancelled in view of the event as there were apprehensions that the proscribed outfit might creating disturbance. (PTI)

Congress for President’s Rule in Nagaland

KOHIMA, Oct 31: The opposition Congress has urged Governor Shyamal Dutta to dismiss the Nagaland Government and impose President’s Rule as it has "failed" to maintain law and order in the state.

The Congress, in a memorandum, said the "failure" of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) Government had resulted in continued killings of innocent people, bomb attacks on business establishments and factional clashes that had resulted in a "war-like situation in many parts of the state".

It said the situation had gradually worsened during the past three years as killings and factional clashes had gone beyond the limits of tolerance.

The Congress said the recent statements of Planning and Urban Development Minister Shurhozelie and Home Minister Thenucho showed that the Government was shirking its responsibility, as they had said the factional killings had nothing to do with law and order.

On the recent spate of bomb attacks on shops in Dimapur, the Congress said the Government had failed to nab those responsible while travellers are subjected to "open frisking by undergrounds".

A delegation of the Congress led by its state unit president Hokheto Sumi and Congress Legislature Party leader I Imkong submitted the memorandum to the Governor yesterday. (PTI)

Cabinet approves ordinance against
installation of speed Governors

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 31: The Kerala Cabinet today gave approval to an ordinance on speed Governors to overcome the Supreme Court order making it mandatory to install them on heavy vehicles, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said.

The ordinance would be sent to the President for clearance today itself, he told reporters here after a Cabinet meeting.

Necessary steps would also be taken to file a review petition against the Supreme Court order, he said.

The ordinance was promulgated to help private bus and lorry owners who began an indefinite strike against the Apex Court order. It was "impractical" to install speed governors on heavy vehicles registered in Kerala alone, he said.

The Government had issued a direction to install speed governors in the wake of contempt proceedings initiated against state transport officials by the apex court, he added. (PTI)

Rajasthan to have new pattern of PMT from 2008

KOTA, Oct 31: Students aspiring to make it to the medical institutions in Rajasthan from 2008 will have to learn more of life sciences as the government has decided to revamp the entrance test giving more emphasis to the subject.

"A new pattern of Pre-Medical Test (PMT) will have more emphasis on Life Sciences and it will be introduced in 2008," Vice-Chancellor of the new medical university Dr P P S Mathur told reporters today.

He said the newly set up university will have six separate faculties, covering medicine, dental, pharmacy, physiotheraphy, nursing and para- medical, each of them headed by a dean and board of studies, he said.

The decision was taken by the management committee of the university, the V-C said adding that all medical examinations would be conducted by the university in future. (PTI)

Shibu Soren advocates smaller states,
backs separate Vidarbha

NAGPUR, Oct 31: Union Coal Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren has said he is in favour of creating smaller states like Jharkhand and supported the demand for a separate Vidarbha state.

"We formed JMM in 1973 and ultimately achieved success after years of struggle and determination," Soren, referring to the creation of Jharkhand, told journalists here last night.

On the demand for smaller states like Vidarbha and Telengana, Soren said such states are "economically viable".

He said the demand for a separate Vidarbha state was a "genuine case" and "there must be "popular support and people should rise to the occasion" to itensify the demand for a separate state.

The Union minister said the Telengana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leader Chandrashekhar Rao’s resignation from the Cabinet and subsequently from the Lok Sabha over the Telengana issue was a political gimmick. (PTI)

Bus, truck strike enters second day in Kerala

THIRUVANTHAPURAM, Oct 31: People across Kerala continued to face hardship as the indefinite strike called by bus and truck operators, demanding withdrawal of the order making installation of speed Governors in vehicles compulsory in the state, entered the second day today.

Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has called the leaders of bus and truck owners’ associations today for a talk to end the strike.

The operators had earlier rejected the government’s appeal to desist from the strike as an ordinance to overcome the Supreme Court order on speed governors was on the anvil.

The impact of the strike was severe in central and southern districts where commuters, including office-goers and students, depend heavily on private buses.

Though the state-owned KSRTC pressed a few additional services in some places, they were too meagre to meet the demand. Parallel services like mini buses, shared-taxis and jeeps provided some relief for the rush-hour commuters in the morning.

The truckers’ strike brought to a virtual halt the movement of goods in Kerala, hitting trade in major commercial centres. (PTI)