Month: May 2010

Diverted flights: No fuel shortage, says govt

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New Delhi, May 31: Amid reports that three planes with insufficient fuel were diverted from Delhi to nearby airports due VIP flight movements, the Civil Aviation Ministry Monday said all these aircraft had much fuel to spare.

All the aircraft, which were diverted on May 26 following flight movements of President Pratibha Patil and Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimunha-medov, carried sufficient fuel “as per laid down procedure of DGCA and their fuel requirement,” the Ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement.

No relief for Rathore, case deferred to June 1

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Haryana, May 31: Disgraced former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, sentenced to an 18-month prison term by a court here in a molestation case, today failed to get any relief as the Punjab and Haryana High Court deferred the hearing on his revision petition seeking bail till tomorrow.

68-year-old Rathore’s lawyer wife Abha Rathore had filed the review petition on his behalf in the High Court on May 26 seeking bail, a day after he was sentenced and lodged in the high-security Burail jail here.

The single vacation bench of Justice Ajay Tewari deferred the case till tomorrow.

No decision yet to deploy army to fight Naxals: Antony

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Pune, May 31: Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said the government was “examining all pros and cons of various aspects” of deploying army in anti-Naxalite operations in the country.

While making it clear that government had not taken any decision in the matter so far, he said, “we are carefully examining all pros and cons of various aspects and once a decision is made, it will be binding on the military.” “The armed forces will also accept whatever decision government takes” and implement it with vigour, Antony added.

Air India plane plunges after hitting airpocket, inquiry ordered

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New Delhi, May 31: Days after the Mangalore air crash, an Air India Express plane with 112 passengers and six crew members on board plunged a few thousand feet due to an airpocket while flying from Dubai to Pune, but no one was hurt.

The incident occurred on May 26, four days after the major air disaster at Mangalore in which 158 people were killed.Both the pilots of the flight IX-212 have been taken off duty pending investigations, which have been launched by Air India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, an airline spokesperson said.

Enough space for India, China to grow together: Patil

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Onboard Air India One, May 31: President Pratibha Patil Monday said there is “enough space in the world for India and China to grow together” and their relationship has “a global dimension.”

She emphasised that China “understands” and “supports” India’s desire for a permanent seat in a reformed United Nations Security Council.

Patil said this on board her special aircraft Air India One in a statement issued at the end of her six-day official visit to Beijing, Luoyang and Shanghai.

Jaganmohan can’t meet Sonia, says won’t quit party

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New Delhi, May 31: Under fire for defying the party and going ahead with his rally, Congress MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy rushed to the capital to meet the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to explain his position, but had to stay content with meeting senior party leader Ahmed Patel instead. The Kadapa MP said Monday he was not quitting the Congress.

Five kg ketamine seized from air passenger

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Thiruvananthapuram, May 31: Five kg of ketamine was recovered from a Kuala Lumpur-bound passenger at the International Airport here today.

Customs officials recovered packets of the drug concealed in three bags, official sources said.

The passenger hailed from Tamil Nadu.

Ketamine is a party drug and its use is banned except for medical purposes.

–Agencies

FY10 fiscal deficit down to 6.61pc

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New Delhi, May 31: The government contained its fiscal deficit, the gap between overall expenditure and receipts, at 6.61 per cent of GDP during 2009-10 against 6.7 per cent estimated at the time of presenting budget 2010.

The deficit finally stood at Rs 4,12,307 crore at the end of FY10, constituting 6.61 per cent of GDP at Rs 62,31,171 crore, the official figures released today showed.

At the time of the presentation of budget 2010, GDP was estimated at a lower level of Rs 61,64,178 crore, and the fiscal deficit was pegged at a higher 6.7 per cent.

WB wants Tripura cop suspended for firing

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Kolkata, May 31: West Bengal has recommended to Tripura government that it suspend a jawan who had fired three rounds injuring a CPI-M supporter at a south suburban polling booth yesterday.

“His suspension has been recommended to the Tripura government,” West Bengal Home Secretary Samar Ghosh told newsmen.

Bapi Dhar, a CPI-M supporter, was allegedly coming out of a booth located inside the Kendua Girls High School at Patuli, when Tripura State Armed Police jawan Sandip Sharma fired three rounds from his SLR.

While two bullets missed Bapi, one hit him below the knee.

Bomb hoax spreads panic in a hotel

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Jaipur, May 31: An overseas call to a city hotel saying there was a bomb planted in its premises sent the police into a tizzy, a senior police official said today.

A call was received from UK by the staff of Red Fox Hotel here late last night saying that a bomb planted in its premises was going to explode, the Inspector General (Jaipur Range first) B L Soni told PTI.

The call kept the police and ATS personnel on their toes throughout the night as the entire hotel was vacated and searched with the help of dog squads and metal detectors but nothing was found, Soni said.

Rupee ends steady against dollar after initial losses

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Mumbai, May 31: The rupee today recovered from the earlier lows and closed steady at 46.36/37 against the US currency on fag-end selling of dollar from banks.

The domestic currency resumed lower at 46.50/52 a dollar against the last weekend’s level of 46.35/36 at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market and moved down further to 46.60 a dollar on month-end dollar demand from importers mainly oil refiners.

Economy upbeat, grows by 7.4 per cent in 2009-10

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New Delhi, May 31: India’s economy grew by a better than estimated 7.4 per cent in 2009-10 on the back of double digit expansion in manufacturing sector and not so dismal showing by farm sector.

In fact, the economy grew by a robust 8.6 per cent in the fourth quarter, fuelled by 16.3 per cent expansion in manufacturing sector.

China, the only large country with higher growth rate than India, witnessed 11.9 per cent growth in the same quarter, while the fragile recovery in most countries, particularly Europe, is under threat from a sovereign debt crisis.

Advani vacationing in Pachmari, performs puja

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Bhopal, May 31: Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, who is on a four-day vacation to Madhya Pradesh’s picturesque Pachmari, today performed a puja at the famous Mahadev temple in the hill station.

Advani who arrived here yesterday with his wife Kamala and daughter Pratibha reached Pachmari earlier in the day along with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to take a break from the scorching heat of Delhi, official sources here said.

After arriving at Pachmari, Advani along with his family members performed puja at Bade Mahadev temple.

Sivanandan supersedes Gafoor, made new Maha police chief

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Mumbai, May 31: Mumbai Police Commissioner D Sivanandan was today appointed Maharashtra’s new Director General of Police superseding two senior IPS officers including frontrunner for the top post Hasan Gafoor.

Sivanandan, a 1976 batch IPS officer, superseded Gafoor, an IPS officer of 1974 batch and DG (Housing) P P Srivastava of 1975 batch.

59-year-old Sivanandan took over the charge from A N Roy, who retired today, after handing over the reins of Mumbai Police Commissioner to Additional Director General (Special Operations) Sanjeev Dayal Dayal, a 1977 batch officer.

Akshardham case: Gujarat HC order likely tomorrow

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Ahmedabad, May 31: The Gujarat High Court is likely to pronounce its order on appeals tomorrow in the Akshardham terror attack case of 2002 in which a lower court has awarded capital punishment to three convicts.

On July 1, 2006, special POTA court judge Sonia Gokani had sentenced to death Adam Ajmeri, Shan Miya alias Chand Khan from Bareilly and Mufti Abdul Qayyum Mansuri.

While a local youth from Dariapur in the city, Mohammed Salim Shaikh was sentenced to life imprisonment, one Abdulmiyan Qadri was given a 10-year term and Altaf Hussain was handed down five-year imprisonment.

Sohrab case: CBI opposes Chudasama’s interim bail plea

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Ahmedabad, May 31: The CBI, probing the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, today opposed the interim bail plea of accused IPS officer Abhay Chudasama who claimed that he had to undergo hip replacement surgery.

In reply to the interim bail plea of Chudasama filed in the court of CBI Judge G K Upadhyay, the agency said that Chudasama had earlier tried “to monitor” the investigation in an unauthorised manner.

Chudasama had tried to influence key witnesses in the case, the CBI alleged.

I am ready to quit if proved my tour was political: Jagan Mohan

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New Delhi, May 31: After defying the Congress high command by undertaking a tour of Telangana region, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy today said he was ready to quit as Kadapa MP if it was proved that he had politicised the visit even as he insisted on continuing with the yatra.

Jaganmohan, who arrived here last night, said he had come to meet the Congress leadership to convince it that his yatra was apolitical in nature and that he had full faith in party president Sonia Gandhi.

Narendra Modi to address convention of BJP CMs

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New Delhi, May 31: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been given the pride of place to guide chief ministers of BJP-ruled states on good governance at a conference next month in Maharashtra.

Modi will deliver the keynote address at the national convention on good governance at Sangh Parivar’s training centre Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini near Mumbai on June 5-6.

“Named Suraj-Sankalp (commitment to good governance), the conference will focus on review of some very noteworthy and innovative welfare or development initiatives,” Convenor, BJP Governance Cell, Manohar Parrikar said.

Man suspected of Naxal links arrested from Ahmedabad

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Ahmedabad, May 31: A 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of having links with Naxals in this Gujarat city today, police said.

Sagar alias Shrinivas Venkatachalia, a native of Istalpuram village of Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh, was arrested in Ghodasar area by the city crime branch following a tip off from the special investigation team (SIT) probing the network of CPI (Maoist) in the state, they said.

Modi to submit reply to 2nd showcause tonight

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Mumbai, May 31: Lalit Modi will tonight submit through e-mail his reply to the second showcause notice issued to him by the BCCI which accuses the suspended IPL Commissioner of planning a rebel Twenty20 league in England, his lawyer said today.

Modi’s legal adviser Mehmood Abdi told PTI the reply would be sent via e-mail and a hard copy, which is expected to be a two dozen-page document, would be submitted at the BCCI headquarters tomorrow.

Pak withdraws objection to two J-K power projects

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New Delhi, May 31: In a significant development, Pakistan today withdrew its objection to construction of Uri-II and Chutak hydel power projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

At the Indus Water Commissioner-level talks here, the Pakistani side said it had no objection to the designs of the two power projects after the Indian side provided details of these, official sources told PTI.

Reliance Life Insurance gets ISO certification

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Mumbai, May 31: Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group company Reliance Life Insurance today said it has got ISO 9001:2008 certification for its management systems, across all business functions, including product development.

The ISO certification is a significant step in endorsing our ongoing effort to offer innovative products, best-in-class services and improved customer satisfaction, Reliance Life Insurance said in a statement.

It is awarded by Bureau Veritas and applies across all the management processes and branches of the company.

Gold falls to Rs 18,725 on reduced offtake

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New Delhi, May 31: Gold prices fell by Rs 65 to Rs 18,725 per ten grams in the national capital today on emergence of selling by stockists at existing higher levels amid a weakening global trend.

The trading sentiment for the precious metal turned bearish after gold declined in Asia on concerns that Europe?s debt crisis might stall the global recovery.

Marketmen said fresh selling by stockists after metal prices declined in Asia mainly led to the fall in gold and silver prices.

Kapoor is new Defence Finance Secy

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New Delhi, May 31: Nita Kapoor, a 1973 batch Indian Defence Accounts Service officer, today took over as new Secretary for Defence Finance.

Kapoor was hitherto Controller General of Defence Accounts, a Defence Ministry release said here.

With varied experience in the government service, she has worked in Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Science and Technology, UPSC, and National Commission for Women.

She also served as Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Western Command) at Chandigarh and as Additional Controller General of Defence Accounts.

India sets record of playing most number of ODIs

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Bulawayo, May 31: India surpassed Australia in playing the most number of One-day Internationals when they crushed Sri Lanka in the tri-nation cricket series here in their 742nd match.

The record-breaking match turned out to be a memorable one as India overhauled the target of 243 with 6.3 overs to spare at the Queens Sports Club yesterday.

Australia have played 741 ODIs so far to hold the second position, while Pakistan are in third place with 715 ODIs.

Fourth in the list are the West Indies (636), followed by Sri Lanka (599) and New Zealand (584).