statesman news service
Kolkata, 2 July
To strengthen its distribution system, CESC will carry out urgent maintenance work at its Howrah Central distribution station on Wednesday.
As a result, power supply to consumers in Abani Dutta Road, Bagdipara, Bandaghat, Bhairab Dutta Lane, Bhanjanlal Lohia Lane, Bijoy Mukherjee Road, Dobson Road, Fakir Bagan Lane, Ghasbagan, Golabari (Sukhi Sansar), Hardat Rai Chamaria Road, Howrah Fish Market, Howrah Kopt Staff Qtrs, Howrah Road,
I C Bose Road, Jeliapara, Khetra Mitra Lane, Machenzie Lane, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad Road, Mukhram Kanoria Road, Nanda Ghosh Road, Nandibagan, Pilkhana, Ramlal Mukherjee Lane, Rose Mary Lane, Saila Kumar Mukherjee Road, Sailendranath Bose Road, Salkia School
Road, Salt Gola Ghat, Sanatan Mistry Lane, Sitanath Bose Lane, Subarban Park Road and Watkins Lane  areas may be affected between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
On Thursday, CESC will carry out urgent maintenance work at its Behala distribution station.
As a result, power supply to consumers in Chanditala, Raibahadur Road, P
N Mitra road, Senhati Colony, Bhupen Roy Road, South city Garden, Pashupati Bhattacharjee
Road, Majlish Ara Road, R S Khettry Road, Netaji Sarak, Jotish Roy Road, Tollygunge Circular Road and Bama Charan Roy Road areas may be affected from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Three run over: Three persons, including two railway employees, were run over and killed by goods train while they were working on the rail tracks in Sambalpur district today, railway sources said.The three, Alekh Tanti, S Mukhi and Jiten Lama were working near the Laxmidunguri level crossing between Sambalpur junction and Hirakud stations when a goods train knocked them down, the sources said.While Tanti and Mukhi were gangmen Lama was  a contractual worker.     sns
Bike death:Three youths were killed when the motor-cycle in which they were travelling was hit by a truck near Soro in Balasore district, police said today. The mishap took place on National Highway No 5 when the victims of a local tutorial institution were returning from a road-side eatery late last night, they said. The truck was seized near Bhadrak but its driver had fled.     sns   
Tusker death: A tusker trampled a man to death and injured another at Sunathara village in Ganjam district, forest officials said today. Prafulla Pradhan (38) died on the spot after being attacked by the tusker while another person was injured and admitted to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital yesterday. DFO, Berhampur, S S Mishra said forest guards were engaged to drive away the animal from the area.The family of the deceased would get Rs 2 lakh as compensation, he said.     PTI

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
Kendrapara, 2 July
Mocking poverty alleviation schemes, authorities concerned with the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in as many as 21 gram panchayats of the district have failed to spend a single rupee.
The district administration has served showcause notices to sarpanchs and panchayat executive officers of the concerned gram panchayats where MGNREGS have not been executed. The gram panchayats marked by non-execution of projects are Bagada, Dashipur, Shilipur, Bachara, Balipatana, Baluria, Nilakanthapur, Penthapala, Mangalpur, Koranda, Pradhanpada, Pegarapada, Aragala, Attala, Badambila, Bhuinpur, Kuladiha, Narendrapur, Nuapada, Padanipala and Sansida.   Only 50 per cent of funds allocated for 2012-2013 financial year could be spent by the district administration. Of the 3478 projects taken up for work, only 506 projects have been completed. Work on the remaining 2972 projects is in progress. An estimated 50 per cent of Rs 17.55 crore sanctioned under the project during current fiscal year is lying unspent. Of the 230 gram panchayats, majority of rural projects are lying incomplete in over a hundred GPS.
An estimated Rs 8.81 crore is lying unspent. The central government may stop allocations for the district as utilisation certificates of 60 per cent of the projects are yet to be submitted, confided an official.
Official apathy is attributed for the half-hearted implementation of MGNREGS projects. There is gross absence of coordination amongst various government departments.
The sarpanchs are allegedly shying away from implementing MGNREGS as the central scheme is backed up by stringent guidelines and pilferage-proof mechanism.

statesman news service
Bolangir, 2 July
In what once again confirmed that irregularities are still being committed in civil supply department despite some recent sensational exposures, police seized a truck carrying about 400 bags of public distribution system (PDS) wheat in Patnagarh today.
The SDPO, Patnagarh Mr Sunil Joshi informed that the truck was seized from Chinger Bandh village.
“Acting on a tip-off, we conducted raids on Chinger Bandh village and found that the wheat-laden truck was parked in front of the house of one Mr Jadu Meher. We seized the truck, arrested Mr Meher and also sealed his storehouse,” said Mr Joshi.
Police suspect that the wheat, meant for beneficiaries of welfare schemes, was being diverted to open market.
Reliable sources informed that about 200 quintals of wheat was lifted from Jogimunda store of the department and was meant to be distributed among the beneficiaries in Tamia panchayat and Patnagarh NAC. The consignment, however, had found its ways to Mr Meher&’s storehouse.
As per the latest reports, a team of officials have visited the store and investigating the role of the handling and transporting (H&T) contractor, Mr Mahadev Meher.
The civil supply officer (CSO) Mr Sibaprasad Dora could not be contacted for his comments on the seizure despite several attempts.
The seizure of PDS wheat came as a major embarrassment for the civil supply department as it was the third such seizure incident in a row, the last one taking place only yesterday.
As per reports, Turekela police had confiscated a mini truck laden with PDS rice and arrested two persons yesterday.
In a similar incident, police had caught a truck carrying about 300 bags of PDS wheat from Deogaon block a month ago. Subsequent investigations confirmed the complicity of two H&T contractors, Mr Tikelal Sahu and Mr Nehrulal Agrawal. Mr Sahu was arrested after several people took it to the streets at Titlagarh and was sent to jail, while no action has yet been taken against Mr Agrawal.  

statesman news service
Bhubaneswar, 2 July
The 20 students of Ayatpur High School near Cuttack who were injured in a bomb blast inside the class room yesterday were discharged from hospital today.
One of the injured student is said to have found a cracker like object wrapped in a polythene bag and picked it up on way to school yesterday. He had put it in his school bag and it fell down and exploded inside the class room when he opened the bag to take out his text books.  The school which was sealed after the incident yesterday, opened today but the attendance was thin. Forensic experts said it was  a crude bomb. The police are investigating as to how, why and who had left behind the explosives at the spot from where the boy had picked it up yesterday. Locals of the area said a couple of days ago they had seen some school children near the spot and had also heard a loud sound. Apparently, the children had found one earlier and flung it causing the explosion.
School and mass education minister Mr Rabi Narayan Nanda visited  the school today. He assured the teachers, students and parents that a thorough investigation will be done. The department has asked the director of Board of Secondary Education to conduct an inquiry and submit a report on the incident within three days.

Nurturing curiosity and rekindling interest in youth
on the right track
Eight coaches are solely dedicated  to showcasing the myriad diversity spread across  the bio
geographical zones of India, which include Trans Himalaya and the Himalayas, the Gangetic plain, North-east India, the desert and semi-arid zone, the Western Ghats, the Deccan peninsula, the coasts and the islands
The train will chug into Cuttack station on 5 July and stay there till 8 July. After completion of
exhibition at Cuttack, the train will also be exhibited at Bolangir between 9 and 11 July, Rayagada between 12 and 14 July
statesman news service
Balasore, 2 July
Thousands of people, mostly children, paid a visit to “Science Express”, an exhibition-on-wheels, whose theme is bio-diversity and climate change, at Balasore railway station today.
The train, which reached from Kharagpur, will stay here for three days.
“Science Express”, the exhibition train modeled by Rashtriya Vigyan Evam Prodyogiki Sanchar Parishad (RVPSP), Department of Science and Technology, Government of India has been developed to encourage talented youths to understand the excitement of careers in teaching and research in different disciplines of science,” said a senior railway official. 
The Science Express train is fully air-conditioned, and consisting of 13 exhibition coaches and two power cars, it has been developed for students pursuing science at the senior secondary level and research students which will take three hours time for viewing the displays.
“The major objective of this Indo-German joint venture Science Express is to nurture curiosity amongst the youths and rekindle their waning interest in science,” he added.
Eight coaches are solely dedicated  to showcasing the myriad diversity spread across  the bio geographical zones of India which included Trans Himalaya and the Himalayas, the Gangetic plain, North East India, the desert and semi-arid zone, the Western ghats, the  Deccan peninsula, the coasts and the islands.
“The dedicated coaches  highlight the bio diversity in the country focused on the range of biological diversity, critically endangered species, bio-diversity hotspots, domesticated bio-diversity, livelihood, bio-culture threats and challenges, conservation measures , success and unique stories,” he added. 
Collector Mr Ranjit Mohanty and additional director of Integrated Test Range (ITR) Dr Binay Kumar Das jointly inaugurated the train here.
Officials informed that the train will chug into Cuttack station on 5 July and stay there till 8 July. After completion of exhibition at Cuttack, the train will also be exhibited at Bolangir between 9 and 11 July, Rayagada between 12 and 14 July.

Ammonium  nitrate plant issue
The plant is likely to be commissioned by 2015-16
The plant would have a production capacity of three lakh tons per annum
Scheduled to come up in 2008, it was stuck  due to land dispute with PPT, denial of permission by the IOCL to use its land for transportation of construction materials and delay by Idco to hand over nearly 15 acres of land
statesman news service
Paradip, 2 July
The ammonium nitrate project of Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation (DFPCL), which has been hanging fire for about five years over a range of issues, is likely to be commissioned by 2015-16, claimed company officials here.
After the district administration took steps to sort out land-related issues,  it is expected the construction work for the Rs 600 crore project will start in September this year.
The Greenfield integrated complex for nitric acid and ammonium nitrate of the Pune-based DFPCL, which was scheduled to come up in 2008, has not made much headway yet mainly due to land dispute with Paradip Port Trust (PPT), denial of permission by the IOCL to use its land for transportation of construction materials and delay by Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) to hand over nearly 15 acres of land. 
The plant would have a production capacity of three lakh tons per annum. According to the liaison officer of DFPCL, Paradip unit Mr Kalisankar Pal, the company has stored construction materials worth Rs 80 crore in the port area and paid nearly Rs 5 crore towards vessel transporting charges and rent to PPT.  Meanwhile, the situation has turned favourable for the project with the IOCL showing positive response and Idco handing over the land last week. The construction of the boundary wall will be undertaken on the same patch of land.
The company requires about 86 acres of land at Bagadia and Chaukimath villages under Kujanga tehsil. While it has purchased nearly 76 acres from private parties, Idco was to provide the remaining 15 acres. DFPCL also requires about 40-50 acres in the port area. The company has also planned to utilise the facilities of Paradip port for importing the raw material and exporting the finished product.
The company officials, pointed out that the land issue with PPT would be solved fast. The DFPCL has already filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court to resolve the issue.

statesman news service
Jajpur, 2 July
 The district education administration is mulling action against headmaster of a government run Madrassa at Chahata for failing to intimate it about the arrest of a teacher.
Sources said that Mr Mahammad Mohasin Raza, a teacher of Madrasa Sarifia, a government run Urdu primary school under Dharmasala block, was arrested for his alleged involvement in a chit fund scam.  
The guidelines stipulate that the headmaster should apprise the higher authorities of the matter so that departmental action may be initiated against the teacher. 
However, the headmaster Mr Shaik Abdul Farid remained silent in an alleged attempt to “shield” his sub-ordinate staff.
Mr Raja was arrested about one and half month ago and is presently lodged in Jajpur sub-jail as an under-trial prisoner. 
Incidentally, the senior officials were unaware of Mr Raza&’s arrest till media persons brought the matter to their notice. “I was ignorant of the matter. As the headmaster has acted with mala fide intention by hiding the matter from the higher authorities, we will seek explanation from him. We will take action against the headmaster and also the accused teacher,” said district education officer (DEO), Mr Kapilendra Mishra.
According to police, Mr Raza was arrested and forwarded to the court in connection with a chit fund scam on 16 May. 
It has been alleged that he was working as the branch manager of a tainted chit fund company ~ Cosmo Rose International Limited (CRIL) ~ at Jaraka.
Meanwhile, several allegations have been levelled against the headmaster himself. It has been alleged that he often remains absent from the school.
“The head master of the Madrasa hardly comes to the school. He has come to the school only thrice since 9 June,” said a teacher of the school on conditions of anonymity.

Berhampur, 2 July: Over 40 people have suffered from diarrhoea at Bikrampur village in Ganjam district in the past ten days, official sources said today.
Lack of personal hygiene, irregularity in food habits and consumption of contaminated water were some of the reasons for the spread of diarrhoea in the village, said Additional District Medical Officer (public health) L K Rath.
At least three medical teams were deployed in the village to treat the patients. Arrangements had also been made to disinfect the water sources in the village.
The ADMO, however, ruled out outbreak of cholera in the village as stool samples tested negative.     pti

statesman news service
Dhenkanal, 2 July
The district unit of BJP has sought a high-level probe into the irregularities and fund embezzlement in Gondia block, while alleging that the ruling party leaders continue to intervene in official work.
Hundreds of BJP workers, led by district president Mr Naresh Mohapatra and former MLA Mr Krushna Chandra Patra,  took out a rally and staged a demonstration to exert pressure on the administration yesterday.
“The recent unearthing of corruption in checking dam construction is only the tip of the iceberg. Massive corruption has taken place in works like Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), Mo Kudia, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme and rural connectivity,” said Mr Mohapatra.
He alleged that the BJD MLA Mr Nabin Nanda is intervening in the works and pressuring the officials to show favour to the ruling party workers.
 Meanwhile, the administration has constituted an inquiry team to detect irregularities in implementation of the government schemes. 
The team, headed by DRDA project director Mr Bhaskar Chandra Turuk, has reportedly come across instances wherein amounts of money were withdrawn without sanctioning of works.
The team also found out that the officials have shown undue favour to some people particularly in allotment of housing units under the Indira Awas Yojana.

Family ostracised by villagers
statesman news service
Jagatsinghpur, 2 July
Mr Hadibandhu Das, a 50-year old farmer of Harippa village, and his family are being ostracised and tortured  after one sorcerer, who was engaged by the villagers to find out two stolen bicycles, branded him the thief.
Sources said that the service of the sorcerer was sought after the cycles of Mr Banamber Sahu and Mr Banamali Sahu were stolen on 13 June. Conducting some rituals, the sorcerer informed the villagers that Mr Das is the culprit.
“The villagers conducted a meeting and interrogated my father. Though he pleaded innocence, none listened to him. They even tied his hands and legs with a bamboo pole in the middle of the road to extract truth from him,” alleged Ms Rupali Das, who was prevented from rescuing her husband by the villagers.
Later, the villagers decided to boycott the family for stealing the bicycles and showing disrespect to  the village committee decision.
The family consists of about 10 members.
“Now, no villager comes to our house and even the villager shopkeepers have declined to give us essential commodities. The customers have stopped coming to our family shop too. The neighbours are not mixing with us,” said Ms Das. 
Police intervention in the matter also failed to yield. Though a team led by Erasama police station IIC Mr Prafulla Kumar Badajena visited the village yesterday and tried to persuade the villagers to lift the boycott, it was flatly rejected.
“The villagers did not listen to us and said that the Das family deserved the punishment,” he said.
Police lodged a case against five villagers for attacking, humiliating and harassing the family.
Meanwhile, some local activists have sought the intervention of the SP, Jagatsinghpur, while moving the National Human Right Commission (NHRC).

Statesman News Service
Jagatsinghpur, 2 July
 The administration failed to demolish betel vines at Gobindpur village for the second consecutive day today.
Incidentally, while the officials blamed the incessant rains for stoppage in land acquisition exercise, the pro- and anti-Posco activists had separate versions.
The member of Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), the prominent anti-Posco brigade, claimed that the administration did not dare to go ahead with pulling down the  vines due to its agitation.
Project supporters pointed out that the change of guard at the state&’s top bureaucracy was the sole cause behind stopping of the works.
Sources said that scores of anti-Posco villagers armed with lathi, arrow, broom and sickle staged a demonstration at Balidiha to prevent the entry of the officials. Several prominent Left and other political party leaders also took part in the stir. 
“The administration did not dare to come for land acquisition today as we were ready to oppose them tooth and nail. A number of woman and children were with us to protest the entry of officials to our village,” said a senior PPSS leader.
The pro-Posco villagers, however, dismissed the claims made by the PPSS, and observed that the administration preferred to wait for instructions from the new chief secretary.
“Mr Jugal Kishore Mohapatra assumed charges as the new chief secretary only yesterday. Previously, the former CS Mr Bijay Kumar Patnaik himself was monitoring the Posco project&’s works. It is thus apparent that Mr Mohapatra will now look after the progress of the project work. We expect that the works will be expedited after the new chief secretary talks to district and company officials and take stock of the situation,” said a pro-Posco villager.
The senior district officials, however, iterated their claims that the rains played spoilsports in acquiring land today.
“We are ready to go ahead with pulling down of the vines; however, had to abandon the plan for today due to incessant rains. We could not even start the works due to downpour,” said ADM, Paradip Mr Surjit Das.
He said that the work, weather permitting, will be resumed tomorrow.

statesman news service
Bhubaneswar, 2 July
The state government has decided to distribute about three crore saplings free of cost among people.
“The nurseries across the state have produced nearly 7.50 crore saplings for plantation schemes. Of them, about 4.50 crore saplings will be utilised in different programmes. We will distribute about three crore saplings free of cost among people so that they can plant them in their gardens and yards,” said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, while attending the state-level Vana Mahotsav here today.
The state currently has about 2,000 nurseries.
Highlighting the government&’s efforts to promote plantation drives, Mr Patnaik said that joint forest management (JFM) has been playing a key role in forest protection by making people aware.
He touched upon programmes like creation of greenery on bald hills, bamboo plantation, medicinal garden and protection of mangrove forests.
The first state-level Biju Patnaik award for forest protection was conferred on Pajimaha Vana Sanrakshan Samiti of Kandhamal and Poktunga Deurisahi VSS of Angul district. Each of the Samitis was given Rs 1 lakh as cash prize.
Among others, forest and environment minister Mr Bijayshree Routray, MLAs Mr Bhagirathi Badjena and Mr Bijay Kumar Mohanty, forest secretary Mr Raj Kumar Sharma were present on the occasion.

Although People view with disgust the attempt by politicians to exploit the uttarakhand tragedy, leaders have been following in modi&’s footsteps in visiting uttarkhand amidst pomp and show, writes Rajinder puri
How might the BJP attempt for single-party majority be assessed? Much depends upon how opponents of the party conduct themselves and what strategy they adopt. Until now, Modi&’s poll conduct has been poor. But the conduct of his opponents has been poorer.
Modi erred in undertaking the Uttarakhand rescue mission, thinking it would impress voters. His opponents did worse by emulating him. Rahul Gandhi was ill advised to appear like Modi&’s imitator and visit Uttarakhand by helicopter. The error was compounded by his violating the injunction of Home Minister Shinde debarring VIPs from visiting the area. The damage was accentuated by Digvijay Singh&’s patently false claim that Gandhi had travelled by foot. Opposition leaders and Congressmen from Andhra made Modi look good by openly quarrelling at an airport, trying to claim credit for the so called rescue of victims.
The public is not stupid. People view with disgust the attempt by politicians to politically exploit such a horrendous tragedy. Not one leader had the sense to simply address the Press over television to urge the public to unite and follow the example of the brave armed services personnel risking and losing lives while rescuing victims. People would have approved that.
There are two pitfalls confronting Modi&’s campaign. The first relates to the definition of Hindutva. Hindutva is Hinduism. According to a Supreme Court ruling, it does not denote a religion or a particular community, but a way of life. That is the definition that will be acceptable to the pro-development new generation of voters. Despite reaching out to Muslims and making all kinds of statements, BJP and RSS leaders have not succeeded in changing public perception about their attitude to the minorities. Hindutva will have to relate to Hindustanis and not just Hindus. Hindustanis are conditioned by a way of life. BJP and RSS leaders should know that VHP and Bajrang Dal activists harassing couples on Valentine&’s Day is not included in that way of life.
The second pitfall is even more serious. Its potential to damage the BJP will depend upon how adroitly its opponents exploit it. Modi, egged on by big business and his PR agency, Apco, represents a model of economic development that can be effectively challenged. He represents efficient and rapid economic growth by removal of bureaucratic glitches. In a sense, it is not different from Manmohan Singh&’s model. It merely claims to be more efficient. There is no pretence for inclusion and it rests upon the efficacy of the trickle down effect of economic development. This can be challenged by an alternative model. Sonia Gandhi is attempting to do that, but very incompetently.
The answer to the big business Modi-Apco model is not dishing out doles and subsidies left and right through an inefficient administration, leading to national waste. The answer lies in effectively empowering the disadvantaged to exploit India&’s rich human resource material.
As just one example, not a single party has pledged universal free compulsory education and the eradication of caste-based reservation within the next five years by offering a concrete, credible and achievable roadmap. It is available. But it requires political courage to seize it.
Other examples can be cited. But thus far, no politician or party has displayed the will, the vision or the courage to attempt it. After all, such daring can be attempted only by leaders committed above all else to national interest and not merely to immediate personal political gain.
If Advani and his few loyalists in pursuit of their beliefs were to break away from a Modi-led BJP to help consolidate a Federal Front into a Federation, a stable two-party system would be established in India. The natural polarisation in India is not between an irrelevant Left and Right implanted by the West. It is between the impulses for decentralisation against centralisation. Both impulses have permanent relevance in India.

Concluded

The writer is a veteran journalist and cartoonist. He blogs at www.rajinderpuri.wordpress.com

Gadkari is back in reckoning ~ Arati R Jerath
It&’s kiss and make up time in the BJP these days. First, Narendra Modi attempted to make peace with in-house opponent L K Advani by calling on him in a blaze of publicity during a recent trip to Delhi. Modi was in the capital to chair the first meeting of the election campaign committee. Now, it&’s party president Rajnath Singh&’s turn. He&’s trying for a patch-up with his predecessor Nitin Gadkari.
Singh not only hosted a small private dinner for him a couple of weeks ago, he even cancelled a speaking engagement in his Lok Sabha constituency of Ghaziabad to see off Gadkari before the latter left for Europe some days ago.
Singh rushed back to Delhi when he heard that the former party president was in the Capital for a few hours before flying out. He went straight to Gadkari&’s residence. If party sources are to be believed, it was a warm send-off.
Relations between the two have been frosty ever since Singh beat Gadkari in a last-minute upset to deny the latter a second innings as BJP president. Riding high on support from RSS joint general secretary Suresh Soni, Singh didn’t bother with his predecessor. But equations have changed. Gadkari is back in reckoning as RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat&’s chosen one. Having successfully resolved the crisis created by Advani&’s resignation drama, he has emerged as an important interlocutor between the RSS and the Advani camp. Singh was conveyed a stern message to engage with Gadkari and not relegate him to the margins by none other than Bhagwat himself.

Seeking divine intervention
RJD chief Lalu Yadav&’s anxiety levels are sky high these days. The Jharkhand High Court will finally deliver its judgment in the 17-year-old fodder scam case on 15 July. A few days ago, a worried Lalu was spotted offering homage at the Sai Baba temple in Shirdi in a culmination of a temple yatra that has seen him and his family visit all the famous pilgrimage spots in the country ever since his RJD lost power to Nitish Kumar&’s JD-U in Bihar.
The 15 July judgment could turn Bihar politics upside down, especially if it goes against Lalu. Although he can always appeal in the Supreme Court against an unfavourable verdict, the fact is that a conviction will make him an untouchable for the Congress, which in any case seems inclined to do a deal with Nitish. Lalu&’s conviction in a corruption case will pave the way for the two parties to cement their unspoken understanding, even it only happens after the Lok Sabha polls.
On the other hand, an acquittal could blaze a comeback for him, riding on his recent Maharajganj bypoll victory. No wonder Lalu is looking for divine help.

Blood thicker than water
The loser in the recent patch-up between the Congress and the DMK is former telecom minister A Raja. Now that the Congress has rescued DMK boss M Karunanidhi&’s daughter Kanimozhi from parliamentary oblivion to help her win a Rajya Sabha seat, Raja may be forced to hold his 2G fire on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and finance minister P Chidambaram. Raja has been demanding that he be allowed to depose before the JPC to give his version of events that led to the controversial allocation of 2G Spectrum licenses at cheap rates. His defence has been that both the PM and Chidambaram were in the loop when the decision was taken.
The buzz in Congress circles is that Raja&’s silence was one of the conditions set by the party high command for transferring its five votes in the Tamil Nadu Assembly to Kanimozhi so that she squeezes through in an election she would have otherwise lost.  It must be a blow to Raja because he was once the blue-eyed boy of Karunanidhi and Kanimozhi. As they say, blood is thicker than water.
The development has also given the Congress the cushion of numbers in Parliament. They had lost that comfort when the DMK pulled out of the UPA. The DMK has little choice now but to hold its fire when the monsoon session opens.

Gracious Soni
Every AICC reshuffle sets off a battle for rooms at the overcrowded Congress headquarters on Akbar Road. Now that Ambika Soni has bounced back as general secretary in charge of the powerful Congress president&’s office, she was naturally allotted a room that is considered prime property. It used to be shared by former general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad and the head of the foreign affairs cell, Karan Singh. They had erected a partition through the middle of the room to ensure they didn’t get in each other&’s way.
One of the first things Ambika did on being allotted the room was to remove the partition. The question then was: where would Karan Singh sit? Surely not at the back, in one of the hutment rooms. Realising the predicament facing one of the party&’s most senior and respected leaders, Ambika graciously offered him the use of her room whenever he wished. The agreement is that she will work from home when he wants to use the office for assignments, like receiving foreign dignitaries.

Parliamentary committee acts, replaces secretary
biswabrata goswami
Haldia, 2 July
Within a month after a Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) submitted a report expressing concern over the large scale corruption and ongoing crisis at Haldia port, the secretary of the Ministry of Shipping, Mr Pradip Kumar Sinha, has been replaced by Mr Vishwapati Trivedi yesterday.
The sudden replacement was required as the Ministry of Shipping has reportedly misled the PSC over some issues related with the ports, which contradicts the existing Major Port Trust Act, 1963.  
The PSC on Transport, Tourism and Culture, which includes four prominent Trinamul Congress MPs ~ Mr Dinesh Trivedi, Mr Sisir Adhikari, Mr Subrata Boxi and Mr Kunal Ghosh ~ has pointed a finger at the large scale corruption and ongoing crisis at Haldia port in its last report.
It has also taken note of the recent incidents at the Haldia Dock Complex, where the private operator abruptly closed two terminals, causing irreparable loss to the government.
The committee&’s review came at a time when another Trinamul Congress MP from Tamluk, Mr Subhendu Adhikari, has been widely criticised for his involvement in driving out the cargo-handling company, Haldia Bulk Terminals (HBT), a joint venture of ABG-LDA, from the Haldia port.
Just days after HBT’s exit from Haldia port, even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said, “There is nothing unusual at Haldia port. The Opposition parties are trying to defame our government by hook or by crook”.
Surprisingly, the PSC led by CPI-M politburo leader Sitaram Yechury, which includes the four Trinamul Congress MPs, has agreed to the allegation of rampant corruption at Haldia port that the Opposition parties and a section of port officials raised.
In the report, the committee said, "The Haldia port is losing crores of rupees year after year only because of certain vested interests. The private parties are paying just an annual license fee of a mere Rs 5,400, and they are handling the cargos, shore operations and are taking crores of rupees as profit from the port, thereby depriving the port authority of its financial benefits."
The committee didn’t name any company, but those who pay the meagre fee in Haldia include Ripley, a company run by the family of former and current Trinamul Rajya Sabha MPs, Swapan Sadhan (Tutu) and Srinjoy Bose.
The committee also failed to understand the motive behind the handing over of a profitable entity to private hands. “When the matters of generating revenue out of it come, these should not be flowing into private hands. Therefore, the reported pilferage at Haldia port should be checked at once and a status report should be furnished to the committee in this regard," the report read.
When the Ministry of Shipping has made the observation that ‘the rates charged by them are market determined and ports have no role in it’, they have clearly suppressed legal provisions under Sections 42 and 48 of the MPT Act, 1963 and thus appears to have intentionally misled the PSC and committed a breach of trust, a senior port official said.

statesman news service
Balurghat, 2 July
Tension gripped the locality after a motorbike rider was killed and another was seriously injured in an accident when a tractor collided head-on with the motorbike coming from the opposite direction near Balurghat Raghunathpur area in the same police station of South Dinajpur district today.
Gautam Sarkar (35), the motorbike rider, and a resident in the Balurghat municipal area, was killed on the spot while Kaushik Ganguly (36), a resident of Balurghat police station area, was immediately taken to Balurghat district hospital. His condition is stated to be serious.
The tractor driver managed to flee from the spot along with his vehicle.
Local residents staged a blockade at Balurghat-Gazole state highway-10, protesting against the reckless driving in the area and the apathy of police to control the menace.
The agitated locals said that traffic police are doing nothing to restrain reckless driving.
Police, however, managed to pacify them by assuring of action.
The body of the deceased was sent for post-morte m to Balurghat district hospital.
A search operation is on to find out the driver.