My life's vicissitudes.................

Majority in Bengal Supports Nano Project

Tamal — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:09:38 +0000

In two years since the land acquisition movement rocked Singur; the Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee had come to know well that there were people from among her own rank and file, who clutched on to the Nano Plant in Singur for their livelihood and prosperity. These TMC supporters have now turned against her. TMC dominated syndicate that used to supply construction material to the Nano factory and other allied factories in Singur have turned against Mamata Banerjee. All this while Trinamool Chief was talking about land losers of the disputed area, but did not thought for the majority of land owners who willingly gave 600 acres of land. Now these people are frustrated and one of them has committed suicide.

In a study by ASSOCHAM covering 2000 people in 12 districts of the state of West Bengal, it was found that around 1700 people which accounts to about 85 % of the surveyed population supports Nano Project in Singur. They were of the opinion that Tata should be persuaded to stay put at Singur as their exit could stop the industrialization of the State. ASSOCHAM study also revealed that 1400 people i.e. 70 % held that the current problem faced by the small car project was due to it’s over politicization. On the issue of offering a compensation package to affected land losers of the controversial 400 acres at the Nano Plant site, over 60 % respondents suggested that a tripartite meeting of land losers, local administration and Tata Motors officials should be held immediately to redesign the compensation package for all land losers. Over 60% of survey participants said that the Tata should shell out “a little more from their kitty” to remove dissatisfaction and enable Tata Motors to execute the project as scheduled.

Brand Bengal is set to suffer huge loss if Tata’s ultimately decides to pullout from Singur and relocate their Nano factory outside West Bengal. There are many automobile projects that will be in danger in case Tata pulls out. These projects include Tractors India Limited and Radial Tyres. Tractors India Limited has sought 50 acres at Kharagpur for its Rs. 5000 million crane manufacturing unit and Radial Tyres has sought 400 acres at Kharagpur for its Rs. 4000 million project. Even Jindal, which has proposed to invest Rs.350, 000 million has expressed uncertainties after Mamata Banerjee started agitation in Singur. Abhirup Sarkar, professor of economics, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) said, “We will lose in terms investments. But what about the other related losses? For instance, the aspiring middle class will lose. So will the farmer.”

Tata’s Set to Pullout of Bengal

Tamal — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:26:44 +0000

Disgusted with the “continued confrontation and agitation” at Nano factory in Singur, Tata Motors moved to the serious act on Ratan Tata’s threat to pull out his prestigious small car project from West Bengal. The Tata Motor’s statement said “This decision was taken in order to ensure the safety of employees and contract laborers, who continue to be violently obstructed from reporting to work.” The Tata’s may have felt they were being pushed beyond the edge. Sources indicated that the Company is still open to a last minute solution but on two demands- complete peace at Singur and return of land ruled out. West Bengal State Industries minister Nirupam Sen announced there was no question of a land-for-land deal. A patch of WBIDC land near the Nano site could be given to all land losers, both willing and unwilling land losers, for commercial use. The Left Front issued a statement requesting the Tatas to resume work at the Nano plant. But Mamata Banerjee was unfazed with Tata’s ultimatum. She said “They have taken some decisions. I don’t know what it is. This is their internal and technical matter.” Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya agreed to the Trinamool proposal of engaging a neutral intermediary and urged West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi to take initiative.

The Tata’s suspension of work in Bengal sent shock waves across the state. People at large blamed politicians, particularly Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee’s ‘negative politics’. Last week Ratan Tata has made it very clear that he was willing to sacrifice Rs 15,000 million invested in Singur and pull out if his employee’s safety was in danger

Chrome – Google’s free browser launched

Tamal — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:15:05 +0000

Google's Challenge to Microsoft

Google Inc., owner of the most popular internet search engine introduced a browser to challenge Microsoft’s decade long dominance of the market. The program, known as Chrome, will isolate flawed web pages so users can close them without shutting down the entire browser, and will make it easier to run other applications without downloading them to computer. Google is trying to parlay its success over Microsoft in online searches into an effort to court users who want email, calendars, and word processing through a browser instead of products such as Microsoft’s Word and Excel. A loss of browser user to Google will curb Microsoft’s ability to lure people to its search engine, the default option for web queries on Internet explor

Click here to Download Chrome from Google for free.

Arctic Ice Cap can be circumnavigated after 125000 years

Tamal — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:47:08 +0000

Arctic Ice Cap Melting

NASA’s satellite images have revealed that the melting ice cap has facilitated the opening up of both the north-west and north-east passages, making it possible for the first time after Ice age 125,000 years ago, to pass through. In fact the images suggest the north-west passage opened last weekend while the final blockade on the east side dissolved a few days later. Professor Mark Serreze, a sea ice specialist at National Snow and Ice Data Centre in the US said “The passages are open. It’s an historic event. We are going to see this more and more as the years go by.” The UN Environment Programme said whilst nature has always observed a certain periodic rate of deglaciation, the current trends observed from the Arctic to Central Europe and South America are of a different order. Glaciers lost on an average a mass of more than half a meter water equivalent in the period 1996-2005, which is twice the ice loss of the previous decade.

Global Warming may cause new species to evolve

Tamal — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:41:18 +0000

African Buffalo

According to a report in the Scotsman, the future loss of lakes and rivers in

Africa would influence how species such as buffalo and elephants evolve. Large populations of animals, which need water to survive, could be divided and, over time, evolve into new species to cope their new surroundings. An isolated population of buffalo, unable to interbreed with others, might evolve to the size of small elephants in the future, in order to accommodate a larger stomach. Alternatively, it might develop huge, long legs to carry them further distances to water and better food sources. Researchers at Edinburgh University studied the loss of rivers and lakes in Africa millions of years ago, when forests dried to grassland. They have shown that groups of animals became isolated from one another over large distances by the need to stay close to a watering hole, lake or river. According to Julian Derry, of Edinburgh University’s School of Biological Sciences, the findings suggest that modern-day climate change may lead to an increase in the number of species in Africa, just as it did millions of years ago

Cabinet nod to Companies Bill

Tamal — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:36:31 +0000

A liberal regulatory set up for corporates is on the anvil with the Union cabinet approving the introduction of new Company Bill that will replace the present archaic Companies Act of 1956. The Companies Bill 2008 also paves the way for the formation of a one person company (OPC) that would help start up entrepreneurs operating as a company without facing the liabilities attached to a sole partnership firm. Corporate affairs minister Prem Chand Gupta said “Against the 800-odd provisions in the existing act, the proposed law aims at pruning this to almost half.” Gupta had initiated the process to revamp the existing Companies Act in 2004 and the government has formed a committee headed by JJ Irani, to draft the new law for which it also held consultations with the Industry bodies as well as professional organizations like ICAI and ICSI. The Bill aims at cutting down many of the approvals companies need to take from the government at present. These include matters like remuneration of directors, related party transactions etc. The proposed bill also states that 33% of directors on a company’s broad should be independent, which is a relaxation from the previous 50% issued by market regulator SEBI. The bill also proposes to raise the number of partners in a firm to 100 from the present of 20. It also recognizes board meetings held through video conferencing and accepts communication and voting through emails and books of accounts in electronic form

DLF is set to pullout from India’s largest Public-Private-Partnership

Tamal — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:22:07 +0000

DLF-Largest Estate Developer in India

The real estate major DLF has threatened to pull out of the Rs 330,000 million project in Dankuni since no progress has been made in the case for months and the company is yet to get the possession of the land. West Bengal State Urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya said “The project is not making any headway and DLF is telling us they will pull out if the situation continues.” The Dankuni township is one of the largest real estate projects in the country, covering over 4840 acres to be built through Public-Private-Partnership over a period of 10 years. It is the largest Public-Private-Partnership in India. DLF has already paid Rs 2700 million in advance to West Bengal State Government, which is supposed to hand over the land after procuring it. While negotiations with landowners began a year ago, consent has been obtained for only 20 acres, State government officials are now trying to convince DLF that the imbroglio in Singur will soon be over and thereafter 4840 acres in Dankuni can be acquired smoothly.

Pak President Frontrunner’s Mental Health –A great concern

Tamal — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:46:36 +0000

Asif Ali Zardari

Disclosures about Benazir Bhutto’s widower Asif Ali Zardari’s mental health surfaced after his lawyer argued in London’s High Court that he was too ill to testify in corruption related cases. While Zardari’s spokespeople say he has been cured, US Officials, among them Congressman Pete Hoeskstra, ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee have expressed concern about Zardari’s mental health history.

The US is said to have serious concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal coming under the control of its prospective president, Asif Ali Zardari. Washington’s worries reportedly rose last week following the disclosure of medical records indicating that even last year doctors have diagnosed him with mental problems including dementia, depression and post traumatic stress disorder.

During Benazir Bhutto’s two terms as PM, Bhutto was kept out of nuclear loop by the army. But Zardari may insist and may get full presidential powers, including nuclear arsenal control. In an email Pakistan’s US ambassador Hussain Haqqani wrote about Zardari that “obviously was affected by the torture of imprisonment without conviction…A similar diagnosis is usually made for former POWs immediately after their release but that does not preclude their full recovery and subsequent running for high political office.”

Mamata relents under pressure

Tamal — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:10:01 +0000

Mamata Banerjee is scaling down her defiance on the ninth day of the Singur agitation. She said on Monday, “We want work to resume in the factory. We are not against the Tatas. Let these there be talks to resolve the impasse.” Trucks were allowed to roll on Durgapur Expressway, as the agitators were asked to put off the week long traffic blockade on the NH-2 by the Trinamool Chief. Mamata Banerjee has come under immense pressure from with her party Trinamool Congress and she has very few options to choose from. Trinamool dominated contractor syndicates, who supply raw material to the Tata Nano Plant, vented their rage because of their escalating losses due to factory shutdown.

Leader of the Opposition of West Bengal Assembly house, Partha Chatterjee conveyed to the West Bengal Governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi that Trinamool Chief was ready for talks over the return of land to unwilling farmers. Bur she wants a panel of experts from various fields viz. legal, technical, government, political parties and Tata Motors – at the talks table. Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was quick to grab this opportunity for resuming the dialogue process that has reached a dead end. The CM also held talks with State Congress Chief and Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) minister Priya Ranjan DasMunshi and Congress leader Manas Bhuniya. Mamata’s climb-down was already anticipated after the governor’s intervention

Riots reoccur in Kandhmal

Tamal — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:00:06 +0000

A fresh wave of violence hit some remote villages in Orissa’s Kandhmal district on Monday, 1st September 2008. Five additional companies of CRPF were sent to tackle the situation. The State Government has sanctioned Rs 20 million for relief and rehabilitation of people who bore the brunt of recent communal violence that broke after the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati at his ashram in Jalespeta on 23 August, 2008. Southern range RDC Satyabrata Sahoo said seven houses were attacked at a village near Tikalbali in Kandhmal. A team of senior officials including DGP, home secretary, relief commissioner and rural development secretary will visit Kandhmal on 24 August, 2008. The team will examine all aspects including security and relief arrangements in the district. Around 17,000 people are lodged in the 10 relief camps in Kandhmal