ULFA
blasts in Assam on I-Day eve
Jorhat:
The banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) on
Sunday blasted off six powerful Improvised Explosive Devices
(IED) in two transmission towers of Power Grid Corporation
of India Limited (PGCIL) and Assam State Electricty Board
(ASEB). The blasts took place in in Jorhat district falling
under State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's constituency. However,
no casualty was reported in any of the explosions. The militants
had planted at least four IEDs under the 400 KV posts of
the PGCIL tower with three exploding and damaging the tower.
The tower transmitted power from Kathalguri to Missa in
Nagaon district. In another incident, militants blasted
off three IEDs under the three posts of the 130 KV ASEB
tower, completely damaging all the posts, which officials
say transmits power from Mariani to Dimapur. Police officials
said that two unexploded IEDs, weighing half a kg each,
several batteries and 150 metres of open wires were also
recovered from the blast site.
Rains
fill reservoirs in Pune; bring cheer to farmers (Go
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Khadakwasla
(Maharashtra): Million of farmers in Pune region of
India's western Maharashtra state have found succour as
heavy rains filled up reservoirs of four major dams, lifeline
of the region's irrigation system. The Khadakwasla, Panshet,
Varasgaon and Temgir dams contribute to most of the drinking
water and agriculture requirements of the region. Till the
end of June, the reservoirs were barely filled to half of
their capacity but with 14 cms of rain pouring in just two
days the dams are almost full. Having 31 TMC (Trillion Metric
Cusecs) of water at their disposal officials say they can
now irrigate over 200 villages for the current season, and
even during the coming summer. "In a week's time we may
see all the dams 100 percent full...Once the dams are full
there will no scarcity of drinking water. Then we are having
a canal 200 kilomters long from Khadakwasla, which will
help irrigate 1,50,000 acres of land. This land will get
water in summer also this time due to good rains," Ankush
Wable, deputy engineer with the Khadakwasla Dam said. Weather
officials confirmed that the water bounty will continue
in coming days. "Already Pune has received 44 cm of rainfall
whereas your normal rainfall is 55 cm only. So I think and
am positive this trend will continue and we will have good
rainfall in the coming week," N. Jayanthi, deputy director
general with the Pune meterological department said.
Tagore
museum reopens (Go
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Shantiniketan:
Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's museum here re-opened
to a packed house on Saturday, four months after it was
closed due to a shocking theft of his Nobel medal. The gold
medal, alongwith Tagore's pocket watch, his father's gold
ring and some other items were stolen on March 25 from the
museum located in a university at Shantiniketan, 150 km
from Kolkata. The reopening of "Uttarayan" coincided with
Tagore's 63rd death anniversary and hundreds poured in to
revisit their most celebrated author. "I feel delighted
and I think it is a feeling of everyone on knowing that
the whole thing has again opened. Practically, I have a
question in mind why it was closed for the people, it (the
thef) was a laxity on the part of the administration, the
government," said Soumya Dev Basu, a visitor to the museum.
Meanwhile, the CBI has also launched an inquiry into the
theft. A German firm has, meanwhile, offered to make a replica
of the Nobel medal and send it to the museum by October.
"After losing the Nobel, may be temporarily, as I believe,
the tourists who will be here will be disappointed. But
we are trying our level best to satisfy them," Arnitabha
Choudhry, the museum's public relations officer said.
'Big
B' ready to negotiate for hostages release (Go
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New
Delhi: Sheikh Hisham Al-Dulaimi, the negotiator of the
Iraqi militant group holding the three Indian as hostages,
has demanded Indian cine superstar Amitabh Bachchan or actress
of yesteryears Asha Parekh to make an appeal for the release
of the captives. Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan has reportedly
agreed to hegotiate for the release. "If there is an official
request, I am ready to do so, not just once but hundred
times over." He added: "I'm a citizen of this country and
I'm ready to do anything for it. However, there has been
no official communication regarding the same ." "The demand
that Amitabh Bachchan or Asha Parekh make an appeal is one
of the demands put forth by Dulaimi," Rana Abu-Zaineh, spokesperson
for Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company, employer of
the hostages, was quoted as saying. Reports indicate that
Dulaimi had made the demand, as he believed that their appeal
would influence him to seek the release of the hostages.
17
killed in Nagaland bus accident (Go
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Kohima:
At least 17 people were killed and 13 severely injured
when their bus rolled down a deep gorge in Nagaland's Wokha
district early on Sunday, official sources said. The Nagaland
State Transport (NST) night super bus coming from border
district of Tuensang to Kohima via Wokha, skidded off the
road and rolled down a deep gorge at Kontsunyu village,
11 km from Wokha town, killing 17 people instantly. Reports
said that the district administration had engaged the police
and Assam Rifles personnel in rescue operation and 13 of
the injured were admitted to Wokha civil hospital and private
nursing homes. Six of the injured persons, whose condition
was stated to be serious, were being evacuated to Naga hospital
in Kohima on a chopper arranged by the district administration
and Assam Rifles. The cause of the accident was yet to be
ascertained and investigation was on, police said.
Pak,
India to exchange three soldiers tomorrow (Go
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New
Delhi: India and Pakistan would tomorrow exchange at
least three defence personnel taken prisoners during Kargil
war. The exchange would take place at teh Wagah border,
The News quoted a Geo TV report as saying. Quoting Indian
Army spokesman Narish Vij here in a statement, the ppaer
said that Pakistani soldier, Salim Ali Shah from the Indian
side while the Indian soldiers, Jagseer Singh and Mohammad
Arif from Pakistan side would be handed over to each other's
officials. These soldiers were taken prisoners five years
ago, he said adding that the Indian army would also be arranging
a reception for their soldiers returning home.
