MUNI THE BOSS

Revenue Minister Raghuveera Reddy told reporters that the government would study the full report and consult irrigation experts, engineers and lawyers before taking any decision.

Major Irrigation Minister P. Sudarshan Reddy had Thursday said that the government would file an appeal before the tribunal in three months and seek clarifications.

However, the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Friday urged the state government to take an-all party delegation to New Delhi to complain to the central government about the injustice done to the state.

TDP chief and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu Friday held a meeting with top leaders to review the tribunal’s order. The party decided to undertake a struggle to protect the state’s interests.

The Andhra Pradesh government Friday said it was not satisfied with the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal verdict on sharing of surplus water with neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Revenue Minister Raghuveera The Krishna Delta Protection Committee has also urged the state government to take serious note of the tribunal’s order. The committee said the verdict had put a question mark on the second crop in the Krishna delta. The committee asked all MPs from the state to wage a joint struggle against the injustice meted out to the state.
The tribunal has given Andhra Pradesh a share of 1,001 tmc ft, Karnataka 911 tmc ft and Maharashtra 666 tmc ft.

Andhra Pradesh was earlier allowed to use the entire surplus water but under the new tribunal, it has been distributed among three states, said Buddhaprasad.

He said the tribunal had also done injustice by allowing Karnataka to raise the height of Almatti dam to store the river water to 524.4 metres from the present 519 metres.

The river Krishna originates at Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra and passes through Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka on its 1,300-km journey to the Bay of Bengal.

Former minister and the committee member M. Buddhaprasad told reporters in Vijayawada that the region would badly suffer as the tribunal had permitted Karnataka to raise the height of the Almatti dam.

The committee pointed out that the tribunal appeared to have given the maximum share of water to the state but in reality it would spell doom for the irrigation projects in the state. While the earlier tribunal in 1976 had estimated the assured water at 2,060 tmc ft, the new tribunal had estimated it at 2,578 tmc ft.

The tribunal has given Andhra Pradesh a share of 1,001 tmc ft, Karnataka 911 tmc ft and Maharashtra 666 tmc ft.
,,
However, the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Friday urged the state government to take an-all party delegation to New Delhi to complain to the central government about the injustice done to the state.

TDP chief and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu Friday held a meeting with top leaders to review the tribunal’s order. The party decided to undertake a struggle to protect the state’s interests.

Naidu said the state had suffered due to lack of a comprehensive national river water-sharing policy and the indifferent attitude of the state government.

The Krishna Delta Protection Committee has also urged the state government to take serious note of the tribunal’s order. The committee said the verdict had put a question mark on the second crop in the Krishna delta. The committee asked all MPs from the state to wage a joint struggle against the injustice meted out to the state.

Community Event Abhi-Ash At Bunt Community , the Bunt Community at Madras. Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan participated in the

A 74-year-old woman who suffered a stroke had to be carried for several blocks on a stretcher through knee-deep snow after paramedics could not get close to her home, The Telegraph said.

Hundreds of people who were returning from JFK airport after their flights had been cancelled were trapped in freezing subway carriages for six hours overnight, it said.

A woman in Brooklyn was forced to spend the night with her dead father after the medical examiner’s office took more than 24 hours to reach them and remove his body.

Several people caught in a fire in Queens had to be dragged on sleds and toboggans to the nearest hospital, which was fortunately only five blocks away.

The New York post said the situation worsened after the Sanitation Department bosses from the snow-slammed outer boroughs ordered their drivers to snarl the blizzard cleanup to protest budget cuts. This disastrous move had turned streets into a minefield for emergency-services vehicles, it said.

A 75-year-old woman in Queens died after emergency services took three hours to arrive after she suffered breathing problems. It took her daughter 20 minutes to get through on 911, The Telegraph said.

.Hundreds of people were trapped in freezing subway carriages for hours overnight after the snow took out power to their train, even as others in New York continued to battle with extreme conditions in the wake of a weekend snowstorm, media reports said Thursday.

A 74-year-old woman who suffered a stroke which included keeping plows slightly higher than the roadways and skipping over streets along their routes, the sources said.

The snow-removal snitches said they were told to keep their plows off most streets and to wait for orders before attacking the accumulating piles of snow.

They said crews normally would have been more aggressive in combating a fierce, fast-moving blizzard like the one that barrelled in on Sunday and blew out the next morning.

The workers said the work slowdown was the result of growing hostility between the mayor and the workers responsible for clearing the snow.

In the last two years, the agency’s workforce has been slashed by 400 trash haulers and supervisors — down from 6,300 — because of the city’s budget crisis.

And, effective Friday, 100 department supervisors are to be demoted and their salaries slashed as an added cost-saving move.
..Sources said budget cuts were also at the heart of poor planning for the blizzard last weekend. The city broke from its usual routine and did not call in a full complement Saturday for snow preparations in order to save on added overtime that would have had to be paid for them to work on Christmas Day, the Post said.
.Several people caught in a fire in Queens had to be dragged on sleds and toboggans to the nearest hospital, which was fortunately only five blocks away.

The New York post said the situation worsened after the Sanitation Department bosses from the snow-slammed outer boroughs ordered their drivers to snarl the blizzard cleanup to protest budget cuts. This disastrous move had turned streets into a minefield for emergency-services vehicles, it said.

A 75-year-old woman in Queens died after emergency services took three hours to arrive after she suffered breathing problems. It took her daughter 20 minutes to get through on 911, The Telegraph said.

Miles of roads stretching from as north as Whitestone, Queens, to the south shore of Staten Island still remained treacherously unplowed Wednesday night because of the shameless job action, the Post reported citing several sources and a city lawmaker.

“They sent a message to the rest of the city that these particular labour issues are more important,” said City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Queens), who was visited Wednesday by a group of guilt-ridden sanitation workers who confessed the shameless plot.

Halloran said he met with three plow workers from the Sanitation Department — and two Department of Transportation supervisors who were on loan — at his office after he was flooded with irate calls from constituents.
Hundreds of people who were returning from JFK airport after their flights had been cancelled were trapped in freezing subway carriages for six hours overnight, it said.

A woman in Brooklyn was forced to spend the night with her dead father after the medical examiner’s office took more than 24 hours to reach them and remove his body.

Several people caught in a fire in Queens had to be dragged on sleds and toboggans to the nearest hospital, which was fortunately only five blocks away.

The New York post said the situation worsened after the Sanitation Department bosses from the snow-slammed outer boroughs ordered their drivers to snarl the blizzard cleanup to protest budget cuts. This disastrous move had turned streets into a minefield for emergency-services vehicles, it said.

' “There are talented players like Thomas Berdych, Marin Cilic and Janko Tipsarevic, but the most important thing to me is who I am playing first, as I will only progress to the later rounds only if I cross the first stage,” he said at a media interaction here Thursday.

The qualifying rounds will commence Saturday.

In 2009, Somdev came up with an astonishing performance to reach the final after receiving a walk-over from one of the tournament favourites Rainer Schuettler of Germany in the semi-finals.

India’s No.1 Somdev Devvarman hopes to go one better and clinch the 2011 Aircel ATP Chennai Open tennis, beginning here Jan 3.

Somdev made it to the final in 2009, when he lost to Croat Marin Cilic.

The 25-year-old Indian Davis Cupper, however, prefers to focus on his first round opponent who will be known Saturday when the lots will be drawn for the 32-player main draw of the $450,000 tournament.

Somdev is the only Indian to receive an automatic direct entry into the main draw in view of his ranking, 108, and as such, the expectations are high.
In the 2010 edition, Somdev, again receiving a wild card, lost in the second round to Tipsarevic after getting past Schuettler in the opening round.

Despite the pre-tournament hype around him, Devvarman, winner of the singles gold medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games this year, admitted he needed to play at much higher level if he hoped to win the title.

“Obviously, that was a great result and I’ve had a good pre-season.I am looking forward to the Chennai Open.

“My game is a bit passive, so I’ve been trying to retrieve balls more often. Against top players, you don’t get too many chances, and so you will have to take them,” he said.

Somdev has set himself various targets in 2011 and those obviously include getting into top 75 and then 50.
The qualifying rounds will commence Saturday.

In 2009, Somdev came up with an astonishing performance to reach the final after receiving a walk-over from one of the tournament favourites Rainer Schuettler of Germany in the semi-finals.

Devvarman was then ranked 202 and his Chennai Open showing proved to be the turning point in his fledgling tennis career as he made steady progress through the rankings thereafter, breaking into top-100 this year.

In the 2010 edition, Somdev, again receiving a wild card, lost in the second round to Tipsarevic after getting past Schuettler in the opening round.


.

Yaskhi, who represents Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency, also blamed Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and Director General of Police Aravinda Rao for deployment of central paramilitary forces in the state ahead of the report.

Union Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju said the government was ready to deal with the situation that may arise after the Srikrishna Committee’s report.

He told reporters in Kakinada port town that the central government would implement the panel’s recommendations, and appealed to leaders of all political parties to observe restraint and act responsibly in the interest of the state.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner A.K. Khan said 11 companies of central paramilitary forces were already deployed in the state capital to maintain law and order in view of the committee’s report. Seven more companies would be deployed in a day or two, he said.

In all, 25 companies, each comprising 120 personnel, would be deployed in and around Hyderabad. Five companies have been deployed in Cyberabad, the Information Technology district which houses many global giants.

The state has sought 50 companies to tackle the situation after the committee submits its report.

The remaining companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will be deployed in other parts of Telangana, Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of the state.

The Srikrishna Committee headed by former Supreme Court Justice B.N. Srikrishna, which is looking into the demands for and against separate Telangana state, is to submit its report to the central government Friday.

The five-member panel was constituted in February after massive protests in Andhra and Rayalaseema and en masse resignations of legislators against the central government’s announcement of Dec 9, 2009.

After 11-day hunger strike by TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao and massive protests in Telangana, the central government had announced that the process for formation of separate Telangana state will be initiated.
..There is unease, anxiety and suspense as Andhra Pradesh awaits the Srikrishna Committee’s report on the demand for separate statehood to Telangana region.

Hectic activity began in political circles here amid reports from New Delhi that the five-member panel will submit its recommendations to the central government Friday.

With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussing the Telangana issue with senior ministers in the national capital and the central government issuing do’s and don’ts to the media, various speculations were doing the rounds here.

There was anxiety among protagonists of separate state over some reports that the central government was contemplating to set up another panel to study the Srikrishna Committee views or even form a second states’ reorganisation commission to look into demands for Telangana and other smaller states in the country.

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which is spearheading the movement for a separate state, began a crucial meeting to chalk out its future course of action, pending the Srikrishna Committee report. TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao and other leaders were in the meeting.

Telangana Praja Front of Maoist sympathiser and revolutionary balladeer Gaddar also held a meeting here to review the situation ahead of the report. He condemned the curbs imposed by the central government on the media for the coverage of the panel’s report.

“We demand the centre to immediately table a bill in parliament for the formation of Telangana state,” Gaddar said.

Congress MP Madhu Yaskhi voiced his apprehension that the Srikrishna Committee may not make a recommendation for formation of Telangana state.

“If the committee makes a recommendation against formation of a separate state, we will rise above party affiliations to launch an agitation,” he said.
..We demand the centre to immediately table a bill in parliament for the formation of Telangana state,” Gaddar said.

Congress MP Madhu Yaskhi voiced his apprehension that the Srikrishna Committee may not make a recommendation for formation of Telangana state.

“If the committee makes a recommendation against formation of a separate state, we will rise above party affiliations to launch an agitation,” he said.

Yaskhi, who represents Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency, also blamed Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and Director General of Police Aravinda Rao for deployment of central paramilitary forces in the state ahead of the report.

“Threats from North Korea’s asymmetric warfare capabilities – such as special forces, artillery pieces and weapons of mass destruction – have been on a steady rise since 2008,” Deputy Defence Minister Chang Kwang Il was quoted as saying by the Yonhap News Agency.

Yonhap reported that military officials in Seoul said North Korea’s ageing conventional weapons could not compete with the technological advantage of the South Korean and US militaries so they are increasing their development and use of unconventional weapons, such as low-cost missiles and improvised explosives.

The white paper, which is released every other year, said the number of North Korean soldiers, 1.19 million, was unchanged from 2008 while its number of tanks had risen from 3,900 to 4,100.

It did not specify how many Storm Tigers had been deployed but said they were similar to Russia’s T-50s and were fitted with 125-millimetre or 115-millimetre guns.

South Korea has 650,000 soldiers and is home to 28,500 US troops.

The paper was released after tensions spiked this year on the Korean Peninsula following the March sinking of a South Korean warship, which killed 46 sailors and which Seoul blamed on Pyongyang, and North Korea’s shelling of a South Korean island near their disputed border in the Yellow Sea. That attack killed two soldiers and two civilians.
North Korea has raised the number of its special forces troops, who are trained to infiltrate South Korea, by 20,000 to 200,000 in the past two years as it increasingly focuses on unconventional warfare, South Korea said Thursday.

It warned in a defence ministry white paper that North Korea has arrayed long-range artillery along the two Koreas’ border that is capable of a “massive surprise bombardment” on Seoul and it deployed a new, faster, more powerful tank called the Storm Tiger.

.Chang said the label was meant as a strong message to Pyongyang and emphasised that the regime there and its military were the antagonist, not its people.

“Not using the expression ‘main enemy’ does not mean that we softened our stance,” Chang was quoted as saying.

The white paper indicated the South would take a harder line against the North after the government in Seoul and its military were criticised for taking too slow and too lax a response to the Yeonpyeong artillery attack.
The paper was released after tensions spiked this year on the Korean Peninsula following the March sinking of a South Korean warship, which killed 46 sailors and which Seoul blamed on Pyongyang, and North Korea’s shelling of a South Korean island near their disputed border in the Yellow Sea. That attack killed two soldiers and two civilians.

The white paper upgraded North Korea to an “enemy”, raising it from the “serious threat” or “direct and serious threat” contained in the North Korean assessments since 2004 but did not go as far as white papers from 1995 to 2000 when North Korea was determined to be the South’s “main enemy”.

“The North poses a serious threat to security by developing and augmenting massive conventional military capabilities and weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear weapons and missiles, and through constant armed provocations like the torpedo attack on the Navy corvette Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island,” the paper said. “As long as the threat continues, the North Korean regime and military, the perpetrators of all such provocations, are an enemy.”
''
Concern has also risen about the North’s nuclear programme after it showed a visiting US scientist a previously unknown uranium-enrichment facility said to contain 2,000 centrifuges.

Uranium enrichment could give North Korea, which conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, a second avenue to producing nuclear bombs after reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods into weapons-grade plutonium.

The two Koreas remain technically at war after an armistice and not a peace treaty ended the 1950-53 Korean War.
..
It warned in a defence ministry white paper that North Korea has arrayed long-range artillery along the two Koreas’ border that is capable of a “massive surprise bombardment” on Seoul and it deployed a new, faster, more powerful tank called the Storm Tiger.

“Threats from North Korea’s asymmetric warfare capabilities – such as special forces, artillery pieces and weapons of mass destruction – have been on a steady rise since 2008,” Deputy Defence Minister Chang Kwang Il was quoted as saying by the Yonhap News Agency.

Yonhap reported that military officials in Seoul said North Korea’s ageing conventional weapons could not compete with the technological advantage of the South Korean and US militaries so they are increasing their development and use of unconventional weapons, such as low-cost missiles and improvised explosives.

“Gujjar leaders today (Wednesday) evening communicated to us that they would like to hold talks with us on Thursday. We hope to hold talks in the first half of Thursday,” said G.S. Sandhu, Rajasthan’s principal secretary for urban development.

Sandhu, who is also looking after the home department, is member of the state government delegation that has been deputed to hold talks with the Gujjars and has been camping in Bayana in Rajasthan for five days.

Bayana is in Bharatpur district, about 150 km from state capital Jaipur.

In a bid to pacify the community, the Rajasthan government announced late Tuesday that it would hold back four percent of the jobs, in addition to the one percent already being given to them, till a final court
.Demonstrations were held at Jantar Mantar in the national capital amid tight security. Gujjar demonstrators from adjoining states of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan gathered and raised slogans in support of their community in Rajasthan. No traffic jams or incidents of violence were reported.

Protests were also held in neighbouring Greater Noida, where demonstrators stopped traffic, causing snarls.

“We are demonstrating in support of the rights of Gujjars, we are with those protesting in Rajasthan,” said Ajit Dowla, a Gujjar leader from Greater Noida.

Train services between Delhi and Mumbai and a few other sectors remained affected Wednesday as Gujjars continued to squat on railway tracks near Bayana.
..The Gujjar community said it would hold talks with the Rajasthan government Thursday while its 10-day agitation for five percent reservation in government jobs continued to hit rail services in parts of the state and even spilled over to the national capital and Greater Noida.


“Gujjar leaders today (Wednesday) evening communicated to us that they would like to hold talks with us on Thursday. We hope to hold talks in the first half of Thursday,” said G.S. Sandhu, Rajasthan’s principal secretary for urban development.
“We are demonstrating in support of the rights of Gujjars, we are with those protesting in Rajasthan,” said Ajit Dowla, a Gujjar leader from Greater Noida.

Train services between Delhi and Mumbai and a few other sectors remained affected Wednesday as Gujjars continued to squat on railway tracks near Bayana.

Gujjars decided on a rail blockade Dec 20, after holding a ‘mahapanchayat’ (community conclave) in Bayana. Following the decision, hundreds of protesters squatted on the rail tracks in Piloo Ka Pura, forcing the railways to divert or cancel a few trains.

In July 2009, the Rajasthan government announced five percent reservation for Gujjars and 14 percent for the economically backward classes, taking the total reservation in the state for various sections of society to 68 percent.

Since the total reservation had exceeded the Supreme Court cap of 50 percent, the high court in October 2009 stayed the quota in jobs and educational institutions in the state for Gujjars and the economically backward classes.

In a ruling Dec 22, 2010, the high court struck down the job quota for Gujjars.

Gujjars, demanding reservation for better educational and job prospects earlier between 2006 and 2008, had staged violent protests in which many lives were lost.

Sandhu, who is also looking after the home department, is member of the state government delegation that has been deputed to hold talks with the Gujjars and has been camping in Bayana in Rajasthan for five days.

Bayana is in Bharatpur district, about 150 km from state capital Jaipur.

The Gujjar community said it would hold talks with the Rajasthan government Thursday while its 10-day agitation for five percent reservation in government jobs continued to hit rail services in parts of the state and even spilled over to the national capital and Greater Noida.

Official sources said the hour-long meeting, attended by Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Defence Minister A.K. Antony, had been called to discuss the “issue of smaller states”.

Moily is the Congress in-charge of Andhra Pradesh.

The meeting came two days before Friday deadline for the Srikrishna panel to present its report. Justice B.N. Srikrishna, a retired Supreme Court judge, has indicated the report could be presented earlier.
She told reporters that Chidambaram had agreed to the suggestion and that the spokesperson would function under the home ministry. “There will be a nodal spokesperson so that all channels get official information on the whole thing,” he said.

Soni appealed to the media to abide by the guidelines of the National Broadcasters Association (NBA) and not telecast speculative stories, which may lead to untoward incidents.

The meeting, attended by the cabinet secretary, secretary, information and broadcasting and chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh discussed the various issues related to the coverage of the panel’s report.

The Srikrishna committee was set up in February to study, among other things, the situation in Andhra Pradesh following protests for a separate Telangana state and the counter-protests that paralysed the state.

The committee met over 100 groups including political parties, intellectuals, politicians and retired bureaucrats and visited all the 23 districts of the state.

The Andhra government Tuesday withdrew all the criminal cases filed during protests for and against a separate Telangana state.
Moily is the Congress in-charge of Andhra Pradesh.

The meeting came two days before Friday deadline for the Srikrishna panel to present its report. Justice B.N. Srikrishna, a retired Supreme Court judge, has indicated the report could be presented earlier.

The Congress Wednesday said it will convey its stand on Telangana after the panel submits its report.


..
The Congress Wednesday said it will convey its stand on Telangana after the panel submits its report.

“The Congress is not against (creation of) smaller states. The government has appointed a committee
..Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed the issue of a separate Telangana state with his senior ministers Wednesday ahead of the impending report of a panel that has examined the contentious demand that has created sharp political divisions in Andhra Pradesh.

Heavy security arrangements had been made in Andhra Pradesh in anticipation of the report being presented.

Chidambaram said that security forces in the state will remain in their headquarters as a reserve force.

“I am confident that the present atmosphere will continue to prevail. I do not see the need to deploy forces,” he said.

He said people of the state should look to the future.

Chidambaram also urged the media to highlight the panel report in a “fair, impartial” way after it is made public.

Speaking to reporters, former Home Secretary V.K. Duggal, who was a member of the panel, said the report was in two volumes and had “covered all issues”.

Answeing a query, he said the report has “given the way forward”. He said the report will also be available on internet after it is made public.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed the issue of a separate Telangana state with his senior ministers Wednesday ahead of the impending report of the panel that examined the contentious demand that has created sharp political divisions in Andhra Pradesh.

The Srikrishna committee was set up in February to study, among other things, the situation in Andhra Pradesh following protests for a separate Telangana state and the counter-protests that paralysed the state.

The committee met over 100 groups including political
'Making a statement after the report was submitted to his ministry, Chidambaram said that a meting of eight recognised political parties from the state will be called Jan 6 after which the report will be made public.
Justice B.N. Srikrishna, the retired Supreme Court judge who headed the panel to look into the demands for separate statehood to Telangana, handed over the report to Chidambaram in his chamber at North Block at about 3 p.m.
Heavy security arrangements had been made in Andhra Pradesh in anticipation of the report being presented.
Chidambaram said that security forces in the state will remain in their headquarters as a reserve force.
“I am confident that the The Srikrishna panel report on Telangana has been
.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which is spear-heading the Telangana agitation, said the central government should table a bill in parliament to carve out a separate state from Andhra Pradesh.

“Irrespective of what Srikrishna committee report says, the central government should table a bill in the coming session of parliament,” TRS leader and state legislator K. Tarakarama Rao told reporters at Telangana Bhavan, the TRS headquarters here.

With the Srikrishna committee submitting its report on Telangana Thursday, parties fighting for the separate state have urged the central government to abide by its Dec 9, 2009 statement, irrespective of the panel’s recommendations.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which is spear-heading the Telangana agitation, said the central government should table a bill in parliament to carve out a separate state from Andhra Pradesh.

The Telangana Praja Front of Maoist sympathiser and revolutionary balladeer Gaddar said the central government should fulfil its commitment by tabling a bill in parliament.

With Chidambaram inviting eight parties for the meeting on Jan 6, Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) began deliberations to choose its representatives.

Since the two parties are vertically divided over the issue, they are likely send representatives from both Telangana and the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.

Pro-Telangana parties have already threatened to launch an agitation and paralyse the administration if the Srikrishna committee makes a recommendation against formation of Telangana state.
Reacting to Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s statement that the report would be made public Jan 6 after a meeting with leaders of eight recognised political parties, Rao – son of TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao – said whatever may be the contents of the report, the central government should abide by its commitment on Telangana.

He recalled that Chidambaram had made a statement on Dec 9 last year that the process for formation of separate Telangana state would be initiated.

Tarakarama Rao said people of the region were waiting for a separate state and claimed that some people in Karimnagar district had already started hunger strikes demanding the government to take immediate steps.

The Telangana Praja Front of Maoist sympathiser and revolutionary balladeer Gaddar said the central government should fulfil its commitment by tabling a bill in parliament.

The TDP leaders voiced their apprehension that the award would affect the state’s interests and also hit the irrigation projects taken up across Krishna River.

With the tribunal allowing Karnataka to raise the height of Almatti dam, the opposition party said this would also impact major dams like Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar.

Andhra Pradesh was so far free to use surplus water but now even this right has been taken away by the tribunal, said senior TDP leader K. Yerran Naidu.

He said the verdict would hit the irrigation projects taken up across Krishna on the basis of surplus water. “The state government should own the responsibility for this verdict of the tribunal. It failed to present the state’s case effectively before the tribunal,” Naidu said

Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary K. Narayana said the tribunal’s award was a big blow to the state.

..Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh Thursday reacted sharply to the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal’s award on sharing of surplus water with neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra while Karnataka has welcomed it.

While the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh has not yet come out with its reaction, the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) said injustice had been done to the state.

The TDP leaders voiced their apprehension that the award
''Hailing the verdict, Yeddyurappa said his government “will do its best to utilise the water”.

The three states share the water under a complex formula comprising A and B schemes. The share is on the basis of the dependability of water availability in the river, which is determined by the rains.

Karnataka had sought 278 tmc of water under B scheme, but the tribunal has given it 177 tmc. With this Karnataka gets a total share of 911 TMC of water a year under the two schemes.

The tribunal has also directed that Karnataka has to release 8-10 tmc to Andhra Pradesh during June-July every year.

The tribunal has given Andhra Pradesh a total share of 1,001 tmc and Maharashtra 666 tmc.
Andhra Pradesh was so far free to use surplus water but now even this right has been taken away by the tribunal, said senior TDP leader K. Yerran Naidu.

He said the verdict would hit the irrigation projects taken up across Krishna on the basis of surplus water. “The state government should own the responsibility for this verdict of the tribunal. It failed to present the state’s case effectively before the tribunal,” Naidu said

Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary K. Narayana said the tribunal’s award was a big blow to the state.

However, Karnataka has welcomed the verdict. “It is a historic day for Karnataka,” Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said noting the tribunal had awarded Karnataka 911 tmc of water and allowed it to raise the height of the Almatti dam to 524.4 metres from the present 519 metres.

Andhra Pradesh was objecting to the raising of the height of the dam at Almatti in Bijapur district in north Karnataka.

Till Thursday’s award Andhra’s share was 811 tmc, Karnataka 734 tmc and Maharashtra 585 tmc.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Brijesh Kumar, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, also said the central government would set up the Krishna Water Implementation Board after three months for implementation of the award.

Leaders of various national and regional parties Thursday vowed to continue their struggle at the national level to get justice for the farmers of Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a massive public meeting organised by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in this Andhra town, the leaders hit hard at Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for ignoring the welfare of the farmers and blamed its policies for the crisis in agriculture and spate of suicides by farmers..The TDP chief demanded compensation for farmers who lost their crops, implementation of the (M.S.) Swaminathan committee recommendations and supply of nine-hour free electricity daily to farmers.

Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat alleged that UPA government was neck deep in corruption. “The 2G spectrum scam alone is of Rs.176,000 crore and with this money the government can pay a compensation of Rs.10,000 to every farmer who lost his crops,” he said.

Former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi said the country could not progress if 65-70 percent of its population was neglected.

Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh blamed the policies of the UPA government for the problems of farmers.

Leaders of CPI, CPI-M, Forward Bloc and other parties also addressed the meeting.


Former prime minister and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) president H.D. Deve Gowda urged farmers to rise and revolt against the central government which, he claimed, was neglecting their problems.

Deve Gowda warned the UPA government that it would have to face the fury of farmers.
.The rulers who ignore the problems of farmers are destroyed,” he said.

The JD-S leader voiced concern over the spate of suicides of farmers in different parts of the country, especially in Andhra Pradesh.

Thousands of farmers from different parts of Andhra Pradesh attended the meeting organized by TDP to highlight the problems of farmers.

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu said his party along with like-minded parties would fight a relentless battle till farmers get justice.

Naidu, who recently went on hunger strike for eight days, said both the central and state governments had failed to come to the rescue of farmers. He pointed out that huge crop losses due to heavy rains had led to suicides of over 100 farmers in one month.Addressing a massive public meeting organised by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in this Andhra town, the leaders hit hard at Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for ignoring the welfare of the farmers and blamed its policies for the crisis in agriculture and spate of suicides by farmers.

Former prime minister and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) president H.D. Deve Gowda urged farmers to rise and revolt against the central government which, he claimed, was neglecting their problems.

Deve Gowda warned the UPA government

Israeli media report, however, that Israel is taking the diplomatic risks seriously and has instructed its embassies globally to put the case against recognition to their host governments, warning only a negotiated settlement can hold.
But some Israelis play down the significance of recognition by distant countries not involved in Middle East peacemaking...West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians expect wider recognition of their statehood in the coming year and it will mean more than the mere "Facebook state" predicted by an Israeli minister, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said on Wednesday.
Fayyad said recognition by many countries would "enshrine" the Palestinians' right to a state in all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which Israel captured along with East Jerusalem in a 1967 war.
Seventeen years of peace efforts had failed to deliver this promise, he told reporters. The current Israeli coalition's stated commitment to a two-state solution could not be relied on "given the erosion that has taken place", he said.
Jewish settlement of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem has doubled since the interim Oslo accords of 1993. Direct peace talks revived by Washington in September after a year's suspension collapsed within weeks. A U.S. drive to keep the process alive via third-party talks is currently in limbo.
The Palestinians reject further negotiation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until Jewish settlement of West Bank land is frozen and Netanyahu states clearly what size and shape of state he envisages agreeing to eventually.
"It is very important for that to be defined," Fayyad said.
DOMINO EFFECT
Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador announced recognition of Palestinian statehood in the past month. Chile, Mexico, Peru and Nicaragua are reported to be weighing the same move.
"These are welcome developments," Fayyad said.
He declined to comment on what countries might act amd when. But he said there was a growing intrenational consciousness that it was time for Israeli occupation to end and for the political process to deliver.
The diplomatic drive is part of Fayyad's two-year plan to establish all institutions and attributes of statehood by the middle of 2011. Analysts speculate the aim is to create momentum for a diplomatic domino effect leading to a bid for recognition at the United Nations General Assembly next September.
Netanyahu on Monday said if talks on core issues of the dispute such as borders, refugees and the status of East Jerusalem should reach a dead-end, then a long-term interim agreement might by the only viable alternative option.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who lists going to the United Nations as one of his options should the peace process collapse, rejected this idea outright.
The late Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat, declared statehood in 1988, winning recognition from about 100 mainly Arab, communist and non-aligned states. But it had no direct impact on efforts to resolve the Middle East conflict.
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon dismissed it in advance, saying it was no more serious than clicking the "like" option on the Facebook social networking site and would yield only a "Facebook state", without sovereignty or recognised borders.
Fayyad dismissed the comment.
"Definitely, I am not looking for 'a Facebook-state', or as I call it myself a Mickey Mouse state," he said. "If it doesn't matter, why did he (Ayalon) bother to write a comment on it?
Wider recognition would amplify the Palestinian state that is now being built up daily with European Union economic and political support, Fayyad said, turning an abstract concept into a reality the world would soon acknowledge.
"I think it does matter. International recognition of our right to live as free people on territory occupied in 1967, the right to statehood .. is very important."
(Additional reporting by Mohammed Assadi; editing by Angus MacSwan)..

'Additional patrols and quick response teams are also on duty,' he added.

Heavy deployment of police personnel was seen in sensitive areas like Kothrud, Warje and Pimpri-Chinchwad, where stray incidents of violence took place through the day.

'Fifteen Shiv Sena activists were detained after they were caught stopping trains, pelting stones on trains and buses and shouting slogans,' an officer of the Lonavala Police Station said.

The activists had earlier stopped two trains and destroyed 13 municipal owned buses in and around the city.

The city, however, saw only a partial response to the shutdown as most private and government offices and even petrol pumps remained open. But some schools and colleges were shut to ensure the safety and security of students.

Last week, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-controlled Pune Municipal Corporation passed a resolution to remove Konddev's statue from the historical Lal Mahal.

The statue was removed at 2 a.m. Monday. Angry BJP and Shiv Sena corporators had later ransacked the civic hall.Pune, Dec 28 (IANS) A shutdown called Tuesday by the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to protest the removal of a statue of Shivaji's teacher Dadoji Konddev Tuesday evoked partial response here but majorly affected a key highway linking the city to Mumbai.

'Taking advantage of the fact that the rural police would take time to reach, Shiv Sena and BJP workers jammed the (Pune-Mumbai) highway, leading to traffic blockage which affected some villages (that lie on its periphrey),' a police officer said.

Pune police took no chances, deploying more than 6,000 policemen in the city and the outskirts. Additional companies of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) and Home Guards were also requisitioned.

'The entire city police force has been deployed to ensure that law and order is maintained. We have two SRPF companies and another three have been called in,' Joint Commissioner of Police Ashok Dhivare said.

'Additional patrols and quick response teams are also on duty,' he added.

As though when heads were tumbling through the Indian team's turmoils, during the late 90s and later during Greg Chappell's coaching era, it seems like all that MS Dhoni did was chalk out a plan on how he would change things for the better. When granted the opportunity to lead, he showed himself ready and became the solution to most of India's problems, enough to finally fulfill expectations of a long-suffering crowd of supporters.


An Adam Gilchrist-inspired Mahendra Singh Dhoni was drafted in 2004 to solve India's wicketkeeper-batsman crisis following the failure of the Dravid experiment. His start was anything but legendary - getting out for a duck. It was his fifth outing when at home against Pakistan in 2005, that a blistering 148 which set up India for a win, made everyone take notice. It came after India had lost opener Tendulkar early and it was a performance which both calmed nerves and steered the ship - two qualities which would be Dhoni's hallmark in years to come. A mammoth 183 to chase a high Lankan total later in the year reiterated his value. By the end of 2005, Dhoni donned the all-whites to earn a maiden Test cap against Sri Lanka, holding both ODI and Test spots ever since. After India's failure in the 2007 World Cup, Rahul Dravid resigned as captain. In the inaugural World T20 that followed, Dhoni was chosen to lead a young Indian side. Under his guidance, the team quickly turned the disappointment to joy by lifting the World T20 trophy, to surprise both fans and foes. His ability to excel in leadership was quickly recognized and within a gap of a year, he was appointed Indian skipper in all forms of the game.


Under Dhoni's captaincy, India posted successful Test series victories home and away against England (2008), New Zealand (2009) and Sri Lanka (2009). Throughout his first 5 years as a Test player, India had lost only 2 away series, a record which helped them top the Test rankings. Under his leadership, a renewed spirit emerged among players, with youngsters Raina, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Gambhir showcasing fearless determination that had been missing since the 80s. It's already certain that 'Mahi', as he is fondly called, will be regarded among India's greatest, not just for his various batting exploits to bail his team out of trouble, but as an accomplished skipper who could challenge and lead the very best.

As ODI cricket celebrates its 40 years of existence in January 2011, Donald believes South Africa reinvigorated the format with its insistence on fitness and fielding in the last 20 years since its return to the international fold.

For this change of attitude Donald credits former coach, late Bob Woolmer. "There is no question about the fact that South Africa took one-day cricket to another level. Bob Woolmer came up with new fielding drills. He made us feel like captains in our position. He said we must take responsibility for the position we field in," recalled Donald.

Even today, Donald remembers the plan Woolmer outlined in his first speech to the team.

"He outlined the fact that we must be the fittest team and number one in both the formats. We achieved both. We were quite fortunate that we had a young bunch of guys who were natural leaders. It was a pleasure to be a part of that cricket team. It is a real travesty that we were so good yet we never won a World Cup. In (the ICC Cricket World Cup) 1999 we were by far the best team, but it did not happen, maybe it is our turn this time around in Asia," hoped Donald.

South Africa's team of the 1990s had one outstanding fielder in Jonty Rhodes and ten other capable fielders including Donald himself. But Donald believes thanks to ODI cricket the standard has been raised even further.

"Since 2003 fielding has become such a specialist form of this format. You have got to have the right fielders at the right places. We now have athletes. They are not just like Jonty who was a little guy. We have six feet three inch guys as athletes. The fielding coaches have made a difference in the one-day format. We have guys who are nowadays specialists in two positions, not just one like backward point and deep extra cover," said Donald.

Today unlike in the past, says Donald, a brilliant fielder can also be considered an all-rounder.

"Teams that have won games have good athletes who often make a good fielding unit. It is like having an all-rounder who can be a pinch hitter and death bowler. It also makes for really good viewing. That is probably the impact of Twenty20 on ODI cricket. As Bob Woolmer would say in one-day cricket every ball is an event but now it is a huge event. You need to be a fairly good cricketer to play one-day cricket these days," added Donald.he bowlers have not got any defence. A lot more slower bowlers are coming into play. You have your bits and pieces bowlers who take the pace off the ball. That is the only way to make sure that it becomes difficult to smash from ball one. Bowlers have adapted to the format despite so much being against them. The skill is getting better especially from a seamer's point of view. Spinners have become even craftier than before. You just cannot line anybody up. The bowling skills have got better and it is catching up with the batting," said Donald.

The best example of Donald's assessment lies in his choice for the greatest ODI match of all time. He picked South Africa's historic chase of Australia's total of 434 at Johannesburg in 2005-06 as the best-ever match.

"I have never seen anything like that. To score continuously at ten runs an over for 50 overs was a phenomenal feat. Having been there and seen the South African crowd react the way it did was sensational. The victory pulled a nation together from both a cricketing and a sporting point of view. It is something everyone will remember forever. At the Wanderers even now you can see images of players enjoying. It was an absolutely heroic effort. I got a lump in my throat that day being a sportsman and having been involved with the game."

Today, representatives of 14 universities from the non-Telangana regions, warned that "the consequences will be bitter" if the Srikrishna Committee does recommend bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The United Andhra Pradesh Students' Joint Action Committee (JAC) also asked elected representatives from non-Telangana regions to resign if the Centre sanctions a Telangana state.The Centre has already sent security forces to help maintain law and order in Andhra Pradesh. The state government, meanwhile, under pressure from its own MPs, has dropped 1600 cases filed against student protestors who demonstrated either in favour of or against separate statehood.
,Yesterday, the Srikrishna Committee, which has prepared the report of visiting all 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh, said it hopes it has found "a permanent solution" but stressed that it is upto the government and political parties to decide what happens next. The committee of five members was set up in February last year and is headed by former Supreme Court judge, BN Srikrishna. The panel's job was to interview different political parties and sections of society on a Telangana state. The committee says it has tried to deliver "highest satisfaction of the largest number
Students at Osmania University have the opposite view. Their campus served as Ground Zero earlier this year for those campaigning for a new state.

Last December, Home Minister P Chidambaram said a Telangana state would be sanctioned. However, political parties from Andhra Pradesh, under severe pressure from those members who were not from Telangana, quickly withdrew their support for the bifurcation of the state. The Centre was then forced to withdraw its decision and announce that the Srikrishna Committee would be assigned to collect political opinions..The Telangana report will be submitted to the Home Minister on Friday, and the government is gearing up for the aftermath.

The Prime Minister called a meeting of senior ministers including Defence Minister AK Antony to discuss security and other preparations. The issue of whether a separate state of Telangana should be sanctioned has been a divisive and emotive debate in Andhra Pradesh. Over the last year, there have been massive and violent protests by supporters and opponents of a Telangana state.

Yesterday, the Srikrishna Committee, which has prepared the report of visiting all 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh, said it hopes it has found "a permanent solution" but stressed that it is upto the government and political parties to decide what happens next. The committee of five members was set up in February last year and is headed by former Supreme Court judge, BN Srikrishna. The panel's job was to interview different political parties and sections of society on a Telangana state. The committee says it has tried to deliver "highest satisfaction of the largest ,

ter his 48-hour long deeksha for farmers, former Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy wants to take the battle right to the corridors of UPA government in Delhi.

In a strategic move, Jagan wrote a letter to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Sigh on Monday, seeking an appointment with him to take up the farmers’ issues. In his strongly worded letter, Jagan pointed out at the inefficiency of the Congress government in the state in addressing to the problems and difficulties faced by the rain-hit farmers.

It is for the first time that Jagan wrote a letter to the Prime Minister after quitting the Congress party. In a way, he has thrown a challenge to Dr Singh. If he denies appointment, then Jagan can go to the roof tops and cry about the indifferent attitude of the Centre. If the Prime Minister gives him appointment, he can hog the media limelight in Delhi as a champion of ,,

The timing of the resignation — two days ahead of the swearing-in-ceremony of the new Council of Ministers on Wednesday — rattled the party in the State. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who returned from New Delhi after completing the exercise of choosing his Ministers, hurriedly convened a meeting of MLAs and MLCs to review the sudden turn of events. Earlier in the day, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy's followers tore away posters and burnt effigies of Ms. Sonia Gandhi in several places and staged demonstrations against the AICC. In Mr. Reddy's native Kadapa, the District Congress Committee (DCC) office-bearers resigned en masse, ransacked furniture and re-named the party office from Indira Bhavan to YSR Bhavan.

The Congress was, however, prepared for this eventuality and had secured from Mr. Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam a promise to support the government. A PR spokesperson said, “if there is a crisis, we will extend outside support to the Congress as we promised earlier. But, we will not join the Cabinet.” ..The U.S. House of Representatives has with a 348-to-79 majority passed a bill that allows the country to impose countervailing duties on imports from China. Those duties are to be calibrated using estimates of the extent of “undervaluation” of the renminbi, to signal that, in the U.S.’ view, China is manipulating its currency for export gain and generating global current account imbalances in the process. This round of China bashing has been justified by referring to the evidence that while China unpegged the RMB from the dollar in June this year, the currency has appreciated only marginally.

Thus, the accusation is not that China is resorting to devaluation, but that it has not “permitted” adequate appreciation despite its trade and current account surpluses, especially vis-à-vis the United States.

What is surprising is that the House has resorted to this move despite evidence that in the past and even today, intervention in various forms to prevent currency appreciation or even ensure depreciation of currencies has been the norm. The United States, which protests much today, had exercised its global economic and political power to ensure the depreciation of the dollar vis-à-vis other leading currencies, especially the Japanese yen, through the Plaza Accord of 1985.

A year and a half later it engineered the Louvre Accord to prevent further decline of the dollar.

Currency manipulation is an old G8 practice. Most recently, the Bank of Japan intervened in its currency market to purchase 20 billion dollars in return for Japanese yen allowing it to stabilize an appreciating currency and ensure its depreciation from 83 yen to the dollar to around 85 yen to the dollar. Since the Japanese economy is still in deflationary mode, the injection of liquidity into the system to manage the currency does not stoke fears of inflation.



While preparing for any eventuality, the government does not feel immediately threatened. Firstly, Mr. Reddy declared in his letter that he would not ask MLAs in his camp to resign. Secondly, the ruling party is convinced that he does not have sufficient following among the MLAs to pull down the government. .Currency manipulation is an old G8 practice. Most recently, the Bank of Japan intervened in its currency market to purchase 20 billion dollars in return for Japanese yen allowing it to stabilize an appreciating currency and ensure its depreciation from 83 yen to the dollar to around 85 yen to the dollar. Since the Japanese economy is still in deflationary mode, the injection of liquidity into the system to manage the currency does not stoke fears of inflation.

Japan’s decision to intervene does weaken the legitimacy of the attack on the renminbi implicit in the U.S. bill and of the pressure being mounted by the G20 on China to ensure further appreciation of the yuan. However, while Japan’s move has indeed been criticized by many of its trading partners, dissent is muted because of the recognition that Japan has suffered for long from a recession that was triggered in part by developments flowing from the appreciation of the yen consequent to the Plaza Accord.

Moreover, central banks from many other countries have been and are intervening in currency markets to hold down the value of their currencies. This is true, for example, of South Korea, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines and Singapore. Their moves have received global attention ever since Guido Mantega, Brazil’s finance minister, declared that a currency war had broken out in the global economy. “We’re in the midst of an international currency war, a general weakening of currency. This threatens us because it takes away our competitiveness,” Mr. Mantega reportedly said. In doing so he was being disingenuous because Brazil’s immediate problem is not the weakening of the currencies of its competitors but the strengthening the Brazilian real which has been identified as one of the world’s most overvalued currencies.

Come and be a part of the New Year 2011 bash! Your website which gives information on everything - Astrology, New Year party celebrations, quotations, festivals and much more.

Check your daily, weekly or yearly horoscope and get the predication of important events that might simply change your life. You can also, get the New Year cruises that are recently, launched for the special celebrations.

Express your eternal love by sending poems and fun SMS . You can interact with your loved one in more joyful and colorful way by sharing greetings, wallpapers, song lyrics on those special moments of life.

'''''''''India[+] 164 recentFog plays havoc, flight operations disrupted
Smriti Advani, Priyanka Gupta, CNN-IBN
Updated Dec 26, 2010 at 12:28pm IST
Share
VideoNew Delhi: A dense fog is playing havoc in the national capital since the dawn on Sunday. Operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport have been severely hit. This has led to delays, diversions and cancellations of numerous domestic and international flights.

First few flights have just taken off but 50 others have been cancelled since 9PM last night. All flights heading north have been diverted.

Angry passengers are shouting slogans at the Delhi's T3 terminals. The chaos has spread to Kolkata and Mumbai airports as well where Delhi bound flights have been cancelled with passengers registering their strong protests.


Click to play videoNew Delhi: A dense fog is playing havoc in the national capital since the dawn on Sunday. Operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport have been severely hit. This has led to delays, diversions and cancellations of numerous domestic and international flights.First few flights have just taken off but 50 others have been cancelled since 9PM last night. All flights heading north have been diverted.Angry passengers are shouting slogans at the Delhi's T3 terminals. The chaos has spread to Kolkata and Mumbai airports as well where Delhi bound flights have been cancelled with passengers registering their strong protests.

Also, most flights in the north sector are being diverted. Many passengers who waited at the airport all night lost their patience. Some of them took over the public annoucement system. They had to be subdued by the CISF personnel.


Passengers have complained that the airlines didn’t inform them of the delays on time, while some say that after being told of delays, their flights were eventually cancelled. Due to the unavailability of proper information passengers remain extremely confused.


Civil Aviation Secretary is to hold a meeting at the airport to analyse the situation.


In Kolkata, at the Dumdum Airport passengers, after 15 hours of delay flights are set to take off. Passengers of an Indigo flight scheduled for Delhi staged a sit-in, outside the airline office and shouted slogans after they were made to wait all night at the airport.


These passengers had to spend the night at the Kolkata Airport with the airlines not offering any food, water, or accommodation.


In Mumbai, a huge backlog has been created due to Delhi-bound flights being delayed. Once again, the passengers complain of untimely information by the airlines.
'''''''''''''''''''International Airport have been severely hit. This has led to delays, diversions and cancellations of numerous domestic and international flights.'dense fog is playing havoc in the national capital since the dawn on Sunday. Operations at the .First few flights have just taken off but 50 others have been cancelled since 9PM last night. All flights heading north have been diverted.Angry passengers are shouting slogans at the Delhi's T3 terminals. The chaos has spread to Kolkata and Mumbai airports as well where Delhi bound flights have been cancelled with passengers registering their strong protests.

India's top space scientists are analysing data to find out what caused the failure of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle ( GSLV )) mission and an expert committee is likely to be formed soon to give a report on it.

"Teams are looking at the data to find out the reason for what happened," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) spokesman S Satish said here.

"A Failure Analysis Committee is likely to be constituted in the next one or two days," he said. ..was originally scheduled for launch on December 20 but was postponed a day earlier after a leak was noticed in the cryogenic stage during pre-countdown checks.

This is the second consecutive setback for India's space programme this year after the GSLV-D3 veered off its flight path and plunged into the Bay of Bengal along with GSAT-4 on April 15.

After the failure yesterday, top ISRO officials said the command to control the space rocket (GSLV-F06), carrying GSAT-5P, from the equipment bay, the electronic brain of the launch vehicle resident atop it, did not reach the actuators in the first stage.
They suspected that a connector chord, which takes the signal down, had snapped.

The FAC to be formed is expected to be similar to the committee set up after the failure of GSLV-D3, primarily for the flight testing of indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), on April 15 this year.

The FAC comprising multi-disciplinary experts concluded at the time that the primary cause for the failure was the sudden loss of thrust in one out of the four liquid propellant strap-on stages (S4) immediately after lift-off at 0.2 sec.

With only three strap-on stages working, there was significant reduction in the control capability.

However, the vehicle altitude could be controlled till about 50 seconds. At the same time, the vehicle reached the transonic regime of flight and the vehicle altitude errors built up to large values, resulting in aerodynamic loads exceeding the design limits thus leading to break up of the vehicle.

In a major setback, GSLV-F06 powered by Russian Cryogenic stage, with GSAT-5P communication satellite on board, failed in its mission yesterday following a technical problem soon after the liftoff from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.

The GSAT-5P, meant to give a boost to communication services, including TV, telephone and telemedicine.