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Tuesday, July 5, 2011 12 www.qatar-tribune.com INDIA Crisis in Andhra as Telangana MLAs, MPs quit AGENCIES HYDERABAD THE stage was set for a constitutional crisis in Andhra Pradesh with almost 87 of the legislators in the 294-strong state assembly belonging to the Telangana region submitting their resignations to deputy speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka in support of their demand for a separate state on Monday afternoon. Those who submitted their resignations comprised 49 Congress MLAs including 11 ministers in the Kiran Kumar Reddy government, 37 TDP MLAs and one PRP MLA. Of the 119 MLAs that belong to the Telangana region, the Congress accounts for 53. The only four Telangana legislators from the ruling party who did not resign were city ministers Danam Nagender and Mukesh Goud and MLAs M Shashidhar Reddy and deputy chief minister Damodar Raja Narasimha. Eleven out of 15 ministers of Andhra Pradesh cabinet hailing from Telangana region on Monday resigned from their posts as well as membership of the legislative assembly on separate statehood issue but maintained that it was ‘not to defy’ Congress high command. The Kiran Kumar government has a strength of 154 MLAs in the 295 assembly and has the support of 18 PRP MLAs, 7 belonging to the MIM and a few independents. Congress MPs from Telangana region shouting slogans in front of Parliament house after submitting their resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, against the Centre’s ‘delay’ in the formation of a separate Telangana state, in New Delhi, on Monday. (PTI) Interestingly, among the first to resign on Monday from the ruling party were Konda Surekha, an ardent supporter of YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy, and P Vishnuvardhan Reddy, city MLA who has stayed away from either the CM or Jagan group. Soon after submitting their resignations, the panchayat raj minister K Jana Reddy said that their sole aim was to achieve Telangana and they would continue to remain in the party and fight for a separate state. He expressed happiness that they had chosen to submit resignations on July 4 which happens to be the United States’ independence day and hoped that Telangana region would get independence soon. Another minister, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said that the move made by the Congress leaders should not be viewed with any doubt. “We are very serious and there is no question of going to Delhi for talks unless the central leadership announces that they will carve a separate state. But soon after, the panchayat raj minister K Jana Reddy said that he was going to Delhi in the afternoon as he had been called by the party high command.” Admitting that they could be staring at a crisis, aides of the chief minister said they are assessing the situation. “Vikramarka, the deputy speaker who accepted the resignations, is likely to wait for speaker Nadendla Manohar to return to Hyderabad from his trip abroad for a decision to be taken on the resignations. In the meantime, the Congress high command too will swing into action. We are confident that the Kiran government will survive,” said a CM aide. But New Delhi is already feeling the heat. Six Congress Lok Sabha MPs and one from the Rajya Sabha arrived in the national capital on Monday morning and were scheduled to submit their resignations to Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha deputy chairman M Hamid Ansari later in the afternoon. AICC general secretary incharge of AP Ghulam Nabi Azad again urged restrain on the part of the Telangana elected representatives and claimed he has summoned a team of MLAs to New Delhi for urgent talks. In the meantime, the Telangana Political JAC went into an emergency meeting and is likely to urge the 11 TRS MLAs also to follow suit with their resignations so that the entire region acts in one voice in order to achieve their goal of a separate state. On the other hand, keenly monitoring the developments, the MPS, MLAs and MLCs of all the major political parties belonging to the Seema- Andhra region were huddled in closed door meetings and planning their move to counter the Telangana leaders. Earlier, they were scheduled to meet the Congress central leaders in New Delhi on Tuesday. TN govt hands over probe into boy’s killing to CB-CID PTI CHENNAI THE south Indian state Tamil Nadu government on Monday handed over to its top investigative agency CB-CID, the probe into the killing of a 13-year-old boy who died of gunshot injuries after he trespassed into an army area at Island Grounds here. “The case has been transferred to the CB- CID (Crime Branch Criminal Investigation Branch) and they have taken over the probe,” a top police official said. Thirteen year-old Dilshan had died of bullet injuries on Sunday. Dilshan was allegedly shot at when he tried to pluck some ‘badam’ (almond) fruit from the premises, housing residential quarters and succumbed to injuries at the Government Hospital. The army spokesperson on Sunday maintained there was no armed guard inside the entire colony, located in the Island Ground locality near the State Secretariat. The army termed the incident as ‘very unfortunate’, and said it would not allow the guilty to go scot-free. “We have constituted a board of officers to carry out a proper search of the area including the houses adjoining the scene of the incident. The process of search is going on in detail,” Brigadier Sashi Nair said. Condemning the killing, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday said that an army jawan had opened fire on the teenager, who succumbed to injuries in a government hospital. Farmers of Halligudi decry Nirani’s claim in Posco case AGENCIES DHARWAD THOUGH industries minister Murugesh Nirani claims that the villagers of Halligudi, in Mundargi taluk of Gadag district, have volunteered to give up their land for the Posco plant, a ground reality check shows the situation to be quite contrary. The farmers are firm that they will not part with an inch of land to the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB). They have also taken serious exception to Nirani’s statements that they are amenable to the compensation amount and employment. President of Mundargi Taluk Abhivruddhi Horata Vedike Y R Goudar said nobody from the government Police guard temple treasure haul worth $22 billion AP NEW DELHI A VAST treasure trove of gold coins, jewels and precious stones unearthed at a lightly guarded Hindu temple in India was expected to grow further in value Monday as the last two secret vaults sealed for nearly 150 years are opened. The government has increased security since the treasure’s discovery in recent days, which has instantly turned the 16th-century Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple into one of the wealthiest religious institutions in the country. Four vaults recently opened at the temple in Trivandrum, the capital of the southern state of Kerala, held a vast bounty that unofficial estimates peg at $22 billion. The treasures unearthed so far include statues of gods and goddesses made of solid gold and studded with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and Karnataka’s Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani has contacted the farmers to discuss the issue yet. “Whatever Murugesh Nirani said is a lie. We oppose land acquisition and are firm on our stand. Any effort to acquire our lands using force will be opposed tooth and nail,” he said. other precious stones, crowns and necklaces, all given as gifts to the temple over the centuries. The volume of gold and silver coins was so enormous that the investigators weighed the coins by the sackful, rather than counting them, officials said. The temple, built by the maharajas who ruled the then-kingdom of Travancore, remained under the control of the erstwhile royal family after India’s independence in 1947. India’s Supreme Court ordered the inspection of the vaults after a lawyer petitioned a local court asking the state government to take over the temple, citing inadequate security. The current Maharaja of Travancore had appealed to the Supreme Court against the petition. The inventory began last week and the final vaults were to be unlocked Monday afternoon. The public knew the temple had treasures but not the quantum. Goudar said the lands proposed for acquisition were among the most fertile in the region. It is on this tract of over 6,000 acres that three crops — jowar, cotton and wheat — are cultivated simultaneously. These lands fall under the catchment area of the Indian police walk past The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, in Thiruvananthapuram, on Monday. (AFP) Singatalur Lift Irrigation Project, that is nearing completion. Land acquisition for industrial purpose would defeat the very objective of this irrigation project. Moreover, the land acquisition would displace more than 250 families. A proposed steel and gas power plant coming up in neighbouring Mevundi would be hazardous to the environment. People in this region depend solely on tanks for drinking water and the water bodies would be polluted if industrial units are set up here. Moreover, these units would come up barely 13km from Kappatagudda, that has been declared a hill of herbs and medicinal plants and its rich vegetation would be harmed, he said. Before the trove was uncovered, there was almost no visible security at the temple, save for a few local security guards patrolling the complex with batons, mainly Navy comes to rescue of 14 fishermen PTI RAMESWARAM SRI Lankan Navymen on Monday detained 14 fishermen from south Indian state Tamil Nadu for allegedly fishing in their waters but freed them hours later on sighting an Indian Navy vessel near the International Maritime Boundary Line. A senior Navy official said the vessel was sent after coming to know about the plight of the fishermen to bring them back and on spotting it, the Lankan navy released them. Naval Commander Vijaranya told PTI that the Indian fishermen were being brought to shores along with their boat. The fishermen were taken into custody when they were near the third sand dune between Katchatheevu, an islet ceded by India to Sri for crowd control. Kerala’s police chief, Jacob Punnoose, said he sent extra police officers to guard the temple and is planning a high-tech security system to protect the treasure. “We plan to enhance security in a manner which will not interfere with the activities of the temple or devotees,” Punnoose said. The security plans include the installation of digital electronic networks, closed circuit cameras and metal detectors at the entrance and exits of the temple. Manoj Abraham, city police commissioner, said two battalions of special armed police would provide security outside the temple complex. “Later, we will discuss with temple authorities and members of the former royal family what kind of permanent security system should be put in place,” Abraham said. Every year, devout Hindus donate millions of rupees worth of cash, gold and silver Lanka, and Arichalmunai in the sea off Rameswaram, where another group of 13 fishermen were detained by the island navy and released recently. Fisheries department officials, quoting four released fishermen, said the armed Sri Lankan navalmen came in two boats and asked the 18 fishermen to surrender. They took 14 fishermen into custody and towed one boat with them while releasing four fishermen and another boat. The 14 fishermen were handed over to Indian Navy who would bring them back. President of Indo-Sri Lankan Innocent Fishermen’s Association Arualanandan, quoting an Indian official based in Jaffna in Sri Lanka, claimed the fishermen were released immediately on the orders of the Sri Lankan government. to temples. Some temples in India are so wealthy, they have formed trusts which run schools, colleges and hospitals that offer free treatment to the poor. The discovery has sparked a debate over the future of the treasure trove. Vellappally Nateshan, a Hindu leader, said the wealth should remain with the temple authorities. Some social activists in Kerala have demanded the treasure be handed to a national trust to help the poor. Kerala’s top elected official, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, however, assured the people that the wealth would remain with the temple. “It is the property of the temple. The government will protect the wealth at the temple.” Chandy said the government would bear the cost of stepping up security at the temple and ensure that worshippers were not inconvenienced.
WORLD Tuesday, July 5, 2011 www.qatar-tribune.com 13 Push for Libya settlement, Zuma, Medvedev urge NATO allies RESCUE MISSION A fresh batch of rescuers move in to search for trapped miners in Heshan city, in Guangxi, China, on Monday. Rescuers were racing against time to reach more than 40 coal miners trapped underground at the weekend in two flooded pits. (AFP) AFP SOCHI RUSSIAN President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday hosted South Africa’s president and the NATO chief at meetings aimed at pressuring the Western alliance to push for a peace settlement in Libya. Medvedev met the South African leader Jacob Zuma at his Black Sea resort residence and was later to hold talks with NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen and ambassadors from other alliance members. The Russian leader immediately proposed that he and Zuma jointly appear before the NATO chiefs and explain their discomfort with the current course of the campaign. “I would like for them to hear, both from me and possibly from you president, our opinion about what is happening in this country,” Medvedev said. Zuma replied that meeting with NATO “would be very helpful in terms of our interaction, because they might Critical of current campaign Medvedev proposed that he and Zuma jointly appear before the NATO chiefs and explain their discomfort with the current course of the campaign. come to know what preoccupies the AU at the moment”. South Africa announced Zuma’s visit on Sunday after an African Union (AU) summit sought to push a regional peace plan to end the Libyan conflict — a blueprint rejected by the rebels thus far. Russia has advocated the AU taking a leading role in the negotiations and Medvedev’s personal envoy Mikhail Margelov held talks in Libya with both representatives of the rebels and Moamer Qadhafi's regime last month. One of the new elements in the road map agreed by the AU on Friday included provisions for a multinational peacekeeping force organised by the United Nations. But the rebels have thus far rejected the settlement terms proposed by the AU and Russia has also failed to convince Qadhafi to leave. “It did not include the departure of Kadhafi, his sons and his inner circle. We have repeated this (demand) on more than one occasion,” rebel spokesman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga told reporters in Libya’s second-largest city Benghazi. The eccentric former Russian governor and current World Chess Federation (FIDE) chief Kirsan Ilyumzhinov told a Moscow news agency from Tripoli that he had just met the Libyan leader’s eldest Muhammad and was again told that Kadhafi would never go. The rebels — who pulled back from the plains on the road to Tripoli from the Nafusa Mountains last week — have been buoyed by controversial French arms drops and intensified NATO-led air strikes against Qadhafi's frontline armour. But South African officials said on condition of anonymity that Zuma and Medvedev could issue a joint statement calling on NATO to stop the air strikes. Zuma and Russia have both criticised the French arms drops and the AU has further condemned the international arrest warrant issued for Kadhafi by the Hague-based International Criminal Court. The Kremlin issued a firm statement ahead of Medvedev’s talks with the NATO chief repeating its condemnation of “outside interference” in Libya. Russia abstained from a vote on a March UN Security Council resolution that opened the way for international involvement and has since criticised the scale and intent of the Western campaign. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emerged from a Russia-NATO Council meeting indicating that the two sides did little to bridge their positions. “We exchanged opinions about how strictly the international legal standards — including Security Council resolutions — are being observed” in Libya, RIA Novosti quoted Lavrov as saying. Previous NATO-Russia discussions have focused on controversies such as the bloc’s decision to push ahead with the construction of a missile defence shield for Europe despite Moscow’s objections. AP BEIJING JAPAN’S and China’s foreign ministers tangled over territorial disputes on Monday even as they appealed for steadier relations between the Asian rivals. China’s Foreign Ministry lodged a complaint about a flotilla of Japanese fishing boats that took members of right-wing groups Sunday near islands controlled by Japan, which calls them the Senkakus, but claimed by Beijing, which calls them the Diaoyus. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto, in Beijing for talks, discussed the dispute in general terms with his Chinese counterpart, saying the islands are an “integral part of Japan and there is no territorial issue to be resolved,” Matsumoto’s spokesman Hidenobu Sobashima told reporters. The complaints show how lingering disputes continue to buffet ties between the world’s second- and third-largest economies even as they seek ways to cooperate. Ahead of their talks, Matsumoto and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi had both called for improved relations. The two “exchanged opinions and reached consensus on issues that the two nations are concerned about,” said Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who later met with Matsumoto. He did not give details. Ties between Japan and China have been strained for years over a contested gas field in the East China Sea and lingering animosity over AFP KANO AUTHORITIES stepped up security on Monday as they launched a probe into multiple attacks that killed 20 people in northeastern Nigeria, including a bomb blast at a police barracks. The police barracks bombing killed at least 10 people on Sunday evening in the troubled city of Maiduguri where Islamists are active. “The area is still cordoned off by soldiers that have deployed all over the place, forensic experts are still combing the scene looking for some clues. No one is allowed in or out of the area,” resident Awwalu Manu said by phone. Residents also reported a second blast near the city’s main bus terminus, about an hour after the police bombing. “There is a military checkpoint near the terminus and Japan’s often brutal World War II-era occupation of China as well as the island dispute. A new irritant was added last month after Japan and its ally the United States jointly agreed that China should act more responsibly to reduce tensions in the region. Matsumoto told Yang that Japan hoped talks on a “legally binding” agreement on resource development in the East China Sea could be held, Sobashima said. China suspended talks on the issue in from all indications, it was the target of the attack,” resident Jibo Mohammed said. “But fortunately it exploded some metres away and this led to shootout between the attackers who where on motorbikes and soldiers at the checkpoint,” he added. Authorities could not immediately confirm the second blast. Hours earlier, a leading politician was shot dead in the same city, while police sources and residents reported a wave of shootings overnight Saturday that killed nine people, including three retired police officers. A special security unit was deployed in the city a week ago on orders of President Goodluck Jonathan. Anti-bomb squads have been deployed around key government buildings and military barracks. More road blocks have been erected and September after a Chinese fishing boat collided with Japanese patrol boats in the East China Sea. The foreign minister also expressed concern about maritime security in the region, Sobashima said, amid a spike in tensions between China and Vietnam and the Philippines over disputed territory in the South China Sea. “We think it’s important to ensure maritime safety and freedom of navigation at seas and we understand that this is the interest of the international community,” Sobashima said, adding that Matsumoto expressed hope that the countries concerned would cooperate. The Philippines accuses Chinese vessels of making repeated intrusions into Philippine-claimed waters in recent months, while Vietnam says Chinese vessels have hindered its oil exploration surveys in an area 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) off its central coast that it claims as its economic exclusive zone. China claims it has sovereign rights over the South China Sea. Nigeria beefs up security, probes north attacks A man sits near a damaged car in front of a house after a bomb blast, in Maiduguri, recently. (REUTERS) Japan, China FMs call for better ties amid disputes Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo (right) with Japan’s foreign minister Takeaki Matsumoto, in Beijing, on Monday. (EPA) checks are more thorough than before to include patdowns of vehicle occupants. No-one has claimed responsibility for the weekend attacks but Boko Haram, an Islamist sect active in the region and blamed for most of the previous deadly attacks, is the prime suspect. Boko Haram wants to see the establishment of an Islamic state in northern Nigeria. On Sunday last week attackers set off three bombs and shot into the crowd at a crowded beer garden in Maiduguri killing 25 people and injuring as many. This weekend’s biggest blast targetted a so-called mammy market beer garden at the police barracks. Mammy markets are open air pubs and eateries found around police or military barracks, open to both security personnel and civilians. 23 killed, 29 injured in China bus accident AP BEIJING A SPEEDING truck rearended a tourist bus stopped in a highway emergency lane, and the bus flipped and burst into flames, killing at least 23 people and injuring 29 in south China early on Monday, state media said. Police lowered earlier death and injured tolls, explaining that the carnage and fire damage made counting difficult, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The coach was illegally stopped in the emergency lane of the Suizhou- Yueyang expressway in China Central Television broadcast footage of the accident site, showing where the two vehicles tore up a stretch of guard railing before plunging down an embankment into a farm field. Hubei province when it was rammed at 3:50 am. The report said investigators believe that the truck driver, who was killed, was tired and driving at high speed when the vehicles crashed. The long-distance coach, operated by Wuhan Hailong Tourism Bus Company, was carrying 52 passengers, including five children, and was headed to Tianmen, a scenic area in Guangdong province, Xinhua said. The reports did not indicate any foreigners were on board. China Central Television broadcast footage of the accident site, showing where the two vehicles tore up a stretch of guard railing before plunging down an embankment into a farm field. A mass of charred and mangled metal was surrounded by hundreds of large blackened wax gourds that had been piled on the cargo truck. Serious traffic accidents are common in China due to lax driving habits.
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4 HMC employees killed, 10 injured in accident - Qatar Tribune

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