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O HERALD O The Voice of Goa — Since 1900 panjim, SaTURday, jUly 24, 2010
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India: Tom perfect for Ghalib role — Director Pg 9
60 kids take ill after eating mid-day meal About 60 students of a municipal Urdu medium school at Bopodi near here were hospitalized on Friday after they developed symptoms of food poisoning, police said. – (PTI)
Business: RBI may need to get more aggressive Pg 12
Shah named accused in Sohrabuddin case PTI AHMEDABAD, JULY 23
CBI today filed a chargesheet in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing case naming Gujarat Minister of State for Home Amit Shah as one of the accused and charged him with murder, kidnapping and extortion. The chargesheet filed in the court of Magistrate A Y Dave also said Sohrabuddin was killed because he had terrorised the marble traders in Rajasthan. It named Shah as an accused along with four IPS officers DIG D G Vanzara, SPs Rajkumar Pandian and M N Dinesh and DCP Abhay Chudasama, besides DSPs M L Parmar and N K Amin among others. The voluminous chargesheet has been filed against 12 cops under IPC Sections 384 (extor-
tion), 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of valuable evidence of offence) in the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin and killing of his wife in November 2005. The accused have also been charged under sections 120-B (conspiracy) 342 (wrongful confinement), 364 (kidnapping and abducting to murder), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent and wrongfully confine a person) and section 368 (keeping in confinement kidnapped
or abducted person). Three persons who have been shown as accused and are yet to be arrested include Shah, Yashpal Chudasma, Chairman, ADC Bank and Ajay Patel, Director, ADC Bank. According to the chargesheet, “elimination of Sohrabuddin was being used for extortion by the accused to establish an element of fear in the minds of the businessmen and others.” There was rivalry between Sohrabuddin and Hamid Lala gangs in the a r e a s o f R a jsamand, Nathdwara and Udaipur in Rajasthan known for marble mining trade, the chargesheet said. Taking advantage of the same, the “accused from Gujarat and Rajasthan entered into a criminal conspiracy to eliminate Sohrabuddin.”
State NSUI chief attacked at Assonora HERALD CORRESPONDENT PORVORIM, JULY 23
National Students Union of India (NSUI) State President Sunil Kawathankar was attacked by two persons at Assonora on Friday night. According to Mapusa Police, the incident occurred at about 8.45 pm when Kawathankar and his friends were proceeding in his car from Panjim towards Bicholim. Two unknown persons riding a motorcycle trailed them and blocked the car near Assonora. They pelted stones at Kawathankar, who was driving the car, and fled away. Kavthankar sustained face injuries and was admitted to Vrundavan Hospital at Mapusa. Mapusa Police PI Rajesh Kumar is investigating the case. It may be recalled that the Goa Crime Branch had recently issued summons to Kawathankar, who had lodged (Continued on page 11)
Scarlet case: Witness Bus travel to cost identifies accused more from Aug 1 HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, JULY 23
Murli Sagar, a key witness in Scarlet death case today identified both the accused before the Goa Children’s Court. The witness pointed out both the accused in the court when Public Prosecutor S R Rivonkar, asked him whether he can identify Samson D’Souza and Shana (Placido Carvalho). However, Advocate Ryan Menezes, appearing on behalf of accused D’Souza raised objection stating that Sagar’s chief examination was over. The objection was ruled out by the Court. Sagar, working in a beach shack was present at a place where Scarlet spent last few hours, before her death. During cross examination, the witness did a volte-face on his earlier deposition before police made on February 24, 2008. He contradicted his earlier statement that on the fateful night Scarlet was comfortable
with Samson and was sitting on his bike. Murli Sagar had said that he had seen Samson holding Scarlet from behind. Sagar was also caught on wrong foot when he changed his statements about his and accused’s presence with Scarlet in the shack. He also said that he never told police that when he came out of the toilet, he met Masala and that when he came to the bar; Masala was shouting “how can these people give Ecstasy to her (Scarlet)”. The witness also cleared that he never made a statement, asking Scarlet, whether she intended to live with him. Sagar, originally hailing from Mumbai refused that he had asked for cocaine from Samson as recorded in the police statement. He told the court that he did not face any action for consumption of drugs on account of his (Continued on page 11)
BJP leaders refuse lunch with PM PTI NEW DELHI, JULY 23
Top BJP leaders today refused to lunch with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, angry over CBI summons to a Gujarat Minister, close to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, inviting a strong rebuke from Congress which accused them of attempting to subvert Supreme Court-ordered investigations. The war of words gave indications of a plunging relationship between the Congress and the BJP ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament beginning Monday over CBI summons to Gujarat minister Amit Shah.
I fully understand our Newspaper tarnished Goa’s image. But look these are not ads... they are daily news items
HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, JULY 23
Travelling in public transport will be expensive in Goa from August 1, onwards.
“We will be meeting Transport Director on Monday, requesting him to complete the procedure within a week. Unless we get the notification in writing, we cannot go ahead with the new rates” After the State Government notified the newly sanctioned hike, the private bus operators have decided to implement it from August 1 onwards. “The new rates will be implemented from August 1,” All Goa Private Bus Owners Association, general secretar y Sudip Tamankar told Herald. Tamankar confirmed that the State Transport Department has already come up with notification on State Official Gazette over hike in bus fares, which will be signed by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, today evening. “We will be meeting Transport Director Arun Desai on
Monday, requesting him to complete the procedure within a week. Unless we get the notification in writing, we cannot go ahead with the new rates,” he stated. When asked, Desai said that the entire procedure is been completed and now it’s up to the transporters to decide on the implementation. “We have already come up with notification on Thursday… now let the bus owners decide when to go as per the new rates,” he said. It may be recalled, it’s only after consistent warning of strike by private operators that department conceded on the hike. However, they failed to convince the government over their demand of 20 paisa hike. Claiming that hike by 10 paisa, as offered by the State Government earlier, won’t help fetch additional income for the first nine kilometres, the private bus operators on Monday managed to get assurance from the chief minister over 15 paisa hike for each nine-kilometre stretch. As per the hike, for first three kilometres Rs five will be charged whereas for every ninekilometre stretch 60 paisa will be charged per kilometre. (Continued on page 11)
pRiCE Rs. 3.00 (air Surcharge Rs. 1.50) pages 18
Sports: Azharuddin denies romance with Jwala Pg 18
Offshore casinos’ sewage polluting Mandovi: panel Asks Govt to initiate steps for disposal HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, JULY 23
The State Government came in for severe criticism from the legislative panel for allowing offshore casinos and cruise vessels to release raw sewage into river bodies. In a report tabled in the Goa Legislative Assembly, the Adhoc Committee for Ports Administration has asked the State Government to initiate proper measures to dispose sewerage, garbage and oil. “The committee is aghast to learn that the gaming vessels, casinos and boat cruises are releasing all kinds of waste into the Mandovi River thereby causing water pollution,” the panel headed by Quepem MLA Chandrakant Kavlekar has stated in the report.
ADHOC COMMITTEE REPORT n
Gaming vessels, casinos and boat cruises are releasing all kinds of waste into the Mandovi River thereby causing water pollution.
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There are seven offshore casinos and nearly a dozen pleasure cruise vessels populating the Mandovi River.
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Congress-led coalition government has not taken any steps to prevent collision of vessels.
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Despite temporary NOC, the vessels continue to cause hindrance to iron ore barges, trawlers etc.
“The committee is surprised that the government did not take cognizance all these years of the waste that the vessels were releasing into the Mandovi River,” he further stated. There are seven offshore casinos and nearly a dozen pleasure cruise vessels which populate the Mandovi River. Kavlekar, a Congress legislator also lambasted the Congress-
led coalition government for not taking any measures to prevent collision of vessels in the Mandovi River, in which hundreds of river barges ply transporting ore from the mining belt to the trans-shippers anchored port wards. “The committee is disgusted to acknowledge that the government has not taken any (Continued on page 11)