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Vol. 6 No. 308 CHENNAI ● TUESDAY ● 1 ● FEBRUARY ● 2011 www.facebook.com/deccannews, www.twitter.com/deccannews, www.deccanchronicle.com 40 pages `2.00
NATION INTERNATIONAL SPORT
POLITICS PEOPLE TENNIS
10 CASE AGAINST
CVC THOMAS
KIM SON THROWS
FURRY HAT
16 DJOKOVIC TELLS
HIS SUCCESS
DISCUSSED: PC
11 IN THE RING MANTRA

windows
ASTROGUIDE:
300 Indians home again ● FORMER TELECOM MINISTER GRILLED BY CBI AGAIN
Vikruthi: Thai (18)
back home
Probe panel faults
Tithi: Chaturthi Star: Pooradam
Rahukalam: 3.00 pm to 4.30 pm
Yamagandam: 9.00 am to 10.30 am

FORECAST: Generally cloudy.

from Egypt
Max: 30 Min: 23
RH: 90% Rainfall: Nil Mumbai, Jan. 31: Amid
continuing violent distur-

Raja for 2G lapses

PRAYERS (MASJIDUS-SALAM)
Fajar: 5.50 am Zohar: 1 pm
Asar: 4 pm Maghrib: 6.14 pm
Isha: 7.45 pm
SUNSET Today 6.10 pm
SUNRISE Tomorrow 6.35 am
MOONRISE Today 5.02 am
MOONSET Tomorrow 5.47 pm
STUDY
WITH
bances in Egypt, an Air
India plane carrying the
first batch of around 300
Indians, stranded in the
African country, landed
here Monday afternoon.
Anxious relatives waiting DC CORRESPONDENT terms of reference is if there
at the Chhatrapati Shivaji NEW DELHI are any shortcomings or
International Airport hea- lapses or deficiencies in
ved a sigh of relief as the
special Boeing 747-800
Jan. 31: The one-man com-
mittee of Justice Shivraj
procedures, who are the
public officials responsible
touched down at 2.20 pm. Patil, a retired Supreme — (that) they must be iden-

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“Thank god, we are safe-
ly back in our country,”
was the common refrain of
the lucky few who escaped
the tumult that has hit
Egypt over the demand for
the ouster of President
Hosni Mubarak. They
thanked the government for
rescuing its citizens.— PTI
ALLIANCE TALKS
Court judge, which was
probing procedural lapses
in the issuance of 2G
licences, on Monday sub-
mitted its report to commu-
nications minister Kapil
An Indian family after their arrival in Mumbai on Monday from Egypt which is Sibal naming the officials
facing a political upheaval. A special flight of Air India brought back nearly 300 involved in the 2G scam.
Indians from Egypt. — PTI It is learnt that the com-
mittee named former com-
munications minister A.
Raja and former telecom
secretary Siddartha Behura
for procedural lapses in the
allocation of 2G licences in
A. Raja
joint secretary in the depart-
ment of telecom. In all,
seven to eight officials have
been blamed in the report
for the procedural lapses,
sources said.
Justice Patil confirmed
that he had named officials
tified. This I have done,”
said Justice Patil after sub-
mitting the report to Mr
Sibal.
Meanwhile, the CBI ques-
tioned A. Raja in connec-
tion with its probe into the
2G spectrum scam. The for-
mer telecom minister was
questioned for the third
time by the CBI at the
agency headquarters.
According to sources, he
was grilled by agency offi-
cials for nearly eight hours.

Old allies to strike new deal

2008.
EXPERTS WILL CLEAR YOUR The report is also learnt to
DOUBTS AND ANSWER have named Mr Raja’s pri-
SUBJECT RELATED QUERIES vate secretary R.K.
Chandolia, former DDG
in the reports for lapses
over the allocation of 2G
licences, but refused to
reveal any names. “I have
identified the officials on
Earlier in the day, Justice
Patil was of the view that
these officials should be
called by the department to
give their version before

Nirupama
K.S. JAYASEELAN
DC | NEW DELHI Why panel on (access service) A.K.
Srivastava and a former
whose part there was defi-
ciency or lapses. One of the
any action is taken against
them.

gives Lanka Jan. 31: The DMK-

piece of mind
Colombo, Jan. 31: India
Monday voiced “serious con-
cern” over the killing of two
Indian fishermen allegedly by
Sri Lankan Navy and said it
expected the island nation to
put in place “effective mea-
sures” to avoid recurrence of
such incidents.
Visiting foreign secretary
Nirupama Rao said she con-
veyed India’s concern to
President Mahinda Raja-
paksa at the recent violent
incidents in the waters
between India and Sri Lanka
which had resulted in the
“tragic” death of the two fish-
ermen.
A joint statement issued
after the conclusion of the
visit said that additional
information be made avail-
able by the Indian side on the
incidents which New Delhi
said should be “fully investi-
gated.”
The two sides however
agreed that the use of force
cannot be justified under any
circumstances.
“My visit is to underscore
the very serious concern
about the issue,” she said.
— PTI
counterpoint
Congress alliance that came
into being in 2004 is all set
to continue for the forth-
coming Assembly polls in
Tamil Nadu and a group
would be constituted to dis-
cuss the seat-sharing
arrangement.
Confirming the tie-up
after calling on Congress
president Sonia Gandhi on
Monday, TN CM M.
Karunanidhi said, “I had a
45-minute meeting with Ms
Sonia Gandhi. The alliance
between the two parties
will continue.”
The CM, accompanied by
senior DMK leader T.R.
Baalu, Union textiles min-
ister Dayanidhi Maran and
MP Kanimozhi, told
reporters, “A group will be
constituted that will decide
the number of seats and the
specific constituencies to
be contested by the two
parties (Congress and
DMK).”
On Sunday, he said the
DC SPECIAL
In haste, Metro Rail
flouts tender bid norms
GEORGE ADIMATHRA
DC | CHENNAI
Jan. 31: In its haste to com-
plete the Chennai Metro
Rail project ahead of sched-
ule, CMRL, the company
implementing the presti-
gious transit project, may
be compromising the safety
of future commuters by
flouting tender rules to
accept bids from firms that
are not qualified and are
inexperienced.
Documents made avail-
able to this newspaper
reveal that rules set by
funding institution Japan
International Cooperation
Agency (JICA) were given
the go-by in Chennai Metro
Rail Limited’s (CMRL’s)
acceptance of applications,
including from a World
Bank-blacklisted company,
for signaling and telecom-
munications system, an
integral part of passenger
safety in the transit system.
According to a highly-
placed CMRL source, even
in the evaluation stage, ten-
ders of ineligible firms
were considered. As per
Chief minister
M. Karunanidhi with
Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh in New
Delhi on Monday. — DC
PMK would be part of the
DMK-led alliance.
The meeting between Ms
Gandhi and Mr
Karunanidhi was scheduled
for 1 pm but got postponed.
She was hesitant to meet
him reportedly because the
DMK would not give con-
crete assurances on seats
and Cabinet berth. The
DMK then conveyed to the
Congress high command
that if the meeting did not
take place, it would send a
wrong signal to the elec-
torate and demoralise the
cadres.
Siemens, that has
got through the
evaluation process,
has been found
guilty of fraudu-
lent practices by
World Bank and is
punished with a
ban on bidding for
World Bank-fund-
ed projects
inside source, Siemens, that
has got through the evalua-
tion process, has been
found guilty of fraudulent
practices by World Bank
and was punished with a
ban on bidding for World
Bank-funded projects
(World Bank press release
No. 2009/001/EXT).
The condition makes it
ineligible to bid for CMRL
contract till December
2010-end, but it found
place among the short-list-
ed firms finalised in
October 2010 and reached
the final stage.
dam, asks CM
DC CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI
Jan. 31: Chief minister
M. Karunanidhi on Monday
criticised the environment
ministry for appointing an
expert team to study the
ecological impact of con-
structing a controversial
dam replacing the 100-year-
old historical Mullaiperiyar
dam.
Calling on Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh at New
Delhi, Mr Karunanidhi
expressed “deep concern”
about the reports on
appointment of a technical
committee to study the
impact of the new dam pro-
posed by the Kerala govern-
ment.
“As the issue is before the
Supreme Court, the consti-
tution of this committee is
This goes against JICA
stipulation on the ethics of
bidders and contractors.
Yet another JICA guideline
about work experience has
been flouted by another
bidder, L&T.
The spokespersons of
Siemens and L&T con-
firmed to Deccan Chronicle
their participation in the
tender bid.
Mr Subramaniya Chida-
mbaram, a Chennai advo-
cate, trying to bring trans-
parency in these tender pro-
ceedings, says that he has
not received any reply to
his various represen-
tations.
Mr K. Rajaraman, MD,
CMRL, told Deccan
Chronicle that he would not
divulge any information
about the tender proceed-
ings as it was commercial
information.
The tender would be
awarded within 20 days, he
said and added they were
proceeding as per rules and
regulations in the tender
invitation document and
JICA guidelines and with
JICA approval.
Pak has 100 nukes: Report
unwarranted. Hon’ble SHAFQAT ALI years, The Washington Post uranium and plutonium for
Prime Minister has DC | ISLAMABAD reported citing US non-gov- bombs and developed new
promised to have the issue ernment analysts. weapons to deliver them.
looked into,” a government Jan. 31: Pakistan has over- In a front page dispatch, After years of approximate
release said. taken India in nuclear race the newspaper said that weapons parity ... Pakistan
Mr Karunanidhi appealed with over 100 deployed only four years ago, the has now edged ahead of
to the PM to approve the nuclear weapons, a media Pakistani nuclear arsenal India, its nuclear-armed
state government’s proposal report said. was estimated at 30 to 60 rival”. But Brigadier Nazir
to extend the Chennai Pakistan has deployed weapons. The report, citing Butt, defence attache at the
Metro Rail up to Tiru- over 100 nuclear weapons experts, added, “The Pakistan Embassy in
votriyur and Wimco Nagar. which is double its stock- Pakistanis have significant- Washington, neither con-
Concerned at the “brutal pile in the past several ly accelerated production of firmed nor denied it.
attack” on Tamil Nadu fish-
ermen by Sri Lankan navy,
Mr Karunanidhi told the
PM on the need to advise
the Sri Lankan government
in strong terms to refrain
from such “un-called for
attacks.”
Mr Karunanidhi also
requested the PM to release
`1,832 crore from the
national disaster relief fund
for restoration and rain
relief work.
Makara Jyothi
lit manually,
says Board
Thiruvananthapuram,
Jan. 31: Seeking to down-
play the debate over the
‘Makara Jyothi’ of
Sabarimala temple, the
Travancore Devaswom
Board on Monday said it
will not run a campaign to
declare it to be a man made
one as there is strong reli-
gious belief behind it. “It is
known to everybody that
Makara Jyothi is a fire lit by
men at Ponnabalamedu and
TDB also recognises this.
The Board, will however,
not run a campaign to prop-
agate it as man-made as
there is a religious belief
behind it into which the
temple board does not
intend to interfere,” TDB
president M. Rajagopalan
Nair told reporters here.
The Kerala high court had
recently asked TDB to clar-
ify if Makara Jyothi is man
lit or a celestial phenome-
non, in the wake of the
Pullumedu stampede in
which 102 devotees died on
January 14. Nair was brief-
ing the media after discus-
sions TDB had with high
priests, members of the
Travancore and Pandalam
Royal Houses. — PTI