27 Dec,2010 HERALD PUBLICATIONS PVT LTD

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The Voice of Goa — Since 1900 panjim, monday, december 27, 2010 postal reg. no. Goa 101 price rs. 3.00

India: Why SRK wants Priyanka out of 2 States?

Pg 7 TRS ready to wind up over Telangana Ahead of submission of Srikrishna report on Telangana, TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao created a flutter suggesting he was ready to wind up his party if the process of creating a separate state out of Andhra Pradesh is initiated by Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “I am ready to barkhas the TRS if Sonia announces Telangana state,” he said while responding to Congress MP Sarve Satyanarayana’s suggestion at a function Saturday night that Chandrasekhar Rao should merge his party with Congress once the Centre accepts the Telangana demand. – (PTI)

Hari to meet G-10 members HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, DEC 26

It’s a crucial day ahead on Monday with Congress leader B K Hariprasad’s arrival in Goa late on Sunday night.

Pa r t y s o u rc e s s a i d t h a t Hariprasad will hold meeting with 10 dissident Congress legislators at Chief Minister Digambar Kamat’s official residence at Altinho on Monday morning.

The G-10 legislators had threatened to withdraw support from the Congress-led government, if former Tourism Minister Francisco alias Mickky Pacheco is inducted in the cabinet.

(Continued on page 14)

Business: Seaplane service Pg 12 in Goa soon

(air Surcharge rs 2.00) pages 18

Sports: Dale Steyn leaves Pg 18 India reeling

FOGGED OUT Govt relaxes visibility range for aircrafts PTI NEW DELHI, DEC 26

Dense fog in the Capital on Sunday led airlines to cancel, divert or delay around 100 domestic and international flights putting thousands of passengers to hardship prompting Government to step in with new steps like relaxing visibility criteria to mitigate the problem.

Around 38 flights including three in the international sector were cancelled while around 42 flights, including 14 international had to be diverted to Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Lucknow as the runway visibility in the IGIA dropped to less than 100 metres for several hours, according to Government and Air-

FOG SCHEDULE!

Under the new rules, the visibility range has been relaxed and brought down from 175 metres to 150 metres for operation of large aircraft and 150 metres to 125 metres for smaller planes. No flights will be operate if the visibility is lower than 50 metres.

Aircrafts which are not compliant with category 3B conditions (low visibility) will follow a separate “fog schedule” and such flights will be allowed to land only after 10 am. lines officials.

As IGIA terminals descended into chaos, passengers remained stranded for hours at the airport amid reports of angry exchanges with airline staff forcing security personnel to intervene to bring calm.

No flight operated for nearly two hours from midnight due to zero visibility, airport sources said.

Some 30 flights were delayed while Air India has rescheduled its flight to Chicago, New York (Continued on page 14)

Sunburn promises ‘Goa experience’ HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, DEC 26

The excited Sunburn founder and renowned VJ Nikhil Chinappa on Sunday said that the festival is all about ‘enjoying true Goa experience.’

The three-day event is all set to begin on Monday evening at Candolim beach with organisers expecting a crowd of 18,000 visitors from across the globe including film and sports personalities.

“The festival is more about meeting friends once a year and

enjoying true Goa experience,” Nikhil said.

The electronic artist has not only conceptualised the festival but has also designed on every single aspect including colours for the festival venue.

Along with VJ Nikhil, the festival running in its fourth edition will have 60 DJs including some top names like Paul Van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, Pearl, Ma Faiza and Dave Seaman playing electronic music.

“Sunburn is a synergy of music, entertainment, food,

shopping and lifestyle attracting music tourism in Goa. Since its birth in 2007, Sunburn has brought together renowned Indian and international DJs to entertain the crowd of thousands,” Nikhil, who has hosted the first two seasons of ‘Splistvilla’ on MTV channel, said.

The main stage of the festival is based on the theme ‘Castle’, another stage as ‘Caterpillar’ with a ‘Butterfly’ bar alongside the stage. “Why castle? Because (Continued on page 14)

Burglars ransack temple at Quittol HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, DEC 26

In a major Temple burglary, miscreants looted the Shree Shantadurga Quittolkarin Temple at Quittol village in Quepem taluka Saturday night, decamping with silver and gold ornaments, besides cash worth lakh of rupees.

While the Cuncolim police is assessing the total loss of property, the management of the Temple Committee told newsmen that the value of the silver and gold ornaments could go up to over Rs 25 lakh.

The incident occurred Saturday night when the miscreants effected entry into the temple

Shree Shantadurga Quittolkarin Temple. Photo by Santosh Mirajkar

located at an isolated place, nearly 1.5 km away from the main Fatorpa-Cananguinim ro a d . T h e m i s c re a n t s a re (Continued on page 14)

OHERALDO

Pg2 GOA, MONDAY, 27 DECEMBER, 2010

CIVIC FORUM Garbage on trees

Fomento directors to discuss draft agreement on Sonsodo HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, DEC 26

After days of negotiations over the draft concessions agreement between the two parties, the time has come for both Fomento and the Margao Municipal Council to ratify the draft before inking the agreement to tackle the waste problem at the Sonsodo garbage dump yard.

The draft concession agreement will be formally placed before the Board of Directors of Fomento for approval of the draft, before the same is tabled before the Margao Municipal Council for an official nod from the City Fathers.

Margao Municipal Chief Officer Prasanna Acharya told Herald on Sunday that the Civic body would deliberate on the draft agreement once the same gets the approval from Fomento Board of Directors.

JOHN ERiC gOmES, PORvORim

Very recently, I visited the dentist. As I stretched out on the dentist’s couch located at La Joy building, Porvorim, I saw something, through the window that shocked me out of my wits. What looked like a strange bird’s nest of the sort, turned out to be garbage hanging on the tree? The dentist told me that he had complained, in vain, to people from the upper floors, who flung garbage. He also brought it to the attention of the Socorro panchayat but neither the garbage on the tree, nor the garbage which had accumulated below, was cleared.

The government has to wake up, and be proactive. As garbage has now found a new resting place on trees, the authorities must make panchayats and municipalities accountable for this sordid state of affairs.

Stop unauthorised parking PRAviN u SARDESSAi, ADPAi

During my recent visit to Margao, it was noticed that fourwheelers halt and even park on the main road, at the new market. The existing road, narrow as it is, causes great inconvenience to vehicular traffic proceeding from behind the halted/parked vehicles. The area near Jackris restaurant is reserved for two-wheeler parking. However, four-wheelers are being parked on the road, on some occasions, with no one at the wheel. It is an obstacle for those on motorcycle/scooter riders, who wish to park their vehicles. There is no traffic cop at this most sensitive location and therefore, motorists remain totally free to act, as they wish. It is necessary that the RTO authorities/traffic cell of Goa police embarks on a strict drive with regard to unauthorised and obstructive parking, so that this undesirable practice is put to a permanent end. Discipline on the main road needs to be maintained at all costs.

BSNL’s unfair distinction NELSON LOPES, CHiNCHiNim

BSNL offers 20% discount on broad band connections to retired government servants. It does not grant this facility to aided teachers from schools. It is noted that government-aided educational institutions are paid pension by the government, and there is no contribution whatsoever, from their corresponding institutions. For all practical purposes, pension is received from the government only.

The concessions, which is not available to government aided institutions, merits serious reconsideration. In addition, the numbers of teachers who seek this concession do not constitute a large section, which use the fixed line telephone service.

A reasonable service is offered by another operator, namely Airtel which is much more economical than BSNL’s offer. BSNL is very adamant when it comes to providing any relief to senior citizens, in telephone connections. They state that there is no provision to do so. In Mumbai, this courtesy is extended to senior citizens. We hope better sense will prevail so that all concerned can enjoy this facility.

Sand blocks road

The Margao civic body would call for a meeting to deliberate on the draft before a pact is signed with Fomento.

-- Prasanna Acharya

“The Margao Civic body would call for a meeting to deliberate on the draft before a pact is signed with Fo mento”, he said, adding that a special meeting will be convened by the Municipal Chairperson to discuss the draft agreement.

Tomorrow’s meeting of Fomento’s Board of Directors is termed as important as it would give an indication over the state of things to come. Both the Mar-

HumbLE CiTizEN, mARgAO (Name withheld on request)

Why broader roads?

JONAS CORREiA, ALDONA

A lot of hype is created on account of widening of NH17. But do we really need broader roads for a small state like Goa, and for what? We have enough accidents on the existing roads due to over speeding, careless overtaking, unlicensed drivers, stray cattle and dogs, pot holes, unmarked speed breakers, unauthorised parking, etc.

Everyday, we read news about improperly maintained roads that call for urgent attention in conducting repairs. What we need to do is, to clear the bottlenecks in the present road system. The government needs to construct flyovers at strategic locations , bus bays for passengers, and remove all hindrances from the main roads, such as ‘gaddas,’ vendor kiosks, small eateries, illegal road side structures -- particularly religious -which are a major distraction. This will ensure smooth flow of traffic.

The new Mandovi bridge should be used for entry of traffic into Panjim and the old Mandovi bridge for exit. This would clear the chaos and criss-crossing by vehicles that throws regular traffic movement, out of gear. Moreover, once the Mopa airport is ready and the Ravindra Bhavan is built in Mapusa, traffic flow will reduce drastically to Panjim and South Goa .

Also, we need to install proper sign boards, and make use of home guards, to direct traffic and infuse some traffic sense.

‘Stress is a silent killer’ HERALD CORRESPONDENT PORVORIM, DEC 26

Senior Counsellor of Asha Counselling Centre (ACC) Rui Da Gama has described stress as a 'Silent Killer' which affects a majority of people due to fast pace of development and fierce competition in every field of life.

"Sensitive people with unresolved issues and a confused state of mind carry emotional hurt which leads to stress and depression," said Gama, while addressing a workshop organized by ACC at Asha Centre hall at Mapusa.

"People fail to discern their thoughts and entertain negative thoughts, which causes fear, anxiety, worry, doubts, leading to Stress," he said.

"Every human has an inbuilt fear reaction stored in one's brain and body. It is an elementary alarm system to keep one away from danger. Fear and danger go together. Positive fear is essential but unfound or nega-

Sensitive people with unresolved issues and a confused state of mind carry emotional hurt which leads to stress and depression.

-- Counsellor Rui Da Gama

tive fear can kill a human being.

Hence, the mind should always be fed with positive thoughts," Gama added.

He described anxiety as a "distress about future uncertainties."

"If a human being feels that he has no adequate protection to face threats, the worry turns into fear resulting into anxiety.

Stress is the bigger killer in present times. It is the beginning of mental, emotional, physical

illness and spiritual bankruptcy," opined Gama.

He claimed that stress control is a reply to negative thoughts and accepting the outcome in faith.

"A moment well lived is a day well lived and in this way, many years will pass with joy of living.

To avoid stress, one should live a life of honesty without holding grudges or anger against anyone," said Gama.

Responding to a query on whether meditation would help control stress, Gama replied that meditation is only a breathing exercise.

"However, emotional hurts, unresolved issues and inner conflicts need counselling in order to bring a person to the truthful reasoning, which in turn overcomes the stress," he said.

Programme Coordinator Jessica welcomed the participants and spoke on the occasion.

Vidya Naik from Pernem later proposed the vote of thanks.

Sunburn music festival venue unveiled

Herald staffer bereaved HERALD NEWS DESK PANJIM, DEC 26

Domingos Salvador Fernandes alias Saluzinho, father of Herald staffer Anthony Fernandes passed away on Sunday evening.

Late Domingos, hailing from Panjim, was a retired government employee and an avid tiatr enthusiast. He was in his late 70s.

His funeral cortege will leave his residence behind Panjim Post Office, on Monday at 4 pm, for St Thome Chapel Panjim for Eucharistic Celebration followed by burial at St Inez Cemetery.

The management and staff of Herald deeply condole the death of Domingos and offer heartfelt sympathies to Anthony and his bereaved family.

Quittol burglary second major heist in a month

Artists and models along with MD Shailendra Singh at Sunburn’s venue launch at Candolim.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT CALANGUTE, DEC 26

HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, DEC 26

Saturday night Temple burglary at Quittol village is the second major temple burglary in Quepem taluka within the last one month.

While the Chandreshwar Temple burglary at Paroda is still fresh in the minds of the people, last night theft has put the men-inuniform in an embarrassing situation, having failed to detect the Paroda case till date.

Incidentally, in the Paroda Temple case too which has occurred on the night of November 23, the burglars had laid their hands on silver item valued over Rs 25 lakh.

Asked whether the two burglaries is the handiwork of a single gang of thieves, Superintendent of Police, South Allan De Sa said that “it could be so”, but said the police are working on a clue in the Quittol case to nab the culprits. “In both the cases, the burglars targeted the silver items from the Temples.

We are working on various clues”, he said.

After the daring Chandreshwar Temple Burglary, the district police had dispatched a police team to Karnataka to find out similar thefts in the Honavar area of the state, but the team has returned back without any major clues.

The venue for the three-day music festival ‘Sunburn’ that gets underway at Candolim on December 27 was unveiled by the organizers, Percept Sports & Entertainment.

Joint Managing Director Shailendra Singh unveiled the venue in the presence of Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes, Managing Director Harindra Singh and Group CEO Devraj Sanyal on Sunday.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Shailendra Singh said: “The Sunburn festival has become World’s largest music festival and has been ranked as one of the ‘Top 10 Festivals’ by a news channel.”

“The response we have been receiving from Indian and International audiences over the years have been amazing. Apart from music, Sunburn has been appreciated as an experience complete with the beach, electronic dance music and some great parties,” he said.

“The new venue and the Sunburn merchandise is our endeavour to create a more immersive experience for

Decision to end Shimnit’s contract major event in 2010 HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, DEC 26

The above picture shows a heap of sand that has been deposited on the V V Road at Margao from Gaylin restaurant to Talaulikar’s.

Cars that are parked on the other side of the road, has created a traffic jam. Immediate removal of the sand from the road is absolutely necessary to ensure smooth traffic flow.

I hope the authorities concerned do the needful.

gao Municipal Council and representatives of Fomento had been negotiating with the legal counsel Adv Atmaram Nadkarni on the vexed issue of mode of payments, especially under the Net Present Value.

While the MMC Chief Officer is on record saying that the interests of the Civic body will not be compromised while signing the draft agreement, questions are raised in the corridors of the Civic body whether the Municipality would pay Rs 7.31 crore as per the tender award or Rs 12-odd crore as per the Net Present value.

“Concerns raised by the Councilors were discussed and deliberated with Adv Nadkarni over the last few days. All I can say is that the interests of the Civic body would be protected while signing the agreement”, assured the Chief Officer.

GOA

Goa government’s decision to issue show cause notice to Shimnit Utsch Private Limited in the high security registration plates (HSRP) contract was the main feature of the year 2010.

Although the termination of the contract may take more days to happen, the state transport department after much dilly dallying managed to cut short the jolly ride of Shimnit Utsch.

Chief Secretary Sanjay Srivastava-led committee had pointed out several lacunae in the porous contract inked with the company. The committee had recommended that the contract with them be reviewed. The company had also knocked doors of the high court and the matter is still pending.

Transport department has already served notice for the company, to which they have replied. It will take little more time for this controversial contract to be scrapped.

The year gone by has seen transport department streamlining the public transport system, especially private bus operators. The gigantic drive held challaning the errant drivers and conductors did fetch short-term results.

Although the drivers and conductors have taken off their uniforms after the drive got over, the state earned revenue from it. Right from overloading to non issuance of ticket, everything was fined by transport department.

The drive that flagged off on October 1, booked nearly 1200 cases with 700 being issued challans in just one month.

However, the department’s effective drive managed to control the increasing irregularities from 65 percent in the first week to 30 percent by November.

The department also switched on to e-licence, e-registration and other online facilities at the fag end of this year. After facing teething problem initially, the department expects to fix the issues in the

months to come. Six services of the department went online as Goa entered into the Golden Jubilee Year of its Liberation on December 19.

“You will be able to know what the status of your application for licence is online or through short message service (SMS),” transport director Arun Desai claimed.

But a random look at Panaji’s office of assistant director indicates that the affairs here are far behind from getting customer friendly. Even though the services have gone online, the behaviour of the staff remains same – rude.

The year 2010 saw multi-times increase in the fuel prices and to compensate with it, the fares of taxi, rickshaw, buses and motorcycles also shot up.

Bus operators struck twice, once condemning behaviour of department’s officers and another time protesting against HSRPs. The tussle between bus operators’ leader Sudip Tamankar and Assistant Director Pralhad Desai spilled on the road when later went on hunger strike.

Simultaneously, bus operator’s threatened another strike claiming harassment

by Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL).

As the tourist vehicle operators in the state were busy celebrating hike in fares, the department gave them a blow by hiking the permit fee by almost 10-15 percent. For example: all Goa tourist taxis will have to shell out Rs 1000 as against Rs 150. Similarly, all India tourist taxis will have to pay Rs 5000 as permit fees as against earlier Rs 150.

This evoked angry protests by the tourist vehicle operators like buses, taxi, motorcycles who initially went on token dharna and has now decided to intensify their agitation.

Meanwhile, in a decision that could provide solace for the passengers, the department has taken up the task of resurveying the routes.

YEAR ENDER

the sun burners,” added Singh.

“With several thousand people expected at Sunburn Goa 2010, the Sunburn team in collaboration with Goa Police has taken all necessary steps to ensure a safe and secure music festival,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, MLA Fernandes said: “We have brought the Sunburn festival to Candolim to give more impetus to the shack business along the coast and hopefully it will go on well.”

Shailendra Singh later led Calangute MLA Fernandes and other guests walk the venue highlighting many new features, including a world class security arrangement spanning - 32 CCTV cameras, a two-level manned security, sniffer dogs, narcotic patrol officers, an emergency medical team equipped with a mini clinic, an onsite medical team, several medical consultants, emergency exits and watch towers.

The event will also have on call a first of its kind Disaster Management Team in case of an emergency.

The Sunburn Merchandise comprises wide range of apparels, accessories and gadgets. The merchandise range also includes T-Shirts, towels, flip flops, key chains, mobile phone covers, pens, buttons (badges), bags, caps, mobile phone chargers, laser

Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes among others at the unveiling of the venue of Sunburn festival at Candolim.

Photos by Thomas Fernandes

glasses and rings.

The headliners for the Sunburn 2010 festival are Paul Van Dyk, Ferry Corsten and Axwell, while Sultan and Ned Shepard with Nadia Ali, Richard Durand, GMS, Pete Gooding, Aly and Fila will be showcasing their talents.

A plethora of world renowned DJs like Pearl, Ma Faiza, Sanjay Dutta and others will be performing live on stage.

The ‘Sunburn’ has however been embroiled in controversy since the event started at Candolim in 2007.

The Villagers have been opposing the event on grounds of noise pollution, especially to the elders, traffic congestion besides other reasons, but to no avail.

Last year, the Sunburn had a first drug-related casualty in the death of a girl, Meha Bahuguna.

OHERALDO

GOA

Pg3 GOA, SUNDAY, 26 DECEMBER, 2010

Handicrafts by jailbirds decorate households this Christmas

Handicrafts made by prisoners at Aguada jail on sale at Calangute market.

HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, DEC 26

They celebrated Christmas within the prison walls; but the prisoners of Aguada jail contributed their bit for the society when decorative items made by them beautified houses of many people across the State.

Jail authorities said that the handicraft items specially made by prison-inmates lodged in Aguada Central Prison were sold in Calangute market by the State government.

“This was the first time that we displayed the crafts made by the prisoners for direct sale.

Earlier, we tried selling these products through an NGO, which was not a success,” said an official.

The items included Christmas stars and other wooden and clay sculptures.

Officials said that the items

were on sale for three days at the market. The sale worth Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 was recorded for the entire three days.

Jail authorities said that the prisoners worked for one-year to create these items. “The money earned would be deposited in the account of the prisoners, who can take it away when their sentence gets over,” officials said.

The response for the present sale was a huge success and this has certainly boosted morale of prisoners.

The arts included wooden made Hyderabad charminar which was quoted at Rs 7,500 and similar items costing 3,500, Rs 800 and other crafts which sold like hot cake amongst tourists and locals.

This is not the first time that prisoners have reached out to the society through their hard

work from behind bars. Central Jail has already tied up with the Printing & Stationary department, who assigns them the work of folding papers and binding.

The workshop within the jail also has candle making, paper bags, carpentry, tailoring, book binding, gardening, mess and other activities to refresh the minds of prisoners.

“After their release, the inmates can get into the business of their own to earn income for their family,” said a jail official.

Jail officials including Raju Patil, Avito D’Ssouza and Shridhar Pangam under the supervision of Superintendent of Prisons Meghnath Parab organized the sale.

Aguada jail houses 160 male prisoners including 50 convicts and 36 female prisoners of which six are convicts in different criminal cases.

Parsem local hangs to death HERALD CORRESPONDENT PERNEM, DEC 26

The body of a 32-year-old man from Bamanwado-Parsem, who was reported missing since December 1, was found hanging to a tree in a forest at ChonsaiParsem on Saturday morning.

Pernem Police suspects that Amol Pande committed suicide by hanging himself to a cashew tree.

It may be recalled that Amol was reported missing from his residence after being depressed and efforts to trace him proved futile. Later, Amol’s father lodged a missing complaint with Pernem Police.

Police informed that the highly decomposed and mutilated body was found in the Chonsai forest on Saturday morning. News spread like wild fire and Amol’s relatives rushed to the site, who identified the deceased. Pernem Police handed over the body to Amol’s relatives and a case of unnatural death has been registered. Police ruled out foul play.

Colva cops seek help to trace hit-n-run car HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, DEC 26

The Colva police have written to an auto company to maintain a close vigil on any car involved in a road accident in view of the hit and run accident at Varca in the wee hours of Saturday.

Thirty-eight year old Filipe Luis, a resident of Carmona, was killed in a tragic accident by a speeding car while he was crossing the road at Varca on early Saturday morning.

When contacted, the Colva police said the police has written to the car company to help in tracking the vehicle involved in the hit and run case.

Commission lift irrigation scheme, Uguem farmers urge Kamat HERALD CORRESPONDENT SANGUEM, DEC 26

Farmers from Uguem having their paddy fields in the vicinity of Mortagall, Borcotteagall and Chitopgall wards of Uguem have urged Chief Minister Digambar Kamat for immediate clearance of file pertaining to the commissioning of Lift Irrigation scheme to supply agricultural water to Uguem.

Farmers led by Francisco Carvalho informed Herald that in 2008, they had made a representation to the government for the commissioning of Lift Irrigation scheme.

Carvalho further informed that paddy fields for which they demand the supply of agricultural water are situated barely about 2 kms from the existing pipeline and the government need not spend much for laying the proposed pipeline.

“The commissioning of the pipeline will benefit about 40 farmers in the locality and will bring under cultivation approximately about 20 hectares of paddy fields under cultivation,” said Carvalho.

“The farmers are presently cultivating the said paddy fields only during monsoon

and if provided with water under Lift Irrigation scheme, farmers will also enable to get the paddy fields cultivated during winter,” claimed Carvalho.

“The department has already conducted the site inspection and estimate for the project drawn up but the file is presently kept under hold for the chief minister’s nod,” added Carvalho.

The farmers have now called on the chief minister to clear the file by January 15, 2011, failing which the farmers have threatened to lead an agitation to the Secretariat.

Truckers union pledges support to indefinite bandh

Arambol local falls off from roof, dies

but other companies have not yet increased the rates,” he said.

All Goa Truck Owners Association Treasurer Bhiku Prabhu Dessai alleged that the transport contractors want to earn Rs 1,000 per trip at the cost of the truck owners.

He appealed the truck owners not to yield to the pressures, tactics or false assurances given by the mining companies or con-

A 55-year-old man from Thakurwado-Arambol died, after he accidentally fell from the roof of a high school at AgarwadoPernem on Sunday at about 4 pm.

According to reports, one Manohar Bala Naik, who was repairing the roof of the Agarwada high school, lost his balance and fell down. Naik died on the spot.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT CURCHOREM, DEC 26

The South Goa Progressive Truck Owners Association has declared its support to the indefinite bandh called by All Goa Truck Owners Association from December 27.

Speaking to media, Association President Prakash Raut Dessai stated that Director of Transport Arun Dessai had assured the truck owners that the rate of ore transport will be increased, if only 10 tonnes of ore was transported per trip.

“As per the High Court order, we transport only 10 tonnes per trip, but the rate is not yet increased. After three and half months struggle, only one company has increased the rates,

Reginaldo lauds formation of rights panel

A Bite of the Big Apple.

Manhattan

2011

HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, DEC 26

C u r t o r i m M L A Re g i n a l d o Lourenco has hoped the Goa State Human Rights Commission will not only do well in the implementation of human rights but would go far beyond in creating a conducive environment for the development of human rights.

Expressing his happiness that the Commission has been constituted in Goa under the Chairmanship of a retired High Court judge, Lourneco he said had raised the issue time and again on the floor of the Goa Assembly and complimented Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and the Home Minister Ravi Naik for conceding to his constant requests.

“I am confident that the Goa State Human Rights Commission will create a new human order where hunger and torture would never haunt humanity,” he said.

tractors and firmly stand by the Bandh for the welfare of all the truck owners.

It was also informed that a meeting has been fixed with the Director of Transport on December 28 to find a solution to the problem.

Association Vice President Raghunath Naik and other office bearers were also present on the occasion.

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Sex racket busted at Dona Paula, two arrested HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, DEC 26

Goa police late on Saturday night bust international sex racket run by two male friends at Dona Paula. Panjim police rescued four girls including a minor and arrested two suspected pimps.

Nandish Gawda from Bangalore and Hanumant Ram Patil from Rajasthan, both 25 years of age were arrested red-handed while striking a deal with a decoy customer. The rescued girls, in their mid-20s and a minor, hailing from Nepal and Mumbai have been remanded to Protective Home at Merces.

Acting on tip-off, Panjim police led by Inspector Sandesh Chodankar laid a trap where the suspected pimps along with the girls were waiting for their cus-

tomer in a Tata Indica car near Manipal Hospital.

The planted decoy struck a deal of Rs 25,000 in exchange for girls for a night. While the process of payment was being made, the police team caught the suspected pimps red-handed and seized the amount.

“The girls were brought from Bangalore to Ponda and later to Panjim for the purpose of flesh trade,” said a police officer.

Judicial Magistrate First Class, Panjim remanded the accused to one-day police custody.

“The girls in their statements have said that they were lured of a job in Goa but were forced into prostitution. Investigation is at preliminary stage…We are probing on whether the two operated a gang under the garb of recruitment,” he said.

Four Lamanis arrested HERALD CORRESPONDENT PERNEM, DEC 26

Pernem Police on Sunday arrested four lamanis and three ice cream sellers on charges of illegally carrying out their trade at Arambol Beach.

Pernem Police arrested Rukmini Suresh Pavar (25), Renuka

Somnath Gudimani (26), Sharu Ashok Gudimmani and Sushila Ramesh Rathod and also clothes from them.

Police also arrested three ice cream sellers and booked seven foreigners on charges of smoking at public places at Arambol Beach.

OHERALDO

GOA

Pg 4

GOA, MONDAY, 27 DECEMBER, 2010

Dr Jack de Sequeira Memorial Awards to be presented today

s h o rt ta k e s School Day organised PANJIM(HND): The students of Our Lady of the Rosary High School, Dona Paula celebrated School Day by raising the curtains at Kala Academy to a spectacular performance recently to convey to our society that a loving family is the dream of every child. Chairman of Dempo Group of Companies, Srinivas Dempo was the chief guest. Dempo in his address laid a lot of emphasis on how important it is for parents to spend quality time with their children and that both, parents as well as the school, should collaborate for the all round development of their child.

The programme began with the lady bugs of STD V singing the welcome song. Sr Emy Rodrigues, the principal of the school, welcomed the parents as well as the chief guest which was followed by the lighting of the traditional lamp and a prayer. This was followed by the Prize Distribution Ceremony.

Later a prize winning Portuguese song was performed by the students followed by an exhilarating play by the primary section depicting how children are the true joy of Christmas.

The last programme on the agenda was the grande finale by the Middle and the High School. based on the theme, “a loving family- a dream of every child”, the play followed a few episodes in the life of three students. Edgar Cotta, vice president of the PTA proposed the vote of thanks, followed by the singing of the national anthem.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT CANACONA, DEC 26

Christmas Crib presented by the residents of Sector 11 Fondvem, Ribandar.

Sanitation drive at Bicholim MAYEM(HC): Bicholim Municipal Council (BMC) in association with PHC Bicholim recently organized sanitation drive of Bicholim town. The drive was inaugurated at Sharadanagar-Bicholim. BMC Deputy Chairperson Shashikant Naik, Councilors Kamlakar Teli and Anita Harmalkar, Chief Officer Raju Gawas and PHC Acting Health Officer Dr Jude D’Souza were present on the occasion. A ward wise health and sanitation committee was elected on the occasion. Dr Jude briefed the villagers about various diseases and guided how to control it. Shashikant Naik called upon the villagers to extend wholehearted co-operation in keeping the city clean.

Dabolim event postponed

PANJIM (HND): The one-act play competition organised by St Cruz Chapel Committee, Dabolim for December 30 is postponed and will now be held on January 1, 2011 from 7 pm onwards near the Chapel premises. For further details contact 9850081924, 9960709834.

Agnelo

Louis

Chari

Josephine

HERALD NEWS DESK PANJIM, DEC 26

more than 1000 tiatrs and composed over 500 songs, his famous song Ankvar moriechem dukh was selected as the best Konkani song by the All India Radio during the Portuguese rule, under the guidance of maestro Diogo Rodrigues from whom he learnt to read and write music and also played the violin and saxophone.

Life Time Achievement in Drama (Female) - veteran Josephine Costa Dias who made a name for herself in tiatrs of M Boyer , Artistides, John Claro and Prem Kumar. She was a talented singer and was regularly seen singing solos as well as duets with M Boyer, Luciano Dias, C D’Silva and Jr Rod. 25-years on Konkani stage as a Director and Comedian -- Miguel Jacob Carmo Luis Fernandes popularly known as Prince Jacob, A versatile writer and director with 48 tiatrs and khell-tiatrs to his credit so far, Prince Jacob has also translated the Marathi drama, Sahi Re Sahi and successfully.

Staged it as Rupnnem in tiatrform Zayat Zage, his latest tiatr which uses humour to highlight the decay and impending death of everything dear to Goa and Goans, a two-time recipient of the Best Actor Award instituted

by Gulab magazine and a celebrity Konknni RJ on Big FM, Prince Jacob has scripted and staged three religious tiatrs as well, Gõycho Saib, Sant Anton Milagrincho Sagor and Padr Zuze Vaz – Gõycho Askari. His Padri khell-tiatr, the last of 25 tiatrs under ‘P’ series, was performed

315 times in India and abroad and was later converted into a celluloid film of the same name.

Best Musician - Maestro Agnelo Dias (who served initially as a choir master and later went on to excel in music. He is a master music-maker. He has been instrumental in playing the trumpet for 200 shows of comedian Agostinho’s tiatr Police).

Mario Menezes will receive three awards as best actor for his outstanding role as a father in his own directed tiatr ‘Bieman Keir’. He directed 25 tiatrs on the Konkani stage and also he wins the tiatr of the year for Fattlem Poi, a family story with laughter of comedy.

Best Actress in negative role in Mario Menezes “Te tuka naka” -- Jessica Gomes.

Best comedian (male) – Humbert Fernandes played the role of a corrupt minister’s PA in Prince Jacob’s production “Kedna Uttolo”. He is a born entertainer and has several laughter-filled dramas to his name.

He along with his brother Prince Jacob enthralled the audience with their hilarious comedy.

Best comedian (female) - Joana Fernandes in Mario Menezes’ Fattlem Poi. She made the audience laugh with her comic language style. Best child artiste -- Baby Snehyya for her outstandi n g s i n g i n g i n Ro s e f e r n’ s Bhurgim Ti Bhaulim Nuim.

Stage decorator –Kamlakant Chari, who is in the sets design and stage execution for the past 40 years for Marathi and Konkani

tiatr. As a stage setting technician he has given an innovative new dimension to the Goan stage. Upcoming comedian---Constancio Rosario Rodrigues alias Costy in Rosefern’s Bhurgim Ti Bhaulim Nuim. Felix Gonsalves—originally from Diwar and now settled in Wembly, United Kingdom for promoting Goan culture and language in United Kingdom. Team of the Year - Dempo Sports Club, Best Sportswoman of the year, the accomplished swimmer Talasha S. Prabhu, Best Sportsman of the year — Allan Sequeira, Coach of the decade- Armando Colaco.

The 4th Dr Jack de Sequeira Memorial Awards, 2010 will be presented to tiatrists and four sports personalities on December 27 at 10.30 am at Black Box, Kala Academy, Panjim to felicitate and honour those who excelled in the field of tiatr, culture and sports.

Small awards as a tribute in any field is the greatest treasure that most artistes value, be it the Oscars or the Grammys. The Konkani Songit Somajik Kala Kendr, Taleigao in its quest to unravel excellence in the field of tiatr, culture and sports have instituted the Dr Jack de Sequeira Memorial Awards, an yearly feature to recognize the meritorious contribution of budding, current and veteran tiatrists and sports personalities, as an ultimate measure of their contribution to keep the unique ethos of Goan cultural identity.

Dr Jack de Sequeira Memorial Award is a tryst with destiny of Goa which bore fruit against challenging and intimidating odds.

The chief guest on the auspicious occasion will be Admiral (Retd) Suresh Mehta, who is the Indian High Commissioner in New Zealand. Also gracing the occasion will be vice-president of the Tiatr Academy of Goa Roseferns and Dr Lilia Sequeira.

Following are the winners: Life Time Achievement in Drama (Male)—81 years old veteran Remmy Colaco who had acted in

HERALD NEWS BUREAU PANJIM, DEC 26

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Cardinal Ivan Dias as his special envoy to the closing celebrations of the Jubilee Year of the Church in Vietnam.

Cardinal Dias, who traces his roots to Velsao, is presently the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, an important department in the Vatican.

He will represent the pope during the closing celebrations which marks the 350th anniversary of the creation of the first two apostolic vicariates in the country, and the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Catholic hierarchy.

The celebrations are due to take place at the Marian shrine of LaVang from 4 to 6 January, 2011.

Star Gazing

Understanding the Solstices

A total eclipse of the moon occurred for 72 minutes starting at 2:40 a.m. Tuesday. A total eclipse occurs when the Earth casts its shadow on the full moon, blocking the sun's rays, which otherwise reflect off the moon's surface. The result was that an incredibly bright white moon slipped into shadow and cast a coppery-orange glow.

The eclipse was extra special because it happened on the winter solstice. The last time both happened on the same day was on Dec. 21, 1638, according to the Geoff Chester with the U.S. Naval Observatory. The solstice is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the official start of the winter season.

The next time both will occur on the same day is Dec. 21, 2094.

The next lunar eclipse will be in June but will not be visible in the Northern Hemisphere.

Solstices are short periods during the course of the calendar year when the equator of the earth is at the greatest distance from the sun. The phenomenon of the solstice is created when the axis of the planet is tiled directly towards or away from the sun, causing the exposure of the equator of the planet to be further away from the rays of the sun.

The time of solstice also has a direct impact on the amount of daylight that is experienced in different parts of the world just before, during, and after the occurrence.

The name for this period when the equator is furthest from the sun has its roots in two Latin words or terms. Sol is Latin for the sun, while sistere is understood to translate as standing still. Thus, a solstice is a time when it appears that the sun is

standing still rather than moving around the earth.

The actual word solstice dates back to a time in human history when the earth was understood to be the center of the universe.

In many cultures, the solstice marks the midway point of a given season. People around the world tend to be familiar with the summer solstice and winter solstice. What may be less well known is that many of the important holidays that are important to many different faiths and cultures take place in close proximity to these two periods. Holidays such as Saturnalia, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa occur close to the winter solstice.

Midsummer, St. John’s Eve, and the Wiccan holy day of Litha are all associated with the summer solstice.

Fr Agnel Niketan Boys participating in the Christmas tree party.

HERALD NEWS BUREAU PANJIM, DEC 26

Students of Fr Agnel Central School Pilar organized Christmas tree party for the Fr Agnel Niketan Boys on December 20.

The young students gathered to celebrate Christmas tree party at the Pilar Bal Niketan grounds.

For the second consecutive year, over 200 students of Fr Agnel Central School lined up to offer Christmas gifts to the orphan children residing in the Fr Agnel Niketan, Pilar.

Speaking on the occasion, Fr Blaise Mascarenhas, Project officer for the Goa Province of the Society of Pilar, stated that the

students need to be good, think good and do good.

Fr Andrew Silveira, director of Fr Agnel Niketan, applauded the parents of the students for encouraging their children to share with the less fortunate children.

The boys at Fr Agnel Niketan entertained the young students with Christmas carols, play, games and dance.

Fr Agnel Central School Principal Fr Anthony D’Silva stated that since the boys in the Fr Agnel Niketan at Pilar were around 100, the school administration decided to share the remaining gifts with children at Xavier Sadan orphanage at Sanguem and Seva Sadan orphanage at Rivona.

Patnekar urges women to utilise govt schemes

HERALD CORRESPONDENT MAYEM, DEC 26

Comments or queries? Bouquets or brickbats? Talk to us!

Email Junior Herald at junior@herald-goa.com or join our Facebook fan page. Our readers are invited to rave, rant, chat or even contribute. No message will go unanswered!

Women takes a look at the exhibition buses during the Mammography camp at Chaudi.

Photo by Kathy Pereira

uPcoming events Goa Yuva Mahotsav at Ponda PANJIM (HND): Goa’s biggest youth festival Goa Yuva Mahotsav will be held on January 15 and 16 at MIBK school complex, Khandepar, Ponda.

Nearly 4000 students/youths from all over the state will get an opportunity to showcase their diverse talents through various programmes and competitions. The Mahotsav, entering its 16th year, will be jointly organised by Konkani Bhasha Mandal and Rotaract club of Ponda.

Solo dance contest COLLEM(HC): Yutkarsh Yuvak Mandal, Palaskata-Mollem, will organize its 10th All Goa Solo dance contest near primary school, Palaskata, on December 30 from 7 pm. The contest is open for the participants below 16 years. Entry fee is Rs 100.

For details, contact Vishal on 976484423 or Shashi on 9158505891/2612628. Spot entries will also be accepted.

Later, an annual social gathering will take place near the primary school, Palaskata.

Priol MLA Deepak Dhavalikar will be the chief guest for the programme, while Sanvordem MLA Anil Salgaonkar and Dharbandoda ZP member Rashmi Lambor will be the guests of honour. Mollem Sarpanch Govind Gaonkar will be the special invitee. On the occasion, Vittal Gaonkar and Rashmi Lambor will be felicitated by the chief guest. Prizes will also be awarded to the students securing highest marks in SSC exam from local schools. A culture programme will be staged by the students of primary school.

Goan Idol at Mayem BICHOLIM(HC): The Fun Club of Mayem will organise a musical programme ‘Goan Idol’ at Gaonkarwada-Mayem on January 15, 2011. Addressing a press conference, Club President Krishna Parab said they are organising the programme for the sixth time. “This is the sixth time that we are organising the programme and it is open for all the Goan singers and the purpose of the programme is just to bring out hidden talents among the youth,” said Parab. ‘Goan Idol’ is an annual musical programme held at Mayem.

Last year, Gautami Hede was declared as the Goan Idol. To make the programme more interesting, this year the Club has also increased the prizes. First prize will be Rs 10,000 and a trophy, second prize will be Rs 5,000, third prize will be Rs 3,000, while there will be two consolation prizes of Rs 1,000.

The entire cost of the programme will be Rs 2 lakh and famous comedian Deelip Dhargalkar would anchor for the programme.

The audition to select the singers for the competition will be held in January and those interested are requested to give their names to the organisers by December 28. For details, contact Ajit Sawant on 9673993620 or Sushant Desai on 9823726289.

Planet-Goa unveils new look HERALD NEWS DESK PANJIM, DEC 26

Bicholim MLA Rajesh Patnekar hands over Harmonium and Tabla to Jagruti Bhajani Mahila Mandal.

Photo by Vishant Vaze

Contact Us:

A three-day Mammography camp to detect breast cancer was recently organized at Canacona Community Health Centre Chaudi.

Women from Cola, Agonda villages and Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) areas were first screened in a house-tohouse survey and accordingly 131 women from these areas were subjected to general examination, breast examination, PAP smear (for cervical cancer).

Oral check-up for cancer detection and also X-ray for mammography, Ultrasomnography for Mammography were done

Bicholim MLA Rajesh Patnekar has requested women to make proper use of their time by availing of government schemes.

He was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the workshop on art, development and bhajan at Shantaram Nagar, Bicholim, on December 23.

Councillor Kamlakar Teli, Shantaran Nagr Vikas Mandal President Bharat Chanekar, M a h i l a M a n d a l P re s i d e n t Chiplunkar, Nimisha Pal, Sheela

on selective women at the camp site.

The camp was conducted under social scientist pro gramme manager Medha and CHC Canacona health staff, gynecologist Dr Sandip Borkar, surgeon Dr Rahun Borkar, MO Dr Amey Aiya, MO Dr Satish Komarpant, dentist Dr Tushar Kamat and staff from Hospicio and Directorate of Health Services were present.

According to health sources, the slides taken during the camp are sent for further analysis to Hospicio in Margao and reports will be communicated to the patients, as also necessary followup will be done based on any adverse findings.

Cardinal Ivan Dias for Vietnam

Christmas tree party organised at Pilar

Lunar Eclipse 2010

Breast cancer detection camp held at Canacona

Yedve, Aruna Patnekar, Sindhu Hegde and Bhajan teacher Sitaram Pal were present on the occasion.

K a m l a k a r Te l i , B h a r a t Chanekar and Aruna Patnekar called upon the women to take benefit of different schemes drafted for women.

Sindhu Yedve compered the function, while Ashwini Patwardhan proposed the vote of thanks.

On the occasion, MLA Patnekar handed over Tabla and Harmonium to the Mahila Mandal.

Planet-Goa, from the Planet Media publications revealed its new look recently with Issue 4, the peak season issue of the magazine hitting the stands nationally.

Launched during the monsoons, Planet-Goa earlier launched its first sub-brand titled Wassup Goa with its previous issue, which is the only product in its category which informs the travelers and holidayers about the activities coming in the future in Goa, the heritage sites of Goa with a heritage map attached to it and how to move around in Goa. Planet-Goa magazine is now distributed in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta, Bangalore, Chennai, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Pune and Hyderabad by India Book House (IBH) as its distributors for the entire country. In Goa,

distribution is handled independently by the Magazine and is currently available at over 250 unique retail points across the state.

From the content point, Planet-Goa focuses on the uniqueness of the State and while it aims to talk to the holidayers and locals about the activities and the things one can do when in Goa; it also features other destinations in a section called Beyond Goa. In another section called Around Goa, it takes the readers to the hinterland and neighbouring states too, which can be visited as day long escapades and weekend getaways from here.

The aim of the Planet-Goa is to continue providing its readers with a combination of two things - the content that they need and ensure that its disseminated in a style that is easy to comprehend.

OHERALDO

Pg 5

GOA / REGION

Chicalim p’yat issues notices to 30 illegal structures HERALD REPORTER VASCO, DEC 26

The Chicalim Panchyat has finally woken up to act on the directives of the South Goa District Magistrate and issued notices to owners of 30 illegal structures within 50 metres from all roads that have hampered traffic movement.

In his notification some months ago, the district magistrate had directed the panchayat to ensure that no handcarts, fruits vendors and furniture marts be allowed within a radius of 50 mtrs of the roads in its jurisdiction.

The district magistrate had also asked the panchayat to submit a report on actions taken in the matter.

"We have issued notices to 30-odd structures located within the 50 meters radius from road junction along NH-17A and NH17B, following the direction of the South Goa district magistrate," said Chicalim Sarpanch

n The district magistrate had also asked the panchayat to submit a report on actions taken in the matter.

Raul D'Costa.

Both highways NH-17A and NH-A that pass via Chicalim encounter two busy road junctions, one along the NH-17B at Chicalim Junction and another at NH-17A Dabolim junction.

These two junctions have become accident prone zones due to the encroachments in the area as well as haphazard parking of heavy vehicles along the road right at Dabolim junction.

“The panchayat has demarcated a 50-metre radius on both junctions and handcarts, other commercial makeshift structures and vendors have been asked to vacate the area,” D’Costa said.

Pilgao residents unite against mining project HERALD CORRESPONDENT MAYEM, DEC 26

Residents of Pilgao-Bicholim have stated that the village will be heading towards destruction, as a mining company has come up with a new mining project by acquiring huge tracts of land without following proper procedure.

Addressing a press conference here, villagers of Pilgao under ‘Pilgao Village Panchayat and Pilgao Village Development Committee’ informed that they have decided to stand united against the illegal mining project.

“The mining company also brought a stay on the notice sent by the village panchayat with the help of Directorate of Panchayat,” claimed Sarpanch Sangeeta Dhatkar.

“Dhatwada, Mathwada, New wada, Sarmanas and surrounding areas will be severely affected,” stated Dhatkar.

In the recently held panchayat meeting, the panchayat took several resolutions against illegal mining and also demanded with the company to stop the illegal mining project as early as possible.

A public meeting was also convened in this connection.

Proposal to develop Belgaum into model city

HERALD CORRESPONDENT BELGAUM, DEC 26

With a vision to develop Belgaum into a model city in the country, a proposal worth Rs 6000 crore has been placed before the state government and Centre.

The proposal drawn up keeping in view the needs for next 30 years focuses on the entire infrastructure necessary to develop Belgaum into a developed city.

After the proposal was submitted to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, the state government placed it before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the Centre’s approval recently.

A team of MLAs, noted engineers, industrialists and senior officials decided to prepare a proposal after the government decided to develop Belgaum into the second capital of Karnataka.

“The proposal covers most of the infrastructure developments needed for Belgaum in all the fields. Besides the improvement of industrial sector, the city will

also see a series of works which the people of Belgaum are waiting for with fingers crossed for a long time. The state government will share 10% of the total project cost while the rest of the funds will be borne by the Centre,” said MLA Abhay Patil who is playing a pivotal role.

The construction of Suvarna Soudha is nearing completion and the up-gradation of Belgaum airport going on at brisk pace.

Once both these works are over, it is vital for the government to implement some of the major works to make the city a prominent one in the state.

“The ring road proposal is pending for a long time. The road which connects Peeranwadi and Halga, the two ends of city will help ease traffic congestion to a great extent in all parts of B e l g a u m . B e f o re S u v a r n a Soudha construction is over, it is better to implement the road project,” said civil engineer Raju Nayak.

The team which prepared the proposal has worked on it for more than six months finalising

the works needed to be implemented and their rough estimates. Some of the senior engineers in the team did a research on the projects to be implemented in the city.

Senior city corporation engineer R S Naik who has been instrumental in reviving a number of age-old open wells to cater the drinking water needs of people also has given several ideas on the works to be implemented.

Major funds in the proposal have been set aside for water supply projects (Rs 315 crore), development of underground drainage (Rs 225 crore), road network (Rs 1,384 crore), industrial development (Rs 655 crore), textile development (Rs 200 crore), power supply development (Rs 710 crore), health (Rs 457 crore) and poverty elimination (Rs 200 crore).

Opinions of experts from all the fields have been gathered by the team while making the project estimates and maps. The extensive proposal covers a series of works including some of the major projects which are pending before the government.

The city which is spread across 94.08 sq kms is having about 5 lakh population and is split in 58 city corporation wards.

According to experts, the population of the city is expected to reach about 8.5 lakh in the next 30 years. Based on the possible developments and progress in all the fields, the team of experts has drawn up the proposal, which has been appreciated by the state government. Belgaum will grow into a model city if the proposal gets the Centre’s nod.

Congressmen in Pune wary of political fallout in state PTI MUMBAI, DEC 26

With the CBI closing in on Suresh Kalmadi in the Commonwealth Games scam, Congressmen in Pune are wary of the political fallout of the party losing ground especially with elections to the municipal corporation scheduled in early 2012.

Kalmadi has been representing the Pune Lok Sabha seat for the last two terms and the party leadership had given him a free hand in running the affairs of the organisation in the city much against the wishes of the local Congressmen.

MPCC spokesman Anant Gadgil told PTI that former Chief Minister and Congress leader late Y B Chavan had referred to Pune as the epicentre of Maharashtra politics.

"He would say that if anything goes wrong in Pune, the repercussions would be felt in the entire state," Gadgil said.

He pointed out that till his father and Lok Sabha member from Pune V N Gadgil, NCP had eight corporators in the 148 member civic body.

"Today, they are 45 in number and for the last six years having their own elected mayor.

Whereas the Congress tally has

n Kalmadi has been representing the Pune Lok Sabha seat for the last two terms and the party leadership had given him a free hand in running the affairs of the organisation in the city much against the wishes of the local Congressmen. come down from over 100 to 23," he said.

Party sources said if the Congress did not take corrective measures to strengthen the party in Pune, NCP and MNS may consolidate their position in the city.

"MNS candidate polled 90,000 votes in Pune Lok Sabha seat last year due to which Kalmadi was saved," sources said.

In the Assembly elections, 5th generation scion of the Lok-

manya Tilak family Rohit Tilak finished third from the Kasba Peth Assembly segment behind MNS candidate in which BJP's Girish Bapat had retained the seat.

"Congress has weakened in Pune over the last few years.

There is no alternate leadership and a vacuum has been created," sources said.

MPCC president Manikrao Thakre was in Pune two days ago and while addressing a meeting of party workers, he praised Kalmadi and said that the party will contest the civic polls under his leadership, sources said.

According to them, this has lead to severe resentment among the grassroot cadre who believe that because of Kalmadi, the party's and the government's image had taken a beating.

"Delay in action against Kalmadi has caused suspicion in the minds of the people about the Congress party," source added.

However, Thakre refused to comment on the issue saying that it concerns an individual and that investigations into the scam are on and the Congress has nothing to do with it.

GOA, MONDAY, 27 DECEMBER, 2010

Stress, a silent killer: Gama HERALD CORRESPONDENT PORVORIM, DEC 26

Senior Counsellor of Asha Counselling Centre (ACC) Rui Da Gama has described stress as a 'Silent Killer' which affects a majority of people due to fast pace of development and fierce competition in every field of life.

“Sensitive people with unresolved issues and a confused state of mind carry emotional hurt which leads to stress and depression,” said Gama, while addressing a workshop organized by ACC at Asha Centre hall at Mapusa.

“People fail to discern their thoughts and entertain negative thoughts, which causes fear, anxiety, worry, doubts, leading to Stress,” he said.

“Every human has an inbuilt fear reaction stored in one's brain and body. It is an elementary alarm system to keep one away from danger. Fear and danger go together. Positive fear is essential but unfound or negative fear can kill a human being. Hence, the mind should always be fed with positive thoughts,” Gama added.

He described anxiety as a "distress about future uncertainties.”

“If a human being feels that he has no adequate protection to face threats, the worry turns into fear resulting into anxiety.

“Stress is the bigger killer in present times. It is the beginning of mental, emotional, physical illness and spiritual bankruptcy,” opined Gama. He claimed that stress control is a reply to negative thoughts and accepting the outcome in faith.

“A moment well lived is a day well lived and in this way, many years will pass with joy of living.

To avoid stress, one should live a life of honesty without holding grudges or anger against anyone,” said Gama.

Responding to a query on whether meditation would help control stress, Gama replied that meditation is only a breathing exercise.

“However, emotional hurts, unresolved issues and inner conflicts need counselling in order to bring a person to the truthful reasoning, which in turn overcomes the stress,” he said.

Programme Coordinator Jessica welcomed the participants and spoke on the occasion.

Vidya Naik from Pernem later proposed the vote of thanks.

Two killed in separate mishaps in Sattari taluka HERALD CORRESPONDENT VALPOI, DEC 26

Two persons were killed in separate mishaps in Sattari taluka.

According to Valpoi police, Yeshwant Kashiram Dharne (22) of Bhedshi-Maharashtra was knocked down by a motorcycle (GA-04/B7900), driven by Gudu Falsing Rajput at Saleli-Honda recently. The accused fled from the scene. The deceased, who fell by the roadside, was found dead next morning.

Valpoi police found pieces of the motorcycle at the accident site and began a search of motorcycles in the area.

The police then went to Honda on Friday morning and found the motorcycle parked outside the room of the accused, who was asleep at the time. The accused, a native of Karnatka but residing at Honda, was later arrested in the connection.

Following an autopsy, the body was handed over to relatives for final rites.

In the second incident, Chandrakant Sada Dhatkar (45), a native of Karnataka but residing at Pissurlem, was crushed to death at the Pissurlem mines on

Friday afternoon.

Valpoi police said the deceased was seated in front of a stationary truck (GA-01-U-8942), which was lined up at the Pissurlem mines site for loading operations. The truck driver, Ravindra R Gawde, failed to notice Chandrakant seat in front of the truck and set the truck in motion, killing him on the spot.

Incidentally, the deceased was also a truck driver and had also parked his truck in the queue.

While his truck was at some distance away, he chose to rest under the truck (GA-01-U-8942), a decision which cost him his life.

Police sent the body for an autopsy and PSI C L Naik is investigating both cases under the supervision of PI Harish Madkaikar.

Portuguese course PANJIM, DEC 26(HNB)

The Xavier Centre of Historical Research, (www.xchr.in) at Alto Porvorim will organize a Portuguese Basic Course from January 3 to March 20 from 6 pm to 8 pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. For further details contact office on Ph: 2417772.

Hebalkar is first women chief of Belgaum district Cong panel

Laxmi Hebbalkar takes over the charge in the presence of District President and MLA Feroz Sait and others.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT BELGAUM, DEC 26

A young party leader and member of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Laxmi Hebbalkar took over as the first woman president of Belgaum District Congress Committee on Wednesday.

Incidentally, Laxmi is the only woman who will be heading a district unit of the Congress party in the state. The party sidelined several Congress party stalwarts who were in the race for the coveted post while making way to her.

An elated Laxmi said she worked for the party at the grassroots for several years ever since she joined Congress a decade ago.

The party has many senior party leaders like Satish Jarkiholi, Veerkumar Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Feroz Sait, Prakash Hukkeri, S C Malgi and a number

of former legislators who were capable of heading the district.

Finally, the party had a choice between S C Malgi and Laxmi, but picked her considering her rising popularity in the district.

Several Congress party leaders have welcomed the party’s decision to give her a responsible post but feel that she lacked experience.

After she took charge as president, Laxmi told reporters that the party finally recognised the works she carried out over the past several years to strengthen the party at the grassroots.

“I am aware of the party workers strength in the district and its ability to bounce back in the district in the coming days. In the next some months, I will try to meet all the party leaders in the district to give a new shape to the party, which has a bright future in Belgaum district,” she said.

As general secretary of State

Women Congress Cell, Laxmi has striven to increase the women member-count of the party in the district in the past and organised several programmes for women to bring them into the mainstream.

She stressed the need to expose the rising corruption in BJP and said the party should work more hard to make people aware of the BJP’s bad governance.

“The party will intensify its struggle against the BJP by bringing all the party leaders in the district under one platform,” she said.

Laxmi said that her first objective as president is to make the party face the coming panchayat elections successfully in all the constituencies. The party has leaders of repute and ability who can contest the elections successfully in all the 86 ZP and 336 TP constituencies in the district.

WITH

Funds given by minister to school illegal: PIL PTI MUMBAI, DEC 26

An NGO has moved the Bombay High Court urging for a direction to recall an "illegal" donation of Rs two crore purportedly given

by Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Sunil Tatkare to Raigad Military School Trust in suburban Oshiwara from the state budgetory funds for 2010-2011 on the ground that he had no authority to do so.

The Minister, without any rights, powers or authority, had illegally donated Rs two crore from the state government funds to an unaided private school in which he himself is one of the trustees, the PIL, filed

by Lok Adhikar, alleged.

The PIL was mentioned on December 23 by petitioner's Counsel Suresh Mali before a bench headed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah who kept the matter for hearing on January 13 next.

The PIL prayed that the Raigad Military School Trust be dissolved and a committee headed by retired judge of the High Court be formed to probe the alleged irregularities.

The PIL alleged that in 19992000, the 11,000 square metres plot, on which the school stands, was alloted to Raj Purohit Trust (4000 sq mts for school and 7000 for playground) but later a cabinet sub-committee granted 60 per cent of the land to Raigad

Military school at a 50 per cent discounted rate of Rs 74.82 lakhs.

Pointing out irregularities, the PIL alleged that Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) had no authority to allot this land to Raigad Military School.

Sampadaads

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O HERALD O

Liberation without independence

Vol No CX No: 323 Goa, Monday, 27 December, 2010

F

A stitch in time…

ull marks to Chief Secretary Sanjay Shrivastava for taking prompt action following the recent horrific accident at Baga beach, in which a student from Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, died in a collision between two boats. As we suggested in these very columns, the government has now directed the Tourism Department to demarcate ‘watersports zones’ on beaches, with the assistance of the Goa Police.

The Chief Secretary has also cautioned water sports operators not to interfere with this process. He has declared that watersports operators must compulsorily operate their activities within the demarcated zones, failing which action will be initiated. He has instructed that flags clearly showing swimming and non-swimming zones, safety and non-safety zones should be put up on beaches.

The decision came during a meeting convened by Mr Srivastava on Thursday with all the concerned heads of related departments. There were officials from the Tourism Department, the Captain of Ports and the Marine Police. After examining the existing laws on water sports and their implementation, as well as the notifications demarcating zones for watersports on the state’s beaches, it was decided that a joint inspection would be conducted by all these agencies, if possible as early as next week. The Tourism Department has also compiled a list of all watersports operators in Goa. Among the suggestions was the use of mooring procuring plastic floating barricades in the sea to indicate the limits of the various zones on beaches. This is likely to be expensive, unnecessary and unproductive. Instead, a flag on the beach and a small floating buoy in the sea should suffice to demarcate a zone. Besides, para-sailing operators must be warned to stay at least 500 metres away from sailing boats in the sea. If the rope towing the para-sailor gets entangled in the sailing boat’s tall mast, it could result in a massive ‘double tragedy’; for the person on the parachute as well as all the people in the sailing boat.

It is indeed unfortunate that the incident that gave rise to this wise and timely decision cost young 21-year-old Shrey Makhija his life, owing to a head injury sustained when the speedboat in which he was riding dashed against a stationary boat. Hopefully, the concerned agencies will implement the decision, conduct the survey, demarcate water sports zones and restore our beaches to safety.

A

Mickky’s men

Franky Rafael, via email Thank you for the well written article “If we do not stop the rot now, we are damned.” I want to commend you on this, as I am confident that the media can make a huge difference in educating the people, on the political scene in Goa. Again, I do understand that your newspaper has its reasons, but opening up the comment section, which had been temporarily closed out, would be a great way of getting people involved in its fight, for better Goa. Needless to say, you will always find some illiterate or probably the same politicians, that log in to post foul language comments.

Once again, thank you, and all the best to O Herald O for the New Year 2011.

Grant them VRS Croydon Medeira, Margao Isn’t it hilarious that when we have just completed 50 years of liberation and the Goa Govt. has celebrated this occasion, the people of Goa are still not actually lib-

Smile with Smitha

O

Goa has survived on the strong will of its people, to remain independent, says yUGaNK NaiK

n 19th December 2010, we celebrated our golden jubilee year of liberation. But I feel it is not liberation, it is independence. Independence and liberation have a fundamental difference. Liberation is a political concept and independence concerns the personal feelings of the citizens, within the state. For government, it may be liberation but for people of Goa, it is independence from foreign rule.

I grew up in my tiny village hearing that my late grandfather was a freedom fighter. Later, I saw his rusted bronze certificate - Tamra Patra signed by our late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

People say he was a little educated, but had a great thought of freedom, liberty and independence.

On the eve of this historic day, I had a problem.

I felt that my my grandfather is sitting with me surrounded by my political science books, and he is asking me, ‘son, what does your political science think of our Goa, and its independence?’

He was less educated, but I don’t have a face to say, ‘hey grand dad people like me, burger eating, coke drinking, and 24 hours tweeting, have betrayed your dream of independence, you have lost it man’. And I think further…

Any political system in the world stands on the strong economic institutions. Economic institutions are the need of a growing society and political structures are the need of a growing economic institution. But when the economic institutions collapse, the whole system shakes. The economy is collapsed, the social structures break and the political system totters.

If we look at Goa, the economic institutions that existed, are slowly diluted. It should be noted that economic institutions are like a huge carnivorous beast that need to be continuously fed by the policies of the government. India can still survive during the worst recession, because of its strong economic institutions. Goa’s economic institutions are diluted and it made the politics of the state, a complete corporate business. It happened because of lack of vision, and wrong or no policies by the government. It looks like in last twenty years; no government understood the situation of Goa. And now, as we sat and watched the glitters of 19th December, one must

Reality Revealed realise that we are sitting on a drowning ship.

Forget about the IT and electronic industry; even for our staple food like rice and fish, we depend on the neighbouring states. We have to buy fish from Karnataka and Maharashtra. Our government-aided horticulture stalls have to depend on Belgaum for day-to-day vegetables. Not only that, Goa Dairy has to purchase milk from neighbouring states. And how shamelessly can we fight the losing battle of our lifeline ‘Mhadei’ with Karnataka, on whom we have to depend heavily?

The wrong policies or no policies have destroyed the economic institutions and made political equations mysterious. It gave a rise to the whole new era of ‘bhais,’ ‘babas,’ ‘bhaus,’ ‘patraos’ and what not. It made the politics ugly and politicians became political entrepreneurs. It shifted the power from political structure to political figures. In rest of India, it is said that you cannot win the election with money power, but in Goa, you actually can.

As we take the debate of liberation and independence further, 2007 assembly election was the turning point in the history of Goa. Well, if we see in the history of world, liberation remains a military and political concept. Independence means sovereignty. Independence is a thought process, that is deeply rooted in rebellion. If it was only government of India and its armed forces which freed

T

hey say that all the contradictions meet and dissolve in the East. And that is a reason why many westerners, fraught by a desire to seek peace and contentment, come to the Orient.

The unsaid unwritten tradition of this country has always been to contain — contain all kinds of people, all kinds of religions, all kinds of philosophies, all kinds of eras, all kinds of traditions ― all of them together and simultaneously.

It is no wonder then that men can go religiously to a temple in the morning, and to a casino at night. Or women perform the Karva Chauth, fasting for their husbands and have beer in a pub, with their friends. Or young people go into IT fields and work abroad, and yet keep strong filial ties.

The western mind may balk at the idea of a religious place like the Khajurao temples, depicting, not just the statues of Gods, but also scenes from everyday life, like hunting of animals, or celebration of festivals or even sexual postures. But for Indians, all of this coexists as harmoniously as one can imagine. The Hindu religion in its pure, pagan and unorganised (pre fundamentalist) form is perhaps, the most assimilative, accepting and fluid. It is just a way of life where everyone performs their Karma. It always has a strong impetus towards attaining a certain unity between self and creation and the bliss that comes through it. Krishna’s advice to Arjun of doing action or “karma”, irrespective of the fruit, is quintessential

erated, in the true sense?

Five days down the line, from the 50th anniversary of Goa’s so-called liberation (which till date, we do not know from whom) the people of Goa have to bear with the onion prices which have touched an all time high of Rs 70 per kilo. Other vegetable prices have shot up too. While a onion can bring tears whilst cutting the same, it can also make one cry on hearing its exorbitant price.

The news doing the rounds in recent days is the threat of toppling the government by some of our ministers and MLAs. These are part of the usual toppling games, played by them. And instead of tackling onion prices, CM is now busy trying to save his chair, as a result of the trouble, brewing within the party.

The Congress government and the politicians owing allegiance to the party should be granted voluntary retirement service.

Goans must save Goa James Moraes, Cuncolim Padma Vibushan awardee, the master ar-

Smitha Bhandare Kamat

Goa from the Portuguese, it would have been the liberation of Goa. Liberation is a task, but independence is a process. It is a movement.

T B Cunha, Vishwanath Lawande, Mohan Ranade, Evagreo Jorge, Mark Fernandes and outstanding personalities laid a strong base for the thought of freedom. Liberation was a strategic event, but the independence was the nationalist movement. Well, liberation doesn’t mean an easy switchover to democracy. For example, Afghanistan was liberated in 1919, Pakistan was formed in 1947 and Bangladesh was liberated in 1972. But what is the state of democracy there?

Democracy, however, was successful in Goa because its foundations were laid by the freedom movement.

Well, 2007 remains the most significant election, because it signified the sign of the collapse of Goa’s political system, as a whole. The political pundits had raised their eyebrows over the years.

Goa’s economy was dominated by mining for years, but no mine owner entered the assembly or panchayats directly, except Bhausaheb Bandodkar’s mining connections.

But 2007 changed the language of politics.

There is a son-father duo, one of whom is the speaker and another is a minister, two sets of brother duos - three among them are ministers, and one is the chairman of a government corporation. And of course, one mine owner whose

company owned the ‘River Princess,’ the ship that has been eroding the Candolim shore for the last 10 years.

Well, there cannot be a change because our economic institutions are diluted and political structures exist without real purpose. Because of this, elections will be fought without any issues.

And power will lie in the hands of political entrepreneurs. The state owes 28 percent of GDP as debt, and there is still no policy on education, infrastructure, tourism, mining and agriculture.

Goa is suffering from the institutional crises.

The country can give us structure of democracy, but cannot give us the institutional democracy.

But one significant point that comes to my mind after all this mess: why Goa survives?

The beauty of Goa is, the people have challenged the structures and fought for the cause.

Goa is the only state which completely scrapped regional plan and denotified SEZs. Goa is the only state where the powerful companies like Nylon 6,6 and Cipla, had to surrender. We have a strange reaction here. In Goa, villages decide what is good and what is bad for them. This is the only reason Goa still survives, with its ugly politics. This is the real essence of independence.

The politics has reduced to political entrepreneurship, but the social structures have not become corrupt. Even after the collapse of political structure and economic institutions, Goa survives on the strong will of its people to remain independent. That’s the fundamental issue between liberation and independence. A liberated state cannot be an independent state, unless it is based on some principles and ideas. In the 50th year of Goa’s independence, we have to realise that we have missed a trick from the book.

The collapse of democracy is a betrayal to the dream of independence. The power will be concentrated in a few hands, with no sovereignty and there will be a deadlock between the people and the power holders. The situation will be like a pre-liberation era. The only difference is that, it is liberation without independence.

The author is a Graduate from Pune University, in Arts with Political Sciences. He currently studies Mass Media at Dhempe College of Arts and Sciences, Miramar, Panjim.

Harmony in contradictions

Straight from the heart

fter the Congress’s Gang of Ten sounded the bugle against his induction and threatened to topple the government if they were ignored, supporters of Benaulim MLA Fransisco ‘Mickky’ Pacheco have come forward?

Mr Pacheco, obviously, has no support from his fellow members of the Legislative Assembly. But he has mobilised the panchayati raj big brass in two constituencies to root for his return. This group of sarpanchas addressed a press conference on Friday to send a loud message to Congress bigwigs about their support and solidarity for their leader.

In a bid to make him seem as large as the Colossus of Rhodes, they have called themselves the ‘Nuvem Benaulim Villagers Action Committee (NBVAC)’, to try and show that Mr Pacheco controls the fortunes of two assembly seats, not just one. If he is not made a minister, they have threatened to launch an agitation, after taking a ‘collective decision’.

Zilla Panchayat members Nelly Rodrigues and Domnic Gaonkar, Betalbatim Sarpanch Minguel Pereira, Majorda Sarpanch Visitation D’Silva, Benaulim Sarpanch Carmelina Fernandes and the several panchas present should know by now that in Goan politics, a ‘collective decision’ is a euphemism for the fact that they cannot agree on what course of action to take if they are ignored.

An article well written

OPINION

to this thought process.

I remember being shell-shocked at sixteen, when I realised that the ‘Shiv ling’ that we worship is actually a phallic symbol in union with the yoni, the female. Similarly, praying to the phallic symbol of the ‘Shiv ling’ might come as a surprise to the westerner, but for Indians, it is as integral to their religion, as praying to Goddess Saraswati, for good luck in exams. The Indian way of life, is closely linked to the earth, harvest and fertility rites. It is a rooted kind of ethos, where life itself is celebrated and is not traditionally or religiously linked with any kind of paranoia of sin, or redemption, as it is in many other religions. The basic thrust in the Indian way of life, is to be at peace with one’s own self and in harmony with the external world. The practice of yoga and meditation is one way to resolve the dichotomy between “self ” and the “other,” and move towards an inner repose, which is unruffled by the vagaries of life.

Perhaps, this is partly one of the reasons, that Indians have an immense capacity to bear, and still be content. Though this stasis might not always be good for bringing about social change, yet, it brings about some measure of peace!

This immense country not just lives in contradictions, but thrives on them. People come to India, not just for yoga and gurus and meditation, but also for medical tourism, IT hubs and for the immense market, it has for consumer goods. Brand India, then at a

It’s a ‘Direct Hit’

Floriano Lobo, Goasuraj, via email

We Goans have, indeed, not witnessed a ‘Direct Hit’ of this type since 1961.

I have highlighted these many ‘direct hits’ that Raul Fernandes has scored, in this unique message to Goa. It was time that someone as prominent as him should direct these sure hits.

All I can say to Raul’s final ‘coup de grace’ in “Let this reiteration of this alliance between the people of Goa and O Herald O commence” is: ‘Jai Ho ‘O Herald O’ at the very top of my voice.

Season’s greetings Allwyn George, Carmona Christmas and the New Year season see all Goans working outside, heading towards their home for being with their loved ones, and for fun and frolic on the party dance floors, and the beaches.

But there are still a lot of Goans who are not fortunate enough to make it, during this festive season, for obvious reasons.

Technology has made it possible to see and chat with loved ones even though they are miles apart.

Well, the fortunate ones would be enjoying all the goodies while those who are

“macro” level, is a multifarious concept. We need to showcase it to the world as a holistic way of life, where the modern and the ancient, the rational and the traditional, the market economy and the soul stirrings, the eastern and the western, the ascetic and the epicurean — all come together, in one unique symbiosis.

Whether in India or abroad, contrary to what we usually believe, “personal identity,” is not so much a conglomeration of our shared beliefs, traditions, religions and culture. It is, in fact, our differences and contradictions that constitute our identity. If we all firmly adhere to one set of beliefs and a common monolithic world view, and one form of behaviour, we would be just like mass productions of a factory. Thank God, we are all at a “micro” level too, a bundle of contradictions which cannot be homogenised and straight lined. It is those differences precisely, which make us stand out from the rest.

A man around town is intellectually and physically attracted to a woman, he ostensibly dislikes! A neighbour of mine behaves like he is a hard hearted coconut, but is into avid social service!

My best friend is the most sensible, balanced and well rounded personality, yet can become quite an incorrigible devil, after a drink! And, as a country, we might be at equal ease performing yoga, to the bhajans of Meera, and performing aerobics, to the songs of Shakira!! So cheers to harmony amidst contradictions. It makes us who we are.

Letters to the Editor

Letter of the Day

chitect Charles Correa, a man of vision to save Goa, had mooted the idea to introduce Non-occupancy tax against unoccupied second homes in Goa. This will discourage the outsiders owning holiday homes in Goa and lot of our land will be saved for Goans. These second homes are mostly owned by the rich from Mumbai and Delhi.

It has resulted in soaring land prices and has disturbed our demography, is a burden on infrastructure and has created dead housing complexes. Goans have, in the process, been displaced.

No politicians will work on guidelines to introduce non occupancy tax. This will lead to decrease in their commissions on land deals, and will have a dent on their profit margins.

Politicians will sell Goa, but will never think of saving Goa for Goans. Goans must stand up to ensure that Goa is saved for posterity.

By Sajla Chawla

away, will have to be content with what they get.

My best wishes and seasons greetings to all the unfortunate Goans who could not make it home, this season. Better luck next time.

Privatisation of govt assets Nelson Lopes, Chinchinim It is well understood that the government’s business is to administer. They must stick to such routine.

The meat market is another white elephant. The KTC is another example of government inefficiency. Government has been pumping funds into these sick units to keep them afloat. Ultimately, it is the people that have to pay. Government terms these misadventures as social obligations.

Privatisation of Mapusa hospital is now on the cards, this is justifiable, but not feasible. Government health services should not be privatised under any circumstances.

These are fundamental needs and responsibilities of the government.

The intention to privatise electricity and water sector, has met with stiff resistance from employees. The free connections, unauthorised tapping leakages and other things that go with it, is not possible without the active connivance ose in the saddle.

Stranded in limbo Arwin Mesquita, UAE In Goa; we are aware of so many serious wrong doings in our respective areas; by specific politicians at state/municipal/pan-

chayat level, specific mine owners, many mega-project builders and worse still, even few corrupt religious leaders, who abuse their highly respected positions and trust of people for selfish interests.

Some Goans are so obsessed with “an elated sense of a higher status” of their foreign citizenship/residence; that they have forgotten from where they came from, and the land of their birth/ancestors.

Passport office lapse Cedrick Fernandes, Margao I faced a problem concerning my mother’s passport, which was later resolved, due to an error on the part of the passport office.

Her passport, which was received after renewal, had the gender of the applicant as ‘male,’ instead of ‘female,’ and the husband’s name as ‘Angelo,’ instead of ‘Agnelo,’ despite furnishing all the relevant documents. This was later rectified after submitting written complaints and after making several trips. Although it was a fault and an error on the part of passport office, it was waste of time, money and energy on my part, thanks to the passport office’s lapse.

Irresponsible tourism Raymond Travasso, via email It’s comes as no surprise that the tourism department is supporting the Sunburn festival. In the name of tourism, a lot of damage is being done to our culture. Where are those who speak of preserving our Goan identity?

If tourism is, indeed, contributing to the state’s economy, then why is economic progress so slow, but the impact on cultural deterioration, so quick? A good tourism policy considers social, economic, cultural and environmental objectives and ensures co-operation of key stakeholders at local, national and international levels. Irresponsible tourism in Goa has increased crime incidences, along with its associated evils..

Shed no tears Jonas Correia, Aldona Why there is so much panic and a hue and cry over onion shortages? Some people

behave as though it is a life saving device and think that without onions, food istasteless. They must know that there are persons of other religions, who do not eat onions at all. And yet, they live a healthy and long life. Their food is also the tastiest.

There is no need to panic and expect the government to lower the price of onions. Instead, a clever way out, is to stop buying onions and the price itself will drop.

In the meanwhile, when you go to a restaurant, ask for ‘Jain’ food, which is now served at many places and also try to cook your food at home, without using onions. You will never know the difference.

Party held to ransom Tulsidas Malkarnekar, Margao It is reported that a group of MLAs and ministers from the ruling side have threatened to quit, in case a particular incumbent, is inducted in the Cabinet. This is gross indiscipline. It appears that the group has held the party to ransom and has now been dictating terms. It was bound to happen, sooner or later, as some elements were allowed to grow with plum portfolios The discipline in the party has, therefore, taken a severe beating. CM is playing the flute while the party members issue threats.

It is akin to Nero playing the fiddle, while Rome was burning.

Even the High Command is reluctant to act. It is not too late to act and enforce strict discipline.

Time for a change Srinivas Kamat, Alto Betim In 24 hours the price of onions recently went up from some Rs 30/- a kilo to Rs 7580 a kilo. One needs to understand why such a thing has happened and how the government tackles the matters. The sudden rise in prices of onions indicates that there is something fishy or as we often say in Hindi: ‘daal me kuch kaala hai!’

Onion prices should come down so that the common man heaves a big sigh of relief. It is now time for that change.

Printed and published by Vinayak Pai Bir for and on behalf of Herald Publications Pvt Ltd. Printed at Herald Publications Pvt Ltd, Plot No: L-135, Phase II, Verna Industrial Estate, Verna, Salcete, Goa. Published at PO Box 160, Rua Sao Tome, Panjim, Goa - 403001. Editor-in-chief: Mr R F Fernandes. Editor: Ashwin Tombat (Responsible under PRB Act). Regd Office: St Tome Road, Panjim, Goa. Tel: 2224202, 2228083, Fax: 2222475 (all Editorial); 2230535, Fax: 2225622 (Advertising); Margao: 2737689. Mumbai Office: 16-A, Bell Building, 2nd Floor, 19 Sir PM Road, Fort, Mumbai - 400001 (Tel: 22840702/22844908). RNI No: 43667/83.

HOW TO CONTACT US: mail@herald-goa.com — For press notes, general queries. junior@herald-goa.com — Junior Herald; junioryouth@herald-goa.com — Careers. heraldmirror@herald-goa.com — Sunday Mirror. reporters@herald-goa.com — For Reporters. business@herald-goa.com — For Business news. editor@herald-goa.com — For Letters to the Editor. sports@herald-goa.com — For Sports news. advt@herald-goa.com — For Advertisements. 2day@herald-goa.com — For Herald 2day. tiatr@herald-goa.com — For Tiatr Reviews and Reports. Disclaimer: Except for the editorial above, articles and letters in Herald represent the views of the concerned authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Herald editor, publisher, and/or owners.

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OHERALDO

INDIA

GOA, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER, 2010

oPinionated Too Little, Too Late?

BY BRIG (RETD) IAN DA COSTA

We have been hearing this mantra of, ‘Too Little, Too Late’ from L K Advani, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Chandan Mitra and others of the BJP. They have been doing a lot of double speak, these days, with regard to the 2G spectrum scam. As the CBI enquiry has gathered steam, the number, periodicity and intensity of the raids to uncover the money trail, has been amazing. The ‘Aam Aadmi’ is happy that the law is, at last, catching up with those that have been divesting the country of crores of the tax payers money. In fact, if the CAG report on the subject is correct, then the estimate is of Rs 1,76,000 crores, is awesome, and frightening.

A Raja’s associates are the main ones who have been targeted as of now. The CBI is inching closer to Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi, and other big wigs of the DMK, leaving that ally of the Congress, rather ruffled and unsettled, but unable to assert itself any longer, because of the impending assembly elections, about three to four months down the line. If, in fact, the DMK had heeded the Prime Minister’s objections to taking A Raja in his cabinet, and if he was denied the telecom ministry, this problem would not have arisen at all! But Karunanidhi insisted, as A Raja was close to him, and had been built up as the principle Dalit face of the DMK. Because of the compulsions of coalition politics, the Prime Minister finally gave in to this request, under pressure, and it proved to be their undoing. To me, there is no doubt that A Raja had planned this scam, in great detail. He neglected to abide by the advice of the bureaucrats of his own ministry, and that of the Prime Minister as per the Supreme Court’s recent observations. The DMK is now feeling the heat. Seizing the opportunity, Amma Jayalalitha of the AIADMK has offered to support the UPA, if the Congress ejects the DMK, and is looking for numbers to keep UPA-II afloat.

While the opposition BJP and its allies in the NDA have been shouting slogans everyday in Parliament and demanding a JPC on the 2G spectrum case, the Finance Minister, Pranab Mukerjee has been silently working to get Switzerland to agree to give us details of black money held in Swiss banks

by Indians.

An agreement has been signed recently between the government of India and these governments to part with details of accounts of black money, provided the Indians provides the names and a little information. It is estimated that an enormous sum of Rs 70 lakh crore is stashed away in Switzerland, and other free banking island countries like Mauritius, Virgin Islands and so on, in the western world. If this bonanza comes through, then the country’s poor can expect to get not only a further food subsidy, but also a dwelling unit at an affordable price.

The middle class can expect a halving of taxes for at least a decade, and the corporate houses can hope for a very reasonable and favourable tax regime and flourishing commerce and trade. Is this also “too little, too late?’ The ‘Aam Aadmi’ welcomes these moves, but the BJP and the erstwhile NDA seem to be in double speak mode, all the time. If only they had allowed Parliament to function, many things would have been sorted out. The grapevine has it that the only reason that they want the JPC is because of the numerical advantage enjoyed in the Rajya Sabha and near parity, in the Lok Sabha. Their intention is to summon the Prime Minister and humiliate him. Dr Manmohan Singh is not only a very knowledgeable financial wizard, but also a humble man of great integrity and honesty.

BJP hasn’t learnt any lessons from the last general elections.

They labeled Manmohan Singh as the most inefficient Prime Minister. I think we ought to maintain some sort of decorum and discipline, and leave the President, vice President, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, out of any controversies and petty squabbles. The country expects a better showing from our elected representatives, especially those in the opposition, who have openly behaved as very bad losers.

As long as Advani, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj are there, the Congress need not fear anything, for these senior leaders do enough to alienate the Indian masses with their criticism, which is almost abusive. The people have to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea and they fear the water and the storms at sea, more than they fear the devil. Moreover, it is not Indian culture or tradition to ridicule the one selected by the people, to lead them for the next five years.

The NDA had its chance, but could not progress in the case of getting the black money back. They have, therefore, forfeited their right to condemn the Congress or the UPAII. I request the BJP to introspect and work for the welfare of the people, by building bridges of friendship and unity.

As of now, they are doing exactly the opposite. The rural poor people of this country may not be very literate, but they can see and decide for themselves, as to who is doing what.

Being in the opposition does not mean opposing the Government throughout the year. They must support the government, when there is trouble all around, like during the recent recession that plagued many nations. India has done well to manage its economy and finances and the world is full of praise and admiration for Manmohan Singh, Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee. All, except our NDA opposition, led by Advani’s BJP! Please give the devil his due.

The BJP has been constantly hammering the CBI and calling it a tool of the Congress. But the Supreme Court had, on 16 Dec 2010, declared that the CBI is doing a good job in the 2G spectrum case. In the future investigations of the 2G scam, the CBI will be monitored by the Supreme Court themselves.

This has taken a great load off from the government, who were being accused of manipulating the CBI and using them as a tool, of the government.

Now, any false accusations can be treated as contempt of court. The question of manipulations will now not arise!

Let us learn to live as brothers and not squabble over every grain of rice or ‘dal.’ India is for all Indians, irrespective of caste, creed or colour.

The majority community must have a large heart and look after the minorities. This is the only way to usher in an era of peace and progress, in the country. God bless Goa and India. Jai Hind.

Cong, Trinamool will fight WB polls together: Pranab PTI BURNPUR (WB), DEC 26

Brushing aside speculations of tension with ally Trinamool Congress, senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee today said the two parties would form an alliance to fight the 2011 Assembly election.

"No, there is no tension. There is an alliance between Congress and Trinamool Congress. In the last Lok Sabha election the parties had fought together after forging an alliance. There will be an alliance in the Assembly polls too," Mukherjee, also the Union Finance Minister, told reporters here.

On December 20, Trinamool Congress leader Partho Chattopadhyay threatened to go it alone in the Assembly election next year following former union minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi's wife Deepa's accusation that Mamata Banerjee was running a 'disrespectful' alliance.

However, the the next day Banerjee clarified that she had not said her party would contest on its own, but it was for the

Why SRK wants Priyanka out of 2 States?

AGENCIES MUMBAI, DEC 26

Why SRK wants Priyanka out of 2 States? Chetan Bhagat’s novel ‘2 States’, which is going to make a big screen entry in Bollywood, has now got new hero, new director and may be a fresh heroine too! Initially, when Sajid Nadiadwala was the only producer for the film, Siddharth Anand was supposed to direct the movie with Priyanka Chopra and Saif Ali Khan in the lead roles.

Later Saif opted out of the project and Shah Rukh entered the scene with the dual role of a lead hero as well as of a coproducer.

Now, the film will be directed

by Vishal Bharadwaj of Kaminey fame. When Vishal got the project, he fled to Berlin, where SRK and Priyanka was shooting for Don 2. Both of them were impressed with Vishal’s narration and agreed to be a part of the project.

However, things changed when SRK returned home in Mumbai. He went to meet Vishal and said that Priyanka will not be suitable for the role as the story demands a fresh face. The director also agreed and thus Priyanka was out of the film.

ally to decide.

"I have not said we will go it alone in the Assembly elections.

But, our options are open. We are a regional party, the Congress is the larger party. They have to decide," the Railway Minister had said. Deepa Dasmunshi is the Congress MP from Raiganj in West Bengal.

In the last Lok Sabha elections, the seat-sharing between the two parties was largely formalised on Banerjee's terms with Congress getting 14 seats and Trinamool 27. One seat was left to another ally SUCI. The Trinamool has 19 MPs, the Congress 6 and the SUCI one from West Bengal.

In the civic elections in June, which was dubbed as a semifinal to next year's Assembly polls, Trinamool inflicted a crushing defeat on the ruling Left Front.

The Congress, which had decided to field candidates in all seats after local leaders objected to seat-distribution formula by Trinamool, put up a disastrous performance.

6 top Maoist leaders held PTI GAYA, DEC 26

Six top Maoist leaders were arrested in a raid by police in Rampur area of Bihar's Gaya district, a senior police official said today.

The six, including 'zonal commander' of CPI(Maoist) Bhushan Sharma were arrested when the police raided several places in Rampur on Saturday evening following information that they were planning to attack the divisional jail here, DIG (Magadh range) Jitendra Kumar told PTI. Besides Sharma, the others n e t t e d b y t h e p o l i c e a re CPI(Maoist) 'regional commander' Suresh Yadav alias Chand a n j i , ' a re a c o m m a n d e r s ' Jainandan Paswan, Jitendra singh and Arjun Paswan and secretary of the outfit's zonal sub-committee Yugal Yadav.

The arrested Maoist leaders were involved in the killing of a station house officer Mithilesh Prasad in Gaya and 45 other naxal related incidents in Bihar and Jharkhand, Kumar said.

One AK-56 rifle, two regular carbines looted from police, two country-made pistols, 249 live cartridges besides Rs 59,000 in cash and seven mobile phones were seized from them, he added.

Jaya hits back at Airport metro link: Commuters Karuna over scams to go through security check PTI CHENNAI, DEC 26

Hitting back at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for asking his party cadres to highlight scams allegedly involving her, AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa today accused her arch-rival of trying to "divert attention" of the people from the 2G spectrum controversy.

The DMK chief had recently asked his party men to reach out to people through public meetings and remind them of the various scams allegedly involving Jayalalithaa including the ongoing disproportionate assets case in Bangalore.

On the disproportionate assets case, she said it was a "foisted one" and declined to comment as it was sub-judice and said truth would be established when the court gave its verdict.

Saying that she had come out clean in cases including the Tamil Nadu Small Industries (TANSI) land case, Jayalalithaa said Karunanidhi was harping on these issues only to divert attention.

In the TANSI case, "where a firm, in which I was a shareholder, had purchased lands from it when I was Chief Minister, I had later returned the land.

So there is no question of any loss to government," she said in a statement.

The charge against Jay -

PTI NEW DELHI, DEC 26

alalithaa and her confidante Sasikalaa was that the firm in which they were partners had purchased the TANSI land at cheap rates.

Though a trial court had convicted Jayalalithaa, she was later acquitted by the Madras High Court, which the Supreme Court also upheld.

"This is an attempt by Karunanidhi to only divert attention from the 2G spectrum allocation scam, (involving former Union Minister A Raja) which is of Himalayan proportions," she said.

She also slammed Karunanidhi for saying that the CAG report's assertion that the loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore from spectrum allocation was "presumptive." "Only the quantity of the loss is presumptive, not the very loss caused."

"The people of the state are preparing to oust this DMK government," Jayalalithaa said in an apparent reference to next year's Assembly polls.

Gandhi has maximum quotations in Internet

PTI BHOPAL, DEC 26

Mahatma Gandhi is known for many things but he has to his name the maximum number of quotations by any Indian on the Internet.

The Internet has a large number of sites which offer quotations on a variety of topics ranging from friendship, love, destiny, life, death, peace and politics. But the net has one site which gives quotations from people from all walks of life all over the world.

The site address is http://www.quotationsbook.com and it features 106 quotations from the Mahatma.

One quotation attributed to him says "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

Another quotation says "It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business."

The Mahatma is also quoted as saying, "Happiness is when

A man pulls his trishaw loaded with used polystyrene during a foggy day on a busy street in New Delhi on Sunday.

what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

He has also said "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."

Apart from Mahatma Gandhi, there are a number of other Indians from whom quotations can be seen on the site. These people include the Nation's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, former president S Radhakrishnan, Swami Vivekanand and Indira Gandhi.

These people do not match

the Mahatma as individually they do not have even 20 quotes to their credit.

One Indian whose name comes as a surprise on this site is that of Oscar award winning music composer, A R Rahman. He has got only one quote which reads simply, "All my life I have had a choice of hate and love. I chose love and I am here."

Among world politicians, those who surpass the Mahatma are former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill with 183 quotes and former US President John F. Kennedy with 146 quotes.

Noted English writer Oscar Wilde have got 432 quotes and he is followed by William Shakespeare with 420 quotes.

Among religious texts the Bible leads with 370 quotes, The Bhagavad Gita has 45 quotes while the Quran nine quotes.

Salman Rushdie, the well-known writer of Indian origin has 34 quotes and writers who have got a large number of quotes include Goethe who has got 313 quotes.

Passengers travelling on the new high-speed Airport Metro link will have to pass through "several layers" of security checks, while the entire network shall be covered under the hawk eye of numerous CCTV cameras.

The 22-km corridor, that will connect the city's shopping hub of Connaught Place with the Indira Gandhi International Airport, is expected to be operational in a fortnight. It will have six stations -- New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi Aerocity, IGI Airport and Dwarka Sector-21.

In order to thwart any sabotage attempt, baggage scanners and explosive detectors have also been brought in by the Reliance-led consortium which is operating the new link.

The corridor, for the first time, will be guarded by the personnel of two private security agencies instead of the paramilitary Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) that guards the current Delhi Metro rail network.

"Once a commuter enters any of the six Metro stations, he/she

Gujjar stir: Talks fail to break impasse PTI BAYANA, DEC 26

Talks between Gujjars, who are on a warpath on job reservation issue, and Rajasthan government today failed to break the deadlock with protesters unrelenting on their demand for five per cent quota even as they continued blockade of certain rail and road routes in the state.

Gujjar leader Col (retd) Kirori Singh Bainsla rejected the government's offer to set up a committee with him as one of the members to resolve the reservation issue.

"I want a permanent solution to this because I do not want to leave things half-way," he said, threatening to intensify the stir if their demands were not met within seven days.

Energy Minister Jitendra Singh, an emissary of the state government, said the Gehlot administration is committed to reservation for the Gujjars but before that it has to undertake a quantifiable data of nomadic tribes who come under the five per cent category.

"Although the High Court has given a year's time, the government may finish the task much earlier," he said.

will have to pass through several layers of security checking. All the passengers will be subjected to manual frisking," sources in the Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (DAMEPL), who are operating the link, told PTI. Giving a sneak preview of the security features of the network, DAMEPL sources said "all the city airport terminals will be fitted with hi-tech gadgets like explosive detectors, large X-ray baggage scanners, under-vehicle scanners, hand-held and door framed metal detectors."

The consortium has decided to provide passenger check-in facilities at New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium and Dhaula Kuan stations, they said.

"Over 95 per cent of the whole station area will be covered by CCTV (Close Circuit Television) cameras. All the movements inside the station area and the trains will be very closely monitored by the CCTV cameras and radio surveillance," sources said.

The corridor, which will have metro trains running at the speed of about 120 km per hour, failed a safety test in September.

Bhakra dam to be guarded by CISF PTI NEW DELHI, DEC 26

One of the highest and important dams -- the Bhakra Nangal -- will soon be guarded by more than 450 CISF personnel to thwart possible terror threat or sabotage attempt.

The government has decided to deploy the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) after analysing the threat to the huge facility, built across Sutlej River and located between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

It also attracts a large number of tourists and hence a possible threat cannot be ruled out, sources familiar to the development said.

A contingent of 459 CISF personnel has been sanctioned by the Union Home Ministry recently and the deployment will take place soon, they said.

The 226-metres high dam has a crest length (of the rampart) of 518 metres and holds a large water reservoir for production of electricity. It supplies water for drinking and irrigation to six states.

"Any sabotage to the facility could create havoc in the low-

Tsunami victims relive painful memories of tragedy PTI CHENNAI, DEC 26

It has been six years since tsunami struck the Tamil Nadu coast, leaving more than 8,000 people dead, injuring thousands and rendering many homeless but the memories of the horrid day still bring tears in the eyes of the bereaved families.

The 2004 tsunami was trig-

gered by a 9.3 magnitude earthquake, off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, causing one of the country's biggest post-independence natural calamities.

In Nagapattinam, the worst-hit in Tamil Nadu, where giant waves claimed over 6,000 lives and rendered about a lakh homeless in the district, painful memories of the tsunami still linger, but people have

moved on.

During the past six years, Government, NGOs and various voluntary organisations pumped in crores of money towards rehabilitation of the affected people.

Children of tsunami-hit coastal areas of the state now have access to high quality English medium education, which

was absent earlier, while the youth have taken up entrepreneurial ventures.

According to NGO volunteers engaged in rehabilitation of the affected, about 40 per cent of the women of tsunami-hit areas have become entrepreneurs and are making products such as footwear, leather articles, pickles and coir products.

Many other women have embarked on modern fish marketing activities, tailoring, mobile canteens, handicrafts making and even driving and masonry.

Besides formation of self-help groups have also helped the district's economy to grow.

A study conducted by Rejuvenate India Movement (RIM), a n NG O, mo re th a n eigh t

tsunami-hit villages in Tarangambadi taluk of Nagapattinam district has revealed a remarkable improvement in the learning skills of tsunami-hit students.

Top multinational companies have started English medium schools. Consumer electronics giant Samsung India has opened a school at Chinnangudi village near Tarangmabadi.

A final clearance from the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) is awaited to begin the service on the link.

The network will be guarded by about 60 retired men from paramilitary and police forces like the elite SPG, NSG, CRPF, BSF and CISF. Normal security checks will be carried out by the personnel of the private security agencies and the ex-servicemen act as security managers and controllers at the stations and other points of transfer.

A host of other safety and security gadgets are also being deployed in the network.

Door framed and hand-held metal detectors will be used to check the passengers and their baggage. The baggage will be scanned under X-ray machines and then explosive scanners will scan them, sources said.

Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan had recently said work on the link is "fully complete" and operations can start "within 24 hours" after the CMRS gives the green signal to the first airport rail express link in the country.

In Chennai, about 500 residents of Odai Kuppam and Odai Managar at Besant Nagar here offered prayers and thronged the Elliots Beach on the sixth anniversary of the tsunami.

About 500 women at the Marina here took out a "milk-pot" procession and later poured the milk in the sea as a mark of respect for the departed.

lying areas by way of floods. The dam also receives a stream of visitors and hence a proper security set up was essential," sources said.

The CISF personnel will be deployed at vantage points across the dam. They will patrol the reservoir area and its vicinity.

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Criminal case against Dahod MLA for beating govt officials PTI Dahod (Gujarat), DEC 26

A criminal complaint has been lodged against Dahod MLA Vajesinh Panada of Congress and three others for beating government officers and obstructing them from doing their duty here on Sunday, police said.

The complaint filed by Director of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) has also charged Congress MLA Panada, Chairman of Dahod Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), Nainsinh Bakliya and two others of damaging public property.

Raja Bhaiya, Gopalji shifted to Bareilly jail

No arrest has been made so far as the investigation in the case was on, they said.

The incident took place when the DRDA director Bhavin Pandya, District Development Officer (DDO) and other officers were inspecting the site where inaugural function to dedicate new DRDA office building to the public is to be held tomorrow.

According to Pandya's complaint, while final preparation for tomorrow's programme was going on, Panada, Bakliya and few other people came to the venue and entered into an altercation with the government officials.

Panada was agitated as his name was not on the plaque for tomorrow's event. He

wanted his and Dahod MP Prabha Taviyad's names to be included on the plaque.

The MLA and his men ransacked the stage set up for the function and also tried to destroy the plaque. When the district officials tried to stop them, they slapped the DDO, Pandya and other officers.

After the scuffle with the Congress leader and his men, Pandya filed a criminal complaint against Panada and three others.

Panada and his men have been charged under section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 332 (causing hurt to deter public servant from performing his duty) of IPC and for destruction of public property, police said.

Christchurch centre cordoned off after new tremors

PTI PRATAPGARH (UP), DEC 26

AGENCIES WELLINGTON, DEC 26

Independent ML A Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya and Samjawadi Party MLC Akshay Pratap Singh, arrested on charges of threatening a BSP worker, were today transferred to Bareilly jail.

Raja Bhaiyya and his cousin Akshay Pratap Singh alias Gopalji have been shifted to Bareilly prison this evening on the directives of the higher authorities, Jail superintendent Sohan Lal Gupta said.

Samajwadi Party MP Shailendra Kumar, party MLA Vinod Saroj, Independent legislator Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, and SP MLC Akshay Pratap Singh alias Gopalji were among 11 people arrested on December 19.

Some blocks were cordoned off in New Zealand’s second-largest city, Christchurch, Sunday after 20 buildings were damaged by tremors nearly four months after a magnitude-7.1 quake devastated the central business district.

The biggest of 15 tremors between 2 am and 5.30 pm measured 4.9 and was centred just five kilometres from the city centre, cutting power to 40,000 premises, evacuating malls packed with shoppers for postChristmas sales and hotels full of holidaymakers.

There were no reported injuries.

Police said cordons would remain in place around blocks

where glass and masonry was shaken to the ground, until buildings were inspected to ensure the safety of shoppers and passers-by.

As 10 civil defence teams began assessing the damage, mostly to buildings already affected by the September 4 quake, acting Mayor Ngaire Button said she hoped the cordon would be in place for only days, not weeks.

Power was restored to most areas inside an hour and the city council said water and drainage systems escaped damage.

Terrified shoppers hunting for sales bargains ran into the streets when the 4.9 tremor struck and the fire service received hundreds of calls from

inner city residents reporting falling glass and bricks.

A suburban liquor store reported that 70 boxes of wine and spirits had been broken after being shaken off shelves, Radio New Zealand reported.

More than 3,600 aftershocks have been recorded since the September 4 quake, but Sunday’s series of tremors were the first significant ones for nearly a month.

Seismologist John Ristau told Television New Zealand they would continue for months.

“They will with time decrease in frequency and then there won’t be as many big ones. But you can expect the odd big one to come in,” he said. “You can’t really say when the last big one’s going to be.”

Iran execution halted AGENCIES TEHRAN, DEC 26

A boy, Tokey, aged 8, dressed as Langoor (monkey) begs for money on the roadside in Amritsar on Sunday. Tokey said that he earns rupees one hundred a day by begging.

The lawyer for a Kurdish-Iranian law student who was scheduled to be executed Sunday says the sentence has been halted, pending an investigation of what his legal team says are irregularities in the case, the semi-official Iran Students' News Agency reported.

Official state media was silent on the matter.

Human rights organizations had appealed to Iranian authorities to call off the execution of Habibollah Latifi, who is charged with security-related crimes.

"We are urgently appealing to the Iranian authorities to show clemency, halt the imminent execution of Habibollah Latifi, and commute his death sentence," Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's director for the Middle East and North Africa, said Saturday.

Latifi is one of at least 16 Kurds facing execution on various national security-related charges, including moharebeh – which translates to "enmity against God" – according to published reports.

His lawyer had been notified

by Iranian authorities that Latifi would be hanged Sunday at the

Sanandaj Prison.

Latifi, a law student at Azad University, was arrested in 2007 in the western Iranian province of Ilam for his alleged role in an attack on a police station in Kurdistan province and attempted assassination of a prosecutor on behalf of the anti-revolutionary group Kurdish Independent Life Party.

He was convicted and sentenced to death the following year by the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court.

Iran's penal code states anyone found taking up arms against the state, or belonging to an organization who violently attacks the government, may be considered guilty of moharebeh and sentenced to death.

Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said that Iranian intelligence agents tortured Latifi and a court sentenced him to death "without any convincing evidence against him."

"The circumstances surrounding Latifi's arrest, detention, and conviction strongly suggest that the Iranian authorities have violated his fundamental rights," Stork said. "The head of Iran's judiciary should immediately rescind the execution order."

Pranab asks Buddhadeb to reply to HM’s letter PTI BURNPUR/KOLKATA, DEC 26

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday put the onus on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to give a reply to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s letter which asked the government to disarm CPI-M cadres in the state.

"The Home Minister has written to the state government. He has fulfilled his responsibility.

Now the state government should fulfil its responsibility and reply by acknowledging receipt of the letter," he told reporters at Burnpur after an event.

Later at Nabagram in Murshidabad district, Mukherjee in a vitriolic attack on state's law and order situation, said in last 34 years of CPI-M rule hundreds of Congress workers were killed.

"What for? You will stay at your place, I will stay at mine.

Where is the scope for murder?"

He said at a party workers' meeting that panchayat pradhan was killed while working in his office. "What kind of jungle rule one is living in here?... Government's first duty is to protect people and if that is not kept, what is the meaning of a government? In whole West Bengal this situation prevails."

In Kolkata, CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose today still maintained that the letter had not reached the government yet.

"The state government has not received the letter. I have heard what Pranabbabu has said.

Definitely a reply will be given on receipt of the letter," he told reporters.

Acknowledging existence of CPI-M camps in Jangalmahal,

Bose said, "In what has appeared to be contents of the letter, a reference was made of the existence of CPI-M camps. The camps are there to shelter homeless people. Where would the homeless people go? CPIM party offices have been converted into camps to shelter homeless people."

"Let Trinamool Congress give a list of their partymen killed.

We are prepared to give a list of CPI-M men killed. What is being said is to confuse people.

Trinamool Congress had in its memorandum said that 55,000 people had died," he said referring to Chidambaram's letter which stated that 96 Trinamool cadres had been killed and 1,237 injured till December 15.

The letter also gave corresponding figures for CPI-M at 65 killed and 773 injured while that of the Congress at 15 killed

and 221 injured.

Chidambaram's stronglyworded letter to Bhattacharjee comes in the wake of ally Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee alleging misuse of central security forces in the state and offering to quit if her charge was proved wrong.

"If these armed cadres continue to take upon themselves the duties of maintaining law and order, I wonder what the role of security forces is, specially central para military forces which have been deployed at the request of the state government?" Chidambaram had said in the letter.

His letter came a day after a Trinamool Congress delegation had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and conveyed to him alleged misuse of central security forces in West Bengal.

Illegal arms racket: 2 held, weapons seized in UP PTI LUCKNOW, DEC 26

Two persons, including an arms dealer, of an inter-state gang were on Sunday arrested by the UP Special Task Force and a cache of weapons and ammunition seized from them, police said.

Manbeer Singh Bahara, who owns four arms shops in Himachal Pradesh, and Ram Pratap Bhadauriya alias Rajan were arrested from Mohanlalganj area this morning, while one of their associate managed to flee from

the spot, they said.

Four .30 bore factory-made Springfield rifles, around 1,500 cartridges of different bores, one bolt of a rifle, four mobile phones and 15 ATM cards were seized from their possession, they said.

Information about supply of arms and ammunition in huge quantity to anti-social elements in West Bengal were being received for the last few days.

"Specific information was received that Manbeer, Rajan along with their aide Vivek

Varma alias Kamal were on their way to West Bengal to deliver a consignment of arms and ammunition and will pass through Lucknow," they said.

A STF team arrested Manbeer and Rajan when they walked into a trap, while Vivek managed to flee from the spot.

During interrogation, Rajan revealed that for the last two year he along with Vivek were supplying arms and ammunition to Dada and Raghu in West Bengal and had delivered nearly 30 consignments so far.

He told the sleuths that the cache were procured from Shan gun house in Gwalior, which is owned by Ashok Agawal and from Manbeer Singh in Shimla.

Manbeer, too, revealed that he along with Agawal used to supply arms and ammunition to Vivek and Rajan by forging documents.

Acting on the revelations made by the two accused, the STF personnel raided Vivek's house in Auraiyya from where a .315 bore rifle and cartridges were recovered.

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Plunging Into The Winds Of Change

By Caetano de Abreu ur world is as yet to find an answer to the old cliché word: "who came first the chicken or the egg?”

But nothing seems to determine its exact meaning. Its veracity can be ascertained only after prolonged research which is still in progress. However the world is slowly progressing as can be seen with the evolved rearing of chickens for consumption.

Some people opine that this method of rearing is bad for health, due to its feed intake which contains sludge additives, grit, calcium, proteins, amino acids, and toxins caused by micro-organisms. This in turn when absorbed in excess by human beings can hurt the renal system. Others claim that it is just right for our body to survive, irrespective of the fact that it may assimilate the potentials of latent animal diseases. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the world is surviving due to the efforts rendered by modern technology, notwithstanding the fact that it is gradually infiltrating into the domains of the "Green Movement". Science should be capitalized upon in all its aspects if it is for the good of mankind and especially in the process of assuaging the food quandary which is assailing the world with rotted products which in lieu of satisfying the needs of animals and humans, is putting at risk the health of the consumer. Ergo, the need for genetically modified foods (GM) is gradually assuming its role in the survival of human race.

Humans have actually been changing the genetic structure of plants and animals for thousands of years. We could call this process cross-breeding the result of which is a hybrid product. This process does not really need a human hand as the natural forces such as the wind factor plays its part in more subtle ways by cross-pollinating it.

Thus when we talk about GM it

O

means that some DNA has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally.

Scientists all over the world are striving to come up with some solutions to ease the dilapidation of natural food resources which is afflicting Mankind. The GM chain allows desirable genes to be transferred to another plant in order to create crops that can be more affordable, nutritious, and at the same time, also have the natural resistance to herbicides which is rampantly used nowa-days. The idea is to get all the benefits of the introduced genes, without taking away any other attributes of the food from which it came.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the world population will exceed the nine billion' mark by 2050. This is the reason the advocates for GM say that the world needs GM food to sustain that gigantic a world population, while simultaneously claiming that the gene technology benefit the consumers immensely.

We in India are still vary of the outcome of that development, as is very evident in the case of ‘Bt Brinjal’ which was not well received in India with our Environment Minister Jairam Ra m e s h b r i n g i n g f o r t h a plethora of opinions and calling for a nationwide debate about its safety for consumption. Per s ‘Bt Brinjal’ carries the gene

M y school 'People's High School" Panjim, selected nine students as its representatives at the annual scouts and guides hike. It’s a trek which is organised every year for students of Std IX. This year, the hike was held on November 25th .We were asked to assemble at the Panjim Kadamba bus-stand at 8:30am sharp. There, we were joined by 14 other schools situated in Tiswadi.

As always, the bus arrived late. And, when it did arrive, everyone rushed to get the best seat and sat with their friends. Elwynne (my that can produce a natural in schoolmate) and I sat on the first seat. It was secticide. Bacillus thuringiensis quite a long journey because the bus kept making (Bt) is a bacterium that kills instops here and there. We had to travel all the way sect larvae. The ‘Bt ‘gene is isoto Ponda, and then climb a hill to get to the temple. lated in a laboratory and then So, we had a long journey ahead of us. Some of my transferred into a brinjal, giving fellow travellers were sick on the way, and the teachit an inbuilt insect repellant. ers who were in-charge of them on this trip, kept The world of science is ungiving them lime to consume to help lessen their unparallel in its quest and ability easiness. to seek better solutions to the We reached our destination after an hour-and-aproblems that are engulfing our half. Our bus travelled over very rocky terrains. We world. But scientists are trying could hear the sound of water from a stream flowing hard by burning mid-night oil nearby. We got off the bus and were divided into in their efforts to find ways to groups, according to our schools and given refreshproduce genetically modified ments to prepare us for the long trek ahead of us. We foods, that we can find in our had scout masters who were leading the trek and all everyday quotidian life with the students followed them. The trek was not as easy never-seen-before-overgrownas it seemed. We had to climb a hill, and that obviously vegetables making its presence meant that someone would fall or get hurt, and to in the market. make matters worse, it had rained the previous Thus if you have a scientific night, so the path was very slippery. We were very inclination and an impressive cautious as we walked, since if someone in front bio-data why not get to know of us tripped, we all would come crashing down. more about GM foods and then Just 15 minutes into the trek, Elwynne and I spotmake your contribution in big ted a teacher who was so tired that she couldn’t ways or small to our perennial even stand properly. Apparently she wasnt keepfood angst? ing well the previous day. We stopped and gave her some water to drink and made her The Institutes which display their lie down. Naturally all the other students propensities are: on the trek, went ahead leaving the two a. The University of Global Management of us behind, with the unwell teacher. www.universitygm.org. b. School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Luckily, there was another scout master who was trekking behind everyone. www.hooktv.pharmacy.purdue.edu/teachingbgm c. GM College of Diploma in Teacher Education, Kurnool, And he came to our rescue. Otherwise, we would have been Andhra Pradesh d. www.highereducation.in india.com/institutes/gm-college-of- stranded and left behind. He arranged for a vehicle and diploma-in-teacher 3301.php then escorted the e. National Centre for Biotechnology Education teacher back from www.ncbe.reading.ac/uk/ncbe/gmfood/menu.html www.indiastudychannel/com/resources/84143-genetically-modified-foods.aspx where we had started. Elf. Study Canada –CEC India www.studycanada.ca/india/ wynne ezine_biotechnology_programmemes-canada .htm

For Job Satisfaction, Look to Oneself

By Christina R Pinto How important is job satisfaction? There are many reasons people stick to a job that brings dissatisfaction and little emotional fulfillment- the most comm o n o f t h e s e i s m o n e y.

Nevertheless, at the end of a hard day’s work the question arises, is it worth it?

Job satisfaction plays an important part as it affects one’s perception of life and gradually it percolates to their personal relationships and their contributions towards society.

People will tell you they will only attain job satisfaction from their ideal job, one that utilizes their talents and provides certain privileges. However, not everyone can attain their ideal position as complications arise and there are many factors that prevent people from marching towards their desired job. In the present job market, jobs are difficult to come by and it is a wise decision to be mindful of circumstances and be open to adapting to the present conditions.

There are means to achieve job satisfaction; the key is understanding your motivating need. It is not always the job of

your choice or the money you earn that brings one fulfillment.

For some, a job that ensures they are appreciated on a daily basis and enjoy benefits for the hours and work invested gives them satisfaction. Even if they are in a back breaking job, recognition is important because it validates them as a person. Hence, a job where they are instructed to work without acknowledgement or receive no appreciation will not hold much appeal. Certainly not as much as one where they are able to stand out as an accomplished individual among their peers.

On the other hand, long-term minded people tend to be focused on their careers, so gratifying to them are opportunities for promotions and advancement within the organization.

They are interested in taking progressive steps that will gradually lead to more money, responsibilities and higher status.

Such people cannot do well in stagnant positions and are always pushing themselves to work harder since they want to be viewed as people who are perpetually moving forward with the aim of achieving a notable career.

There are the other kind of people, who deliberately undertake jobs that are low-paying or require a lot of energy, time and involvement but are not as rewarding. The explanation for their willingness to sacrifice is that the work brings them hap-

piness and they are passionate about their choice. It is the opinion commonly shared by those who are self-employed. It may be a struggle to manage the majority burden of responsibilities and the pay-out is rarely that good. Nevertheless, the self-employed enjoy the autonomy and flexibility the job affords them.

Regardless of the job, there are sacrifices to be made and the individual has to decide for himself what he is willing to forfeit and what it is that will bring him personal satisfaction from the job.

A person may be in the pos-

session of their ideal job but still feel no contentment because of the restlessness and uncertainty in relinquishing luxuries or job stability or good money. There are people who have taken the plunge from a lawyer to teacher or from a highpaying, exclusive job to something very different, however, they have no regrets. They have prioritized their happiness over security and stability, self-fulfillment weighed positively over other factors.

There are many people who endeavor in a job not to their liking but they too can still find fulfillment. Attitude plays a huge part as does the willingness to try new things. The job can be monotonous or it can be viewed as riddled with opportunities to attempt new feats or pursue ideas for one’s personal development. It depends on your approach, anyone can do the duties they are entrusted with but a real go-getter motivates himself to undertake different jobs and work on methods to accomplish them in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

There is job satisfaction to be earned from proving your own self-worth in a variety of ways,

and I stayed behind and waited for the teacher to return. In the meantime, we were talking away about the beauty of nature, life, and all kinds of things girls would naturally talk about. I have never experienced that kind of peace and tranquillity before. Just listening to the twitter of the birds and the sound of the water gushing from a stream nearby, watching the leaves fall, the little insects flying around, was amazing.

It made me wonder whether this was the last time I would hear these sounds produced by nature due to the rate are which forests are being destroyed. There time seemed to pass so slowly. It was almost half an hour before the teacher returned and we once again set off on our journey. It was tiring and especially, if you one of those people who are used to travelling by cars. You need a lot (and I really mean a lot ) of stamina to climb a hill like that. The ground is not even and is raised with rocks of all sizes. I did not have any problems climbing the since I’ve been on a trek previously to Wildernest- a nature resort. Elwynne also climbed very bravely although she was tired. The overall experience was fantastic.

Our scouts master ex-

exhausting walk. The food was delicious and many took a second helping of the food. After lunch Elwynne and I went to wash our plates, there all the other students too had gathered, and something funny happened there which had us in splits.

After lunch we were grouped according to our schools and we had a reading session. All the schools sent one person to read the essay they had written and some even presented the various leaves and rocks collected by them. The teachers then spoke a few words about themselves.

At about 4:30pm we left and began the walk down the hill. This time we used the road as everyone was tired. But it was a steep one, so everyone was walking fast. We reached the base of the hill where there were three buses waiting for us. Elwynne and I boarded the bus and relaxed in our seats. When the bus began moving, we realised that we had to climb down another slope. It was fun as the bus was going

By Leah Evanka up and down and moving over bumps and pot-holes. As we were still in the midst of the forest, I looked out of the window, then shut my eyes and felt completely at peace… and safe. At that moment I felt as if nothing in this world could harm me.

The whole experience made me feel connected plained to Nature brought me closer to Nature. I felt as ever ything though I was communicating with the spirits of about the medicinal plants and its values, the different rocks and their the forests. And I realised that God is such a wonuses to us. He told us that there was also a road which derful artist. And I realised that it is the Almighty cut through the hill so people could take their vehicles who created us all. As the sun set behind the up there – the same road the ill teacher had taken. The mountains, I yearned to come back again. I felt students were to take that road whilst returning. The so connected to nature that I felt I was leaving students were taken through the forest trail just for a a part of me behind as we left. As the evening turned dark I saw the twinkling stars. I looked change as there is not much forest cover in the city.

We reached our destination in about an hour and a up to the sky and said a silent prayer and I half. The temple situated on the Siddhanath Hill at knew that my beloved grandfather was lookBorim-Ponda at a height of1250 ft(410 metres) com- ing at me from up above. As we reached mands a panoramic view of more than half of Goa. It Panjim, the hustle-bustle of the vehicles is believed to be the highest peak in Goa. When we started. When we reached I thanked my reached the top of the hill, I felt a sense of jubilation. Sir for the wonderful experience I had There we saw the teacher we had helped and our other and then walked towards the busteam members. Our school scouts master who was stand to find a bus to take me home. worried about our whereabouts was relieved to see Elwynne and I said goodbye. She us. There was an essay writing competition going on was a good companion on the when we arrived. I was asked to write about our ex- trek. I enjoyed this trek perience. So, Elwynne I penned our experience together. thoroughly and I hope After we finished writing our essays, we all sat together our school, gives us and talked. One of our team members started imitating more chances to our friends and we all laughed heartily . At about go on such 2:10pm, we were called for lunch and everyone rushed treks. with their plates and glasses. Elwynne and I made a dash to the food counter as we were almost dead with hunger after our long and

not simply confined to the duties you have been given. Furthermore, it is good to be open to friendly competition, measure your abilities to co-workers and discover ways to be more competent Another suggestion to utilize your abilities is to pass the knowledge to others; it culminates in respect and praise to your specialties.

If it is challenge you seek from your job then it is necessary for you to take the initiative and create your own challenges. You can try to learn new skills or expand your capabilities, take classes or read books or attend company seminars or even observe co-workers. Either it will help you progress in the organization or give you the confidence to move to another job.

Another step is self-motivation, if recognition and rewards are sparse at the workplace; it is your duty to support your emotional and physical quotient by nourishing it with gifts. Set a work-related goal every day, and then reward your accomplishments with your favorite items or fun activities, reassure yourself that you are enjoying the fruits of your labor. The re-

Trek To Siddhanath Parvat Temple

wards will also encourage a zest for life when you are constantly reminded that your job is sustaining and assisting in the care for you and your loved ones.

Finally, it is prudent to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle where work, recreation, relationships and personal growth take equal precedence and each are delegated time and effort.

Too much focus on any one will create disharmony and discontent in your body. If work is seen as a usurper of your life, then of course you will fail to appreciate the good qualities of your job and see it as a strain on your personal welfare.

If you are forced to stay in a job, then meanwhile look for other opportunities in the field you want and practice for it.

Prepare for the change even if an opening has yet to make itself available because the planning will give you the peace of mind that options are available and you will feel less trapped and burdened.

Job satisfaction is not something that is easily attainable, like yoga is involves careful thought, deliberation and finding the position, most relaxing and thriving for the individual.

T

Course in property sales, marketing & brokerage

here is a huge manpower them to study as well as work. shortage in almost all With course curriculum functional areas of real es- crafted to address the evolving tate including property sales, needs of the Indian real estate marketing & brokerage. The sit- s e c t o r w h i l e a d h e r i n g t o uation is becoming worse day NIREM’s high academic stanby day since there is no system dards, participants would expeof real estate education in India. r i e n c e a p r o g r a m m e m e Considering the scenario, Na- characterized by intellectual tional Institute of Real Estate rigor, professional relevance, Management (NIREM), has de- and have access to an extensive vised a specialized course which network of industry professionwill not only enhance the knowlals. edge and skills of existing real The programmeme e s lea is targeted at real esestate professionals but also e R prepare freshers for a ca- ress us+ tate professionals as Pl well as those who want to reer in real estate sales, P marketing and brokerage. start their career in real estate.

The course offers a step by This course is also ideal for peostep learning curve to under- ple planning to start their own stand the real estate business real estate ventures. with particular emphasis on Candidates must have passed property sales, marketing and class twelfth in order to take transactions. Course objective admission in this course. Adis to provide comprehensive mission shall be offered on firstknowledge and develop practi- come-first-serve basis, starting cal property business skills that from 25th November, 2010. traditionally take years to ac- Course is scheduled to start quire. With this knowledge and from January, 2011. Details can practical business skills, partic- be obtained from: ipants would be able to manage NIREM Information Centre complex property transactions JE 1/1, Nr. Tikona Park, with confidence and success. Khirki Extension, Malviya Nagar, The best advantage of the New Delhi-110017 course is that the participants URL: www.nirem.org; E-mail: are not required to leave their info@nirem.org job to pursue this course, since The NIREM Blog: http://idthe flexible class timings allow snirem.blogspot.com/

The Power and Prestige of Press Journalism -IX Periodical publishing includes two main areas - consumer press and business press. This is a multibillion-dollar industry that expands each year, with top publishers focussing on niche publications with special magazines published on health, nutrition, travel, golf, and such are a growing presence, too—they've been thriving for the past 20 years and are slated for even more impressive growth.

MAGAZINES/PERIODICALS Magazines may be produced weekly, monthly or bi-monthly, with journalists working to tight deadlines to ensure that production schedules are met.

The structure in a magazine publishing house is almost the same as that of a magazine/supplement in a newspaper. The nature of their work is very similar to those in newspaper journalism.

Magazine Editor When you flip through the first pages of a magazine, before you hit the table of contents (or “toc” in industry parlance), you’ll come across the masthead. This list of names and titles includes, among others, the editors who put that publication together.

of the paper, magazine editors also specialize. Magazines are generally (though not always) broken down into three sections: the front-of-the-book (or FOB); the feature well; and the back-of-the-book (BOB). Genera l l y, t h e F O B caters to smaller, newsier stories, while the well

By Maria de Lima Pereira contains the longer stories and the BOB has of content they’re working with. a mix of recurring columns and Magazines come out, usually, shorter stories. on a weekly or monthly basis, Often Magazine Editors will so editors at magazines work work on a specific section of a on more stories in a shorter pe- magazine coming up with story riod of time. Magazine Editors ideas, finding good writers and, are also more involved in com- sometimes, writing the stories ing up with story ideas and shap- themselves. Magazine Editors ing specific sections of their are therefore major idea genermagazine. They are not, as book ators as well as occasional writeditors are, sifting through ma- ers and traditional editors. terial looking for good things Finding Magazine Stories to publish.

Magazine stories usually come Overseeing a Section about in one of three ways: A If you look closely at any mag- writer comes to an editor with azine, you’ll notice that there an idea (or “pitches” him), an are recurring sections and spe- editor approaches a writer with cific kinds of stories that run in an idea, or the idea is born in that magazine. Editors deter- an editorial meeting. Editorial mine the look and feel of these meetings are essentially brainsections. Just as editors at news- storming sessions that most edpapers work on specific sections itorial staffs hold. During these And, while much of a Magazine Editor’s job, deals with editing stories.

One of the biggest differences between what a magazine editor does and what a book editor does, has to do with the type

meetings ideas are batted around and, often, group discussions will help flesh out and focus general ideas.

What Defines a Magazine Story?

Although there is a lot of overlap between stories that run in newspapers and magazines, the big difference between magazine content and newspaper content is the time devoted to them. For the most part, newspapers work on daily deadlines and therefore newspaper stories are more driven by things developing moment-to-moment and day-to-day. Because magazines plan their content weeks and months in advance, they can’t report on breaking news the way newspapers - which get printed every day .That said,

there are exceptions. Some newspapers, for example, will put reporters on a single story for many months and then run a series about it, or a long magazine-style story. But, like newspaper stories, all magazine stories need hooks.

Finding a Hook Hooks come in all shapes and sizes or, more specifically, some are obvious and some less so.

Hooks are the piece of a story that makes it relevant right now.

Although there are stories that are considered “evergreen” - i.e. they have perennial relevance the majority of magazine stories (like newspaper stories) need a hook. If you work at, say, Entertainment Weekly, you will usually work on stories about

an actor or a musician when they have a current project coming out. So the hook of the story - the reason you’re writing a piece at that moment in time is because he’s about to release a new movie. An evergreen piece, however, might be a summer movie round-up. Every summer EW might do a rundown of what the big movies are in theatres because the idea addresses new content every year.

Magazine writers: are, in essence, journalists. The kind of journalism that magazine writers are involved in can vary widely from what a journalist working on a daily newspaper would produce. Generally, magazine writers do more featureoriented pieces. Some magazine writers focus on smaller stories, while others produce long-form, or narrative, pieces.

Job Profile Full-time positions as magazine writers are some of the most coveted in the print media world. Some lucky - and of course talented - magazine writers work as staff writers. Staff writers usually work in the office and have a more 9-to-5 schedule. Other magazine writers have official affiliations with

magazines and may have "at large" titles - i.e. writer-at-large or editor-at-large - which means they usually get assigned a certain number of stories for a set fee. At-large positions often require no time in the office.

Employment Avenues The opportunities for journalists are endless and at the same time the job has become more challenging, as the new world is proving the adage that "the pen (and the camera) is mightier than the sword."

Journalists trained and interested in the print medium have job opportunities with Newspaper groups of the English/Vernacular medium, News agencies, News Bureaus, Press Trust of India, English/Vernacular magazines and journals, Indian Information Service (Group A) of the government, Directorates of publicity. Many journalists are free lancers.

Remuneration Salaries can vary from place to place and time to time and whether it is a private or public sector. You can expect to start off with a salary of Rs.6000-Rs. 10000 as a trainee. As a reporter, you can expect to make

Rs.12000 - Rs.18000. Editors draw a salary of Rs.20,000Rs.35,000 besides perks. Newspaper and Magazine publishers scales are as follows: Managing Editor , Rs. 25000 to Rs. 35000 per month Senior Content Writer/Editor/Senior Editor, Rs. 15,000 to 25,000 per month Private sector groups offer higher remuneration including lucrative various benefits. Field journalists are given travel and stay expenses as well as allowances are additional with all pay packets.

The minimum salary according to Government directives states that minimum remuneration has to be Rs. 5500 to 9000 for reporters, and senior reporters, Rs. 6500 to 10500 for chief reporters and sub-editors.

Editors get Rs. 7500 to 12000.

Travel and stay expenses as well as allowances are additional with all pay packets.

Freelancers are paid for each piece of work they submit. They can earn well, depending upon the nature and extension of their business. Journalists with convergence skills may earn anything between 20,000 - 1 lakh a month. (to be continued)

OHERALDO

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GOA, MONDAY, 27 DECEMBER, 2010

T

his is the last week of the year and it is time to take stock of the some the major happening on the tax front. If one looks at the statistics, - there is good news. In line with the growth, the direct tax collections have been on expected lines. The budget of Rs 4.30 lakh crore is expected to be reached if not surpassed.

December is the time when the 3rd quarter of advance tax is paid. A survey of 100 top companies regarding their income tax projections found that their income tax collection by way of advance tax was 18.7% higher than a year ago. The aggregate collections have already reached the 3 lakh crore mark.

The final quarter will mop up the rest.

Similarly rise in industrial production has seen a proportionate rise in excise duty collection. As of December 66% of the target of Rs 3.13 lakh crore has been collected. Custom duty collections have also increased. The collection of Rs 86,844 crore constitutes 75% of the target of Rs 1.15. lakh crore. Further, collections from service tax are according to ex-

Mutual Fund

The end of the year

pectations. Thus on the tax front, the government is confident of meeting the revenue targets. One of the worrying factors of tax collection is the mounting arrears. Further a large amount of arrears are locked up in appeal at various fora. For in tax, the final Court of decision is the Supreme Court.

TIME BARRING The end of the year is also the date by which assessments for AY 2008-09 have to be completed. Therefore while it is holiday time in Goa, the tax officers are in office trying to complete many of their assessments. There are always certain cases where details are not forthcoming and the officers are forced to pass orders making unnecessary additions.

Over the years, there has been little by way of accountability regarding the assessments being made. Rather there is a convention in the department that when in doubt, the officer should ‘err on the side of rev-

Key to abbreviations: R Price: Repurchase Price; S Price: Sale Price; (D): Dividend; (G): Growth

Scheme Name NAVs (Rs) A AIG India Equity Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) 12.68 India Equity Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) 12.68 Infrastructure and Economic Reform ­ Regular (D) 9.47 Infrastructure and Economic Reform ­ Regular (G) 9.47 Axis Equity Fund (D) 11.60 Equity Fund (G) 11.60 Tax Saver Fund (D) 11.67 Tax Saver Fund (G) 12.74

B

Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96 27.76 Growth Fund (D) 31.54 Growth Fund (G) 55.99 Infrastructure Fund (D) 10.29 Infrastructure Fund (G) 10.29 PSU Equity Fund (D) 9.27 PSU Equity Fund (G) 9.27 Bharti AXA Equity Fund ­ Eco Plan (Bonus) 18.69 Equity Fund ­ Eco Plan (D) 13.15 Equity Fund ­ Eco Plan (G) 18.69 Equity Fund ­ Eco Plan (QD) 12.42 Equity Fund ­ Retail Plan (Bonus) 18.58 Equity Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) 13.09 Equity Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) 18.58 Equity Fund ­ Retail Plan (QD) 12.34 Focused Infrastructure Fund (D) 10.41 Focused Infrastructure Fund (G) 10.41 Focused Infrastructure Fund (QD) 10.41 Tax Advantage Fund ­ Eco Plan (D) 13.13 Tax Advantage Fund ­ Eco Plan (G) 24.12 Tax Advantage Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) 13.09 Tax Advantage Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) 24.02 Birla Sun Life Advantage Fund (D) 91.83 Advantage Fund (G) 169.49 Basic Industries Fund (D) 29.56 Basic Industries Fund (G) 107.17 Buy India Fund (D) 25.24 Buy India Fund (G) 44.30 Commodity Equities ­ Global Agri Plan ­ Retail (D) 17.41 Commodity Equities ­ Global Agri Plan ­ Retail (G) 17.41 Commodity Equities ­ Global Commodity ­ RP (D) 14.63 Commodity Equities ­ Global Commodity ­ RP (G) 14.63 Commodity Equities ­ Global Metals Plan ­RP (D) 15.10 Commodity Equities ­ Global Metals Plan ­RP (G) 15.10 Dividend Yield Plus (D) 15.07 Dividend Yield Plus (G) 88.29 Equity Fund (D) 74.48 Equity Fund (G) 281.95 Frontline Equity Fund ­ Plan A (D) 23.81 Frontline Equity Fund ­ Plan A (G) 93.32 Frontline Equity Fund ­ Plan B (D) 14.11 Frontline Equity Fund ­ Plan B (G) 14.11 India GenNext Fund (D) 15.13 India GenNext Fund (G) 24.94 India Opportunities Fund ­ Plan A (D) 19.71 India Opportunities Fund ­ Plan B (G) 57.87 India Reforms Fund (D) 10.73 India Reforms Fund (G) 10.73 Infrastructure Fund ­ Plan A (D) 13.16 Infrastructure Fund ­ Plan A (G) 17.92 Infrastructure Fund ­ Plan B (D) 12.86 Infrastructure Fund ­ Plan B (G) 13.40 International Equity Fund ­ Plan A (D) 9.43 International Equity Fund ­ Plan A (G) 9.43 International Equity Fund ­ Plan B (D) 9.95 International Equity Fund ­ Plan B (G) 9.95 Long Term Advantage Fund (D) 13.88 Long Term Advantage Fund (G) 15.03 Midcap Fund ­ Plan A (D) 25.75 Midcap Fund ­ Plan A (G) 116.49 Midcap Fund ­ Plan B (D) 14.70 Midcap Fund ­ Plan B (G) 14.70 MNC Fund (D) 85.55 MNC Fund (G) 211.72 Small and Midcap Fund (D) 12.72 Small and Midcap Fund (G) 12.72 Special Situations Fund (D) 10.67 Special Situations Fund (G) 10.67 Tax Plan (D) 48.44 Tax Plan (G) 14.37 Tax Relief 96 (D) 89.59 Tax Relief 96 (G) 12.09 Top 100 Fund (D) 15.63 Top 100 Fund (G) 23.96

Canara Robeco EmergEquities (Bonus) EmergEquities (D) EmergEquities (G) Equity Diversified (Bonus) Equity Diversified (D) Equity Diversified (G)

enue’. This attitude has resulted in several high pitched assessments that are subsequently deleted in the first appeal. Recently I had occasion of discussing a particular case with one of the Assessing officers. He was frank in admitting that on the basis of the facts before him, he believed that the department had no case for making an assessment in a particular manner. But then he made a strange remark. Sir, he said ‘ you know the culture of the department, at the level of the Assessing officer, one must necessary take a conservative view and make a high pitched assessment, that can be subsequently be deleted in appeal.

For we have to protect ourselves from the audit. Often while an officer may believe that on the basis of the facts that the contention of the company or the assessee is

C 19.62 16.17 23.44 25.73 25.69 56.49

Equity Tax Saver (D) Equity Tax Saver (G) F.O.R.C.E Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) F.O.R.C.E Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) Infrastructure (D) Infrastructure (G) Large Cap+ Fund (D) Large Cap+ Fund (G) Multicap (D) Multicap (G)

22.05 26.78 12.99 13.94 18.35 23.04 10.53 10.53 15.24 16.43

D

DWS Alpha Equity Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) 18.16 Alpha Equity Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) 83.46 Alpha Equity Fund ­ Wealth Plan (D) 14.53 Alpha Equity Fund ­ Wealth Plan (G) 17.38 Investment Opportunity Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) 27.62 Investment Opportunity Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) 39.87 Investment Opportunity Fund ­ Wealth Plan (D) 13.80 Investment Opportunity Fund ­ Wealth Plan (G) 18.05 Tax SavFund (D) 13.65 Tax SavFund (G) 14.61 DSP BlackRock Equity Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) 54.47 Equity Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) 17.23 Focus 25 Fund (D) 11.01 Focus 25 Fund (G) 11.01 India T.I.G.E.R. Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) 18.92 India T.I.G.E.R. Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) 49.30 Micro Cap Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) 10.05 Micro Cap Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) 16.55 Opportunities Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) 31.93 Opportunities Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) 91.60 Small and Mid Cap Fund (D) 17.02 Small and Mid Cap Fund (G) 18.56 Tax Saver Fund (D) 13.45 Tax Saver Fund (G) 18.07 Technology.Com ­ Regular Plan (D) 25.33 Technology.Com ­ Regular Plan (G) 34.70 Top 100 Equity Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) 22.22 Top 100 Equity Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) 104.71

E

Edelweiss Absolute Return Equity Fund (D) Absolute Return Equity Fund (G) Diversified Growth Equity Top 100 Fund ­A (D) Diversified Growth Equity Top 100 Fund ­A (G) Diversified Growth Equity Top 100 Fund ­B (D) Diversified Growth Equity Top 100 Fund ­B (G) Diversified Growth Equity Top 100 Fund ­C (D) Diversified Growth Equity Top 100 Fund ­C (G) ELSS Fund (D) ELSS Fund (G) Nifty Enhancer Fund ­ Plan A (D) Nifty Enhancer Fund ­ Plan A (G) Nifty Enhancer Fund ­ plan B (D) Nifty Enhancer Fund ­ Plan B (G) Nifty Enhancer Fund ­ Plan C (D) Escorts Growth Plan (D) Growth Plan (G) High Yield Equity Plan (Bonus) High Yield Equity Plan (D) High Yield Equity Plan (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) LeadSectors Fund (D) LeadSectors Fund (G) Power and Energy Fund (D) Power and Energy Fund (G) Tax Plan (D) Tax Plan (G)

11.38 11.38 14.88 14.89 15.14 14.95 14.99 14.99 20.19 20.20 12.44 13.65 13.72 13.55 12.07 13.08 79.02 15.14 12.47 15.10 8.47 8.46 11.67 11.67 12.22 17.07 10.80 50.24

F

Fidelity Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) India Growth Fund (D) India Growth Fund (G) India Special Situations Fund (D) India Special Situations Fund (G) India Value Fund (D) India Value Fund (G) International Opportunities Fund (D) International Opportunities Fund (G) Tax Advantage Fund (D) Tax Advantage Fund (G) BNP Paribas China­India Fund (D) China­India Fund (G) Dividend Yield Fund (D) Dividend Yield Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) Future Leaders Fund (D) Future Leaders Fund (G)

23.53 37.19 12.95 12.95 17.63 19.44 11.78 11.78 14.21 14.21 19.21 23.07 9.27 9.27 11.43 18.56 12.19 36.04 10.01 10.05

Opportunities Fund (D) Opportunities Fund (G) Sustainable Development Fund (D) Sustainable Development Fund (G) Tax Advantage Plan (ELSS) (D) Tax Advantage Plan (ELSS) (G) Franklin Asian Equity Fund (D) Asian Equity Fund (G) Build India Fund (D) Build India Fund (G) FMCG Fund (D) FMCG Fund (G) India Bluechip Fund (D) India Bluechip Fund (G) India Flexi Cap Fund (D) India Flexi Cap Fund (G) India High Growth Companies Fund (D) India High Growth Companies Fund (G) India Opportunities Fund (D) India Opportunities Fund (G) India Prima Fund (D) India Prima Fund (G) India Prima Plus Fund (D) India Prima Plus Fund (G) India Smaller Companies Fund (D) India Smaller Companies Fund (G) India Tax Shield (D) India Tax Shield (G) Templeton India Equity Income Fund (D) Templeton India Equity Income Fund (G) Templeton India Growth Fund (D) Templeton India Growth Fund (G)

10.29 19.77 12.13 13.31 11.54 14.48 10.98 10.98 12.11 12.68 42.30 67.40 44.97 224.67 17.22 34.00 12.76 13.32 15.03 33.28 44.92 288.28 30.42 226.61 13.82 14.92 35.55 216.27 16.47 22.14 56.08 128.95

H

HDFC Capital Builder Fund (D) Capital Builder Fund (G) Core & Satellite Fund (D) Core & Satellite Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Long Term Advantage Fund (D) Long Term Advantage Fund (G) Long Term Equity Fund (D) Long Term Equity Fund (G) Mid­Cap Opportunities Fund (D) Mid­Cap Opportunities Fund (G) Premier Multi­Cap Fund (D) Premier Multi­Cap Fund (G) Tax Saver (D) Tax Saver (G) Top 200 Fund (D) Top 200 Fund (G) HSBC Dynamic Fund (D) Dynamic Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) India Opportunities Fund (D) India Opportunities Fund (G) Midcap Equity Fund (D) Midcap Equity Fund (G) Progressive Themes Fund (D) Progressive Themes Fund (G) Small Cap Fund (D) Small Cap Fund (G) Tax Saver Equity Fund (D) Tax Saver Equity Fund (G) Unique Opportunities Fund (D) Unique Opportunities Fund (G)

I

interference’ in their work – since many of the Assessing officers were older than their Range heads and probably more experienced. In several tax offices this supervision led to conflicts between the Range Heads and his officers. The Range Heads have powers under the Act to call for any file and issues directions either on his own motion or on the basis of the assessee asking for directions. But many of the Range Heads are not willing to put their directions in writing.

Many of the directions are often oral – and in the bureaucracy oral directions are not valid. Written directions require application of mind and many of the Range Heads are not willing to put their directions on paper. I remember a particular batch-mate of mine, whose directions in writing were often contradictory, but he always ended his directions with the cliché ‘the assessment must be completed according to law’ – if there was any other

right, but takes a contrary view since he does not wish to prejudice the department’s stance.

This is one of the reasons for the huge amount of tax arrears as also the reason for the large volume of appeals. While officers make the assessments, in many cases they are not able to collect the demand raised. On many occasions the officers get transferred at the end of the financial year and leave these uncollected demands to their successors. Can there be a system where the senior officers check the work of their subordinates? In theory, the Joint and Additional Commissioners are required to check the work of the officers of their Range.

Certain Additional Commissioners took it on to review each assessment passed by the officers of their Range. Many of the Assessing officers resented what they believed in ‘undue

28.30 116.82 24.37 42.87 54.02 293.91 35.94 91.78 12.59 12.59 42.85 146.40 14.04 16.97 15.94 15.94 17.14 30.23 68.72 244.62 52.48 222.04 10.97 10.97 27.58 109.65 17.29 36.71 12.72 23.80 11.57 13.60 12.41 13.34 14.39 15.60 12.05 12.05

ICICI Pru Bank& Financial Services Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) 18.43 Bank& Financial Services Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) 18.90 Discovery Fund (D) 21.91 Discovery Fund (G) 50.55 Dynamic Plan (D) 19.68 Dynamic Plan (G) 110.09 EmergS.T.A.R. Fund (D) 17.39 EmergS.T.A.R. Fund (G) 34.93 Equity Opportunities Fund (D) 12.25 Equity Opportunities Fund (G) 13.65 FMCG Fund (D) 36.72 FMCG Fund (G) 64.20 Focused Bluechip Equity Fund (D) 16.98 Focused Bluechip Equity Fund (G) 16.98 Fusion Fund (D) 14.80 Fusion Fund (G) 15.70 Fusion Fund Series ­ III Retail Plan (D) 13.32 Fusion Fund Series ­ III Retail Plan (G) 13.32 Growth Plan (D) 19.25 Growth Plan (G) 142.08 Indo Asia Equity Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) 11.27 Indo Asia Equity Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) 11.27 Infrastructure Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) 12.69 Infrastructure Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) 31.51 Power (D) 17.97 Power (G) 121.04

R.I.G.H.T. Fund (D) R.I.G.H.T. Fund (G) Services Industries Fund (D) Services Industries Fund (G) Target Returns Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) Target Returns Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) Tax Plan (D) Tax Plan (G) Technology Fund (D) Technology Fund (G) IDFC Classic Equity Fund ­ Plan A (D) Classic Equity Fund ­ Plan A (G) Equity Fund ­ Plan A (D) Equity Fund ­ Plan A (G) Equity Fund ­ Plan B (D) Equity Fund ­ Plan B (G) Imperial Equity Fund ­ Plan A (D) Imperial Equity Fund ­ Plan A (G) Premier Equity Fund ­ Plan A (D) Premier Equity Fund ­ Plan A (G) Small & Midcap Equity Fund (D) Small & Midcap Equity Fund (G) Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund (D) Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund (G) Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (D) Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (G) ING C.U.B. Fund (Bonus) C.U.B. Fund (D) C.U.B. Fund (G) Contra Fund (B) Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Core Equity Fund (D) Core Equity Fund (G) Dividend Yield Fund (D) Dividend Yield Fund (G) Domestic Opportunities Fund (D) Domestic Opportunities Fund (G) Midcap Fund (D) Midcap Fund (G) Tax SavFund (Bonus) Tax SavFund (D) Tax SavFund (G)

12.35 12.35 13.64 18.13 14.86 14.86 22.16 148.64 19.90 19.90 15.97 22.07 14.07 17.15 11.84 14.10 16.85 20.39 27.52 33.95 15.52 18.80 16.69 20.84 15.43 15.43 18.34 13.39 18.34 16.91 14.42 16.90 21.56 40.74 22.17 24.37 14.48 38.35 17.49 22.02 31.73 15.63 31.69

J

JM Agri & Infra Fund (D) Agri & Infra Fund (G) Basic Fund (D) Basic Fund (G) Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) EmergLeaders Fund (D) EmergLeaders Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) Financial Services Sector Fund (D) Financial Services Sector Fund (G) HI FI Fund (D) HI FI Fund (G) Large Cap Fund (D) Large Cap Fund (G) Mid Cap Fund (D) Mid Cap Fund (G) Multi Strategy Fund (D) Multi Strategy Fund (G) Small & Mid­Cap Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) Small & Mid­Cap Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) Tax Gain Fund (D) Tax Gain Fund (G) Telecom Sector Fund (D) Telecom Sector Fund (G) JP Morgan India Tax Advantage Fund (D) India Tax Advantage Fund (G) India Equity Fund (D) India Equity Fund (G) India Smaller Companies Fund (D) India Smaller Companies Fund (G)

2.74 2.74 11.39 16.31 5.92 5.92 8.56 8.54 15.93 39.13 10.55 10.55 5.52 5.52 15.20 20.67 17.42 25.42 14.57 15.67 5.74 5.74 7.46 7.46 8.19 8.19 15.86 19.59 13.15 14.16 8.18 8.18

K

Kotak 30 (D) 30 (G) Contra (D) Contra (G) EmergEquity Scheme (D) EmergEquity Scheme (G) Indo World Infrastructure Fund (D) Indo World Infrastructure Fund (G) Lifestyle Fund (D) Lifestyle Fund (G) Midcap Fund (D) Midcap Fund (G) Opportunities Fund (D) Opportunities Fund (G) Select Focus Fund (D) Select Focus Fund (G) Tax Saver (D) Tax Saver (G)

34.13 108.20 18.16 22.53 12.48 12.48 7.52 7.52 12.41 14.33 18.70 26.88 15.89 49.11 11.33 12.55 12.05 19.67

way it could be completed! It is sad but over the years the qualities of assessment have deteriorated. This is probably due to the fact that in the reorganisation of the department several have been promoted but were not fully trained or qualified to take on investigation or assessment. For to make a good assessment requires time and talent – the former that is lacking due to the frequent transfers and the latter that comes with training. The Department does have good training institutes and hopefully in time, the quality of the officers will improve. With effective officers, the quality of assessment will also improve, and the Department will be able to effectively collect tax that is due to Government.

The next year will see many new initiatives on the tax front.

Both the Direct tax Code and GST will make headway since both of them are to be brought into the statute in the year 2012.

(The author of the article is a retired Chief Commissioner of Income Tax. The views expressed by him are personal.)

L

L&T Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Global Advantage Fund (D) Global Advantage Fund (G) Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G) Hedged Equity Fund (D) Hedged Equity Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Midcap Fund (D) Midcap Fund (G) Multi­Cap Fund (D) Multi­Cap Fund (G) Opportunities Fund (D) Opportunities Fund (G) Small Cap Fund (D) Small Cap Fund (G) Tax Advantage Fund ­ Series I (D) Tax Advantage Fund ­ Series I (G) Tax Saver Fund (D) Tax Saver Fund (G) LIC Infrastructure Fund Series 1 (D) Infrastructure Fund Series 1 (G) MF Equity Fund (D) MF Equity Fund (G) MF Growth Fund (D) MF Growth Fund (G) MF India Vision Fund (D) MF India Vision Fund (G) MF Opportunities Fund (D) MF Opportunities Fund (G) MF Tax Plan (D) MF Tax Plan (G) MF Top 100 Fund (D) MF Top 100 Fund (G)

11.06 11.08 7.81 11.26 19.65 41.61 10.46 14.74 7.81 7.81 24.77 42.92 15.82 19.85 18.44 46.80 5.46 5.46 16.26 22.12 15.91 17.13 10.02 10.02 11.26 28.57 12.37 13.95 9.83 9.83 11.50 20.20 11.24 31.39 8.85 8.85

M

Mirae Asset EmergBluechip Fund (D) EmergBluechip Fund (G) Global Commodity Stock Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) Global Commodity Stock Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) India Opportunities Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) India Opportunities Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) Morgan Stanley A.C.E. Fund (Across Capitalisations Equity) (D) A.C.E. Fund (Across Capitalisations Equity) (G) Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G)

11.01 11.01 13.06 13.06 14.29 17.05 15.02 15.96 20.68 67.75

P

Pramerica Dynamic Fund (D) 10.05 Dynamic Fund (G) 10.05 Equity Fund (D) 10.06 Equity Fund (G) 10.06 Principal Dividend Yield Fund (D) 18.50 Dividend Yield Fund (G) 25.07 EmergBluechip Fund (D) 25.06 EmergBluechip Fund (G) 32.89 Global Opportunities Fund (D) 18.09 Global Opportunities Fund (G) 18.09 Growth Fund (D) 25.55 Growth Fund (G) 56.39 Large Cap Fund (D) 20.81 Large Cap Fund (G) 30.38 Personal Tax Saver Fund 103.43 PNB Long Term Equity Fund ­ 3 Yrs ­ Series 1 (D) 11.86 PNB Long Term Equity Fund ­ 3 Yrs ­ Series 1 (G) 11.86 Services Industries Fund (D) 13.86 Services Industries Fund (G) 15.64 Tax Savings Fund 82.02

Q

Quantum Long­Term Equity Fund (D) Long­Term Equity Fund (G) Tax SavFund (D) Tax SavFund (G)

R

23.66 23.46 23.41 23.42

Reliance BankFund (Bonus) 108.52 BankFund (D) 43.30 BankFund (G) 108.52 Diversified Power Sector Fund ­ Retail (Bonus) 80.55 Diversified Power Sector Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) 47.55 Diversified Power Sector Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) 80.55 Equity Advantage Fund ­ Retail Plan (B) 13.71 Equity Advantage Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) 13.71 Equity Advantage Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) 13.71 Equity Fund ­ Retail Plan (Bonus) 15.02 Equity Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) 15.02 Equity Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) 15.02 Equity Linked SavFund ­ Series I (D) 15.41 Equity Linked SavFund ­ Series I (G) 15.41

Seaplane service in Goa soon AGENCY NEW DELHI, DEC 26

India will Monday get its first seaplane service that is expected to improve connectivity and tourism in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

'This is the first time that seaplane operations are being introduced in India. The scheme approved by the government of India for Andaman and Nicobar Islands is for giving impetus to the tourism infrastructure in the islands,' an official statement said.

The statement added that seaplane operations will also be introduced in Lakshadweep, Goa and Orissa, among other places, and that the government has allowed 100% FDI in this sector.

The service will be opera-

Growth Fund ­ Retail Plan (Bonus) Growth Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) Growth Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) Infrastructure Fund ­ Retail Plan (Bonus) Infrastructure Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) Infrastructure Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) Long Term Equity Fund (D) Long Term Equity Fund (G) Media & Entertainment Fund (Bonus) Media & Entertainment Fund (D) Media & Entertainment Fund (G) Natural Resources Fund (Bonus) Natural Resources Fund (D) Natural Resources Fund (G) Quant Plus Fund ­ Retail Plan (B) Quant Plus Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) Quant Plus Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) Regular Savings Fund ­ Equity Option (D) Regular Savings Fund ­ Equity Option (G) Small Cap Fund (Bonus) Small Cap Fund (D) Small Cap Fund (G) Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (D) Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (G) Vision Fund ­ Retail Plan (Bonus) Vision Fund ­ Retail Plan (D) Vision Fund ­ Retail Plan (G) Religare AGILE Fund (D) AGILE Fund (G) AGILE Tax Fund (D) AGILE Tax Fund (G) Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Mid Cap Fund (D) Mid Cap Fund (G) Mid N Small Cap Fund (D) Mid N Small Cap Fund (G) PSU Equity Fund (D) PSU Equity Fund (G) Tax Plan (D) Tax Plan (G)

81.60 60.31 491.95 10.61 10.61 10.61 16.68 16.68 29.77 21.40 29.77 10.93 10.93 10.93 14.51 14.51 14.51 25.51 32.73 10.09 10.09 10.09 17.08 21.91 47.99 46.60 285.71 7.21 7.20 8.12 8.11 13.00 16.82 13.32 13.32 13.61 13.62 8.68 8.68 12.21 14.74 14.89 14.90 10.32 11.44 15.13 18.27

S

Sahara Bankand Financial Services Fund (D) Bankand Financial Services Fund (G) Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G) Infrastructure ­ Fixed PricOption (D) Infrastructure ­ Fixed PricOption (G) Infrastructure ­Variable PricOption (D) Infrastructure ­Variable PricOption (G) Midcap Fund (Bonus) Midcap Fund (D) Midcap Fund (G) Midcap Fund (Growth Auto Payout) Power & Natural Resources Fund (D) Power & Natural Resources Fund (G) Star Value Fund (D) Star Value Fund (G) Super 20 Fund (D) Super 20 Fund (G) Tax Gain (D) Tax Gain (G) Wealth Plus ­ Variable PricOption (D) Wealth Plus ­ Variable PricOption (G) Wealth Plus Fund ­ Fixed PricOption (D) Wealth Plus Fund ­ Fixed PricOption (G) SBI Blue Chip Fund (D) Blue Chip Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund ­ Series I (D) Infrastructure Fund ­ Series I (G) Magnum Comma Fund (D) Magnum Comma Fund (G) Magnum Contra Fund (D) Magnum Contra Fund (G) Magnum EmergBusinesses Fund (D) Magnum EmergBusinesses Fund (G) Magnum Equity Fund (D) Magnum Equity Fund (G) Magnum FMCG Fund Magnum Global Fund (D) Magnum Global Fund (G) Magnum IT Fund Magnum Midcap Fund (D) Magnum Midcap Fund (G) Magnum Multicap Fund (D) Magnum Multicap Fund (G) Magnum Tax Gain Scheme (D) Magnum Tax Gain Scheme (G) One India Fund (D) One India Fund (G) PSU Fund (D) PSU Fund (G) Shinsei Industry Leaders Fund (D)

16.01 31.72 24.57 84.64 12.09 16.53 12.57 17.11 32.28 17.28 32.28 32.28 11.68 13.69 11.33 12.34 11.89 11.89 17.36 38.93 19.40 23.25 18.54 22.39 12.14 15.53 10.37 10.37 17.33 25.66 23.83 59.75 18.42 41.50 34.08 45.17 29.46 31.83 56.93 24.48 18.70 24.38 14.48 19.06 43.49 63.80 11.67 11.67 10.29 10.29 12.46

tionalised under a memorandum of understanding signed between the Andaman and Nicobar administration and Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL), the statement added.

'The operations shall be on a 50:50 loss/profit sharing basis between PHHL and Andaman and Nicobar administration,' according to the statement.

The service will be operated through a Cessna 208A which has capacity of eight passengers and two pilots.

BOARD MEETINGS Jaihind Syn Zenith Info Gujarat Cotex Software Tech Source: Indiainfoline.com

Industry Leaders Fund (G) 12.46 Sundaram Capex Opportunities Fund (D) 13.08 Capex Opportunities Fund (G) 25.00 Equity Multiplier Fund (D) 11.99 Equity Multiplier Fund (G) 14.69 Financial Services Opportunities ­ Retail Plan (D) 16.60 Financial Services Opportunities ­ Retail Plan (G) 20.89 Growth Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) 13.35 Growth Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) 99.89 PSU Opportunities Fund (D) 11.70 PSU Opportunities Fund (G) 11.70 Rural India Fund (D) 14.68 Rural India Fund (G) 16.12 S.M.I.L.E Fund ­ Regular Plan (D) 13.32 S.M.I.L.E Fund ­ Regular Plan (G) 34.27 Select Focus ­ Retail Plan (D) 10.27 Select Focus ­ Retail Plan (G) 94.90 Select Midcap ­ Regular Plan (D) 17.96 Select Midcap ­ Regular Plan (G) 158.48 Select Small Cap Fund (D) 12.68 Select Small Cap Fund (G) 13.61 Select Thematic Energy Opportunities Funds (D) 8.56 Select Thematic Energy Opportunities Funds (G) 8.56 Tax Saver (OE) (D) 11.05 Tax Saver (OE) (G) 46.87

T

Tata Capital Builder Fund (D) Capital Builder Fund (G) Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Dividend Yield Fund (D) Dividend Yield Fund (G) Equity Management Fund (D) Equity Management Fund (G) Equity Opportunities Fund ­ Plan A (D) Equity Opportunities Fund ­ Plan B (G) Equity P/E Fund (G) Equity P/E Fund ­ Trigger Option A 5% (D) Equity P/E Fund ­ Trigger Option B 10% (D) GrowEconomies Infrastructure Fund ­ Plan A (D) GrowEconomies Infrastructure Fund ­ Plan A (G) GrowEconomies Infrastructure Fund ­ Plan B (D) GrowEconomies Infrastructure Fund ­ Plan B (G) Growth Fund (Bonus) Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G) Indo­Global Infrastructure Fund (D) Indo­Global Infrastructure Fund (G) Mid Cap Fund (D) Mid Cap Fund (G) Pure Equity Fund (D) Pure Equity Fund (G) Select Equity Fund (D) Select Equity Fund (G) Service Industries Fund (D) Service Industries Fund (G) Tax Advantage Fund ­ 1 (D) Tax Advantage Fund ­ 1 (G) Tax SavFund Taurus Bonanza Fund (D) Bonanza Fund (G) Discovery Fund (D) Discovery Fund (G) Ethical Fund (Bonus) Ethical Fund (D) Ethical Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Star Share (D) Star Share (G) Tax Shield (D) Tax Shield (G)

14.60 15.63 16.37 18.61 22.45 34.66 13.33 15.43 21.99 83.89 50.25 39.71 39.55 12.26 12.27 12.66 12.66 41.34 18.20 45.49 8.22 8.22 15.78 18.38 39.14 104.04 44.64 69.03 18.99 25.46 17.11 17.11 48.80 45.59 45.30 16.53 16.51 24.56 16.58 24.56 14.02 14.94 42.24 60.00 22.43 37.83

U

UTI BankSector Fund (D) BankSector Fund (G) Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Dividend Yield Fund (D) Dividend Yield Fund (G) Energy Fund (D) Energy Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) Equity Tax Savings Plan (D) Equity Tax Savings Plan (G) India Lifestyle Fund (D) India Lifestyle Fund (G) Infrastructure Advantage Fund ­ Series I (D) Infrastructure Advantage Fund ­ Series I (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Leadership Equity Fund (D) Leadership Equity Fund (G) Long Term Advantage Fund (D) Long Term Advantage Fund (G) Long Term Advantage Fund ­ Series II (D) Long Term Advantage Fund ­ Series II (G) Master Equity Plan Unit Scheme

25.91 44.58 13.53 14.65 15.48 33.73 13.02 11.49 50.89 57.58 18.05 42.44 11.95 11.95 9.18 9.18 20.22 35.51 15.20 16.40 13.49 13.49 14.99 14.99 51.98

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OBITUARIES MORE OBITS ON PAGE 14

Pg 13 GOA, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER, 2010

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Pg 14

INDIA

GOA, MONDAY 27 DECEMBER, 2010

FROM PAGE 1 Hari to meet G-10 members

“Hariprasad and many other Congress leaders arrived in the State late night to attend chief minister son’s wedding at a private resort on Sunday… They were supposed to arrive in the morning but flights to Goa were delayed due to heavy cover of fog in Delhi,” said a party source.

The State is witnessing high political drama after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) high command asked two of its legislators – Tourism Minister Nilkanth Halankar and Revenue Minister Philip D’Souza to quit from the cabinet.

The two ministers are facing high-level party inquiry, as they reportedly huddled in a meeting with Congress leaders at Congress General Secretary Vijay Sardessai’s residence, last week.

Soon after NCP leadership asked Kamat to drop one of its NCP legislators to induct Pacheco, Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao-led group warned that they will topple the government, if any of the ministers are dropped.

Burglars ransack temple

believed to have damaged the window panes and opened the latch before breaking open the iron grills with the help of a crow bar.

President of the Temple Committee, Yogesh Desai told newsmen that the miscreants laid their hands on a silver and gold plated idol, an 1,890 gold necklace, silver and gold plated sword and a shield, besides other items.

The incident came to light Sunday morning when a resident had gone to the temple to offer early morning pooja. After finding the temple door open, he immediately contacted the Temple Com-

mittee president Yogesh Desai, who intimated the incident to the Cuncolim police.

The burglars laid their hands on the cash of Rs 25,000 which was kept in the cupboard, and lifted away a silver plated idol, while attempts to break open the donation box proved futile.

Baffled over the temple burglary, the Cuncolim police requisitioned the services of a police dog and finger print experts, but in vain. The finger print expert is believed to have lifted two finger prints and the same is being verified.

District Collector, South G P Naik, District Police chief Allan de Sa, DySP Umesh Gaonkar and other senior police officers rushed to the spot to supervise investigations.

The Superintendent of Police, South told Herald Sunday evening that the police are working on a clue collected during investigation of the burglary. “DySP Umesh Gaonkar and PI Tushar Vernekar are working on the clue which may help to achieve a breakthrough”, he said.

Fatorda BJP MLA Damu Naik and other party leaders also visited the spot to take stock of the situation.

An IRB platoon, besides police drawn from other police stations were deployed in a massive combing operation to lay their hands on the burglars.

The Cuncolim police are investigating.

Fogged out

and Toronto.

“The departure of Air India flight AI 101 to New York has been revised to 8.30 am tomorrow, AI 127 to Chicago and AI 187 to Toronto have been rescheduled for 9 and 9.30 am respectively,” an Air India spokesperson said.

Two of the three cancelled international flights were departing ones – Austrian Air to Vienna and Etihaad’s flight to Abu Dhabi while the other was an incoming flight (Gulf Air from Bahrain).

With airline schedules going haywire after dense fog enveloped the Capital since last night, Civil Aviation secretary S N A Zaidi reviewed the situation with stakeholders including officials of airlines, DIAL, Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Metereology Department.

Under the new rules put in place, the visibility range has been relaxed and brought down from 175 metres to 150 metres for operation of large aircraft and 150 metres to 125 metres for smaller planes, Zaidi told reporters after the meeting.

This step will facilitate flight operations at a lower visibility conditions and reduce delays, he said.

However, he said no flights will be operated if the visibility is lower than 50 metres.

The fog began to envelop the airport from around 7 pm Saturday evening reducing visibility to zero and remained dense for about 17 hours.

Also, aircraft which are not compliant with category 3B conditions (low visibility) will follow a separate “fog schedule” and such flights will be allowed to land only after 10 am.

The new measures will also ensure that airlines do not carry out boarding of passengers till the visibility has reached 125 metres.

Directions have been also given to airlines to ensure they will adopt all possible means like e-mails and SMSs to keep the passengers informed of the latest status of flights.

“At present, at least 300 aircraft are category 3B compliant and about 2100 pilots are category 3B trained. So we have a large number of aircraft and pilot who can land during low visibility conditions upto a visibility of 50 metres,” Zaidi said.

Under category 3B instrument landing system, a flight can operate if the visibility is more than 50 metres.

“We’ve also taken a step that aircraft which are not compliant with category 3B conditions will follow a separate fog schedule,” he said.

Those aircraft which are not compliant with the 3B instrument landing system will land only after 10 am when the visibility is good. These aircraft, if they come to Delhi, will have to follow this rule, he said.

“The Ministry has taken a number of steps to ensure that during fog and low visibility period, the safety of flight operations is maintained and inconvenience to passengers is minimised,” Zaidi said. “It is further reiterated that ministry and DGCA attached paramount importance to safety of flight operations during fog period,” he said.

More troubles are in store for passengers with the Met Department making a forecast that the visibility at Delhi Airport would go down to Cat 3 conditions (100 meters visibility) from 10 PM tonight. It expects the situation to continue till 9 am Monday morning.

HC directs MCD to complete enquiries into graft cases PTI NEW DELHI, DEC 26

The Delhi High Court has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to complete enquiries on a "war-footing" into about 4,300 pending corruption-related cases.

The order was passed by a division bench of Chief Justice Deepak Misra and Justice Manmohan on December 22 on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Advocate Vivek Garg.

"There is a large scale corruption in civic bodies. The aim of PIL is to save poor people from being the victims of red-tape.

Corruption exists in certain gov-

ernment departments. We are happy at the court's order and hope that MCD will strictly comply to it," Garg said.

The court asked the civic agency to complete enquiries on a "war-footing".

In its submission before the court, the MCD said that it has also formed a team of nine-officers, at the level of Junior Law Officer (JLO) and above, for fast resolution of all enquiries.

Garg claimed that the court directed him to file a separate PIL on pending corruption cases against officials in Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Public Works Department (PWD), new Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Police among others.

"We shall soon be moving to the court," claimed Garg.

Garg has in its PIL sought the court's direction over large number of cases pending against MCD officials and enclosed details he got through the Right to Information Act. In reply to an RTI query, the Public Information Officer of Vigilance department of MCD had in last year said that as many as 4,299 cases were pending against about 3,350 officials.

Out of the registered cases, 1,435 cases were by anti- corruption branch of the Delhi Government, Police and CBI whereas 2,877 such cases were registered by the MCD's vigilance wing.

7 vehicles collide due to fog in Noida PTI GREATER NOIDA, DEC 26

Twelve persons were injured as seven vehicles collided with each others this morning on the Greater Noida Expressway here due to thick fog which hampered visibility, police said. The first collision took place between two trucks at 3 AM, they said.

As the trucks had not been removed from the Expressway, five cars which came later could not see the dilapidated vehicles due to the dense fog and rammed in to each other one after the other. Around 12 persons were injured and were taken to private hospitals nearby, the police said, adding, the last collision took place around 9 AM.

OHERALDO

15 GOA, MONDAY•27 DECEMBER•2010

Russia approves landmark nukes reduction pact Reuters MOSCOW , DEC 26

Russia's parliament gave preliminary approval to a landmark nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States on Friday, supporting ratification of the new START pact in the first of three required votes.

The vote, in the final minutes of the last session before a lengthy holiday break, came hours after President Dmitry Medvedev praised his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama as a man of his word for winning a tough fight for U.S. Senate approval earlier in the week. "(Obama)...fulfills his promises," Medvedev said in an endof-year interview with Russia's top three television channels.

"In rather difficult circumstances, he was able to push

through the ratification of the paramount START document which will ensure our security in the coming years," he said.

T h e t r e a t y, s i g n e d b y Medvedev and Obama in April, cleared its first hurdle in Russia's parliament with a 350-58 vote in a 450-seat State Duma dominated by the ruling United Russia party.

The pact, which arms control experts say Russia is all but certain to ratify despite vocal criticism from some lawmakers, will cut the number of strategic nuclear weapons deployed by the Cold War foes and cement improving ties between the two powers.

The U.S. Senate approved the treaty on Wednesday after contentious debate over its longterm implications for U.S.

security, delivering Obama a major victory during the 'Lame Duck' session ahead of the holidays.

During hours of debate before the Duma vote, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned lawmakers failure to approve the pact would upset the balance of power between the nucleararmed nations and isolate Russia from the international community.

The treaty "will bring Russian-American relations to a qualitatively new level, creates a balance of interests and is welcomed by the entire global community," Lavrov said.

Its rejection "would deal a serious blow to the reputation of Russia," he said.

MISSILE DEFENCES Lavrov and Defence Minister

Anatoly Serdyukov assured Russia's parliament, which usually serves as a rubber stamp for Kremlin foreign policy aims, that the treaty would not undermine Russia's security.

Russian lawmakers planned to return to the ratification debate in January after a holiday.

The ratification law faces two more votes in the Duma and one in the upper house before going to Medvedev for his signature.

Moscow is concerned that Russia's military might could eventually be undercut by U.S. missile defence plans, which Obama has said will not be restricted by the pact.

The preamble of the treaty cites an interrelationship between offensive and defensive weapons. But it places no limits

on missile defences, and Russia stressed it could withdraw if a U.S. missile shield weakened its nuclear deterrent.

The treaty will cut long-range, strategic nuclear weapons deployed by Russia and the United States to no more than 1,550 on each side within seven years.

Deployed missile launchers will be cut to no more than 700 on each side.

Russia currently has an estimated 2,600 deployed strategic warheads, while the United States has 1,968.

The agreement also creates an inspection and verification process to replace the one that expired nearly a year ago with the end of the original START accord, leaving the nations with decreased ability to keep tabs on each other's arsenals.

Religious tiffs break out in central Nigeria Reuters JOS, DEC 26

Clashes broke out between armed Christian and Muslim groups near the central Nigerian city of Jos on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, after Christmas Eve bombings in the region killed more than 30 people.

Buildings were set ablaze and people were seen running for cover as the police and military arrived on the scene in an effort to disperse crowds.

This correspondent saw dozens of buildings on fire and injured people covered in blood being dragged by friends and family to hospital. The unrest was triggered by explosions on Christmas Eve in villages near Jos, capital of Plateau state, that killed at least 32 people and left 74 critically injured.

Indian student killed in US during robbery PTI HOUSTON, DEC 26

A 22-year-old Indian hailing from Andhra Pradesh was shot dead early on Christmas morning during a robbery at a convenience store where he was working part time as a clerk.

Jayachandra Elaprolu was shot five times and was found dead when the police arrived on the scene.

The tragic incident occurred in Pasadena county of California state on early Christmas morning.

Police said they are now seeking at least two suspects in the shooting death, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Elaprolu was a student and was working at the convenience

store part time.

Ali Kahn, a manager at the store said Elaprolu was from India and had been working at the store for less than a month.

A video of the CCTV footage obtained by the police showed a man in a ski mask entering the Conoco gas station at about 2:20 a m (local time), before shooting the clerk and taking away the cash register.

Pasadena police spokesman Bud Corbett said the victim was shot five times.

Police distributed surveillance video from the store to local media outlets in an attempt to find witnesses, the paper said.

As the assailant confronted him, Elaprolu managed to get behind a door that led to a small office behind the counter, but he appears to have been shot through the door, according to police.

Female suicide bomber kill 45 in Pak AGENCIES ISLAMABAD, DEC 25

The wintery sun shines above the Polish-German border town of Lebus, Germany, 26 December 2010. Meteorologists forecast more icy temperatures for eastern Germany in the forthcoming days.

Heavy snowfall continues to cause misery across Europe PTI BERLIN, DEC 26

Flights across Europe were limping back to normalcy after some of the worst disruptions caused by an unusually harsh winter, but heavy snow and freezing conditions continued to cause misery on the roads and for the railways. Continental Europe's largest air hub in Frankfurt, which was almost paralysed by several days of heavy snowfall, said it is now back to its normal schedule, even though around 50 out of 860 planned flights had to be cancelled.

The airport had cancelled more than 600 daily flights when the flight disruptions reached their peak last week.

The last remaining passengers among around 3,500 air travellers stranded in Frankfurt since the snow chaos began a week ago, boarded planes bound for their destinations, an airport spokesman said.

At the Charles de Gaulle air-

port in Paris, where several hundred stranded travellers spent the Christmas eve at the terminals, the situation is returning to normal, according to airport officials.

But there were still some cancellations and long delays because the supplies of the chemical to de-ice the aircraft ran out and the airport authorities had to get it from other countries.

Most of around 2,000 stranded travellers in Paris finally managed to catch a flight yesterday, the officials said.

The airport authorities gave food and Christmas presents to several hundred of them, who stayed overnight at the airport, and also organised a Catholic mass for them on Christmas day on one of the terminals.

At London's Heathrow airport, where the extreme weather forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights leaving thousands of travellers stranded, the

situation has improved significantly, according to airport officials.

The airport is operating more than 90 per cent of its schedule and only very few flights were cancelled yesterday, the officials said.

The cancellations were mainly due to the problems at airports elsewhere in Europe, they said.

The Brussels airport, which closed one of its two runways after heavy snowfall on Friday and cancelled a number of flights, also said its operations were returning to normal.

Germany's second largest airport in Munich as well as the airports in Berlin, Hamburg and Duesseldorf said their operations too are back to normal.

Meanwhile, heavy snowfall and blizzards caused massive disruption of train services in northern and eastern Germany.

Dutch nab 12 on suspicion of terrorism AGENCIES ROTTERDAM, DEC 26

Dutch authorities have arrested 12 men of Somali origin they believe were about to carry out a terrorist attack, authorities said Saturday.

The country's intelligence service provided information that led to the arrests in Rotterdam, Public Prosecution Service spokesman Wim de Bruin told CNN. No weapons or explosives were found, he said. The suspects are in police custody.

"The attack was said to be imminent so the national police started an investigation which led to the arrest of 12 Somalis later on Friday in Rotterdam," de Bruin said. "We are not sure about what the target was, how they were going to carry out the attack or when."

A Dutch counterterrorism office spokeswoman said the immediate threat to the country has been removed and the terror alert level will remain "limited," or relatively low.

A suspected female suicide bomber killed at least 45 people in a crowd receiving food at a distribution centre in Pakistan's tribal region Saturday, officials said.

Seventy others were injured in the attack at Khar, the main town in Bajaur tribal district, where government forces are fighting Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.

Local government official Imtiaz Khan said about 300 people were gathered to receive food when the bomber struck. 'According to initial reports, the bomber was a woman wearing a burqa.'

'Forty-five people have been confirmed dead while more than 70 people are injured. Seven to eight people are in critical con-

dition,' Afif Khan, a medical officer at emergency department in Khar's main hospital, said over the phone.

A witness, Wasi Ullah, said a burqa-clad female aged 22 or 23 years first hurled hand grenades when stopped by security guards at the gate, where she detonated her explosives.

'Her body parts including hands and feet were seen lying near the gate,' he said.

It was only the third known suicide attack in Pakistan by a woman.

Thousands of families displaced by fighting between the military and Taliban fighters rely heavily on food provided by the government and the UN World Food Programme.

The Taliban took the responsibility for the attack in a message send to various news organisa-

tions.

Bajaur, one of the insurgents' key launching pads for crossborder raids in Afghanistan, was the scene of a 2006 drone attack at a religious school in Damadola that killed over 80 people.

Officials said Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of top Al Qaeda leaders, was the main target of that strike but he had left the place shortly before the attack.

The military announced last year that the area had been cleared of militants but it is believed that the insurgents are hiding in the mountainous border regions and target the army and people in Bajaur and neighbouring Mohmand district.

The bombing came a day after 150 Taliban fighters carried out coordinated attacks on five security posts in Mohmand in

Christian groups pledge support to woman held for blasphemy PTI LAHORE, DEC 26

Amidst pressure from Pakistan's religious hardliners not to amend a blasphemy law, Christian groups have pledged to take all possible steps for the release of a mother of five who has been sentenced to death for insulting Prophet Mohammed.

The death sentence given to Asia Bibi, a 45-year-old Christian woman convicted for blasphemy, has triggered a debate on the need to repeal or amend the controversial law. However, hardline groups had organised protests across the country, saying they will not accept any changes to the law.

For the first time since a lower court in Punjab province sentenced Asia Bibi to death last month, groups representing the minority Christian community organised a protest here yesterday and called on the government to drop the death penalty for blasphemy.

The rally, which coincided with Christmas, was attended by a

large number of Christians and rights activists.

It was organised by 10 organisations that came together under the banner of the Pakistan Christian Democratic Alliance (PCDA).

Holding placards and banners, the protestors shouted slogans and demanded the repeal of sections 295-B and C of the blasphemy law.

These controversial clauses, inserted during the regime of late dictator Zia-ul-Haq, prescribe the death penalty for anyone convicted for insulting Prophet Mohammed and life imprisonment for those found guilty of desecrating the Quran.

As the protestors marched

through the city's streets before assembling in front of the Punjab Assembly, they urged the government to curb the misuse of the blasphemy law.

“Our protest is not only for release of Asia Bibi but also for all those blasphemy accused, e v e n M u s l i m s , w h o w e re trapped under baseless charges.”

“Many innocent accused are behind bars even though no blasphemy case against Christians or Muslims has been proved to be genuine so far,” said Aslam Pervaiz Sahotra, an official of PCDA. The government should immediately take steps to get as many as 1,200 people accused of blasphemy released from prisons across the country, Sahotra said.

“Today's demonstration shows that the Christian community is protesting, even on Christmas, against misuse of the blasphemy law and for the release of Asia Bibi and all other accused,” he added.

which 11 soldiers and 24 militants died, officials said.

In retaliation, military helicopters pounded insurgent positions Saturday and killed at least 40 suspected militants.

'So far 40 militants have been killed by our forces,' said Amjad Ali, the senior civilian administrator of the district. 'The operation is still going on.'

The army said it had killed 64 insurgents in the last two days.

Meanwhile, UN chief Ban-Kimoon is appalled at the killing of innocent people in the "abhorrent" terrorist attack at a food distribution centre in northwest Pakistan where over 45 people were killed in an explosion triggered by a woman suicide bomber.

Reacting to the incident, the United Nations Secretary General condemned the act and conveyed his condolences to the families of victims.

Two militants killed in Gaza AGENCIES JERUSALEM, DEC 26

Israeli military officials say soldiers shot and killed two Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip Sunday.

Authorities say the militants were killed by an Israeli gunship as they were attempting to set up an explosive device in an area where Israeli troops patrol.

In the past week, militants have fired mortars and rockets into Israel wounding at least one person.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said Saturday it is prepared to escalate hostilities against Israel if tensions do not subside along the Israel-Gaza border.

On Friday, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar said his group will stay committed to its informal truce signed with Israel two years ago, as long as Israel does the same.

Israel and Hamas signed the truce at the end of a 22-day war between the two sides.

Assange signs autobiography deal for $1.5m Rein in the ultras, Iran tells Islamabad AFP LONDON, DEC 26

WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange said in an interview published Sunday he had signed deals for his autobiography worth more than one million pounds (1.2 million euros, 1.5 million dollars).

Assange told Britain's Sunday Times newspaper that the money would help him defend himself against allegations of sexual assault made by two women in Sweden.

"I don't want to write this book, but I have to," he said. "I have already spent 200,000 pounds for legal costs and I need to de-

fend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat."

The Australian said he would receive 800,000 dollars (600,000 euros) from Alfred A. Knopf, his American publisher, and a British deal with Canongate is worth 325,000 pounds (380,000 euros, 500,000 dollars).

Money from other markets and serialisation is expected to raise the total to 1.1 million pounds, he said.

The latest project of Assange's whistleblower website is the gradual release of tens of thousands of US diplomatic cables.

Since this latest project began Assange, who is on bail in Britain fighting a bid by Sweden to extradite him over the sex assault claims, has faced problems financing WikiLeaks.

Credit card companies Visa and MasterCard and the Internet payment firm PayPal have blocked donations to WikiLeaks, prompting Assange to label them "instruments of US foreign policy."

The Bank of America, the largest US bank, has also halted all

transactions to WikiLeaks.

Washington has been infuriated

by WikiLeaks as the site slowly releases the cache of around 250,000 secret US State Department cables. The US is believed to be considering how to indict Assange over the the huge leak.

Assange has been staying at a friend's country mansion in eastern England since his release from jail on December 16 on strict bail conditions that include reporting to police daily and wearing an electronic tag.

A court in London is due to hold a full hearing on the Swedish extradition request starting February 7.

PTI ISLAMABAD, DEC 26 Iran has stepped up pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terrorists, days after Islamabad announced the arrest of the chief of 'Jundallah', a sectarian Muslim group which carries out cross-border attacks inside Iranian territory.

Welcoming the capture of Abdul Rauf Rigi, a senior Iranian official however said Pakistan needs to deal with terrorists sternly. Rigi was captured in Pakistan on Friday.

He became chief of Jundullah after his brother Abdul Malik Rigi was hanged by Iran earlier this year.

The arrest was made after Iran pressured Pakistan to crack down on terrorists operating from its soil in the wake of a deadly suicide attack in the Iranian city of Chabahar.

“Abdul Rauf Rigi's arrest reflects the decisive determination of the government of Pakistan to confront terrorism," Ali Akbar Javanfekr, press adviser to the Iranian President, was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper.

Jundallah, literally meaning 'Soldiers of God', also known as People's Resistance Movement of Iran (PRMI), is an organisation based in Balochistan that claims to be fighting for the rights of Sunni Muslims in Shia domi-

Moscow, Delhi succeeded in melting ice of mistrust this year PTI MOSCOW, DEC 26

India and Russia succeeded in melting the ice of mistrust that had clouded their equation over the past few years, with a highly successful visit of President Dmitry Medvedev transforming bilateral ties into a “privileged strategic partnership.”

Medvedev's visit at the close of the year resulted in a USD 295 million deal for the design and development of advanced fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA).

The deal for the joint design

and development will result in India purchasing over 200 FGFA at an estimated total figure of USD 30 billion.

Besides, 29 other pacts in several key areas such as defence and civil nuclear sector to impart new impetus to their “special and privileged” ties to match the realities of the transforming world order.

Medvedev's visit was by far the most significant event in bilateral ties in recent times that managed to leave behind three years of mistrust in the Kremlin at a pro-US drift in India's foreign policy and the vexed issue of

cost escalation and delay in delivery of Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier.

The joint statement issued after the annual summit of leaders of the two countries on December 21 left no doubt in the resolve to carry forward the positive legacy of the past of the

time-tested bilateral strategic relations.

Observers say India can depend only on Russia in seeking sensitive items like leasing of nuclear attack submarine, development of indigenous nuclear submarine, joint development of a new genera-

tion fighter.

The optimistic tone in the bilateral relations was set by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who visited India in March to lay down the economic agenda and cement the dwindled political trust also dented by the appointment of a political lightweight as New Delhi's ambassador to Moscow in October 2007 to replace a series of high-profile ambassadors including two former foreign secretaries.

“With the current state of bilateral relations, I believe that each of these visits may be deemed historic, to a degree.

This year our bilateral relations have seen several major events,” believes Dr Tatiana Shaumyan, Director of Centre for Indian Studies of the Science Academy's Oriental Institute.

She said the recent meeting of the joint commission on military-technical cooperation has also focused on highly important issues.

A noted Russian expert of South Asia Prof Andrei Volodin says: "The pro-US part of the Indian elite clearly made a mistake of overlooking Russia's ongoing return to the world stage".

nated Iran.

Iran wants Pakistan to deal with terrorists sternly, Javanfekr said. Pakistan-Iran ties came under considerable strain after Jundullah carried out the suicide attack on a Shia procession in Chabahar.

Iranian leaders criticised Pakistan for its failure to end alleged Jundallah sanctuaries on its territory and prevent the crossborder movements of terrorists.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad telephoned his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari and called for the arrest and hand over of terrorists wanted

by Iran.

Abdul Rauf Rigi is believed to

have been detained in Balochistan after his telephone call to London-based Arabic daily Al Sharq Al Awsat was intercepted, allowing security personnel to trace his hideout along the Pakistan-Iran border.

In his interview with the daily, Rigi had threatened to kill an abducted Iranian nuclear plant worker in retaliation for the execution of 11 Jundallah men.

Pakistani officials said on Saturday that Rigi is likely to be handed over to Iran after being interrogated.

Abdul Rauf is the second member of the Rigi family to be arrested by Pakistani authorities.

2010 fantastic year for me, says Boyle AGENCIES LONDON, DEC 26

If 2009 made her a star, Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle says 2010 is the year she came of age.

What could be termed a fairytale rise to fame, in 2010, 'Britain's Got Talent' winner Boyle met the Pope, smashed world records for music sales, performed to millions around the world and even got a cherished diamond bracelet from music moghul Simon Cowell, reports mirror.co.uk.

'It's been an absolutely fan-

tastic 12 months. The year 2009 had been the best of my life and I never thought it possible to top it - but 2010 did just that,' said the 49-year-old.

'This past year has been my growing-up time. I know there's still a long way to go in my journey but I hope to prove to people that dreams don't have an expiry date,' she added.

Not bad for a woman who, just 18 months ago, was living in a council house in -Blackburn, West Lothian, with her cat -Pebbles.

Pg 16

SPORTS

GOA, Monday, 27 December, 2010

Shane helps Jawahar pip Brasil FA u-14 football HERALD SPORTS REPORTER MAPUSA, DEC 26

Shane Rodrigues scored with a fabulous chip from outside the box, to give Jawahar Club of Ponda a narrow 1-0 victory over Brasil Futebol Accademia in GFA U-14 football tournament at Ponda DSYA ground on Sunday. Shane netted in the 21st minute to seal the victory.

Although Shane scored the all-important goal, he also managed to narrowly miss four chances to increase the lead.

Jawahar’s Elsber Dias also came close, but his effort came

crashing back off the woodwork.

Brasil applied pressure down the flanks with some great dribbling skills from Jesroy Fernandes and Shelwyn Fernandes, but they failed to find the back of the net.

Jawahar defender Fleming Dias was in outstanding form and managed to stop the opponents from penetrating in the final third off the field.

Valencio Fernandes and Slager Moroes were booked for Jawahar, while Ashton Fernandes was booked for a reckless tackle for Brasil.

Jawahar have now collected 7 points from 6 matches with 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses.

Vedant to lead U-14 team HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, DEC 26

Vedant Naik will lead the Goa U-14 cricket team for South Zone KSCA tournament in Bangalore.

The team: Vedant (captain), Ishan Gadekar, Shubham Dessai, Snehal Kaouthankar, Lakshay Garg, Deepraj Gaonkar, L atif Khan, Neeraj Yadav, Mangesh Falari, Rahul Gavand e l k a r, K o u s t u b h N a i k , Suyash PrabhuDessai, Mayur Tilve, Sairaj Chari, V ick y Chauhan, Mithil Haldankar.

N a v n a t h K a m a t m a n a g e r, Pravin Barde coach, Ketan Bhatikar physio.

Carrom teams for Nationals HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, DEC 26

Shambu Pilarnekar and Navita Satardekar will lead the State junior carrom boys and girls teams respectively at the 39th Junior National and Inter-State Carom Championships in Dehradun from December 28 to January 2.

Other members of the boys team are Akash Naik, Suyash Karapurkar, Abhishek Dalvi, Mahesh Sanzgiry, Hrishikesh Pilarnekar, Ramdev Gautam and Videsh Pilarnekar. Girls team are Shikha Desai, Disha Mulgaokar, Varsha Halarnkar, Pranita Harizan, Ninni Naik, Supriya Chowgule and Chaitali Harizan.

Dilip Sawant (coach), Dinnanath Pilarnekar (boys manager) and Malini Chari (girls manager).

AngleRahul leads GSA to 2 win stars in facile Al Fatah’s victory nd

l

HERALD SPORTS REPORTER PANJIM, DEC 26

Two partnerships involving S a g u n K a m a t a n d Tu s h a r Narvekar (59 runs) and Regan Pinto and Aditya Angle (41runs) coupled with captain Aditya Angle’s 3 for 21 enabled Goa Sports Academy to register their second successive victory, beating Dempo Cricket Club by 5 wickets in GPL T20 at GCA stadium, Alto Porvorim on Sunday.

In the other match Al Fatah outplayed Sarvodaya Royals by 9 wickets.

Dempo tried to put up a brilliant fight in the beginning with the first wicket partnership between Swapnil Asnodkar and Rajesh Godge yielding 56 runs, but the departure of Swapnil for 17 put the brakes although Rajesh Godge tried his level best with a well made 35. Subsequently, it was Keenan Vaz and Vipin Chauhan who tried to revive the innings with a 26-run partnership.

Kayaking expeditions

PANJIM (HSD) – Goa Kayaking will conduct its special holiday expeditions on December 28 at River Mandovi, Old Goa to Ribandar from 7.30 to 10.30 a.m.; River Zuari, Agasaim bridgehead to Siridao beach from 7.30 to 10 a.m. and River Sal backwaters from 8 to10.30 a.m.

December 29 at River Mandovi, Old Goa to Ribandar from 8.30 to 11 a.m.; River Zuari, Agaccaim bridgehead to Siridao beach from 8.30 to 11 a.m. and River Sal backwaters from 8.30 to 10.30 a.m.

December 30 at River Zuari, Cortalim bridgehead to San Jacinto Island from 8 to 10.30 a.m.; River Mandovi, Old Goa to Ribandar from 8.30 to 11 a.m. and River Zuari, Agasaim bridgehead to Siridao beach from 8.30 to 11 a.m. and River Sal backwaters from 8.30 to 10.30 a.m.

December 31 at River Zuari, Cortalim bridgehead to San Jacinto Island from 8 to 10.30 a.m.; River Mandovi, Old Goa to Ribandar from 8.30 to 11 a.m.; River Zuari, Agasaim bridgehead to Siridao beach to 8.30 to 11 a.m. and River Sal backwaters from 8.30 to 10.30 a.m.

January 1 at River Zuari, Cortalim bridgehead to San Jacinto Island from 8 to 10.30 a.m.; River Mandovi, Old Goa to Ribander 8.30 to 11 a.m.; River Zuari, Agasaim bridgehead to Siridao beach from to 8.30 to 11 a.m. and River Sal backwaters from 8.30 to 10.30 a.m.

January 2 at River Zuari, Cortalim bridgehead to San Jacinto Island from 8 to 10.30 a.m.; River Mandovi, Old Goa to Ribandar from 8.30 to 11 a.m.; River Zuari, Agasaim bridgehead to Siridao beach from 8.30 to 11 a.m. and River Sal backwaters from 8.30 to 10.30 a.m.

January 3 at River Zuari, Cortalim bridgehead to San Jacinto Island from 8 to 10.30 a.m.; River Mandovi, Old Goa to Ribandar from 8.30 to 11 a.m.; River Zuari, Agasaim bridgehead to Siridao beach from 8.30 to 11 a.m. and River Sal backwaters from 8.30 to 10.30 a.m.

Kingfisher Pro League: Goa Velha Sports Club v. Dempo Sports Club, Duler Stadium, Mapusa, 4 p.m.

GFA 2nd Division: Benfica YC v. Cortalim Sporting Club, Tilak Maidan, Vasco, 4 p.m.

GFA U-16: Dunes SC v. Goa United Sports Academy, Morjim ground; Piedade YA v. Brasil Futebol Accademia, Divar ground. Kick off 4 p.m.

GFA U-14: Don Bosco Oratory Panjim v. Fr Agnelo Youth Center, Pilar, Don Bosco Oratory ground; Panjim; Dabolim Youth SC v. Vasco Club Juniors.

Kick off 4 p.m.

GPL T20: Salgaocar v. Goa Sports Academy, 9.30 a.m.; Dempo CC v. Al Fatah, 2.30 p.m.; GCA stadium, Alto Porvorim.

Fr. Agnelo Youth Soccer: Don Bosco Oratory, Fatorda v.

Wildred Leisure, Curtorim, panchayat ground, Avedem, Paroda, 4.30 p.m.

All-Goa 6-a-side tug-of-war organised by Penha de Franca SC, near Britona Panchayat, 5 p.m. (Spot entries to be accepted).

GSA put up a spirited display with good partnerships with captain Aditya leading by example.

Dempo 150 for 8. Rajesh Godge 35 (4 fours, one six), Swapnil Asnodkar 17 (3 fours).

Aditya Angle 3 for 21, Regan Pinto 2-33, Sachin Khokar 2-20.

GSA 155 for 5. Sagun Kamat 33 (2 fours, 2 sixes), Tushar Narvekar 31 (six fours), Regan Pinto 34 not out (3 fours), Aditya Angle 24 (2 fours, one six).

Sailesh Misquin 2 for 31.

Sarvodaya Royals 116 for 9.

Darshan Mishal 21 not out, Aniket Desai 20 (2 fours), Rohit Asnodkar 14. Ninad Pawaskar 326, Sher Bahadur Yadav 2-23.

Al Fatah 117 for 1. Rahul Keni 56 not out, Sachin Sardessai 35.

Sher Bahadur 18 not out. Darshan Mishal 1-19. Sachin Sardessai and Rahul Keni were involved in a 90-run first wicket partnership. Sher Bahadur and Rahul put on 27 runs for the second wicket.

Regan Pinto receiving the man-of-the match award.

GSA coach’s strategy pays off PERFECT YORKER

By SUDHIN KAMAT

T

he new coach of Goa Sports Academy, Prakash Mayekar was blushing all day as his well planned strategy

Facile win for Mandopa fr agnelo youth soccer

against Dempo Cricket Club worked wonders at GCA stadium Alto Porvorim on Sunday.

A big crowd was expected to watch the match where GSA was taking on Dempo. One up, GSA didn’t want to lose the advantage of winning the previous match. A win again would take their chances of making it to the semis easier and that’s what exactly happend.

After blunders in fielding, GSA looked a bit confused.

Dempo, after losing the toss were all smiles when Aditya Angle, the skipper of GSA put them into bat. Swapnil Asnodkar and veteran Rajesh Ghodge were both in attacking mood and smashed 50 runs off just 6

overs. Dempo managed 150 runs in their allotted 20 overs losing 8 wickets.

The GSA players looked a bit shaken but the composure and confidence of Sagun Kamat and coach Prakash Mayekar raised the spirit of the players. Aditya Angle, a brilliant captain also played a major part as he controlled the boys on the field very well. GSA reached the target in the 19th over, much to the joy of the GSA supporters who had come on the ground with flags and vuvuzellas.

In the second match, the wellbalanced Al Fatah side forced Sarvodaya to their second sucsessive defeat in two days. Batting first, Sarvodaya lost wickets at regular

Kaykee YC win NYK Cup

HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, DEC 26

Mandopa Sports Club got the better of Ambelim Sports Club 2-0 to move into the quarter-finals of Fr. Agnelo Youth intervillage football tournament organised by Fr. Agnelo Youth Sports Club, Cotombi, Paroda at panchayat ground, Avedem, Quepem, Sunday.

Mandopa dominated the proceedings throughout and kept on attacking the Ambelim's citadel time and again. Mandopa finally took the lead in the 19th minute of the second session through Richard D'Costa off a corner cross from Alister Gomes.

Stung by the setback, Ambelim tried their level best but their efforts proved futile as the opponents defense was too strong to penetrate. In the dying minutes Nevil D'Costa scored to increase the margin to 2-0. The score read blank at the lemon time.

The captain of Kaykee Youth Club received the trophy from Costatinho Antao in the presence of Anjulo Fernandes.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT MARGAO, DEC 26

Kaykee Youth Club, Majorda defeated Verna Sports Club to win the NYK Vacation Cup football tournament organised by Kaykee Youth Club at Dongorim ground, Majorda. Nelton Miranda and Bitu Mendes were the goal getters.

Former MPT footballer, Co-

statinho Antao was the chief guest and gave away the prizes.

Virgna Fernandes was the guest of honour.

Earlier, Anjulo P Fernandes, chairperson of Kaykee Youth Club welcomed. John Fernandes proposed the vote of thanks. The tournament was sponsored by Nehru Youth Kendra.

interval thus managing only 115 runs. Tight bowling by Sher Bahadur Yadav and company restricted Sarvodaya to a target which was easily achievable.

After star batsman Robin D’Souza’s departure, Sarvodaya looked a bit confused and succumbed to the pressure of Al Fatah bowlers. They finally chased the target set by Sarvodaya with a couple of overs to spare. The swapping of players before the tournament affected GSA as the rule that only 4 Ranji players can play in final eleven saw Anup Kolambkar being left out in the second consecutive match. If the same thing continues, Goa and not GSA would lose a good player in future.

Tony to resign HERALD SPORTS REPORTER PANJIM, DEC 26

Tony Remedios, president of Saligao Sporting, said that he would be submitting his resignation from the GFA’s committee on planning and development to GFA president, Shrinivas V Dempo on Monday.

Tony, reacting to the news item, “GFA panels list evokes reaction,” telephonically informed Herald on Sunday morning that he had never asked in the first place to be in the committee, and that he did not want any controversy, since he pointed out that his passion for football was unquestionable.

“In the past I was even the GFA vice-president and took up several jobs on voluntary basis and did full justice to the post.

I was deeply involved in the Duler Stadium project in Mapusa and several other works. I did it because football is a passion for me and I shall continue rendering all possible help, irrespective of being or not being in any panel,” Tony stressed.

“I will meet with GFA president Shrinivas Dempo on Monday and tender my resignation,” Tony clarified.

Football refs seek hike in remuneration HERALD SPORTS REPORTER MARGAO, DEC 26

The GFA headed by president Shrinivas V Dempo and Goa Football Referees Association (GFRA) with Blair Rodrigues as its chief pledged to work together as a team, forgetting the past differences, at the emergency general body meeting of GFRA at Don Bosco school, here on Sunday.

The GFRA turned in full strength while only GFA Executive Committee members Benjamin Silva, Gajanan Kerkar, Babli Mandreakr besides president Dempo represented the GFA. The GFRA submitted a memorandum asking that the GFA to grant them the affiliation since they were derecognised some years ago. It is for this very reason that some GFA members, did not attend today’s meeting, it is learnt.

The GFRA sought match entry passes for all retired referees and their families and that at least four referees to be recommended to be in FIFA referees panel. They also pleaded that referees should be recommended for State awards and that Gov-

ernment permission should be obtained to relieve them for duty to supervise matches and that referees kit be provided to them, besides also insurance policy and benevolent fund to help the sick and needy referees.

The GFRA felt that Dempo had given them a patient hearing and that he would consider their memorandum as he sought cooperation from them. Dempo is understood to have asked the GFRA to forget what had happened in the past and to look forward to work as one team.

The GFRA also strongly appealed that their remuneration and travelling allowances be raised substantially since these were based on very old norms. They were confident that this request would be met.

The GFRA, which has an office at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, stated that for the last five years they enjoyed good relations with GFA and that most of their members have been now nominated in GFA’s committee.

Benjamin D’Silva, chairman of referee’s and assistant referees’ committee, Benjamin Silva, who has already retired from active

refereeing, though he had one more year to go, and has now been appointed as deputy chairman of the committee spoke.

The referees’ and assistant referees’ committee: Benjamin Silva (chairman), ex-ref Benjamin (deputy chairman), Oswald Da Costa (secretary). Members – Bishut Themudo, Babli Mandrekar, Sanjeev Nagvekar, Lawrence Gomes (zonal secretaries), Gokuldas Nagvekar, Mauricio Almeida, Milagres Teresa, Diego Diniz, Custodio Almeida, Bernadinho Velho, Babu Arolkar, Gregory Estrocio, Anjulo P Fernandes, Blaize Rodrigues, Anthony Braganza.

Meanwhile, some members recalled that the GFRA was not recognized by GFA as the duties were allotted to the referees and assistant referees panel, thus making its work redundant, although GFRA was officially formed some decades ago and was recognized at one time. They also pointed out that there are no referees association in most of the States and that both AFC as well as FIFA have no provision for such an association of referees.

Portais Sporting Club and Goa United Sports Academy Calangute teams which played a goalless draw in an U-14 X’mas exhibition soccer match at Don Bosco school ground, Panjim on Sunday alongwith Anju Albuquerque, GFA Executive Committee member and Sporting Clube de Goa manager, Maria Mascarenhas, Special Judicial Magistrate North Goa, Ryan Cardoso, president of the club.

Pg 17

SPORTS

GOA, Monday, 27 December, 2010

Tallulah – the sprint star in the making

Taj’s F&B emerge champs

‘Yaya’ may be juvenile and shy but her speed could make you pent for breath and with the pace she is running in her athletic career, she certainly seems to be the next sprint star in the making.

Margao has become the buzz of the sports town these days, having grabbed gold medals in 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m run and 100m hurdle at the just concluded 35th State mini, secondary and higher secondar y school athletic championship at PJN Stadium, Fatorda.

Judging her own performance, the teen sprinter stated, ‘I am not too happy with my achievement as I could have performed better and set a new record by breaking Aranxa’s.’

When asked, Tallulah’s PE teacher, Damaciana D’Mello for her take on Tallulah’s perform-

ance she excitingly said, “I am very proud of Tallulah. It is because of her efforts that Fatima School won the team championship in athletics after a long break.”

Born in Taleigao on January 31, 1996 to Naumann and Ramona Braganca; this teen started running at the age of six. She bagged her first medal (bronze) when she was ten years old at the Nationals in Pune in U-14 girls category; this in fact is Tallulah’s glorious achievement.

Striking a balance between sports and studies is certainly a difficult task for majority of students, so is it for Tallulah

Tallulah’s achievements: l Eight times State individual champion. l Won a silver medal in 200m at West Zone

By MUMTAZ Y SHAIKH MARGAO, DEC 26

As an athlete she holds an Olympian’s potential, states a bio-mechanic tests conducted by a Russian and Venezuelan coaches in Singapore. She may be juvenile and shy but her speed could make you pent for

breath.

With the pace ‘yaya’ (as her fellow athletes call her) is running in her athletic career, she certainly seems to be the next sprint star in the making.

Tallulah Braganca, the U-17 girls individual champion, National player and a student of Fatima Convent High School,

championship in Bhopal. l One bronze in 200m and a silver in 100m at

School Nationals in Amritsar. l Gold (100m) at National inter-zone champi-

onship in Chandigarh. l Gold (100m) and a bronze medal (600m) at

Nationals in Jabalpur.

but with her liveliness she manages to plan out her schedule.

“I put in three hours of practice everyday. One hour in the morning before going to school and two hours in the evening (5-7 p.m.) and the little time that I get after coming from school, I utilize it for my studies,” states Tallulah.

Speaking her heart out, the teen sprinter said, “My parents have always been supportive.

In order to give me the best training from SAI coach Avdesh Kumar, we shifted from Mapusa to Margao since there are no coaches in Mapusa. I miss my old school though, St Mary’s but it’s fine because to gain something we need to loose something.”

When asked the teenager about her future goals, with a cool attitude, she said that her future is undecided but certainly would like to continue with sports. Tallulah, her daddy’s dearest, admires and aspires to be like the Jamaican athlete, Usain Bolt and wants to be the fastest. Tallulah’s next destination is Singapore for further coaching. She will leave in January.

Mohammad Uvais, HR manager and other officials of Vivanta By Taj – Fort Aguada giving away the winners’s trophy to the captain of Food and Beverage team.

HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, DEC 26

Food and Beverage defeated Maintenance Department by 9 wickets to wrap up the grand finale of T10 inter-department cricket tournament organised

by Vivanta By Taj – Fort Aguada at helipad ground, Sinquerim.

Maintenance won the toss

and elected to bat. They scored 78 for 8. Food and Beverage surpassed the target for the loss of two wickets.

Following prizes were distributed. Most enthusiastic player Dina Bagkar (Horticulture). Best batsman of tournament Ramesh Sharma (Maintenance). Best bowler Dilip Candolkar (F&B).

Best fielder Prashant Naik (Maintenance). Man-of-the match Vijay Mendonsa (F&B). Man-ofthe series Mandar Paranjape (F&B).

Dennis D’Costa, Executive Assistant Manager Accomodation of Vivanta By Taj – Fort Aguada was the chief guest and gave away the prizes.

SBI football match HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, DEC 26

The teams alongwith Brahmanand Shankhwalker, match officials, bank officials after the match.

Navelim in finals lalit suri cup HERALD CORRESPONDENT CANACONA, DEC 26

Wilson Cruz receiving the prize after winning the All-Goa open rapid chess tournament organised by Rotary Club of Margao in collaboration with Chess Association of Goa at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda.

Navelim XI beat Bachelor Boys of Salcete 2-1 in the semi-finals of Lalit Suri Cup 2010 at Devabhaga ground, here on Sunday.

There was nos core at the break.

It was man-of-the match Agnelo, who drew first blood for Navelim. However, their joy was shortlived as Raia’s Reliston scored off a rebound from Navelim’s goalkeeper Naik who parried a strong shot from Premson.

Navelim’s Agnelo sealed the match for his team.

Navelim await the winners of the 2nd semi-final match between Assolda Boys and Cuncolim to be played on Monday at 3 p.m. The finals are slated for December 29.

Reira Cup football tourney HERALD CORRESPONDENT CALANGUTE, DEC 26

Chichinim Villagers captain receiving the winners trophy from chief guest Fr Figueiredo and Vijai Sardessai at All-Goa Bro Eulalio Vaz memorial soccer tournament organised by Don Bosco Oratory at Don Bosco ground, Fatorda.

The 5th Reira Cup football tournament organised by Saligao Sporting Club will get underway at Saligao Sporting ground, Saligao in the 1st week of January.

The winners and runners-up will be awarded Rs 25,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively. Those interested may contact Tony Remedios on 9822981702.

India football players back Houghton AGENCIES NEW DELHI, DEC 26

The Bob Houghton-Pradeep Chowdhury spat took an ugly turn on Saturday when some members of the Indian team launched a vicious attack on Chowdhury and accused the manager of deserting the team in the build-up to the Asian Cup. In a statement issued on the website run by the Football Players Association of India (FPAI), of which Bhaichung Bhutia is the president, the national team players not only criticised Chowdhury for leaving the camp in Dubai in a huff but also blamed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for allegedly leaking news to the media.

While the statement from the footballers even declared they would not take Chowdhury back as the manager before the Asia Cup, seven other footballers — skipper Bhaichung Bhutia, Mahesh Gawli, Sunil Chetri, Syed Rahim Nabi, Subroto Pal, Deepak Mondal and Anwar Ali — went a step ahead by issuing separate statements slamming Chowdhury of doing very little as the manager.

“The entire team was upset at the fact Pradeep Chowdhury decided to do this and leave the team at sea, which just adds to the team’s miseries. They (the players) believe he could have easily set aside personal differences with the coach to keep the spirit

up,” the statement from the national team said.

“The players have also mutually agreed not to have Pradeep Chowdhury back in the camp as this has caused a lot of discomfort in the team, apart from being a cause of distraction and demotivation,” it added.

“Internal incidents are being leaked out of the federation and this is very unfortunate. The main reason for training away from India was to stay away from demotivating press reports but this has really caused a lot of disturbance,” the statement further said.

The individual statement issued by Bhaichung read: “I spoke to Pradip Chowdhury... He mentioned to me about his ill health and piled up personal work.”

“That may have been the reason he gave but we strongly feel that he could have stayed back and those were only alibis. At a time where the team needed all the support it could get, the manager left the team.

This is something we did not really require when we needed to stick to together as a family. I am very disappointed at his deci-

sion,” Bhaichung added.

Asked for his reaction, AIFF general secretary Kushal Das sounded extremely unhappy. “The players shouldn’t have got involved into this controversy. I will consult the AIFF president (Praful Patel) and the executive committee before deciding on our next course of action,” Das told The Telegraph.

On Friday, Chowdhury decided to pack his bags after a n a p p a re n t t i f f w i t h Houghton. The AIFF, however, said the manager was returning home because of personal reasons and may join the team before the Asian Cup. Chowdhury, however, said he came back because of family problems. “Those who are busy issuing statements against me are not doing any favour to Indian football. I would advise them to concentrate on their game and come out with an improved performance in the Asian Cup,” he said.

While players like Chetri, Nabi and Gawli accused Chowdhury of deserting the team at a crucial juncture and called him a parttime manager, some AIFF officials felt the footballers had no business to get into acrimony.

The Local Implementation Committee, State Bank of India, Administrative Office, Panjim hosted a friendly football match between its staff members of North and South Goa, at Santa Cruz grounds, Santa Cruz, recently.

The match saw young and old staff dashing out excellent football skills. The chief guest for the match was Brahmanand Shankhwalker, Sesa Foodball Academy adminsitrator. He was accompanied by his wife Shobha Brahmanand Shankhwalker, who is a SBI staffer.

Shankhwalker in his address appreciated the activity in bringing closer the staff members through the game and requested the organisers to extend this closeness to Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts, which is the operational area of the office.

He also expressed happiness saying, “This is a good initiative to fitness and desired to see more and better football from SBI in days to come.”

Allan Sequeira, National Supercross and Motocross champion who won the gold medals and champions trophies at National MRF Supercross and National TVS Sports and Tourism Goa Gold Cup Championship 2010 at Candolim felicitated by V M Prabhudessai, Executive Director, SAG in the presence of Navin Acharya, assistant secretary, SAG, Vinayak Naik, joint director, (accounts) and Cheryl Sequeira (manager).

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GOA, MONDAY, 27 DECEMBER, 2010 www.oheraldo.in

Steyn leaves India reeling l Dismisses Sehwag, Vijay, Dravid, Laxman

PTI DURBAN, DEC 26

An inspired spell by speedster Dale Steyn helped by some poor shot selection from Indian toporder saw visitors reeling at 183 for six when stumps were drawn on a rain-curtailed first day of the second Test match at Kingsmead, Durban.

Almost all the top-order Indian batsmen got starts but failed to continue with Steyn (four for 36) bowling a hostile spell pitching it on the seam, as the likes of Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were dismissed just when it seemed that they were getting a grip of the pace and bounce of the Kingsmead strip.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was batting on 20 and added 27 runs in company of Harbhajan Singh (15 batting) when play was called off due to bad light after 56 overs.

Dhoni, who hasn't enjoyed much luck with spin of coin lost another toss as Indians were put into bat in conditions which were absolutely conducive for seam bowling.

It was Murali Vijay who opened the batting with Virender Sehwag in the absence of Gautam Gambhir who is nursing an injury in his left knuckle.

While Sehwag (25, 32 balls, 4x4) hit a few boundaries, but he too was having a torrid time as Steyn repeatedly pitched it

Dale Steyn is ecstatic after dismissing Rahul Dravid for 25 runs at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban on Monday.

up and got it to swing away as both openers played and missed a few.

They played out the first 40 minutes before Sehwag's impetuousity cost him. Steyn bowled one fast and it moved a shade late as Sehwag launched into a drive only to be caught by Jacques Kallis at second slip.

Vijay (19) was never really sure where exactly his off-stump was. Steyn got one to move away late as the Tamil Nadu player poked at the delivery rooted to his crease and was easily snapped up by Mark Boucher.

Dravid (25, 121 mins, 68 balls, 3x4) and Sachin Tendulkar (13, 22 balls, 3x4) took India's score to 74 for two at lunch.

Dravid, who looked solid as he didn't look troubled by pace trio started well with a four off Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Neither did Tendulkar who hit Morkel for a couple of boundaries.

However Tsotsobe, easily the weakest link of the South African attack had the last laugh as he invited Tendulkar to go for a drive as the ball moved away and the thickish edge flew to Kallis at second slip.

At 79 for three, it was VVS Laxman who joined Dravid. Laxman (31, 4x4, 1x6) started with a pull-shot off Tsotsobe and then hit a punchy shot through the cover point region.

As Laxman grew in confidence, he took 13 runs off Steyn, who was spitting fire with pace and movement, hitting a six and a four to take India's score past 100.

Although Indians hit some delightful strokes, it was also a case of survival as the conditions were difficult for batting.

Dravid who batted for two hours became Steyn's third victim when he edged another outgoing delivery to Boucher to leave India tottering at 117 for four. It was identical delivery that got Vijay out. The only difference being it was a bit wildish and was moving farther away after pitching.

Laxman fell to a gem of a catch by Tsotsobe to give Steyn his fourth wicket of the day. The Hyderabadi stylist hit a full blooded pull-shot which was plucked by Tsotsobe i n c h e s a b o v e t h e g ro u n d stretching to his right side.

The effort was a brilliant one considering that it was Tsot-

AP MELBOURNE, DEC 26

Former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson is high on the list of the Indian Premier League's Kochi franchise for the coach's job but the owners are yet to take a final decision on this.

Kerala Cricket Association secretary TC Mathew told IANS that the franchise owners will take a call on the matter.

"I have been interacting with them and even though the final clearance for the coach has not been made, Lawson is very high on their list. Things are being deliberated and beyond that I do not have any role in such matters. With regards to the name of the team, I have suggested five names. It is ultimately the decision of the owners," said Mathew.

Dimitar Berbatov scored both goals on Sunday as Manchester United emerged from the grip of winter to beat Sunderland 20 at Old Trafford and consolidate top spot in the Premier League.

The Bulgarian headed the leaders in front after five minutes and struck again with a deflected shot after the break as unbeaten United moved to 37 points from 17 games at the start of a hectic holiday programme.

Manchester City are second with 35 points from 19 games after former United striker Carlos Tevez scored twice in a 3-1 victory at Newcastle United although Arsenal can move back above them with victory over fourth-placed Chelsea on Monday.

Bolton Wanderers are up to fifth thanks to a 2-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion.

Stoke City are eighth after a 2-

Contact us on: sports@herald-goa.com

HC stays proceedings against Modi AGENCIES MUMBAI, DEC 26

In a reprieve to former Indian Premier League (IPL) Commissioner Lalit Modi, the Bombay High Court on Saturday stayed the cricket board's disciplinary proceedings against him over alleged financial irregularities.

A vacation bench of justice SJ Kathawalla and justice UD Salvi stayed the proceedings till January 10, observing: "In my view it has made out a prima facie case that the BCCI cannot appoint two disciplinary committees under rule 13 and further that the BCCI cannot authorise a disciplinary committee to proceed with an inquiry in absence of its president."

Modi faces allegations of fin a n c i a l irregularities in the conduct of IPL. The disciplinary panel was due to meet in New Delhi on December 27 and 28. Modi's lawyers - senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, counsel Amit Desai and advocate Mehmood Abdi - argued that as per BCCI rules, there can be only one panel and it has to be appointed at every AGM. During the AGM held on September 29, the BCCI had not appointed any disciplinary committee and that it was acting contrary to its own constitution and bye-laws, Jethmalani argued.

On December 11, BCCI held a special general meeting for extending the period of the earlier disciplinar y panel and to constitute another panel under its rules.

Modi had earlier challenged the legality of the panel comprising Arun Jaitley, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Chirayu Amin saying it did not have the AGM’s mandate. Jethmalani argued the BCCI did

n In my view it has

made out a prima facie case that the BCCI cannot appoint two disciplinary committees under rule 13 and further that the BCCI cannot authorise a disciplinary committee to proceed with an inquiry in absence of its president -- Justices Kathawalla, Salvi not respond to an application to the disciplinary panel to stop further proceedings.

England bowler James Anderson (2nd right) is congratulated by teammates Kevin Pietersen (left), Graeme Swann (2nd left), Chris Tremlett (centre) and Matt Prior (right) after dismissing Michael Hussey in Melbourne on Monday.

bowled out for less than 100 in this calendar year; its lowest score on Australian soil since 1984; its lowest at the MCG since 1981; its lowest against England since 1968; and lowest against England in Australia since 1936.

On one of the most disheartening days in Australian cricket history, even the MCG's attempt to break the all-time

Test attendance record was not met. Pre-game predictions of the requisite 91,000 proved o v e ro p t i m i s t i c w i t h o n l y 84,345 fans taking their postChristmas hangovers to the ground.

By the end of play it was considerably less, and organisers will be lucky to get half that many for the remaining days of a game already drifting toward a foregone conclusion, hurting Australian cricket's bank balance as much as its on-field fortunes.

Strauss had no hesitation in sending Australia in on a grey morning, and with the MCG pitch notoriously difficult to bat upon in the opening session of a Test.

Australia's tentative batting display, the consistently good line and length of the England bowlers, and then the reverse

of both in England's innings meant the tourists led on first innings just 72.2 overs into the first day.

It took England less than two rain-shortened sessions to bowl Australia out in 42.5 overs, with six catches taken by wicketkeeper Matt Prior, two in the slips and two at gully, illustrating the ill-discipline of Australia's batsmen, who were constantly tempted to play at balls they should have left alone.

James Anderson and Chris Tremlett ended with four wickets each.

England's performance with the ball was excellent, bowling very few bad deliveries and allowing Strauss to set an attacking field on this helpful surface.

Tremlett's height and seam movement were devastating early in the first session.

Following the tea break, England strolled to a first innings lead without losing a wicket. It took them only 30.3 overs of their innings to go past Australia. Any thoughts of a miraculous comeback by Australia was put out of their minds by Strauss and Cook's punishing display.

They never looked worried by the bowling as the Australians struggled to get any movement on a drying pitch.

Captain Ricky Ponting, fielding at mid-off to protect his broken left little finger, lost patience with Mitchell Johnson after his first spell of three overs cost 17 runs.

Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was the most overworked man in the field, constantly diving down the legside to try to save wayward deliveries from all the bowlers.

Berbatov double keeps United on top Kiwis beat Pak by AGENCIES LONDON, DEC 26

Kochi yet to take call on Lawson as coach AGENCIES KOCHI, DEC 26

Australia first innings: S Watson c Pietersen b Tremlett 5, P Hughes c Pietersen b Bresnan 16, R Ponting c Swann b Tremlett 10, M Clarke c Prior b Anderson 20, M Hussey c Prior b Anderson 8, S Smith c Prior b Anderson 6, B Haddin c Strauss b Bresnan 5, M Johnson c Prior b Anderson 0, R Harris not out 10, P Siddle c Prior b Tremlett 11, B Hilfenhaus c Prior b Tremlett 0. Extras: 7. Total: 98 all out. Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-37, 3-37, 4-58, 5-66, 6-77, 7-77, 8-77, 992. Bowling: Anderson 16-4-44-4, Tremlett 11.5-26-4, Bresnan 13-6-252, Swann 2-1-1-0.

England first innings: A Strauss not out 64, A Cook not out 80. Extras: 13. Total: 157 for no loss. Bowling: B Hilfenhaus 9-3-26-0, R Harris 103-30-0, M Johnson 7-0-42-0, P Siddle 10-4- 13-0, S Watson 5-1-14-0, S Smith 6-1-22-0.

2 matches postponed

sobe's wrong side.

Cheteshwar P ujara (19) showed lot of promise during his 54-minute stay at the wicket including a confident boundary off a Paul Harris delivery.

Pujara was playing well, patiently leaving the good balls alone and pulled a couple of short ones off Morkel to the fence.

However with only three overs left for tea-break, it was Pujara's indiscretion that cost India another wicket. The talented youngster needlessly went for a pull-shot when Tsotsobe dug one short. The result was ballooning catch that Boucher gobbled up without any problems.

W i t h a l l t h e t o p - o rd e r batsmen back in the hut, the onus will be on Dhoni and Harbhajan to give the team's s c o re a s e m b l a n c e o f re spectability which will give them a chance to fight after being pegged back on the very first day.

India 1st Innings: Virender Sehwag c Kallis b Steyn 25, Murali Vijay c Boucher b Steyn 19, Rahul Dravid c Boucher b Steyn 25, Sachin Tendulkar c Kallis b Tsotsobe 13, VVS Laxman c Tsotsobe b Steyn 38, Cheteshwar Pujara c Boucher b Tsotsobe 19, Mahendra Singh Dhoni not out 20, Harbhajan Singh not out 15. Extras: 9. Total: 183 for 6. Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-48, 3-79, 4-117, 5-130, 6-156. Bowling: Dale Steyn 14-3-36-4, Morne Morkel 15-2-60-0, Lonwabo Tsotsobe 11-3-40-2, Jacques Kallis 8-2-18-0, Paul Harris 8-1-260.

England bowl out Aussies for 98 England took an iron grip on the Ashes by bowling out Australia for a record low score of 98 and then scoring 157 without loss on the opening day of the fourth Test today.

England can secure a successful Ashes defense by winning this Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and it would take an extraordinary turn of events to prevent the tourists doing that after a dominant first day today.

Sent in by England captain Andrew Strauss, Australia was bundled out for its lowest ever score against England at the MCG. All ten wickets fell to catches behind the wicket as the hosts failed to show the disciplined batting required on a seaming pitch.

England's opening pair put on a commanding performance, with Alastair Cook on 80 and Strauss on 64 at stumps. They showed the judiciousness and discipline that Australia's batsmen so glaringly lacked.

Australia's score reached all kinds of low: its lowest ever against England at the MCG (with the previous worst of 104 dating back to the first ever Test, played in 1877); its lowest ever first innings at the MCG; the second time Australia had been

SPORTS

Tallulah – the sprint star in the making Pg 17

Angle leads GSA to 2nd win Pg 16

SCORECARD Fulham . . . . . .1 West Ham . . . . .3 Man Utd . . . . . .2 Newcastle . . . .1 Wolves . . . . . .1 Bolton . . . . . . .2 Blackburn . . . .0

0 victory at Blackburn Rovers.

Carlton Cole was another striker in form, grabbing two goals for West Ham United as they won 3-1 at Fulham to climb off the bottom of the table, above Wolverhampton Wanderers who were beaten 2-1 at home by fellow strugglers

Sunderland . . . .0 Man City . . . . . .3 Wigan . . . . . . . . .2 West Brom . . . . .0 Stoke . . . . . . . . .2

Wigan Athletic.

Two of the holiday fixtures namely Blackpool- Liverpol and Everton-Birmingham City succumbed to the freezing weather conditions that have played havoc with the British sporting calendar in the past fortnight.

Manchester United's striker Dimitar Berbatov scores the opening goal in Manchester on Monday.

5 wickets in T20 AP AUCKLAND, DEC 26

Tim Southee claimed a hat trick and Martin Guptill scored a rapid half-century as New Zealand beat Pakistan by five wickets today in the first Twenty20 cricket international.

Southee claimed five wickets in a period of eight balls, finishing with 5-17 - the first fivewicket bag by a New Zealander in Twenty20 internationals - as New Zealand held Pakistan to 143-9 after winning the toss.

Guptill then made 54, including a 23-ball half century - the fastest by a Kiwi in Twenty20s to guide New Zealand to victory with 17 balls to spare.

Southee set up the win, which puts New Zealand 1-0 up in the three-match series, with an outstanding spell of swing bowling.

"I guess anytime you start a series with a win, and with the

way we've played in the last three or four months, it's a good feeling," Taylor said.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said his team would improve as it acclimatized to New Zealand conditions.

The second match of the series is scheduled for Hamilton on Tuesday.

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