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O HERALD O The Voice of Goa — Since 1900 panjim, saturday, august 7, 2010
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Goa’s Heartbeat: Julia says she’s a practising Hindu Pg 14
What a day may bring a day may take away. — Thomas Fuller
IN BRIEF BJP backs caste in census After being driven by in-house differences over inclusion of caste in census, BJP said it supports “canvassing” of caste in population enumeration and agreed with the Government that it should be done in a manner which does not affect “integrity of the headcount”. BJP, which was divided on inclusion of caste in Census with party president Nitin Gadkari and Sangh founthead RSS opposed to the idea, took the decision to support inclusion of caste in the census at its Core Group meeting. – (PTI)
CRPF contingent for Liberia A contingent of 120 CRPF personnel would soon join the United Nations Mission in Liberia, where it would provide security cover to its Prime Minister, besides training the war-torn country’s police force. – (PTI)
Business: What do China’s stress tests mean for markets? Pg 13
112 killed in Leh flash floods PTI LEH, AUG 6
Over 110 people were killed and a few hundred more are feared washed away in a cloudburst followed by torrential rains and flash floods that devastated this Himalayan town in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir early this morning. Eyewitness accounts and other sources fear that the death toll could cross over 500 as several far flung villages were yet to be accessed by rescue teams in this high-altitude terrain. “We have recovered 112 bodies so far and at least 370 are injured. The number of missing is yet to be ascertained,” State Police Chief Kuldeep Khoda said and added that the toll may go up. A contractor told senior state administration officials that 150 of his labourers were missing from Shyong village where he had lodged them. The colony was set up along the river Sindh and the officials feared that many huts would have been washed away in the flash floods. The Army was being asked to give an account of local and outstation labourers. Over 200 people were still reported to be missing from the worst-hit village Chougham Sar, 13 kms from here. Authorities said that the Army had suffered losses in Turtuk area. Some of the villages along the Chang La pass, world’s sec-
Nearly a week after a migrant woman died of H1N1 in the commercial capital, leptospirosis has claimed the life of a young boy at the Khareband area of the city. The victim boy, aged around 16 years, breathed his last at the Hospicio hospital after battling for life. Doctors at the Government hospital informed that the boy was admitted on late Wednesday night and died the following day. Sources in the know said the boy bled excessively before he breathed his last on the hospital bed. Following the incident, Hospicio authorities intimated the case to the Margao Urban Health Centre to collect data on the circumstances leading to the death of the young boy. When contacted, Dr Geeta Kakodkar of Margao Urban Health Centre confirmed to Herald that the boy indeed died of leptospirosis. “The deceased boy was staying at Khareband in a crowded chawl like structure. Many people, even from outside visit the chawl. The
People stand under damaged houses after flash floods in Leh, Srinagar on Friday.
ond highest motorable road, were also believed to have been washed away in the torrential rains. A three-member Central team comprising Farooq Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Prithviraj Chavan will be visiting the area tomorrow. The nation, led by President Pratibha Patil expressed grief over the tragedy that had befallen on this town during the night. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too expressed sorrow over the loss of life and property in
LEPTOSPIROSIS Is an infectious disease transmitted by animals, including rat. The disease is transmitted through contact with infected soil or water. Symptoms begin 2 to 25 days after direct exposure to urine or tissue of an infected animal. place may be infested with rodents, the cause behind the sad incident”, Dr Kakodkar added. “Leptospirosis is an infectious disease and is transmitted by animals, including rat. The disease is transmitted through contact with infected soil or water”, doctors said Information reveals that the soil or water is contaminated with the waste products of an infected animal. People contract the disease by either ingesting contaminated food or water or by broken skin and mucous membrane (eyes, nose, sinuses, (Continued on page 10)
the flash floods and announced ex-gratia relief of Rs one lakh each to next of kin of each of the deceased. Leh airport runway was affected due to the inclement weather but was made operational by afternoon to facilitate landing of aircraft carrying relief material and rescue teams. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah flew to Leh to make an on-thespot assessment of the situation. He visited the areas and spoke to the affected families. Omar reviewed the rescue
Vasco youth’s car traced at Taleigao HERALD REPORTER VASCO, AUG 6
Vasco Police on Friday morning traced the missing car of Naresh Dourado, who was brutally murdered at his brother’s flat at Chicalim in the wee hours of Sunday. “Vasco Police found the abandoned Chevrolet Spark car (GA06-D-4306) at an isolated area in Aaradi Band, Taleigao, on Friday morning”, said South Goa SP Allen D’Sa. Vasco police has collected some fingerprints from the car and are trying to match those with police record and other people associated with Naresh. Police claimed that they are inching towards solving the case, but refrained from divulging further details. Vasco Police PI Braz Menezes informed that they have not yet traced the mobile phone and laptop, which also went missing from the flat after the murder. Meanwhile, police are interrogating close associates and colleagues of Dourado. A police official told Herald that Dourado was pursuing a Masters degree in Business Management from IFEN and are also questioning some of the students from the institute.
and relief measures being jointly carried out by the Army, police and district administration. He directed the Leh administration to be at the beck and call of the people in this need of hour. The Chief Minister said the focus should be on rescuing those who are expected to be alive under the debris. Expressing deep grief and sorrow over the loss of human lives, Omar said the critically injured persons will be airlifted from Leh to other hospitals for appropriate treatment.
Drug nexus existed during BJP rule too: Ravi Naik
PTI NEW DELHI, AUG 6
Cornered Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi today refused to step down despite wide-scale corruption allegations against OC, insisting that he might consider such a move only after the event if asked to by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “I am not thinking about resigning. The investigation is on. I am not quitting. We are doing a great job”, Kalmadi told reporters at the OC headquarters while unveiling the medals for the October 3 to 14 event here. In an interview to a TV channel earlier in the day, Kalmadi had hinted at resigning if asked by the Prime Minister, Congress President Sonia Gandhi or
Dynamics Limited (BDL). The Defence Ministry had signed two deals in December 2005, and March 2007, with Russian firm Rosoboronexport for importing 42 of the MBRL systems along with launch, transloader, command and staff, meteorological support complex
and workshop repair vehicles. The supplies under the two contracts were completed in June 2007, and May 2009, but the audit found that the systems in the MBRLs were faulty, resulting in failure in operationalising them on time. It also found there was a delay in buying the logistics support equipment and formulation of war establishment. Moreover, four rockets were damaged in transit from an Indian airport to the defence units due to the absence of a suitable material handling equipment, resulting in a loss of Rs 2.36 crore.
the Indian Olympic Association, which he heads. But Kalmadi said such a possibility existed only after the Games. “There is no question of it. Post the Games, if Mrs Gandhi and Manmohan Singh and IOA want me to quit then only I would quit. Everything is going fine. The whole team is working day and night to make the Games a success”, he insisted. The corruption allegations began with a Central Vigilance Commission report which pointed out financial bunglings in handing of construction and other contracts. Kalmadi faced more embarrassment when he made public ‘doctored’ e-mails from the Indian High Commission to justify payments worth lakhs of pounds to a UK-based company for servi c e s p ro v i d e d d u r i n g t h e Queen’s Baton Relay in London. Organising Committee’s Joint Director General T S Darbari, who oversaw the QBR’s London
leg, was suspended after the furore. A three-member probe panel is currently investigating the matter after the Ministry of External Affairs revealed that the e-mails were ‘doctored’ to add the UK-based A M Films name as a recommended company for car rentals and other services. Despite the damaging allegations, Kalmadi said, “We are doing a great job.” “The CVC report has come and technical officials have given a preliminary report and it is true that some of the stadiums are still to be ready and (Mike) Fennell (Commonwealth Games Federation chief) has also made some observations about that. There is concern but while we are taking over stadiums, we are making sure that things are alright”, he said. “In case they are not, we are asking the handlers to give in writing that they will be ok within a certain span of time”, he added.
— Suresh Kalmadi
In another instance of Defence Ministry buying poor quality weapons for its Army, the CAG found that it had ordered for 4,100 “outdated” 1970s vintage missiles for Rs 587 crore in 2008, from BDL, a Defence PSU, thereby “compromising the Army’s requirement.” In the report, it said the AntiTank Guided Missile Milan-2, a second generation missile with single warhead produced by BDL, had limited capability to defeat modern tanks, but it added that there was an upgraded version Milan-2T with tandem warheads that was more effective.
US to increase H-1B visa fee PTI WASHINGTON, AUG 6
The US Senate today approved a substantial increase in application fees for H-1B and L1 visas most sought after by Indian IT professionals to fund a USD 600 million emergency package to improve security along the porous Mexican border. The proposed massive increase in H-1B and L1 visa application fee would primarily affect the top Indian IT companies who rely on these categories of visas to continue with their work in the US. The Senate measure increases the visa fee to USD 2,000 per
the details of Lucky Farmhouse and also to Under Secretary Home, to obtain approval to depute a team to Sweden for collecting evidence from her, he said. On allegations levelled in a CD that was broadcast on one of the local news channels on March 5, 2010 against Police Inspector Ashish Shirodkar that he stole drugs from the court godown to sell them in the market, the home minister maintained that all possible evidence in support of the allegations in the CD were collected by the police.
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Oppn blocks Ravi’s speech over hafta remark
Ravi Naik trying to make his point after Opposition repeatedly interrupted his speech on the last day of the Monsoon session of the Legislative Assembly. Photo by Rozario Estibeiro.
I am not thinking about resigning. The investigation is on. I am not quitting. We are doing a great job. Post the Games, if Mrs Gandhi and Manmohan Singh and IOA want me to quit then only I would quit
Says Defence Ministry buying poor quality weapons PTI NEW DELHI, AUG 6
Home Minister Ravi Naik today said the police-politician-drug dealer nexus existed in the State for the last several years. In his written reply tabled in the Assembly, Naik said this nexus existed even before 2006 when he took charge as Home Minister. “It is not that drug activities were not there earlier from the year 2000 to 2006 (when BJP had ruled) and prior to that”, he said. The House witnessed din at the start of “Question Hour” itself at 11.30 am as the Opposition, taking exception to Naik’s statement in the media, repeatedly interrupted his speech demanding a CBI probe. The home minister’s pleadings to Opposition members to allow him to speak went unnoticed and the Speaker asked him to place the paper on the table of the House. “I know some of the politicians are making reckless, irresponsible statements to create a misunderstanding in the minds of people. The duty of the Opposition is to check the ruling party to see that there are no faults in the administration. The whole purpose is the welfare of people. But here, the whole purpose is to misguide the people to get political mileage”, he said in his written explanation.
The five page explanation, however, did not comment on the Opposition demand for CBI enquiry nor did he say anything specific to dilute charges made by the Opposition of his son’s involvement in the drug nexus. While the Opposition claimed that investigation into the drug nexus case was sabotaged, Naik said for the first time in the history of Goa police, action had been initiated against so many police officials. All attempts to contact Atala’s ex-girlfriend were made and she has responded saying that she will visit India by the end of August 2010, Naik said in his reply. On June 11, 2010 a letter rogatory was sent to assistant director, CBI (Interpol) to get
No quitting: Kalmadi
CAG report shoots down rockets, missiles Russian-made Smerch rockets bought by India for Rs 2,633 crore for its Army were defective, due to which these “could not be fully operationalised”, Government auditors have found. In a report tabled in Parliament today, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) also said the multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) system had several defects in its launch vehicles, outlaying fire controls and data transmission and there were defects in the Milan anti-tank missiles supplied by Bharat
Sports: Narang threatens to pull out of Games Pg 18
HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, AUG 6
Teen falls prey to leptospirosis HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, AUG 6
priCE rs. 3.00 (air surcharge rs. 1.50) pages 18
application on those companies that have less than 50 per cent of their employees as American citizens. “I prefer our source, which is from these companies which are not, as I say — they are companies whose whole purpose is to bring people in on H-1B and the vast majority of them from other countries who go back to the other countries. That is a better funding source”, Senator Charles Schumer from New York said in his remarks on the Senate floor. Schumer along with his other democratic colleagues including Senator Claire McCaskill introduced the legislation.
German mom does not want case to continue HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, AUG 6
In a major setback to the prosecution in the German minor girl rape case, the mother today said that the victim will not depose before the Goa Children’s Court and she does not want to continue with the case. The 14-year-old German girl’s mother who had accused Education Minister Babush Monserrate’s son, Rohit of sexually abusing her daughter, in a letter to the Court said that she has no intention of pursuing the case against Rohit Monserrate. Similarly, in an email to the Calangute police dated July 30, 2010, the mother has stated that her daughter will not depose before the court as she does not remember anything. “I have no intention of pursuing the case against Rohit as my daughter does not remember anything and will not depose in the matter”, the e-mail reads. The e-mail and the letter is seen as a form of reply by the mother to the Court’s order in March 2010, which had asked the victim to depose before the court today. Meanwhile, the public prosecutor Poonam Bharne has asked court to grant yet another opportunity to convince the victim to depose in the court. Goa Children’s Court President P V Savaikar has kept the (Continued on page 10)
With deforestation everywhere, poor wild animals have no choice but to come on to the street.