န Day 3 Of The Battle For Lalgarh

Security forces reach Lalgarh police station in Day 3

Arpan Mukherjee and Jayanta Ghosh, Lalgarh, 20 June : Pushing deeper into besieged Lalgarh, security forces today reached the police station in the area, which was cut off by Maoists for months.
An anti-landmine vehicle cleared the path for the security personnel who reached the police station without much resistance to take charge of the building was locked from inside. Central forces, comprising men from BSF and CRPF, fanned out in the forests for combing operations against the Maoists. The securitymen in camouflage and bullet-proof vests sanitised the five-km stretch of Jhitka jungle, a Maoist area near Lalgarh in West Midnapore district. AK-47 and Insas rifle-toting security men came under intermittent fire from Maoists at the Pingboni-Sarenga road on Saturday, ASP Burdwan Humayan Kabir told Bengal Newz. Two landmines planted on the road, which was also blocked with felled trees, were defused, Kabir, who was leading one of three teams headed for Lalgarh from Binpur, said.
Another two teams were led by IGP (HQ) Harmanpreet Singh and Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ranvir Kumar. A bridge over a shallow river which had been blown up earlier by Maoists created a temporary obstacle, but it could be crossed on foot. On Friday night, the Maoists fired on the Lalgarh police station, with the police retaliating. န Photo : Bengal Newz
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West Bengal govt may ban Maoists : CM Buddhadeb
New Delhi, 20 June : West Bengal government is considering banning the CPI (Maoists) after the Centre's suggestion to the state government in this regard following the Naxal violence in Lalgarh.
"Home Minister Chidamabarm advised me to ban this organisation. We have to give it a serious thought," West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram. "We have started thinking what to do," he said. Chidambaram had yesterday said that the state government should ban the Maoists. "We think they (Maoists) should be banned in West Bengal as in other states," he had said.
Bhattacharjee said the Home Minister assured him that if the state government required more forces, he would be ready to send them. The West Bengal government has already deployed about 1,300 personnel of CRPF and about 600 BSF men. န Photo : Reuters
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10 hurt in readymade garment factory clash
Dhaka, 20 June : At least 10 people were injured today in a clash between workers and owners of a readymade garment factory at Malibagh in the capital. The clash began at Loman Fashion at about 10:00am(New BDST) after the workers protested against sacking of two female workers, sources said.
More than 70 fellow workers this morning went to the authorities of the factory demanding reappointment of the two workers. At one stage, the workers took to the street and blocked the DIT road for an hour. Of the injured, five were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and the rest five were admitted to different nearby hospitals, sources said.
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70% new faces from LF in next Tripura Panchayat poll
Agartala, 20 June : The CPI(M)-led Left Front has nominated fresh candidates in about 70 per cent of Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti seats for three-tier Panchayat election to be held on 20 July.
Two Zilla Parisad Sabhadhipatis out of four and 19 out of 23 Panchayat Samiti chairpersons did not get nomination this year while the party indicated that freshers would get preference in Gram Panchayat level.
West Tripura Zilla Parisad Sabhadhipati Shukla Sarkar had been nominated for Panchayat Samiti but the Saha-Sabhadhipati did not get nomination while Dhalai Zilla Parisad Sabhadhipati was also eliminated from the candiadte list.
Unfazed by the reverses suffered by Left Front in West Bengal and Kerala in just concluded Lok Sabha poll, the party brought fresh candidates in the election, though CPI(M) spokesperson Goutam Das told Bengal Newz due to reservation norms they were compelled to bring new faces.
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PCAPA's Tribals torched houses of CPI(M) leaders
PTI, Midnapore, 20 June : Tribals on Saturday torched houses of two CPI(M) leaders at Baita area in West Midnapore district, police said.
The tribals under the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) set ablaze the house of Ranjit Giri at around 12 noon. They then damaged the house of another CPI(M) leader Atonu Giri located in the neighbourhood. One person, identified as Haren Modi, was detained in this regard, police said.
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Mango, silk, Gambhira festival begins in Rajshahi city
Rajshahi, 20 June : A three-day mango, silk and Gambhira festival began in Rajshahi yesterday with a call for promoting local products and culture.
Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton inaugurated the fair at Green Plaza at Rajshahi Nagar Bhaban. Amra Rajshahi Basi is organising the festival while Banglalink is the sponsor of the festival. Different varieties of mango and silk products were put on display at the stalls while different cultural organisations performed Gambhira, a popular folksong and dance of the region.
Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner M Hafizur Rahman Bhuiyan, Abdul Matin Khan, president of Amra Rajshahi Basi, and President of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industries Abu Bakkar were also present. န Photo : Banglapedia

န Day 2 Of The Battle For Lalgarh

Maoist trigger landmine blast, Two policemen injured
< Police and paramilitary soldiers move towards Lalgarh
Arpan Mukherjee and Jayanta Ghosh, Pirakata, 19 June : Maoists triggered a landmine blast on a police vehicle on Friday evening at Pirakata bazar, 18 km from troubled Lalgarh area, in which two policemen were injured.
The blast occurred as the vehicle, which was preceded by one belonging to the media, crossed the area. The vehicle reportedly belonged to the sub-divisional police officer, but there was no official word on it. The injured policemen were rushed to hospital. This was the first landmine blast triggered by Maoists since yesterday's operation by the police and central forces to reclaim Lalgarh from the tribals. န Photo : Arpan Mukherjee
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Anti-Naxal COBRA forces begin operations in Lalgarh
Arpan Mukherjee and Jayanta Ghosh, Pirakata, 19 June : Two hundred personnel of the specialised anti-Naxal force, COBRA, began sanitising the Jhitkha jungle as security forces proceeded towards besieged Lalgarh in West Midnapore district. As Jhitka jungle is a Maoist-dominated area en route to Lalgarh, where Maoist-backed tribals are in control, security personnel are waiting for the Command Battalion for Resolute Action to clear their way of possible landmines, informed a senior police official.
While the forces covered the 10 km distance from Pirakata to Pirakuli, another team of security men drove out from Sarenda in adjacent Bankura district in a pincer movement towards Lalgarh to cut off the escape routes of the Maoists, the police officer said.
The security forces used mine detectors to sweep the roads before driving ahead in heavy vehicles. The tribals under the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) blocked the passage to Lalgarh by felling trees and digging up roads and blowing up a bridge at Binpur, 12 km from Lalgarh. န Photos : Arpan Mukherjee
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P Chidambaram asks WB's Maoists to lay down arms

New Delhi, 19 June : The Centre on Friday asked the Maoists in Lalgarh area of West Bengal to lay down arms and come for talks. Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram said he endorsed the appeal of WB Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to the Maoists and the tribals to come for talks. "I endorse that appeal. If they wish to talk, they should come forward to do so. We will be happy to facilitate the talks," he told reporters after a Cabinet meeting in New Delhi.
The Home Minister said the ongoing operation by police and paramilitary personnel in Lalgarh would take more time and the forces should expect the "unexpected". န Photo : PTI

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Indian scientists make major breakthrough in tiger conservation
Washington, 19 June : In a new study, a team of Indian scientists has announced a major breakthrough in the science of saving tigers, namely, high-tech DNA fecal sampling. READ MORE

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Bagdogra gets international status

Bagdogra, 19 June : Bagdogra Airport, about 15 kms west of Siliguri town was elevated to the status of international airport yesterday with the inaugural flight of Druk Air carrying 79 passengers on board from Paro in Bhutan. The flight was flagged in Paro by S M Krishna, India's External Affairs Minister and landed at 10.30 hrs on the Bagdogra Airport.
Kalyan Kishore Bhowmik, Director, Bagdogra Airport said that Druk Air will run four flights in a week Paro-Bagdogra-Bangkok on Tuesdays and Saturdays and return flights Bangkok-Bagdogra-Paro on Wednesdays and Sundays. He further informed that these flights will begin operations from tomorrow. န File Photos : The Telegraph

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Bangladesh switches to daylight saving time

Nation's Clock goes 1-hr ahead from tonight
Dhaka, 19 June : Bangladesh pushes forward the clock an hour at 11:00pm today (Friday night) to better utilise daylight and save electricity. This means Bangladeshis would practically begin their work an hour earlier than usual. Consequently, many establishments that run till sundown would actually close before sundown and thus reduce pressure on power demands.

With the clock running an hour ahead, Bangladesh tonight becomes GMT+7 and IST+1.30 from GMT+6 and IST+.30. Prayer times for Muslims would move forward by an hour while timing of different offices, schools and other institutions would remain unchanged.
Shops and malls that traditionally remain open till 8:00pm would now use one extra hour of daylight. These would now use less electricity. It cannot be precisely forecasted how much energy can be saved by this measure but the energy ministry expects a five-percent reduction in the national power demand, which would be equivalent to 200 megawatt (MW) of power during the evening peak hour-7:00pm to 8:00pm. The country experiences between 1,000MW and 2,000MW of load shedding during the peak hours daily as power demands swing from 4,800MW to 5,800MW against a supply of around 3,800MW.
As per the government decision, the daylight saving measure begins this year from 19 June and ends on 1 October, when the clock is to be set an hour back. From next year on, the clock would be set an hour forward on 1 April and set an hour beck on 1 October.

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Three-tier Panchayat elections in Tripura on 20 July
Agartala, 19 June : Panchayat elections in Tripura where over 40 per cent of the total seats of the three-tier panchayat system are reserved for women, would be held on 20 July, official sources said today.
Elections would be held for 5295 seats of Gram Panchayats, 299 Panchayat Samitis, 82 seats of Zilla Parisad and four seats of urban local bodies, including one in Agartala Municipal Council.

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Siliguri-Sikkim broad gauge survey

Siliguri, 19 June : The North East Frontier Railway has begun a survey for broad gauge railway project between Siliguri and Gangtok. According to Bimal Samanta, chief survey officer, NF Railway, a broad gauge railway line would be laid up to Gangtok following submission of the survey report. The survey team is now busy at Kalijhora near the Teesta. The report of the first phase of the on going survey would be submitted to the Railway Board along with technical designs by the end of November.
The New Jalpaiguri Division of NF railway would start executing the project from December 2009. According to Samanta, the line would be laid up to Rangpo (Sikkim-West Bengal border) in the initial phase, while the railway line would reach Ranipool near Gangtok at later stages.

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First swine flu infection case detected in Bangladesh
Dhaka, June : The first case of infection of the influenza A(H1N1) virus has been detected in Bangladesh, the health ministry said Friday.
The case came to light Thursday after throat swab and nasal wash samples of a patient tested positive for swine flu, the ministry said in a statement. The Bangladeshi national had returned from the US about four days ago. The patient is currently undergoing treatment in Dhaka, while his family members are kept under constant observation, it said.

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Legend Sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan dies in USA
UNI, Kolkata, 19 June : Sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, one of the very few who upstaged Indian classical music to the western world, died at his residence in San Anselmo in California today. He was 87.
The end came at 1030 hrs IST, the maestro’s Secretary Asish Roy told UNI here. He is survived by eleven children, including noted sarod player Ashish Khan. Inheriting a rich lineage, Ali Akbar Khan was the son of legendary musician Baba Alauddin Khan, who founded the ‘Maihar gharana’. His mother was Madina Begum. He was born in Shibpur in Comilla district, now in Bangladesh on 14 April, 1922.
Under the tutelage of his father, who was a versatile genius in instruments and vocal music and uncle Fakir Aftabuddin, Ustad Ali Akbar took to music at the age of three. Though initially trained in several instruments, he later took up only Sarod.
Once described by illustrious violinist Yehudi Menuhin as the ‘world’s greatest musician’, Ali Akbar received Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan.

Sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan was a man of great humility (Obituary)

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2 bombs explode at Akharua rail line, rail link restored

Brahmanbaria, 19 June : Two bombs exploded on the Durgapur rail line on Dhaka-Sylhet railway at Akhaura at around 8am(BDST) on Friday, suspending rail traffic for a while, police said.
Four bombs were planted there. Rail traffic became normal at 9:30am when local people removed two bombs from the rail line. Akhaura police and GRP police went to the scene on hearing the news. The bomb experts of Comilla cantonment had been asked to deactivate the bombs and they were on way, said Hammad Hossain, officer-in-charge of Akhaura Police Station.

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Arrested at nightclub, charges of anti-social activities

Dhaka, 19 June : Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and police in a joint operation last night arrested 113 people from a nightclub in the capital.
The law enforcers picked them up from 'Korea and Bangladesh Nightclub' at Banani on charges of their links to different anti-social activities. Police sources said 32 of the arrestees are female. The law enforcers also arrested two people of the club authority, police sources said. During the operation, the law enforcers recovered different kinds of alcohol from the spot.
Rab-1 officials said they handed over the arrested to Gulshan Police Station. Kamrul Alam Mollah, officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station, told reporters that all of the arrested were produced before the court this morning.

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Government peace statement airdropped from helicopter in Lalgarh
Lalgarh, 19 June : The WB state government appealed to the Lalgarh people to discuss their problems with the administration.
The copies of the statement, published in both Bengali and Alchiki (santhali) scripts, have been airdropped from helicopters in the areas under Lalgarh block on Friday. Officials said that the policemen, entering the areas would also distribute copies of the appeal.

န Day 1 Of The Battle For Lalgarh

< Central Force jawans flag march at Piraghata Chawk outpost for the final operation.
Jayanta Ghosh, Lalgarh, 18 June : The battle to reclaim Lalgarh begun on Thursday. The final warning was given to protesting villagers to disperse. But the crowds were in no mood to give in, forcing the soldiers to fire tear gas shells. The first barricade was broken and then there seemed to be no halt to the march to Lalgarh.
After trying to calm the situation without force for 3 days, the West Bengal government on Thursday finally launched a counter offensive against the Maoists. Their objective: to end the siege, to get control of Lalgarh - where Maoists have gone on a rampage targeting CPI(M) cadres and leaders, destroying their homes and party offices and setting up barricades to block police entry. It will be a tough battle with human barricades and the route strewn with huge felled trees. Says a villager: "We will not allow the security forces to pass. They cannot drive over our bodies." After search operations and warnings, the soldiers move on. But at Pirakata village the security forces run into gunfire. After a taut operation which lasted almost 30 minutes several arms are seized and at least 7 persons arrested. Dusk brought the operation to a halt. Separately, rebel leader Kishanji told Bengal Newz in a telephone interview that the federal and state governments should stop troops from entering the area. He said the government should hold meetings with the local people to learn about their grievances.
The security forces are camping at Pirakata on Thursday night. A night that promises to be tense with reports of villagers planning to surround the camp. Lalgarh is still 12 kilometres away. န Photo : Arpan Mukherjee
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Kolkata Knight Riders fire Buchanan after dismal IPL show
BBC Sports News, 18 June : Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday sacked controversial Australian coach John Buchanan after their poor performance in the recent Indian Premier League.
The Kolkata team finished last in the eight-team IPL in South Africa last month, losing 10 of their 14 league matches. "Buchanan has informed Knight Riders that despite his hard work over the past two seasons, he has not achieved everything that he set out to," KKR co-owner Jay Mehta said in a statement. READ MORE
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Security forces begin Crackdown ops to free Lalgarh
< Security forces attend a briefing before heading to a violence-hit area at Pirakata.
Lalgarh, 18 June : Security forces moved into the restive Lalgarh region on Thursday to end the three-day siege of Maoists, who have gone on a rampage targeting CPI(M) cadres and leaders, destroying their homes and party offices and setting up barricades to block police entry.
"Operation at Lalgrah has started this morning. The operation will be mainly done by the state police but we will be adequately assisted by the Central forces," West Bengal Director General of Police Sujit Kumar Sarkar told Bengal Newz. Asked about the number of forces deployed, Sarkar said the details cannot be divulged 'right now'. "But there are adequate (state) forces to restore peace and normalcy in the area. The CRPF will give adequate back up and if needed they will actively participate," he said over phone from Kolkata.
Agitating tribals of West Midnapore and adjoining areas have been protesting police "atrocities" on them in the wake of the landmine blast at Salboni which was believed to target the Chief Minister. The tribals, numbering 2000 under the banner of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, dug up roads amid reports that they were laying landmines to stop the security forces.
"We will try to shed minimum blood," Sarkar said adding I cannot tell you the exact timeframe (of the operation)." Five hundred CRPF personnel, including 200 personnel of the elite COBRA trained in anti-Naxal operations, have been deployed to deal with the situation. န Photos : Arpan Mukherjee
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25 Manipuri children rescued from Howrah station
Howrah, 18 June : Twenty-five Manipuri children, three of them girls, were rescued from Howrah station and three of their escorts held in an early morning swoop, railway police sources said today.
An RPF team raided two sleeper coaches of DN Guwahati-Bangalore Express as the train arrived at platform no nine at around 1:30 am yesterday and rescued the children, all aged between seven to 13 years. The West Bengal police were probing if the children were being trafficked to elsewhere in the country, police sources said. The children were sent to Howrah Don Bosco Ashalayam for safe custody.

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Four CPI(M) local leaders bodies found in Lalgarh
Lalgarh, 18 June : Bodies of four CPI(M) local committee members of Goaltore in West Midnapore were found on Thursday near the party office near Lalgarh, taking the death toll in the current spell of violence in the troubled district to 11.
The four local committee members were missing since Wednesday evening, West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said. Earlier, CPI(M) woman leader Saluka Soren was killed on 11 June at Dharampur and party leader Shankar Tudu at Bhulabheda village in Belpahari on 13 June. Three CPI(M) supporters were killed at Dharampur on 14 June, while two bodies of kidnapped workers werefound on 15 June.
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CPIM can fully tackle Maoists : Tripura chief minister
Agartala, 18 June : Maoist violence and the ensuing tension in West Bengal should be dealt with administratively, ideologically and politically, said Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who is also a senior CPI(M) leader.
"The Left movements in Bengal and across the country are matured enough and have full strength to tackle the Maoist hostility and associated enmity in West Bengal," Sarkar told newsmen here Thursday before leaving for New Delhi for a CPI(M) politburo meeting.
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Tribals on warpath န Say can work better than govt
Lalgarh, 18 June : Hinting at a state within a state, tribal leader Chhatradhar Mahato said his organisation could build infrastructure in just eight months in restive Lalgarh, which the state government could not do in 32 years.
"If the state government had done 10 per cent of the work we did, the situation would have been different," Mahato, Convenor of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) said. "We have laid at least 50 km of gravel path, dug tanks and tube wells and revived irrigation canals with the help of villagers," he said. Mahato claimed the PCAPA built a 60-feet-deep reservoir at Barapelia, where its headquarters is situated, and planned to revive a canal for irrigation. A health centre with a doctor was also functioning at Kantapahari, he said. Though the government built the road to Midnapore town, all link roads were constructed by the PCAPA, he said, claiming that this saved villagers from walking for miles through forests.
Maoists are on the rampage in Lalgarh, in Midnapore district of West Bengal bordering Orissa, targetting CPI(M) cadres and party offices protesting against police "atrocities".
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Tripura TMC demands Agartala-Kolkata via Dhaka railway service
Agartala, 18 June : Tripura unit of Trinamool Congress has urged Railway Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee to ensure Agartala-Guwahati and Agartala-Kolkata train services via Dhaka besides, increasing the number of passenger trains in the state and setting up of a separate rail division for Tripura.
Tripura TMC Chairman Arun Chandra Bhowmik told mediapersons here today that he recently held detailed discussions with Mamata Banerjee on railway development in North-Eastern states especially Tripura and she had assured to consider the demands, which would be reflected in the Rail Budget.
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Germans geologists confident of quelling mine fires
Asansol, Kolkata, 18 June : Residents of Samdih and Nimcha near Asansol have cause for cheer. The German team that conducted a detailed study of the underground fires in these two areas believe that the flames can be doused before they reach the villages. Should work start in six weeks, the underground fires can be extinguished by the end of the year.
"The situation in Nimcha is not as bad as it is in Samdih. Even at Samdih, the fire has not managed to reach too deep into the ground. We have recorded the temperature 50 metres under the surface. It was not hot. We think that the fire can be stopped before it reaches the central part of the village. The northern part of the village is already lost," said geologist Dr Hartwig Gielisch, who is leading the team from German firm DMT. The company was engaged by Coal India Ltd to conduct the study. Experts believe that the rains will help to cool down the fire to a large extent. Dense smoke may escape from the fissures in the ground as rainwater reaches the fires. "Analysis of the data and samples collected has already started in Germany. The final report will be submitted in July. We have given some suggestions to Coal India and Eastern Coalfields Ltd. Should these be followed in the next four weeks, matters should not get out of hand. If everything goes according to plan, we can start work in six weeks," Gielisch said.
"The fire at Nimcha should take two weeks to extinguish. Samdih will take some more time. The response from CIL and ECL will have to be immediate. Any delay may result in the nature of the fire changing completely," said Dr Satish K Trehan, who is co-ordinating the efforts. န File Photos : Niraj Modi

န Security Forces Moved Into The Restive Lalgarh Region

န Lalgarh, 17 June : Paramilitary soldiers patrol past the office of the CPI(M), vandalized by activists of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA) who allege that the party has done little for Tribals in the past 3 decades of it being in power, at Lalgarh in West Midnapore district. Maoist rebels burned police camps and attacked offices of ruling parties governing the eastern Indian state of West Bengal this week, and killed three people Wednesday. Rebels have the support of most local residents who oppose the CPI(M) party rule in the state, accusing their workers and police of extorting money from them and harassing them for opposing the leftist coalition. န Photo : AP

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Govt worried over W Bengal violence : Chidambaram
New Delhi, 17 June : Home Minister P. Chidambaram has said the government is “worried about the consequences” of the violence in West Bengal where three activists of the CPI(M) were killed by suspected Maoists Wednesday.
“There are adequate central paramilitary forces” available to tackle the violence, he told reporters here, while saying the government was “worried about the consequences”. Maoist violence against ruling CPI(M) workers has spread from Lalgarh to Jhargram in Bengal’s West Midnapore district.
Lalgarh has been on the boil since last November. Seven CPI(M) men have been killed and six are missing since last week, with the area witnessing continuous clashes between cadres of the CPI(M) and Maoists.
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B'deshi experts to visit controversial Tipaimukh dam
Dhaka, 17 June : A Bangladeshi team of parliamentarians and water experts is to visit an Indian dam construction project to assess its possible ecological effects on the country, a parliamentary panel said Tuesday.
“We have decided to send a delegation to India to witness its Tipaimukh project,” said Abdur Razzak, the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the Water Resources Ministry. Razzak, a former water minister, will head the 10-member delegation to India. The date of the trip was yet to be finalised.
The panel’s decision came following widespread protests against the Indian project on the river Barak, some 200 km upstream of the Bangladesh border, as many fear the project could cause desertification downstream. The delegation is to report to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed, who on Monday said Dhaka would come up with its formal reaction to New Delhi’s plan once she received the views of the delegation. New Delhi recently assured Dhaka that the project would not adversely affect Bangladesh’s ecology. In April, Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Sankar Menon asked Bangladesh to send a delegation to the project site to assess its impact.
The Barak river feeds Bangladesh’s Surma and Kushiyara rivers in the northeast, eventually flowing down into the Meghna, one of the three main rivers in Bangladesh.
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Three CPI(M) workers shot dead in West Midnapore
Jhargram, 17 June : Three CPI(M) workers, including a local leader, were shot dead by unidentified assailants at Banksole in West Midnapore district on Wednesday.
The six motorcycle-borne assailants killed the three including CPI(M)'s Shimli branch secretary Amal Mahato when they were having tea at a shop after patrolling the forest in the night to guard against Maoist-backed tribal agitators. The three were part of a village resistance group approved by the administration to assist the police, Jhargram sub-divisional officer Ulganathan told Bengal Newz. He did not rule out the hand of Maoists in the killing.

Again CPIM office ransacked after arms found inside
Nandigram, 16 June : A CPI(M) party office at Itaberia was ransacked on Tuesday after arms and ammunition were seized from the premises, police said here.
East Midnapore district police sources said people made police search the party office after they gave information about the arms kept inside. The search led to seizure of three guns, a box of bombs, 100 rounds of ammunition and a sackful of bomb-making material, they said.
After the police sealed the office and left, locals went on a rampage and damaged the building. Police, accompanied by people, also raided the house of a CPI(M) leader at Mangighaber at Khejuri and seized two guns and 50 bombs, the sources said.

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Unrest :: Central force company arrives in Lalgarh

West Bengal government seeks more Central force

Kolkata, 16 June : With tribal agitators on warpath, a company of Central force arrived in restive Lalgarh in West Midnapore district on Tuesday as the West Bengal government sought more companies to assist the police.

"The state government has sought five companies of Central forces for Lalgarh. One company has already arrived there to assist the police," chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakraborty said. He said two to three companies would soon arrive. Admitting that the police were under pressure at Lalgarh, Chakraborty said "Police at Lalgarh are under pressure but it cannot be said that they are demoralised." He said though normal life was disrupted at Lalgarh the area had not turned into a 'free zone'.
The tribals and Maoists torched four police camps in Lalgarh on Monday after the police and CRPF left. Paramilitary forces tried to go to Lalgarh on Tuesday but were stopped 35 km away from Midnapore town. District Magistrate N S Nigam said about 2,000 tribals stopped the forces and told them to return. Tribals also gathered at Goaltore, north of Lalgarh to march to Garbeta to bring the areas under their control. At Midnapore, a high-level meeting was held to discuss the situation arising out of the agitation by the tribal organisation, People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, N S Nigam said.

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AP Tourism proposes sea cruise from Vizag-Andaman

Hyderabad, 16 June : The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) is exploring the possibility of introducing a cruise from Visakhapatnam to Andaman and Nicobar islands to attract more tourists, according to tourism minister J Geeta Reddy.
APTDC would buy a cruise ship that could accommodate about 100 tourists. Though the project was proposed last year, it made no progress.
Geeta Reddy said the newly approved Cruise Tourism Policy had opened up huge potential for cruise tourism. APTDC would be the first tourism body to introduce a luxury sea cruise liner.

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India-US N-deal on track : Indian AEC chief Kakodkar

Kolkata, 16 June : Work on the India-US civil nuclear energy deal is well on track and talks are on with fuel vendors, Atomic Energy Commission chief Anil Kakodkar said in Kolkata on Tuesday.

"It (the deal) is moving and we are talking to the (fuel) vendors," Kakodkar told reporters at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics at Kolkata's satellite township of Salt Lake. Preparatory work had started on nuclear energy-based projects covered under the deal, said kakodkar, one of India's chief negotiators on the agreement.
"There is a detailed activity that needs to be done for any such project like deciding on techno-commercial aspects, regulatory aspects and also the implementation issues - who will manufacture, how and different ways to be adopted for manufacturing," he said. Earlier, delivering the Raja Ramanna memorial lecture, Kakodkar emphasised that the country needs to do its own research on development of clean coal technology as it has a unique problem of having coal with high-ash content.
"We have to do our own research on clean coal technology as no other country would do that using coal that is found in only our country," Kakodkar said.

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Bangladesh seek US support for border security
Dhaka, 16 June : Bangladeshi Home Minister Sahara Khatun said the United States would provide support to Bangladesh in holding the trial of war criminals and combating global terrorism. She stated this to reporters after a meeting with visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake at the home ministry. The home minister told the State Department senior official that the people want the trial of the war criminals, one of the main election pledges of the present government.

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Four Indian NSG hubs to be operational by 30 June
New Delhi, 16 June : The four NSG hubs announced in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror strikes last year will be operational by 30 June. This was stated by NSG director general N P S Aulakh after his meeting with union home minister P Chidamabarm on Tuesday.
"We have got land at all the four places - Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai," Aulakh said. The four hubs for both anti-terror and anti-hijack operations will be operational by 30 June, he said.
In the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks in November last year, the government had decided to set up NSG hubs in the four cities followed by more in the state capitals.

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New Bangladesh army chief meets with president

Dhaka, 16 June : Newly appointed army chief General Md Abdul Mubeen met president Zillur Rahman on Tuesday. Mubeen, who took up his new office a day before, went to Bangabhaban at 11:30 am(BDST) and came out at noon.
The new army chief called on the prime minister, who also heads the defence ministry, Sheikh Hasina, on Monday.
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North East India on swine flu radar, pig import banned
Agartala, 16 June : Authorities in the northeastern region have stepped up precautionary measures against the spread of swine flu, besides banning import of pigs and pork products from adjoining countries, officials said Tuesday.
A health official said no case of influenza A(H1N1) infection had been reported in Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura. However, these states have banned import of pigs and pork products. The northeastern states share unfenced borders with Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China.

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Training aircraft crashes in Bay
Chittagong, 16 June : A training aircraft of Bangladesh Air Force crashed in the Bay of Bengal near the outer anchorage of Chittagong port this morning.
Sources at Zahirul Haq Airbase said the pilot of the aircraft, Flight Lieutenant Mamun, managed to escape by parachute after the aircraft crashed in Patenga. The divers of Bangladesh Navy with the help of some local divers rescued him and rushed to nearby Naval Hospital, said Commander Anwar of Naval Academy at Patenga in the port city. The pilot was out of danger, he said.
The naval rescue team was searching for the wreckage of the aircraft in the sea at the bravo point of outer anchorage area of Chittagong port. Bangladesh Air Force Chief Air Marshal Ziaur Rahman flew to Chittagong immediately after the accident. န Photo : AP
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New, heavy import tax proposed for Bangladesh newspaper industry

Dhaka, 16 June : The Newspaper Association of Bangladesh fears the effects of a budget proposal that will impose a five percent import duty on newsprint, Asia Media reported on Sunday. Association leaders, in a statement on Saturday, revealed their distress with the proposed taxation and appealed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for support. According to the statement the intended five percent duty will in fact be around 11.5 percent after VAT and regulatory tax.
Newspaper publishers said they have continually stressed the substandard quality of local newsprint that costs Tk 8,000 to Tk 10,000 more than the imported newsprint.
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Houses torched in fresh political clashes in Burdwan
Burdwan, 16 June : Armed CPI(M) workers went on a rampage, vandalising property and torching homes at Mangalkote in Burdwan district today during a 12-hour bandh called by them to protest the killing of a senior leader.
"Eight to ten houses were torched," Superintendent of Police R Rajshekaran said adding that fire brigade personnel had rushed to Mangalkote.
Katwa Congress MLA Rabindra Chatterjee, however, claimed that 100 houses were set ablaze by the CPI(M) workers. CPI(M) District Secretary Amal Haldar told Bengal Newz that the incident was a result of the anger of CPI(M) supporters at yesterday's murder of leader Falguni Mukherjee. "The Congress and the Trinamool Congress are unleashing terror in Burdwan district, with our leader falling victim," Halder said.
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BDO, officials locked up by tribals, no police forces in Jhargram
Gopiballavpur, 16 June : West Midnapore, Agitating tribals locked up the BDO of Gopiballavpur-II, along with 16 others of his staff members, inside their office at Tapsia under Jhargram subdivision since last evening.
The tribals had been demanding immediate construction of a bridge on Dulung river in the area. Electricity lines had been snapped and telephone sets broken inside the office premises and the locked officials were forced to close all the doors and windows as the tribals threw stones from outside, Jhargram SDO Ulaganathan informed today. The SDO claimed that proposal for the bridge was submitted long back and the funds had also been placed but no work could be executed.

Bangladesh to link with Asian Highway Network
Dhaka, 15 June : The Bangladesh cabinet today decided in principle to connect Bangladesh with Asian Highway Network (AHN).
In a bid to play an important role in selecting the route, the cabinet also decided to become a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP). After a three-hour meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, PM’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad said this. “We can’t remain aloof in the age of the globalisation. So, we have to go forward with the network for the interest of the socio-economic development of the country people,” Abul Kalam told newsmen quoting Sheikh Hasina.
The proposed three routes are Benapole-Jessore-Kanchpur-Dhaka-Sylhet-Tamabil, Banglabandha-Hatikamrul-Dhaka-Kanchpur-Sylhet-Tamabil and Dhaka-Kanchpur-Chittagong-Cox's Bazar-Teknaf-Myanmar border.

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Solar lanterns for Aila-hit Sunderbans by WBGEDC

Kolkata, 15 June : Hundreds of solar panels worth Rs 50 crore have been damaged by the Cyclone Aila in Gosaba, Patharpratima, Hingalganj and Sandeshkhali in the North and South 24-Parganas. To restore the solar power system in those areas, the West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation (WBGEDC) will send 1,000 solar lanterns to these affected places in the next seven days. The lanterns, named 'Aila', would be distributed free of cost among the villagers of the affected areas.
WBGEDC managing director S P Gon Choudhuri said the first 500 lanterns would be sent on Tuesday and the rest by the end of the week. "A total of Rs 10 lakh has been spent on these lanterns. Each of these lanterns costs Rs 900 and have one year's warranty," he said.
WBGEDC has been working for quite some time to use renewable energy sources like solar, biomass and tidal power in the Sunderbans as much as possible.

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Sukhoi squadron in Northeast India formally inducted

Tezpur (Assam), 15 June : Four frontline combat aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI were formally inducted in India's sensitive north-eastern region on Monday, a strategic decision to move advanced assets close to the Chinese border, defence officials said.
A defence spokesperson said four multi-role strike fighter jets at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Tezpur, about 185 km north of Assam's main city of Guwahati, would soon be part of a Sukhoi-30MKI squadron comprising of 18 aircrafts. Air Marshal SK Bhan, air officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Air Command, graced the function at the IAF base, although the media was kept out of bounds. Capable of carrying nuclear weapons and tailor-made for Indian specifications.
Tezpur has become the third dedicated Sukhoi-30MKI airbase in the country after Pune and Bareilly. As of now five bases in the eastern and north-eastern parts of the country, including Tezpur, Chabua, Jorhat (Assam), Panagarh (West Bengal) and Purnea (Bihar), are due for upgrades.

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Ex-Bangladesh intel chief confirms ISI and ULFA link
Dhaka, 15 June : A long-suspected nexus between Pakistan's ISI and insurgency groups active in India's northeast have come to light with detained former Bangladesh intelligence chief confirming Islamabad's intelligence agency's link to the sensational supply of arms to ULFA in 2004.
The former director of Bangladesh's intelligence agency and a key suspect in the country's biggest ever arms haul case has confirmed that ISI was involved in the aborted smuggling of weapons believed to be destined to the ULFA hideouts in northeast India, a media report said on Monday. Retired Wing Commander Shahabuddin, an ex-director of the National Security Intelligence told investigators that detained suspects of the haul had several talks with ISI officials working with Pakistan's High Commission in Dhaka, Pratham Olo said quoting officials familiar to the probe.
Shahabuddin was remanded last week for the second time to the custody of security agencies, who said they desired further clarifications on the foreign link.

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န Dhaka, 15 June :

A band of Dhaka University students under the platform 'Students against Repression' take part in a procession on the campus Monday demanding arrest of immediate past army chief Gen Moeen U Ahmed, widely perceived to be a key player in the '1/11 changeover' in 2007, which entailed a state of emergency.

န Photos : Nashirul Islam

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B'desh new army chief Gen Abdul Mubeen took over
Dhaka, 15 June : General Md Abdul Mubeen took over as the Bangladesh chief of army staff today replacing General Moeen U Ahmed who just ended his four-year tenure of service.
Shortly after taking baton from Moeen U Ahmed at the Army headquarters, Mubeen called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also in charge of the ministry of defence. Navy Chief Rear Admiral ZU Ahmed and Air Chief Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman wore Mubeen the rank badge in presence of the prime minister.
Mubeen was named new chief of the armed forces on 4 June. He was promoted to the rank of general from lieutenant general with effect from today. Gen Mubeen served as GOC in Jessore and Chittagon and was made Principal Staff Officer to the Armed Forces Division on 4 June in 2008.

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South Asian Film festival kicks off on 26 June in Goa

< Megher Por Megh : A movie on Historic War of Liberation in 1971

New Delhi, 15 June : With more than 50 films entered from eight Saarc countries and a special screening of 12 Iranian films, the fourth annual South Asian Film Festival starts in Goa 26 June.

The four-day event will feature movies from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and will have the theme 'dissolving boundaries', the official website of the festival said. 'Films are the single most effective medium for improving communication and cooperation within the South Asian region. The influence of films on the psyche of the masses in the region is enormous,' Rahul Barua, secretary general of the South Asia Foundation, said in a statement.
The films have been divided into four categories - classic , short, documentary and mainstream. Some of the notables to be screened are 'Welcome to Sajjanpur,' 'Fashion,' 'A Wednesday', 'Aha!', 'Megher Por Megh', 'The Roots', 'Opium War', 'Ramchand Pakistani', 'Mohabattan Sachian', 'Death on a Full Moon Night', 'The Dark Night of the Soul' and 'In An Iranian Market'. A seminar on Indian Cinema and South Asia with participation from various directors and actors from the SAARC countries will also be held.

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Nokia offers Bangla Ovi Mail in Bangladesh with BLink
Dhaka, 15 June : Access to internet can now be easy and affordable for everyone in Bangladesh as Nokia and Banglalink join hands to connect the unconnected with an attractive offer. Consumers purchasing Nokia 2323 classic, Nokia 2330 classic, Nokia 5130 XpressMusic or Nokia 7210 can set up and start using their Ovi email account (username@ovi.com) directly on their mobile phone.
As part of the offer, banglalink desh subscribers will also get unlimited internet browsing absolutely free for the first month. After the first month, the unlimited access will be priced at BDT 650 per month.
The offer will be launched from Today. READ MORE

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Indian Army seeks Guinness entry through Assam forest plantation

Dhubri (Assam), 15 June : Troops of the Indian Army's 21 Jat regiment, also known as the Red Horns Division, are seeking to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by planting 500,000 tree saplings in Assam's Dhubri District.

About 300 army personnel began planting saplings in the bare Shreegram Reserve Forest of Dhubri district in Assam at around 3:00 pm on Friday. They were to complete the task on Saturday afternoon. A report on whether the record was achieved or not is awaited.
Army officials believe that such an effort by the Indian Army will spread awareness about the benefits of planting trees. The aim of this record is to create awareness among people regarding plantation of trees. We have witnessed deforestation, erosion and encroachment taking place here since the last three years. People here do plant trees but they don't fence them, said J.S Sekhawat, an officer of Red Horns Division.
The current record in the category of most saplings planted in 24 hours is held by Durango, city of Mexico, where 348 thousands saplings were planted.