agence france-presse
London, 14 July
The hospital is ready, the Wikipedia page and Twitter accounts are up and Britain’s famously creative press are running out of ideas. But Sunday arrived with no sign of the royal baby.
Prince William is filling the time until his wife Catherine goes into labour playing polo, taking part in charity matches yesterday and today with his younger brother Harry. He has taken a couple of days off from his work as a search and rescue helicopter pilot in Wales, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said, although he refused to say when the prince might be going back.
The palace has stayed tight-lipped about the birth of the new third in line to the throne, saying nothing for days other than to reiterate that Catherine is due some time in mid-July.
The Press had pencilled in Saturday as the day, but bookmakers William Hill tipped Sunday as the likely due date, with Paddy Power offering equal odds on Sunday and Monday.
The only thing that is certain is that babies rarely come on time and that when this new heir to the Windsor dynasty arrives, the world will be ready.

J K Rowling unmasked as secret crime novelist
press trust of india
London, 14 July
British author J K Rowling, known all over the world for her popular Harry Potter series, has been unmasked as the writer behind a crime novel released recently.
The Cuckoo&’s Calling, about a war veteran turned private investigator called Cormoran Strike, was released in April under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith to great critical acclaim. “I had hoped to keep this secret a little longer because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience,” she told The Sunday Times after the newspaper uncovered the true identity of the author.
“It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name,” she added.
A clue that Rowling was behind the novel was that she and “Galbraith” shared an agent and editor. The book was published by Sphere, part of the Little, Brown Book Group, which published her foray into writing novels for adults, The Casual Vacancy. The book’s style and subject matter bore similarities to her other works, claims The Sunday Times which set about uncovering the truth behind how a first-time author could write such an assured debut novel.
Its plot centres on the death of a troubled model who falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony. Her brother calls in Cormoran Strike, a damaged war veteran turned detective, to investigate her death.

Bull-running ends: Spain’s famous Pamplona bull-running fiesta wrapped up on Sunday with another five seriously injured after nine days that landed a total of 50 daredevils in hospital.     AFP
Texas abortion Bill: Republicans in the Texas Legislature passed an omnibus abortion Bill that is one of the most restrictive in the USA, but Democrats have vowed to fight in the courts and at the ballot box.     PTI
Israel targeted Syria: US officials say Israel targeted advanced anti-ship cruise missiles near Syria’s principal port city in an air attack carried out earlier this month, The New York Times reported.     AP
Journalists alive: France says that two French journalists who were kidnapped in Syria last month are alive, but that one of six French hostages in Mali is likely dead as the Al-Qaida-linked captors have said.   AP
Park on the Moon: Lawmakers are pushing a plan to establish a national park on the Moon. A new Bill introduced in the US Congress would create the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historical Park on the Moon.  AFP
Moscow crash: Russian investigators on Sunday interrogated the hospitalised driver of a truck that ploughed into a packed passenger bus outside Moscow killing 18 people and injuring dozens. AFP

EXECUTIVE Engineer, P.W.D., Burdwan Division, Burdwan, invites Electronic Quotation vide E-N.I.Q. No. 05 & 06 of 2013-2014, for the works under Burdwan Division. Detailed downloading / uploading may be made from the website: https://etender.wb.nic.in
Executive Engineer-II Burdwan Division P.W.D. (B0001)         C20304

QUOTATIONS are invited for repairing College benches. For details please open www.kidderporecollege.com
Phone: (033) 2459-7790. C20309

CORRIGENDUM
In the Public Notice appeared on 28-06-2013 in The Statesman in English and Dainik Statesman in Bengali under classified advertisement. The word ‘Sangita’ should be read as ‘Sangbita’. The name should be read as ‘Sangbita Bose’ and not Sangita Bosu.
Sudipta Kumar Bosu
Sujata Bhowmick
Sangbita Bose
Place: Kolkata
Date: 12-07-2013
(B0002)         C20306

I, KESHAV Kumar Kothari do hereby declare that my daughter Shivangini Kothari, shall henceforth be known as Shivangini K Kothari, vide Affidavit sworn before Ld. Ex. Magistrate at Sealdah on 01-07-2013.         C20311

I, PREMESH Kumar Sardar, S/o. Probodh Sardar, R/o. Vill + P.O.: Hotor, P.S.: Mograhat, Dist.: South 24 Pgs., shall henceforth be known as Premesh Kumar Sarkar, vide affidavit sworn before 1st Class Judicial Magistrate at Sealdah on 29-04-2013.
     C20307

I, SURAJIT Mondal, S/o. Salil Kumar Mondal, R/o. S1/101, A.P. Nagar, Sonarpur, South 24 Pgs., Pin-700150 shall henceforth be known as Surajit Kumar Mondal, vide affidavit sworn before Notary Public at Calcutta on 12-7-2013.         C20308

THE ADVERTISEMENT published on 29th August, 2012 (bearing No. C13640) regarding the appointment of Teaching & Non-Teaching Staff and related matters has been cancelled due to some unavoidable circumstances.
Secretary
Budge Budge Abbey
High School
78, M.G. Road
Budge Budge
South 24 Pgs.
Kolkata-700137    
    C20305

This year&’s Rath Yatra brought communities and cultures together in Siliguri, says angshuman paul
 

Walk through the lush green temple premises of International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Haiderpara, Siliguri and you’ll find that a calm serenity pervades. Apart from the rain-kissed terrace, colorful bougainvilleas and shiny white and saffron interiors, smiles on the monks’ faces here will cajole you. This time around you’d be greeted by an amazing resilience as monks are busy organising the chariot festival to Lord Jagannath – popularly known as Rath Yatra. Posters publicising the event, pandals, wooden chariots and extravagant  arrangements fill every nook and cranny of the temple premises. Organisers claim that more than 10,000 devotees from across India and abroad attended the event which commence at 2 pm on 10 July.
   Ananda Bardhan Das, temple president, ISKCON, Siliguri said the procession traveled from Haiderpara to other eminent places in Siliguri like Hasmi Chowk. He said the ISKCON yatra is the biggest one in North Bengal. The festival will be a nine day affair and more than 7000 devotees are expected to visit the temple during these days.
But Siliguri&’s Rath Yatras aren’t only limited to the flamboyant ISKCON one. There are other equally graceful yatras organised by other groups across Siliguri and in its outskirts. There are at least three other indigenous rath yatras in the city. Lord Jagannath defines the cosmopolitan in Indian mythology.
Jagannatha means lord of the world and miraculous, mystical stories of him are based on a fusion of Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Just as in Christianity an emphasis is laid on the power of a trinity, in the same way the magic of Jagannath pays heed to a triad that includes himself, his brother Balabhadra and his sister Subhadra. The colours of these three deities represent the skin colour of people from three different continents. Being dark himself, Jagannath represents Africans, Balabhadra – depicted as white – represents Europeans and Americans and Subhadra, with her pettish skin tone, represents Asians.
   Rath Yatra represents Jagannath stepping out of a state of rest into a state of motion to meet people irrespective of their caste and religion. Rathkola, Siliguri claims to host one of the biggest Rath Yatras in Siliguri. In fact, the place derives its name from this reason. This time around organisers didn’t plan on anything extravagant because of financial constraints and the rain played spoilsport. If you really want to receive the deity&’s blessings, then you should take a trip to Sakitagarh where the triad is worshipped in kirtans. The ceremony starts with a zealous dance with drumbeats.
  The Rath Yatra&’s zest in Siliguri is incomplete without a visit to Bidhan Market Road.
Here the Bidhan Market business community anticipates the joys of celebrating the festival and arrangements are made for nearly 1,000 devotees who celebrate the festival with a float parade.
Visitors are enticed by fairs and the festival is profitable for organising committees too since mobile stall owners mint money. Lord Jagannath embraced all cultures and communities and you can too during this year&’s Ulta Rath.

There is no definite fare chart for pedicabs in Siliguri and people have a hard time commuting from one place to another because the service is too expensive, says anindita raha

The line – take me home rickshaw, you know my address – which was once used reliably is barely used in today&’s world. People don’t even bother calling a rickshaw nowadays. So what has caused people to become indifferent to this particular vehicle especially in Siliguri?
In the past, people would walk miles to reach their destinations. But today walking has become a mere physical exercise to keep one&’s body slim and fit. Small two-wheeler or three-wheeler vehicles like rickshaws, autos and buses have replaced it. Previously there were two-wheeler rickshaws generally drawn by one man with one passenger.
But this vehicle has now transformed into three-wheeler pedicabs dramatically changing lifestyles and people gradually became dependent on them. Every advantage has its disadvantage and this was no exception and in return this increasing dependency raised fares.
Today one can barely think past using these vehicles to commute from one place to another even if the distance is short. What you paid a rickshaw wala a few years ago for his services has doubled today. As if that&’s not enough, they aren’t satisfied with what you give them as fare and negotiations usually end in a lot of haggling and scraps. These tendencies are gradually increasing day by day in Siliguri and both common folk and the administration is quite aware of this problem. Though commuters have to face problems regularly, no one is eager enough to come forward and solve it.
Few years ago, some people got the opportunity to speak their mind out on a local television channel in the presence of Siliguri mayor, Gangotri Dutta. Still nothing has been done though apparently a chart has been made with rates according to the distance traveled. However whenever commuters travel in rickshaws, the drivers prefer to pick a fight when they are asked to produce their fare charts. With every passing day, it&’s becoming hectic for people to afford this price rise.
The administration is further mocked because rickshaw walas were provided with green uniforms which they were expected to wear for the duration that they work but after the first few days they went back to wearing normal clothes. Regardless of whatever happens, the administration hardly takes any responsibility.

Quattrocchi dies in Milan, taking Bofors secret along

Ever since the disaster in Uttarakhand, tourists are seeking secure places to visit and state tourism boards are trying to accommodate them with the same, says swaati chaudhury

With the rains playing havoc in Char Dham, tourists in Bengal are in a fix when it comes to planning for the puja holidays in the Himalayas’ pilgrim resorts and most of them now prefer safer destinations. The recent Travel and Tourism Fair focused on a number of state tourism departments that are cashing in on Bengal&’s tourists with virgin beach resorts and holy sites.
   With a focus on safe tourism, Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation is luring Bengal&’s tourists with helicopter rides at its fascinating Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Bineeta Rai, chief executive officer, STDC said, “Tourists can enjoy helicopter rides in Gangtok to get grand aerial views of sceneries that replicate Char Dham, Samdruptse and Sai Mandir in Namchi, South Sikkim. We are laying a lot of stress on pilgrim tourist sites including Namche and Tathagat Tsal in South Sikkim.”  The Dalai Lama visited Tathagat Tsal from 24-26 March this year.
   The state government has also taken an initiative to start a conservation programme across the state. Rai said, “We do not encourage unplanned construction activities in our state and buildings more than five and a half stories high are not allowed to come up. In case of natural calamities, our disaster management team sends helicopters to reach stranded tourists. We get in touch with our District Collector to offer quick help to affected tourists.” Besides, Travel Agents Association of Sikkim, Sikkim Association of Adventure Tour Operators and STDC are always there to provide relief to stranded tourists.
   Gujarat Tourism launched its Khushboo Gujarat Ki campaign at a five-star hotel in Kolkata, unveiling contrasting colours from Gujarat. Vipul Mittra, principal secretary, department of tourism, Gujarat said, “We have brought Buddhist tourists from Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to Gujarat. We are emphasising on 20 destinations in our state by providing tourists with world-class infrastructural facilites.
   The holy citadel of Ambaji will soon come up with 51 Shakti Peeths – a grandiose project worth Rs 50 crore that will open to tourists sometime this September. In terms of the number of domestic tourists that visit Gujarat, Bengal tourists are the second highest in number. Around 20 kiosks would be in major tourist destinations and there are call centers open 24 hours a day to facilitate info for tourists.” The state accommodated around 2.13 crore domestic travellers last year and hopes to welcome an infinite number of tourists this year.
   Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation unveiled a plethora of surprises for tourists from Bengal. Not only has it made an honest endeavour to host Durga Puja in tourist spots in Vishakhapatnam, Araku Valley, Vijaywada, Dindi and Suryalanka since last year, but it also looks forward to organising the puja in Hyderabad from this year onwards. Chandana Khan, chairperson and managing director, APTDC said, “Kolkata is a significant market for us.
Over the past years, Bengal tourists have been travelling to Araku Valley, Vishakhapatnam and Suryalanka beach resort. Bengal tourists are a secular lot and we are developing the beach tourism project in Srikakulam worth Rs 27 crore which will be open to tourists during Dussehra. We have the highest number of domestic tourists, close to 15.36 crore, in India. Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam are our topmost priorities and we are building the beach corridor in Vishakhapatnam  at a cost of Rs 45 crore.”
   Bodoland Tourism is all set to promote the state as a paragliding hotspot for adventure buffs. With 40 per cent of its land covered in forests, Bodoland Tourism is betting big on paragliding and rafting. Partha Pratim Das, advisor, department of tourism, Bodoland Territorial Council said, “Our major tourist getaways are Manas National Park — listed as one among UNESCO&’s World Heritage Sites — Chakrasila Wildlife Sanctuary and Ultapani, well-known for 300 species of butterflies. 
Elephant retreats and long-range retreats are being developed in association with a Swedish outfit. We have invited a British organisation to take a survey on the northern area to create a trekking route along the 300 km stretch of the Bhutan border. We are eyeing a good number of Bengal tourists this year.”

Although Mira Bai&’s life was constantly riddled with suffering, she remained undaunted and never stopped believing in Lord Krishna, writes pk chhetri

MIRA Bai was the daughter of Ratan Singh Rathore of Merta and granddaughter of Rao Dudaji, who was the fourth son of the founder of Jodhpur, Rao Jodhaji Rathore. They followed Vaishnavism and worshipped Lord Krishna. She was the only daughter of Ratan Singh and was born in Kurki in 1498 AD. Her original name was Pemal and was later named after a famous Sufi saint — Meera Shah — who had blessed her parents when they visited him to seek blessings for a child. Her grandfather brought her up because she lost her mother as a child and her father was always busy with warfare. Legend has it that she was devoted towards Krishna after her mother told her that she would be his wife.
   She was well educated and learnt the Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas from a pundit named Gajadhar, which wasn’t very common amongst Rajput ladies in those days. After her marriage, Gajadhar accompanied her to Chittor where Mira appointed him as chief priest of the Krishna temple that she had set up herself. Apart from being academically strong, she had also acquired some proficiency in music and poetry.
Rao Dudaji died in 1515 and since her father was still engrossed in warfare, her uncle, Rao Vikram Deo, assumed power and took care of her education and welfare.
   Her relatives wanted to marry her off but were unaware that she had already accepted Krishna as her husband long ago.
She was finally married in 1516 to Prince Bhojraj, the eldest son of Rana Sanga, who later fought Babur in a battle at Khanwa in 1527. This marriage ended as a political alliance because Bhojraj was a very ambitious man and wanted to expand his kingdom. Although he accepted her, his family members didn’t quite like her intense devotion towards Krishna and thought she neglected her family and husband.
   Though Bhojraj was heir-apparent to the throne of Mewar, he died before his father in 1518 and here began the ordeals in Mira&’s life. In her writings, Mira touted herself as a virgin and was childless. After the death of her husband, she devoted herself completely to Krishna and adopted a pious life spending most of her time among mendicants.
   Rana died a year after the battle of Khanwa after which his second son ascended the throne and was also killed in 1531. After this, Vikramjit succeeded the throne. It is pertinent to note that all those who liked Mira died. Vikramjit detested Mira&’s attitude as she hobnobbed with saints who weren’t as dignified as the royal family. Sometimes, she even danced out in the open. Back then it was impossible to imagine women step out of their homes. 
   Vikramjit tried his level best to stop Mira from joining such congregations but nothing could stop her from going out. People adopted every way to desist her from her path of devotion.
   Modern scholars disregard such details but it was true that Vikramjit spared no effort to persecute Mira. She then left her husband and sought shelter at her uncle&’s – Vikram Dev — residence in Merta. From then on, she remained in his company along with her cousin Jaymal until the King of Jodhpur expelled Vikram from his own territory in 1538.
   When Vikramjit&’s interference became extremely intolerable, she wrote a letter to Tulsidas — the distinguished composer of Ramacharitamanasa – and sought his advice. She wrote that she was tortured by her in laws for her devotion towards Krishna and was unable to break the attachment she had developed over the years. Tulsidas replied, “Those who do not hold Rama and Sita dear, shun them as your dire enemies, howsoever closely related.”
   After her uncle&’s defeat, she found no point in staying in Merta and became a wandering ascetic and proceeded to Vrindavan on foot. It is said that when she went to see Jiva Goswami, the famous teacher at Chaitnaya School, he refused to attend to her on grounds that she was a woman. Mira replied, “I thought that Lord Krishna was the only man in Vrindavan and the rest of the inhabitants were gopis. Now I’ve discovered that there&’s someone else here besides Lord Krishna who considers himself a man.” There is every probability that the story is unauthentic. But, it is true that Goswami was living in Vrindavan when Mira was said to have visited.
   There is very little information available about her life. From Vrindavan she went to Dwarka on the coast of Kathiawar, Gujarat and retired at the temple of Ranachod.
In the mean time, there were constant ups and downs in Chittor and Vikramjit was overthrown after being deemed as an unworthy king. It so happened that Vikram Deo recaptured Merta after which he invited Mira to return. But she politely refused.
   Vikramjit&’s successor, Rana Udai Singh, also wanted Mira to return to Chittor but she also turned down his appeal. After this Udai sent a couple of Brahmans to persuade her and on feeling irritated, she decided to leave Ranachod. Later, she died sometime in 1546 AD.
   Although her life was constantly riddled with sufferings, she remained undaunted and never stopped believing in Krishna. She composed her poems in Western Rajasthani, but they are also available in Braj bhasa.
   She is one of the best-loved poets of the Bhakti Movement because of her meticulous use of words and rhythm. Since her verses are highly lyrical and melodious, they are very popular in Northern India.
Guru Arjun Singh inserted one of her hymns in his collection of sacred writings. She is mainly popular for her padavalis because they are of high literary value. She composed them in Gujarati also, which were incorporated in Virat Kavya-Dohan.
   A striking quality of Mira&’s writings is that there is no erotic element, though she scrupulously describes the love of Krishna and gopis including Radha. She described the marriage bed as a symbol of mystical union with God. Apart from being a saint, she was a great historical figure who displayed exemplary courage to resist the feudal patriarchy and raised her voice against social oppression of women.

The writer is former joint secretary, government of West Bengal

nick clark

More than 1,000 libraries in England could be closed by 2016 in areas where people need them most, campaigners warned yesterday. A quarter of all branches in England face “slaughter”, according to Laura Swaffield, chairwoman of the Library Campaign. The national group compiled the stark figures and criticised the “inaction” of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Ms Swaffield said library users had appealed “time and again” to the Culture Minister, Ed Vaizey, to intervene against mass closures “but he does nothing”. She added: “And he does nothing about libraries that stay open but now provide a far worse service.”
Last year, 201 library operations were shut down. So far this year, a further 336 are threatened with closure. At a recent conference held in London by the Library Campaign, the funding body Arts Council England said library services could face further cuts of 40 per cent by 2016. The government&’s recent Spending Review, which imposed 10 per cent cut in local authority budgets for 2015-16, has left critics fearing that libraries will be hit hard; they predict 400 more could be lost.
Campaigner Desmond Clarke said: “These numbers stack up with what we’re being told. Some senior librarians privately fear it could be even more than 1,000. This is a real wake-up call. Unless the DCMS and the Arts Council provide some leadership, these closures will happen.”
While many small libraries face closure, others have been “dumped on to local communities to run as best they can”, Ms Swaffield said. Others are buying fewer books, losing staff or being forced to reduce opening hours. In the north London borough of Brent two years ago, residents tried but failed to prevent the closure of six libraries under a £1m cost-cutting plan. The playwright Alan Bennett, one of the campaign&’s celebrity supporters, said the loss of Kensal Green Library was tantamount to “child abuse”. According to campaigners, libraries most at risk are in rural or deprived urban areas. They offer services that are, in some cases, a “lifeline” to those with no Internet access, and to those in education and older people.
the independent

Humanity over legality ~ Subrata Chowdhury
When I was two, I had a share of the ghastly experience which the subcontinent went through during the infamous communal riots in the wake of the Partition. Our house in north Calcutta was situated in a locality populated by the Hindus. From its terrace, hoisted in my mother&’s arm, I had seen torrid flames grilling the sky on the other side of river Ganges. Salkia, a place populated by the Muslims, was up in flames.
The conflagration was in retaliation of what had happened at Kidderpore the earlier day. The following day, my mother had shut me up in a room. A clamour was on. The landlords of houses behind ours used to own three landaus driven by three coachmen and three attendants. All six of them were Muslims. Local Hindus led by a milkmaid, who had been provided with a free cowshed on a plot adjacent to our house by my grandparents, had decapitated the six cowered and cornered men. She then hollered pointing at our house that one more was in there.
In fact, Khuda Bux or Khudu mistry, whom we’d employ as a mason every now and then for over a decade, was inside our house then. Surreptitiously, my grandfather had asked Khudu to hide in the attic. Since ours was one of the respected families in the neighbourhood, we had a say in the locality. My grandfather, Kshitishchandra and his brother, Nareshchandra dispersed the frenzied mob dispersed. 
Khudu was brought down from the attic. He sat cadaverously. At long last, he could utter, “Ma, amake ektu pani din (mother, please give me some water)”. When he had finished drinking the water, he clutched my granny&’s feet and kept on weeping.
Years later, when peace and harmony was restored, Khudu was still employed as a mason by our family every now and then. He also used to bring tidings from a very expansive stretch of land my grandfather used to own in Ekbalpore. The land was encroached upon and was occupied by Muslim refugees after the partition.
Around 1953, my grandfather had won a decree from the court to establish his possession on the land, but within a moratorium of seven days. Khudu&’s own house was in Ekbalpore and as such, he had a rapport with local Muslim goons. He opted to raze the slums which had come up on the land to the ground with the help of the goons, who agreed to take up the assignment in exchange of a lump sum.
One night, Khudu arrived with a truckload of goons, seeking my grandpa&’s green signal. 
My grandfather asked for a little time to ponder over the matter. After some time, he paid the agreed upon sum to the goons and told Khudu that he was going to drop the ‘massacre’. He had asked Khudu, “Where will the homeless go, and would not the goons bash the women folks and kids too? I don’t mind losing out in the legal battle and my land.”

A landmark verdict
SIR, ~ The Supreme Court has given a landmark verdict to cleanse the political system. MPs and MLAs will immediately be disqualified if they are found guilty of crime by the courts. The political  and legislative segments have their quota of the tainted, and they often tend to hold the country to ransom. If the verdict is strictly executed, almost half the Members of  Parliament and more than half the MLAs in the states could be disqualified. They now move court, if found guilty by the trial court. The cases are heard for years on end, and they continue to sit in the legislatures, perhaps also engage in more crime. The court order carries a message for the parties as well; hopefully, nomination tickets for the tainted will end.  If at all they file their nomination papers, they can be rejected by the Election Commission on the strength of the Supreme Court order.
yours, etc., s p sharma, mumbai, 12 july.
SEC Trinamul&’s enemy No. One
SIR, ~ The first phase of the panchayat election in West Bengal was held in the midst of the Trinamul&’s relentless campaign against the State Election Commission. The ruling party is targeting Mira Pande and not actually the Left. Tongue firmly in cheek, the party refers to Ms Pande as “comrade”. This is a reckless swipe at a government official. Subhendu Adhikari, the Trinamul MP from West Midnapore, has gone to the extent of insinuating that “Comrade Mira Pande is waiting for ways to stall the elections. Cameras have been put up at various places. She is looking for opportunities to stall the polls or conduct re-election. We will not give her that opportunity.”
It appears that the Trinamul Congress has identified Ms Pande as its first enemy, Congress the second and the CPI-M the third and last. The party is anxious to convey the impression that Ms Pande is responsible for the delayed elections and the fact that it coincides with the holy month of Ramzan. The Chief Minister has attacked Ms Pande without naming her. The latter has been accused of being hand-in-glove with the CPI-M. As head of government, Mamata Banerjee has hinted at “people&’s revenge through democratic means” against the SEC.
The Supreme Court came down heavily on the state government for ‘dilly-dallying’ with dates and force requirements. The court refused to change the dates of the polls which are to be conducted in five phases. Rightly has Ms Pande stated: “I head a constitutional body. My post is a constitutional post. I cannot make irresponsible remarks.”
yours, etc., gokul burman, chakdaha (nadia), 12 july.
The Army&’s other face
SIR, ~  This is with reference to Seema Mustafa&’s article on 3 July. It has quite justifiably been titled “The Army&’s other face” because “the police has confirmed the report” on the killing of two Kashmiri boys by the Army. But in the centre of the report you have inserted a box item that states, ‘Separatists want the withdrawal of troops and scrapping of special powers of Indian troops’. This is self-contradiction.
The people of Kashmir want the withdrawal of troops and scrapping of special powers that the military has under the  Armed Forces Special Powers Act. This has rightly been reflected in the statement of the J&K Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, published in your paper on 4 July. There is little doubt that the people of Kashmir and the north-eastern states, such as Manipur, are suffering due to the prolonged presence of  the military and the use of AFSPA. We feel proud about India, but  are silent on the continued suffering of Indians.
yours, etc., jiten nandi, kolkata, 4 july.

NEWS ITEMS

DEATH OF A PROMINENT DACCA PLEADER
(From Our Correspondent)
Dacca, July 13
Rajani Nath Basu, a leading pleader of the Dacca Bar, died this morning. Rai Iswarchandra Ghosh Bahadur, Government pleader, on behalf of the members of the Bar assembled, very feelingly informed the District Judge about the sad event, and the Judge sympathetically replied and closed the Civil Court for today in honour of the deceased. After the Courts were closed a largely attended meeting was held in the Bar Association hall and the following resolution was passed:- That the Dacca Bar Association records its deep sense of regret at the death this morning of Rajani Nath Basu, M.A., B.L., vakil, a leading member of the local Bar, who was held in high esteem on account of his public spirit, amiable disposition, and sound legal knowledge, and that a copy of the resolution be sent to his eldest son.

ARREST OF TWO NOTORIOUS GANGS OF DACOITS
Dacoities, robberies and thefts were of frequent occurrence for some time past in almost all the villages within the jurisdiction of the thana of Magrahat in Diamond Harbour sub-division. The local police strove hard to detect the culprits and put an end to their depredations. Eventually the senior Sub-Inspector in charge of the Magrahat Police proceeded on information received to the village Gocorni and arrested Badaruddy Dhali and ten others who had no ostensible means of livelihood, but at the same time lived in plenty and luxury. The police on similar information proceeded to the village of Udaipur and arrested Amrita Balda and seventeen others who were the terror of the locality. There are many old offenders in the two batches arrested. The two gangs are undergoing trial before Mr. F.C. Chatterjee, Special Deputy Magistrate, who is trying the gang cases

statesman news service
NEW DELHI, 13 JULY: The Congress today downplayed the party general secretary, Mr Digvijay Singh’s (in photo) hint that the party vice president, Mr Rahul Gandhi, might not be projected as its Prime Ministerial candidate for the coming general elections.
Joining issue with Mr Singh, another AICC general secretary, Mr Janardan Dwivedi, who is also in charge of the organisation, brushed aside the former’s comment in this regard as a “personal opinion”.  
“Individuals may have their personal opinions, but on such issues final decision is taken by the party only. The party has declared in Jaipur at the time when Rahul Gandhi’s appointment as vice president was announced that the question of campaign and leadership will be decided by it later. No time-frame was announced,” Mr Dwivedi told reporters.
He was replying to a question on Mr Singh’s recent remark indicating that Mr Gandhi might not be projected as the PM candidate ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
“We do not have a presidential form of government. Congress party does not declare PM or CM candidates before elections…Even in the Karnataka Assembly elections we had not declared any CM candidate,” Mr Singh was yesterday quoted as saying while replying to questions as to why the Congress was diffident about projecting Rahul, why it should not project him and who is the party’s PM candidate. Mr Dwivedi’s bid to make it clear that the Congress has not taken a position on the issue so far indicated that Rahul’s projection as its PM candidate could not be ruled out.  
On whether the incumbent PM Mr Manmohan Singh could again be the party’s candidate for this job, Mr Singh had parried the question, saying purportedly: “First the country has to give us a mandate again and then the Parliamentary Party and the party chief (Mrs Sonia Gandhi) have to take a decision in consultation with elected MPs."
The Congress believes that Rahul is the party’s “natural choice” as its PM candidate in his capacity as its number two leader after Mrs Gandhi who had already renounced the top job in favour of Dr Singh in 2004.  
Despite Mr Singh’s remarks making waves, the AICC general secretary and its communication department chief, Mr Ajay Maken, refrained from making any comments on the issue. 
Officially, the AICC has all along shied away from replying to the question whether Rahul will be its PM candidate in the 2014 elections.
It has maintained that any decision on the issue will be taken by the party high command at an appropriate time.
Meanwhile, Mr Gandhi today held deliberations with Congress leaders from Maharashtra on the strategy for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections at a time when the party is in a buoyant mood after the victory in the Sangli civic body polls.
Several senior leaders, including Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, PCC president Manikrao Thakre, senior Maharashtra minister Narayan Rane were present at the meeting with the Congress vice-president. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan, whose name is doing the rounds as the next PCC chief, was also present as also AICC general secretaries Gurudas Kamat and Mukul Wasnik.

DURGAPUR, 13 JULY: Trinamul Congress MP, Kalyan Banerjee today lashed out at state election commissioner, Ms Mira Pande saying that in the near future she might as well contest the elections as a CPI-M candidate.
He was addressing a poll campaign at Andal in Burdwan.
Mr Banerjee alleged that Ms Pande was acting as CPI-M’s broker. “She could anticipate that we are going to grab most of the zilla parishad seats. Apprehending CPI-M&’s defeat, she tried to resist the three-tier election. As prominent CPI-M’s leaders like Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Gautam Deb have lost all credibility, in the future we may see Ms Pande contesting election as a CPI-M candidate,” he said. sns

P&RD commissioner selected as block level observer
bappaditya paul   
KOLKATA, 13 JULY: In an odd move, the State Election Commission (SEC) has appointed the commissioner of the state panchayat and rural development department (P&RD), Mr Subhasis Moitra, as a block level observer for the ongoing panchyat polls. Mr Moitra has been assigned to Kaliganj block in Nadia where the elections will take place in the fourth phase on 22 July. 
Speaking of the rulebook, it is not wrong to depute the P&RD commissioner as block level observer but the move is unprecedented in the rural poll history of Bengal. The commissioner being the P&RD department head is usually kept out of field level poll duty, especially when it concerns a panchayat election. 
“It’s like deputing a police commissioner to oversee the security arrangements of a poll booth,” said an official posted in the panchayat department headquarters in Kolkata. "Had it not been the commissioner but any other officer of similar rank, there wouldn’t have been any issue at all. Appointing the commissioner as block level observer is humiliating not only for the person concerned, but for the department as a whole.”    
Mr Moitra, originally a 1980 batch West Bengal Civil Service (Executive) officer was promoted to the IAS cadre in 2010.  He is now a special secretary and because of the SEC order; is being compelled to carryout the block level poll observer duty alongside assistant secretaries who are three steps junior to him.  
Besides, the P&RD commissioner is responsible for implementing the Centre-funded National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and disbursement/monitoring of funds received from the 13th Finance Commission of the Union government.
Widow, old age and disability pensions that are awarded to individuals in rural areas are under NSAP and the commissioner’s signature is necessary for the release of such funds. The panchayat department officials said that the commissioner’s prolonged absence from office would hamper these works. Mr Moitra, however, sounded reluctant to talk about his poll job. “It’s an official duty that has been assigned to me and I don’t want to brood over this.”  SEC secretary, Tapas Ray, defended the move saying that they have deputed several senior officers as block level observers.
“For district level observers we fixed the cut off to 1999 batch promoted IAS, beyond that all others have been appointed for the blocks. In fact there is one gentleman who will retire in August but have been appointed as a block observer and hence I don’t think we have done anything humiliating to the P&RD commissioner,” Mr Ray said.