Two Indian mixed doubles pairs today notched up straight game victories over their respective local opponents to reach the main draw of the USD 750,000 Star Australian Badminton Open, here today.
The pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Pradnya Gadre brushed aside Australian combo of Simon Wing Hang Leung and Tiffany Ho 21-10 21-8 in just 19 minutes to make it to the main draw.
They will next take on Hong Kong’s Yun Lung Chan and Ying Suet Tse.
Manu Attri and Siki Reddy N also didn’t have to break much sweat as they spanked Australian pair of Daniel Guda and Alice Wu 21-7 21-11 in 18 minutes to set up a opening round clash with second seeds Chinese duo of Chen Xu and Jin Ma.
Indian top shuttlers led by Saina Nehwal will start their campaign in the main draw tomorrow. (PTI)
Capt (Rtd) P V K Mohan was unanimously elected as the president of the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India for a period of four years. In the election held here recently, Bholu Mehta, Rajan Khinvasra, K Ranjan and Kush Bharghava were elected as Vice Presidents.
S Balasuramaniam was re-elected as Secretary general, while M C Uthappa will be the honourary treasure, a BSFI release said. The federation said the calender of events this year include the Indian Open will be held in Mumbai from the October 13 to 17. The qualifiers which will be held in England in August will decide (PTI)
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 24: Twenty-four fresh guests from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) arrived here while only four Kashmiris crossed over to other side of the Line of Control (LoC) to meet their relatives, separated in 1947 due to partition.
As many as 77 PoK and Kashmiri returnees also crossed sides at Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the LoC in Uri sector yesterday, official sources said. They said 24 PoK residents, including nine women and as many children, arrived at Kaman post after crossing the Aman Setu, peace bridge on foot to meet their relatives in Kashmir.
They said six Kashmiris, who had gone to PoK, also returned here after completing their stay with their relatives there. They included two women and as many children. The sources said four Kashmiris, including a woman, crossed over to other side of the LoC in the Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of PoK. They included a woman.
They said 71 PoK residents, who had come here in previous weeks, returned to their homes after completing stay here. They included 34 women and nine children. The bus service, which started on April 7, 2005, has helped thousands of families, divided in 1947 to meet each other.
JAMMU, June 24: The State Government today accorded sanction for placement of three Section Officers of the J&K Secretariat (Subordinate) Service as Under Secretaries.
The promote officers include Jyoti Raina, Fahmeeda Jan and Mohan Lal Sharma.
Jyoti Raina, on her promotion, is posted as Under Secretary Technical Education, Youth Services and Sports Department while Fahmeeda Jan and Mohan Lal Sharma have been posted as Under Secretary in the J&K State Vigilance Commission.
Consequent upon these placements, transfers and promotions of three more Under Secretaries were ordered.
Syed Nazir Ahmad, Under Secretary PDD is transferred and posted as Under Secretary of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, vice Nisar Ahmad Wani who has been transferred and posted as Under Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department vice Gurdeep Kour.
Gurdeep Kour has been transferred and posted as Under Secretary Animal and Sheep Husbandry Department.
JAMMU, June 24: Crime Branch Jammu has booked partners of North India Credit Co-operative Development Corporation Ltd (NICCDC) and one Rakesh Kumar of Dabhlehar R S Pura for duping people on the pretext of providing them jobs.
Under a well planned criminal conspiracy, Rakesh Kumar son of Sham Lal of Dabhlehar R S Pura had committed the fraud by cheating a number of innocent depositors by receiving their hard earned money as saving in the fixed recurring deposits in the account of NICCDC by assuring them jobs in the said company and in the process had duped them of their hard earned money to the tune of Rs 21,09,500.
The case was initiated on the complaint of A K Matoo, General Manager Reserve Bank of India who alleged that NICCDC situated at 152 Shastri Nagar Jammu claiming to be the branch of NICCDC with head office Bara Khamba New Delhi was making unauthorized collection of deposits by offering the saving fixed deposits and recurring deposit account facilities to the customers, which are normally offered by the banks as per RBI guidelines.
The Crime Branch investigations established that a number of persons deposited different amount ranging from Rs 1500 to Rs 5000 per month in the account of NICCDC.
After completion of inquiry, the Crime Branch registered a case under the relevant sections of law against the accused persons for further investigations.
SRINAGAR, June 24: The arrangements for the ensuing holy month of Ramzan were finalised in a divisional level officers meeting with Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir Shalindra Kumar in chair here today.
Among others, Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Deputy Commissioner Kulgam, Joint Director Information, Kashmir, Senior Superintendent of Traffic Police, Regional Transport Officer, Srinagar XEn PHE & R&B, Deputy Director CA&PD besides Vice Chairman Wakaf Board attended.
Divisional Commissioner directed the officers of the concerned departments to put in coordinated efforts for ensuring adequate arrangements for facilitating the people during ensuing month of holy Ramzan. He directed for ensuring un-interrupted power and water supply besides availability of adequate essentials including Rice- Atta, Sugar, Kerosene Oil, and domestic LPG cylinders. He also asked for intensifying market checking to keep check on black marketing, hoarding and profiteering to facilitate the consumers.
Mr. Kumar also enjoined upon the officers of SMC to ensure cleanliness in and around the mosques and shrines. He also directed police and traffic authorities to ensure proper arrangements for facilitating smooth plying of transport during the holy month of Ramzan.
SHIMLA, June 24:
The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP), situated in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, has been granted prestigious World Heritage Site status. The decision was made during the meeting of WHS in Doha, yesterday.
Official sources here said the Great Himalayan National Park competed against several other countries for selection as a World Heritage Site under the criteria of ‘exceptional natural beauty’ and ‘conservation of biological diversity’. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has welcomed this decision, saying this was recognition for commendable performance and sustainable efforts of the State in conservation of forests, wildlife and heritage. He said the State Government had always been committed to preserve the ecology, environment and precious forest wealth of the State and various effective steps had been initiated in this regard.
The State had imposed complete ban on green felling and measures had been taken to minimize the use of plastic and polythene, the Chief Minister said.
Reacting to getting the World Heritage Site status, State Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri said this step would go a long way in the growth and development of eco-tourism in the State.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the State Government for protection and conservation of the precious environment. The noteworthy issue in according the status of WHS to the GHNP is that there will be no dislocation of the families/villages living in the Park core and their rights have been recognised and would stay protected. Mr Bharmouri also said the original proposal regarding inclusion of GHNP in India’s Tentative List of Natural Heritage Properties was conceived by the State Government between December/January, 2005-2006 after a meeting at New Delhi on 14th November, 2005. Subsequently, there were several rounds of consultations and meetings to address the issues involved, the Minister added. He said the selection process required that the Tirthan and Sainj Wildlife Sanctuaries be added to the GHNP, an analysis of the other similar WHS be conducted to underscore the importance of the GHNP and continue to resolve various rights-based issues in the Park area.
The Forest Minister said in the current round of negotiations underway at Doha, Qatar, the discussion took place and finally, the status of WHS was accorded. He said that in India, other World Heritage sites include the Taj Mahal, Ellora, Kaziranga National Park, Keoladeo National Park, Manas National Park, Nandadevi Biosphere Reserve and the Sunderbans.
Mr Bharmouri said GHNP was declared as National Park under Wildlife (Protection Act), 1972 by the Himachal Pradesh Government in 1999. A total of 832 plants species representing 128 families and 427 genera (which cover 26 per cent of the total flora of Himachal Pradesh) have been recorded from the GHNP.
GHNP is home to a number of threatened species of global concern, providing them with habitats critical to their continued survival. The Park supports probably self-sustaining populations of near-threatened, vulnerable and endangered species like Leopard, Himalayan Black Bear, Royle’s vole, Himalayan Tahr, Himalayan Serow, Himalayan Goral, Himalayan Musk deer, Western Tragopan and Cheer pheasant.
The endangered Snow Leopard and critically endangered Red-headed vulture was also present. The Park contains the largest single population of the vulnerable Western Tragopan and supports probably the densest remaining population of Himalayan Musk Deer west of Nepal, he said. (UNI)
Excelsior Correspondent JMC officials removing encroachments on Tuesday.JAMMU, June 24: The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) in its sustained campaign against the encroachers and illegal hawkers conducted anti encroachment drive in the areas of Indira Chowk and Dogra Hall, removed vendors and hawkers from footpaths and seized about five trucks of goods.
During the drive all the obstructions in the free flow of vehicular traffic and hindrance to the pedestrians were removed. Besides this, vendors and hawkers were also removed who were selling goods by encroaching upon footpaths and pavements in these areas. Five trucks of goods were seized from the defaulters and impounded in the Municipal Yard.
The extensive anti encroachment drive was led by Chief Khilafwarzi officers along with Assistant Enforcement Officer and Enforcement Inspector of JMC.
The drive was conducted with the help and assistance of police force from Police Station Pacca Danga and District Police Lines, Jammu.
The JMC has appealed the shopkeepers to keep their goods within their shops to avoid seizure and penalty for such defaults. The Rehari owners were also asked to keep their reharies mobile as the stationary reharies are source of obstruction for the free flow of vehicular traffic and also cause inconvenience to the pedestrians.
Excelsior Correspondent Chairman JKB Mushtaq Ahmad inaugurating PNB MetLife branch at Srinagar on Tuesday.SRINAGAR, June 24: Mushtaq Ahmad, Chairman & CEO, J&K Bank today inaugurated the PNB MetLife’s full fledged Srinagar branch in presence of Tarun Chugh, Managing Director & CEO, PNB MetLife.
Others present on the occasion included J&K Bank’s Senior Presidents R.K Shah and Abdul Rauf Bhat and J&K Bank President P K Tickoo and Bank’s Vice President Abdul Rashid Shigan.
Terming the services sector as highly sensitive, the Chairman said that approach to business should not be guided only by commercial interests. “We are dealing with human beings, so our dealings have to be humble, honest, reliable and credible as people judge us more through the value of our relationship than through the dividends to their investment”, he elaborated.
He described the J&K Bank-PNB MetLife relationship as a strategic alliance to create “a shared value for all the stakeholders at the centre of which are the customers”.
“Our relations have only strengthened since we joined hands in April, 2001. The very idea of the partnership has been laid on the basic premise of facilitating better products and services to our valuable customers across the country”, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Tarun Chugh said that PNB MetLife has taken major steps to come closer to the customers. “There have been some mistakes in the past but we have learned from those mistakes and are taking a lot of initiatives to get closer and closer to our customers”, he said.
Stating that J&K Bank has been a founding promoter of MetLife and that it has contributed towards company’s immense success in the J&K State, Chugh revealed, “Around 10 percent of MetLife’s total business comes from J&K State.
NEW DELHI, June 24:
In a significant decision, Air India was inducted into the Star Alliance, an exclusive club of 26 major global airlines, which would enable seamless travel for the airline’s passengers to over 1,300 destinations and may increase its revenues by five per cent.
At its Chief Executive Board meeting in London yesterday, the CEOs of the alliance network unanimously approved the membership of Air India, clearing the way for the national carrier to become the first Indian airline to join a global grouping.
Teams of Air India, Star Alliance and its member carriers would complete the final works to ensure the Indian airline can offer all customer benefits from July 11, when it finally joins the grouping formally, an alliance spokesperson said.
“We are happy to note that Air India has become part of the Star Alliance. This is one of the biggest alliances in the world,” Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told reporters here today.
The decision put an end to a seven-year-long wait for the national carrier, with the integration process starting in December 2007 but being suspended in July 2011 to allow Air India to complete its merger with Indian Airlines before fully integrating it into the alliance network.
Asked whether the airline’s privatisation was discussed at a meeting he had with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Raju said Air India formed “a substantive part of our discussion. All issues relating to it was discussed. No decision has been taken and I would not like to stir the hornet’s nest”.
Air India’s revenues may increase by 4-5 per cent by joining the alliance, he said, adding “it is a new beginning for Air India and we wish they fly higher than they have already flown”.
To a question by when would the airline turn around, he said Air India “has had a rough time. It is premature today to put a time-frame. But there is no doubt they will emerge stronger in future, hopefully near future”.
The move would help passengers to access the alliance’s global network of over 21,980 daily flights to 1,328 airports in 195 countries. Star Alliance members jointly own 4,338 aircraft and fly over 640 million passengers a year. (PTI)
