Say inexperienced drivers hired by private operators who run PMPML buses are responsible for fatal accidents

Pune traffic police say inexperienced drivers hired by eight private operators who run 421 Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) buses are responsible for most of the fatal road accidents that have occurred this year.

Four such accidents involving PMPML buses, including one that claimed the life of six-year-old Yash Waghmare on September 5, have occurred in the last 30 days alone.

Cops speak
Manoj Patil, deputy commissioner of police (Taffic), said "In the last one month, two fatal accidents occured by drivers hired by private operators. We are planning to hold awareness sessions for PMPML drivers to make them adopt more responsible driving practices."

However, PMPML Joint Executive Director Satish Kulkarni said that the PMPML conducts extensive training programme for drivers of private buses. "We have already begun the training but 140 drivers employed by private contractors are yet to be trained. Problems occur when private operators change their drivers frequently," Kulkarni explained.

Lack of training
Anil Malusare of Prasanna Travels, a private contractor hired by PMPML, admitted that Ramdas Sopan Agarkar, the driver who allegedly ran Yash Waghmare on September 5 over and works for Prasanna Travels, had not been given a driving test by the PMPML. However, he said, "Agarkar used to work with PMPML earlier. It is therefore improper to say that private contractors are hiring inexperienced
drivers."

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Jet Authorities want health proof of 400 pilots who went on mass sick leave yesterday, but pilots refuse to let them into their homes

If the 400 Jet Airways pilots who went on mass sick leave and affected services of 186 flights yesterday are indeed sick, then the authorities want proof.

It has decided to send a team of doctors to their homes to check on their health.

The pilots, who are members of National Aviators Guild (NAG), went on a mass sick leave after a notice from regional labour commissioner (Central) prohibited them to go on strike.

 
GROUNDED: Jet Airways air hostesses return to the bus stationed outside the departure gate at the Chhatrapati Shivaji domestic airport yesterday.
 

They were protesting the sacking of two senior pilots last month. Yesterday, Jet sacked three more senior pilots Suhail Jain, Rashmi Gaur and Venkat Vinod for joining the pilots' union.

Srirupa Sen, spokesperson, Jet Airways, said she did not have any information and refused to comment.

No step back

"They can sack people, but we will not step back. We will talk only to Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal," said Captain Girish Kaushik, president of the Guild.

No entry

Meanwhile, the pilots have decided to close their doors to doctors. Kaushik added, "We will not entertain any Jet official in our homes.
 
Our residence is our personal property and even the president of India does not have
the right to enter without permission."

"This is not my personal decision. The union has taken this decision against Jet and I have pulled back the strike application from the labour commissioner's office," added Kaushik.

Another pilot, on condition of anonymity, said, "We have been asking them to reinstate the sacked pilots for a long time, but Jet authorities haven't taken it seriously.
 
They are are entirely responsible for this situation."
A commercial booking staff of Jet Airways said that all bookings were stopped indefinitely yesterday.

The National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) have decided not to use Jet flights to reach their ships, nationally or internationally.

Abdul Gani Sarang, general secretary, NUSI, told MiD DAY, "We are with the Jet pilots and are ready to support them in every way." NUSI is supported by more than one lakh seafarers in the country.

Punishment

The government may implement the Essential Services Maintenance Act on the civil aviation industry to control the situation.

Under this act, violators can be punished with imprisonment up to one year, according to M S Khan, senior lawyer of Delhi High Court.

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Defence lawyer mukul sinha, who has brought to trial three other encounter deaths, found the similarities telling

It was just one man among billions who finally brought justice and peace to the family of Ishrat Jahan Shaikh, killed in a fake encounter on June 14, 2004. His name Mukul Sinha.
 
It was 4.30 pm in 2007 when Musarat Jahan, Shamima Jahan and a friend entered advocate Mukul Sinha's Ahmedabad office.

The women were Ishrat Jahan Shaikh's sister and mother, desperate to get justice for their slain daughter.

Experience talks

"I knew they were coming to see me and I had been briefed about the case.

But I was still unprepared for the impact of what they told me. Musarat gave me all the details of the case and I almost immediately knew Ishrat had been murdered.
 
My experience told me it was a fake encounter," said Sinha, who has spent 32 years in court.

That experience came from three specific cases the Sadiq Jamal case, and the Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Kausarbi cases.
 
All three had been allegedly killed in encounters by the Gujarat police.

Similarities

"The more I read up on Ishrat's case, which had been pending for over three years with the Mumbai High Court, I realised there were startling similarities with the other three encounter deaths in Gujarat.
 
In fact, there were four clear factors that pointed to a fake encounter.

Sinha took up the case pro bono because it was a human rights violation case.

 
Justice, at Last: Ishrat Jahan's family is relieved that the terrorist tag attached to their daughter has been proved false.

Right: Ishrat's sister Musarat, mother Shamima, younger sister Nusrat and brother Anwar went through a traumatic time during the last five years
 

"I work for the Jan Sangharsh Manch and that is how the Shaikh family approached me," said the lawyer, who dismissed the largesse immediately.
 
In fact, Sinha is a known name in Gujarat, working with riot victims through the Manch, which brings the poor and lawyers together. "The Maharashtra police is hand-in-glove with the Gujarat police.
 
These fake encounters are conducted with the same ease as flesh trade across the state borders.

Police claim lives of innocent people who are tagged as terrorists and are shot point blank without any evidence," said Sinha.

The lawyer was all praise for Musarat. "Her poor mother could not stop crying for even a moment in the 30 minutes they spent with me.
 
But Musarat held the family together. She was clear-eyed and absolutely calm narrating her sister's death."

Fake Encounter Trail

The fake encounter cases Mukul Sinha has been representing include...

Sadiq Jamal case: On January 13, 2003, Sadiq Jamal (26) was killed in an alleged encounter in the Naroda area of Ahmedabad.

The Gujarat police claimed he was a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and was going to kill Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia.

Sohrabuddin Sheikh case: Sohrabuddin was shot dead by the Gujarat police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on November 26, 2005. The Gujarat and Rajasthan police killed Sheikh in a joint operation.
 
They alleged that he was an LeT outfit member and was on a mission to kill senior BJP leaders, including Modi.

Kausarbi case: On November 27, 2005, the Gujarat police killed Sohrabuddin's wife Kausarbi, claiming that she was part of the LeT gang, out to kill Modi.

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News of the arrival of Harley Davidson in Bangalore have thrown the local harley cult  into a tizzy

Get ready to welcome the Harley Davidson to Bangalore next January. But before the cult bike is launched, there's another treat in store the Harley show.

After the Founders ride held in New Delhi on August 30, the city's Harley freaks are getting ready for the show in December.

The bike, to make its foray into the Indian two-wheeler segment with more than one variant, will race along with high-end bikes like Royal Enfield's Bullet Machismo, Suzuki's Hayabusa, Suzuki's Intruder and Kawasaki's Ninja.

"We are awaiting the launch and hope to participate in the Founders Ride in Bangalore," said Rohit V Katti, CEO, South India, Topsgrup and a 2003 Dyna Low Rider 1450 CC, 100th anniversary model Harley owner from Bangalore.

 
Easy rider: Enthusiast Rohit V Katti on his 100th anniversary model Harley
 Over 20 from the Harley Owners Group (HOG) took part in the New Delhi ride to mark the entry of the bike in India.

And now they are gearing up for the Bangalore ride.

"Also, many bike freaks are looking forward to the bike," added Katti.

 
Highway hogs: Harley Davidson Owners Group (HOG) members gather for a photo shoot after a group ride 
 Though news of Harley Davidson's entry is sweet music to Harley lovers, it's been worrying high-end bikers in Bangalore.

"Harley is one brand well known world wide," said Gunjan Shah, director, Thirumala Race Tech. "Its entry will certainly pose a challenge to existing high-end bikes."

However, the customised bike segment doesn't see a threat.

"It's not a threat to our segment," said Akhil, an automobile expert who specialises in customisation, Skini group. "It's a different bike entirely. Its entry will not affect the customised bike segment, as Harleys are a brand by themselves. However, customising a Harley will be an interesting assignment."

Pricing will also play a key role to decide the winner in the race. While variants of Harleys are said to cost from Rs.6-16 lakh, a Hayabusa is priced Rs 13.63 lakh (approx) and an Intruder  Rs 12.5 lakh. On the cheaper end are those like Kawasaki's Ninja, said to cost Rs 2.10 lakh (approx) and Royal Enfield Bullet Machismo that cost Rs 1.18 lakh (approx).

"Pricing of Harley Davidson in the Indian market will decide its way ahead," added Gunjan Shaw. "If the variants are priced reasonably, then it will certainly affect other high-end bikes."
 

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Debt-ridden farmers in Bundelkhand sell their wives to survive. Mayawati government orders an enquiry. But victims allege administration is trying to silence them

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is feeling the heat of the drought in Bundelkhand.

Twenty-four hours after CNN IBN and IBN 7 reported how debt-ridden farmers of Bundelkhand are selling their women for money, often on stamp paper, the Mayawati government ordered an enquiry and sought an early report.

Meanwhile, instead of punishing the culprits, the police reportedly are trying to silence those who had dared to speak out on camera.

Kalicharan, the farmer Network 18 had contacted while exposing the racket, is being allegedly harrassed by the administration. "I was summoned to the police station and questioned. I told them I had spoken to the media because no one was listening to us. But they threatened me and said I was lying. My wife was also called to the police station," said Kalicharan. Kalicharan's 10-year-old daughter Vineeta was also dragged to the police station. 

 
Meanwhile, the expose has snowballed into a major political crisis, with the state Opposition parties holding the Mayawati government responsible for the situation. The Congress has set up a tree-member probe team and the Samajwadi Party is planning a day-long protest against the chief minister.

Rita Bahuguna Joshi, UP Congress president, announced to send a team to the affected region to investigate the reports. "It is a painful situation. I am a sending a team of Congress workers to help these women," said Joshi.

The BJP is also not far behind in attacking the UP government. "Both the BSP-led state government and the Congress at Centre are responsible for this. The Centre has been talking of creating a separate authority for Bundelkhand while some factions want a state. Nobody is helping is helping these farmers," said Hriday Narayan Dixit, the spokesperson for UP BJP.

Stamped and sold

The debt-ridden farmers are selling their women to money lenders at rates varying between Rs 4,000 and 12,000. The prettier the face, higher the amount the woman fetches.

Interestingly, the deals are being finalised on legal stamp paper under the garb of 'marriage.' The stamp paper heading says 'Vivaha Anubandh (Marriage Contract)'.

And once the new husband has had enough of the woman, she is sold to another man.

"My husband sold me to another man for Rs 8,000 only. My buyer took me to the court at Lalitpur (a district in Bundelkhand region) to make our wedding look legal. During the trip I got a chance to escape," said Savita, who fled from the court premises.  

However, not all of these women are as lucky or want to escape. Some turn to prostitution. According to the police, many of these wife-turned-prostitutes have been rescued in the last two years.

Helpless and illiterate

Kunti, a 23-year-old farmer wife, is another victim. She is being sold by her husband to a money lender, Hariprasad, who is in his forties. The stamp paper of their 'marriage' agreement (a copy of which is with the CNN-IBN) makes it obvious that Kunti is illiterate and doesn't know what fate has in store for her.

"These marriages are a compromise. On a stamp paper worth Rs 10 it is written that the new husband is adult and doesn't have a wife. So, they have mutually decided to get married. But in most cases, the woman can't even read what is written in the agreement. Often, one woman is sold many times over. There are lakhs of such cases in this region," said Kalicharan, a lawyer.

Social activists allege that the police and the administration favour the more powerful money lenders. And most farmers are in their grip.

Commissioner, Jhansi, TP Pathak, denied any such case. "The region is reeling under drought and farmers have been hit hard. But they are fighting the situation with self-respect. I can't believe this. If I hear of any such case, action will be taken," said Pathak.

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Pankaj Advani, whose entry was initially mislaid, forcing the competition to be re-drawn, beat Mike Russell, the defending and nine times champion, 2,030-1,253 to win the World Professional Billiards Championship at the Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds, The Guardian reports.

Advani was 77 behind Dhruv Sitwala with only 13 minutes remaining in Saturday evening's semi-final but then played out time with 142 to win by 55.

Russell, who comes from Redcar but now represents Qatar, recovered from the first-session deficit of 198 to beat a third Indian semi-finalist, Rupesh Shah, by 486. But he was always struggling against Advani, who made a break of 226 and six more centuries in becoming the second Indian to win the title in its 139-year history.
 

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ICICI Bank tried to make ECS transfers on days nationalised banks were shut on strike. At one branch of Canara Bank in Delhi, ECS of 126 customers failed. But ICICI Charged them Rs 221 each. Experts say customers were 'not at fault.'

If you are an ICICI Bank customer and your monthly account statement shows a fine of Rs 221 charged for a 'bounced ECS transfer' made on August 6 or 7, chances are you will dismiss it as a petty issue.

But consider this.

On those two days, when all nationalised banks in the country were shut on strike, ICICI Bank reportedly processesed payment of monthly installments against loans on the bank through ECS (Electronic Clearance System). At one branch of the Canara Bank, which was participating in the strike and was therefore closed, ECS transfers of 126 customers 'failed.' ICICI charged each of them a fine of Rs 221 for the 'bounced' ECS. From this branch alone, ICICI collected around Rs 62,000. 

Apart from this, they were charged three per cent premium charges as well. MiD DAY has the list of 126 customers of Canara Bank, Munirka, who had to pay the 'fine'.

The country has 30 nationalised and public sector banks approximately with around 40,000 branches across India.

'Rules not followed'

Experts say the bank flouted guidelines set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) by forwarding ECS transfers of customers to banks that were not working on that day.

Explaining the rules, a senior official from the State Bank of India, wishing anonymity, said, "The Reserve Bank of India says that on days when banks are closed because of holidays, strikes and other similar instances, ECS transfers shouldn't be forwarded. In this particular case too, employees of nationalised banks had given prior notice to the government about the strike. So ICICI should not have processed the ECS with any of these banks. And if it was done, ICICI should not have charged customers for the bounced ECS."

Traumatised customers

The customers are crying foul. "Despite knowing that nationalised banks were on strike, the ICICI Bank lodged the ECS with Canara Bank on August 6. I had Rs 81,000 in my Canara Bank account on that day from which the ECS had to be cleared. How did the ECS in favour of my account bounce? I have taken loans for three vehicles from ICICI and had to pay around Rs 900 for a mistake I did not commit. I have a report from the Canara Bank that says 126 people faced a similar problem. I wonder how many people all over the country, who are paying loan EMIs to ICICI through ECS, had to pay extra charges?" said Sunil Kumar, a placement service owner from Delhi.

 
Traumatised: Sunil Kumar, a customer who was fined by ICICI pic/Imtiyaz Khan
 
Interestingly, the Canara Bank branch denied having received the ECS requests from ICICI during the period (August 6 and 7, the two days of strike) and hence did not deduct 'return charges' from customers' account. According to RBI rules, if a cheque or ECS payment is dishonoured because of insufficient funds, the customer has to pay a penalty to both the bank to which the payment has to be made, and 'return charges' to the bank where he holds the account.

"Canara Bank officials said they had not received our cases from the ICICI Bank. Had they received, they too would have deducted return charges," said Sunil.

A Canara Bank official, wishing anonymity, said the ICICI Bank should not have imposed the ECS bounce charges. "They should not have done this as state-owned banks were on strike," the official said.

Future trouble

While most customers are fretting about the fine, experts say a bounced ECS payment against a loan can harm the customer's chances when he applies for another one in future.

"All banks in the country are linked through the centralised CIBIl network (Credit Information Bureau India Limited) that contains the credit history of commercial and consumer borrowers. The moment a customer defaults on a credit payment, it reflects in his CIBIL statement. And that can ruin his chances of getting further credit," said Amit Kumar, an executive with HDFC Bank's personal loan division.

For the customer, it means, extensive hassles.

Akash Sehgal, an engineer working for a private firm, said he was traumatised after his loan installment payment cheque bounced two years ago. "I was out of the country when it happened but I had a major problem when I applied for loans later. Most banks were not willing to give me a loan," said Akash Sehgal.

Where did the money go?
In case of ECS default and cheque bounce, the customer has to pay a fine to both the banks to which the payment has to be made and the one where he holds the account. In this case, ICICI charged Rs 221 for the ECS default and 3 per cent as premium charges. (The three per cent interest is charged on the EMI amount per loan account for the total number of days till the time of payment to the ICICI Bank). In the case of Sunil's loan account, the sum was Rs 80 per account.

From one Canara Bank branch, ICICI collected around Rs 62,000. The return charges levied by the other bank is apart from the above mentioned amount. However, in this case, Canara Bank has not levied the charges.

What the RBI says
The Reserve Bank of India says that on days when banks are closed because of strikes, holidays and other similar instances, ECS transfers shouldn't be forwarded.

In an email reply, the ICICI said, "ICICI Bank has various dates in a month to present ECS mandates to recover EMI payments of its customers. These are presented to other banks through a clearing house. The dates of presentment are also called cycles.

For the cycles dated 5th and 7th of August, the ECS mandates were ready at our end to be presented.

However, August 5th was a holiday in Delhi for Raksha Bandhan. Also, 6th and 7th August were bank strike days all over the country where most Public Sector Banks did not work.

 Hence, ECS mandates from 5th to 7th August were presented together on 8th August by the bank (ICICI). Subsequently, we received the bounce report from the clearing house. (This report, called R7, contains details of customers where the EMI could not be honored because of various reasons, the primary reason being exceeds arrangement / insufficient funds).

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The 55th National Awards, which were to be announced on Friday have now been pushed forward, probably to Monday, because of the  tragic  death of the Andhra chief minister.

Lost out

It is learnt from reliable sources within the awards committee that both the Khan superstars Shah Rukh and Aamir up for the best actor award for Chak De and Taare Zameen Par, respectively, lost the prestigious award to Tamil-Telugu-Kannada actor Prakash Raj.

Prakash Raj, it is reliably  learnt, has won the award for his sterling performance as a silk weaver in Priyadarshan's Kanchivaram. This would be his second National  award. He earlier won the  best supporting actor award for Mani Ratnam's Iruvar. The film  has also beaten popular entry Taare Zameen Par.

Another winner....
Contrary to reports in a section of the press, Anil Kapoor's Gandhi My Father and SRK's Chak De have lost the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Film On National Integration to Bhavna Talwar's Dharm. Confirming this, Dharm's producer Sheetal Talwar says, "Yes,our film has won the Nargis Dutt Award. My wife Bhavna is the first debutant director to win this award . Earlier, it went to stalwarts like  Mani Ratnam." 

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At least 10 people were killed and 25 injured after a landslide triggered by heavy rains hit Saki-Naka area of northeastern Mumbai, authorities said Friday morning.

According to fire brigage officials, the landslide, which occurred around 11.30 p.m. Thursday at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Nagar slums, buried more than two dozen shanties in the area.

The officials with help from locals have so far managed to save two dozen people who were trapped under the debris. Several people are still feared trapped under the debris, the police said.

Minister of State for Home Naseem Khan, under whose constituency the affected site falls, personally supervised the rescue and relief operations through out the night.

Five fire engines and eight ambulances were engaged in the rescue efforts, which were hampered by heavy rains.

In 2005, a massive landslide in the same area killed 78 people, prompting Congress President Sonia Gandhi to visit the affected areas.

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Pakistan-sponsored terror outfit has offered sophisticated weapons in return for logistical support from militant leftist group

Terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has sought logistical support from the militant Naxals, and promised them sophisticated arms in return.

The attempts by the militant organisations to forge such an alliance came to light following the arrest of LeT militant Yusuf alias Salim on August 25.

Yusuf had a Jammu and Kashmir identity card on him along with a Pakistani passport when he was arrested.
 
 
State Minister Arif Naseem Khan
 
The police also confiscated four detonators, two timers and two kg of RDX like chemical from him.

Arif Naseem Khan, Minister of State (Home), confirmed that such a deal was being negotiated.
 
"The LeT has approached the Naxals, who have not helped them as yet.

Had the help been extended, the terrorists would not have let so many days pass without any incident."

Home ministry sources revealed that the Naxal's knowledge of the India's rural hinterland.

Their network would help the LeT upgrade their operational capabilities in the country, and make it easier for them to plant sleeper cells. "Yusuf had plans to meet some Naxal commanders," said the source.
 
Naxals have a strong presence in forested areas of Gadchiroli and Nanded in Maharashtra and major parts of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa.

Home ministry officials fear that LeT could inflict serious damage if the Naxals decided to help them
 

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