Indian Govt Denies Reports On Brahmaputra Diversion

New Delhi, Mar 12 : Denying reports of diversion of water by China, the Centre has said that currently no diversion project has been noticed on the Brahmaputra River.

The Government of India is aware of the construction activity at Zangmu on the main Yarlung Zangbo River in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

Currently, the development undertaken by China on River Brahmaputra is mainly run of the river projects catering to the local irrigation and electricity requirements in the TAR.

If the water from the water resources projects in Tibet is diverted into some other basin in China then it may affect the quantity of flow of water in downstream areas in India during the lean season, said Minister for Water Resources, Salman Khursid in a Lok Sabha reply.

However, if the water is released back into the same river after generation of electricity, the affect on flows of water downstream in India may not be significant, he said.

The issue of Chinese activities on River Tsangpo, called Brahmaputra in India, impacting the flow of water in the downstream areas has been taken up with the Chinese authorities at the highest level.

The Chinese side has categorically denied that it is constructing a dam on the River Brahmaputra for the purpose of water diversion.

During the visit of the External Affairs Minister’s Beijing visit, the Chinese Foreign Minister shared the information about construction activity at the Zangmu hydropower station.

He stated that Zangmu was a small project with its main function being generation of power and not water supply. He also stated that the power station would not store and regulate the volume of water and this would not have an adverse impact on the downstream areas.

The Government of India keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India’s national interest and takes all necessary measure to safeguard it, Khursid said.

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Miss Lacey Banghard Winner of The Sun's Page 3 Idol 2011

 

 

Quake Wake Up Call For Assam

By Ron Duarah
 
Dibrugarh, Mar 12 : At about 11.30 am (IST), a mega earthquake shook the northeastern areas of Japan, rocking structures and triggering a massive, trans-Pacific tsunami.

While Japan has always been prepared for earthquakes, the likelihood of massive damages in the relatively unprepared Assam, in the event of such a catastrophe, can hardly be imagined.

Several doomsday prophets have been warning of a mega quake in Assam and her neighbouring States for several years now. While even the most advanced geological studies have not been able to predict quakes correctly, developed countries lay more emphasis on disaster management.

In Assam, the preparedness is mostly a bureaucratic exercise – that is, kneejerk in nature and forgotten the day after. The following is a list of the major quakes in Assam and her neighbourhood: ( date, place, magnitude)

1819 Jun, Kutch, Gujarat – 8.0;
1869 Jan, near Cachar, Assam – 7.5;
1885 May, Sopor, J&K– 7.0;
1897 June, Shillong Plateau – 8.7;
1905 April, Kangra, HP – 8.0;
1918 July, Srimangal, Assam – 7.6;
1930 Jul, Dhubri, Assam – 7.1;
1934 Jan, Bihar-Nepal border – 8.3;
1941 June, Andaman Islands – 8.1;
1943 Oct, Assam – 7.2;
1950 Aug, Arunachal Pradesh-China Border – 8.5;
1956 July, Anjar, Gujarat – 7.0;
1967 Dec, Koyna, Maharashtra – 6.5;
1975 Jan, Kinnaur, HP – 6.2;
1988 Aug, Manipur-Myanmar border – 6.6;
1988 Aug, Bihar-Nepal border – 6.4;
1991 Oct, Uttarkashi, UP Hills – 6.6;
1993 Sep, Latur-Osmanabad, Maharashtra – 6.3;
1997 May, Jabalpur, MP – 6.0;
1999 Mar, Chamoli Dist, UP – 6.8;
2001 Jan, Bhuj, Gujarat – 7.7;
2004 Dec, Off West Coast Of Sumatra – 9.3 and
2005 Oct, Pakistan – 7.6.

After observing the table above, it can be safely said that Assam and the Northeast are on the brink of the next big one.

While nothing can be done to prevent quakes, at least the resultant disaster can be contained and managed. Are we ready?

Irom Sharmila Arrested Once More

Sharmila remanded in 15 days’ custody

Imphal, Mar 12 : Human rights crusader Irom Sharmila was re-arrested and remanded in judicial custody for 15 days today barely 24 hours after she was freed.

The court released Sharmila yesterday after the completion of her one-year sentence for “attempting to commit suicide” under Section 309 IPC.

Sharmila continued her fast even after she was released for the 10th time from judicial custody.

She joined her supporters at Porompat, who have been camping near the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) to show solidarity with her struggle, and spent the night there along with her supporters without eating or drinking anything.

As she continued with her the hunger strike, a police team this afternoon re-arrested and produced her before the court of chief judicial magistrate Imphal East, Ronald Keishing.

The court remanded her in judicial custody for 15 days.

The police took her to her room at the security ward of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, where she has fasting for more than a decade.

As the release and re-arrest have become a routine affair there was no protest over the arrest of Sharmila today.

Sharmila, who was in good health and ready to talk about her struggle and state issues yesterday, refused to make any comment today when the police team came to take her back.

“I have no comment” was all that she replied when reporters asked about her reaction to the routine release and re-arrest and also the manner in which she was being treated by the government.

She did not make any attempt to resist the arrest.

Even her supporters, who had been with her ever since her release yesterday, did not make any attempt to prevent the police from taking her away.

Sharmila yesterday said she would not budge from her stand on the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

She has been on hunger strike since November 2000 demanding repeal of the act.

“I will continue the fast until I win the struggle. If necessary I will become a martyr,” she said yesterday.

 

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Non-Functional Baljek Airport Hits Meghalaya's Tourism Potential

By Joy Roy Choudhary

Kolkata, Mar 11 : Since it was inaugurated with much fanfare by Pratibha Patil, president of India, two years back, the Baljek Airport in West Garo Hills in Meghalaya has remained non-functional.

It was aimed at boosting the tourism infrastructure in the region and smooth transit of perishable commodities like flowers. The airport was expected to connect the Garo Hills with the rest of the country, thus encouraging tourism in the region

The airport set up at Jengjal, around 33 kms from Tura in West Garo Hills, was built at a cost of `12.52 crore. It was inaugurated on October 23, 2008 when the UDP-NCP led government was in power in the state.

Since its inception, the project was marred in controversy as the proposal was sent to the Centre in 1983, but was sanctioned only in 1995.

As conceived earlier, only a 20-seater Dornier aircraft can land at Baljek Airport. The inordinate delay has been caused due to the government's decision to extend the runway to accommodate 50-seater aircrafts.

This is the second airport in Meghalaya after Umroi in Ri Bhoi district.

Political circles indicate that the Garo Hills is dominated by chief minister Dr. Mukul Sangma's political opponent P A Sangma, the former speaker of the Lok Sabha and co-founder of NCP. Caught in this political cross-fire is the tourism sector of the region.

The chief minister, during his recent visit to New Delhi, had met prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and sought central fiscal assistance to expand the airport.

At least ` 100 crore is required to make the airport fully functional after the expansion of the runway. In a recent report, The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had hauled up the state government for not making the airport functional and wasting public money.

The report states that though the state government knew about the inadequacy of the runway several years ago when the project was first conceived, but it did not initiate effective steps to acquire land for the extension of the runway.

Meghalaya Complaints Against 8 Cement Cos For Violation Forest Act

Shillong, Mar 11 : Meghalaya government has received complaints against eight cement companies for violating the forest conservation act and a committee has been formed to inquire into the cases, officials said today.

Very large scale clearing/deforestation/breaking of non-recorded and non-notified natural forests is taking place in Jaintia Hills district for establishing/operating limestone mining/cement plants on the strength of faulty, vague and subservient certificates being issued by state government officials, a letter from the North Eastern Regional Office of the Ministry of Environment and Forests to the Centre said.

"It is amazing to know that not even a single cement plant of Meghalaya, mostly in Jaintia Hills district, has sought statutory prior approval of Central government whereas about 8-10 of such operating plants are in possession of more than 1000 ha of land which can only be categorized as deemed forests," the complaint, a copy of which was communicated to the state government, said.

Chief Conservator Forests of the MOEF regional office B N Jha said the state government was not paying any heed despite repeated requests from his office to stop immediately such operations by the cement companies who claimed to have got necessary clearances from the state government.

According to the complaint, the MOEF regional office also conducted site visits and "found large chunks of hills, and other lands bearing virgin and good natural vegetation cover being leased/ transferred/ sold to cement companies/ existing cement companies/ upcoming plants and they are using thousands of hectares of deemed forest land for various non-forest purposes."

The state government has constituted a committee to look into the matter, official sources said.

According to government sources, two of the eight companies against whom complaints have been received were granted clearances "unconditionally", two others on condition of clearance by State Environment Impact and Assessment Authority and in four cases no clearance was issued by the state government.

It is under investigation as to whether the cement companies provided correct and true information regarding the status of land they were using, the sources said.

Best Portable Computers in 2011

If the fusty old desktops were the dinosaurs of the computing age, get ready to meet the mammals. Small, sleek, powerful and ahead on the evolutionary curve,

Here are some of the best portable computers money can buy.

Apple MacBook Pro

Apple’s aluminium-clad 13 inch laptop has been promoted to MacBook Pro status. With a huge multi-touch glass trackpad (that also doubles as a massive mouse button), Intel Core 2 Duo chips, NVIDIA graphics and hard drives maxing out at 250GB, this is the best entry-point if you’re after a portable Mac.

Lightweight but powerful with a decent four-hour battery life, this is a top-of-the-class all-rounder that excels in all areas except gaming. For Mac fans on a budget there’s a less pricey white polycarbonate MacBook with 160GB of hard-drive space.

Price: Rs 72,900

 

Asus Republic of Gamers G73

The price tag isn’t for the squeamish, but with stealth bomber design concealing an Intel Core i7 engine, ATI Radeon HD5870 graphics, 6GB of RAM, a dazzling 17 inch display and 640GB of storage, it has the spec to match. Importantly, it doesn’t flinch at Crysis Warhead

Price: Rs 1,02,999

 

Acer Timeline X

Thin normally means compromised, so it’s a surprise to find Radeon HD5650 3D graphics parked next to the i5 processor in the skinny Timeline X. That takes care of gaming, but you can also switch to Intel’s integrated graphics for six-hour battery life.

Price: Rs 37,851

Sony Vaio Z-series

Few laptops are as desirable and powerful as the Vaio Z. It has superthin carbon-fibre reinforced construction, with solid state hard drives, Blu-ray and high-def output. At its heart is Intel’s zippy Core i7 chip, and yet its battery can manage six hours.

Price: Rs 1,09,900

Alienware M11x

The vaguely interesting M15x has been replaced by the niche-filling M11x: an 11 inch, 2kg gaming netbook. We tested a powered up version - it’s too heavy and too expensive to be a true netbook. But it’s still cool.

Price: Rs 70,131

HP Envy 17 3D

This 17.3-incher’s selling point is its 3D-capable Radeon HD5850 GPU; stick on a 3D Blu-ray or game and the large HD screen comes into its own. But it’s far from 1D and 3D, packing plenty of power within its gorgeous aluminium chassis.

Price: Rs 93,000

 

Dell XPS 15

This new XPS packs quite a punch. The Skype-certified built-in HD webcam makes for some crisp images on the stunning screen and the JBL designed and certified speakers ensure an externally connected speaker isn’t needed.

High on value for money, this.

Price: Rs 46,400

 

Apple iPad 3G

It doesn’t matter if you don’t need an iPad - spend a few minutes fondling and ogling one and you’ll soon want one. It’s no laptop replacement, but unless you’re especially attached to hardware keyboards it could easily usurp your netbook.

3G can be erratic, though.

Price: Starting Rs 27,900

 

Apple MacBook Air

At just 17mm it’s now thinner than ever, but Apple has still managed to cut the price and up the portability of the Air. As well as two new USB slots, you’ll now get a five-hour battery life, a nippy Intel Core 2 Duo processor, solid state memory and a 16:9 widescreen.

Price: Rs 60,900

 

Dell Vostro 3300

An astounding price is let down by poor battery life and a plastic feel. It does, however, have a fantastic screen, and is a perfect starter laptop for professionals looking to make it big in life.

Price: Rs 35,990