Andaman Chronicle

VOL. : VI ::: ISSUE : 88 PORT BLAIR, FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2012 RNI REGN. NO. ANDENG/2006/19155 ::: PAGES : 6 ::: RS.3/-Visit: www.andamanchronicle.com The Daily Diary of the Islands

People’s VoiceKya hum har baar kisi kemarne ke baad hi kuchseekhenge???

- A Citizen

60,000 years ago:Ancestors of the Jarawaarrive on Andaman Islands

Jarawa Facts

ChronicleCampaign by:

Your Nature GuideCarrying Capacity: Thisre fe rs to the number ofplants and animals ofvarious spec ies that ahabitat can support at a giventime . I t depends on theamount and type of food,shelter, and water available.If the carrying capacity of ahabitat is exceeded, it mayresult in damage.

Predator: Animals that liveby catching and eating otheranimals for food are calledpredators e.g. Owl.

Prey: Animals killed andeaten by p redators arecalled prey e.g. mouse.

Producer: Green plants thatuse sunlight, water, carbondioxide and soil nutrients tomake f ood are calledproducers . Withoutproducers there would be nofood on earth.

Courtesy: Kalpavriksh,ANET (MCBT)

Port Blair, March 29: Much hasbeen talked about the SriLankan Tamil Repatriatesover the years, who werebrought by the Govt. of Indiadecades ago as ‘rubb erplantation workers’. Theserepatriates were settled in atribal land at Katchal, CentralNicobars where they workedhard to create a plantationand struggled to survive withwhatever the received out ofit. Unfortunately unlike othersettler communities in theislands, the Sri LankanRepatriates were always aney e sore to the A&NAdministration and Govt. ofIndia. They were neithergiven a setter status norallotted any land. Moreoverbeing settled in a tribal land,these repatriates could noteven claim for the plantationsthey were looking after fordecades.

Their situation had goneto such an extent that theDeputy Commissioner,Nicobar had even deniedthem ‘Tribal Pass’ to go totheir plantation, if at all they

Sri Lankan Tamil Repatriates: Willjustice be done

came out of the tribal landfor any reason.

As the population of therepatriates grew in number,with inter-marriages amongthe Indian Tamils andRepatriates and also othersettlers, the politicians eyedthem as a vote bank. Therewere sympathies from theTamil community of A&NIslands, which also attractedmore politicians.

Over the years therewere various plans chalkedout to re-settle thiscommunity. Land wasidentified, proj ects weredesigned but unfortunatelytill date nothing has beenimplemented on the ground.

“In order to relocate SriLankan Tamil repatriatesfrom the Tribal area ofKatchal and re-settlement atShaithan Khari Rubb erPlantation, a survey ofpersons of Sri Lankan Tamilorigin was carried out. In20 09 , the Rubber B oardconveyed their “ Noobjection” for transferringthe land at Shaitan Khari

back to A&N Administrationalong with existing 77 workmen already employed inthe plantation and subject toconcurrence of Ministry ofCommerce & Industry”, saidthe Minister of State,Ministry of Home AffairsShri MullappallyRamachandran whileanswering to a questionraised by the Member ofParliament, Shri B ishnuPada Rau.

The MOS further said,“T he proposal alsoenvisaged development ofthe plantation in a phasedmanner by re-planning on acost sharing basis betweenthe A&N Administration(50%) Rubber Board (43%)and the beneficiaries (7%)by way of labour. One moreproposal to resettle them inSouth Andaman and North& Middle Andaman bylocating an area of 98hectare deemed forest landwas also pursued”.

“The options were takenup with the authoritiesconcerned. In the meantime,

the settlers filed a writpetition in the Hon’ble HighCourt of Calcutta siting incircuit at Port Blair claimingfor land and other issues.The matter is subjudice”, theMOS added

In 2003 in a meeting heldin Raj Niwas, it was decidedthat the DeputyCommissioner, Nicobar andDirector, Agriculture mayformulate a definite packagefor shifting the families toShaitan Khari. They may alsoplan an income generatingscheme with suitableprovisions for intercroppingat least in the initial stage ofplantation. With no outcomeof such meetings andassurances, what else couldhave been a better solutionthan filing a Writ Petition inthe court of law.Unfortunately the step takenby the repatriates too seemsto be prolonging and theAndaman Administrationgetting a perfect reply to anyand all questions raised in thisregard. ‘The matter issubjudice’.

Port Blair, March 29: The StatePresident, R Mohan haswritten a letter to the LtGovernor, ANI with copies tothe Chief Secretary, DirectorGeneral of Police and DeputyCommissioner, SouthAndaman wherein he stated,“This is a question mark onthe part of the working ofA&N Police Department andother concerned authoritiesthat another road accident,that too a fatal accident,occurred yesterday in frontof Old Library”.

“When theAdministration is having

Concerned authoritiesresponsible for recent deaths:

State President BJPsufficient police force underits control, why over loadingtrucks are allowed to run onroads”.

Mohan further stated inhis letter that in case theofficials so want, the Partywill go on sendingphotographs of such overloaded trucks and hence thiscannot be denied that it wasthe first case of overloading.

“T he police personneldeputed on road on the dateof incident from the startingpoint of the truck to the place

Continued on P5

New photographicevidence proves Ethiopia’scontroversial plantationsscheme is killing the Lower

Revealed: how Ethiopia’splantations are killing vital

waterwayOmo River, alifeline for10 0,000 trib alpeople.

The OmoR i v e rd o w n s t r e a mfrom thenotorious GibeII I dam is nowbeing divertedinto a newly-dug

irrigation canal, one ofseveral which will feed amassively amb itious

Two Karo boys in front of a full Omo River.Water levels are now unrecognizablylow. © Survival

Continued on P2

ChronicleANDAMAN

Vol: VI ::: Issue: 88 Friday, March 30, 2012

2Andaman Chronicle ::: Port Blair Friday, March 30, 2012

"People are li ke stained-glass windows.They sparkle and shine when the sun i sout ,but when the darkness set s i n ,t hei r t rue beauty i s revealed onlyi f t here i s li ght from wi thin."

-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926 -)

Show with actionParliament was protesting too much when the Lok

Sabha passed a resolution on Tuesday censuring

members of Team Anna for ‘lowering the dignity of the

House’ with unwarranted and unacceptable remarks.

It would have enhanced the dignity of the House if it

was not so touchy and sensitive about criticism. It was a

rare sight to see members of the Lok Sabha cutting across

party lines condemning and going hammer and tongs

against Hazare and his supporters for some remarks

against the MPs, which admittedly were overboard. There

were even demands to move privilege motions against

the critics and haul them before the House for punishment.

Wisely the House did not go so far.

The opportunism in the position of many MPs also will

not go unnoticed. As long as Team Anna was targeting

only the Congress, non-Congress MPs were happy with

it. But now that the attack is against all MPs who have

charges of violation of law and misconduct against them,

they have closed ranks.

It is true that the Hazare movement has somewhat

lost its focus ever since it came to the public sphere about

a year ago. Some of the leaders of the movement have

been vituperative also. They may not even be sure of the

wide support they enjoyed in the beginning. But the MPs

may now be feeling that this is the time to strike at them.

But the cause put forward by the civil society group is still

potent and relevant. It cannot amount to denigration of

Parliament when it is pointed out that a good number of

MPs have criminal charges against them and many

ministers are tainted by charges of corruption.

What the Hazare team did was to highlight the inability

of our system to tackle corruption and the weakening of

that system by unsavoury elements. Parliament is the

high symbol of that system. Some members of the Team

may have wrong-headedly personalised their complaints.

Parliament should not respond to such criticism with

warnings, censure or threat of punishment. The best

response is to create a good and efficient mechanism to

check corruption, which is the central concern of the nation,

and to ensure that the status of Parliament is not lowered

by the actions and conduct, past and present, of its

memb ers.

MILITARY ENGINEERING SERVICES

Garrison Engineer Brichgunj, Port Blair on behalf of the President of India invites applications from eligibleenlisted contractors of MES and enlisted / unenlisted contractors working with other Govt Departmentsmeeting eligibility criteria for selection of contractors for issue of tender of under mentioned work:-

Name of Work

Estimated Cost of Work Rs. 14.80 Lakhs

Amount of Earnest M oney forContractors not listed withMES

Rs. 29,600/-In the form of Call Deposit Receipt from any Scheduled Bank. BGB not acceptable.

Las t date of Re ce ipt ofApplications

19 Apr 2012

Eligibility Criteria: -

For MESEnlisted Contractors

‘E’ (Re-classified)

(d) (v)

For other contractors (i) Meeting enlistment criteria of MES with regard to having satisfactorily completedrequisite value works, Annual turn over, working capital, fixed assets etc.(ii) No recovery of outstanding in Govt. Department.

Date of issue of tender 20 Apr 2012

Date & T ime of Receipt oftender

22 May 2012 upto 1500 Hrs.

NOTES:1. Application not accompanied by requisite value DD/ Bankers Cheque towards cost of tender shall not be considered for issue of tender.2. Contractors not enlisted with MES will be required to enclose necessary documents to prove their eligibility as given above including Affidavit forno recovery outstanding.3. In case of rejection of application for issue of tender, the applicant shall be refunded the cost of tender. However contractor may appeal Next HigherEngineer Authority i.e. HQ Chief Engineer Andaman & Nicobar Zone, Port Blair for rejection of his application for issue of tender whose decision shallbe final and binding and contractor shall not be entitle to any compensation what so ever for non issue of tender.4. Full notice of tender IAFW-2162 & Enlistment criteria is available in all offices of MES and als o on MES website (www.mes.gov.in)

AGE (Contracts)For Garrison Engine er8119/03/E8

Manning and Operation of Station Power Houseand main receiving station at

Brichgunj and scheduled main of DG sets under GE Brichgunj, Port Blair

Cost of Tender Rs. 500/- In the shape of DD/ Bankers Cheque from any Nationalized Bank infavour of Garrison Engineer, Brichgunj Payable at Port Blair - 744103

Class

Category

Completion period 06 Months

plantations scheme for stateand private investors.

These manmade canalsare key to E thiopia’splantations plan, which isalready having a hugelynegative impact onUNESCO’s Lower Omo WorldHeritage site.

The government hasrevealed v irtually nothingab out the plantationsprogram, but an official mapob tained by SurvivalInternational shows theenormous scope of theproject.

One local person,speaking to a Survivalresearcher who recentlyvisited the area, said, ‘I’venever seen the river this low.During the dry season, like itis now, you can usually crossby foot, and water reachesyour knees. Now I could crosswithout my feet getting wet.’

The Gibe III dam, 200 kmsupstream, will interrupt theriver’s natural flow anddeprive thousands oftribespeople of their mostvaluable agricultural land bystopping the annual flood.

The flooding of the OmoRiver feeds the richbiodiversity of the region andensures tribes such as theBodi, Mursi and Dassanachcan feed their cattle andproduce beans and cerealsin the fertile silt left behind.

There was a flood lastyear, b ut most B odi andMursi were not able to use itfor cultivation because of theirrigation project. There willbe no flood this year, as thedam reservoir starts to fill,nor in succeeding years. Thepeople have been told theywill be given food aid incompensation.

Indigenous communitiesare also suffering from violenthuman rights abuses, as plansare implemented forcibly toresettle those who stand in theway of the government’s plans,and to take away their cattle.

Survival International’sDirector Stephen Corry saidtoday, ‘Ethiopia’s governmentis destroying the Lower OmoValley and the livelihoods oftens of thousands ofindigenous people – all in thename of ‘development’.However the human costcannot be ignored. Re-directing a water lifeline isirresponsible and reckless.’

Revealed: how Ethiopia’s ... Continued from page 1

Efforts to re-direct the Omo River for irrigation are dryingup a key water source for tribes. © Survival


New delhi, Ma rch 29 :Parliament on Wednesdayaccorded its first-stageapproval to the Unionb udget for 20 1 2-13 afterF inance Minister PranabMukherjee assured theRajya Sabha that he wouldhave a relook at his proposalto tax unbranded jewelleryin the wake of countrywidedemands for its rollback, butstood firm on the customsduty hike on gold imports.

In his reply to generaldiscussions on the budget inthe upper House, Mr.Mukherjee reiterated hispromise — as made in theLok Sabha on Tuesday — tomake appropriate changeswith regard to the taxproposal on unb randedjewellery during the debateon the Finance B ill in thesecond half of the session,but ruled out any reductionin import duty on theprecious metal.

“You will have to wait tillthe Finance Bill [debate afterrecess] ... we are examining... but please don’t insist onreduction of import duty [ongold]. Import duty reductionis not possible,” he said.Alongside, however, Mr.Mukherjee also agreed toreconsider the proposal onmandatory quoting of PAN(permanent accountnumber) card for purchaseof gold jewellery worth overRs. 2 lakh. T he step wasintended to curb the flow ofblack money.

Among all indirect taxesproposed in the budget forthe new fiscal, the levy onunb randed j ewellery hasevoked countrywideprotests . While b ullion

Pranab promises relook at tax onunbranded jewellery

traders andj e w e l l e r sh a v ed o w n e ds h u t t e r s ,members inboth Housec u t t i n gacross partyl i n e sdemanded ar o l l b a c k .C h i e fMinisters of

various States have alsowritten to the FinanceMinister seeking itswithdrawal in the light of theplight of gold artisans andsmall jewellers.

Self-declaration will do:I n his b id to pacify theb ullion trade, Mr.Mukherjee sought toclarify that there would noscrutiny by tax officials ifjewellery traders provideda self-declaration that theirturnover was less than Rs.5 crore. “Self- declarationwill be final... no scrutiny,”he said.

No reduction incustoms duty: However,the doub ling of customsduty on gold and platinumto 4 per cent would stay, Mr.Mukherj ee said, arguingthat the country could ill-afford to lose foreignexchange on these imports.He pointed out that whilegold production in Indiaamounted to a mere twotonnes, the gold import billstood pegged at $46 billionin April-November 2011,the next highest aftercrude oil, which accountedfor an outgo of $ 71 -7 2billion.

Rising tax arrears: Onthe issue of rising taxarrears , Mr. Mukherjeesaid two individuals — thelate stock exchange broker,Harshad Mehta, and Pune-b ased stud farm ownerHassan Ali — accounted for60 per cent of the total. “Weare raising revenue[demand] but we are notrealising... no visible assetsare available… not even asingle rupee has b eenrecovered,” he said while

noting that the relevantcases had been in courts fora long time.

Mr. Mukherj ee’sstatement on tax arrearswas ostensibly in reply tothe demand of BJP memberand former Law Minister,Ram Jethmalani, that thegovernment must produceall documents andcorrespondence foragreements with variouscountries to b ring b ackblack money stashed awayabroad. He accused thegovernment for notdisclosing the names of taxdefaulters who had theirillegal money stashed awayabroad. “T he talk ofdemocratic transparency isa myth. You have b eentalking of this for a long timebut have done nothing inthis regard… Have somebelated sense now. Givenames.... Don’t say we aretrying to recover the taxmoney. We want to knowthose tax defaulters ,” hesaid.

Turning to thecontroversial issue of CST(Central sales tax)compensation to States ,Mr. Mukherjee said he hadreceived a communicationfrom the Chairman of theEmpowered Committee ofState Finance Ministersand the problem would besorted out as he had an“open mind” on the issue.“ Our effort is to b uildhealthy relationship withStates... I have not closedthe issue... I will look intoit.”

The Finance Ministeralso indicated that whilemost of the States wererevenue surplus, therewere a few deb t-riddenStates and the Centre waslooking into their problem.For the three debt-stressedStates — Kerala, P unjaband West B engal — Mr.Mukherjee said acommittee was appointedto look into the issue andappropriate decisionswould be taken by the 14thFinance Commission.

New York, Mar 29: AnIndian cit iz en, living‘’illegally’’ in the US, hasbeen found guilty by a UScourt of providing materialsupport to Lebanese groupHezb ollah and faces amaximum sentence of 75years in prison.Patrick Nayy ar, 48, wasconvicted after a week-longjury trial before US DistrictJudge Robert Sweet. He wasfound guilty of five countsrelated to the support heattempted to provide toHezbollah, which has beendesignated as a foreignterrorist organisation by theUS.Attorney for the SouthernDistrict of New York, PreetBharara said Nayyar, whohad been residing “illegallyin America”, was convictedof conspiring and attemptingto provide material supportor resources to a foreignterrorist organisation;conspiring to make orreceive a contribution offunds, goods or services toHezbollah and conspiring totraffic in firearms andammunition.The five counts carrybetween five to 2 0 y earsimprisonment and in allNayyar faces a maximumsentence of 75 y ears inprison when he is sentencedon September 25.

Indian immigrant in USfound guilty of supporting

HezbollahAccording to the supersedingindictment filed in a Manhattanfederal court and evidencepresented at trial, Nayyar andhis co-conspirator ConradStanisclaus Mulholland agreedto provide weapons,ammunition and vehicles toHezbollah between July andSeptember 2009.An undercover FBI informantmet Nay yar on severaloccasions and told him hecould deliver materials toHezb ollah. Nay yar andMulholland agreed to sell guns,ammunition, vehicles,bulletproof vests and nightvision goggles to theinformant.During these meetings,Nayy ar and Mulhollandprovided the confidentialinformant with a handgun, abox of ammunition and a pick-up truck, believing that hewould deliver the items toHezb ollah in Lebanon,according to the indictmentand evidence.Nayyar was charged in theSouthern District of New Yorkin October 2009, following hisarrest at his residence inQueens here in Septemb er2009 on a separate charge.Charges are also pendingagainst Mulholland, 45, whois not an American citizenand resides ab road. He iscurrently at large.

Lucknow, March 29: UttarPradesh Chief MinisterAkhilesh Yadav has declaredhis assets, which clearlyunderline his crorepatistatus.

In posting details of hisassets and liabilities on theState Government website,he has sent a strongmessage to his Ministersthat they should also do so.

The Chief Minister ’sassets total Rs. 4,83,11,601and liabilities Rs. 15.90 lakh.He owns farm land in Etawahwhose cost has beenassessed at Rs. 17.53 lakh; abungalow at 1 -AVikramadity a Marg,

Crorepati Akhilesh Yadavdeclares assets

Lucknow (valued at Rs.41.63lakh), which he shares with hiswife Dimple Yadav; anotherproperty in Lucknow at 31/93MG Road valued at Rs. 37.55lakh; and a plot in FriendsColony valued at Rs. 2.11 lakh.

The Chief Minister owns aPajero costing Rs. 20.16 lakh.He has invested Rs. 1.08 crorein L ife I nsurance schemes,Mutual Funds and ordinaryinsurance. Mr. Yadav has Rs.97 ,9 23 in cash and Rs.1,17,30,325 in bank deposits.

Mr. Yadav has loaned Rs.1,37,29,181 to his SamajwadiParty and family members,including his wife and brother,Prateek Yadav.


Kolkata, March 29: The WestBengal government’s move torestrict newspaperssubscribed by State librariesand those sponsored oraided b y the State to aspecified list evoked strongreactions from across thepolitical spectrum and civilsociety here on Wednesday,even as the State governmentruled out the possibility ofrevoking the order.

The State’s Minister forMass Education Extensionand Library Services AbdulKarim Chowdhury dug hisheels in and told journalists:“T here is no question ofwithdrawing it (the order onpurchase of newspapers).”

The order states that “ithas b een felt necessary inpublic interest that nogovernment fund will bespent for purchase ofnewspapers or dailiespublished and/or purportedto b e published by anypolitical party…as a measureto develop free thinkingamong the readers.”

Although the order statesthat the measure has beentaken to ensure thatgovernment funds are notspent on purchasingnewspapers aligned to any

West Bengal move on newspapersubscription in libraries draws flak

political party, theprescribed list includesthree dailies — Sangb adPratidin, Sanmarg andAkhbar-E-Mashriq — theeditors and proprietors ofwhich are Rajya Sabha MPsof the Trinamool Congress.

Not a single Englishdaily features in thespecified list of eightnewspapers — five Bengali,two Urdu and one Hindi.

Two Bengali dailies withthe highest circulation intheir category have alsobeen left out.

Mr. Chowdhury metChief Minister MamataBanerjee during the dayafter which he said: “Wehave done this according tothe government’s policyand according to the dueprocess of law.”

Leader of theOpposition in the WestBengal Assembly SuryaKanta Mishra, however,said that the LibrariesServ ices Minister was“summoned” by the ChiefMinister “to ensure that herdecision is implementedwith vigour”.

The government’sdecision has not gone down

well with the Congresseither, an ally of theTrinamool and a constituentof the ruling coalition. WestBengal Pradesh CongressCommittee (WB PCC)president PradeepBhattacharya pointed outthat the circulation figures ofthe newspapers mentionedin the order are well belowthose that have been givena miss.

“This order contradictswhat ordinary peopleusually read. I nstead ofwinning the hearts of thepeople, the government isforcing public opinion,” Mr.Bhattacharya said, addingthat “it is a repressive lineof thinking”.

Renowned litterateurMahasweta Devi, who isknown to be close to Ms.Banerjee and has made anappearance in several ofTrinamool’s public rallies,said: “There is no way thatsuch a decision can besupported.”

“This order is laughable,condemnab le and worthrejecting. This list should betorn to shreds,” filmmakerMrinal Sen said.

Patna, March 29: “UPA-IIdrifting; time ripe for Leftparties to increase strengths”

Zeroing in on the growingsense of political driftplaguing the ManmohanSingh-led UPA government,top Left leaders onWednesday buttressed thecase for ‘Left unity’ at the 21stcongress of the CommunistParty of India here.

Leaders from theCommunist Party of India(Marxist), the CommunistParty of India (Marxist-Leninist), the Forward Blocand the RevolutionarySocialist Party were presentat the inaugural session of thefive-day congress.

In his address, CP I(M)general secretary P rakashKarat stressed “closer co-operation between the CPI

Warning of bid to weaken Left, Karatcalls for better unity

and the CPI(M),” pointingout that the time was ripefor the Left parties toincrease their independentstrengths.

Reiterating his idea ofLeft resurgence, he saidthere were serious attemptsto isolate and weaken theLeft parties as potentpolitical forces, and urgedincreased co-operationbetween them at thenational level.

The CPI(M) is slated tohold its own 2 0th partycongress in Koz hikode,Kerala, next month.

Mr. Karat said the CPIcongress was taking placeagainst the backdrop of aglobal capitalist crisis, anda deepening agrarian crisisat home compounded byfarmer suicides,

exploitation of naturalresources and surginglevels of hunger andmalnutrition.

‘Congress, B JP equallycorrupt’

Mentioning theCongress party and theBharatiy a Janata Party inthe same breath with regardto corruption, he said therewas no difference betweenthe two. B oth nationalparties “ are theprotagonists, progenitorsand advocates of rapaciousneo-liberal policies.”

If the Congress-led UPA-II government could not livedown the infamy of the 2Gspectrum scandal, the B JPtoo could not escaperesponsibility for the loot ofmining resources inKarnataka, said Mr. Karat.

New Delhi, March 29: Facingdemands for his dismissal,Army Chief Gen V K Singhtoday said the leak of hisletter to the Prime Ministerpresenting a grim picture ofthe force’s defencepreparedness should betreated as ‘’high treason’’and the source of leakagedealt with ‘’ruthlessly.’’

The assertion by theGeneral to trace the sourceof the leak came even asDefence sources said thatIntelligence B ureau hasbeen asked to inquire intoleakage of the letter to themedia. As tensions betweenhim and the governmentescalated over the leak ofhis official letter to PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh,Gen Singh hit back saying a“cynical approach” totarnish his reputation shouldstop.

In a b rief statementreleased by ArmyHeadquarters, Gen Singh,who is currently in Jammuand Kashmir, further saidhis official communicationwith the Prime Minister andDefence Minister is“ p r i v i l e g e d ”communication.

“The leakage of the lettershould be treated as hightreason. Cynical approachto tarnish my reputationshould stop. Sources of the

Leakage of letter to PM ‘’hightreason’’: Gen Singh

leakage should be found anddealt with ruthlessly,” saidSingh, who is due to retire onMay 31.

Singh’s leaked letter led todemands by SP, JD(U) andRJ D for his dismissalyesterday even asGovernment and Oppositionwere agreed his concernsshould not have come out inthe open. There was a strongdemand to launch a probehow the letter was leaked tothe media. It was also felt thatthe Army Chief should havefirst raised his concerns onthe risk to the country ’ssecurity directly with theDefence Minister. T heGeneral was also accused ofbreach of discipline.

The media leak of theletter came on top of anacrimony between the ArmyChief and the governmentsince early this week over hismedia interview in which hehad claimed that he wasoffered a bribe of Rs 14 croreby a retired L t Gen forswinging a sub-standarddefence deal.

“I have made seriousnote of the observations. Afterconsulting the Prime Ministerand colleagues, we will takeappropriate action,” Antonysaid in Rajya Sabha yesterdayafter members expressedserious concerns over issuesof national security.

Ne w De lhi, Mar ch 2 9:Lauding F inance MinisterPranab Mukherjee for hisintellectual abilit ies andbeing “ prime ministerialmaterial,” the former LawMinister, Ram Jethmalani,on Wednesday said he wasat the crossroads of historyand had to choose betweena future of “glory” and thatof “degradation.”

“I know ab out hisintellectual abilit ies. Ibelieve that he is primeministerial material, Mr.Jethmalani said.

“B ut, S ir, today, he isstanding at the crossroadsof history.... One is the roadto glory, a glorious future

and the other is the road toabsolute degradation, breachof faith and breach of trust. Itis for him to decide which wayhe wants to go. I hope he willgo the way to a gloriousfuture,” Mr. Jethmalani saidduring the budget debate inthe Rajya Sabha.

“The glorious future liesonly in making some kind ofcompensation to the peoplefor your past crimes, seekingtheir forgiveness, and goingback to them with a clean mindand a clean soul.”

The lawyer-MP earlier saidDr. Singh had “passed off” hisresponsibility to the FinanceMinister to reply to theprovisions of the general budget.

Jethmalani says Pranab isPM material

Health, Science /Tech


Entertainment

New Delhi, Mar 29: Hecontinues to be one of themost loved stars at 69 butmegastar AmitabhBachchan feels fame istransitory and will fadeaway one day.

The 69-year-old actor,who had an evening outafter his surgery withfamily, admits that it is a bit

Fame is transitory: Amitabh Bachchandiscomforting to beforgotten.

“There have been manyoccasions when interesthas faded from thecelebrity. Has happened tome on many an occasion. Itis a bit discomforting, but itmust b e known that thisglory and recognition shallall fade away one day. Sometake it kindly, some do not.

“I t is hard and harshboth to see adulation favoraway from you and settle onanother.

Better then to not be tooenamored b y it when itserves y ou. L ife istransitory as is fame. Becontent when it is there byyour side. Be gracious inaccepting that it has gone

away, elsewhere. Let othersevaluate what thecontribution – if ever therewas – should be,” Bachchanposted on his blog.

The actor, who is busythese day s for hisperformance in the openingceremony Indian PremiereLeague, said his fitnessregime is helping him torecover fast from thesurgery.

“T he workouts at thegym go well … graduallyincreasing the speed of thewalk, the weight in thehands. There is greatpleasure in this routine.The circulation, the easingof the muscles , thebreathing and then finallythe sit out in the sun.” LONDON: Like zombies, human beings can’t get enough

of b rains. A new London exhib ition explores thatfascination , displaying everything from mummifiedEgyptian cerebral matter to slices of Albert Einstein’s brainin the story of our quest to understand what’s inside ourskulls.

The show at London’s Wellcome Collection asks notwhat brains have done for us but what, in the name ofscience, we have done to brains. “Brains have b eenprepared and weighed and sliced and generally (messed )about with,” Ken Arnold, the museum’s head of publicprograms, said on Tuesday.

“This exhibition is, almost contrarily, about the brain,rather than the mind,” he said. “An exhibition about whatthe brain is, rather than what the brain does.” The graymass inside our skulls is our exceptional organ, the onethat can’t b e transplanted, the seat of intellect andpersonality.

There are plenty of such shocks in “Brains: The Mindas Matter” , a show that puts the brain under a microscope- sometimes literally.

The brain has fascinated and baffled scientists forcenturies, ever since medieval Christian and Islamicscholars recognized it as the repository of thought andmemory. The exhibition, which opens Thursday and runsto June 17, features mummified, desiccated, galvanizedand pickled brains - testament to our sometimes misguidedattempts at scientific understanding.

Generations of scientists have extracted and measuredbrains, to see if they could find the secret of genius - or evil- in the organ’s size and texture. The exhibition includes arange of celebrity brains, including those of 19th-centurymurderer William Burke and women’s suffrage pioneerHelen Gardiner.

There’s also the left lobe of mathematician CharlesBabbage, and two slides carrying pieces of Einstein’s brain,kept by a pathologist and studied by scientists ever since forclues to his genius . That secret remains elusive . Scientistsno longer believe that smarter people have bigger brains.

A brain show that offerspeek inside skulls

IP/1860/12

of incident, must be bookedand severe disciplinaryaction needs to be initiatedagainst them.”

Stating the above, theState President has placed arequest for immediatefinancial help to the next ofkin and cancellation of

license of M/s Shakti Agencyto with the truck belonged.

“If such actions are beinginitiated from your end, weare sure people of theseIslands will start believingyou and your Administrationwith respect”, the StatePresident added.

Mohan has also demandedan enquiry and compensationto the family of the death of 10year old Dhanush, who waselectrocuted due to negligenceof Port Blair Municipal Council.

Concerned authorities responsible ... Continuedfrom page 1

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Sports

Bangalore, March 29: Ever sinceplay ing his last internationalgame — the World Cup final atMumbai — Muttiah Muralitharanhas been busy hopping flightsand losing himself in theadrenalin rush of Twenty 20cricket. And now he is all set toplay for Roy al ChallengersBangalore in the forthcomingIndian Premier League.

The world’s highest wicket-takerwith 1347 international scalps was abustling presence at the KSCA (B)nets here on Wednesday. Hebowled the odd delivery, chattedwith awe-struck team-mates andbonded with good friend andteam mentor Anil Kumble.

Murali delighted to work with Kumble“After I retired from

international cricket, I played alittle bit in the last IPL with Kochi.I then went to Gloucestershireand played about 16 Twenty20matches and then travelled toNew Zealand and played five (forWellington). After that I playedin the Bangladesh P remierLeague but I could not play much(for Chittagong) because I gotsick. I have played a little bit butnot as many matches as otherinternational cricketers (ahead ofthe IPL),” Muralitharan said.

Great opportunity: The SriLankan legend is hoping that hecan replicate the good stint hehad with the Chennai Super Kingsduring the first three years of theIPL.

“I have done well in Twenty20when I played for Chennai. I didn’tget many opportunities withKochi as I played only four games.But when I played in other partsof the world, I did well. Now I havea two-year contract with RCB andit’s a great opportunity for me toplay for a good side. RCB hasmany key players including Virat

Kohli and Chris Gayle, who is in adifferent mood, and I think nobodycan play a T20 game like him,” theoff-spinner said.

Added bonus: The added bonusof interacting with Kumble, isanother fringe benefit that keepsMuralitharan in good humour.

“We have got more than 2000wickets in Tests and ODIs. It’s apleasure to be with him. He will beon the managing side and I will playa few matches here and therebecause I know they got me asthey needed a second spinner.Daniel (Vettori) is going to captainso he is going to play the majorityof the matches,” the man fromKandy said while keeping one eyeon the Test at Galle, whereRangana Herath’s exploits havelent him hope about the continuinglegacy of Sri Lankan spin.

On Tendulkar’s feat:Muralitharan also emphasised thatSachin Tendulkar’s hundredinternational tons is impossible tobeat and added that the recently-retired Rahul Dravid, who battedin the maestro’s shadow, was anequally accomplished player.

Miami, March 29: Fifth seedAgniesz ka Radwanska endedany threat from the Williamssisters at the Miami Masters asshe put out Venus 6-4, 6-1 to reachthe semifinals.

Williams was dispatched lessthan 24 hours after the exit ofyounger sister Serena, who lostheavily to former number oneCaroline Wozniacki the previousnight.

Andy Murray trudged througha draining 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory overJanko Tipsarevic to book the firstof the men’s quarterfinal spots.

Murray cleaned up his gamein the third set in wilting heat aftera number of plot twists, taking thewin in two-and-a-half hours with38 unforced errors and 25winners. The fourth seed broke

on six of his eight chances againstthe Serb ranked ninth in the world.Radwanska beat Williams in 80minutes, helped by 33 unforcederrors from her 31 -year-oldAmerican opponent, who wasplaying a tournament for the firsttime since the US Open.

“I’m just very happy that Iwas playing very consistenttoday and especially in the tightmoments. I did some greatshots,” said the winner. “Venus isalways playing aggressive tennis,I was ready for that. But on oneside it was really windy. I’m justvery happy that I could close thismatch in two sets, especially inhot, tough conditions like today.”

The Pole managed to escapewith a first set marred by fivebreaks of serve but then began

taking advantage of Williams’suspect fitness in the second set.She claimed victory on the first ofthree match points as herAmerican opponent committed afinal error to lose.

“It was disappointing not to beable to feel my best today,” saidWilliams, twice a winner of theevent more than a decade ago. “Iwas able to keep it close in the firstset and try different strategies.

“But it was definitely a mentalbattle, and today I didn’t conquerthe mental part of it. “In the firstfew games I just got caught up intomany long points, which wasn’twhat I wanted to do. So I tried tochange my strategy. UnfortunatelyI made too many errors, andcouldn’t really make as many shotsas I wanted — that definitelyplayed a role in the loss.”

Radwanska eliminates Venus; Murray advances

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