VOL: 2 ISSUE 39
13, 2009
All AC and Mail Express fares cut by 2%; 43 new trains will start in 2009-10 Freight rates
kept unchanged; Railways to invest Rs 2,30,000 crore in the 11th Plan; Feasibility study for 6 bullet trains under way
Lalu unloads sops in the election year
New Delhi: Feb. 13
The Union
Railway Minister Lalu
Prasad on Friday
presented the interim
Railway Budget for 2009-
10, saying that the
Railways have scaled new
heights.
He stated that the
efforts in the last five years
have been not to burden
the common man.
The turnaround
made by the Railways was
far different from that
achieved by private
enterprises. There was a
sharp decrease in the
number of accidents in
Railways since 2003, said
the Railway Minister.
The railway line
between Anantnag and
Rajwansher is Kashmir
valley will be extended to
Qazigund in four months.
He further stated
that freight loading in the
current year has come
down due to economic
downturn, because of
which revenue has fallen,
otherwise it would have
touched Rs 1 lakh crore.
Lalu said that due
to implementation of the
Sixth Pay Commission
recommendations,
Railways are expected to
incur an additional
burden of Rs 9,000 crore
on salaries and Rs 4,500
crore on pensions.
R a i l w a y s
expected to show a
surplus of Rs 18,847
crore in the next fiscal, he
said.
Lalu Prasad
said that dedicated
freight corridor from
Ludhiana to Kolkata is to
be inaugurated later this
month by Sonia Gandhi.
He added that
feasibility studies are on
for running bullet trains
between Delhi-Amritsar,
Ahmedabad-Pune,
Hyderbada-Vijaywada-
Chennai, Chennai-
Bangalore, Delhi-Patna,
Kolkata-Haldia and
Ernakulam-Howrah.
PIB adds:
Highlights of Rail
Budget
Review of Financial
Performance during
the year 2008-09
Freight loading
target retained at 850 mt;
number of passengers
likely to grow by around more on staff costs and Expenses (OWE)
7% over previous year. Rs 4,500 cr more on increased to Rs 55,000 cr
Implementation of pensionary charges as in the R.E and the
recommendations of VI compared with previous appropriation to Pension
Fund to Rs 10,500 cr.
Appropriation to
DRF retained at Rs 7,000
cr.
D i v i d e n d
payable to General
Revenues kept at Rs
4,711 cr.
Cash surplus
before dividend
projected at Rs 19,320 cr
and the Operating Ratio
at 88.3% despite
implementation of the VI
CPC.
Revised plan
outlay kept at Rs 36,773
cr.
Performance Review
The number of
consequential accidents
came down to 194 in
2007-08.
Agartala, the
capital of the Tripura,
connected by railway
line. First train service in
Kashmir valley
commenced between
A n a n t n a g a n d
R a j w a n s h e r. To b e
followed by Baramulla
Central Pay Commission year.
and Qazigund.
(CPC) likely to cost the H e n c e ,
Railways Rs 9,000 cr Ordinary Working Successful
trials completed for
running electric
locomotives with OHE at
a height of about 7.5 mts
in preparation for running
double stack containers
on electrified Western
Dedicated Freight
Corridor
W o r k o n
Eastern Dedicated
Freight Corridor
commenced near Dehri-
onSon on 10th
February,2009. Work on
Western DFC to
commence this month.
Budget Estimates
2009-10
Freight loading
targeted at 910 mt an
increment of 60 mt on
2008-09; number of
passengers likely to grow
by around 7%.
Gross Traffic
Receipts estimated at Rs
93,159 cr i.e. Rs 10,766
cr more than RE 2008-
09.
O r d i n a r y
Working Expenses
Feb.
budgeted at Rs 62,900 cr
to cover the full year impact
of VI CPC and the payment
of 60% arrears due in
2009-10.
Dividend payable
to General Revenues kept
at Rs 5,304 cr at the current
applicable rates. Budgeted
Operating Ratio 89.9%.
Plan outlay kept
at Rs 37,905 cr.
Passenger Services
43 new train
services to be started in
2009-10, extension of 14
trains envisaged and
frequency of 14 trains to be
increased.
Others
With a view to
facilitate improved train
operations, it has been
decided to set up two new
railway divisions at
Bhagalpur and Thawe.
25 surveys
proposed comprising 14
for new lines, 3 for gauge
conversion and 28 for
doubling projects. Pre-
feasibility study for running
high speed bullet trains
being pursued.
Construction of
R a i l W h e e l F a c t o r y,
Chapra on in full swing;
Work on diesel and electric
locomotive factories at
Marhoura and Madhepura
targeted for early start.
Bharat Wagon
Limited, Mokama &
Muzaffarpur transferred to
Ministry of Railways;
transfer of wagon units of
Burn Standard at Burnpur
and Howrah also under
consideration on the same
lines. Reduction in Tariffs
Reduction in
passenger fares of
ordinary passenger trains
by one rupee for fares
costing up to Rupees fifty
per passenger for journey
above ten kms.
Second class and
sleeper class fares of all
Mail/Express and ordinary
passenger trains to be
reduced by 2 per cent for
tickets costing Rupees fifty
and more per passenger.
Fares of AC First
Class, AC II tier, AC III tier
and AC Chair Car also to
be reduced by two per
cent.
Page 2
Mayor inaugurates fly over
work at Nandanam
Chennai: Feb. 13:
C h e n n a i
Corporation Mayor
M.Subramanian
inaugurated the
construction work of a
flyover at the Turn Bulls
Road–Cenotaph Road
intersection near Chamiers
Road commenced on
Thursday.
Addressing the
reporters, he said the
flyover would facilitate
smoother traffic movement
in the area.
“It will also help
commuters from Rajiv
Gandhi Salai, East Coast
Road and Thiruvanmiyur to
reach Anna Salai faster.
“ S i m i l a r l y, f o r
those proceeding from
Nandanam to Mylapore
Valentine's Day run to spread
message of love
Chennai, Feb 13:
The Indian
Institute of Sexual
Medicine, in association
with Aakash Fertility
Centre and Hospital will
organise a ''Run 4 Love'' to
commemorate Valentine's
Day celebrations on
February 14.
More than 6000
people from all walks of life
will participate in the run
which would commence at
Anna Sqaure and
culminate at Kannagi
Statue.
Karunanidhi hails Pratibha's
call for ceasefire
Chennai, Feb 13:
Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister M Karunanidhi,
who is recuperating after a
spine surgery, Thursday
expressed happiness over
President Pratibha Patil's
call for a ceasefire in Sri
Lanka, in her address to
the Joint Session of
Parliament.
In a statement
here, Mr Karunanidhi, who
is recuperating in a hospital
after undergoing Lumbar
Canal decompression
surgery yesterday for his
Lankan issue stir, advocates of
MHAA arrested
Chennai, Feb 13:
A b o u t 7 5
advocates belonging to
Madras High Court
Advocates' Association
(MHAA) were arrested by
the police on Thursday
when they attempted to
stage a demontration in
front of the Southern Army
Command Headquarters
over the Lankan Tamils
and Mandaveli, it will help
cut travel time.”
M r . C h e n n a i
Subramanian said that
the subway on Jones
Road and flyover on
Alandur Salai on
Saidapet were expected
to be inaugurated by
May-end or June first
week.
The subway
near Stanley Hospital
would be opened by July-
end or the first week of
August and the flyover at
Perambur by December.
The two-way
flyover on Turn Bulls
Road would be 458
metres long and 8 metres
wide.
It is estimated to
cost Rs. 19.93 crore and
is expected to be
The main aim of
the run, to be flagged off
by Chennai Corporation
Mayor M Subramaniam,
was to spread the
message of love,
Hospital and Institute
founder Dr T Kamaraj
told reporters here on
Thursday
He said the run
would coincide with the
fourth International
Conference on Sexology
to be held here on
February 14 and 15.
About 600
acute back ache, said the
President's call for a
ceasefire and a
negotiated settlement to
the ethnic crisis gave him
immense satisfaction
and happiness.
Expressing
concern over the plight of
Tamil civilians in Sri
Lanka, the President said
India continued to
support a negotiated
political settlement within
the framework of an
undivided Sri Lanka
acceptable to all the
issue.
Led by MHAA
President R C Paul
Kanagaraj, the
advocates took out a
procession from High
Court campus to the
Command Offfice in Anna
Salai, shouting slogans
against the Union
Government for its failure
to bring ceasefire in Sri
Times Chennai E-Paper
completed in about eight
months.
C o r p o r a t i o n
Commissioner Rajesh
Lakhoni said that with the
shifting of sewer and
water mains being
completed, the flyover is
expected to be ready
even before its deadline.
Corporation Deputy
Commissioner (Works)
Ashish Chatterjee,
D e p u t y M a y o r
R.Sathyabhama,
Corporation Council DMK
floor leader N.
Ramalingam and
Congress floor leader
S a i d a i P. R a v i
participated in the
function.
-Agencies
Sexology experts from all
over India and abroad will
attend the conference
with the theme ''Human
Sexuality in HIV Era''.
A workshop on
Marital Counselling, G-
spot and Female Sexual
Dysfunction and ED as
lifestyle disorders, would
also be held during the
Conference, which would
also have a separate
session for transgenders.
-Agencies
communities, including
ethnic Tamils.
Appealing to
both the Sri Lankan
government and the
LTTE to return to the
negotiating table, the
President had said ''this
can be achieved if the
Government of Sri Lanka
suspends its military
operations and the LTTE
declares its willingness to
lay down arms to begin
talks with the
government.''
-Agencies
Lanka and hailed LTTE
supremo Prabhakaran.
The arrested
lawyers were taken in a
van and kept in a
marriage hall in
Triplicane. After
recording their names
and addresses, they
were let off in the evening.
-Agencies
Cong asks TN Govt to curb
violence over Tamils issue
Chennai, Feb 13:
Talking tough,
Tamil Nadu Congress
Committee (TNCC)
President K V
Thangkabalu on
Thursday said his party
would no longer remain
silent if the state
government did not take
action against those
indulging in violence over
the Sri Lankan Tamils
issue.
Virtually issuing
a warning to the state
government, Mr
Thangkabalu in a
statement here, said
''anti-socials had been
burning portraits of
Congress President
Sonia Gandhi and party
flags in the name of
expressing their support
to Lankan Tamils, despite
several attempts by the
Dancer rescued
Chennai, Feb. 13
A cine dancer,
who used to act in small
roles in films, was
allegedly abducted by a
four-member gang,
before she was rescued
by police early on
Thursday
Police said the
dancer Jyoti, along with
her friend Manikandan,
was returning from a
shoot, when their two-
wheeler hit a car near
Malar Hospital launches
Escorts Chest Pain Clinic
Chennai, Feb 13:
Malar Hospitals,
an associate of Fortis
Healthcare, Thursday
launched the state-of-
the-art Escorts Chest
Pain Clinic (ECPC),
making it the most
modern and fully
equipped chest clinic in
the city.
Ta m i l N a d u
Governor Surjit Singh
Barnala inaugurated the
high-tech centre, which
would attend to
emergency cases round
the clock. The centre
would provide high-tech
cardiac care facility at par
with international
Police warns stern action against
disruptions on V-Day
Chennai, Feb 13:
Ta m i l N a d u
Director General of
Police (DGP) K P Jain
Thursday warned stern
action against those who
try to take law into their
hands and disrupt
Valentine Day
Centre to bring peace in
the neighbouring island
nation.
The offices of
Congress functionaries
had also come under
attack, he pointed out.
H e s a i d
following requests from
the state government and
the TNCC, Prime
Minister Manmohan
Singh had twice spoken
to Sri Lankan President
Mahinda Rajapaksa and
External Affairs Minister
Pranab Mukherjee
personally met him and
sought a guarantee for
the safety of Tamils.
''As a result, the
Lankan government
announced a 48-hour
ceasefire for safe
evacuation of Tamils. But
the LTTE refused to free
the innocent people for
Vadapalani.
As a wordy duel
ensued, four people who
were travelling in the car
allegedly assaulted
Manikandan, before a
shop owner asked them
to leave.
W h e n
Manikandan chose to
leave, the gang abducted
Jyoti and fled.
L a t e r
Manikandan informed
the police control room,
standards to their
patients. ''The clinic
intend to offer its patients
speedy attention, referral
and attendance by
constant monitoring and
ensuring that nothing
steps out of control in the
handling of the
discomfort'', a hospital
release here said.
Addressing the
function, Mr Barnala
stated that the
government was
concerned about the
health of its people.
''Each and every one of
us take to health care and
exercise as a regular
habit''.
celebrations on February
14.
The DGP also
warned action against
those who exceed the
limits and cause
disturbance at public
places on that day.
Mr Jain said on
Feb. 13, 2009
their selfish motives'', he
added.
Observing that
the Congress would
neither forget nor forgive
the assassination of its
leader and former Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Mr
Thangkabalu said,
h o w e v e r, t h e p a r t y
favoured an amicable
solution to the ethnic crisis.
Despite the
Centre making its best
efforts, some anti-socials
were indulging in violent
acts against Congress
workers and attacking their
offices he said and added,
''We will be forced to take to
the streets if the state
government did not take
action against these
elements''.
-Agencies
which in turn alerted the
Koyambedu and patrol
police team.
T h e t e a m
intercepted the car near
Koyambedu and arrested
the four people and
rescued Jyothi.
J y o t i a n d
Manikandan claimed that it
was an incident of kidnap,
but the gang told the police
that they only took her in
the car to drop her at her
place.
He said ''the need
of the hour is having sound
health, which forms the
basis for a happy life.
Providing medical services
to the common people and
bringing health awareness
are avery important, so that
our people can lead a
quality life''.
Congratulating
Fortis Malar Hospital for its
initiatives to bring
advancements in its
medical facilities, the
Governor said he was
confident that the hospital
would be a super speciality
centre, delivering high end
medical treatment.
-Agencies
February 14, adequate
police protection would be
provided at places like
parks, beaches, hotels and
other places, visited in
large numbers by lovers.
-Agencies
Feb. 13, 2009
Highlights of the budget speech
Passenger fares
AC 1, 2, 3 and Chair Car
cut by 2% Fares for all
passenger and mail trains
cut by 2% Freight charges
remain unchaged I will
continue to serve the
nation. I m proud that
Railway has contributed
to nation building. Railway
has achieved Rs 900000
cr surplus
I thought out of
the league and faced new
challenges. That’s why
Indians look with pride
towards railwaymen. Only
way forward is to win the
thrust of people
Railway h a s
reached new heights 4
call centres are working at
four places
Rly has recorded high
profits with hurting amm
admi Taking along nation
and the world
R a i l w a y s
touched new heights
without burdening the
common man Takes credit
for turnaround.
Rail accidents
Used new
technology, in last 5yrs,
there is marked decrease
in rail accidents
Rail accidents
have come down from 325
in FY 03-04 to 194 in FY
08-09
Earnings
The budget has
been rolled out for the next
four months.
D e s p i t e
recession, Railways
raised USD 100 million at
4% interest Rs 2,30,000
crore investment likely.
R e v e n u e
decreased in Oct-Nov due
to slowdown To use Rs
70,000 crore to increase
productivity Railways
operating ratio seen at
88% FY 09 Invested Rs
Interim Budget to thrust on programmes aimed at inclusive growth
New Delhi, Feb 13
In the interim
budget, to be presented by
the UPA government on
February 16, the UPA
government will continue
the thrust on inclusive
growth policies and
programmes continuing the
schemes initiated by it in
the yesteryears-- a
mandate given to it by the
coalition partners.
The flagship
programmes which are the
cardinal principles of the
government’s development
strategy and are
considered essential to
insulate vulnerable
sections against the
adverse effect of the global
meltdown will get additional
allocations. Programmes
other than those which are
not part of these flagship
schemes will be kept at last
year’s level.
Indications are
that the flagship
programmes will have an
allocation of nearly Rs
1,23,000 crore against a
36,773 crore in 08-09
Passenger earnings up
14% till September Apr-
Sept freight earnings up
19%, passenger 14%
Service improvement In
5 y r s 4 9 0 0 k m
electrification 1800 km
double line 1100 km
single line Agartala
brought in rail network
J&K rail line to
Baramulaa in next 4
months 71/2 mtr poles for
double stack container
trains on dedicated
freight corridor.
New design
wagon production started
4100 tonnes can be
acquired.
Open wagon
22% increase in carrying
capacity Railways
records 8% increase in
freight good traffic 19%
increase revenue
Passenger 14% increase
New initiatives
in electrification
Initiatives for passengers
New facilities
introduced for
passengers
For employees
P a y Exp, Barauni Delhi Exp,
c o m m i s s i o n
recommendation
implemented Sixth pay
commission to benefit 1.4
million employees, 1.1
mn pensioners Total
impact of pay panels
proposals at Rs 135 bn
Customers can
now book tickets online
Rail lines extended in
several areas Huge
improvement in Rail
security Feasibility study
of bullet train between
Delhi and Patna IRFC to
raise Rs 10 bn via
securitizing railway
receivables Fall in iron
ore export, container
freight this year FY 08
total Gross Budgetary
Support of Rs 2,85,000
crore. The allocation for
the flagship programmes
will go up from Rs 90,000
crore to Rs 1,23,000
crore, which is an
increase of Rs 33,000
crores. These
programmes are
considered effective in
generating employment,
especially of a skilled and
semi-skilled nature.
It is not that all
s o c i a l s e c t o r
programmes will get a
boost.
Those which
belong broadly to the
Ministries like Human
Resource Development
and Health will have the
same level allocation as
that of last year. This is
notwithstanding the fact
that these are in the
nature of priority sector
and were the recipient of
the lion’s share of
increase during the past
years.
It is not that the
Times Chennai E-Paper
freight traffic 794 mn
tonne, up 9%
New wagon
trains have 22% higher
loading capacity Wagon
output to be raised to
15,000/yr Vs 6,600 now
J&K rail to be extended to
Qazigund in the next 4
months J&K rail to be
extended to Baramulla in
the next few days Laid
1,100 km new rail lines in
last 5 years Completed
4900 km gauge
conversion in last 5
years. New Rail
introduction 50% will be
paid by WB govt for metro
New bridges across the
country
Bhagalpur new division
Survey for new lines
Lingus-Didwana
Biharigunj-Forbesgunj
Champoaner-pani mines
Anand Vihar-Tilak Bridge
3.4 th line New train New
trains Bilaspur-Triunelveli
Exp weekly Mumbai
Karwar Exp 3 days Durg
Jaipur weekly Mumbai
Dhanbad Exp, Dibrugarh
Chandigarh Exp,
Nizamuddin Banglaore
Mysore Yeswantpur Exp,
Mumbai Bikaner Exp,
Agra Lucknow Exp,
Gandhidham Gorakhpur
E x p , M u m b a i
Thiruvananthapuram
Exp, Gwalior Bhopal Exp,
Varanasi-Jammu Exp,
Delhi-Guwahati Rajdhani
Exp, Jhansi Chindwara
Exp, Mumbai Jodhpur
Exp, Howarah Delhi Link
Exp, Extension of trains
Ranchi Alipurdwar
Express to Guwahati,
Jabalpur Bhopal Exp to
Indore, Howrah Gwalior
Exp to Mathura,Howrah
Agra Exp to Mathura,
Jodhpur Bangalore Exp
to Coimbatore, Mumbai
Finance Ministry has
stopped fancying them,
but they were not the
focus of attention in the
stimulus packages that
were announced
recently by the
government. They
virtually received nothing
from the government’s
enhanc
ement
of Rs
20,000
crore in
the first
stimulu
s package.
T h i s h a s
handicapped the
concerned Ministries
and incurred the
displeasure of the heavy
weight politicians in
charge of these
ministries.
Although the
budget will show an
Ban on bullfights in TN to continue
for another 4 weeks: SC
New Delhi, Feb 13
The Supreme
Court today ordered that
the ban imposed on
bullfights known as
jallikattu in Tamil Nadu
will continue for another
four weeks.
A b e n c h
comprising Chief Justice
K G Balakrishnan and
Justice P Sathasivam
adjourned the hearing of
the petition filed by
Animal Welfare Board of
India seeking ban on this
Jabalpur Exp to
Allahabad, Mumbai
Baroda Exp to Chota
Udaipur, Mumbai Jaipur
Garibrath Exp to Delhi,
Increase in frequency
Delhi Dibrugarh
Rajdhani Exp from 5 to 6
days, Bhubaneshwar
Delhi Rajdhani Exp from
3 to 4 days, Nizamuddin
Motihari Exp Garibrath
from 1 to 2 days, Bhopal
Lucknow Exp now for 2
days, Secundrabad
Patna Exp now daily,
S e c u n d r a b a d
Vishkhapatnam
Garibrath Exp now daily,
Mumbai Amravati Exp
now daily, Pune Patna
E x p n o w d a i l y,
Ahemdabad Delhi
Rajdhani Exp now daily,
Ahemdabad Patna Exp
from 2 to 3 days, Puri
Howrah Exp now daily,
Seemanchal Exp now six
days, Nizamuddin Durg
Sampark Kranti Exp now
3 days.
increase of over Rs
40,000 crore in total
allocations as compared
to the last budget, but
actually there will be an
increase of just over four
per cent when additional
allocations made during
the course of the year
are taken into account.
T h e
G r o s s
Budgetar
y Support
(GBS) at
revised
estimates
i s
expected
to work
out to Rs
2,74,000
crore, which includes
more than Rs 10,000
crores to the States and
nearly Rs 20,000 crore
given to the Central
Ministries.
Highly placed
sources said although
most of the Ministries will
have the same allocation
as that a last year, but
cruel sport which takes
place in Tamil Nadu on
the occasion of Pongal
festival.
Red chillies are
thrown in the eyes of a
bull which is made to
drink arrack, a country
made liquor and then the
bull is left in the crowd.
People from the crowd try
to stop the animal which
is in great pain and it is a
cruel torture to which this
speechless and helpless
bull is subjected.
within the Ministry there
will be re-appropriation
of allocation to meet the
political aspirations in
view of the General
Elections soon.
Programmes to
tackle some of the
problems being faced by
the States will spill over
to the General Budget
when it is presented by
the next Government.
This is notwithstanding
the fact that States are
worried about the
shortfall in their
resources because of
the economic slowdown
and are demanding that
the additional scope for
borrowing from the
market permitted under
the second stimulus
package.
The States are
likely to be confronted by
revenue loss due to the
slowdown and any
additional effort would
call for supplementary
fund flow from the
Centre.
Page 3
According to the
petitioner, it is an inhuman
practice and cannot be
allowed to continue in the
name of religious festival.
The apex court on
January 30 had stayed till
Feb 13 the organisation of
such bullfights and today
the state sought an
adjournment for filing its
counter.
The apex court
granted the time and in the
meantime stay granted on
January 30 shall continue.
While the Centre
may not be averse to
permitting additional
borrowings, but the States
are keen on grants rather
than additional
borrowings, given the fact
that they are facing
shrinkage of revenue.
Some States are
also finically handicapped
due to the problems they
will face in implementing
the Sixth Pay Commission
Report.
They have been
desperately demanding
Central Government's
support to salvage them
from the precarious
financial position they find
themselves in.
Special Category
States are arguing that
they just do not have the
funds to provide their
employees with revised
pay scales and with
elections knocking at their
doors it may have a major
impact on the voting
pattern.
Page 4
Karunanidhi shifted from ICU
Chennai, Feb 13:
Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister M Karunanidhi,
who underwent a spine
surgery on Wednesday at
the Sri Ramachandra
Medical College in
suburban Porur, was today
shifted from Intensive Care
Unit (ICU).
Official sources
said the Chief Minister, who
was kept in the ICU for 48
hours, was shifted to a suite
at 1030 hrs this morning.
''Mr Karunanidhi is
recovering good,'' the
sources added.
Mr Karunanidhi
HC suggests TN to amend
Registration Act
Chennai, Feb 13 :
The Madras High
Court has suggested the
Tamil Nadu government to
amend Registration Act to
prevent duplication in land
registration process.
The court,
yesterday held that
cancellation of a sale deed,
executed by mutual
consent by all parties, if
presented for registration,
the registering officer was
bound to register the
document provided other
requirements like Section
32-A of the Registration
Act.
J u s t i c e S
Nagamuthu has allowed
the petition moved by G D
Subramaniam, seeking to
quash a deed of
cancellation of sale dated
September 2007 executed
unilaterally.
P Shanmugham
was the original owner of a
valuable immovable
p ro p e rty i n C h e n n a i .
Subramaniam purchased
the property for Rs 14 lakh
from Shanmugham
through the latter’s power
of attorney, B Dillibabu, in
July 2006.
The sale deed
was registered by the Sub-
Registrar, Konnur, Sidco
Nagar, Villivakkam. The
petitioner said he was in
possession of the property.
Subsequently, Mr
Dillibabu entered into an
agreement with his brother
B Vasu, agreeing to sell the
property to him and got the
document registered in the
same Sub-Registrar ’s
office.
He also executed
a cancellation deed
nullifying the sale of the
property to Subramaniam
without his knowledge and
got it registered.
Following,
Subramaniam sought the
quashing of the
cancellation deed.
was diagnosed with disc
compression or
degeneration, a natural
part of ageing.
Following the
severe back pain, Mr
Karunanidhi was rushed
to the hospital in the early
hours of January 26.
On February 4,
he was administered
epidural injection to relax
the back muscles and to
relieve from pain.
However, the epidural
failed and he continued to
have severe pain.
Following this, the
doctors had decided to
The petitioner
contended that the
unilateral cancellation of
the sale deed was void
under law. Shanmugam,
Dillibabu and Vasu in
their counter said though
the sale deed was
registered, possession
was never handed over to
Subramaniam. Since the
petitioner did not keep his
promise to pay the sale
consideration, the
cancellation deed was
executed.
In his detailed
34-page order, Justice
Nagamuthu observed
that there were several
complaints in police
stations in Tamil Nadu
a l l e g i n g t h a t
unscrupulous sellers and
land grabbers have been
indulged in nullifying valid
sale by executing
cancellation deeds
unilaterally and getting
the same registered in an
ingenious way.
It was a fraud.
Because of this,
real owners had to
approach civil courts to
fight for justice. Such
suits, in normal course,
took years to conclude.
Neither the
government nor the
courts could turn a deaf
ear to this alarming
situation.
A sale was
Customs officials seize drugs
from air passenger
Chennai, Feb 13:
C u s t o m s
officials at the
International Airport here
seized six kg of ketamine
hydrochloride, valued at
Rs 60 lakh in the
international market,
from a Kolalambur bound
passenger early today.
Officials said
the passenger had
Times Chennai E-Paper
perform the surgery.
The Chief
Minister was operated
upon by well-known
spine surgeon Dr Arvind
Jaiswal of the All India
Institute of Medical
Sciences.
A team of 14
doctors headed by
Ramachandra hospital
Chief orthopaedic
surgeon S S K
Marthandam has been
formed to monitor the
Chief Minister's health.
- Agencies
essentially an executed
contract whereby the
seller had transferred his
title and declared that by
means of the execution
of the sale deed for lawful
consideration, the
purchaser had become
the property owner.
Thus, it was bi-lateral. No
such contract could be
cancelled unilaterally by
one party, unless such a
right had been reserved
in the contract itself. It
was now too well settled
that a cancellation deed
executed unilaterally by
one party to the contract
was illegal.
The Judge
concluded that a writ
petition challenging
registration of a
unilaterally executed
cancellation deed was
maintainable under
Article 226 of the
Constitution. The
Registering Officer
should refuse to register
a cancellation deed
unilaterally executed and
without complying with
Section 32 A of the
Registration Act.
He quashed the
impugned cancellation
deed and directed
Shanmugam, Dillibabu
and Vasu to pay Rs
10,000 as costs to
Subramaniam.
- Agencies
boarded the 'IC 995'
Chennai-Kolalambur
flight at 0230 hrs, when
they checked his
package on a tip-off and
seized the contraband.
The passenger,
identified as Akbar Ali
(37), hailed from
Tiruchirapalli district in
Tamil Nadu and was
staying in North
Retired Judge sends letter to
Law Minister
Chennai, Feb 13:
Retired Justice
K P Siva Subramaniam
clarified that he had sent
a letter to the State Law
Minister to relieve him
from the membership of
the sub-committee of
'Ilangai Tamizhar Nala
Urimai Peravai.' In his
interim order on a petition
filed by T Chitra of
Bharani Beach Resorts
Private Limited,
requesting him to recuse
himself from the
commission of inquiry
appointed to inquire into
the alleged grabbing of
53 acres of land,
HC allows IT department to
re-assess Mayawati's income
New Delhi, Feb. 13:
In a setback to
Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Mayawati, the
Delhi High Court on
Friday allowed the
Income Tax department
to go ahead with
reassessment of her
income for the financial
year 2001-02.
A bench headed
by Justice Vikramajit Sen
dismissed BSP supremo
Mayawati's plea seeking
to restrain the
department from re-
assessing her income
claiming that a prior
mandatory notice was not
served on her.
The court, while
passing the order, said
Mayawati has failed to
TRAI moves SC on
cable tariff ceiling issue
New Delhi, Feb. 13
Broadcast
regulator TRAI has
moved the Supreme
Court challenging a
sectoral tribunal ruling
that rejected its tariff
order proposing to put a
ceiling on cable services
charges across the
country.
Chennai.
H e h a d
concealed the drug in a
pack containing chapati
and tea packets.
C u s t o m s
officials arrested the
passenger and
registered a case against
him.
- Agencies
assigned to landless poor
and adi-Dravidars, by
former Chief Minister J
Jayalalithaa and her
associates in Siruthavur
village in Kancheepuram
district, he said the
moment he came to know
that the committee was
constituted by the DMK
and not by the state
government, he had
taken steps to relieve
himself from the
committee.
The Counsel for
the petitioner could not
have failed to see the
news report. Perusal of
the news showed that his
prove her case.
The UP chief
minister had moved the
court challenging IT
department's decision to
re-assess her income for
2001-02.
Mayawati, in
her petition, had claimed
that she did not receive
any notice from the
Income Tax department
which is mandatory
under the Income Tax law
for reassessing income.
She had earlier
on January seven
slammed the Income Tax
department for
reassessing her income
without serving her the
notice.
" T h e
department initiated
A b e n c h
headed by Chief Justice
K G Balakrishnan
refused to stay the order
by the Telecom Disputes
Settlement and Appellate
Tribunal but directed the
parties to maintain the
status quo till February
27, the notified date of
hearing.
TDSAT while
setting aside the
Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
(Broadcasting & Cable)
Services (Second) Tariff
(Eighth Amendment)
Order 2007 had
observed that the
regulator had violated
p r i n c i p l e s o f
transparency.
Stating that the
tribunal's verdict will
have tremendous impact
on consumers and the
broadcasting and the
Cable TV services
Feb. 13, 2009
name does not find a place
among the members of the
sub-committee and in his
place Justice P
Shanmugham had been
named as a member of the
sub-committee.
H o w e v e r, f o r
reasons best known to
herself, the present petition
had been filed. ''At this
stage, I do not wish to say
anything further in view of
the fact that the Counsel for
the petitioner is not present
before me,'' he said.
L a t e r , h e
adjourned the hearing to
February 13.
- Agencies
proceeding against me
without serving me the
notice which is mandatory
in law," she had claimed
seeking a direction to set
aside the department's
proceedings.
The IT department had
refuted her contentions.
"Notice was
issued on March 24, last
year at her Humayun Road
residence in Delhi but it
was said that she had
shifted to Lucknow. The
notice was then sent by
mail to her Nehru Road
address. It was then re-
directed to Chief
Ministerial residence at
Kalidas Road and then it
returned back to the
department," the IT
department had claimed.
- Agencies
industry, TRAI said that the
tariff order which had been
in existence for more than a
year should be continued
as it had been successfully
implemented.
The tariff order
had provided protection to
about 80 million
households in a very
transparent and
reasonable manner by
stipulating ceilings on the
monthly cable TV charges,
senior counsel Harish
Salve stated.
Around 30 million
new households would be
deprived of tariff protection
and would be at the mercy
of service providers and
"there is a strong likelihood
of arbitrary hikes in cable
TV charges," the regulator
submitted.
- Agencies
Feb. 13, 2009
Southern Railway announces
400 summer special trains
Chennai, Feb. 13
Southern Railway
will run the summer special
trains numbering to about
400 to meet the demands
of the passengers during
the forthcoming summer
season as per the
schedule given below says
a Railway release.
Chennai Central
– Coimbatore (Weekly)
Superfast specials: Train
no 0621 will leave Central
all Wednesdays from April
15 to June 17 and reach
Coimbatore the next day.
Train no 0622 will leave
Coimbatore on all
Tuesdays from April 14 to
June 16 and arrive
Chennai Central next day.
Chennai Egmore
- Nagercoil (Weekly)
specials: Train no 0601 will
leave Egmore on all
Thursdays from April 2 to
June 25 and reach
Nagercoil the next day.
Train no 0602 will leave
Nagercoil on all Fridays
from April 3 to June 26 and
arrive Egmore the next day.
Chennai Central -
Nagercoil (Weekly)
Superfast specials (via.
Erode, Karur, Dindigul):
Train no 0607 will leave
Central all Mondays from
April 6 to June 29 and
reach Nagercoil the next
day. Train no 0608 will
leave Nagercoil on all
Sundays from April 5 to
June 28 and reach Central
the next day.
M a d u r a i -
Lokamanya Tilak Terminus
M a d u r a i -
Lokmanya Tilak Terminus
(Weekly) Specials: Train
no 0632 will leave Madurai
on all Thursdays from April
2 to June 25 and reach
Lokmanya Tilak Terminus
on Saturdays. Train no
0631 will leave Lokmanya
Tilak Terminus on all
Saturdays from April 4 to
June 27 and arrive Madurai
on Sundays.
Chennai Egmore
Five MG locos for Malaysian Railways flagged off
Tiruchirapalli: Feb. 13
Golden Rock
Railway workshop here on
Thursday achieved yet
another milestone in
overhauling and
modification activities with
the flagging-off of five
metre-gauge locomotives
to Malaysia for its Railway
network.
Flagging off the
locos at a simple function,
Chief Mechanical
E n g i n e e r, S o u t h e r n
Railway, V Carmelus said
the Golden Rock
workshop, which started
modification-cum-
rehabilitation of metre-
guage locomotives for
export through RITES and
IRCON in 1993, had so far
despatched 111
- Nagercoil (Weekly)
specials: Train no 0603
will leave Egmore on all
Fridays from April 3 to
June 26 and reach
Nagercoil the next day.
Train no 0604 will leave
Nagercoil on all
Saturdays from April 4 to
June 27 and arrive
Egmore the next day.
C h e n n a i
Egmore - Nagercoil
(weekly) specials: Train
no 0605 will leave
Chennai Egmore on all
Tuesdays from April 7 to
June 23 and reach
Nagercoil the next day.
Train no 0606 will leave
Nagercoil on all
Wednesdays from April 8
to June 24 and reach
Chennai Egmore the
next day.
C h e n n a i
Egmore - Coimbatore
C h e n n a i
Egmore - Coimbatore
(weekly) Superfast
specials (via. Chennai
Beach, Arakkonam):
Train no 0623 will leave
Egmore on all Sundays
from April 5 to June 28
and reach Coimbatore
the next day. Train no
0624 will leave
Coimbatore on all
Mondays from April 6 to
June 29 and reach
Egmore the next day.
C h e n n a i
Egmore - Sengottai
(weekly) specials: Train
no 0609 will leave
Egmore on all Saturdays
from April 4 to June 27
and reach Senkottai the
next day. Train no 0610
will leave Senkottai on all
Sundays from April 5 to
June 28 and reach
Egmore the next day.
C h e n n a i
C e n t r a l - Tu t i c o r i n
(Weekly) Superfast
specials: Train no 0611
will leave Central on all
Wednesdays from April
15 to June 24 and reach
Tuticorin the next day.
locomotives to Malaysia,
Tanzania, Myanmar,
Sudan, Senegal, Mali,
Mozambique and Benin.
The cost of the
present consignment
would be around Rs 6.66
crore. An earlier
consignment of 43
locomotives were
already delivered to
Malaysian Railways
between 1993-2001, he
added. With the existing
customers expressing
satisfactory, there were
enquiries from new
customers like Congo
and a team from Congo
Railway system had
visited the Golden Rock
workshop last month and
expressed satisfaction
over the capability of
Times Chennai E-Paper Page 5
52 Young College Students from India
have been selected as International
Climate Champions 2009
Train no 0612 will leave Chennai, Feb. 13 outstanding students week long international
Tuticorin on all C l i m a t e were selected as the workshop in Scotland in
Thursdays from June 16 Change is a growing International Climate February 2009.
to June 25 and reach global problem with deep Champions 2009. These This programme
Central the next day. political, economical and y o u n g I n d i a n is a partnership between
C h e n n a i scientific ramifications. ambassadors were British Council and TERI
Central - Kannur While strategic directions selected on the basis of covering the design,
C h e n n a i are needed to solve their Project Proposals implementation,
Central - Kannur these problems, it is on areas ranging from management and
(weekly) specials: Train necessary for every increasing awareness, monitoring. Training and
no 0625 will leave citizen to contribute in mitigation, local solutions Awareness Building
Central on all Fridays their own individual to cope with the effects of workshops will be jointly
from April 10 to June 26 capacity to mitigate the ill climate change, etc. c o n d u c t e d b y T E R I ’s
and reach Kannur the effects of Climate Their main role however Environment Education
next day. Train no 0626 Change. With this as our will be communicating and Awareness (EEA)
will leave Kannur on all
aim, British Council, in the message of Climate Area, supported by the
Saturdays from April 11
to June 27 and arrive partnership with The Change, and work Institute’s office
Central the next day. Energy and Resources towards mitigating its establishments across
C h e n n a i Institute (TERI) launched effects in India and Sri India, and the British
Central - Mangalore (Bi- The International Climate Lanka. Attached is the list Council offices.
weekly) Super fast Champions 2009 - a of the new International Climate Change
specials: Train no 0627 youth oriented Climate Champions in related training camps and
will leave Central on all programme that aims to India. field visits will be organised
Tu e s d a y s a n d inspire young people, F o u r to build the capacity of
Thursdays from April 14 especially students, to champions from this these Climate Champions.
to June 25 and reach spread the word about group of 52 – Nirupama Their first hand
Mangalore the next day. Climate Change, its Nathan (Bhavans experiences will further
Train no 0628 will leave effects and what can be College, Mumbai), Trina prepare them to
Mangalore on all done to mitigate them. Ta l u k d h a r ( C h r i s t conceptualize an action
Wednesdays and From over 1200 University, Bangalore), plan for communication,
Fridays from April 15 to applications received in Ayan Sengupta adaptation and mitigation of
June 26 and reach the first round, 140 (Jadavpur University, Climate Change for India.
Central the next day. aspiring Climate Kolkata) and Divykriti For more information
C h e n n a i Champions were Chopra (DAV College p l e a s e v i s i t
Central - Kollam
interviewed by the British P u n j a b U n i v e r s i t y, www.britishcouncil.org.in.
C h e n n a i
Central - Kollam (Bi- Council in January. 52 Chandigarh) will attend a -Agencies
weekly) specials: Train
no 0645 will leave
Central on all Saturdays
and Mondays from April
11 to June 22 and reach
Kollam the next day.
Train no 0646 will leave
Kollam on all Sundays
and Tuesdays from April
12 to June 23 and reach
Central the next day.
C h e n n a i
Central - Kochuveli
(Weekly) specials: Train
no 0647 will leave
Chennai Central on all
Wednesdays from April
15 to June 24 and reach
Kochuveli the next day.
Train no 0648 will leave
Kochuveli on all
Thursdays from April 16
to June 25 and arrive
Central the next day.
-Agencies
diesel loco rehabilitation
by the workshop.
Mr Carmelus
expressed hope that the
workshop would get at
least five locomotives
from Congo shortly for
rehabilitation.
Later, talking to
newspersons, he said IIT
Kanpur and Research
and Design Scientific
Oganisation (RDSO) has
developed an eco-
friendly toilet system in
one coach of the
Chennai-Jammu Tawi
express on trial basis and
if proved successful, the
system would be
introduced in all
important trains across
the country.
-Agencies
Page 6
Kulkarni gets maiden call-up;
Karthick, Balaji recalled for NZ tour
Chennai, Feb 13:
Mumbai pacer
Dhawal Kulkarni received
his maiden call-up today,
while Lakshmipathy Balaji
and Dinesh Karthick made
their comebacks into the
Indian Test squad for the
upcoming tour of New
Zealand.
Wicket-keeper
batsman Dinesh Karthick
muscled his way into the
national team with many
notable innings in the
domestic circuit this
season and was included
in Twenty20, ODI and Test
squads.
Kulkarni and
Balaji have been named for
the three Tests.
The five-member
Selection committee
headed by Chairman
Krishnamachari Srikkanth
and skipper Mahendra
Singh Dhoni met at the
TNCA premises here for
nearly two hours before
finalising the squad for the
more than 50-day tour of
New Zealand, which
includes two Twenty20
internationals, five ODIs
and a three-Test series.
Off-spinner
Harbhajan Singh, who
missed the Sri Lankan
series due to an injury, was
also named in the team
along with medium pacer
Munaf Patel for the Tests,
O D I s a n d Tw e n t y 2 0
matches.
While Kartick,
who made 1000-plus
runs in the Ranji Trophy
and scored heavily in the
Duleep Trophy, was
recalled into the team as
second wicket-keeper for
the T-20s, ODIs and
Tests, Kulkarni was
rewarded with a berth in
the Test squad for his
consistent performance
in the domestic cricket.
He was also
instrumental in Mumbai
and West Zone winning
the Ranji and Duleep
Trophy titles respectively.
While Tamil Nadu opener
M Vijay was included in
t h e Tes t t e a m , t h e
notable name that was
missing from the list was
S Badrinath.
Sachin's name did not
figure in the T-20 squad
as he had opted out of it.
H o w e v e r, h e w a s
included in the team for
the ODIs and Tests.
The teams were
announced by BCCI
secetary N Srinivasan in
a press release,
circulated to the large
contigent of media
personnel, who have
assembled at the TNCA
premises.
All-rounder
Ravindra Jadeja, who
made an impressive ODI
debut against Sri Lanka
hitting a half century in a
losing cause, retained his
Times Chennai E-Paper
place in the T-20 team,
but lost his place in the
ODIs to Harbhajan
Singh. Following are the
Teams: Team for Two T-
20 matches: M S Dhoni
(capt), Virender Sehwag
(vice-captain),
G a u t a m
Gambhir, Yuvraj
S i n g h , Yu s u f
Pathan, Rohit
S h a r m a ,
Harbhajan Singh,
Ishant Sharma,
Zaheer Khan,
Suresh Raina,
Irfan Pathan,
Ravindra Jadeja,
Munaf Patel,
Pragyan Ojha,
Praveen Kumar,
Dinesh Karthick.
Team for five
ODIs: M S Dhoni
(capt), Virender
Sehwag (vice-captain),
G a u t a m G a m b h i r,
Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj
Singh, Suresh Raina,
Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan
Singh, Ishant Sharma,
Zaheer Khan, Munaf
Patel, Irfan Pathan,
Pragyan Ojha, Rohit
Sharma, Praveen
Kumar, Dinesh Karthick.
Team for three Tests: M S
Dhoni (capt), Virender
Sehwag (vice-captain),
Gautam Gambhir, Rahul
Dravid, Sachin
Te n d u l k a r , V V S
Laxman, Yuvraj Singh,
Harbhajan singh, Zaheer
Khan, Ishant Sharma,
Munaf Patel, M Vijay,
Amit Mishra, L Balaji,
Dhawal Kulkarni, Dinesh
Karthick.
Former BCCI
Secretary Niranjan Shah
would be the Manager of
the team for the two T-20
matches and five ODIs.
Following is the
itinerary of the New
Zealand tour: February
20: Team lands in New
Zealand. February 25:
First T-20 International at
Christchurch. February
2 7 : S e c o n d T- 2 0
International at
Wellington. March 3: First
ODI at Napier. March 6:
Second ODI at
Wellington.
March 8: Third ODI at
Christchurch.
March 11: Fourth ODI at
Hamilton.
March 14: Fifth ODI at
Auckland.
March 18 to 22: First
Test at Hamilton.
March 26 to 30: Second
Test at Napier.
April 3 to 7: Third Test at
Wellington.
I won't be a part of the T20 team: Tendulkar
Mumbai, Feb. 13
M a s t e r
batsman Sachin
Tendulkar on Thursday
said he won't be a part of
the Indian team for
Twenty20 internationals.
Ruling himself
out from playing in two
Twenty20 Internationals
against New Zealand in
India's tour, commencing
later this month,
Tendulkar said that the
reason was he did not
want to disturb the settled
team, which won the
i n a u g u r a l Tw e n t y 2 0
World Cup in South Africa
in 2007.
" I w o u l d
continue not to play
Twenty20 (international).
The team is settled and I
don't want to disturb it ..
That's why I won't be a
part of the T20 team (in
New Zealand),"
Tendulkar said after
launching a new product
for an insurance
company.
The Indian team
is scheduled to start the
tour in NZ with two
Twenty20 Internationals.
"When I had decided not
to play Twenty20 after
Indian tour in 2007, my
body was a bit tired and it
needed rest. It was not
appropriate to go (to
South Africa) and not
give my best. After that
the team had settled
down and did well," the
ace batsman said.
H o w e v e r,
Tendulkar said he will
continue to be part of the
Mumbai Indians team in
the Indian Premier
League (IPL) as he was
associated with it from
the beginning.
"I have been
with Mumbai Indians
from the beginning and
there is continuity," he
said.
Te n d u l k a r
added that he was not
convinced with the ICC
Umpires Referral system
which he experienced
first hand on India's tour
of Sri Lanka last year.
"When I was
there in Sri Lanka last
time, I did not particularly
like the Umpires Referral
system. There is still an
element of uncertainty in
the system," the
champion batsman said.
"I still prefer the hotspot
system to identify the
contact between the ball
and bat. The LBW
decisions are not
convincing enough as
the Hawk Eye gives a 22-
yard view which the new
referral system does not
agree with ... as to
whether the ball would
have hit the stumps or
not," Tendulkar said.
Te n d u l k a r
refused to comment on
the umpiring decisions
which went against him in
the recent tour to Sri
Lanka where India
played five ODIs against
the island nation.
"The
ICC doesn't
allow us to
comment
about umpiring
decisions.
Players find it
sometimes a
b i t said.
disappointing
(about these
decisions). I
don't want to
say anything
because the entire world
has seen it," he said.
Tendulkar was
given out LBW in three
matches, all
debatable
decisions that
he played on
the Lanka tour
before he was
rested for the
last two ODIs.
On the
upcoming tour
to New Zealand
for which the
Indian team is
to be picked on
Friday and will
fly in the early
hours of February 19,
Te n d u l k a r S a c h i n
Te n d u l k a r d u r i n g a
promotional event for an
insurance company in
Mumbai on February 12,
2009. (AFP Photo)
More Pictures
said there were a few
challenges facing the
squad.
"It is going to be
a challenge playing New
Zealand in New Zealand,
where the conditions are
tough. They are
complete l y di fferent
(from others)," he said.
"In Wellington, if
the ball comes at 130 km
per hour to the batsman
from one end, it will be
5km more from the other
end with the wind behind
the bowler," he said.
"It will affect
batting. Against the head
wind, the batsmen
sometimes cannot keep
their eyes open," he
explained.
After the
conclusion of the One-
day series, India are set
t o p l a y t h r e e Te s t
matches against the
hosts with the final Test
(April 3-7) scheduled to
be played in Wellington.
The second
ODI on March 6 is also to
be held at the same
windy venue. Tendulkar
said that the new players
who have no experience
Feb. 13, 2009
of these conditions would
find it somewhat difficult.
On an optimistic
note, he also added that
there were experienced
batsmen and coaches in
the team to guide them.
"We are prepared
for all challenges," he said.
Tendulkar did not
read much into the fact that
the Indian squad would
head into the series without
the benefit of playing any
practice ties to get used to
conditions in New Zealand.
"The international (cricket)
calendar is like that. And
we have enough
experienced players in the
team. The team has got a
good balance of
experience and youth," he
Tendulkar felt that
the expected return of
Harbhajan Singh, who
missed the short tour of Sri
Lanka due to hamstring
injury, would be a big
boost.
"Harbhajan will have a big
r o l e t o p l a y. H i s
contribution has always
been important and will
remain so," he said about
the off-spinner's
importance to the team's
chances.
Ta l k i n g a b o u t
cricket records, the
champion batsman felt that
the batting marks of
Australian legend Sir
Donald Bradman, would
remain unbeatable.
"As far as cricket
records are concerned no
one can beat the record of
Sir Don Bradman. He has
to come back to do those
again," said Tendulkar
whose batting was
compared to his own by the
late Australian captain.
When he was
alive, the Australian icon
had invited the Indian ace
to his Adelaide residence
for a tête-à-tête, with
another champion
cricketer Shane Warne, on
his 90th birthday.
Tendulkar also
said that the good show of
the Indian team, in a way,
acts as a balm for the
countrymen in these
difficult economic times.
“When the Indian
team wins it's a case of
'tension chhodo, cricket
khelo' (leave tension aside,
play cricket). We play a big
part in making people
happy and bring smiles on
their faces. They sit glued
to their TV sets," he said.
-Agencies
Feb. 13, 2009
Govt to up outlay for flagship
schemes by Rs 33,000cr
New Delhi, Feb 13:
Ahead of the Lok
Sabha elections, the UPA
government is planning to
provide a boost to its
flagship programmes
including Bharat Nirman by
raising the allocation to the
segment by Rs 33,000
crore in the interim budget,
to be tabled in Parliament
on February 16.
The outlay for the
flagship programmes,
which, in addition to the
Bharat Nirman scheme,
include the National Rural
Employment Guarantee
Scheme, Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan and others, is
proposed to be raised to Rs
1,23,000 crore during
2009-10 from Rs 90,000
crore last year,
representing an increase of
about 37 per cent.
The flagship
programmes are expected
to be given priority with the
government proposing to
allocate a major share of
gross budgetary allocation
in the next fiscal for such
schemes.
Gross budgetary
support (GBS), according
Need to generate domestic demand to
boost growth: Pranab
New Delhi, Feb 13:
Ahead of the
interim budget, External
Affairs Minister Pranab
Mukherjee, also holding
the finance portfolio, on
Thursday made a case for
stimulating domestic
demand and boosting
external trade to combat
economic slowdown and
fight poverty.
"There is a need
to sustain our foreign trade,
revive foreign investments
and generate domestic
demand in order to
maintain our growth rates",
said Mukherjee, who is
slated to present the
interim budget in the Lok
Sabha on Monday.
Boosting the
economy, he added, was
also necessary to "uplift
multitudes living below the
poverty line.”
Noting that the
country cannot remain
immune to the impact of the
global crisis, Mukherjee
said, "India faces special
challenges from the
international financial
crisis... we have to address
this on many fronts."
Mukherjee also
expressed satisfaction that
India would grow by 7
to sources, is proposed to
be increased to Rs
2,85,000 crore for 2009-
10 from Rs 2,43,000
crore in the previous
year.
GBS includes
allocation for central
ministries and state
governments.
Sources further
indicate that GBS for
2008-09 is likely to be
revised to Rs 2,74,000
crore mainly on account
of stimulus packages and
the transfer of resources
to states.
GBS at revised
estimates include over
Rs 10,000 crore to the
states and nearly Rs
20,000 crore to the
central ministries.
The focus on
flagship programmes
may hit higher education
in the country as the
interim budget proposes
a major slash in
allocation to IITs. The
allocation to IITs is likely
to be a meagre Rs 800
crore in comparison with
Rs 1,171 crore during the
last year -- a substantial
percent during 2008-09 in
such times.
T h e 7.1 percent during 2008-
government came out
with two stimulus
packages in the recent
past and according to
Planning Commission
Deputy Chairman
Montek Singh Ahluwalia,
there is a need to
continue the stimulus
efforts in the next fiscal.
Continuing the
initiatives to boost the
e c o n o m y, t h e
government yesterday
announced a package for
the media industry by
abolishing duties on
importing newsprint.
Q u o t i n g
projections of the
International Monetary
Fund (IMF), Mukherjee
said, "Advanced
economies of the world
would shrink by 2 percent
in 2009. While the US
economy will contract by
1.6 percent, the euro
zone economy will
decline by 2 per cent and
Japan by 2.6 percent in
2009."
The Central
Statistical Organisation
earlier this week in its
advance estimates
Times Chennai E-Paper
cut of Rs 371 crore.
T h e percentage points during
government on the other
hand, is likely to propose
starting 6,000 model
schools across the
country with a provision
of Rs 350 crore for them,
sources added.
The allocation
for school education may
be kept steady at Rs
26,800 crore, in line with
last year's provision while
there could be an
allocation of Rs 13,100
crore for Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan.
Provision for
nutrition is likely to be
kept unchanged at Rs
8,000 crore, while the
allocation for Navodaya
Vidyalayas is set to
increase to Rs 1,300
crore from Rs 700 crore
last year.
Sources said
the government plans
allocating Rs 750 crore
for providing national
scholarships in
comparison with Rs 120
crore last year.
- Agencies
indicated that the
economy would grow by
09, against 9 per cent
recorded in the previous
fiscal.
Mukherjee's statement
on stimulating the
economy assumes
significance in view of the
2 percent contraction in
industrial output in
December.
This was the
second month in the
current fiscal when
industrial growth turned
n e g a t i v e . E a r l i e r,
contraction in industrial
output was witnessed in
October, after a gap of 15
years.
Describing the
global financial meltdown
as an unprecedented
crisis, Mukherjee called
for "crafting a new
international economic
order to put the global
economy on (a) sound
footing.”
On India's role, he said
the country remains
committed to working
with foreign partners,
including the G-20, for
devising a new financial
architecture.
- Agencies
Inflation at year's low; hopes
of rate cuts by RBI
New Delhi. Feb. 13 :
Lower prices of
fuel, food and liquour
pulled down inflation to
over a 12-month low of
4.39 per cent, raising
expectations of further
cuts in policy rates by the
Reserve Bank.
Wholesale
price-based inflation
declined by 0.68
the week ended January
31 from 5.07 per cent a
week ago, mainly on
account lower prices of
petrol, diesel and cooking
gas.
On January 28,
the government reduced
the prices of petrol by Rs
5 a litre and diesel by Rs 2
per litre, while the
domestic LPG rate was
also slashed by Rs 25 per
cylinder.
The previous
comparable low was
recorded at 4.36 per cent
for the week ended
January 12, 2008.
The inflation
number is slightly higher
than expected. However,
this gives the RBI more
elbow room for rate cuts.
There could be
reduction in the repo and
reverse repo rates by 50
basis points each in the
coming days, said HDFC
Bank Economist
Jyotinder Kaur.
During the week
the fuel group index
declined by 3.1 per cent
mainly due to the cooling
of petrol prices by 11 per
IOC under recoveries at Rs 60k cr
Mumbai, Feb 13:
State-run Indian
Oil Corp on Thursday
said it expects to end the
year with under
recoveries to the tune of
Rs 60,000 crore, but
hopes to liquidate the Rs
13,000 crore worth of oil
bonds to make good
some of its losses.
"We still have
Rs 13,000-14,000 crore
worth of oil bonds with us.
We hope to liquidate
that," IOC Chairman
Sarthak Behuria told
reporters here.
Last year, IOC
had pledged oil bonds at
a discounted rate under
the Resreve Bank's
special market
operations, but in the last
few tranches the
company had gained on
the bonds pledged,
because of prevailing
interest rates, Behuria
said.
"The Petroleum
Ministry is seeking oil
bonds worth Rs 13,000
crore. We hope we'll get
it," he said.
IOC's under
recoveries on fuel sale
would be compensated
by the bonds and from
the Rs 32,000 crore
contributed by upstream
cent, LPG by 8 per cent
and diesel by 7 per cent.
The other
consumable items that
became cheaper were
liquor, by 15 per cent; fruit
and vegetable, by 3 per
cent; and tea, by 1 per
cent.
In the last two
weeks, inflation declined
by as much as 1.25
percentage points. "I see
deflation in the month of
April, which might
continue till October,"
Kaur said.
Inflation stood
at 4.74 per cent in the
corresponding week a
year ago. During the
week, prices of
groundnut oil were
cheaper by 3 per cent
while imported edible oil
and mustard oil declined
by 2 per cent each.
Elsewhere,
prices of the raw cotton
declined by 1 per cent
while chemicals like
titanium dioxide got
cheaper 16 per cent,
monocrotophos 13 per
cent, benzene 12 per
cent, and endosulfan 5
per cent.
I t e m s o f
common use like dhoties,
sarees became cheaper
by 6 per cent and ceiling
fans by three per cent.
Auto rickshaws
were cheaper by 4 per
cent and springs were
down as much as 31 per
cent.
However, items
that turned expensive
oil firms-- ONGC, GAIL
and Oil India.
Behuria said
after the latest round of
fuel price cuts,
downstream oil PSUs
have been losing Rs 77
on sale per LPG cylinder
and Rs 12 per litre of
kerosene.
"We make a
loss of about Rs 5-6 crore
per day (on selling
subsidised fuel)," he said,
adding that it makes Rs
1.60 on sale of petrol per
litre and almost Rs 3 on
diesel.
Behuria said he
expects the proposed
cracker complex project
to constitute 20 per cent
of its revenue once it is
completed.
IOC had last
year inked an MoU with
s t a t e - r u n g a s
transmission firm GAIL
India to explore the
possibility of setting up a
petrochemical complex
at Barauni in Bihar.
On the upcoming vote on
account and expected
measures for the oil
industry, Behuria said, "I
don't expect any major
changes in customs or
excise duties."
Talking about
private airlines' defaulting
Page 7
during the week were
jowar, by 7 per cent; maize
and bajra, by 3 per cent
each; wheat and rice, by
one per cent each.
Other items like
ghee were dearer by 2 per
cent and sugar prices went
up by 1 per cent.
Cement also got
expensive marginally
during the week.
Tablets except
vitamins and penicillin
were dearer by 3 per cent
while footwear and
plywood by 1 per cent
each. Inflation for the week
ended December 6, 2008,
has been revised
downwards to 6.56 per
cent as compared to 6.84
per cent in the provisional
estimates.
Commenting on
the inflation data, the
finance ministry in a
statement said it has finally
fallen below 5 per cent.
H o w e v e r, i n
primary articles, inflation
rose to 9.1 per cent in the
week under review against
9 per cent in the previous
week.
Admitting that
inflation in food articles still
persist in double digit, it
said the index in the
category increased to 11.5
per cent compared to 11.1
per cent in the previous
week.
In manufactured
products inflation rate
decreased to 5.5 per cent
in the current week against
5.7 per cent.
- Agencies
on payments to oil PSUs,
IOC's Director Marketing G
C Daga said, "Kingfisher is
the only airline which has
not been able to keep its
payment commitment.
They are (presently) on a
cash-and-carry basis."
Daga said
Kingfisher Airlines owed
them Rs 175 crore but
added that it was not all
overdue. "We have been
supplying (jet fuel) to
Kingfisher," he said.
Behuria said the
aviation industry, much like
the oil industry, has been
facing bad times and that
the oil PSUs were only
trying to help them.
The Chairman,
who has been appointed
President of World LPG
Association, said IOC was
looking to penetrate
deeper in the LPG market,
especially in rural India.
"The Indian LPG
market, at more than 11-
million tonnes annual
consumption, is the fourth-
largest market globally,
after the US, China and
Japan. There is further
scope to increase the LPG
business in the country as
a vast population in the
rural areas are still not
being able to access clean
fuel like LPG," he said.
Page 8
Indian Railways –
the name is enough, an
advertisement goes about
a reliable product. And the
facts speak for
themselves:
Indian Railways
(IR) is known as the largest
and busiest rail network in
Asia
It is also believed
to be the world's largest
railway system under a
single management
IR runs over
11,000 trains everyday
Out of these,
nearly 7,000 are
passenger trains
It transports more
than 1.8 crore passengers
and over 20 lakh tonnes of
freight everyday
The Railway
employs more than 14 lakh
people
IR has nearly
7,000 stations over a total
route length of more than
63,327 kilometres
Its revenue was
more than Rs 70,000
crores in 2008
More than 70% of
the IR’s revenues and
most of its profits come
from the freight sector
Looking at these
humungous figures, no
wonder Indian Railways is
described as the 'Lifeline of
the Nation'.
Railways in India
touch the lives of almost
everyone – from a poor to a
rich man. Be it by way of
travelling or the goods that
are brought to our cities
and towns by the Railways,
Office: F 5 and 6 1st Floor, Leo Complex, New No: 41, Madley Road, T.Nagar, Chennai 600 017. Ph: 42867771, 42697393
Railway Budget: A turnaround phenomenon
our lives are intertwined
with this ‘Lifeline’.
So any decision
that is taken with regard
to the Railways is bound
to affect the masses, not
to mention the over 14
lakh people working for
this ‘giant’.
Railways was
rarely a profitable
venture until Lalu Prasad
Yadav took over as the
Union Railway Minister in
2004, when the
C o n g r e s s - l e d U PA
government came to
power. His tenure has
seen a turnaround of the
department whose
annual balance sheet is
so big that it needs to be
presented by way of a
separate budget in
Parliament.
Till the start of
t h e 2 1 s t c e n t u r y,
Railways in India was
seen as a social service
institution which catered
to the masses. No matter
how much losses it was
suffering, passenger
fares, especially of the
general and sleeper
classes, were
maintained at minimal
level so as not to ‘burden’
the masses. Even when
there was a pressing
need to hike fares,
passenger tickets were
largely spared the
additional burden and
the increase was
affected in freight
charges. The profits that
were made from the
freight operations were
Owned Edited and Published by S. Raghunathan Editorial and Advertisement
Times Chennai E-Paper
used to cross-subsidise made the Railways earn
the passenger sector, profit and cater to the
which was making masses as well. During
losses. his tenure, the passenger
This policy of fares, especially of the
the Railways hurt its General and Sleeper
revenue generation by classes, have not just
keeping away those who remained steady but
wanted to use the service have also been brought
for transporting goods on down. For example, in
a large scale. the 2008-09 budget, Lalu
Around 2002, brought down passenger
the Railways even found fares for all classes and
it impossible to pay also reduced freight rates
dividends to the Central on gasoline and diesel.
government for the The Railways also
capital invested by it. The brought in measures so
period following it marked as to boost the earnings
a shift in the way from freight. The
Railways functioned. The measures included
then Railway Minister, building a new Dedicated
Nitish Kumar of the NDA Freight Corridor
government, tried to spanning about 2,762
implement a change in route km on two
the way IR was seen – corridors, and launching
not just as a social a privatization scheme
service institution but aimed at enhancing the
also as a commercially- performance of freight
viable venture. trains, among others.
H i s m i n i s t r y, As a result of these
near the end of its tenure, measures, the Railways
introduced a slew of have started generating
measures to maximise positive cash flows and
the operational efficiency have even been paying
of the Railways. These dividends to the
measures were government. Its
continued and operating ratio too has
augmented under Lalu’s improved significantly
leadership and when over the past five years.
they started yielding Populism in Lalu’s
results, Indian Railways’ Railway Budget over the
turnaround story was years has not just been
scripted, became a hit restricted to a cut in
and was lapped up by passenger fares. Under
MBA institutes across the his tenure, the number of
world. trains, including the
Lalu, for his part, proved ‘luxurious’ Rajdhani
to be a good manager Express and Shatabdi
while being populist and Express, have also
increased steadily. He
h a s f u r t h e r
revolutionised train ravel
for the lower strata by
introducing Garib Raths
(Poor Man’s Chariots) —
the first Indian train to be
fully air-conditioned in all
classes.
Last year, the Railway
Minister also unveiled
plans to set up a network
of 20,000 kilometres of
high-speed rail corridors
across the country where
trains will run anything
between 300 to 350
kilometres per hour.
"Bowing to the hopes
and expectations of
millions of people, I have
decided to reduce
passenger fares and
freight rates this year,"
Lalu said in his 2008-09
budget speech,
something which clearly
highlighted how the
populist sentiment is
catered to by ministers in
their Railway Budgets.
But the former Bihar
Chief Minister has been
wise enough by not just
p l e a s i n g t h e
passengers, but also
freight service users and
thereby keeping the
Railways a viable
venture. By cutting fares
of the A/C class, Lalu has
also been trying to eat
into the passenger share
of budget (low cost)
airlines.
As Lalu once said at a
conclave, “…. and we
make policies keeping
common man in the
centre point. …. and we
will have to do this. The
resources of the
community should not be
restricted in few hands…
it should be distributed.
We have to open our
hands. We must see, no
matter which department
we are in, which
corporate sector we are
in unless we distribute
keeping common man in
mind our policy will be
useless.”
One may choose to see
the above remark as
aimed at social change,
or a populist one to win
more votes in elections.
But if, at the end of the
day, the common man
benefits nothing else
matters.
Lalu’s managerial skills
have worked because he
t h i n k s l i k e a
businessman who also
cares for the society, by
making it benefit from the
changes being brought
in. This is clearly evident
in his following remarks.
Feb. 13, 2009
“Till yesterday mobile
phones were so expensive
that only few people used it
but as the policy changed
you can see even a
rickshaw puller and
labourers using it at a very
low price. And you see
when the consumer base
increases even the
corporate houses make
more profit. They don’t run
into a loss.”
“Yes we also make some
policies which do not give
us any return, such as ‘mid
day meal’. But if the
children of our country turn
literate they become our
asset… so it is not a
useless expense.”
But whatever the minister
may say to justify his
announcements, populist
overtones have always
been visible in his budget.
For example, cutting fares
by a rupee in Mumbai
suburban railway where
passenger fares are
already very less, stopping
the production of wooden
seats and replacing them
with cushioned ones in
General compartments,
regular concessions to
students, women and
senior citizens etc. In fact,
Lalu last year offered 30%
concession in fares to male
senior citizens, and an
additional 20% for their
female counterparts. At the
same time plans to start
budget hotels on unused
Railway land, providing
land to farmers on lease
and create cold storage
near the stations with
packaging facility for them
to store their produce etc
have created fresh source
for capital inflows.
He even banned sale of
cold drinks like Pepsi and
Coca Cola in trains,
replacing them with milk,
buttermilk etc served in
‘kulhars’ (handmade mud
pots) instead of plastic
cups to encourage local
artisans. It is another
matter these cold drinks
and plastic cups are back
again.
His ministry has also
announced plans to
introduce onboard
entertainment and fast-
food facilities, vending
m a c h i n e s a n d AT M
machines at the stations.
In a measure to cheer up
over 17 lakh porters
working in various railway
stations across the nation,
Lalu, in his last year’s
budget, announced
appointment of porters as
gang men and on other
under Group D posts.
-Agencies