Woman injured in acid attack

JAMMU, Nov 18: A woman was critically injured in an acid attack by unidentified persons in Doda district, police said today.

Gulnara Begum was returning home after purchasing some items from a shop in Kishtwar town when the men threw acid on her last evening, they said.

She sustained serious burn injuries on face and hands and was admitted to the district hospital from where she was shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital here since her condition deteriorated, police said.

A case has been registered and police has detained five people in this connection. (PTI)

Haryana CM to feature in NCC AD with Dhoni and Sania

KURUKSHETRA, Nov 18: Along with two youth icons, M S Dhoni and Sainia Mirza, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will feature in a promo for National Cadet Corps (NCC).

Top ranking cricketer Mahinder Singh Dhoni (Mahi) and tennis star Sania Mirza have been signed for an AD to popularise NCC amongst the youth of the nation. Former Kunjpurian cadet, who is now the Haryana Chief Minister will be seen alongside the two young icons in the AD of the NCC Directorate.

Mr Hooda had been an NCC cadet in his school days in Sainik School, Kunjpura in Karnal district.

This was revealed by Col K B K Keshab, Group Commander, Ambala of the NCC Directorate of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to UNI here yesterday evening.

Col Keshab was here to deliver his valedictory address to the NCC cadets, both of junior and senior wings, of the colleges of Kurukshetra and Kaithal districts at the end of the 10-day NCC training camp held in the community centre of Kurukshetra University. Col Balvir Singh, Commander of the 10 Haryana NCC Battalion presided over the function which was attended by 660 cadets and the officers beside the NCC Ustads (JCOs).

Col Keshab said that the NCC Directorate will start NCC wings in the high schools and senior secondary schools in villages so that the rural boys and girls could be made aware of the avenues of joining the army as officers and also Junior Commissioned Officers after graduation.

Col Keshab said Haryana will soon have one battalion of girls NCC besides one unit each of Naval and Air Force NCC wings. Haryana has at present 14,500 cadets on roll operative in 10 districts only, out of which 25 were inducted in the Army as Commissioned Officer last year. Many airlines have offered services to the cadets and Reliance and Tata have also come forward for the intake, he added.

The NCC Commander said the Army Recruitment Cell shall fix one exclusive day for the recruitment of the NCC cadets to the Army while the NCC "C" certificate holders shall have direct access to OTA, Chennai to enter the army as officers only if they get through the interview. Five per cent reservation has already been allotted to the NCC cadets in para-military forces.

He said a large number of scholarships had been instituted for the NCC cadets by the Cadet Welfare Commission and Sahara Parivar in addition to the CM scholarship. A large number of MNCs are also taking in NCC cadets to promote national cause, Col Keshab added.

Col Keshab said now the thrust is on promotion of sports in the NCC with special focus on home turf games like hockey, football, volleyball, basketball and cross country race to convert the cadets into professional sports-stars, beside keeping them physically, mentally and financially in sound health. (UNI)

HC rejects gangster Babloo Srivastava’s bail plea

NEW DELHI, Nov 18: The Delhi High Court today dismissed the bail plea of gangster Babloo Srivastava, a convict in the murder of a Delhi-based businessman.

"In view of his antecedents and propensity to commit crimes in Delhi and various other parts of Northen India, the bail application is dismissed," observed a division bench of Justice R S Sodhi and Justice P K Bhasin while hearing an application filed by Srivastava seeking for bail.

In the application, he stated that he has been in jail for the past ten years and his appeal against the conviction order is pending before the bench.

"The decision of this court on my appeal will take time in view of the heavy pending of matters before this bench and my conviction should be suspended," he stated in the bail application.

Srivastava is presently lodged in Tihar Jail following a conviction order passed by a City court in July this year. The court also sentenced Srivastava and his close aide Nitin Gunwant Shah to life imprisonment for the killing of Lalit Suneja.

However, Nitin has been granted an interim bail by the High Court in September this year.

Srivastava and Nitin have filed an appeal challenging their conviction order and that is pending before the bench. (PTI)

Team to attend Indo-Egypt military
cadets exchange programme

CHENNAI, Nov 18: A three-member team from officers training academy here will leave for Cairo tomorrow for an Indo-Egypt Military Cadets exchange programme, a defence press release said here today.

Captain Arun Verghese and cadets Rajesh Kumar and Hrishikesh Mohan Patil would take part in the week-long exchange programme at the Egyptian Military Academy in Cairo.

The programme envisages close interaction between the participants and exposure to high standards of professionalism and sense of duty and leadership, the release said.

The team would return on December 2. (PTI)

Corporates labour to upgrade school education

JAIPUR, Nov 18: Rajasthan is sure to witness a sea change in its education sector in rural areas where the Government has roped in corporates to adopt schools to improve the overall quality of education.

Corporate bigwig R K Poddar with his well-established Mayur Leather Private Ltd unit has taken up the challenge of mapping the overall development of a non-descript village school on the outskirts of Jaipur.

Mr Poddar, owner of Mayur Leather Pvt Ltd, is one of the many corporate leaders in the state, who has adopted Government schools under Rajasthan education initiative, near his factory unit, to bring about change in the overall quality of education and ambience in the schools.

The Rajasthan Government has signed mous with the CII and corporates to ensure public private participation under the initiative.

Mr Poddar has adopted three schools, including the Government Middle School at Bhojlava in Chomu. His representatives are also regular visitors to the school to assess the progress report.

He said he is here to prove some points, as the corporates are also sceptical of adopting schools due to inherent defects in the system.

He said if he succeeded in setting some examples, others would naturally follow, leaving aside their reservations.

Mr Poddar is confident he will be able to convince other members of his faternity that "change in behaviour is through change in the belief system".

He said before venturing in to this unknown territory, he conducted extensive surveys of six schools in the area.

Mr Poddar said when he began working in this sector six months ago, "none of the schools had electricity, the children used to squat on the floor. There was a shortage of teachers. Compounding the problem was not only the absenteeism of children but also of teachers. Either the toilets were non-existent or were stinking. Nobody was there to ensure that the system works".

He said according to the MoU, the Government had to provide the ‘hardware’ to use a business term like building, teachers, electricity and others while the rest of the things were to be taken care of by the adopting company.

He said children would come to school, only if they were provided with facilities that are better than what they get at home and learning is fun, reminiscing his own experience, adding he first ensured the government was part of the agreement. The electricity connection disconnected due to non-payment of bills was restored. The Government was also asked to appoint english and maths teachers.

Mr Poddar said first priority was to put in place the necessary infrastructure, and till now an investment of Rs 15 lakhs was made for the basic infrastructure in the three schools he has adopted.

Starting from scratch, he purchased tables and chairs for the staff, a vehicle for transportation of the mid-day meal cooked in a mechanised kitchen run by a coporate ngo so that the teachers were relieved of the burden of cooking.

Since the classrooms were small, tables could not be accomodated. So instead of benches and tables, he bought carpets so that the children need not bend to write notes.

A computer section was also started in the school with a teacher service ensured on deputation.

Mr Poddar now like an expert says the "Governemnt system did not work because there was no initiative. The regular system did not work as it had become old and irrelevant with no direct contact between the Government and the people".

He said his aim is to empower villgers to manage the school with a committee of people taking care of the school, as he regards "a Government school as a public school". (UNI)

Sappers celebrate 226th Corps day

CHANDIGARH, Nov 18: Keeping in line with the high traditions of the Indian Army, the Corps of Engineers, more popularly known as ‘Sappers’, celebrated their 226th anniversary with pomp and gaiety at Chandimandir today.

Maj Gen Gautam Banerjee, Chief Engineer Western Command, the senior most serving Engineer Officer in the Military Station, laid a wreath at a specially organised ceremony at the ‘Veer Smriti’ war memorial.

A defence release said here that sappers have a long history, spanning over more that two centuries, of providing engineering support to the Army both during war and peace.

During war, these Engineers carry out multifarious tasks such as laying and breaching of minefields, construction of assault bridges, helipads, development of tracks for mobility of vehicles and so on.

During peacetime, they are always in the forefront carrying out tasks in support of the deployed troops in insurgency areas, neutralizing bombs, constructing roads and shelters and providing water supply and electricity, the release added. (PTI)

Change visiting pattern of tourists at Ajanta: Experts

AURANGABAD, Nov 18: Archaeological experts have suggested change of visitor patterns and cleaning of the surface of the paintings at the world-famous Ajanta caves, regarded as one of India’s oldest world heritage monuments.

Talking to newspersons yesterday, member of an eight member Panel of Experts (POE), Graham Brooks said the humidity caused by large number of tourists visiting caves was posing a threat to the heritage monument and suggested a change in the visiting pattern.

Mr Brooks also suggested limiting number of tourists visiting the original caves and supported the idea of constructing a replica of the caves to avoid rush at the original caves.

Dr R K Sharma, another member of the panel and Joint Director Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), suggested that cleanliness of surface of the paintings be taken up.

Dr Sharma categorically said there was no deterioration of the world famous caves as compared to its status a decade ago and ruled out any threat to the heritage monuments.

However, he said that all the experts were unanimous on the issue of taking up the conservation work in order to keep the monuments intact in their origional shape.

The eight-member expert panel on a four-day visit to the heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora, have made a detailed survey and supervision of the monuments and a draft of suggestion for conservation would be submitted to the Government soon.

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation’s (MTDC) executive director Bhushan Gagrani told reporters on the occasion that the work of constructing replica of the Ajanta and Ellora had already been started along with construction of tourist complexes at both the places.

These are the steps the MTDC and the State Government have initiated under the second phase of Ajanta-Ellora Conservation and Tourism Development Plan.

The Japanese Bank of International Corporation (JBIC) has sanctioned an estimate of Rs 360 crore towards the second phase which includes Rs 40 crore for monument conservation and Rs 40 crore for modernisation of Aurangabad airport.

Other works include construction of two important roads —Satkund-Pitalkhora and Bhusawal-Jamner-Pahur, besides the construction of replica of Ajanta and Ellora and tourist complexes.

To a question, Mr Gagrani expressed confidence of completing the second phase of work by year 2009. (UNI)

Flesh trade racket bused, nine
including eight girls arrested

JALANDHAR, Nov 18: District police today claimed to have busted a inter-state flesh trade racket with the arrest of nine persons including eight girls and a pimp from a residence of Bhargo Camp area of the city.

Acting on a tip off that flesh trade racket was operational from a house belong to one Sunil Kumar in Bhargo Camp, police party raided the spot in the wee hours today and arrested nine persons including eight girls, police sources said.

However, kingpin of the gang, Sunil Kumar managed to give a slip to the police dragnet, sources added.

Arrested persons were identified as Rakesh Kumar (pimp) and his wife Kamal Rani, resident of Jalandhar Cantonment, Sharanpreet Kaur alias Simmy (Ludhiana), Reshma Hussain (Bombay), Asha Rani (Allahabad), Aman (Amritsar), Sapna alias Tiddu (Amritsar), Manjit Kaur alias Sonu (Amritsar) and Rajwinder Kaur from Amritsar, Pushp Bali, incharge of bus stand police station said.

A case under section 3,4,5 of Immoral Traffic Act has been registered in the concerned police station and the arrested persons were being produced in the court to seek their police remand, sources said. (PTI)

Goa Govt completes probe into land deals by foreigners

PANAJI, Nov 18: Goa Government has completed inquiry into the dubious land deals by foreigners in the State.

"Police are compiling data which enlists ways in which these properties were purchased especially by Russians. Once we have a complete data in place we will analyse it to ascertain the violations," Deputy Inspector General of Police Ujwal Mishra said.

Foreigners purchasing properties in Goa has hit headlines earlier this year with Government identifying 482 such properties, mostly in north Goa’s coastal belt, in the name of foreign nationals.

A recent report by the National Security Council talked about the possible involvement of Russian mafia in the land dealings.

The Government will be able to comment on drug or land mafia’s involvement in the land purchase only after probing into the source of income used to purchase the land, Mishra said.

"Lot of foreigners have purchased properties by forming Indian companies. Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999 debars any foreigner from purchasing land in the state," State District Registrar V G Salkar said.

He said that since these properties were purchased by forming companies, it is for Registrar of Companies to look into the matter.

Goa Government, recently, had asked the Home Department to regulate registration of properties as foreigners manage to register them by producing fake domicile proof.

"Now Government is stricter in such matters and each property purchased is scanned thoroughly," Salkar added. (PTI)

Self help groups sprout on Govt funds and subsidy

SRINAGAR, Nov 18: As many as 300 self-employment units were set up in Anantnag district under the Swaranjyanti Gram Sewa Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) during the current financial year, officials said today.

A loan of Rs 1.27 crore and a subsidy of Rs 22.50 lakh were provided by banks and other financial institutions for setting up of these units, they said.

Eighteen sheep units were established till date in the district with a loan of Rs 171.40 lakh and subsidy of Rs 89.21 lakh.

The officials also said that as many as 1091 self help groups have been constituted in the district, funds worth Rs 34.20 lakh have been provided in 342 cases and 87 cases were group financed with an amount of Rs 87 lakh. (PTI)

Centre should implement SC verdict: PMK

MADURAI, Nov 18: Pattali Makkal Katchi founder-leader S Ramadoss today appealed to the Centre to take expeditious steps to implement the Supreme Court verdict and raise the storage of the Periyar Dam to the interim 142 ft.

Addressing mediapersons here on his way to Gudalur for a protest demonstration to condemn Kerala’s ‘obstinacy aggressive behaviour bordering on Chauvinism,’’ he said the talks would not yield any solution.

The protest organised by the party was also to mount pressure on the DMK Government to issue a Government Order(GO) to raise the storage as the Apex Court order and protect the legitimate interests of the farmers.

The Centre should act to uphold the rule of law and ensure that the court order was complied with in this issue, he added.

In his opinion, Kerala was blowing the issue out of proportion and taking an aggressive posture by whipping up passions which was unnecessary and uncalled for. The matter concerned only a few TMC of water being drained into the Arabian Sea. If Tamil Nadu too adopted a similar stance, the issue would take a different direction, the PMK leader warned.

However, Dr Ramadoss was non-committal on his party’s support to the proposed December four economic blockade against Kerala planned by various political parties and different farmers fora.

To a pointed question, he said any future course of action would be decided after the result of the talks was known.

The political leadership in Kerala was asked to see reason and consider the repercussions if people in Tamil Nadu decided to stop all supplies, including foodgrain, milk and vegetables. "Let Kerala challenge and say that they don’t want any supply and remain cut off from Tamil Nadu," he quipped. (UNI)

Conciliation, mediation part of cultural heritage: CJ

PUDUCHERRY, Nov 18: Madras High-Court Chief Justice A P Shah today said conciliation and mediation had always been part of cultural heritage of the country.

Inaugurating a one-day workshop on ‘Mediation’ organised by the Union Territory of Puducherry Legal Service Authority, the Bar Councils of Puducherry and Karaikkal region here, Mr Shah said Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) was a system of resolving disputes outside the courts and mediation was a feasible inexpensive and faster system of setteling disputes to restore harmony between the contesting parties.

He said mediation forming part of ADR was an ideal solution to the litigant public, who would otherwise face several years to see the end of their disputes. If efficently implemented the ADR was beneficial to the whole justice delivery system. An efficient ADR could play an important role in improving the quality of justice, he added.

Mr Shah also launched the web site of the Puducherry Legal Service Authority on the occasion. (UNI)