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O HERALD O
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Goa’s Heartbeat: Priyanka — the only choice for Krrish sequel Pg 4 IN BRIEF
Petrol prices go up by Rs 2.95 PTI NEW DELHI, DEC 14
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walks the ramp during the launch of the a watch collection in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Assange gets bail on strict conditions WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday succeeded in securing a bail at a British court where he appeared in connection with a case of sexual misconduct. — (PTI)
Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) on Tuesday hiked petrol prices by about Rs 2.95 a litre effective midnight tonight, and other State-owned oil companies IOC and HPCL will follow suit tomorrow. The oil ministry today gave the three companies a goahead to raise petrol prices after international crude oil prices touched USD 90 per barrel. BPCL, the second largest fuel retailer in the country, took the lead to raise petrol prices by Rs 2.95 a litre to Rs 55.86 per litre in Delhi, sources privy to the decision said. Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the largest fuel retailer in the country, and Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) will do the same by an equal measure tomorrow, sources said. State-run oil companies are taking turns to increase prices so that they are not accused of acting as a cartel in revising price of a commodity which had been freed from government control. Sources added that the three are losing about Rs 4.17 per litre on selling petrol below import cost. Sources said a Rs 2 per litre hike in diesel prices is on the agenda of an Empowered Group of Minister headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee when it meets on December 22. The oil firms are losing Rs 5.40 per litre on selling diesel below import cost, sources said. Even though the government had decontrolled petrol
Business: BSE to suspend Pg 13 12 companies
The two and three wheelers will be exempted from paying toll when the widening of the NH17 and NH4A is taken up by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Chief Minister Digambar Kamat said here on Tuesday. After chairing the sub-committee meeting, which is appointed by the House Committee to deliberate on the toll issue, Kamat said the committee has also recommended that the four wheelers should also be exempted from paying tax. “During the meeting, the NHAI officials informed us that the 2 and 3 wheelers would be exempted from paying toll,” Kamat said.
The activists in the State on Tuesday raised black flags in protest against State government’s act of allowing hotel projects by slotting eco-tourism hubs in the Regional Plan (RP) 2021. Activists from around nine village groups held a press conference in Panjim condemning Chief Minister Digambar Kamat for drafting a plan, which is not in the interest of the State. Wearing black flags, the activists today gave a deadline of seven days for the State government to scrap eco-tourism hubs from the RP. “Goa is soon going to enter in the Golden Jubilee Year of State’s liberation. But for Goans it’s a black year celebration ahead,” the activists said. Pilerne Citizens Forum (PCF), along with other organisations submitted an eleven-point memorandum to the Chief Minister asking to scrap eco-tourism zone. PCF Convenor Yatish Naik
We have documentary proof which says that the areas which are marked as eco-tourism zones are already purchased by the hotel groups or the property developers. RP 2021 has been specially carved out to benefit these businessmen. - PCF Convenor Yatish Naik
stated that a complete alien concept of ‘eco-tourism zone’ has come to be introduced in the new RP, which has been notified for Pernem and Canacona taluka. “The said concept was never recommended by task force nor by any Gram Sabha. Hence, this concept is unwarranted and as such deserves total scrapping of the concept,” Naik told reporters. The activists suspected that the RP notified by the State government was an attempt to give backdoor entry for the hotel projects in the name of ecotourism.
However, he continued, “the committee was of the opinion that the four wheelers, registered in Goa, should also be exempted from paying toll.” The BJP and the National Highways Diversion Action Committee (NHDAC) have been demanding that the toll be scrapped for Goans as it would be an additional burden. PWD Minister Churchill Alemao had said that the government has recommended monthly passes of Rs 150 for travel within 20 km radius of the toll booth. When asked about the monthly passes proposal, Kamat said, “If the four wheelers are exempted, the question of monthly passes does not arise.”
Kamat also indicated that the exemption would imply even to LMV taxis. He, however, did not make any comments when asked about what are the plans for goods carrier and the public transport (private buses). “The committee’s recommendations would now be submitted to the Speaker Pratapsing Rane and thereafter we will take an all party delegation to Delhi to impress upon the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Kamal Nath,” he said. Asked whether the re-alignment for NH17 was ready, Kamat said, it would be ready within few days. The officers are working on it and the presentation would be made soon.
A Chinese shopkeeper arranges Christmas decorations on sale at a stall in Hefei, China on Tuesday. Christian culture, though still unfamiliar to most Chinese, continues to spread with over 23 million Christians now living in China, a significant jump over the past three decades.
Scrap eco-tourism zones from RP, activists to govt HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, DEC 14
Sports: HC quashes BCCI’s termination of Royals Pg 16
Two & three wheelers will not dole out NH toll: CM HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, DEC 14
prices in June, state-run retailers continue to informally consult the oil ministry before revising the rates. They on November 9 raised petrol prices by Rs 0.32 per litre to Rs 52.91 a litre in Delhi. IOC, BPCL and HPCL have revised rates only four times since June 26 when petrol price was deregulated, while crude oil has jumped from USD 73-74 per barrel at that time to USD 90 a barrel now, sources said. After today ’s increase, petrol prices have gone up by Rs 4.43 a litre since deregulation. The basket of crude oil India buys was at USD 89.34 per barrel yesterday. It has averaged USD 88.47 per barrel in December as against about USD 79 a barrel at the time of last hike in petrol price on November 9. If prices are not revised, IOC, BPCL and HPCL are likely to end the fiscal with close to Rs 67,000 crore revenue loss on sale of diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene below cost. The oil retailers lose Rs 272.19 on the sale of every 14.2-kg LPG cylinder and Rs 17.72 per litre of kerosene.
(air surcharge rs 2.00) pages 16 + 4
“We have documentary proof which says that the areas which are marked as eco-tourism spots are already purchased by the hotel groups or the property developers. RP 2021 has been specially carved out to benefit these businessmen,” Naik alleged. The documents shown by PCF clearly pointed out that the areas which are marked as ecotourism zone by the government for Pernem and Canacona are already acquired by companies like M/s Leading Hotels Pvt Ltd, Ardent Infrastructure and Developers Pvt Ltd and Alcon Construction (Goa) Pvt Ltd. “If government fails to scrap these hubs, we will take on the streets in protest. We might also stand against them in the forthcoming elections,” Naik said. PCF also pointed out that nearly 60 per cent of forest area from the Pernem and 25 per cent forest area from Canacona would be converted into ecotourism zone. The forest area covers orchard (Continued on page 10)
SC castigates Deshmukh PTI NEW DELHI, DEC 14
An anguished Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh calling as “anachronistic” and “incongruous” his interference in shielding a Congress MLA’s family from complaints on money lending by poor farmers when he was Maharashtra Chief Minister. A bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly while “condemning” the action of Deshmukh in no uncertain terms with some hard hitting observations also enhanced to Rs 10 lakh the fine of Rs 25,000 imposed by the Bombay High Court on the Maharashtra government. Observing that the message conveyed in the case is “extremely shocking”, the court directed that the fine amount collected should be used for the welfare of distressed farmers. The court said the action of Deshmukh, now the Union Industries Minister, was condemnable as he acted beyond “all legal norms” for “political consideration” despite Vidharbha region having the dubious distinction of the largest number of farmers’ suicides.
The National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) has recommended formation of a central cyber security command on the lines of the US Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) set up last May to fight back the new generation attacks on the government’s computer systems and networks. A policy paper of the board stresses need for such a command not only to prevent any leaks of the sensitive information but also to ensure the valued government data is not hacked or destroyed by anybody from outside or from within the system. The document gives an insight to a lot of work done by China for inflicting damage to the computer networks in other countries. The latest such attack was made on the website of Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI), purportedly from Pakistan, destroying all the data on its website (cbi.nic.in) which is still not up even after 11 days of struggle by the National Informatic Centre engineers who maintain the government websites. Luckily, the intruders could not get into the CBI’s computer that stores the sensitive data, inaccessible easily from the Internet. India does not have the risk of wiki type leaks as access to the classified and sensitive material is limited to a very limited number of top officials unlike even a corporal having access to the diplomatic cables of the US missions, the government sources say. Moreover, they say the government organisations doing the sensitive works have been already ordered to prepare cyber crisis management plans.
Defence and nuclear installations had upgraded their measures and laid down standard operating procedures even before wiki-leaks started trickling early last July, when Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz were reportedly hit by a computer worm Stunxnet. This work is touted as the first discovered worm that spies on and reprogrammes industrial
systems. Russians described it as a working and fearsome prototype of a cyber-weapon that will lead to the creation of a new arms race in the world. Only the other day Defence Minister A K Antony admitted in Parliament that India is already exposed to the possible cyber attacks and explained how the top army brass was working in unison to make cyber systems secure and non-porous to protect systems. “The paradigms of security in the age of information technology are seldom constant. The evolving security matrix is complex and calls for co-operation and coordination of the highest level,” Antony said. Earlier last month, he also told the army commanders that cyber attacks were “fast becoming the next generation of threats” and as such, no single
HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, DEC 14
The government has moved a file to Law Department for its opinion on issuing notices to the off-shore casinos, which are operating sans trading licences in River Mandovi. Chief Secretary Sanjay Srivastava said that the government has asked the Law Department for its opinion on whether the operators could be asked to shut down for plying without licence. The opposition BJP has demanded that the government act against these casinos by December 19, failing which they will start an agitation. The Chief Secretary was however non-committal on exactly when the notices would be served. “Let the file come back from the Law Department than we will see,” he said. Meanwhile, Minister for Ports Nilkanth Halarnkar said that his department will seek an inquiry as to why the ships are operating in Mandovi without trading licences. “We have given them (operators) three months time to get the required licences as you all know the court has just vacated the stay and we feel they must also get some time,” he said. However, he said, while his department has no issues with the ships anchored in Mandovi, “surely we would ask for inquiry why are they operating sans licences.”
3 companies apply for setting up golf course Government will not invest a paisa in the project. Right from land to development and maintenance, including getting water, will be the onus of the company. Our job will only be to grant permission. - Tourism Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, DEC 14
Three companies have applied for setting up golf course at Pernem responding to the Department of Tourism advertisement, Tourism Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar said here on Tuesday. Disclosing this at a press conference, Halarnkar said the department has advertised inviting expression of interest by the companies for setting up golf course in Pernem taluka. “Three companies have applied and we will finalise the company soon,” he said. Giving details of the golf course, Halarnkar said government will not invest a paisa in the project.
Cyber security command on cards in India HERALD CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI, DEC 14
Govt seeks opinion on casinos
service could work in isolation. “We need to make our cyber systems as secure and as nonporous as possible,” he said. The assertion comes amid frequent attacks and the subsequent alerts sounded by the army authorities over China and Pakistan-based cyber spies peeking into India’s sensitive business, diplomatic and strategic records. The policy paper distributed by NSAB among the country’s strategic community stresses on simultaneous creation of a security centre that should monitor cyber operations and undertake active monitoring of cyber space. It also stresses need for funding to develop innovative technologies to protect the Indian networks and promote growth of critical skills in the arena. (Continued on page 10)
“Right from land to development and maintenance, including getting water, will be the onus of the company. Our job will only be to grant permission,” he said. The minister said since the project would be set up by the company, he expects support from every quarter. “This project will definitely help boost tourism,” he said adding “during our Japan visit we were quizzed on this issue by the people there.” Asked what are the other projects that would be undertaken by his department to boost tourism? He replied, “We are taking up several projects including hinterland tourism and
the inland waterways projects.” When pointed out that the Maharashtra government had sanctioned Rs 700 crore for developing tourism infrastructure in Sindhudurg, he said “let us concentrate on our needs and try to get more funds.” He also refuted suggestions that funds are hard to come by for tourism related projects.
For frisking, US customs made special arrangements exclusively for Indian diplomats, you see