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Mysore, July 04: The bandh call given by a Hindu outfit to protest the attack on a BJP youth wing leader evoked a mixed response here on Saturday, even as tension continued in some areas in the wake of clashes sparked by the alleged desecration of a madrasa.

City transport services operated a few buses, while some private vehicles and autorickshaws plied on the roads.

A few persons have been arrested in connection with the clashes and stabbing incidents, police said, but did not give details.

New Delhi, July 04: Role of black money in elections, threat to voters from Maoists, mushroom growth of political parties and casual approach of urban voters impede the electoral process in the country, Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has said.

“Role of black money is the biggest problem. We admit that we have failed to curb it. In the 30 days’ of the election process we cannot contain black money,” he said last night at a seminar on ‘Indian Elections 2009 – Trends and Perspectives’.

New Delhi, July 04: Delhi’s Police Commissioner Y. S. Dadwal on Friday enhanced the reward on three militants allegedly involved in the serial blasts in the Capital last year from Rs.1 lakh to 5 lakh and announced a reward of equal amount on alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operations chief Abu Alkama.

The three alleged militants are Iqbal Batkal, Riyaz Batkal and Amir Raja Khan.

Abu Alkama, an alleged mastermind behind the creation of Indian Mujahideen, is responsible for the blasts in Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Uttar Pradesh, the police said.

Lucknow, July 04: The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday gave the green signal for filing of chargesheet in a court against BJP MP Varun Gandhi for making allegedly inflammatory speeches in Pilibhit, moving a step closer to his trial in the case.

“The government has given a go-ahead to the District Magistrate of Pilibhit to file chargesheet against Gandhi accused of delivering inflammatory speeches during Lok Sabha polls”, Secretary (Home) Mahesh Gupta told PTI.

New Delhi, July 04: Delhiites will face an uncomfortable weekend with high humidity levels but little rain, a met official said Saturday.

The humidity level will oscillate between 79 and 51 percent. The maximum temperature Saturday will hover around 37 degrees Celsius and the minimum will be about 28 degrees Celsius, the official said.

“The sky will mainly remain partly cloudy. Later in the day, there is possibility of rain and thundershowers,” said an official of the met department at Safdarjung.

Although the monsoon reached the capital June 29, there hasn’t been much rain.

New Delhi, July 04: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has done a good balancing act. Even while keeping her promise of presenting a pro-people budget she has initiated measures for yielding revenue and sustaining the commercial viability of the railways.

She has revisited the Tatkal scheme reducing the time factor and the charges.

To please the youth she has promised a low-cost train; urban women would now have special trains in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, and the unorganised labour would be given monthly season tickets of Rs. 25.

Chennai, July 04: The Chennai Corporation on Friday seized and destroyed five tonnes of mangoes and two tonnes of papaya that were ripened using chemical substances.

During the raids conducted on wholesalers and retailers across the city, it seized 300 kg of calcium carbide in stone and powder form. Two wholesale shops in the Koyambedu Wholesale Fruit Market were sealed by officials of the civic body’s Health Department with police assistance.

New Delhi, July o4: Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has termed “unfortunate” the decision of a section of Air India employees to go on a two-hour strike even as the national carrier is trying to tide over the worst financial crisis in its history.

The Minister feels that any kind of agitation by the employees would create a “wrong impression” among the travelling public and people would shun flying Air India.

Bhubaneswar, July 04: Conceding Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s demand, the central government has extended the deployment of its paramilitary forces for two more weeks in the state’s Kandhamal district, which witnessed communal riots last year, an official said here Saturday.

The central government had Wednesday withdrawn from the region four companies of central paramilitary forces – the last of the central forces posted there to maintain peace.

New Delhi, July 04: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday hailed Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for doing a “competent job” at a short notice, saying the Railway Budget will make train travel an “enjoyable experience”.

“She (Mamata) has prepared a budget which does not impose burden by way of increase in freight charges or passenger charges,” Mr. Singh told reporters outside Parliament shortly after the Railway Budget 2009-10 was presented in Lok Sabha.

Hyderabad,July 04: With little resistance coming for the laying off process, particularly from the government, Mahindra Satyam is now gearing up for yet another round of lay-offs. This time, the axe is likely to fall on senior employees at the mid-management level.

According to sources, the company has already informed the employees about its plan to shave off a ‘significant number’ of jobs.

Mumbai: Bharatiya Janta Party’s state general secretary Vinod Tawde flayed the railway budget. “Mumbai accounts for a major chunk of passenger revenues, but there has been no announcement to improve their travel conditions.

Inspite of living in the financial capital of the country, Mumbaikars have never benefited from any of the railway budgets presented in the Congress-led regime,” he said.

Budget 2009″Mumbaikars had been since long demanding a new rail service connecting the Thane-Borivili, but this has not been done.

New Delhi, July 04: The Capital is set to get 19 new trains, including a pilot service of two new low-priced fast trains that will connect Delhi to Mumbai and Kolkata.

The Rail Budget tabled by Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday stated there will be eight new trains from the city, nine non-stop train services to other cities, and two low-priced ‘Yuva’ fast trains to connect the youth in rural hinterlands to metropolitan cities.