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SC notice to Gujarat on Narmada award

      New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Gujarat Government on a petition seeking implementation of the Narmada tribunal award. Petitioner's counsel Harish Salve submitted before the bench of Justice Ruma Pal, Justice C K Thakker and Justice Markandey Katju that under the Narmada tribunal award, the three regions of the state - north Gujarat, south Gujarat and Kutch - were supposed to receive water from the Sardar Sarovar dam in a particular proportion. The Gujarat Government had not implemented the award of the Narmada tribunal, Salve added. The bench issued notice to the State Government and has asked it to respond to the petition filed by Kutch Jal Sankat Nivaran Samiti and others challenging a Gujarat High Court order dismissing their plea on the issue. Salve submitted before the bench that the High Court dismissed the petition without considering the terms under Narmada tribunal award. Further, senior counsel Salve asked the bench to direct the State Government to spell out the criteria for distribution of water from the Sardar Sarovar dam between the three regions. He added that the Gujarat Government had not disclosed the water distribution criteria in its two affidavits filed in the High Court.

Warrants to Shilpa Shetty, Reema Sen (Go To Top)

      Madurai (Tamil Nadu): A Madurai court today issued non-bailable warrants (NBW) against Bollywood actresses Shilpa Shetty and Reema Sen for "posing in an obscene manner" in photographs published in a Tamil daily. The non-bailable warrants were issued as the two actresses failed to appear before the court. The Court had been issuing summons on a petition filed by an advocate, Dhakshinamoorthy, since February 15. The court had published the summons in newspapers in Hindi and English, directing them to appear before it on March 10, but none of them appeared for the hearing. The court also issued a non-bailable warrant to the editor of the daily.

Delhi traders continues protest  (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Hundreds of shopkeepers staged a demonstration in the national capital on Friday in the continuing protest against a government crackdown on commercial activities in residential areas. Traders, led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), staged a dharna and shouted slogans against Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit. According to them, despite relief being extended to establishments prior to the making of Master Plan, the authorities are treating all cases with the same yardstick. "Our (traders) main point is that these shops which were built before their Master Plan were given relief at that time. But now, MCD in garb of that order is treating all commercial establishments and are sealing all shops. Whereas, these roads have been identified since 1962 under the DDA plan and commercial activities are being held. So, we think this is illegal," said Subhash Arya, traders' union leader.

    Meanwhile, a group of Delhi MPs, led by Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal, met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to apprise her of the present situation and the plight of the traders. Sibal said they were in favour of a uniform policy which should be applicable to all and that is possible only by bringing in an Ordinance or a Bill in Parliament. "We are not in favour of any unauthorized colonies nor do we want relief to be given. But, there should be a rational policy which is applicable uniformly to everybody," Sibal said. For the past two months, Delhi has been under a virtual siege as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) -- under court orders - has unleashed workers and a fleet of bulldozers in a bid to restore order to chaotic, unplanned streets. The civic agency has sealed shops and commercial establishments in residential areas, many of them decades old and located in the heart of the city, though traders say they were fooled by corrupt civic authorities. Despite stiff opposition from traders the civic agency has continued the sealing of shops and commercial establishments in residential areas. The Union Urban Development Ministry had earlier issued a notification amending the 2001 Delhi Master Plan, allowing small shops to continue commercial activities on ground floors in residential areas under what was to be mixed land use policy but the apex court has not accepted the changes so far. Traders' bodies say, the closure would affect over 500,000 people directly making a living through this and accused the MCD of having played foul. The shop owners say the civic body has misled the court and even legal shops and basements being used simply as storage spaces are not being spared.

Cop killed in Kashmir militant attack  (Go To Top)

      Bhadarwah (J-K): One police officer was killed and two critically injured when militants hurled a grenade on the men guarding a police post in here on Friday. In a daring attack, militants barged into the police post in poll-bound Bhardarwah and showered the station with bullets and grenades. Officials said the militants appeared to be of fidayeen (suicide) squad and the attack was planned for worse damage but foiled by alert soldiers. "It seems like a fidayeen (suicide) attack because they come in such close range to the police post and hurled grenades. Before this, in Doda also they had carried out an attack, indicating this is to sabotage the poll process," Gulzar Ahmed Qureshi, Deputy Commissioner of Police, said. Bhadarwah is the home constituency of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, which is going to by-polls on April 24. A Special Operation Group (SOG) has been especially deployed in the region for the elections. A series of grenade attacks by militants killed five people, including two women, in Srinagar earlier this month.

BEST employees go on strike (Go To Top)

       Mumbai: Nearly 45 lakh passengers are bound to be hit by the indefinite strike called by the employees of Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) since Thursday midnight. The strike called to protest against BEST management's alleged decision to cut wages is likely to see strong participation from all BEST unions. In a pay revision earlier, dearness allowance had been frozen starting April. BEST has also stopped the interim relief for employees starting this month. Sadashiv Thumre, a BEST bus driver said, "Our gradation of Rs 1,000 to 1,300 got over this March, and it is not being renewed. Therefore we are striking and it is not going back". Further, the BEST employees are demanding a hike in wages. The Pay Revision Commission (PRC) recently recommended increase in pay. Over 42,000 employees have agreed to strike, and more are likely to join. The BEST power supply is not likely to be affected. The State Government has intervened and invoked Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), 2005, prohibiting them from going ahead.

Benazir, Sharif talks postponed till May (Go To Top)

      London: Former Pakistan Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have reportedly postponed their talks to the second week of May. Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said that a new date for the talks, earlier scheduled for April 22, would be given soon. Fahim said an ARD talk session might also be held in London, which could facilitate the meeting between the two leaders. He said Benazir would decide the talks' schedule during her tour of London, reports the Daily Times.

'US thinks of a Pak without Musharraf' (Go To Top)

      Washington: Stratfor, the US news and analysis service, has said that the Bush administration was now contemplating a Pakistan without President General Pervez Musharraf. It said that statements by senior Bush administration officials that Washington was looking to the ascendancy of civilian rule in Pakistan and was working with Musharraf so that the 2007 elections are free and fair, were indications that US had got over its fixations with Musharraf. US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Richard Boucher and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley had said that Washington was wishing to see the ascendancy of civilian rule in Pakistan and would will work with Musharraf to ensure that Pakistan's 2007 elections are " free and fair". Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice's subsequent statement had also hinted at the same in her Congressional testimony earlier this month.

     "These statements from the highest echelons of the Bush administration illustrate that the United States is no longer fixated on supporting Musharraf," the Daily Times quoted Stratfor as saying. Stratfor said that the change in US policy might be due to the fact that the Bush administration no longer needed Musharraf to wage its war against militant Islamism. "This is probably because Musharraf's usefulness to the United States is fast becoming negligible. The principal reason the Bush administration supported the Musharraf regime was due to Pakistan's critical role in the US-jihadist war. It would appear Washington believes it does not need Musharraf at the helm for the United States to continue to prosecute its struggle against militant Islamism, and no longer believes the Pakistani state would collapse without Musharraf," it said. "Moreover, the Bush administration likely feels Musharraf is no longer able to keep domestic affairs in order, and sees pinning Washington's entire Pakistan policy on one individual as a liability. Thus, Washington has decided to put some distance between itself and the Pakistani president," it added. Stratfor however said it did not mean that Washington would like to see Musharraf ousted. Instead, it reflects a decision to initiate a contingency plan to avoid being caught off guard in light of political instability in Pakistan in the months ahead. Not supporting Musharraf the way it has before will allow Washington to ascertain potential alternative political players capable of stepping in and filling the void in the event Musharraf is no longer able to maintain his position, it said.

Windsor gears up for Queen's birthday (Go To Top)

      London: Britain's Queen Elizabeth has begun a week of visits to various events in London connected with her 80th birthday. Queen Elizabeth has been Britain's monarch for nearly 53 years, and her popularity with her subjects remains intact. According to international news reports, the Queen will mark her birthday with a walkabout outside Windsor Castle before attending a private family dinner hosted by Prince Charles. The Duke of Edinburgh will accompany her. Both will emerge from Windsor Castle's Henry VIII Gate. The Band of the Irish Guards will play "Happy Birthday" as The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh emerge from the castle. The Queen celebrates her official birthday on June 17, an occasion marked by the annual Trooping of the Colour.

Sensex closes flat at 12,030 (Go To Top)

      Mumbai: In a volatile trading session, the benchmark Sensex closed nearly flat at 12,030 after plunging to a low of 11, 860 in the afternoon trade. Continuing its record breaking journey past 12, 000 point mark, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) 30-share sensitive index opened 14.35 points up at 12,053.90 and scaled a new all-time intra-day high of 12,102 in early trades. Proft-taking soon after saw the index take a sharp dip to 11,860 - down 242 points from the peak. The benchmark index finally closed 9.25 points down at 12,030.30. The index has gained a whopping seven percent or 793 points during the week. In the broader markets, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) Nifty closed 0.45 points down at 3,573.05 after scaling a new all-time high of 3,592.75 early in the opening trade. Selling pressure was conspicuous in the technology scrips throughout the trading session, while selective buying was seen in the metal and auto sectors towards the end of the trading session. Satyam Computers, NTPC, Reliance Industries, Hindalco, SBI, Dr Reddys Laboratories and Wipro were the major losers of the day. Satyam Computers plunged over seven percent to Rs 808 on the back of heavy selling pressure due to weak FY07 guidance. The company board today announced a 36 percent rise in its profit for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005-06. NTPC, Reliance and Hindalco dropped over two percent each to Rs 136, Rs 974 and Rs 211, respectively. However, Ranbaxy Laboratories, HLL, Tata Motors, Maruti Udyog, Larsen and Toubro, Gujarat Ambuja Cements and Tata Steel closed in the positive territory.