Samjhauta blast to be probed by NIA

New Delhi, July 30: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take over the probe into the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast, Home Minister P Chidambaram announced on Friday while also saying the government aimed to contain Maoist violence in three years through ‘security and development’ efforts.
Presenting his ministry’s monthly report card for July, Chidambaram also said the government was ready to talk to different Kashmiri groups on the prevailing situation in the Valley. Asked about the blast in Assam on Friday which killed four paramilitary troopers, Chidambaram said the personnel were targeted while coming from an army training centre.
He said not all groups in Assam had come for talks and factions of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) had not joined the dialogue process. Answering queries on the Maoist problem, Chidambaram said it had been there since the 1960s and there had been stages when it had grown and stages where it has been contained. He said a change of heart would ultimately have to come about among the Maoists.
“They have to give up that ideology. There is no place for it in parliamentary democracy,” he said, adding that the government’s ‘development side and security side’ approach should be able to contain the problem substantially in three years. “That is the goal,” he said.
Chidambaram said the NIA would take over investigations into the Samjhauta Express bombing as the case has not been cracked so far. “NIA has been directed to take up the cases of Samjhauta Express and the (planned) attack on Deloitte Hyderabad,” Chidambaram said. At least, 68 people were killed in bomb blasts on board the Samjhauta Express near Diwana railway station in Panipat, Haryana, on February 18, 2007. The train links India and Pakistan. Asked about the involvement of Hindu radical groups in the Samjhauta Express blast, he said it was difficult to answer as the case has not been solved. “That’s why we gave the case to NIA,” he said, adding that it will probe if those linked to the Mecca Masjid and Malegaon blasts had a role in the Samjhauta Express blast. Chidambaram said the government was ready to talk to different Kashmiri groups on the prevailing situation in the valley as there is no harm ‘in meeting our own people.’ “I have been meeting those from different shades of opinion. Prime Minister Minister Manmohan Singh has said the government is ready to talk to different groups. What is the harm in meeting our own people?” he said.
Asked whether the writ of separatists was running in the Valley, Chidambaram said he did not agree. “May be in Srinagar or some other parts, they may be able to mobilise support and call bandhs.” Answering a query on crimes in Delhi, Chidambaram said such incidents were part of urban life everywhere. “In a city with a population of 1.5 crore, there could be some crime. I am not condoning it. The question should be if we are making our police effective,” he said. Chidambaram said talks between government interlocutor RS Pandey and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) have resumed. He also said the sixth round of talks on the demands of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha were held on July 24. The minister said PC Haldar, who is the interlocutor for talks with rebel groups like NDFB (PT), DHD (N), DHD (J) and UPDS in Assam and ANVC Meghalya, will also be the interlocutor for proposed talks with the ULFA.
He said that 375,957 pilgrims had visited the the Amarnath shrine in Kashmir till July 29 since the start of the yatra from July 1. Regarding border management, he said 16.8 km of formation works and 0.88 km of surfacing work had been completed in July on the Indo-China border. (IANS)

Poll panel working to make NRI voting practical

New Delhi, July 30: The Election Commission is discussing the various ‘logistical issues’ to make voting rights ‘practical’ for non-resident Indians (NRIs), the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi said on Friday.
“We have done some discussions with the ministry of overseas Indian affairs and other departments. We are trying to find a way out,” Quraishi told reporters here. He said various issues like whether the voting would be postal or whether the voter has to be present at the voting counter need to be sorted out. As the government is in favour of voting rights to NRIs, the commission is trying to make it practical, he added. Quraishi said the poll panel was considering proposals for transforming the voter identity cards into bio-metric ones.
“We have viewed some presentations. We are studying the matter,” he said, noting one proposal was how to utilise the bio-metric data collected by the unique identity card mission for the use of voter identity cards. Quraishi sought to brush away misgivings about the electronic voting machines (EVMs). The EVMs, which were first used in India in 1982, have undergone periodical tests and innovations, he said. Regarding the coming Bihar assembly polls, he said the poll panel was proceeding with the work on finalising the schedule and security of the elections. The security situation will be factored in detail before deciding in how many phases the polls should be held, he said.
To queries whether there were plans to conduct the assembly polls in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu earlier than scheduled, Quraishi said, “The commission comes into the picture only six months before the polls are due. That stage has not come in these states.” (IANS)

Rising prices wash away first week of monsoon session

New Delhi, July 30: Opposition parties continued to force the adjournment of both houses of Parliament on Friday, marking the end of the first week of the monsoon session that has been washed away with no real business conducted due to demands for a discussion on rising prices as an adjournment motion that entails voting.
The stalemate continued for the fourth day on Friday with a united opposition adamantly putting forth its demand, forcing two adjournments of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the second one till Monday. With the government saying it was prepared for a discussion on the price rise issue but not as an adjournment motion and the opposition insistent in its demand, has meant that Parliament has not been able to transact any real business on the four working days of the monsoon session that began on Monday.
The proceedings on the opening day were adjourned after obituary references to former MPs who had died in the inter-session period. Apart from government papers being laid before the second adjournment of both houses on the previous four days, the only business transacted was the approval of president’s rule in Jharkhand. Twenty-four sittings of the monsoon session were scheduled, of which five have been lost, leaving 19 more.
As the Lok Sabha assembled at 11 am on Friday, angry opposition members led by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj (Bharatiya Janata Party) were on their feet, demanding an adjournment motion on the price rise issue. “I request you to adjourn the question hour and accept our notice for adjournment as per the rule 184 (which entails voting),” Swaraj told Speaker Meira Kumar. The speaker rejected the demand and attempted to proceed with the question hour amidst a din. As Meira Kumar called for the questions listed for the day, many opposition MPs advanced to the speaker’s podium, shouting slogans to press for their demand.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal objected to the opposition’s demand and accused them of ‘deliberately stalling the house’.
“They are talking about rules and won’t let the house function,” he said. “Please let question hour proceed,” urged Meira Kumar but protesting MPs didn’t relent, forcing the speaker to adjourn the house till noon. The din continued when the house reassembled and the speaker asked for papers to be laid, following which she adjourned the house for the day. The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned on the price rise issue till noon. As on previous days, the trouble erupted as soon as the house assembled at 11 am, with SS Ahluwalia of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Manohar Joshi of the Shiv Sena leading the opposition in demanding that question hour be suspended and the house discuss the spiralling food prices.
“Please let question hour proceed,” urged Chairman Hamid Ansari but to no avail. He then called the first question but the MP who had posed it was not present in the house. Ansari then called the second question but the opposition protests, which were rather muted on Friday, continued. He then adjourned the house till 12 noon. The protests continued when the house re-assembled and Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan asked for papers to be laid on the table. Opposition members advanced to the speaker’s podium as he was reading out the agenda for the coming week, on completing which he adjourned the house for the day. (IANS)

Defence Ministry cancels tenders for Coast Guard helicopters

New Delhi, July 30: In a major setback to Coast Guard’s plan to upgrade its capacity post-Mumbai attacks, the Defence Ministry has cancelled a tender for hiring eight helicopters for transport and evacuation operations after going through the year-long selection process.
The Defence Ministry had floated the tender for leasing the eight helicopters from global manufacturers in the middle of 2009, a deal that would have been worth several crores of rupees. Four major helicopter manufacturers -- French Eurocopter, British-Italian Agusta Westland, Russian Kaman and American Sikorsky -- were provided the tender documents. But only Sikorsky and Agusta responded to the tender towards the end of 2009. However, after about eight months of scrutinising the tender papers and opening of commercial bids, the Defence Ministry decided to cancel the tenders and go in for a re-tendering process, a Defense Ministry official said.
The Coast Guard plan was to place two helicopters in four different coastal cities. The Defence Ministry official said though one of the companies was selected for awarding the lease contract, the price negotiations failed. (PTI)

Bihar stares at drought

Patna, July 30: Bihar plans to declare more than two dozen districts drought hit soon, with the state already recording a 20 per cent rainfall deficit, officials said on Friday.
An official in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s office said the decision was likely to be taken in the next cabinet meeting in a day or two. The government has asked all district magistrates of areas with scanty rains to submit their reports by Friday evening. on the basis of which, the final decision will be taken.
Official sources said a high level meeting of the state disaster management department chaired by Chief Secretary Anup Mukharjee was held here on Thursday.Officials say paddy transplantation is badly hit in the districts of Gaya, Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Arwal and Nawada, which had been declared drought hit last year following a rainfall deficit of 29 per cent. Farmers are also complaining that there is no water in the canals for irrigation. A large part of central Bihar is irrigated by water from the Sone river and regulated through canals.
“Poor rains coupled with non-availability of groundwater have already delayed paddy transplantation in large parts of the state.  (IANS)

‘Still no visibility for parallel cinema in India’

Mumbai, July 30: Parallel cinema is still struggling to find a place in India and even multiplexes have not been able to create space for it, says veteran actor-director Amol Palekar.
“Non-mainstream cinema is mostly forgotten when we talk about Indian cinema. Only masala Hindi films are not what Indian cinema consists of,” Amol, 65, told IANS in an interview here. “There is no platform for smaller films. It is crowded and bombarded by mainstream films and their hype and hence there is no visibility for different films,” said Amol, who helmed movies like Thodasa Rumani Ho Jaye, Daayraa and Kairee. “We need to make people aware of other films as well, so that it is not limited to just a niche audience. People say now with multiplexes, small films are getting their space, but it's not so. Even in multiplexes, small films get two shows and big films get 19 shows, so how will it be visible?” he said.
Amol is ready with yet another small-budget, non-stars film, And Once Again. It is slated to hit the screens on August 13. The English film is the story of a man who loses his wife and child in a violent attack. While trying not to go over the edge, he seeks psychiatric care but just when he feels his life is back to normal, he faces another dilemma. Asked if English as the language of the film would not restrict its reach, the filmmaker disagreed. “It is a myth that Hindi gives you a wider reach. Hindi has a wider reach provided you are making a mainstream masala film. But if you are not making a big film then it really doesn’t help so much. The subject of my film is such that it is meant for a niche audience; so even if I had made it in Hindi, it would not have reached the masses,” said Amol.
And Once Again is extensively shot in Sikkim and stars Antara Mali, Rajat Kapoor and Rituparna Sengupta. After Paheli, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukherji, Amol refrained from making a mainstream film. So when does he plan to get back to that genre? “I go by the subject and not by stars. I make films according to what the subject requires. If I have a subject that requires big budgets and mainstream actors, I will make it. The starting point of my filmmaking is not the market issues. I don’t make a film because I want to do business. I make films because I have a subject that I want to share. The subject comes with a demand,” said Amol, who also faced the camera in many films like Rajnigandha, Baaton Baaton Mein and Golmaal among others.
As far as future projects go, Amol says he works on one project at a time. “It’s only after the entire work of this film is completed that I’ll start thinking about my other project. I work on one thing at a time,” he said.  (IANS)

Ready to talk to Kashmiri groups: Chidambaram

New Delhi, July 30: The government is ready to talk to different Kashmiri groups on the prevailing situation in the valley as there is no harm ‘in meeting our own people’, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Friday. “I have been meeting those from different shades of opinion. Prime Minister Minister Manmohan Singh has said the government is ready to talk to different groups. What is the harm in meeting our own people?” Chidambaram asked after releasing the monthly progress report of his ministry for June. Asked whether the writ of separatists was running in the valley, Chidambaram said he did not agree. “May be in Srinagar or some other parts, they may be able to mobilise support and call bandhs.” “According to the Jammu and Kashmir government, the situation is near normal,” Chidambaram said. The state government had taken several steps, including a new surrender policy, providing compensation for those killed and injured and schemes for the creation of jobs, he added. The situation in the Kashmir Valley has been turbulent in the past month, with frequent protests by stone-pelting mobs and at least 17 civilian deaths during clashes with security personnel. (IANS)

Aamir loses sleep as Peepli Live release nears

Mumbai, July 30: Aamir Khan is known to give his heart and soul to his projects and the superstar admits that he’s extremely nervous as his production venture Peepli Live nears its release date. “As 13th August gets closer, the butterflies in my stomach are really beginning to flutter around. Have lost my appetite and my sleep,” Aamir wrote on his blog. “I’m really depending on you guys (audiences) this time round for support. This is an especially tough one with no big stars and a film based in a rural background.” “For those of you living outside India please tell all your friends, neighbours, collegues, gardners etc, who may not have ever seen an Indian film before, to give this one a try. Assuming you like it of course,” he added. Directed by debutant Anusha Rizvi, Peepli Live is a satire on society. It revolves around two impoverished farmers - Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri) and Budhia (Raghubir Yadav) - who live in a village called Peepli. They are about to lose their land due to their debts. An incompetent politician suggests they commit suicide to get government help. The news spreads and the media turns Natha into a celebrity. (IANS)

Kareena Kapoor in Filmfare Power list

New Delhi, July 30: Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor has managed to secure a position in the Filmfare Power List 2009 for the second consecutive year. The actress moved up two places higher from the 10th spot to the 8th on the list this year Brand Bebo has much reason to celebrate this year as she was also titled ‘Best Ambassador’, crowned highest paid actress and bagged the maximum number of brand endorsements. She was also the sole Indian ambassador for the international leg of the Global Campaign for education - 1Goal. “It’s Kareena’s sheer talent, beauty and hardwork that got her here. She worked with all the Khans as well as Akshay Kumar in 2009, the only actress to have had that honour,” said a trade analyst. (IANS)

Rishi Kapoor is the best actor ever

Mumbai, July 30: Filmmaker Kunal Kohli, who has directed actor Rishi Kapoor in films like Hum Tum and Fanaa, says he is the best actor ever. “Met the ever-charming and my favourite Mr Rishi Kapoor last night over a drink. One of nicest human beings and best actor EVER !” Kohli posted on his Twitter account. (IANS)