Jalandhar, January 25, 2013: As many as  28 officers and officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation have been awarded the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service and Police Medal for Meritorious Service by the President of India on the occasion of Republic Day, 2013.

President's Police Medals for Distinguished Service have been awarded to 6 officers while Police Medals for Meritorious Service to 22 other officers and officials.

PRESIDENT’S POLICE MEDAL FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE:

1. L.M.Manjhi, SP, CBI, ACB, Bhillai (Chhattisgarh);

2. M.S.Hazari, Addl.SP, CBI, BS&FC, Kolkata;

3. D.S.Dagar, Addl.SP, CBI, STF, New Delhi;

4. V.N. Ashok Kumar, Addl. SP, CBI, SU, Chennai;

5. S.K.Tripathi, Dy.SP, CBI, ACB, Kolkata;

6. Dilip Chakraborty, Inspector, CBI, EOW, Kolkata;

POLICE MEDAL FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE:

1. Amitabh Singh Dhillon, IPS, DIG, CBI, BS&FC, New Delhi;

2. Velusamy Murugesan,IPS, DIG, CBI, EO-II, New Delhi;

3. Selvaraj Sengathir, IPS, DIG, CBI, Chennai Range, Chennai;

4. Rishi Prakash, SP, CBI, SC-III, New Delhi;

5. Roy Alexander, Addl.SP, CBI, ACB, Chennai;

6. Ajaib Singh, Addl.SP, CBI, EO-II, New Delhi;

7. V.S.Rana, Dy.SP, CBI, SU, New Delhi;

8. Kollan Bhattacharya, Dy.SP, CBI, SU, New Delhi;

9. Yogesh Kumar Sharma, Dy.SP, CBI, ACB, Jodhpur;

10. Prasenjit Roy, Dy.SP, CBI, ACB, Kolkata;

11. Dayanand Sharma, Inspector, CBI, SC-III, New Delhi;

12. Surendra Rai, Inspector, CBI, ACB, Lucknow;

13. Prema Logan, Inspector, CBI, BS&FC, Mumbai;

14. Mahesh Kumar Kalia, Sub Inspector, CBI, SC-III, New Delhi;

15. Kalidas Mafatbhai Chauhan, Sub Inspector, CBI, ACB, Gandhi Nagar;

16. Farid Kasim, Sub Inspector, CBI, SCB, Chennai;

17. Ashok Kumar Chatterjee, Assistant Sub Inspector, CBI, BS&FC, Kolkata;

18. Rajesh Singh, Assistant Sub Inspector, CBI Academy, Ghaziabad;

19. Puran Chand, Assistant Sub Inspector, CBI(HQ),Policy Division, New Delhi;

20. P.P.Thomas, Head Constable, CBI(HQ), Policy Division, New Delhi;

21. Krishan Pal Singh, Head Constable, CBI, EO-II, New Delhi;

22. Vijay Goswami, Constable, CBI(HQ), Vigilance Cell, New Delhi

Jalandhar, January 29, 2013: The Special Judge for CBI Cases, Mumbai has convicted Vinayak Ramchandra Shewale, then Station Master, Byculla Railway Station, Mumbai and sentenced him to undergo two years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs.4000 in a bribery case.

CBI had registered a case against Vinayak Ramchandra Shewale, Station Master, Byculla Railway Station, Mumbai U/s  7 and 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of PC Act, 1988 on the allegation that he demanded a bribe of Rs.2,100 from the complainant to continue his business of juice stall at Platform of Byculla Railway Station, Mumbai.  A trap was laid and the accused was arrested while demanding & accepting a bribe of Rs.2,100 from the complainant.

A charge sheet was filed on 29.09.2006 in the Court of Special Judge for CBI Cases, Mumbai against Vinayak Ramchandra Shewale.

The Trial Court found the accused guilty and convicted him.

Dharamshala, January 29, 2013:  Himachal Vidhan Sabha Speaker  BBL Butail called on U P A Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at 10 Janpath New Delhi on Tuesday. 

He was accompanied by his wife Beena Butail and son Ashish Butail.

During the meeting Himachal Vidhan Sabha Speaker paid gratitude to Nehru Gandhi family for developing the hill state as model state in the country by providing  liberal financial assistance from time to time.  He said that Himachal Pradesh is the creation of the Nehru Gandhi family  who have special affection to hill state and its people . He said that his ancestors family  had very  warm relations with the Nehru Gandhi family  and were inspired for social service and community work due to the relations .

Butail said that It was a courtesy call.

New Delhi, January 29, 2013: Recognising the efforts and remarkable contribution to the society, Vandana Luthra, Founder and Mentor, VLCC has been conferred the Padma Shri Award on the occasion of India’s 64th Republic Day on January 26, 2013. 

The Padma Shri Award is amongst the highest civilian honours in India and is bestowed on citizens who have rendered meritorious service in their respective fields.

Luthra has been recognised for her exceptional contributions in the field of Trade & Industry.

On receiving the Award, Luthra said, "I am honoured to receive the Padma Shri and am humbled to have been accorded with such a prestigious award. I feel my biggest contribution has been to be able to empower people with the skills and training to live healthier and fulfilling lives. I have always believed that a healthy population makes for a healthy nation. I hope my contribution in this space will continue making a difference in the lives of people."

With this honour, Luthra now joins the league of most honored Indians for their individual accomplishments and contributions to the country.

The Padma Shri is awarded to distinguished Indians and people of Indian origin for their exemplary work in various spheres of activity including the arts, education, industry, literature, science, sports, social service and public life.

Vandana Luthra is widely recognised as the leader in the Indian beauty, health and fitness industry and is today regarded as an authority on the business of wellness.

She has worked consistently over the years to help the weight-management, beauty and wellness industry be recognised as an organised sector industry; setting quality standards, benchmarking services and customer satisfaction while employing top-of-the-line technology and applications.

Her endeavours have been towards placing the Indian wellness industry at par with those of the most advanced countries internationally. VLCC thus has evolved as a reference point for the wellness industry in India, setting new standards for health and fitness.

It may be mentioned here that VLCC is widely recognised in India and abroad for its holistic, scientific and completely natural weight-management practices and therapeutic beauty solutions addressing the mind and body. Today with operations spanning across 16 countries, over 300 locations and 121 cities and employee strength of nearly 6000 and over 10 million satisfied customers, VLCC manages the largest chain of slimming, beauty and fitness centers in South Asia and Middle East, runs Asia’s largest chain of vocational education academies in beauty and nutrition and manufactures and retails India’s most comprehensive range of skin care, hair care and body care products across over 75,000 retail outlets.

Jalandhar, January 30, 2013:The Special Judge for CBI Cases, Chennai convicted K. Y. Subramanian, former Branch Manager of Punjab National Bank and eight other private persons in a Bank fraud case.

K. Y. Subramanian, then Branch Manager; R. Udayakumar and S. Ravi, both private persons were sentenced to undergo three years Rigorous Imprisonment.

D. Kalaiselvam; N. Devaraj; V. J. Vijaykumar; S. Vijay Kumar; D. Senthil and S. Elumalai, all other private persons were sentenced to undergo seven years Rigorous Imprisonment.

A total fine of Rs.50,20,000 was also imposed on them.

A case was registered against K Y Subramanian, former Branch Manager of Punjab National Bank, Adyar Branch, Chennai; private persons D. Kalaiselvam; N Devaraj; K Shanmugam; K Udayan; V.J Vijayakumar; C.Singaram; S. Vijayakumar; D. Senthil; S.Elumalai; S. Ravi  and the approved valuer of Punjab National Bank, R.Udayakumar  based on the allegation that during October 1999.

The said accused persons entered into a criminal conspiracy to cheat Punjab National Bank, Adyar Branch. In furtherance to the conspiracy, K.Y Subramaniam dishonestly and fraudulently abused his official position as Senior Manager and sanctioned six truck loans for  Rs. 5 lakh each for the purpose of purchasing of second hand trucks  in the names of private persons, based on the fabricated loan documents submitted in the names of the loanees which were used as genuine.

Fabricated sale agreements were submitted by the loanees for the purchase of the trucks in which three Registration numbers were of two wheelers and the other three trucks were already on hypothecation with private financier.

Further to the conspiracy, the guarantor of the said loans submitted fabricated sale agreements and R.Udyakumar being the panel valuer of the Bank had inflated the value of the properties submitted as security which were worth Rs. 3,18,000 to an exorbitant rate of Rs. 41,80,000.  K.Y.Subramaniam, then Branch Manager knowing fully well about the fraudulent nature of the loan documents, had sanctioned these loans and thus caused loss of about Rs. 30 lakh to Punjab National Bank

After the investigation of the case, CBI filed a charge sheet against the accused persons under sections 120-B r/w 420, 468, 419, 467, 468, 467 r/w 471, 468 r/w 471 IPC 109 r/w 419 IPC and 13(2) r/w 13 (1) (d) of PC Act 1988.

During the trial, K Shnmugam expired and charges against him were abated. K.Udayan and Singaram had not attended the Court and the case against them was split up.

Jalandhar, January 30, 2013 : The Special Court, Silvassa has today convicted Shri Jagubhai Rohit, the then Land Revenue Officer (LRO), Silvassa and sentenced him to undergo two years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs. 5,000 in a bribery case.

CBI had registered a case against Jagubhai Rohit U/s 7 and 13(2) r/w 13(1) (d) of PC Act, 1988 on the allegation that he demanded a bribe of Rs.4,000 from the complainant for settling the pending matter regarding issuing a notice for payment of fine for re-grant of land purchased by the complainant. CBI laid a trap and the accused was arrested while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.4,000 from the complainant.

 A chargesheet was filed on February 3, 2009 in the Court of Special Court, Silvassa against Jagubhai Rohit

The Trial Court found the accused guilty and convicted him today.

Jalandhar, January 31, 2013: The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against a Head Technician, Central Railway, Nagpur; Director of a private HRD Agency; another private person based at Nagpur and other unknown officials of Indian Railway U/s 120 (B) r/w 420, 467,468,471 of IPC & U/s 13(2) r/w13(1) (d)  P.C. Act, 1988 on the basis of a complaint. 

It was alleged in the FIR that the accused persons have collected about Rs.29 lakh through cash and cheques from the complainants in lieu of getting job in Central Railway. Thereafter, on completion of the medical examination at Mumbai, the candidates were given fake appointment letters including the complainant. When complainants enquired with the Central Railway about their recruitment and appointment letter, it was told to them that the Central Railway has not published any advertisement for such appointments.

Searches were conducted at the places of the accused persons. Incriminating documents related to case i.e. fake recruitment letters; list of candidates and appointment letters and letter heads of various departments including Railways were recovered.

Further investigation is continuing.

Jalandhar, January 31, 2013: The Special Judge for CBI cases, Visakhaptnam has convicted Sri Budarayavalasa Chakradhar Patro, then Social Security Assistant, Pension Disbursement Section working in the Office of Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, NAD Kotha Road, Visakhapatnam, for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs.2,000 from the complainant and sentenced him to undergo four years Simple Imprisonment with fine of Rs.20,000.

A case was registered on May 24, 2007 U/s 7 of PC Act, 1988 against Sri B. Chakradhar Patro, Social Security Assistant working in the Office of Regional P.F. Commissioner, NAD Kotha Road, Visakhapatnam. It was alleged in the complaint that the father of the complainant was contributing regularly to Provident Fund managed by Employee’s Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), a Govt. of India Department.  After retirement, father of the complainant started receiving pension. Later, father of the complainant passed away. Sri B. Chakradhar Patro demanded Rs.2,000 as bribe for processing the file and getting ROC(Return of Capital) amount sanctioned. The complainant lodged a complaint with CBI, Visakhapatnam. CBI laid a trap and Sri Chakradhar Patro was caught red handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.2,000 from the complainant.

A chargesheet was filed against the accused in the Court of Special Judge for CBI Cases, Visakhapatnam U/s 7 & 13(2) r/w. 13(1)(d) of PC Act, 1988.

 After conducting regular trial, the Special Judge for CBI Cases, Visakhapatnam found Sri B. Chakradhar Patro guilty of committing the offences punishable U/s.7 & 13(2) r/w. 13(1)(d) of PC Act, 1988 and convicted him.

Jalandhar, February1, 2013: The Central Bureau of Investigation has today arrested an Inspector of Central Excise, Service Tax, Cochin (Kerala) for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.1.5 lakh from the complainant.

A case was registered against an Inspector of Central Excise, Service Tax, C. R. Building, Cochin for demanding bribe amount of Rs.1.5 lakh from the complainant who runs an Advertising & Event Management Agency at Cochin.

The complainant had alleged that the accused demanded the bribe from him for waiving off a penalty of Rs.3.75 lakh, which was reportedly to be paid by the complainant, as penalty for violation of certain Service Tax Rules.

CBI laid a trap and the accused was caught red handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.1.5 lakh from the complainant.

Searches are being conducted at the residence and office of the accused.

The accused is being produced before the Designated Court.

Jalandhar, February 1, 2013:   According to a press release sent by the spokesperson of the CBI headquarter,  "Reports are being telecast in section of the media alleging that CBI has ‘failed’ to extradite from the UAE, Sanjay Chaudhary, an accused in a case probed by the CBI."

He said the news reports are not based on facts; and, allegations made therein are incorrect and baseless.

According to  the spokesperson, the factual position is that Sanjay Chaudhary is an accused in a case probed by CBI, and chargesheet was filed against him and others on 12.11.2010 in the Court of Special Judge(CBI Cases), Ranchi. A Non-Bailable Warrant of Arrest was issued against him by the Court of Special Judge, CBI cases on 29.9.2011 for not responding to summons. 

Thereafter, a Red Corner Notice through Interpol was issued against Sanjay Chaudhary on 14.10. 2011.  On the basis of Red Corner Notice, it was communicated to CBI on 31.10.2011, that Chaudhary has been detained by the UAE authorities.

As per law and laid-down procedures, a request to extradite Chaudhary was made immediately and, supporting documents required for the extradition have also been provided to UAE through India’s Consulate on 17.11.2011.  The extradition proceedings are being pursued through legal and diplomatic channels, and as per law. 

Therefore, it is totally incorrect to state that CBI has ‘failed’ to extradite the accused. Extradition is a legal process governed by laws and procedures of two nations, and the same is underway

Regarding the case of Anil Adinath Bastawade, Interpol’s NCB, India got issued a Red Corner Notice in October, 2012 on the request of the Enforcement Directorate.  Bastawade was detained by the Indonesian authorities in January, 2013 and the same was communicated to the Enforcement Directorate immediately by NCB, India. He was brought to India on 29.01.2013.

Dharamsala, February 1, 2013: Urban Development Minister of Himachal Sudhir Sharma on Friday directed the officials of PWD at Dharamsala to prepare a DPR to link the old Himani Chamunda Devi Temple with the new one by a motor able road.

He said, “The temple which is situated at the height of 10,500 feet and touching the Dhouladhar snow range of Kangra, shall be developed at par to Vaishnav Devi shrine of J&K.”

The new Chamunda temple is just 5,000 feet above sea level and 13 kms down the foot track to the old one, on Dharamsala-Palampur road.

He said, “Once linked by road, Sidh Peeth Adhi Himani Chamunda temple shall become the most attractive tourist center of the area.”

It is said that Sidh Peeth Adi Himani Chamunda temple had been in a state of neglect till1992, and was not known to the people of the world outside Kangra valley. The temple has been a place of bliss for the spiritual seekers. The ruins of the Fort of Raja Chander Bhan were located 200 meters away from the temple was indicating that the area was lively hundreds of years back. It was believed that Pandavas had visited the place after the Maha Bharta War.

Pilgrims have to climb up the hill by circuitous 11 km route to reach the temple. Besides being a pilgrimage centre, the area has a great potential for adventure tourism, trekking, skating, mountaineering and paragliding. There is no population in the radius of ten kms of this shrine cause of the extreme cold atmosphere.

Jalandhar / Faridabad, January 2, 2013: The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee today formally inaugurated the 27th International Crafts Mela at Surajkund, Faridabad (Haryana).

Informally, the Mela has started from February 1 and will continue upto February 15.

Mukherjee said that after the modest beginning in 1987 in a small area of three acres, today it has become an International Fair and the area has increased to over 40 acres. Last year, 12 countries had taken part in the Mela and this year 20 countries, besides India, are taking part in the mela. Last year over 10 lakh people visited the mela. This year this figure is expected to go up.

Mukherjee said that this Mela presents the vivid picture of country’s culture, traditional crafts and arts. As theme state, Karnataka has presented its architecture crafts and culture in different forms. The foreign artisans, artists and visitors, who visit the Mela, get a glimpse of India’s civilisation and culture. They also get a chance to present their culture and crafts. This Mela is contributing a lot in saving tradition crafts and arts.

Mukherjee said that there is need to increase investment and improving the infrastructure in this field and making available the markets for traditional craft products.  In the field of exports the share of these products is just two percent which needs to be increased. He said that the global slowdown has affected the sale of craft products. Use of modern techniques in this field, will help in popularising these products.

Mukherjee appreciated the efforts being made by Haryana in innovation. He particularly commended the activities of Tourism Department of Haryana, saying that this mela is important from the point of view of tourism also. He expressed hope that other state will also organise such melas.

Welcoming the President, the Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that his presence has enhanced dignity of this Mela. The President was to come by Helicopter, but due to dense fog, he decided to come by car for this programme. We are very grateful to him.

Hooda said that this year about 800 artisans and weavers are taking part in the mela, which include the artisans and weavers from Africa, Eurasia and SAARC countries. Karnataka is the theme state of the Mela, which has rich culture and traditions. The object of this Mela is to promote handicrafts, arts and the culture of the country. Hooda said that this Mela has promoted rural crafts.  Because of this Mela, new generation gets to know about country’s heritage. Keeping in view, the increasing popularity of the Mela and increasing number of artisans and visitors, the facilities have been increased in the Mela. The area of the Mela has gone over 40  acres and the number of huts has gone up to 734 from 630.

The Tourism Minister of Karnataka Anand Singh said that Karnataka is one state, but has many cultures. The architect of the state has been presented on different gates of the Mela. The Apna Ghar reflects about the normal life style of Karnataka. About 300 folk artists and 150 crafts persons and artisans are participating in the Mela. On 9th February on Karnataka Day, a fashion Show will also be organised.

Earlier, the Principal Secretary, Tourism of Haryana Vijay Vardhan welcomed the guests.

After lighting of the lamp,the theme state Karnataka presented a  grand show of dance with participation of 150 artists, under the direction of Rajya Sabha MP,  Padamshree Dr. B. Jayshree. The dance troupe of Tajikistan also presented a dance item.

Earlier, on arrival, the President was given a warm welcome by Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia and Chief Minister Hooda at the Hoysala gate, which was followed by ribbon cutting at Dasara gate.

A dance troupe from Zambia put a traditional performance for the President, while he was on his way to Chaupal, the venue of formal inauguration of the Mela.

Haryana’s Chief Parliamentary Secretary of Tourism Department Ramkishan Fouji presented the vote of thanks.

Those present on this occasion, included Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia, Minister Mahender Pratap and Pt. Shiv charan lal Sharma, CPS Sharda Rathore, MP Avtar Singh Bhadana, MLAs Anand Kaushik and Raghuvir Tewatia, Faridabad Mayor Ashok Arora, Secretary Tourism Government of India Parvez Dewan, PS to CM Haryana Chatter Singh and Media Advisor Shiv Bhattia, DGP S.N. Vashist, Additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka Arvind Jadhav, MD Tourism of Haryana Anand M. Saran and others.

Dharamsala, February 2, 2013: National President Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha Anurag Singh Thakur, MP, has  showed his solidarity with the Tibetan people by attending the “Solidarity with Tibet” Campaign held on Saturday at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.

Thakur expressed his unrelenting support to the Tibetan cause and people. He said that they would always be welcome in Himachal Pradesh and were free to reside anywhere in India.

He added ,”I  like my  father(P K Dhumal)  been a strong advocate of the Tibetan peoples’ movement.”

Thakur said that India had welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama who resides in Dharamsala alongwith thousands of his followers. This was a stamp on India’s inclusive credentials and tolerance for other faiths.

He added that Indians and foreigners alike had learnt immensely from His Holiness and that he was greatly loved the world over.

Thakur said it was an honour that His Holiness had graced the first Indian Premier League Cricket Match held in Dharamsala as the Chief Guest.

He commended the work the Tibetan Parliament in Exile under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Lobsang Sangay was doing and urged other leaders, scholars and activists to support the movement.

Thakur said that China’s advances and threats both towards India and Tibetans would be firmly dealt with. He ended by saying that Indians would stand shoulder to shoulder with their Tibetan friends in the wake of aggression by China.

Thakur thanked the “Solidarity with Tibet” campaign organisers and Karma Yeshi (Member of Parliament) for inviting him and giving him an opportunity to speak to the Tibetan people.

Dharamsala, February 3, 2013: 120-km-long, Kangra valley narrow-gauge rail line, which was laid down by the English government  in 1932, and which plays a significant role in the economy of this region, is in a bad shape.

It is totally neglected by the Indian Railways.

Railway Ministry, which was headed by the men who gave little care to this area of the country during past few decades kept their ears closed to listen to change this track according to the pace of the century and virtually made no efforts in the past 80 years to convert this 120-km long rail track into a broad gauge line.

The area is almost a flat highly populated valley, much less tough to Kashmir valley were railways reached. The area is having the seat of Dalai Lama, International Cricket center, Dharamsala, which deserves a modern Broad gauge rail like, which shall be a beneficial link to Indian Army in Himachal and J&K.

New Rail Minister from North India too is aware of this need of the area. The people of Himachal hope for the renovation of this old rail line.

New Congress-led state government and the people of the state are eagerly waiting for a favorable response from Railway Ministry in the forthcoming Rail Budget. There is a growing demand that the Indian Railway should convert Pathankot-Jogindernagar route into Broad Gauge and to extend it to Mandi.

The railway line was planned in May, 1926 and commissioned in 1929. The highest point on this line is at Ahju station at an elevation of 1,210 meters (3,970 ft). The terminus at Joginder Nagar is at an elevation of 1,189 meters (3,901 ft). This railway line of  1932, linking all important and religious towns of Kangra and parts of Mandi district (most populated area of the state is waiting for broad gauge conversion.

During past few years, number of plans were drawn up to convert this narrow gauge line into a broad gauge line, but all remained confined to files.

With a manifold increase in the population and the tourist traffic in the Kangra valley, the Railways have failed to come up to the expectations of the local people.

Too old powers and coaches are still plying on this track.

Even the authorities could not introduce the regular first-class compartment here.

At present, some trains ply on this route daily covering 33 stations and passing through important places such as Nurpur, Jawali, Jwalamukhi Road, Kangra, Nagrota Bagwan, Chamunda, Palampur, Panchrukhi , Baijnath and Jogindernagar, which are also major tourists attraction centers of the state.

The condition of the rail track between Pathankot and Jogindernagar has gone from bad to worse in the past 10 years, as the Railways authorities have no funds to repair the same. Several small and big bridges are in bad shape, even the damage of a bridge recently cause suspension of rail traffic in this rout for months together. The retaining walls on the tracks have developed major cracks. As such it poses threat for a tragedy anytime.

Almost all 33 railway stations of the Kangra valley railway line lack basic facilities like drinking water, cleanliness and waiting rooms for passengers. The authorities even could not introduce the regular first-class compartment.

The Kangra valley attracts lakhs of tourists every year. It is strongly believed that if the rail services are improved and better amenities are provided to the passengers, tourist inflow would raise.

Jalandhar, February 4, 2013: TheAdditionalJudge for CBI cases, Visakhaptnam (Andhra Pradesh) has convicted Mynam Sreenivasa Rao @ M.S.Rao then Constable, CISF Unit, VSSC Thumba, ISRO Post, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) and two private persons Amaripalli Appala Naidu resident of Yellamanchili, Visakhapatnam district and his wife Amaripalli Umamaheswari for issuing fake appointment letters for the post of ASI(clerk) in CISF.

M.S. Rao then Constable was sentenced to undergo seven years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs. 2,000 while his sister Amaripalli Umamaheswari and her husband Amaripalli Appala Naidu were sentenced to undergo six months Rigorous Imprisonment with total fine of Rs. 5,000 each.

The brief allegations of the case were that M. Srinivasa Rao @ M.S. Rao Constable, CISF Unit, VSSC, Thumba (Kerala) in connivance with A.Appala Naidu  and Uma Maheswari  abused his official position and accepted illegal gratification ranging from Rs. 10,000 to Rs.80,000 from 30 unemployed candidates in and around Yelamanchili of Visakhapatnam district making them to believe that they would be appointed as ASI(Clerk) in CISF.  In furtherance of the said conspiracy, M.S.Rao issued fake appointment letters and forged letters of intimation of training to these candidates. 

After conducting the regular trial, the Court found the accused persons guilty and convicted them.

Jalandhar, February 5, 2013:  The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Egmore, Chennai has convicted R. Ganesh; R.Venkatesh and L Harikrishnan(all private persons) and sentenced them to undergo one year Rigorous Imprisonment with a fine of Rs.50,000 each in a CBI case relating to illegal routings of telephone lines.

A case was registered on September 13, 2001 against R.Ganesh resident of Chennai; R.Venkatesh partner of M/s Lakshmi & Sons, Chennai and L Harikrishnan, Partner of Ms/ Lakshmi & Sons, Chennai and others on the allegation that during the period 2000-2001 the said accused persons entered into criminal conspiracy to cheat Telecommunication Department of Government of India(presently known as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited) by way of converting illegally the incoming international calls into local calls and further switching these incoming calls to the local telephone subscribers at Chennai, without obtaining a valid license from government. A loss to the tune of about Rs23,24,407 was caused to Government of India.

After investigation of the case, a final report was filed against the accused persons before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Egmore, Chennai U/S 120-B r/w 420 IPC Sec 4 r/w 20 of Indian Telegraph Act 1885. 

The Trial Court found the accused guilty and convicted them.

Jalandhar, February 5, 2013: The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a Manager of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), Pune for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs.22,000 from the complainant.

A case was registered against the Manager (Technical), NHAI, Pune for demanding bribe of Rs.25,000 from the complainant. The complainant has alleged that the Manager of NHAI demanded the bribe from him for issuing No Objection Certificate in respect of three plots of land located near National Highway in District Satara (Maharashtra). Later on, the accused agreed to accept Rs.22,000. CBI laid a trap and the accused was caught red handed while demanding and accepting the bribe of Rs.22,000 from the complainant at Pune.

 Searches were conducted at the residence and office of the accused.

The accused is being produced today before the Special Judge, Pune.

Jalandhar, February 5, 2013: Capt. Ajay Singh Yadav, Power Minister, Haryana  participated in the Sixth Annual Conference of Power Ministers of States and UTs organised by the Union Ministry of Power, to deliberate the critical issues concerning power sector on Tuesday at New Delhi.

After giving brief of the achievements made by the Haryana Power Utilities, Power Minister, Haryana raised certain critical issues concerning power sector for seeking support from the Centre and has a hope that these issues will be suitably addressed.

He said there is a strong need to introduce a system of payments to the coal companies based on the quality of coal tested at the receiving end to address Financial Loss to the Power Generation Utilities.

The Government of India needs to take urgent steps to make necessary changes in the relevant policy guidelines to make available sufficient quantity of coal for the power plants situated in the State of Haryana. Activities relating to setting up of 660 MW Unit-3 of thermal power plant at Yamunanagar are held up due to want of coal allocation for the project.

He said Ministry of Power, Govt. of India has recommended allocation of only 2.8 mmscmd of gas for one 750MW unit for the proposed 1500 MW Gas Based combined Cycle Power Plant in district Faridabad as against the requirement of 7.5 mmscmd which needs to be increased. The Government of India needs to take urgent steps to address this major issue as lack of power will affect all other sectors of the economy.

He said Ministry of Coal had allocated Mara-II-Mahan Coal Block, having coal reserves of about 950 million tonnes, jointly to HPGCL and Govt. of Delhi in August 2006. No progress could be made regarding development of the block as Forest clearance was not granted by Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF). Power Minister, Haryana requested MOEF to grant Forest Clearance for expeditious development of the Mara-II-Mahan Coal Block.

Further, he said the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has approved for creation of Power System Development Fund (PSDF) and about Rs. 4,000 Crore has accumulated in the fund since creation. The fund is managed by Managing Committee of Northern Regional Power Committee (NRPC). The funds lying in the PSDF managed by NRPC is proposed to be utilized for Power System improvement and strengthening works required to be executed in all States. However, NRPC has not been able to draw any amount from this fund till date. The bottlenecks in this respect are required to be looked into and addressed at the earliest so that timely and proper utilization of this fund could be made.

He said as per the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna, an un-electrified Habitation having a maximum population of 100 people are to be given electric connectivity. The above condition of 100 inhabitants needs to be reduced to 25 if we have to achieve the goal of ‘power to all’.

At the end Power Minister, Haryana thanked the Union Ministry of Power, for giving him the opportunity to attend this conference and be a part of this august gathering and also for giving him an opportunity to express his views.

Jalandhar, February 6, 2013:The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested three private persons working as Customs House Agents of Mumbai-based private company in a bribery case of Rs.50,000 allegedly demanded on behalf of a Superintendent of Customs, Indeve Customs Freight Station, Somantane Village, District Raigad (Maharashtra).

A case was registered against one Customs House Agent of a Mumbai-based private company for demanding bribe from the complainant including his fees & other charges.  The Complainant, a Proprietor of Mumbai-based private firm doing business of imports of general items has alleged that the accused demanded the bribe from him for managing Customs Officers in clearing goods. CBI laid a trap and the accused was caught red-handed while demanding & accepting bribe of Rs.50,000 from the complainant.

Searches were conducted at five residential premises of accused persons including suspect Superintendent of Customs. During searches, about Rs.97 lakh in cash; Gold jewellery weighing 237 gms and incriminating documents along with investments made in purchase of  3 flats at Mumbai were recovered from the residence of Superintendent of Customs.

The arrested accused persons were produced before the Competent Court at Alibag (Maharashtra) and were remanded to CBI custody till February 11, 2013.

Further investigation is in progress.

Jalandhar, February 6, 2013: The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested an Assistant Development Officer of Delhi Fire Service, Ashram Chowk, New Delhi for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 1 lakh from the complainant.

A case was registered U/s 7 of PC Act, 1988 against an Assistant Development Officer, Delhi Fire Service, Ashram Chowk, New Delhi on a complaint alleging that he demanded Rs. 5 lakh for over-looking the Fire Fighting Licence for a building situated at Ring Road, Lajpat Nagar-IV, New Delhi. Later on, he negotiated the bribe amount and agreed for accepting bribe of Rs. 4 lakh to provide No Objection Certificate to the said building. CBI laid a trap and the accused was caught red handed while demanding and accepting bribe amount of Rs. 1 lakh as part payment of the agreed bribe amount of Rs. 4 lakh.

Searches were conducted at the residence and office of accused.

The arrested accused is being produced today in the Court of Special Judge, Patiala House Courts, New Delhi.