B4U India

Mamata Banerjee urges President, PM to intervene in Singur land row

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:58:00 -0400

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee today met President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh seeking intervention in implementation of agreement reached with the West Bengal Government over Nano car plant land row in September.

Banerjee met the duo to put forward her demand of implementing the agreement and return of land to the farmers of Singur who did not receive compensation.

She said, the government went back on its promise to return land to the farmers as promised by it in the agreement, and appealed to both the President and Prime Minister urging their intervention in resolving the issue.

"We requested them to see that the agreement is implemented in a proper manner. Let 600 acres go to the industry and 400 acres go to the farmers. This is the solution,” said Banerjee, adding, “If a government does an agreement and says we do not accept it, then there will be no value for constitutional obligation, the agreement and the constitutional tradition as well."

Banerjee said Dr. Singh assured her that he would look into her demand within his constitutional obligations.

The controversy over the Tata factory in has hurt the state''s image as an investment destination.

The land row caused by violent protests led by Trinamool Congress over the acquisition of farmland by the West Bengal Government had forced Tata Motors to move out of the state and set up its ultra low-cost Nano car project in Gujarat. (ANI)

President Patil receives five threatening emails

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:58:00 -0400

President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday received five email threats, sending security agencies in a tizzy.

The emails, sent from the ID “black.monolith@gmail.com”, hurled various allegations against Patil and also threatened her with dire consequences, official sources said.

Patil had also received an email on Sunday and it was traced by the security agencies to Tamil Nadu.

However, Airtel, the service provider to the Internet connection, was unable to give details about the connection.

All the emails were received on the President’s official website -- www.presidentofindia.gov.in -- and the sender seemed to be a maniac, officials attached with the probe said.

Police in Tamil Nadu had been alerted and a team of experts from central security agencies was working to find the creator of the emails.

Security agencies are in touch with officials of the portal gmail.com to trace the senders of the threat mails, the sources said. (ANI)

Seven injured in Kanpur blast

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:57:00 -0400

Blast rocked Kanpur''s Colonelganj area injuring seven people. The injured include three children and a woman.

Initial reports say the bomb was kept on a bicycle in old Kanpur area. Nature of the blast is not known yet. The device was reportedly placed on a rented bicycle.

Kanpur SSP Hari Lal said it is not a terrorist activity. The same is being conveyed to the locals. Loose gravel might have injured, the officer added.

ADG law and order Brij Lal has said that it was a sutli bomb. It was probably being carried on the bicycle, the cracker was disbalanced and the bomb went-off.

The area- situated in the centre of the city- is highly crowded and minority dominated. Several cracker-manufacturing units are located here.

It is a densely populated area, packed with slums in narrow lanes.

The nature of the explosive is not confirmed, but is suspected to be a Diwali cracker as it left the same acrid smell after it went off. The blast was a low-intensity one.

The entire city of Kanpur has been put on high-alert, with the site being cordoned-off. (ANI)

High-level meeting to enhance infrastructure for security forces in Naxal-hit states

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:57:00 -0400

The Union Home Ministry today held a high-level meeting for implementation of first phase of the Rs 500 crore special scheme that aims to enhance critical infrastructure for security forces in Naxal-affected states.

The meeting, chaired by Special Secretary in the Home Ministry Vinay Kumar and attended by top police and civil officials of eight worst Naxal-hit states, chalked out strategies to implement the scheme aiming to enhance security personnel''s mobility and security of camping grounds besides building helipads at strategic locations.

“For the current fiscal, Rs 100 crore has been earmarked, while Rs 400 crore would be spent in the remaining period of the 11th Plan,” a senior Home Ministry official said.

The new scheme will adequately provide for crucial infrastructure requirement that are critical to policing and security needs in the field but are not adequately included in any existing scheme.

Construction of roads along railway tracks to enable the forces to ensure safe movement of trains, improvement of connectivity with high-risk police stations and construction of boundary walls around police posts are some of the other focus areas of the ambitions scheme.

“Initially the scheme will be implemented in 13 districts of eight states. Though, we have received proposals for eight districts only, we have decided to go ahead with it,” the official said.

The eight districts are Aurangabad, Gaya (Bihar), Malkangiri, Raigad (Orissa), Bijapur, Dantewada (Chhattisgarh), Khammam (Andhra Pradesh) and Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh).

The scheme was approved at the 11th September meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. (ANI)

‘India will achieve 35 percent electricity generation from N-power by 2050’

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:57:00 -0400

Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar has said that India will achieve 35 percent electricity generation from nuclear power plants by 2050 after the signing of the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal.

The nuclear deal has opened the doors of opportunity for India to set up nuclear power plants to meet its energy requirements, Kakodkar told reporters here.

Approval has been accorded for construction of seventh and eighth units at the nuclear power plant facility in Rajasthan, he said.

Kakodkar added that the work on these two power projects has already started.

Kakodkar said the 123 Agreement with the US could not prevent India from conducting a nuclear test.

The agreement, he said, will help India in procuring uranium from international suppliers. (ANI)