debameeta bhattacharya catches up with Karanvir Bohra, bad man of the small screen and Jhalak Dikhlaja 6 contestant
ONE of India&’s most popular reality shows on dance is back again with a bang and the celebrities lined up promise some mesmerising moves. Whether it’s the big screen’s Aarti Chhabria or singer-host Shaan or popular television stars — just name it and you’ll find it all. Talking about television stars, one can’t overlook Karanvir Bohra, the bad man of the small screen industry. Excerpts from an interview:

I’ve read a few interviews of yours where you’ve said you’re “scared to be hated by people”. How do you cope with the resemblance with all the negative characters you play?
   Initially, I did have a little difficulty as a person but then reading a lot about negative characters helped me to a great extent. The next step was to work on personality — dressing style, my looks, my body language, which I did and all my hard work did bear fruit and I was eventually accepted by the audience. They could finally differentiate between Viraj Dobriyal (my reel life) and Karanvir Bohra, which earned me a huge fan following. I always believe that an actor needs to diversify his potential and present himself as a commodity — which I believe I can.
 
You are participating in Season 6 of Jhalak Dikhlaja on Colors; how has the journey been so far?
   Jhalak Dikhlaja is a platform that I always had wished to be a part of. The journey so far has been good but a little shaky since it’s all so completely unpredictable. We are working very hard and rehearsing day and night and paving our way into the audience&’s hearts.

You also did a cameo in Season 5 with Salman Khan and Isha Sharvani in Teen ka tadka, and you had scored a perfect 30. Is this the reason why you choose to participate this year?
   Yes, in Season 5 I had performed with two of the best dancers then and scored a perfect 30. Being a trained Kathak dancer, it was a challenge for me to attempt other forms on Jhalak&’s stage, as it&’s a lot more than just dance. This time when the producers made the offer, I thought it was a golden opportunity to reconnect with my audience and this time through dance.

Your profile says you are a trained dancer. What’s your speciality?
   Yes, I am a trained Kathak dancer and have learnt the art from my guru, Pandit Birju Maharaj. Kathak is a very expressive form but I am super excited to try other forms too and Jhalak is giving me the platform. I also specialise in picking up dance forms in the shortest time span — two reasons: hard work and my choreographer, Sneha.

All social networking sites are talking about your new venture, Love You Soniye, with your wife. Tell us a little about that.
   Love You Soniye is an amalgamation of action, comic, dance, music and romance — a complete Punjabi film where my wife Teejay and I are playing lead roles.
 
And finally, any message for your fans?
   Well, all I want to say is a big thank you to all my fans who have always supported me, be it the negative characters that I’ve played or otherwise. Acting is in my genes and the one thing that I thoroughly enjoy doing is entertaining people and my shift and journey at Jhalak Dikhlaja will also be an effort towards this end.
 

A  clichéd exhibition of little comfort
A GROUP of 16 artists of the Hoogly Chinsurah Art Forum are showcasing an exhibition of paintings and sculpture at the Central Gallery, Academy of Fine Arts. While some of the paintings are ordinary, most are below average and juts one or two worth the mention. There&’s no work on display that one could tag as “new” or “unseen”. Of course, one can’t really call them repetitions in the literal sense (which is quite common these days) but most of the exhibits — done in acrylic, watercolour, ink on paper and mixed media – are very clichéd and boring.
   Suvendu Ghosh&’s ink on paper is something one must have come across more than twice in the Academy&’s gallery. He needs to break free from the stereotype Madhubani pattern on ink and pen element.
   Amlan Dutta&’s black-and-white Landscape in watercolour on paper is worth appreciation and Tapan Pal&’s Allenation, which is mixed media on canvas, is bright and colourful. Jiban Burman&’s Digha series in watercolour is another appreciable sight.
   As for the sculpture… The least said the better.
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The exhibition is on till 26 June

Ecowatch ~ Bittu Sahgal
‘A woman has to work harder to be taken seriously by men (journalists and wildlifers) who are uncomfortable with independent-minded women. But consistent and determined purpose tends to sort out this problem. Then there is that other handicap ~ I do not fear wild animals, but meeting the wrong kind of people when I am out alone sometimes does scare me
Prerna Bindra is the quintessential woman in a man’s world. A dogged wildlife journalist, she was presented with the Sanctuary-ABN AMRO Wildlife Service Award in 2007 for her contribution to the protection of wild animals, including the tiger. Born in Ahmedabad, her father was part of the Indian Police Service and her mother, a teacher.
They gifted her with an ethical streak that has stood her in good stead all her life.
She speaks to Bittu Sahgal about her passion for wildlife and her frustration with a system that seems unwilling to protect the natural heritage she holds so close to her heart.

A personal one. You have chosen to remain single. Is that because of the nature of your job as a journalist on the move?
It’s a difficult one to answer. It takes a fine man to understand my concerns, passion and imperatives, particularly my need to travel to remote places at the drop of a hat, or the smell of a story. However, this just accentuates my need for roots, an anchor. So, the day I find him, the status might change!

Has being a woman been a disadvantage in a man’s arena?
To a certain extent. A woman has to work harder to be taken seriously by men (journalists and wildlifers) who are uncomfortable with independent-minded women. But consistent and determined purpose tends to sort out this problem. Then there is that other handicap – I do not fear wild animals, but meeting the wrong kind of people when I am out alone sometimes does scare me. And with good reason… I know this from bitter personal experience. Let’s leave it at that.

Let’s leave that, though I wish this were a nicer world. What got you involved with wildlife?
I wish I knew. As a kid, I would doctor birds and small animals and gained a reputation (mistakenly or otherwise!) as an ‘animal doctor’.  It might have been the lion I saw when I was nine years old. This was in Gir, and its majesty and power still live with me.
Much later, when I saw a photograph of a royal Bengal tiger – alive, belly side up, trussed up and spreas tied to the bars of its iron cage, waiting to be disembodied by men who stood by, laughing, it tipped the balance in my head.

So it was anger that got you hooked?
I was disgusted; ashamed to be human. I swore I would protect the tiger for as long as I lived.

And now it is love that draws you?
Some might describe it as love, but I am just instinctively protective of wild animals. I think humans do them far too much wrong, with deadly persistence. I believe from my soul that they have as much right to live in dignity as any human being does.
They were born free. They should live free. It is to this proposition that my entire life is devoted.

Shall we shift focus? You must have had dozens of unforgettable wildlife experiences?
Yes. Luckily for me, literally too many to narrate, and none of them life-threatening. In fact, I marvel at the fiction that shikar writers so unashamedly infuse into their stories. I walk unarmed in forests with the faith that if you know and respect the jungle, you are safer here than you are in any big city. You must respect the comfort zone of animals and not invade their personal space.
Having said this, I have indeed witnessed mock charges by both elephants and, very recently in Kaziranga, a mating rhino! But I am here and telling the tale, so obviously they never really intended to do me any harm.

If you don’t know your wildlife, you could die walking in an Indian jungle.
I could not agree more. I remember, when I was around 15 years old, I instinctively picked up a snake that was being beaten to death. I put it in a bag and took it to a forest officer who nearly had a cardiac arrest. It was a cobra. In that instance, ignorance was bliss! 
Down the years, I have had my share of scares, which include almost falling off a panicky elephant right next to a mating pair of tigers and walking back to camp in the dark and hearing the sawing sound of a leopard much too close for comfort. But it is this Bittu, these experiences that make it all so worthwhile, that I live for.
 
What in your view is the role of a wildlife journalist~to report events or to affect the course of events?
Wildlife journalists are themselves an endangered lot. This is because media today has next to no column space (nor the budget) for serious, in-depth wildlife reports. Speaking for myself, I want to affect the course of events and not just report fait accomplis. We have access to information before it becomes public and often, how you use that information determines whether you stop environmental crime or merely report it. Having said this, environmental reporting requires much more accuracy and homework than regular journalism. Misinterpreting or even poor reporting can do more harm than good. The pen – and in today’s age – the camera as well, are hardcore conservation tools and journalists must use them to engage people, influence public opinion, and expose crooks who are often policy makers.

Who are your heroes? Who has influenced you most?
Apart from my mother, who taught me to do my best and never give up, it was through James Herriot’s books that I grew to love dogs and other animals. I realised then, the power of words, and that one must write from the heart. Gerald Durrell, F. W. Champion, EHA, Ashok Kumar, who nurtured my interest in wildlife, P.K. Sen, Valmik Thapar, Mike Pandey,  Belinda Wright… so many heroes. Also those brave forest officers (yes, there are some) who work within a killing system. And forest guards who work in abysmal conditions, and against all odds.

Have the people you have written about ever directed any aggression at you?
That is par for the course for any journalist. When I broke the story on the ivory trade in Gujarat, believe me, the traders involved were less than polite. Ditto with the bird traders who gheroed (surrounded) me when I next visited the bird market. Then there were the people at Jama Masjid, Delhi who had two or three tame blackbucks. Once, I saw the rough side of American officialdom when I wrote that you could gift a tiger to your macho boyfriend or hunt a tiger in the backwoods of Texas in the United States.

Any regrets?
Loads. The blackbucks I mentioned earlier? Neither the police nor the forest officials acted in time, everyone kept telling me about the potential communal backlash. And in the meanwhile, to get rid of the evidence, the animals were reportedly killed and dumped. All I could think of were the blackbucks, and the fact that it was my story that killed them.
I regret not being able to impress upon a retinue of editors that reporting on wildlife issues is of national importance. I regret vital stories still waiting to see the light of day; of not keeping a dairy of all my travels. Also that as a journalist, I have been unable to fight the fact that the people of my country are so fixated on their television sets and cell phones that they are not even aware that their natural treasures are being destroyed.

Bittu Sahgal is the editor of Sanctuary Magazine
Sanctuary Features
146, Pragati Industrial Estate, N.M. Joshi Marg
Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 011
Tel: 022 23016848/49 Fax: 022 23074102

Lessons From Uttarakhand
saumitra mohan
THE recent cloud burst in Uttarakhand and subsequent natural disaster in the form of massive inundation should make many of us sit up and take notice. It is true that notwithstanding all disaster management plans, man is helpless against the vagaries of nature as also borne out by the regular loss of lives and property from tsunami, tornados, typhoons and hurricanes in the developed countries like USA and Japan. However, we can definitely be better prepared to face any such contingency for minimizing losses and damages. The clichéd but hoary dictum rightly says, ‘prevention is always better than cure’.
Darjeeling, which was ravaged by major earthquakes in 1898 (known as Darjeeling disaster) and then again in September 2011, falls under seismic zone-IV (on a scale of I to V, in order of increasing proneness to earthquakes) near the boundary of the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates. It also needs better planning and better marshaling of resources and logistics to be well-equipped for any such natural calamity. Like any other region, Darjeeling also has a contingency plan and relevant paraphernalia to face up to a natural disaster, however there is still a lot which could be done for better mitigation and minimization of the losses accruing from such sudden natural vehemence.
First and foremost, there is a need for dividing the entire region into suitable eco-sensitive zones for better planning of the relevant developmental works, which are usually carried out without any concerns to the geo-physical nature of the local terrain and topography. It is due to this that Darjeeling hills are subject to frequent landslides and land subsidence, often throwing normal human life out of gear. The rampant and reckless felling of trees during the first Statehood agitation in Darjeeling during the better part of 1980s has left large tracts of the Darjeeling Himalayas denuded of any vegetation, making them further prone to ecological disasters like landslides.
The unregulated and unabated building constructions and callous mountain cutting have further endangered the local ecology and human life. The development of human habitations in almost every part of the hills and the subsequent interference with the forces of nature has further distressed an already fragile ecosystem.
Hence, it is quite imperative that the all the agencies concerned with development and disaster planning in this eco-sensitive region synergize their action to save the Queen of Hills from any natural catastrophe waiting to happen. The regulatory framework relating to building constructions and other developmental activities, as already in vogue, ought to be strictly enforced. The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Sabha (the rule and policy making body in Darjeeling hills) in one of its meetings has already resolved to issue directives to the local municipal and rural bodies to ensure enforcement of the building rules and laws while also making it mandatory to have a water-harvesting plan for every proposed building plan in the private and public sector. Now, it should be ensured that the same is implemented with due earnestness.
The integrated watershed management plan (IWMP) is another flagship government programme which, if properly implemented, has potential to turn things around for the local ecology. There is not only a need for massive afforestation with due contour-wise green micro-planning, there is also a need for a well-designed drainage system so as to suitably channel the waters of hill springs and drains (called dhara and jhora  in local parlance) to preempt and reduce the chances of further landslides. There is a further need for undertaking massive preemptive protection works including construction of protection walls, gully plugging, planned check dams, contour bunding, a zone-wise solid waste management plan, hill-sensitive water harvesting structures and irrigation channels to stem and minimalize such landslides.
It should be ensured that no major development works including construction of roads, buildings and hydro power plants are executed without first studying their environmental implications through an ‘environment impact assessment (EIA)’ as made mandatory by the extant laws and decrees of the government. As per the studies carried out by the Geographical Survey of India (GSI) and National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), large tracts of Darjeeling hills have developed into sinking zones in the aftermath of the last earthquake and massive human activities, making the local ecology further fragile.
If we don’t put in place the requisite regulatory framework, then landslides shall soon become order of the day. Illegal mining of minor and major minerals in the lower reaches of the Himalayas is another area of concern, which needs attention. And more than the regulatory enforcement, there is need for a political consensus to stop these, otherwise landslides as big as one at Tindharia in Kurseong sub-division of Darjeeling shall keep repeating themselves with a lot of damage to the life and property of the native population.
After we have done the necessary homework with regards to the preventive and regulatory works, we should target our guns at popular awareness, which is abysmally low, to say the least. The native communities need to be made aware and sensitized to the pitfalls of ignoring and violating the relevant rules and laws as relating to various developmental activities as this has serious implications for their day-to-day life. So, there is a urgent need for massive awareness drives and capacity building exercises of the local populace. The civil defense training relating to various aspects of disaster management and personal safety need to be undertaken in more and more parts of the region, more so for the local youths.
It has been a personal experience that more than anything else it is the flow of information and communication during a particular disaster which matters a lot. So, even after we have a state-of-the-art early warning system as put in place by the Meteorological and Disaster Management Departments, the flow of information to the right people at right time is what proves crucial to any disaster management exercise. The real time coordination and communication among all the concerned departments at information and resource sharing to provide succor and relief to the affected people is what is most important to face any natural calamity or anthropogenic (read man-made) disaster successfully. The rescue and relief work becomes easier with already trained ‘quick response teams’ (QRTs) and relatively better aware, trained and sensitized civil society members.
A well-coordinated initiative of the state government, local self-governments and local administration in coordination with the involved non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is already underway and trying to work on the above-mentioned aspects to make the same a reality. However, the same needs to be done in right earnest by all the stakeholders concerned. The diagnosis and remedial measures suggested above for Darjeeling ipso facto, with some minor alterations, apply to any and every part of the country.
The writer is District Magistrate, Darjeeling. The views expressed are his own

A BOND WEAKENED
The British as they really are
IT isn’t time yet to be sanguine about the reported assurance of a member of Prime Minister David Cameron&’s Cabinet that the proposal of a 3000-pound bond from short-term Indian visitors to Britain “has not been considered” by Whitehall. It is hearsay, actually double-hearsay because we hear of it from Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, who was told by the Liberal-Democratic British Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, who in turn was reportedly told so by the Conservative Home Secretary. To us it seems rather a roundabout way of saying that a proposal has been shelved. Perhaps and before not very long, the British will formally announce that it has indeed been abandoned. If that happens, the dust will settle for some time; if it doesn’t it will be in our faces again. But in the cacophony of furious reactions not just in India, or within the Indian community in Britain but also in five other countries similarly described as “high-risk”, some obvious facts must not be lost sight of.
First, the British must have done their homework before determining that short-term visitors from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ghana and Nigeria have a tendency to overstay. Second, the British must have realised the diplomatic implications of targeting six former colonies to the exclusion of others in a step that can only be deemed discriminatory. Third, implicit in the proposal must be acceptance that the elaborate system of screening visa applicants ~ outsourced in many countries and seeking personal details that ought ordinarily to be confidential ~ has only been a limited success, notwithstanding the huge cost levied on visa applicants. Fourth, Whitehall must have realised that diplomacy works on the principle of reciprocity and it is as easy for the targeted countries to lay down humiliating conditions as it is for the British to do so. Fifth, notwithstanding the country&’s highly intrusive policing, relatively miniscule size and the collection of biometric and facial data from visa applicants, the UK Border Agency and local authorities in Britain lack the wherewithal to prevent visitors from overstaying. Sixth, there appears to be some amount of political consensus in Britain on the need to crack down on visitors who overstay; in other words, even if the bond proposal is given up some other way will be found to make a visit to London a less than edifying prospect.
There is one more fact we must not lose sight of. In spite of having ruled, pillaged, divided, on occasion starved, and often desecrated a country (now three of the six countries targeted), the British through a contrived feat of diplomacy managed to convince us for more than six decades that we retained an emotional bond with our former rulers. For a fine of 3000 pounds, the British seem determined to weaken that bond, and we must not grudge them their right to do so if only because it allows us to see them as they really are, and perhaps always were, and not as they pretend to be.

BRAGGING RIGHTS
Going wrong for Modi
POLITICIANS’ “clarifications” are almost always hypocritical attempts at damage control ~ attempting to dilute the fall-out of a previous action. While it may not always be correct that first impressions are the correct ones, “gut feelings” do tend to stick. All that, maybe more, must be borne in mind when considering Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray&’s bid to underplay the thrust of an editorial in his party&’s mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ that flayed the BJP&’s “campaign face” for controversial claims on relief for the Uttarakhand victims. Thackeray is the editor of Saamna, and while admittedly an editor does not write/read every word of a publication before it goes into print, it is difficult to accept that a party organ ~ unlike an independent newspaper ~ will comment in strains very different from the party line: an editor who seeks to disassociate himself from an editorial comment hardly merits that designation. The subject under focus, however, is not the editorial integrity of the publication, but to cite that now-diluted commentary as evidence of how the Narendra Modi “style” is proving an embarrassment even to the BJP&’s allies: does whatever remains of the NDA actually deserve projection as an alliance? The most valid aspect of that commentary is its articulation of the larger point that Modi&’s way of doing things militates against the BJP securing the support of other parties in an electoral construct in which no single party is expected to form a government. Modi may not have personally claimed to have delivered 15,000 Gujaratis to safety, but neither did he “clarify” what his media managers churned out.
Apart from that claim being factually difficult to sustain, it confirmed that an aspirant to the prime minister&’s office has not outgrown a parochial mindset; and raised questions about a “national” party placing so much stock in a man so obviously politically-blinkered. Modi&’s advocates have frequently contended that his thrust on development (let&’s not digress into the validity of that claim) “cancels out” the negatives that accrued from 2002: yet his reputation for being autocratic has been reinforced ever since he stepped up from the state to the national plate. He made a belated token effort to make peace with party stalwart L K Advani, indicated he gave a damn at the JD(U) opting out, and does not even pretend to be reaching out in any direction. Are other so-called saffron stalwarts with a broader perspective so marginalised that they remain hunkered down?

ROT IN GARO HILLS            
Need for drastic action
IT is about time the Meghalaya government took immediate steps to tighten its seemingly loosening grip on the law and order situation in the Garo Hills. Over the past two years or so, there had been an abnormal rise in the incidence of crime against women and wanton killings of policemen and civilians, clearly revealing the ineffectiveness of the law enforcing agency. Last month, Garo militants gunned down five coal miners. Last Sunday, some miscreants brutally murdered eight labourers, mostly migrants from Assam&’s Goalpara and Dhubri working in various coal quarries, and escaped with Rs 80,000. Since the assailants are yet to be identified or their true motives ascertained, it will be premature to blame any local militant outfit. According to agency reports, following a rumour that a miner raped a mentally-challenged girl in Tura two days ago, an irate mob went berserk killing a man and setting fire to some vehicles.  
Already, there are reports of a mass exodus from the Garo Hills, the consequences of which should not be lost on both Shillong and Dispur. They must ensure that the sudden turn of events does  not kindle ethnic fires and communal disharmony. Quite obviously, nothing short of a drastic clean-up will arrest the rot in the Garo Hills. New Delhi has shown pragmatism by accepting Meghalaya chief minister, Mukul Sangma&’s request for paramilitary forces. But these forces must be used judiciously to regain a grip on the situation.

between the lines

kuldip nayar

Not long ago, a disaster in any part of the country would elicit a national response. People would go door-to-door to collect money, clothes, utensils, medicines and many other things of daily use to transmit through agencies that were voluntarily engaged in relief and rehabilitation work. The attitude has changed in the last few years. People are, no doubt, concerned and sympathetic. But there is no countrywide effort to organise help. The atmosphere is no more animated with the zeal that I recall used to be there.
Take the example of Uttarakhand. There has been massive devastation. More than 5,000 people have reportedly died and the material loss runs into hundreds of crores of rupees. Yet, the reaction has been tepid. Efforts are visible on an individual scale. But the nation as such is not concerned. Particularly, the states in the south and the east have shown less involvement.
Governments, both in the hilly state of Uttarakhand and at the Centre, were too late to respond and had no clue about what to do. Even after 10 days of the disaster, 20,000 people were stranded at different places. What dominated the discussion was not the scale of assistance but whether the disaster was man-made or caused by nature&’s fury. Of course, it was man-made. The reasons are obvious.
Trees were cut to accommodate the ever-growing bureaucracy. The de-silting of rivers is out of any government&’s agenda.
The National Disaster Management Board was tried for the first time and found wanting. Political parties have done nothing concrete except politicising the tragedy. The official appeal to contribute to the Prime Minister&’s Relief fund has been issued as a matter of routine.
Surprisingly, no foreign country has offered help to evacuate the stranded people, much less any material assistance. Pakistan has missed a golden opportunity to befriend the common Indian. Islamabad should have sent trucks of food and medicines to the Wagah border. New Delhi would have lost face if it had stopped the aid.
If one were to analyse the tragedy, one would come to the conclusion that the nation has lost sensitivity. Different states have over the years become islands by themselves and there is hardly any tragedy which transcends the border. When it came to rescuing the victims, states like West Bengal and Gujarat preferred to evacuate the inhabitants of their own area.
The absence of national feeling may well be the reason why every state is constructing dams in catchment areas. They think that the consequential loss is to other states not to them. And so many dams have come up that they are counterproductive. Of course, the money spent has enough leeway for corruption at political and official levels. The land and timber mafias have played havoc at the expense of the nation.
Countrywide coordination is possible at the level of environment ministry. It can also ensure that the ecology is not disturbed. But the ministry is so much under pressure from different lobbies and state governments that it has become only a signing authority. The area around Uttarakhand is so fragile that the Central government did not want to disturb the ecology. But both political parties, the Congress and the BJP, joined hands to have the proposal scuttled.
And the behaviour of the people in Uttarakhand itself was inhuman. There are instances of shopkeepers charging exorbitant prices for things of daily use ~ a biscuit packet was sold for Rs 200; a loaf of bread was priced at Rs 100. There are instances of looting and even molesting of women ~ one woman required medical help, but her gold chain was pulled off her neck and she was left bleeding. Even sadhus and sants made most of the situation, robbing money and ornaments from the deceased.  The only bright side is the work done by the Army and the Air Force. They evacuated thousands of people stuck at different places.
The survivors in fact narrated the difference between the government, which did not do anything, and the Army and Air Force, which rescued them and gave food and shelter.
One Air Force helicopter, engaged in rescue operation, crashed because of bad weather. Twenty lives were lost.
India is a heartless state. Over the years, it has deteriorated in values. There is not a semblance of idealism left to talk about social justice or to lift the lower half to the level where it can lead a viable life.
Poverty, unemployment and malnutrition, signs of a decaying society, are increasing day by day. We are, almost back to the Hindu growth rate of 4 per cent. A dollar fetches Rs 60. In fact, the rupee is in shambles.
Today&’s spectacle of poor growth and the dismal future is because political parties have catered to their fiefdoms without keeping before them the picture of India on the whole or the growth of every sector or every area. Unfortunately, the parties have not realised that their politics may feather their nests but would not take the country forward.
The Congress and the BJP, the two main parties are to blame the most. They have seen to it that they do not compromise even though a bit of cooperation would have done wonders. Parliament has been more or less at a standstill.
No business has been transacted session after session, creating a new record of inactivity. The parties admit this and some leading members have no hesitation in saying so in private. Yet, they do not cross the line even word-wise in the House, lest it should harm them.
India does not have much leeway. The speed with which we are going down the hill indicates a ruin of great magnitude.
There is every reason why the two main parties should come together to take the country further. They should at least have a joint action plan on the rehabilitation of victims. But that would require a stand above party line.
In today&’s approach to occupy the kursi, it is difficult to imagine any political party placing national interest first. Even several disasters like the one in Uttarakhand cannot change the thinking of political parties. It is tragic, but true.

The writer is a veteran
journalist and commentator

agencies
LONDON, 25 JUNE: Pakistan&’s Asad Rauf (in photo right), who is being investigated in the Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal, and long-serving New Zealander Billy Bowden  (in photo left) were today dropped from the International Cricket Council’s elite panel of umpires after annual reviews of the duo’s performances.
Rauf, who is being probed for allegedly taking expensive gifts from suspected bookies, and Bowden have been replaced by former Test cricketers Richard Illingworth and Paul Reiffel.
“The selection panel considered the overall performances of the umpires over the past 12 months when deciding which umpires would be offered contracts for 2013-4. In Asad’s case, it is important to emphasise that the recent speculation linking his name to the IPL spot-fixing investigation was not considered during the selectors’ deliberations,” said Geoff Allardice, chairman of the ICC umpires selection panel.
Rauf, who has denied any wrongdoing, was earlier withdrawn from officiating in the Champions Trophy here.
“It is exciting to see Richard and Paul promoted to the elite panel, but it is also important to acknowledge and appreciate the outstanding contributions of Asad and Billy over a long period of time,” said Allardice.
Illingworth and Reiffel have joined Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Steve Davis, Marais Erasmus, Ian Gould, Tony Hill, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford and Rod Tucker on the panel for the 2013-2014 season, starting on 1 July, 2013. Illingworth has been umpiring in international cricket since July 2010 and has so far stood in four Tests, 16 One-Day Internationals and seven Twenty20 Internationals.
Reiffel, who made his international umpiring debut in January 2009, has officiated in four Tests, 30 ODIs and nine Twenty20 Internationals.
The elite panel was selected by the ICC’s umpires selection panel consisting of Allardice, the ICC’s general manager (cricket), chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle, ex-England player and coach and umpire, David Lloyd, and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, the former India captain and international umpire.Bowden was included in the elite panel in 2003 and umpired in 75 Tests, 181 ODIs and 19 Twenty20 Internationals.
Rauf stood in 47 Tests, 98 ODIs and 23 Twenty20 Internationals and was a member of the elite panel since 2006.

Srinivasan yet to decide
CHENNAI, 25 JUNE: Embattled Board of Control for Cricket in India president N Srinivasan, who stepped aside after the Indian Premier League’s spot-fixing scandal, has not yet made up his mind about attending the International Cricket Council’s annual conference in London and will decide on it closer to the date of sub-committee meetings. The conference started today and would continue till 29 June. There is intense speculation on whether conference would be attended by Srinivasan, who stepped aside as BCCI president after his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested for alleged betting and spot-fixing. If he travels to London, Srinivasan will attend three ICC sub-committee meetings, including the one relevant to finance and commercial affairs. Jagmohan Dalmiya, looking after the BCCI’s everyday affairs since Srinivasan stepped aside, will represent India at the ICC board meeting. BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel will attend the chief executives’ meeting, while IPL chief executive officer Sundar Raman will attend the working group meeting of CEOs. agencies

sns & agencies
MUMBAI, 25 JUNE: Senior Board of Control for Cricket in India official Ratnakar Shetty has been summoned to a meeting here tomorrow of the Mumbai Cricket Association committee probing the mystery of unsold tickets during the 2011 World Cup final at Wankhede Stadium.
“I have received an e-mail which also mentions four other people: Lalchand Rajput, Pradeep Zaveri, Shripad Halbe and Ganesh Iyer. I haven’t decided if I will be attending it,” Shetty said today.
Shetty, currently the BCCI’s general manager (game development), was the tournament director of the showpiece event.
The MCA has summoned Shetty, former MCA vice-president and treasurer, along with former joint secretary Rajput, current managing committee member Iyer, former managing committee member Halbe and Zaveri, to appear before the four-member inquiry panel.
“I don’t know why they have called me but, going by their letter, I have been asked to brief the committee on World Cup final tickets. I will attend,” Halbe said. 
It has been said that Rajput and Iyer are unlikely to attend the meeting and that Shetty asked for the committee’s terms of reference.
More than 400 tickets of the India-Sri Lanka final, won by the hosts, were left unsold though "sold-out" notice boards had been put up at ticket counters, prompting the MCA to form the four-member special committee to look into the matter.
The MCA’s losses totalled more than Rs 70 lakh as a result.
‘Not yet ready’
Delhi Police today opined that the time is not ripe for legalising betting in sports in India as it could not be established at this stage that such an action will bring down match-fixing.
In the light of incidents of match and spot fixing in the recently concluded Indian Premier League in India, many stakeholders are advocating creation of a new stricter legal framework and legalisation of sports betting to keep a check on match and spot fixing.

Bristol (UK),  25 June: Darren Lehmann (in photo) insisted it was still possible for Australia to win the Ashes despite the upheaval that led to his appointment as the new head coach of the national side.
Lehmann was brought in after South African Mickey Arthur, the first non-Australian to coach the team, was sensationally sacked 16 days before the first Test in Nottingham after several high-profile on and off-field embarrassments for the team.
These included ‘homework gate’, where four players were dropped from the team during Australia’s 4-0 Test series loss in India this year and, more recently, the suspension of opening batsman David Warner until the first Ashes Test for a Birmingham bar-room attack on England’s Joe Root following the Aussies’ loss to their old foes in the Champions Trophy.
Even prior to these incidents many pundits made England, bidding for a third straight Test series win over Australia, favourites for the Ashes.
But despite everything that has happened in recent weeks, Lehmann — who took charge with immediate effect ahead of the tour match against Somerset — was in bullish mood when asked if Australia could still regain the Ashes.
“Yes definitely, It is a challenge for all the playing group and everyone involved with Cricket Australia.
“We are going to play an aggressive brand of cricket that entertains people and fans and gets the job done on and off the field.
“I am excited by the challenge.” Lehmann said he was keen to join forces with Australia captain and star batsman Michael Clarke, currently sidelined by a back injury. “I am looking forward to working with Michael closely,” said Lehmann.
Earlier CA chief executive James Sutherland praised Lehmann, appointed on a two-year deal, as the “obvious choice to replace Mickey”.
“As a cricketer and a coach he has an outstanding record,” said Sutherland. “His performances recently as coach of Queensland and the Brisbane Heat have seen him win titles in all three formats of the game.”
Meanwhile former England captain Michael Vaughan, who played alongside Lehmann at Yorkshire, tweeted: “For the 1st time in Months I am worried about Australia… If Darren Lehmann is the coach he will get them right.”
That led Clarke, appearing with Lehmann at a Bristol news conference on Monday, to joke: “Has someone hacked his account?     ”Surely he did not say anything positive. Playing for Australia is enough to galvanise the team. When you get that Baggy Green cap in your hand that is enough. We don’t need anything else.”
Meanwhile Lehmann, asked if he was an ‘old-school’ coach, said: “It’s important to talk about the game whether it’s with a beer or a Diet Coke, I don’t care.”
Australia leg-spin great Shane Warne, now working as a television commentator, has been suggested as someone Lehmann could bring on board. “We would love him in the room,” the 43-year-old Lehmann, who played 27 Tests, said.
“You don’t have a guy take 700 Test wickets and not use him if he is around the place. If he is around, and I know he is commentating with Sky all the time, then we will certainly use him.”
But Lehmann knows his tenure won’t be defined by the people he consults but by Australia’s results on the field. “If Michael gets some runs I will be ok. But if we don’t win I will go.
“That is what happens in professional sport. You are the head coach. You have to get results. If you don’t, you see what happens,” Lehmann said. agencies

the independent & agencies
Playing in the Ashes meant everything to Nick Compton (in photo right) and everything, of course, was too much for him to bear. That Wednesday in the second week of July came to dominate his existence. It was as though he had lived for that moment.
When he made consecutive Test hundreds in Dunedin (which saved the match) and Wellington on the tour of New Zealand following an unforgettable England tour of India in which he played an important part, it seemed his place was nailed on. But he started the English summer in a state of batting reticence so grave that his thoughts seemed easy to read.
`Mustn’t get out, concentrate, mustn’t get out, don’t do anything daft, mustn’t get out.’ The upshot was that he got out, never more poignantly than in his first Test innings at Lord’s when he skipped down the pitch to the New Zealand left arm spinner, Bruce Martin, essayed a grotesque attacking shot which swirled into the air and was caught.
It showed a tortured soul and it was never to be bright, youthful summer in Compton’s Test batting career again.
Perhaps, too, he could never escape the shadow of his illustrious grandfather Denis, one of the brightest stars ever to have shone in the English firmament. Nick was his own man but Denis’s raffish, buccaneering image was never far away in every forward prop he executed.
At bottom sport should be about enjoyment and it was obvious that poor, worried Nick was not enjoying it. If only he could make Trent Bridge on 10 July then it might change.
In the background there was Joe Root, the 22-year-old Yorkshireman, who had seemed custom designed for international cricket. Many were surprised when Compton was preferred to Root at the start of the series in India. When Root was finally given his chance in Test cricket in Nagpur (a surprise choice at number six at the time) it was pretty clear immediately that it was the start of a beautiful friendship. Compo, sensitive and thoughtful, might have sensed it deep down. It probably explained his irredeemable diffidence at the crease afterwards. What almost certainly did for him in the end was the way in which Root and his fellow Yorkshireman, Jonny Bairstow, shared a partnership of 124 in the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley. There was a freedom and joy about their work which stirred the soul.Andy Flower, the England coach, offered some consolatory words to Compton about getting runs in county cricket. He did, too, 166 of them against Durham but they took 324 balls. Root, meanwhile, had the elusive secret of making the game look easy, even it if it jolly well wasn’t.The selectors had to make their call in picking the team for the warm-up match against Essex where there may be easy runs to be had. Compton was eliminated from a squad of 14 players, which included the Irish fast bowler, Boyd Rankin.
New Zealand score 201/4
Hamish Rutherford&’s brilliant half-century helped New Zealand post a fordidable total of 201/4 in a T20 international at The Oval against hosts England. Rutherford scored 62 and was ably supported by Brendon McCullum who scored a vital 68 which was also the highest score of the innings.

Patients suffer due to loophole in Medical Act
gurvinder singh
KOLKATA, 25 JUNE: A century-old Act has turned into a liability for the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) and a cause of agony for hapless people demanding justice against wrong or negligent treatment by doctors.
The law in question is the Bengal Medical Act,1914 that doesn’t make registration with the state medical council mandatory for doctors coming from other states to practice here.
The result: Several hundreds of doctors engaged with private hospitals in the city fill up their pockets, but escape scot-free when the patient party accuses them of incorrect diagnosis.
"We receive substantial complaints of negligent treatment every month against the doctors but are unable to act against the non-members," said Dr D K Ghosh, Registrar of the council. 
"The time has come when the century-old rule needs to be amended as the delay would only add to the sufferings of the people,” he added.
"A doctor registered under Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 can practise anywhere in the country, but the Bengal Act, if amended, would help to keep a check on the medicos at the local level practising in the various states of the country,” added a senior office-bearer with the state council. “A few states such as Karnataka, Tripura and Maharashtra have made the registrations with the state councils mandatory, for the outsiders, but others are yet to do so," Dr Ghosh added.
"The fear of getting caught on account of negligence makes the doctor reluctant to come under the umbrella of the state medical council," said another senior officer on request of anonymity.
The state council also wants an amendment to the membership clauses.  
There are around 40,000 live members registered with the council, but most of them do not renew their qualification status which makes it difficult to determine the exact number of specialists in the various health streams in the state.  
The teachers in government medical colleges need to inform the council about the changes in educational qualification but the government doctors do not bother to do so, said the registrar. 
"We want the doctors to inform about their recent qualifications, say after every three or five years, to the council," he added. 
The council plans to write to the government seeking the amendments after the polls of the state medical council gets over. 
"The amendments if done would make the doctors, especially the private practitioners answerable to the people and help the victims get justice, he added.
 

statesman news service
KOLKATA, 25 JUNE: A mentally-deranged woman threw her 7-year-old son into Tolly’s nullah from Sukanta Setu at Bansdroni this afternoon, confounding local residents and police.
Officers of the Disaster Management Group (DMG) and divers were pressed into service to search for the boy.
The search continued till late into the night, but they are yet to find him.
A senior police officer said that local residents and vendors saw the woman, Rajani Kumari Devi, a resident of Sonarpur in North 24-Parganas, throwing her son into the canal. They
caught the woman and informed police.
Policemen from Regent Park Police Station went to the spot and contacted senior police officers after they came to know the entire incident.
The rescue work was initiated within 20 minutes of the incident.
A few pieces of clothing, reportedly belonging to the child, was found on the sides of the nullah, but the child couldn’t be traced.
Police came to know after preliminary investigation that Devi has three more daughters.
She left her Baruipur home with her 7-year-old at around 2.15 p.m. when her eldest daughter, a Class IX student, went to school.
"She had been undergoing treatment and she was released a few days ago from a mental hospital. She couldn’t tell that how she, a mentally deranged woman, managed to reach Sukanta Setu from Baruipur," the police officer said.
Police spoke to her husband, Mr Ashok Sen, who works in a courier company at Burabazar, but are yet to ascertain what had prompted the woman to throw her child into the nullah. 

statesman news service 
KOLKATA, 25 JUNE: A  32-year-old man, whose valuables were allegedly snatched while travelling in a train near Rampurhat, was found lying in a semi-conscious state with injuries all over his body at East Jadavpur late last night.  
Police said the victim, Mr Biswajit Halder, is a resident of Halla Nagar in East Jadavpur. According to his statement given to police this morning, he had boarded a train from Howrah Station on 16 June for Kamakhya.  
Some unidentified youths befriended him during his journey and offered him food. He fell unconscious after having it and the youths allegedly took away all his valuables. When he regained consciousness, he found himself at Rampurhat Station with injury marks all over his body.
Some people gave him money to buy a ticket to return to Howrah Station. Last night he returned to Howrah, but failed to say how he reached his locality in East Jadavpur. 
Mr Babu Mistri, one of his neighbours, saw him lying in a semi-conscious state and crying for help. They took him to MR Bangur Hospital and informed police.  
Doctors in the hospital stated his condition to be stable. Police took his statement this morning. 
A senior police officer said though he recollected the incident, he could not say what had actually happened to him as he was still in a trance. “We are contacting the Railway police and we expect that he can give more information once he gets well,” he said.     

biswabrata goswami
TAMLUK, 25 JUNE: Eight-metre-high tidal waves, coupled with strong Easterly winds, have wreaked havoc in the coastal areas of East Midnapore, damaging the 78-km long sea-protection wall and submerging hundreds of hectares of agricultural land over the past two days. At least 10,000 people in 15 villages in Ramnagar-I and II, Khejuri-II, Contai-I and II and Nandigram-I blocks have been affected by adverse weather conditions produced by a depression over the Bay of Bengal.
Powerful waves have flattened several hamlets inhabited by fishermen and uprooted Casuarina trees. About 450 fishermen’s families living along the Digha coast and 50 families living along river banks at Bachurmari in Nandigram have already been shifted to safer places.
“A vast tract of land at Brindamanchowk, Kendemari, Bachurmari and Paschim Jalpai areas of Nandigram was badly affected when the mouth of the Haldi river began swelling owing to high tides. The river bank at Bachurmari was also broken leading to large-scale inundation,” said Mahmud Hossain, sahakari-sabhadhipati of the zilla parishad.
The sea-wall, which protects the multi-crore Sankarpur Fishing Harbour and the coastal areas along the Sankarpur-Digha coastline, has suffered considerable damage at various points.
Embankments in the Gangadharpur, Samnibasan, Atli and Jalda areas of Old Digha, and Bankipot, Bhogpur and a few areas of Contai-II block were also breached, inundating swathes of fertile lands.
Waves also lashed against the protection wall at Old Digha, inundating the local market. Tourists at various lodges in Digha were alerted to stay away from the wall.
“The situation is alarming as ferry services at many places have been suspended owing to tidal waves,” said Mr Hossain.
Mr Barun Maity, secretary, Digha Fishermen and Fish Traders’ Association, said, “Fishermen who had ventured out to sea in trawlers three days ago have returned safely. But we have issued restrictions asking fishermen not to venture into the sea until the depression weakens.”
An irrigation department official said earlier breaches in embankments have complicated the situation further.  “Breaches along 50 km of East Midnapore&’s 78-km coastline have been crying for repairs for over five years. A 4 km-long breach occurred at Shankarpur two years ago and has still not been repaired. As a result, the sea easily flooded many villages. Ten villages, including Shankarpur, Tajpur, Chandpur, Lachhimpur, Jamra-Shyampur, Jalda and Shaula, have been badly affected,” he said.
Bimalendu Jana (55), a fisherman from the coastal village of Tajpur, about 10 km from Digha, said the sea began to swell around 8 pm on Sunday. "There was chest-deep water in most parts of the village by 11 p.m. yesterday. The winds were so strong that my hut collapsed in front of my eyes,” said Jana.
Digha police has been patrolling the coast all day, asking tourists not to venture into the water. Four tourists were injured when they hit boulders due to the tidal surge, said a police officer.

The woman allegedly committed suicide on 17 May by jumping from the SP&’s flat. But he didn’t inform police and went into hiding after locking the house
statesman news service
CHANDIGARH, 25 JUNE: A Punjab superintendent of police (SP) has been booked on charges of abetment of suicide of his subordinate’s 23-year-old daughter who last month jumped to death from a sixth-floor flat owned by the SP.
As the 50-year-old SP, Mr Mohal Lal, had allegedly exploited the victim, sexually after making false promise of marriage and job in police, investigating officers said charges of rape, abduction, destruction of evidence and illegal confinement are likely to be added in the case.
The woman allegedly committed suicide on 17 May by jumping from the SP’s flat at Rishi Apartments in Zirakpur town, adjoining Chandigarh. But the SP didn’t inform the police about the incident and went into hiding after locking the house.
The woman’s head constable father, working under Mr Lal at Batala then, had
filed a complaint against his senior officer alleging illegal confinement and rape of his daughter on the pretext of getting her recruited in the Punjab Police.
Apparently under pressure from the SP, the Zirakpur police had initially tried to cover up the incident; even the victim’s father took some time to file complaint against the SP.
But the latter’s complaint led to an inquiry into the incident by a three-member police team consisting of senior police officers following which a case was registered against the officer.
The victim’s post-mortem report had confirmed sexual exploitation. The probe has revealed that the married SP had promised to marry the victim. But he later put pressure on her to marry another man from his family.
A non-governmental human rights organisation had already moved the Punjab and Haryana high court to demand registration of an FIR against the SP. The court had issued notice to the SAS Nagar police to file a reply.
 

press trust of india
NEW DELHI, 25 JUNE: The Supreme Court today said it cannot pass any order against the US government and its agencies for snooping on Internet data from India as it has no jurisdiction over them.
“Our jurisdiction is not over the entire world. American people and government is not covered under Article 21,” a Bench of justices A K Patnaik and Ranjan Gogoi said.
The Bench, however, said it would hear the PIL seeking to initiate action against Internet companies for allowing the foreign agency to access information if the petitioner convinced the court that Fundamental Rights of the people have been violated.
It asked the petitioner, a former Dean of Law Faculty of Delhi University, Professor S N Singh, to come prepared on the aspect of violation of Fundamental Rights on 28 June when his PIL will be taken up.
In his plea, Prof. Singh has alleged that such large scale spying by the US authorities is detrimental to national security and urged the apex court to intervene in the matter.
He claimed Internet companies were sharing information with the foreign authority in “breach” of contract and violation of right to privacy.
“As per reports, nine US-based Internet companies operating in India through agreements signed with Indian users, shared 6.3 billion information/data with National Security Agency of USA without express consent of Indian users.
“Such large scale spying by the US authorities besides being against the privacy norms is also detrimental to national security,” the petition, filed through advocate Virag Gupta, said.
Prof. Singh has submitted that it is a breach of national security as the government’s official communications have come under US surveillance as services of private Internet firms are being used by them.

press trust of india
NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR, 25 JUNE: Kashmir’s dream of an all-weather surface link will turn into a reality tomorrow when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurate the rail link between Banihal to Qazigund in the Valley.
Mr Singh and Mrs Gandhi will jointly flag off the first train at around 11.50 a.m. on the 18-km-long section between Banihal in Jammu and Qazigund in Kashmir, starting the rail service to the Valley.
The 8-coach train operate regularly from Banihal to Baramulla from 27 June after the inaugural run on 26 June.
The Banihal-Baramulla-Banihal train will make five trips daily, beginning at 7.10 a.m. from Banihal and 7.35 a.m. from Baramulla.
Railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge, Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vora and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah along with other Central ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad are expected to be present on the historic occasion.
“We have seven pairs of trains to run between Banihal and Baramulla. Earlier, there were five rakes only, but now it has been increased,” said a senior Northern railway official. The Banihal-Qazigund section, which includes an 11-km-long tunnel, will reduce the distance from 35 km (by road) to 18 km. It has been constructed at Rs 1,691 crore.
This rail section is very significant as it will provide an all-weather link to Kashmir Valley which often gets cut off from the rest of the country due to snowfall during winters.
Passengers travelling by train from Kashmir Valley to Banihal can avail bus service from there till Udhampur where train service is available for the rest of the country.
Northern Railways is coordinating with Jammu and Kashmir government for arrangements for the bus service. “The bus service will be available from Udhampur to facilitate passengers availing train from Banihal next month,” a senior Northern Railway official said.
Train service is already operational within Kashmir Valley on the 118-km-long route between Qazigund and Baramulla in north Kashmir.
“It (Qazigund-Banihal section) was a challenging task. Besides, the difficult terrain, land was acquired for the Kashmir rail link project in adverse law and order situation in the state,” the official said.
A trial run on Banihal-Qazigund section was successfully done on 28 December  last year and since then trains carrying stones are running on a regular basis. Currently, problems are being faced by passengers travelling between Banihal and Qazigund due to closure of Jawahar Tunnel in winter months due to heavy snowfall.
Last winter, only one-way vehicular movement was allowed between Jammu and Srinagar on the national highway. There were sudden closures for almost four months from December 2012 to March this year due to heavy snowfall and slippery conditions. “All the problems will be reduced to a large extent by running of train services between Banihal and Qazigund,” the Northern Railway official said, adding that “it will be a cheaper, faster and dependable mode of transport for the people.”
Known as the Pir Panjal tunnel, it is the longest transportation tunnel in India and the third longest in Asia. The tunnel has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,300 crore and
taken almost seven years to complete.
The tunnel has been constructed using New Austrian Tunneling Method, which has been used for the first time on such a large scale in India. This method optimises the tunnel design by mobilising the inherent ground strength in adopting a curved section, providing primary support system immediately after excavation and monitoring the ground behaviour while permitting it to develop its inherent strength.

PM announces `710 crore for rural road network
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced Rs 710 crore for land acquistion for expansion and upgrade of rural roads network in Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Singh made the announcement after a meeting with the Council of Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir during which he reviewed the progress of various development projects.

Initiate talks with all shades of opinion: NC to PM
SRINAGAR, 25 JUNE: The ruling National Conference today asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to consider early restoration of autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir and initiate talks with all shades of opinion in the state. An 18-member NC delegation, led by MP Mehboob Beg, called on the Prime Minister here and discussed political and developmental issues facing the state, a party spokesman said. The delegation also pitched for resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue, implementation of Working Groups and interlocutors’ reports, opening cross-LoC routes and special recruitment package for youths in various Central government departments and institutions. Revision of special package for Kashmiri migrants, special package for PoK Refugees of 1947, 1965 and 1971, package for earthquake affected areas and rehabilitation and return of misguided Kashmir youth from across the LoC were among the demands raised by the delegation. The demand for quota for the Paharis without affecting the reservation available to the Scheduled Tribe was also raised. pti