Gujarati News: June 2007

Two lakh metric tonnes of fertiliser asked from centre
Saturday, June 30, 2007 | AY

The Gujarat government has asked the Centre to allocate two lakh metric tonnes of fertiliser to the state in view of the agricultural needs of the farmers with the onset of the monsoon season. Gujarat Agricultural minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said that owing to monsoons in several parts of Gujarat, additional land of two lakh hectares will be brought under cultivation in the state during this season.

Jamnagar municipal authorities launch drive against illegal hoardings
Saturday, June 30, 2007 | AY

Jamnagar (Gujarat), June 29 (ANI): Municipal authorities in Jamnagar, Gujarat, have launched a drive against roadside hoardings, posters and billboards which are a major distraction for drivers. The massive 'de-hoarding' drive is aimed at converting Jamnagar into Gujarat’s first hoarding-free city. Kaushik N.Bhatt, Jamnagar’s Municipal Commissioner, said: "For the period of 2005-06 and 2006-07, the Corporation has decided 52 places for hoardings and 350 for kiosks. Hoardings creating a traffic problem are being removed.”“Many illuminated advertisement boards were consuming electricity illegally. At such places, 12 hoardings and 212 kiosks have been removed. The drive against hoardings will continue," he added. The Jamnagar Municipal Corporation also feels that the less hoardings and kiosks can have a salutary effect on the climate in the area. A few, however, believe that both hoardings and kiosks give a modern look to a commercial city like Jamnagar. Dastgir Sheikh, a local resident, said that without hoardings, the city would look deserted. Traders and businessmen expressed unhappiness over the de-hoarding drive, saying it was being carried out without giving them adequate notice. Bhavana Soni, proprietor of Sony Advertising, said: "Hoarding owners and traders have lost heavily. I think the corporation has not done right thing." (ANI)

Hyderabad school for 2002 Gujarat riot victims downs shutters
Saturday, June 30, 2007 | AY

Hyderabad/ Ahmedabad, June 30 (ANI): A school for victims of 2002 Gujarat riots in Tolichowki, Hyderabad has closed down, allegedly due to police harassment. MESCO (Muslim Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation) has been running the school for almost five years and had promised to provide students with free education."The MESCO committee brought us here from Gujarat saying, they would provide us with proper education. But, this time when we returned from our vacation we found that the school has been shut down. Nobody informed us of this. They just quietly closed it," said Maplimaz, a student.Asif, another student said: "When we returned from our vacation, the school authorities turned us away, saying the school is closed. We are still staying here.”The childrens’ parents had sent them with the hope of providing them with a good education and a better future. They are now distraught, disillusioned and running around in circles trying to find an alternative. According to the parents, the school authorities were allegedly turning away children from Gujarat due to pressure from the local police. "My children left for the school on June 11. They were kept for a day in the school hostel after which the MESCO trustees said we don't want any children from Gujarat and turned them out of the hostel," said Munir Pakadia, a parent.The school authorities say that their inability to renew the lease for the school building is the reason for shutting down operations. Neither the police nor any official of the civil administration is prepared to comment on the issue. (ANI)

Porbander residents threaten protests over auction of Gandhi's letter
Saturday, June 30, 2007 | AY

Porbandar (Gujarat), June 29 (ANI): Residents in Porbandar on Friday threatened to launch a nation-wide protest if Government failed to acquire Mahatma Gandhi's seven-page letter, which is slated to be auctioned by London based Christie's on July 3.Residents said that these letters were national property and should be returned back immediately. "We want that these letters and any other article that is with the British - whether it belonged to Mahatma Gandhi or India should be taken back from them either by negotiations or by any other means," said Surekha Shah, a Gandhian residing in Porbandar. Surekha further said that if the letters were not procured then all Gandhians across the country and outside will launch a protest. "We will do everything possible including taking legal steps but all in the manner preached by Gandhi. It's a very shameful thing that we have to purchase one of Bapu's letters from there," she added. Bajubhai Parmar , founder of a temple dedicated to the Father of the Nation, said the letter represents the iconic leader's ideals, which should not be treated as a commercial article."It is a matter of Bapu's respect," Parmar added. According to a Christie's spokesman, Mahatma Gandhi's letter is expected to fetch at least 9,000 pounds to 12,000 pounds. The said letter was written by Mahatma Gandhi 19 days before his assassination, where he has pleaded for tolerance, particularly towards the Muslims in the newly partitioned India. (ANI)

West Bengal doctor books himself for negligence death
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | AY

Sonarpur (West Bengal), June 28 (ANI): A medical practitioner in West Bengal has filed a complaint of negligence against himself after a patient died post-surgery.Doctor Pradtoy Naskar from Sonarpur town said he had operated on a woman who had come for an abortion, but he accidentally perforated her uterus, which led to her death.Naskar filed a complaint with the police, who arrested him from his nursing home. He said he was ready to serve any punishment."Every person has a different ideology and different philosophy. According to my conscious, what I thought at the moment, I did it. I am feeling very sick. Whatever action will be taken by the judicial system against me, will be welcomed by me," he said.Police said the woman's family has not registered any formal complaint against Dr. Naskar. (ANI)

Satellites will help conquer mosquito
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | AY

The Gujarat Government has drawn up a plan to fight dengue and chikunguniya using satellite technology. The plan, made after consulting experts from India and abroad, involves combining satellite imagery with weather data such as rainfall, temperature and humidity — to identify places that provide ideal conditions for outbreak of these diseases, and then take preventive action accordingly. Gujarat Health Minister Health Ashok Bhatt pointed out that the department was mooting the idea of setting up a vector-borne disease forecasting centre, which would carry out mapping of water-bodies in the state through satellite images, and identify the potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Two ships stranded on Porbandar coast
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | AY

Porbandar (Gujarat), June 27 (ANI): Two ships are still stranded on Gujarat’s Porbandar coast after losing anchor in strong winds.The Coast Guard officials said the vessels, buffeted by rough weather, ran aground after their anchor broke.They further said that rescue operations are likely to continue to avert an oil spill."If the ship keeps standing here it will obviously cause pollution and there is danger to the lives of the people on board. Our top priority is to rescue people and take the ship to a safer place," said Navdeep Bakshi, the Coast Guards Commanding Officer in the area.Some crewmembers are still trapped on the ship.The authorities have warned the crewmembers to stay on board. (ANI)

Gujarat on high alert following cyclone warning
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | AY

Porbandar, June 27 (ANI): Gujarat’s coastal areas have been put on high alert following a cyclone warning.Porbandar District Magistrate H N Chibbar said that villages in all coastal areas have been alerted and all precautionary measures have been taken."There is absolute preparation to handle any situation. The State Government and the national Met (Meteorological) department are providing us constant updates on the weather,” Chibbar said.Strong winds blowing at the speed of 45-60 kilometres per hour, and heavy rain during the last three days have brought life to almost a standstill in the region."The water is rising quite a lot here and even the electricity goes off at night," said Manish Dawda, a local.Over 1,000 people were killed when a severe cyclone hit the state in 1998. (ANI)

BEd and MEd institutes coming up
Tuesday, June 26, 2007 | AY

Number of colleges increasing every year with 39 new ones already lined up for approval from the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), the apex approving body, colleges find it hard to get faculty for their institutes. Taking recourse to an NCTE clause, which allows colleges to seek approval if they have a faculty ready at hand, many colleges resort to giving details of teaching staff who have merely been interviewed. Gujarat University (GU) alone has granted affiliation to 18 new BEd institutes this year, taking the total number of such institutes to 56. Last year, the university granted affiliation to 21 institutes. As per the NCTE records, at least 39 BEd institutes are already lined up for approval. Four MEd institutes are also waiting for approval from GU, with the lack of sufficient qualified faculty holding up their approval. NCTE requires institute to send in details of infrastructure and faculty apart from requisite fee when applying for approval.

Gujarat Apollo makesagreement with German Company
Monday, June 25, 2007 | AY

Gujarat Apollo Industries Ltd has announced that the Company has recently concluded an exclusive Technical Know How agreement with a German Company for design and manufacture crushers and aggregate producing equipment. These products expand and compliments current product line to achieve higher addressable domestic and international market. This development shall also help the Company to address mining and re-cycling industry in the coming years. The stock was trading at Rs.162, up by Rs.6.30 or 4.05%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.163.20 and low of Rs.154.45. The total traded quantity was 36234 compared to 2 week average of 25213.

Rajkot lawyers join campaign for Taj’s inclusion in 7 wonders list
Monday, June 25, 2007 | AY

Rajkot, June 24 (ANI): Lawyers in Rajkot have joined the bandwagon of students, artists and historians campaigning to get the Taj Mahal inducted into the new list of 'Seven Wonders of the World.' With just about two weeks to go for the result to be announced on July 7, people from all walks of life are lobbying hard across the country for the online poll to ensure a place for the Taj Mahal, which has already made it to the top ten. Hundreds of members of the Rajkot Bar Association met after work hours and cast their votes collectively. "I had voted for the Taj earlier also, but we lawyers decided to vote collectively. Taj is the pride of India and we will vote for it for sure as we are Indians," Chetna Katchria, a lawyer, said. Elsewhere in the city, Bhati N, an artist, grew a 4-inch nail on his little finger to paint the 'monument of love' in seven colours. "I decided I would use the 4-inch long fingernail on my left hand to paint the Taj to make an appeal to all and sundry to vote for the Taj. I worked on the 3-feet by 2-feet painting for two days. I painted it in seven colours to signify the 'seven', the number of New Wonders of the World, we hope it will become a part of," said Bhati. From India's Taj Mahal to Mexico's Mayan ruins, suggestions for the new list have flooded in from more than 60 million people in one of the biggest global polls ever conducted. Mughal emperor Shahjahan built Taj Mahal in the 17th century as a symbol of his enduring love for his wife Mumtaz. The 21 finalists in the new wonders list, which include Rome's Colosseum, Jordan's ancient city of Petra, Britain's Stonehenge and the Great Wall of China, were short listed on January 1 by a panel of experts chaired by former head of UNESCO, Federico Mayor. The organisation conducting the poll was set up by Swiss-Canadian adventurer Bernard Weber. The results will be announced in Portugal's Benfica Stadium of Light on July 7. (ANI)

POTA court gives life sentence to nine in Haren Pandya murder case
Monday, June 25, 2007 | AY

Ahmedabad, June 25 (ANI): A POTA court today handed out life sentences to nine accused, including prime accused Asgar Ali, in connection with the daylight murder of former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya at Law Garden in the city on March 26, 2003.Justice Sonia Gokani held 12 persons guilty of murdering Pandya.Two others were sentenced to seven years imprisonment and one was sentenced to five years imprisonment. Seven months after the 43-year-old politician quit the Narendra Modi Gujarat Government; he was killed under mysterious circumstances when he had gone to the park for a morning walk. The Central Bureau of Investigation took up the case after the city crime branch had investigated the matter. Vitthalbhai Pandya, the father of the former Gujarat Minister, had demanded that the verdict should be postponed and the case re-investigated all over again. Seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention, Pandya's father has requested the apex court 'to instruct the designated POTA court, not to pronounce the final judgement until and unless, the CBI re-investigates the whole case all over again'. (ANI)

Monsoon arrives in Gujarat
Sunday, June 24, 2007 | AY

Monsoon has arrived in Gujarat and the state metrological department has forecast heavy to very heavy showers acorss the state in the next 24 hours. Heavy to very heavy rains are expected across the state in the next 24 hours. Warning has also been issued to people in the coastal areas, especially fishermen.

Surat toddler rescued near Bhuvaneshawar
Sunday, June 24, 2007 | AY

Bhuvaneshwar, June 24 (ANI): Gujarat police today recovered one and a half year old Surat toddler Pranshu Siroya from a village in Orissa's Cuttack District.Pranshu, son of a manager in a diamond company, went missing from his home in Surat on June 17. The abduction of the toddler had started taking political colour also, as two local BJP MLA criticised Chief Minister Narendra Modi for deteriorating law and order situation in the State. A seven-member team of Gujarat police reached Orissa in connection to the case, earlier this week, and conducted raids at various locations in the State with the help of local police.The boy was found today in a courtyard of a village temple, 40-kilometre away from Bhuvaneshwar.Police said that the boy is in a good health and they are looking for persons associated with the abduction.Meanwhile, police have arrested the night watchmen of the Surat building where Siroyas resided.Police suspected watchman's involvement in the abduction case and tracked phone calls made by him after the incident, which led them to Orissa. (ANI)

Indians pray for Sunita William's safe-return
Saturday, June 23, 2007 | AY

Agra/Ahmedabad June 21(ANI): Family and supporters across the country on Friday offered prayers for the safe-return of Indian-origin American astronaut Sunita Williams, whose return has been delayed due to bad weather.In Agra, thousands of Muslims at their Friday prayers fervently hoped that Williams returns home safely."Today, thousand of Muslims have offered their Friday prayers for the safe return of Sunita Williams. She is the nation's daughter and has done us proud," said Mohammad Hissar, a local.In other part of the city, a group of young Hindu students organised a religious ceremony to pray for her safe return.They said Sunita William's had done the country proud."Not only India but the whole world knows about Sunita Williams. She is our nation's pride being the second Indian woman to have gone into space. We have organised this prayer for her safe return as bad weather had postponed her flight," said Raj Chaturvedi, one of the students.Meanwhile in Ahmedabad, Vithal Bhai Pandya, Williams paternal uncle, said he was confident of his niece's safe return to the earth."God is everywhere and God will come to the succour of Sunita as well as to the crew itself. So, we are confident of the fact that there is no question, delay is there, but delay will be in favour of Sunita, delay will be in favour of the crew and it will turn into success," said Pandya. The NASA based astronaut is on her return journey from space after six-months in space. Thus setting a record for the longest space stint by a woman, at 188 days.Atlantis was scheduled to return to Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Thursday, but bad weather has prevented its landing so far. (ANI)

Ahmedabad’s graveyard eatery, a popular joint for hundreds
Saturday, June 23, 2007 | AY

Ahmedabad, June 22 (ANI): Sipping a cup of tea, or chatting with friends is common, but to do it in a graveyard in Ahmedabad, seems unique.Welcome to "Lucky Hotel", which is nestled in the middle of 22 tombs. Visitors are served by waiters, who jump over tombs to serve food at this ancient Muslim burial ground. "I have been coming here for the past three to four years to have tea. The grave is there, but I am not scared. I feel nice here," said Zakir Bhai, a visitor.Lal Mukund Das, another visitor, said there is no difference between Hindus and Muslims at this restaurant-cum-graveyard. A visit to the hotel is on the itinerary of many tourists and artists.Several graveyards have been reclaimed for development over the years, and the owners of "Lucky Hotel" also decided not to demolish the tombs -- some of which belongs to Sufi poets and saints of the Mughal era. The restaurant opened about 40 years ago.Its walls have paintings crafted by well-known painter Maqbool Fida Husain, a frequent tea drinker at this bustling restaurant.Every morning, the owner of hotel, Krishna Kutty, a Hindu, wipes the graves with a damp cloth and decorates them with roses. He said: "People basically come here for the quality of food we serve. And, this eatery, is just famous for the tea and it has been lucky for me.” The restaurant offers about 90 vegetarian food items, and is most popular for its tea and white butter-buns. (ANI)

Relatives happy after Sunita Williams’ safe return
Saturday, June 23, 2007 | AY

Ahmedabad, June 23 (ANI): Family members and relations of Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams in Ahmedabad have expressed happiness over successful landing of the space shuttle Atlantis at the Edwards Air Force Base in California.The space shuttle touched down at 1.19 am (IST) on Saturday, after the earlier three attempts at landing were aborted due to bad weather.Sunita lived on the International Space Station (ISS) for six months. She accumulated 194 days, 18 hours and 58 minutes during her spaceflight.Sunita’s relatives back in Ahmedabad have wished her a prosperous life."My eyes are wet with happiness. Prayers offered by lakhs of people have been answered. We pray to God that she should continue working like this and prosper in her life," said Vithal Pandya, Sunita’s uncle.Sunita’s father Vijay Pandya in New Jersey is also a proud man and is looking forward to meeting his daughter soon. "I have no words to express my joy and happiness. In our family it was Pandya and now Sunita. I am so happy that I do not have words to express," said Chaya Pandya, Sunita’s cousin sister.Sunita began her spaceflight in December, 2006 on space shuttle Discovery when she travelled to the ISS. During her stay at the space station, she set the record for the longest-duration single spaceflight by a woman on June 16. She passed the previous record of 188 days, four hours set by Shannon Lucid on a mission to the Russian space station Mir in 1996.Although this is only her first spaceflight, Sunita became the world’s most experienced woman walker in space on February 4 with four excursions clocking over 29 hours, 17 minutes to top Kathy Thornton’s 21-hour space walking record. (ANI)

Better connectivity with the Indian Railways network.
Thursday, June 21, 2007 | AY

The railways is planning to connect several Delhi-bound trains from Ahmedabad with Gandhinagar. This connectivity had become imperative with institutes like the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Technology, National Institute of Management Studies, National Law University and National Institute of Design putting up campuses here. Now, the railways have added two more platforms at Gandhinagar railway station, which will cater to the needs of people. The proposal gained momentum with the development of Infocity. This is probably the only state capital which has only one broad gauge train — Indore-Gandhinagar Shanti Express —connecting it. And this train takes an hour to reach Ahmedabad from Gandhinagar — a distance covered by road in just 30 minutes.

Animation school in Ahmedabad
Thursday, June 21, 2007 | AY

Digital Asia School of animation (DASA), headquartered in Bangkok, has set up a campus in Ahmedabad in association with the LiAD Institute of Art and Design. The courses available from the Ahmedabad campus include Animation Technology, 3D modelling/animation-rendering, character modelling, environmental simulation for movies, movie editing, SFX, facial expression capturing among others. Students of the course, who have a fee structure between Rs 60,000 and Rs 2 lakh depending on the course will have two month industry internships. The curriculum for the students of Film Animation Diploma includes a trip to Bangkok.

Chikungunya claimed 3,000 lives in A’bad
Wednesday, June 20, 2007 | AY

While the Gujarat government maintains that only 10 deaths occurred in last year’s chikungunya epidemic in the city, a study by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad’s Centre for Management of Health Services estimates the death toll at 3,112. The paper, titled ‘Chikungunya Fever: A Killer Epidemic in Ahmedabad City, India’, carried out by Prof Dileep Mavlankar and Prof KV Ramani compares the mortality rate of 2006 (AMC data) to the rate of 2002-05. It says that 3,112 more deaths occurred in August-November 2006 (the chikungunya epidemic period) compared to the average deaths in the same months during the previous four years.

Kutch PGVCL to reduce energy losses
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 | AY

With annual earning of over Rs 84 crore, the Kutch circle now tops among all circles of the Pashchim Gujarat Vij Company Limited (PGVCL) comprising Kutch and Saurashtra in revenue. C M Joshi, who took over as new chief of Kutch Circle last week, says now his priority would be to reduce transmission losses. This unprecedented rise in the revenue is the post-quake phenomenon as many new industries were set up in the border district due to tax holiday. Joshi said that the current transmission losses were around 22 per cent which his circle planned to reduce to 15 per cent. When he was heading the Anjar division, he took its revenue from Rs 16.5 crore in 2004 to Rs 51 crore in September 2006.

Dubai international award for NCCL
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 | AY

The National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), Ahmedabad, a non-government organisation working for improving the standard of living, has been given the Dubai International Award under the United Nations' Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT) for its initiative in connection with the "Mission ENDURE" project to reduce dust pollution in Ahmedabad city. The Mission ENDURE, project, being jointly implemented with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), is based on a simple but workable methodology of paving the road shoulders across the city with eco-friendly materials to remove dust assimilation and in turn preventing raising of dust by vehicles and pedestrians.

GT26 –based power plant in Surat
Monday, June 18, 2007 | AY

Alstom has won a contract worth about Rs 1000 crores with Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd (GSECL) for the construction of the first Alstom GT26-based combined cycle power plant in India. This 370 MW plant will be an extension of the existing combined cycle power plant located at Utran in the Surat district. Alstom will provide all engineering, procurement and construction services to deliver a fully integrated combined cycle power plant, with heat recovery steam generator, gas turbine and generator, steam turbine and generator, and DCS (Distributed Control System). The power plant will be built around Alstom\'s world-leading GT26 gas turbine technology, which, in combined cycle, is the most efficient gas turbine technology on the market with the highest overall plant efficiency in its class.

Germany’s Lanxess has new strategies in Gujarat
Monday, June 18, 2007 | AY

Germany’s Lanxess ABS is setting up a greenfield chemical facility in Gujarat. Recently, Lanxess had written to Gujarat government that it requires 40 acres near Jhagadia to set up the facility. Lanxess, which is made up of 14 business units grouped into segments such as performance chemicals, chemicals intermediates, engineering plastics and performance rubber, already has a presence in Gujarat. The company has manufacturing facilities at Nandesari, Katol and Moxi in south and central Gujarat. Lanxess also has a research and development centre at Moxi.

Dinosaur model at Gujarat park
Sunday, June 17, 2007 | AY

A real life model of the 'Rajasoruas-Narmdensis' similar to the T-Rex, is the latest to join the most ferocious dinosaurs that will attract visitors at the Indroda Dinosaur Park. The Dinosaur Park, set up with the help of the Geological Survey of India is planning to develop a tertiary section which will display mammals that started evolving after dinosaurs became extinct, including ancestors of the cat family-Saber. People who were awed by Micheal Crichton's novel Jurassic Park that dealt with the dangers of biological tinkering of the DNA of extinct dinosaurs would find it interesting to note that all these creatures once roamed in the region of Gujarat about 65 million years ago. The fossilised eggs of these creatures placed in the 'Indroda Dinosaur and Fossil Park' in Gandhinagar is a living testimony of the existence of these creatures. The dinosaurs that roamed in this region include the most ferocious Tyrranosauras (T-Rex), the Megalosaurus, Brachiosautus, Titanosaurus, Baraspauras, Antaractosaurus, Stegosaurus, Iguanodon and several other varieties.

25 national Chess championship to b ehosted by Gujarat
Sunday, June 17, 2007 | AY

Gujarat is all set to host the Under-25 national Chess championship at Sun-n-Step Club in the city from July 1 to 8, the State Chess Association (GSCA) today announced. GSCA secretary Mayur Patel, in a statement here, said nearly 150 young participants, including several Grand Masters and International Masters, from every nook and corner of the country were expected to participate in the championship. Mr Patel said the host state's challenge will be spearheaded by local stars like Fenil Shah, Ankit Rajpara, Karma Pandya, Manav Vardiwale and Shivkumar Patel.

Gujarat fake encounter case: Court rejects narco-test on six police officials
Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY

Ahmedabad, June 14 (ANI): A local court here today rejected Gujarat Central Investigation Department (CID’s) plea seeking narco-analysis test of six policemen, including IPS officer D G Vanzara, accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. Metropolition judge K J Upadhyay rejected the CID application.The defence counsel Ajay Chowksi argued that the narco-analysis test of any accused cannot be conducted without his approval."Three main reasons for rejecting the application were, firstly without the approval of the accused, the test cannot be done. Secondly, according to Article 20 (3) of the Constitution, the accused has a constitutional right to keep mum and the court cannot compel the accused. Thirdly, police can do its investigation but they cannot go for narco-test without provision of the law," said Ajay Chowksi, counsel for D.G. Vanzara. The six policemen on whom narco-analysis test was being sought are suspended IPS officers D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian and M N Dinesh, and three other N H Dabhi, Santram Sharma and Ajay Parmar. The prosecution told the court that the test was to be done to find out the motive behind Sohrabuddin’s fake encounter and the alleged murder of his wife Kausar Bi.Earlier, on 7th June the court had reserved its order on CID’s petition seeking narco-analysis test of the six policemen.Vanzara and Pandian were part of the team that killed Sohrabuddin Sheikh. They have also been accused of killing his wife, Kausar Bi. Sohrabuddin was reportedly gunned down on November 26, 2005 after being branded a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant by the Gujarat Police, allegedly trying to hatch a conspiracy to kill Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. (ANI)

Health checks on workers dismantling ‘Blue Lady’ in Gujarat
Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY

Ahmedabad, June 15 (ANI): Health check-ups of workers dismantling Norwegian cruise liner "Blue Lady", carrying hazardous asbestos, is being carried out in Alang, a shipbreaking yard in Gujarat. During a four-day medical camp, experts of the National Institute of OccupationalHealth will also impart training to the workers in cautious handling of toxic material and use of protective masks."Earlier, there were no such things but since the anchoring of BlueLady there are some health scares. That's why we are getting a medical check-up," said Dharmendra Yadav, a worker.The medical authorities conducted a general check-up of all the employees working at the shipbreaking yard."The atmosphere is considered hazardous for the workers. So a government sponsored team has come here to do a medical check up of the workers," said G.B. Makwana, a doctor with Alang medical hospital.Earlier, the Supreme Court had allowed the ship to enter Indian waters, but put a hold on it's dismantling, pending a report by an expert panel on the quantum of toxic wastes on board. Beaching was permitted after Indian experts had given the go ahead for the scrapping of the controversial cruise liner, which environmentalists say contains toxic material harmful to ship-breakers. The team of 15-members, of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) and Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) gave clearance after the committee carried out a five-day inspection of the ship. Greenpeace and other groups had raised concern and protested over the Blue Lady. According to them, 46,000-tonne cruise liner, which anchored in June off the Alang ship-breaking yard, contains more than 900 tonnes of asbestos which would put the health of workers at risk. A recent Greenpeace report said that thousands of ship breakers in countries such as India, China and Pakistan had probably died in the past two decades from accidents or exposure to toxic waste. In February last year, France recalled its decommissioned aircraft carrier Clemenceau after an outcry over the asbestos it contained. But the Gujarat Maritime Board, which leases out the yards in Alang, says they can handle toxic and hazardous waste. (ANI)

Ahmedbad has a restaurant for the HIV/AIDS patients
Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY

Ahmedabad, June 16 (ANI): Setting aside all inhibitions to maintain a contact with people suffering with dreaded diseases, “Aadhar” (or, Base), a charitable trust, is running a restaurant that caters nutritious food for the HIV/AIDS patients here. Managed by HIV+ individuals, “Aadhar” has been running the restaurant as community kitchen outlet since January(2007) . It all started with the Founder Shraddha Betai hitting upon an idea to do something for the HIV/AIDS patients most of whom are often found deprived of nutritious food due to illness. Sharddha Betai says: "The patients get the drugs easily but very often they do not get proper nutrition they require. Food is the basic requirement. So I gave a thought to it and that's how the entire concept of developing this project originated." Varsha Vala, the President of Aadhar Charitable Trust, is herself an HIV-positive for the last 15 years. She lives with her family--two sons and husband. The day when she learnt that she was HIV+, life seemed to have reached its end for her. But since joining Aadhar, she has stopped thinking in such extreme terms. Today, she is busy helping others having HIV/AIDS. Varsha Vala says: "We have six to seven people. Nutrition department provides us with the vegetables and then our cooks prepare the food for the patients. There are many people who give us voluntary services and we don't need to pay the cooks, we just provide them with travel expenses." Many patients’ lives have transformed after getting associated with Aadhar. Ramesbhai, one of the members of Aadhar, says: "I had lost all hopes till I came in touch with Aadhar. I was in such a trauma that I even thought of committing suicide at one point of time. This organisation has helped me a lot by giving me emotional support. Now I want to live," Today, with over 600 registered members, Aadhar is trying to make a difference in the lives of around 1,000 HIV/AIDS infected patients in and around the city. (ANI)

Gujarat farmers shifting from agriculture to animal husbandry
Saturday, June 16, 2007 | AY

Mehsana (Gujarat), June 16 (ANI): The farming scene in Gujarat is undergoing a change with more farmers shifting from growing grains to rearing cattle. The latest area to do so is Mehsana District which has been experiencing shortage of water. By shifting to cattle rearing, they do not have to look to weather Gods. Agriculturists have raised enough money to buy cattle, and earn returns by selling milk. The main beneficiaries of dairy programmes are small, marginal farmers and landless labourers. Net profit in agriculture is less in comparison to animal husbandry. Dairy farming gives 30 to 40 percent more profit.Farmers say that the increase in cost of electricity, pesticides, fertilisers and infrequent of rainfall motivated them to switch over to animal husbandry. Raju Choudhary, one such farmer, says: "We have started with dairy as we get our investment back in 10 days. Dairy industry is very profitable. Veterinary system is quite good and doctors respond to a single phone call."Ambaram Choudhary, another farmer says: "The industry has more profits as the price of milk is rising .” A farmer can earn a gross surplus of about rupees 12,000 per year from a unit consisting of two milch buffaloes. The capital investment required for purchase of two buffaloes is just over Rs. 18,000. Even after paying a sum of Rs. 4,294 per annum towards repayment of the loan and interest, the farmer can earn a net surplus of Rs. 6,000 to 9,000 approximately per year. The profits can be more, depending upon the breed of animal, managerial skills and marketing potential.The total milk production in the country for the year 2001-02 was estimated at 84.6 million metric tonnes. At this production, the per capita availability was to be 226 grams per day against the minimum requirement of 250 grams per day as recommended by ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research). Thus, there is a tremendous scope for increasing the milk production. Dr. Sipahi, General Manager with Mehsana Dairy, says: "Animal Husbandry has emerged as main business whereas the agriculture has become a side business. Today, in Mehsana District, a number of farmers earn their bread and butter because of animal husbandry. I think in India this is the only dairy with two stationary and one mobile laboratory and has 110 veterinaries working in the district." Central and State Governments are extending considerable financial assistance for creating infrastructure facilities for milk production. The ninth Plan outlay on animal husbandry was Rs. 23,450 million. (ANI)

Radio Mirchi launches in Rajkot
Thursday, June 14, 2007 | AY

Radio Mirchi has announced the launch of its new station in Rajkot. In the last two months, Radio Mirchi had launched stations in Patna, Jalandhar, Goa, Bhopal, Vadodara and Kanpur. After the commencement of operation in Rajkot, Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENIL), Radio Mirchi will roll out 15 more radio stations by the end of this year. Rajeev Nair, Station Head, Radio Mirchi Rajkot, said that, Rajkot is a colourful place and is one the fastest developing state of Gujarat with its rich culture, trade and industrial background. The people of Rajkot are also forthcoming, dynamic, ever-changing and alive. Radio Mirchi will broadcast a diverse mix of shows including ‘Hello Rajkot’, ‘Khoobsurat’, ‘Total Filmi’, ‘Bumper to Bumper’, ‘Club Mirchi’ and ‘Purani Jeans’.

Kesar mangoes of Gujarat crosses the seas
Thursday, June 14, 2007 | AY

The state-owned Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation (GAIC) is now all set to export fresh kesar mangoes to the US. To maintain hygienic quality as per international standards, GAIC decided to set up its own VHT plant at an estimated cost of Rs 11 crore at Naroda in Ahmedabad. To begin with, GAIC would export 1,000 boxes of one dozen each (approximately 3 kg) through the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) approved Desai Fruits & Vegetable Pack House, Navsari. These mangoes would formally be exported to the US from the Ahmedabad international airport on Thursday. GAIC gets kesar mango tested at the plant maintained by the Maharashtra Fruit Board. Besides, kesar, Gujarat has also been producing popular varieties including alphanso, rajapuri, vunraj and jamadar.

Tourism Corporation of Gujarat bets on Marketing Mix
Wednesday, June 13, 2007 | AY

The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat TCGL has now woken up to the need to promote brand Gujarat internationally to lure tourists to the state and is in the final stages of appointing a media agency for the same. The state government has allocated a budget of Rs 10 crore for promoting tourism in 2007-08. But apart from that, TCGL wants to strengthen brand Gujarat and is keen to appoint an agency to suggest us marketing strategies pertaining to tourism. The corporation had issued tenders for the same about two months back and is in the final stages of appointing an agency for the purpose.

More mega IT parks coming up
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 | AY

The State Government has cleared land proposals of at least five prominent IT companies to set up mega IT parks on the sprawling 160 acres of land on the outskirts of Gandhinagar. Among companies that have already been allotted land for setting up IT parks are Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), ICICI Bank, US-based Syntel Inc, Mumbai-based Patni Computers and e-Infochip. Two more IT giants — Satyam and Wipro — are also reportedly evincing a keen interest in setting up IT and IT-enabled service parks in the same place. Besides this, some private developers including real estate players like DLF and Raheja have acquired land and initiated the process of setting up IT parks and SEZs near Gandhinagar and on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway.

300 children test HIV-positive
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 | AY

In an effort to reach out to AIDS/HIV affected and infected children across the State, the Gujarat State AIDS Control Society (GSACS) recently organised a two-day paediatric camp simultaneously in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Bhuj, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar districts. Its findings are, of 466 HIV-affected children who attended the camp, 301 were found to be HIV-positive. Presently, there are around 65 children undergoing anti-retroviral therapy at ART centres across State.

Social activists in Gujarat kick off campaign to sensitise citizens of their rights
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 | AA

Ahmedabad, June 11 (ANI): Social activists under the banner of 'Anhad', a voluntary body promoted by well known theatre personality, Shabnam Hashmi, have launched a campaign for “redemption of Constitutional freedom” for the citizens in Gujarat.

Danseuse and socialite Mallika Sarabhai has also joined in the campaign to sensitise people about the rights guaranteed to them under the Constitution.

The activists accused the Narendra Modi-led Government in Gujarat of attacking the values enshrined in the Constitution.

Hashmi said: “Constitutional values are under attack everywhere in Gujarat, whether it is your freedom of expression or your freedom to think”.

Hundreds of youth mobilised by Anhad will travel down to the village level as a 'Yuva (Youth) Caravan.'

The activists will distribute the Preamble of the Constitution to one lakh people across Gujarat, and expects to touch over 900 villages over the next three months.

Hashmi said the exercise was also a political one, with the year-end Gujarat Assembly elections in mind.

Sarabhai, who is also an ‘Anhad’ functionary, alleged that the Fundamental Rights guaranteed in the Constitution, have been denied to the citizens in Gujarat and in many other parts of the country.

She said: “Our Constitution is being violated everyday. I am an Indian and want to live with my Constitutional guarantees. We all have Rights, not withstanding our gender or caste. We all want our Constitution back. It is not there in Gujarat, it is not there in many parts of the country”.

Sarabhai, a well-known exponent of several Indian classical dance forms, has been at the forefront of anti-Modi campaign in the State.

The Modi Government in Gujarat has been accused of abetting Hindu radicalism ever since the 2002 communal riots, in which over 1000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

Modi has also come under criticism for the staged killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in 2005 and for action against an M S University art student for a painting that Hindu groups considered blasphemous. (ANI)

Welspun-Gujarat grabs order worth 288 million dollars
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 | AA

Mumbai, June 11 (ANI): The Welspun-Gujarat Stahl Rohren Limited (WGSRL) today grabbed an order for the supply of pipelines overseas worth 288 million dollars.

This order has taken the company's pending order book position to around 5, 166 crore rupees, said the Welspun release to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

According to, the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Welspun Group, B K Goenka, new orders would be received within a month and with this order in their bag the company envisages to be stronger and robust.

WGSRL, which was established in 1995, manufactures Longitudinal Submerged Arc Welded Pipes (LSAW), Helical Submerged Arc Welded Pipes (HSAW) and Electric Resistant Welded Pipes (ERW) pipes. (ANI)

Modi shows renewed aggressiveness as his government completes 4 years
Monday, June 11, 2007 | AY

Ahmedabad, June 10 (ANI): On occasion of completing its four year rule, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today showed renewed aggressiveness and lashed out at the Congress for trying to draw mileage from the 2005 fake encounter case.The fake encounter case has been an embarrassment for the Modi government, since the anti-terrorist squad of the State government was involved in killing Sohrabuddin Sheikh, who was labelled as a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant planning to assassinate Modi. Known for his fiery speeches, Modi today said: "The Congressmen who are elated over Sohrabuddin's funeral procession, let them be warned that doing that will not get them to Gandhinagar (Gujarat capital). Also 55 million Gujaratis have their own encounters to tell, and that they would do with the ballot in the forthcoming provincial polls." Addressing a rally to celebrate the completion of his four years rule in the State, Modi said that Congress party was raking the fake encounter issue to appease the minority.Former BJP President L K Advani, at the same rally, also criticised the ruling Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for failing to extradite accused in the Bofors case Ottavio Quatttrocchi."The CBI could have easily told the court in Argentina that Quattrocchi is a criminal, that he has eaten up a lot of the country's money and thus extradite him. When I first heard of the news, I said the fault couldn't be with the Argentine courts or the Argentine government. It lies squarely with the federal UPA government," Advani said.Sworn into office in 2001, Modi has become the longest serving chief of Gujarat.Since the infamous Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 in which over 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed, Modi has faced flak for abetting Hindu radicalism and violating human rights.Gujarat goes to polls later this year in December.(ANI)

Kin of Indian engineer kidnapped in Nigeria pray for his release
Monday, June 11, 2007 | AY

Surat (Gujarat), June 10 (ANI): Family members of an Indian engineer abducted in Nigeria have appealed the government to secure his early release.Rajesh Patel, a native of Surat and an employee of Indonesian firm Indorama, is one of the ten Indians kidnapped on June 1 from southern Nigeria.Patel's family including his two children are praying for his unharmed release.Hetal, Patel's wife, said: “He is innocent. I request the authorities to get him released as soon as possible.”Rati Lal, Patel's father, said that he had last spoken to his son on June 1, the day he was kidnapped.He said that they have got information that the talks were on with the kidnappers to secure the release.“We got a call and were asked to speak to somebody named Deepak, who informed us that talks were on with the kidnappers and we need not worry about him," he said.On Thursday, Nigerian President Uman Yar'adua assured Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh of safe and speedy return of Indian hostages when they met on the sidelines of the G-8 summit of outreach nations in Berlin.On Tuesday, India had confirmed abduction of 12 Indians, including two women and two children, in Nigeria, belonging to private company-- Indorama.The Managing Director of the company is also among the abducted people.The Centre had said that the negotiations were being carried by the private company, while the Indian High Commission was involved in facilitating evacuation of families whose kin have been kidnapped.Meanwhile, Nigeria has issued security advisory to the Indians living in that country. Forty Indians are still working in the company. (ANI)

Relatives of Sunita Williams worried about her safety
Monday, June 11, 2007 | AY

Ahmedabad, June 11 (ANI): Gujarat based relatives of astronaut Sunita Williams, an American of Indian origin, has expressed concern over a 10-cm tear in the thermal blanket of Shuttle Atlantis, which is scheduled to bring her back to Earth.US space shuttle Atlantis suffered a 10-cm tear in its thermal blanket and a few pieces of foam fell off during launch on June 8 raising concerns about the safety. "The hole that has been discovered in the spacecraft has caused trouble. We are worried and concerned. But we have absolute faith in god. We are confident that she will be unharmed and will come back safe and sound," said Pandya, Sunita’s uncle. After National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Mission Control issued a warning, astronauts on the US space shuttle Atlantis assessed the damage caused to its body during lift off. Alarms bells have gone off since the shuttle, which is on a repair mission to the International Space Station, is to bring back Sunita Williams, along with other crew on June 19. Space shuttle Discovery blasted off its seaside launch pad, defying the odds of poor weather and ending the ban on night-time flights imposed after the 2003 Columbia disaster. NASA is taking no chances after the tragedy in February 2003, when Indian-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla and six other crewmembers perished mid-air. The shuttle disintegrated on re-entry to earth when a protective foam tile shook loose and a hole burned into the shuttle's body. (ANI)

Social activists in Gujarat kick off campaign to sensitise citizens of their rights
Monday, June 11, 2007 | AY

Ahmedabad, June 11 (ANI): Social activists under the banner of 'Anhad', a voluntary body promoted by well known theatre personality, Shabnam Hashmi, have launched a campaign for “redemption of Constitutional freedom” for the citizens in Gujarat.Danseuse and socialite Mallika Sarabhai has also joined in the campaign to sensitise people about the rights guaranteed to them under the Constitution.The activists accused the Narendra Modi-led Government in Gujarat of attacking the values enshrined in the Constitution.Hashmi said: “Constitutional values are under attack everywhere in Gujarat, whether it is your freedom of expression or your freedom to think”.Hundreds of youth mobilised by Anhad will travel down to the village level as a 'Yuva (Youth) Caravan.' The activists will distribute the Preamble of the Constitution to one lakh people across Gujarat, and expects to touch over 900 villages over the next three months.Hashmi said the exercise was also a political one, with the year-end Gujarat Assembly elections in mind.Sarabhai, who is also an ‘Anhad’ functionary, alleged that the Fundamental Rights guaranteed in the Constitution, have been denied to the citizens in Gujarat and in many other parts of the country.She said: “Our Constitution is being violated everyday. I am an Indian and want to live with my Constitutional guarantees. We all have Rights, not withstanding our gender or caste. We all want our Constitution back. It is not there in Gujarat, it is not there in many parts of the country”.Sarabhai, a well-known exponent of several Indian classical dance forms, has been at the forefront of anti-Modi campaign in the State.The Modi Government in Gujarat has been accused of abetting Hindu radicalism ever since the 2002 communal riots, in which over 1000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.Modi has also come under criticism for the staged killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in 2005 and for action against an M S University art student for a painting that Hindu groups considered blasphemous. (ANI)

Geo-informatics academy at BISAG
Sunday, June 10, 2007 | AY

The Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG) will set up an Academy of Geo-informatics in its premises near Gandhinagar to promote and carry out research, impart education and training to students and professionals and also encourage the development of advanced Geo-informatics technology and applications. The academy will be affiliated to Gujarat University and the project will be funded by the State Science and Technology Department. When it becomes operational, the academy will help generate human resources in Geo-informatics applications, and also develop new low-cost technology in this area. The institute also renders services in remote sensing (for mapping, developmental planning and monitoring natural and man-made resources), GIS, global navigation satellite system (for Geo-referencing and engineering applications and research), photogrammetry (for creation of digital elevation model and resource planning), cartography (for thematic mapping, value added maps) and software development.

Gujarat fake encounter: DSP Amin granted anticipatory bail
Sunday, June 10, 2007 | AY

Ahmedabad, June 9 (ANI): Ahmedabad Sessions Court on Saturday granted anticipatory bail to a Deputy Superintendent of Police of Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), N K Amin alleged to be involved in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.However Amin has been asked to report to the Central Investigation Department (CID) within three days, as earlier he was not responding to the summons by the CID.The court has also ordered him not to influence any witness, since Inspector General of Police Geeta Johri, who has been given complete independence to investigate the case by the Supreme Court, had said in the court that Amin was trying to influence witnesses. The present probe has led to the arrest of three police officers - DIG (Border Range) DG Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian and Alwar Superintendent MN Dinesh Kumar. Vanzara and Pandian were part of the team that killed Sohrabuddin Sheikh. They have also been accused of killing his wife, Kausar Bi. Sohrabuddin was reportedly gunned down on November 26, 2005 after being branded a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant by the Gujarat Police, allegedly trying to hatch a conspiracy to kill Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. (ANI)

'Godmother' Santokben booked in rape and murder case
Sunday, June 10, 2007 | AY

Junagadh, June 9 (ANI): The Gujarat Police today registered a case against gangster Santokben Jadeja for allegedly providing shelter to two persons and a women accused in a case relating to May 13 rape and murder of two Koli (fishermen) community girls near Datar shrine in the Junagadh District.Santokben, on whose life film Godmother was based starring Shabana Azmi, has been booked under sections 212 (harbouring offender), 506b (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 114 (Abettor present when offence is committed) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).Since Friday night, the local police was questioning her. Police had recently arrested the woman accomplice and her interrogation revealed that the three persons had sought shelter at Santokben's residence.The State Government had been under immense pressure from the Koli community to arrest the accused. (ANI)

New wind energy policy
Saturday, June 9, 2007 | AY

Gujarat government has announced its new wind energy policy for the next five years starting from June 20, which would allow entrepreneurs to sell excess electricity to anyone including state-run Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. The new policy encourages private players to invest in this sector and for the first time private players will be allowed to sell the energy even to a third party customers. State Energy Minister Saurabh Patel said between 1993 and 1998 only 113 MW wind energy was produced in the state while the energy produced till 2006-07 had risen to 568 MW.

Gujarat's longest serving chief minister
Wednesday, June 6, 2007 | AY

Narendra Modi, has gone on to become the state's longest serving chief minister. Modi completed 2,063 days in office June 1, surpassing the state's third chief minister Hitendra Desai's record of 2,062 uninterrupted days in the early 1970s. Modi, who assumed office Oct 7, 2001, is the 14th chief minister of Gujarat. Modi was sent to Gandhinagar by the BJP in place of Keshubhai Patel as the party's fortunes were seen dwindling in elections to local bodies ahead of the 2002 assembly elections. Under his leadership, the BJP not only retained power but also won the highest number of seats - 127 in the 182-member house.

Sadbhav bags Rs 90 cr order
Tuesday, June 5, 2007 | AY

Sadbhav Engineering Limited has bagged two irrigation projects in Andhra Pradesh for a total value of Rs 90.5 crore. One of the contract is for investigation, preparation of hydraulic particulars, designs, land plan schedules drawings and formation of Gollapalli reservoir on Madakasira branch canal. The contract, which is based on EPC turn key system includes construction of CM&CD works, is valued at Rs 51.9 crore. The second contract is for preparing hydraulic particulars, designs and drawings and excavation of the canal including CM&CD works besides linking up of all private tanks. The contract based on EOC turnkey system, is valued at Rs 38.6 crore. The markets took note of the development and the stock at Rs 587 levels zoomed 10.5 per cent or Rs 56.

Tension remains, violence ebbs but protest spills over Gujjar status row
Monday, June 4, 2007 | AY

New Delhi/Dausa (Rajasthan)/ Ahmedabad, June 3 (ANI): The weeklong protests accompanied with sporadic incidents of violence by the Gujjar community demanding Scheduled Tribe status to reap the benefits of reservation in the government jobs have shown no signs of losing steam, as protest spilled to different parts of the region today. As leaders of Gujjar community continued holding talks with Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia without resulting in any breakthrough, tension prevailed in the ground zero of the Gujjar protest in Dausa with the community finally cremating the six dead people who were killed in the police firing on May 29 near Peepalkheda."We don't play politics over dead people,'' said a leader of Gujjars, Roop Singh Gujjar, and added, "After four days of discussion, there is still no solution. The government has failed. I think this is a reflection of the government's inability to make provisions."Though the leaders of the community have expressed their openness for further discussions, few community leaders like the convenor of Gurjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti , Kirori Bahinsla today finally agreed to participate in the talks with Raje on a condition that he would be provided army security and would not be arrested on his way to Jaipur.Earlier in the day, he had refused to hold talks with Raje, sending jitters in the administration that protests could flare up.In the national capital this evening, MP from Dausa, Sachin Pilot met BJP President Rajnath Singh along with other leaders from the Gujjar community to apprise him of the situation and the community's stand.Pilot, a Congress leader is expected to meet party chief Sonia Gandhi later in the evening.Amidst this, violence has ebbed in the State with the clamping of a tough anti-rioting law, National Security Act, in eleven districts, and paramilitary forces were seen patrolling streets of major towns. "The situation will definitely improve after implementation of the National Security Act. It is peaceful even as we speak," said Dignesh, police officer-in-charge in Dausa.The demand of Gujjars has been opposed by Meenas, a tribal group, who fear they will lose their own quota slice, leading to violent clashes between the two communities.The protests spread further among Gujjars across neighbouring States like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.Hundreds of Gujjars stopped rail traffic Meerut city, damaging tracks and forcibly stopping trains. Police personnel deployed at the station looked on."There will be nationwide protests and campaigns against atrocities on Gujjars in Rajasthan. We warn our Meena brothers- they are only in Rajasthan, we Gujjars are spread across the country. If they try and harm our community in Rajasthan, Gujjars across the nation will rise against them," said Diler Singh, one of the protesters.The national capital also did not remain free from the community's protests as they burnt effigies of Raje.About 150 kilometres from New Delhi, Gujjars blocked an important highway in Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. Hundreds marched and squatted on the road as the queue of stranded vehicles lengthened.Gujjars claim the ST status was a promise BJP made when they came to power in 2003.Senior BJP leader and leader of the opposition in the Parliament, Lal Krishna Advani said that the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should convene an all-party meet to thrash out a solution."There is no consensus on the issue as yet among political parties. Unless specific parameters related to the issue of caste reservation are declared, every person, party and politician will try to take advantage of it to suit their own end. We have to avoid running into that situation," Advani said on the sidelines of a party function in Ahmedabad. Delhi police today appealed people of Gujjar community in and around the National Capital Region (NCR) to remain peaceful during Monday's bandh that has been called by the community.With the protest by the community taking ugly turn throughout last week, the police have appealed to the community to maintain peace and tranquillity in the region. (ANI)

Jambughoda to be under Rs 1.5 cr eco-tourism project
Sunday, June 3, 2007 | AY

To boost wildlife tourism in the state, the Gujarat government has decided to develop Jamughoda wildlife sanctury an the eco-tourism site. Located around 210 km from Gandhinagar in the Panchmahal district, Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctury houses a variety of rare animals and plants including a large number of leopards. Declared as a sanctury in May 1990, Jambughoda has been recently selected as one of the most important sites to be developed for the Rs 1.5 crore eco-tourism project by state Forest Minister Mangubhai Patel. The most picturesque location is Kada where a beautiful forest rest house stands on the banks of an irrigation reservoir.

Sonia alleges Modi Govt of treating farmers as “criminals”
Saturday, June 2, 2007 | AY

Mehsana (Gujarat), May 31 (ANI): Congress president Sonia Gandhi today accused the Gujarat Government of treating the farmers in the state as “criminals”, saying it is not bothered about farmers’ welfare. Addressing a rally ‘Kisan Mahasammelan’ to mark the conclusion of the Kisan Yatra, Sonia said the Narendra Modi-led government in the state had promised farmers during the last elections to provide with 16-hours of electricity, but the supply is nowhere near it. “The water level has gone so down that the pumps in most of the places have failed, they are unable to get water; there is a need of new and better pumps. But they don't even give a thought to it,” she said. "The state government is not bothered about your welfare, they have admitted in the state assembly that more than 40-farmers have committed suicide, some farmer unions claim this figure to be quite higher. Farmers can't be neglected and the Congress party is well aware of this fact,” she added. The UPA chairperson said the Central Government, led by Dr. Manmohan Singh, is highly concerned about their welfare, adding that it was taking steps for farmers’ good, but the State Government was not cooperating. “Centre decided to make the interest rate seven percent for the farmers, but the State Government is not implementing it. The Central Government has recently announced a national fund of 25,000 crore for the farmers. Our government at the Centre is working without any bias; our aim is the welfare of all the people—be they from any section of the society. “We don't neglect anybody, if there is betterment in the life of our villages, we all will benefit from it, and it will be echoed through the cross section of the country. The Bharat Nirman Yojana will benefit one and all. Today, what we need the most is education and employment and not hatred. They talked about a vibrant Gujarat during their election campaigns, but they are in reality playing in the hands of a group of people," Sonia added. She further came down strongly on the State Government over the law and order of the state, saying it was in a “pathetic” condition and that the ruling party was only interested in power. “What happened in Saurashtra with some of our sisters recently is an example. Even then they don't have any solid thing to say. Fake encounters have taken place in the state, and once it is done they try to give it a communal colour. Even if one is a criminal, there is a rule of law for him. No one is above the law. They are very insensitive, they don't even have human values, the only thing they look at is the chair, power and nothing else,” she claimed. Later, the Congress president distributed tractors to farmers. The Kisan Sandesh Yatra, which started from Ambaji in Banaskantha on May 20, 2007 under the aegis of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, came to an end today. The Yatra, also called Parivartan Yatra, covered 1,400-kilometres through 32-assembly constituencies and five districts. It had started from Banaskantha and traveled through Sabarkantha, Patan, Gandhinagar and culminated in Mehsana. The focus of the yatra was predominantly on farmers and tribals, and issues like power crisis, non-availability of loans and government's "bias" towards industrialists. The yatra had started from Ambaji, which is a pilgrim town and is a Shaktipeeth of the country. It may be noted that before launching her political movement during the Janata Party regime in 1980, the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had prayed here and the Congress returned to power with overwhelming majority. (ANI)