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Central Delhi Metro opens to public

      New Delhi: The new 7-km Kashmiri Gate-Central Secretariat section of the Metro Rail in New Delhi was opened today from 6 am to the public. The opening of this new metro which was inaugurated on Saturday by Congress President Sonia Gandhi has opened new vistas for the people of Delhi. Catering to crowded places like Connaught Place and Chandni Chowk, the new section would add over 70,000 commuters daily to the existing 130,000 daily passengers. It was an eagerly awaited gift for the people which could be seen by the number of commuters coming on its first trip,some of which had come just for a joyride. "Today I have come with my husband and children for a joyride. We all wanted to see the new metro that is opened. It was very nice,"said a passenger. Considering that the section passes through some of the most congested parts of the city it promises to ease congestion on the roads,check pollution to a great deal and also take care of the parking hassles and the ever rising fuel hikes. "We face a lot of parking problems in Connaught Place area. So, now we will not park our car in C.P. But we will take the train to the office,"said another passenger. The decongestion on the roads will also help improve the average speed of buses and people will have a safe, comfortable, quick and reliable mode of transport. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is all geared up to receive the first rush of passengers on the stretch and according to the Metro authorities all the necessary steps and actions have been taken for the convenience and safety of the passengers. "We have made arrangements for extra counters and all security deployment is available with us including escalator,EPC gates. As the crowd is not that huge today we can very well manage the station. All the necessary steps and actions have been taken by us from the starting day and everything is running very smoothly," said a Metro Official. This state-of-the-art underground corridor running through the heart of the Capital and completed way ahead of schedule would also prove to be an example worth emulating for other projects as well.

Shiv Sena's internal power struggle out in open (Go To Top) 

      Mumbai: With the power struggle in Shiv Sena now out in open, former Chief Minister and Shiv Sena Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Narayan Rane is unlikely to attend the meeting of the Shiv Sena legislators and top functionaries today convened by the Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. Rane on Saturday announced his intention to resign from the post of the leader as he was not being consulted on party matters and also not being invited to meetings of the top leaders of the party. According to Rane, he was resigning as Leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party not from the post of Leader of the Opposition. In a party that does not brook rebellion, Rane's move is seen as a direct challenge to the party leadership. "It seems that my party is unhappy with me as no one has bothered to inform me on any matter. So I think it will be best that I step down from the party leadership," he said. Rane feels that Shiv Sena has become a family centric party and the democratic practices are not being honoured.

     Earlier, Thackeray in a statement in the party mouthpiece, Samana, had urged his partymen not to trust the "bubbles from the media" that Rane was quitting the party. "Mr. Rane is a staunch Shiv Sainik who would never betray the party," Thackeray had written. Rane, however, also denied that he was to quit the party. But pointing a finger at Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, Rane said that the rumours against him were being floated by the insiders of the Sena. Rane's differences with Uddhav have been growing ever since the party could not defeat the Congress-NCP in the 2004 Assembly elections. Recently Rane had stunned the party supremo, Bal Thackeray and his son and working president of the outfit, Uddhav Thackeray, by suggesting that party posts are being traded in the party Mr. Rane recently told a meeting of principal functionaries presided over by Mr. Uddhav Thackeray that loyalty and sacrifice once mattered a lot in the Shiv Sena. Party posts should be assigned on the basis of one's devotion to duty, public work and loyalty.

     The Shiv Sena cadres have always felt that party tickets for different elections and Rajya Sabha nominations should go to loyal party men and not to new comers willing to spend money. This view gained strength in the last Assembly elections when Mr. Uddhav Thackeray denied tickets to loyal party workers, risking rebellion and the loss of several seats. This cost the party dearly, particularly in the coastal Konkan region, the core of the Sena strength. Mr. Rane is from the region. Like many others he does not like interference from "Matoshree," the Thackeray residence, in small issues. The district leaders have no powers to recognise and reward local functionaries. Leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal and Ganesh Naik (both in the NCP now) had left the Sena following differences with Mr. Thackeray. Rane's supporters have always accused Uddhav Thackeray of lacking in charisma and not being able to connect with grassroots workers.

Narayan Rane's resignation causes concern in Shiv Sena (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: With the power struggle in Shiv Sena now out in open, party supremo Bala Saheb Thackeray today asked former Chief Minister and Shiv Sena Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Narayan Rane to resign from the party's membership in the State Assembly. Rane is the leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra State Legislature and also the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party. "Rane has become an MLA on Shiv Sena ticket, that he must not forget," Thackeray said following a meeting of Shiv Sena legislators and top functionaries here today convened by him. "He has betrayed Shiv Sena, "added Thackeray. A scuffle also took place between the supporters of Rane and Uddhav Thackeray outside the meeting place. Rane on Saturday announced his intention to resign from the post of the leader as he was not being consulted on party matters and also not being invited to meetings of the top leaders of the party. In a party that does not brook rebellion, Rane's move is seen as a direct challenge to the party leadership. He is at loggerheads with the working president of the party Uddhav Thackeray. "It seems that my party is unhappy with me as no one has bothered to inform me on any matter. So I think it will be best that I step down from the party leadership," he said. Rane feels that Shiv Sena has become a family centric party and the democratic practices are not being honoured. Earlier, Thackeray in a statement published in the party mouthpiece, Samana, had urged his partymen not to trust the "bubbles from the media" ."Mr. Rane is a staunch Shiv Sainik who would never betray the party," Thackeray had written.

     Rane, however, denied that he was to quit the party. But pointing a finger at Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, Rane said that the rumours against him were being floated by the insiders of the Sena. Rane's differences with Uddhav have been growing ever since the party could not defeat the Congress-NCP in the 2004 Assembly elections. Recently Rane had stunned the party supremo, Bal Thackeray and his son and working president of the outfit, Uddhav Thackeray, by suggesting that party posts are being traded in the party Mr. Rane recently told a meeting of principal functionaries presided over by Mr. Uddhav Thackeray that loyalty and sacrifice once mattered a lot in the Shiv Sena. Party posts should be assigned on the basis of one's devotion to duty, public work and loyalty. The Shiv Sena cadre have always felt that party tickets for different elections and Rajya Sabha nominations should go to loyal party men and not to new comers willing to spend money. This view gained strength in the last Assembly elections when Mr. Uddhav Thackeray denied tickets to loyal party workers, risking rebellion and the loss of several seats. This cost the party dearly, particularly in the coastal Konkan region, the core of the Sena strength. Mr. Rane is from the region. Like many others he does not like interference from "Matoshree," the Thackeray residence, in small issues. The district leaders have no powers to recognise and reward local functionaries. Leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal and Ganesh Naik (both in the NCP now) had left the Sena following differences with Mr. Thackeray. Rane's supporters have accused Uddhav Thackeray of lacking in charisma and not being able to connect with grassroots workers.

Wild waters of Chenab wash away bridge at Baglihar site (Go To Top)

     Srinagar: A 105-metre bridge at the 450 MW Baglihar hydro-power project site has been washed away and two villages submerged in Jammu division of the state due to the overflowing waters of Chenab river. The administration has sounded a red-alert as the river was flowing two to three degrees below the danger mark in Pul-Doda, Ramban and Akhnoor belts of the division. According to the sources, the bridge made of steel at the Baglihar site at Chanderkote in Doda district was washed away last night by the bouncy waters. The bridge was being used to transport construction material to the project site. The rising wild waters, coming from higher reaches due to melting of snow, weakened the pillars and finally uprooted them. Flood protection walls have also been damaged in the low lying areas of Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district. However, no casualty has been reported so far. Two villages - Pujara and Sikhi- in Ramban area of Doda district have been paritally submerged. The Chenab River (also known as Chandrabagha river) is formed by the confluence of the Chandra and the Bagha rivers in Lahul-Spiti areas of the Himalayan ranges of Kashmir. It flows through the plains of the Punjab, forming the boundary between the Rechna and the Jech Doabs. It is joined by the Jhelum River at Trimmu, and by Ravi river and it merges with the Sutlej River at Uch Sharif to form Panjnad, which joins the Indus River at Mithankot. The total length of the Chenab is approximately 960 kilometres.

Closed door RSS conclave underway in Surat (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The three-day top-level closed door conclave of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Surat began today with no access to media. Although the agenda of the meeting is the review of its training programmes of May and June and a review of the preparations for the birth centenary celebration of M S Golwalkar, it's quite clear that the BJP-RSS deadlock over L K Advani's controversial statements on Mohammad Ali Jinnah would be the focus of deliberations. Trying to keep "ghar kee baat ghar ke hee andar" RSS Spokesperson Ram Madhav made his best efforts to convince the media that there was no point in making a trip to Surat since nobody will speak to journalists. Moreover, he even faxed a note to all media organisations "advising against travelling to Surat". He, however, assured that the media would be provided the informations after the conclave. There is no doubt that the Sangh would try to give a tough message to the BJP about their relationship which is in troubled waters at present. Critics say that RSS wants to convey to the BJP leadership that Ideology is the first, organisation is the next and individual is the last. The Sangh wants to send clear signals that personality based politics or polarisation of individual loyalties can't be tolerated. The top RSS brass including its chief K S Sudarshan alongwith representatives from sister organisations are attending the meeting. VHP firebrand Praveen Togadia is also participating in the meet. The Sangh leadership also seems to be divided on the Advani controversy. Some feel that Sangh should strongly deal with BJP so that it does not get diverted from its basics, as the party was conceived to be the political organ of the Sangh. A section of the Sangh is, however, veering round to the belief that the BJP should be dumped because it had become a "liability". Some leaders in the Parivar believe that the BJP should be let free to do whatever it wants. The Sangh should not get entangled in the "mess" of who should lead the BJP and who should hold which post. The Sangh must look at life apart from the BJP. Now, it is to be watched that to what extent the RSS would reshape its ties with the BJP. Will it build itself as a powerful group which would push its agenda through and allow the BJP to restructure itself.

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