Bombay High Oil fire: When India lost its biggest oil platform

New Delhi, Jul 27 : Six years have passed when the country's biggest oilfield was destroyed in a disastrous fire at Bombay High North.

This killed 11 people and as many went missing, but those who survived the accident still feel the unrest of the flames.

On this day in 2005, Samudra Suraksha, a ship in which one of the ONGC employees cut his fingers, lost control, drifted and collided against BHN, leading to a major oil spill and causing both the platform and the ship to catch fire.

The tragedy was even worse as it took place at a time when the coastal city was trying to come out of torrential rains massacre that had already taken 300 lives.

However, maximum of the people onboard were saved. Some of them jumped into the Arabian Sea or into the lifeboats, some crossed over to a neighbouring smaller rig via a low-slung bridge while many were rescued by another ONGC ship DSV Samudra Prabha, a fire-fighting ship with High voltage generation of 11400 KW.

"It was a massive explosion. When we reached BHN for rescue operations, to our horror, we saw that the platform had vanished in less that two hours time," Engineer Sharad Gupta, who was the DP Electronics Officer at Samudra Prabha, said today.

Er Gupta and his team were awarded Maritime Bravery Award 2005 by DG Shipping, Government of India, for this life saving task.

Sharing how in such adverse conditions 361 lives were saved and he said, "Samudra Suraksha, which was on fire, was drifting dangerously close to other installations and had six divers pressurised in chamber. Fortunately, all those six were saved. But we could not save the ship."

Heavy rains had flooded Juhu helibase and ONGC colonies grounding many helicopters and so the rescue was tougher. The sea was also rough. The ship had slowly sank on the intervening night of August 1 and 2.

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Hazare writes to Prime Minister about Aug 16 fast; warns against crushing it

New Delhi, Jul 18: Confident of people's backing, Gandhian Anna Hazare today formally wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regarding his decision to go on a hunger strike from August 16 if an effective Lokpal Bill is not presented in Parliament and warned the government that it would not be able to foil the protest like it did with Yoga guru Ramdev.

In his letter, the anti-corruption crusader referred to various civil society's demands regarding inadequacies of the Bill draft prepared by the government and demanded that these be corrected before it reaches Parliament.

"I have written to the Prime Minister about our fast at Jantar Mantar from August 16 today for the first time. It is our constitutional right to protest, so when the government says that it will crush our 'andolan' like Baba Ramdev's, it is not right," Mr Hazare said at a press conference here.

The social leader further said he was ready to face the consequences. "We are ready to get arrested and be beaten up but we have had enough of corruption. We are ready to sacrifice our lives... that is what I have written to the Prime Minister," he said.

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal and Swami Agnivesh also accompanied Mr Hazare.

Coming down heavily on the UPA leaders for their comment to impede his fast in the same way as Ramdev's, Mr Hazare said it is a democracy. The way people's support enabled him to go for an uninterrupted fast in April, they would back his team this
time too.

"The government is thinking itself to be a dictator but it should realise that it is people's servant," he pointed out. Mr Hazare and his team have been campaigning for a strong Lokpal Bill to fight corruption.

Mr Bhushan informed the gathering about their ongoing meetings with the Delhi police for holding the protest in the city. He said they have informed the police about their protest but their conditions to hold the fast were "unconstitutional".

"We informed the police about the fast on July 15. On the same day, we received a reply seeking an undertaking from us in the office of Commissioner of Police, well in advance. In that undertaking, they are asking for a 'No Objection Certificate'
(NOC) from the land owning agency, without which the permission would not be granted. This kind of demand is totally unconstitutional," Mr Bhushan said.

Reasoning further, he said the land owning agency in this case is New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). "Do you think they will give us the NOC?" he asked.

The meetings between the Hazare team and Delhi police in this regard are still underway, he said and added they were hopeful of sorting out the matter. Meanwhile, they would also apply for the NOC from NDMC.

Mr Kejriwal told reporters about a referendum they were going to hold in Chandni Chowk area, which happens to be Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal's constituency, to know the people's view on Lokpal.

"We have drafted an eight-page questionnaire which will reach people on July 21. They would independently reply to it in two days and submit it back to us by July 24. Then it would be checked through OMR process. It would tell the government what the people want," he said.

He added that interested persons will also be able to download the form from their website and answer it.

Destruction of Evidence...or Justice?

New Delhi, Jul 17:Evidence is one of the most important requirement to send a criminal behind bars and achieve justice, but if the same is eliminated by the its "securer" then the act becomes nothing less than "evidence of abetment".

The world is observing International Day for Criminal Justice today which aims at ending of impunity for the gravest crimes known to humankind.

The situation of law and order in India sometimes seems a little dicey having examples enough to negate the definition of an ideal police officer who has the prime responsibility to provide safety and security to citizens. Be it Jessica Lal murder case or Priyadarshini Mattoo rape and murder case, suspicion has been raised often on police officials for their involvement in destruction of evidence.

"Police are investigators of crime and it is their duty to lead the system till the culprit is punished. Barring a few instances, they do best of their ability to link all the evidences to prove the guilty in the case. If they do, they do it for obvious reasons like pressure from seniors, political pressure, an some ulterior motive or sometimes out of bribery.

There is no straitjacket formula for it," an Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on condition of anonymity said.

In Priyadarshini Mattoo rape-cum-murder case, when a 25-year-old law student was raped and murdered by Santosh Kumar, son of a Police Inspector-General, the Additional Sessions Judge, while delivering the judgement after 11 years, came down heavily on the role of police while delivering the judgement, almost after 11 years. He said the police attempted to assist the accused during the investigation and trial by creating false evidence and false defense for him.

In a similar case/instance, it took more than seven years to punish Manu Sharma and his friends for killing innocent Jessica not only because of the witness turning hostile but also due to playing with the evidence. After a probe and disclosure by the case's investigating officer, it was suggested that certain police officials conspired with CFSL ballistic expert Roop Singh to replace one of the empty cartridges including the one that killed Jessica.

"Destruction of evidence is a crime, irrespective of who does it and for what purpose. When done by police or investigating agencies, it poses a serious threat to the sanctity of our Criminal Justice Administration System. Though practised as a routine, it comes to public knowledge only in few cases which are investigated and highlighted in media or involve 'influential' people," Anant Kumar Asthana, Panel Lawyer, Delhi Legal Services Authority, said.

There are legal and procedural safeguards in place to reduce the scope of tampering with evidence by investigating agency (agencies), but given the corrupt, unprofessional and Non-independent character of Indian Police System, these safeguards and rules are routinely flouted. This directly influences the result of criminal trial.

Justice becomes the casualty and people who have already suffered due to a crime face another tragedy.

Former president A P J Abdul Kalam said while delivering the valedictory address of the 150th year celebrations of Chennai Metropolitan Police in Chennai, "...The police force should be friendly, corruption-free, responsible, and tolerant to ambiguity and pressure, caring for the people with a sense of compassion and empathy...." It becomes unfortunate when sometimes policemen are found indulging in dubious and unlawful activities.

However, we cannot blame the whole affiliation based on a few incidents we have on record. "What is important is the trend and the proportion in which it is being detected.

You will find such a group of people in our society who do not abide by the norms entrusted to them; similar is the case here. You cannot accuse the entire fraternity on finding wrongdoing by a few people. It is a case of exception rather than a rule," Former Police Commissioner Radhe Shyam Gupta said.

Legal experts feel that strengthening internal intelligence, ensuring persecution of those found involved, improving the public-police ratio, introducing administrative reforms in policing system, taking police out from the control of government and bringing it under Judiciary, and thus, letting police have its autonomy , can help in eliminating this practice.

A hug that didn't offend Dr Kalam!

New Delhi, Jul 15 : It was a dream come true for a woman today when the most-loved former President of India Dr A P J Abdul Kalam accepted her offer to get hugged.

While the notable scientist had already captivated a gathering of his fans and believers by talking to them in person at a function held here, the woman could not hold back her excitement and requested him for an embrace.

"You have always been a great inspiration for me. If it does not offend you, can I give you a hug?" she asked, surprising every person present inside the hall.

As expected from the generous leader, he nodded a "yes" smiling widely at her and within few seconds, the camera flashes surrounded the hall to capture that moment of respectful clasp.

It was later found out that she was Nalini Chandran, a known educationist and founder of Hari Sri Vidya Nidhi School in Trichur, Kerela who has received numerous awards in the field of education and human enrichment.

Some of them are the Charter of Honour by the Indian Medical Association, Thrissur; the Manorama-Air India BOLT Award for Educational and Community Work; the Kerala Vikas Kendra Award for work connected with women's welfare and many others.

Doomsday scenario for cardiac surgery in India: Director AIHF

New Delhi, Jul 15 : Years-long training and lack of financial returns have led to severe shortage of cardiac surgeons in India, a country where every fourth person dies of a heart failure, Director of All India Heart Foundation Dr O P Yadava said today.

"Last year there was not a single candidate who registered for the Diplomate of National Board (DNB) programme in Cardiac Surgery in more than ten training programmes running in Delhi. Medical practitioners have lost their interest in this specialisation," Dr Yadava, Chief Consultant Cardiac Surgeon and CEO of National Heart Institute said.

This is a major cause of concern as it has been predicted that by 2015, almost 20 million people will die from CVDs, mainly from heart disease and stroke. Moreover, as more and more people are suffering from the obesity syndrome, they are twice as likely to suffer from heart attacks.

The reasons for this declining trend are attributable to the six to seven years of training involved to the strenuous nature of the job itself and the relatively greater financial returns even from streams as mundane as radiology and laboratory services.

"Another reason in equal measure is the high headed egoists senior faculty in the speciality who think themselves as nothing less than God and demand and extract more than what an average trainee could endure," Dr Yadava, winner of Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award-1992 as well as Indira Gandhi Excellence Award-2006, added.

Asked if, according to him, government is thinking of taking action against the crisis, the reply came in negative. "The government is happy to have its four seats of Master of Chirurgical (MCH) filled in its top-most institute. They forget that the number of applicants for it has declined drastically from thousands to hundreds and will go down further," the doctor said.

He informed about a desperate measure taken this year by the authorities to attract trainees for cardiac surgery wherein a new programme was launched where entry is being provided immediately after MBBS for a five-year consolidated DNB programme in CTVS.

"This is not enough. It is necessary to increase the financial compensation, reduction of working hours which currently go to 18 hours a day, ensuring the cardiologist's self esteem, adequate placement and a lifestyle improvement programme by the government," he said.

India suffers the highest loss in potentially productive years of life, due to deaths from cardiovascular disease in people aged 35-64 years (9·2 million years lost in 2000). By 2030, this loss is expected to rise to 17.9 million years -- 940 per cent greater than the corresponding loss in the US, which has a population a third the size of India's.

Shanti Bhushan v/s Amar Singh: 'CD not tampered'

New Delhi, Apr 21 : The CD allegedly containing a conversation between former law minister Shanti Bhushan and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav has not been tampered, sources in Delhi Police today said after receiving the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) report.

"The CFSL has concluded that the recording was authentic, clear and continuous and there is no tampering, splicing or interpolation," sources said.

Sources added that the dominant voice in the CD is alleged to be that of Mr Bhushan telling Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh that judges can be fixed for Rs 4 crore.

The Lokpal Bill Draft Committee's co-chairman Bhushan and his son Prashant Bhushan have so far denied the authenticity of the CD and claimed that it was doctored.

The report by the CFSL was sent on Tuesday evening to the Delhi Police. It contradicts two reports furnished by Bhushans which said the recordings were spliced or put together by combining separate conversations. Since the voice sample of Shanti Bhushan was not submitted, the report does not confirm whether the voice is of the former law minister.

The CFSL is a government-owned laboratory that specialises in forensic investigation. It is under the administrative control of the CBI and under the overall control of the Home Ministry.

The Delhi Police had forwarded the tape to the CFSL after the Bhushans lodged an FIR.

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Children have no "altitude " problem in community service

New Delhi, Apr 6 : Breaking all conventional barriers, Indian school children have surpassed their elders in community service from cleaning a dirty village pond to climbing 17,000 ft to collect 32 kg of garbage!

Ninth class student Sarojini Sarada turned a disused pond in her village in Orissa to a fish breeding ground providing an excellent business opportunity for the local people. She conducted a "Pond restoration mission" to clean the pond and motivated her friends and neighbours towards the cause.

Such is a story of not one small girl but hundreds of other students nationwide who put extraordinary efforts to serve the community.

Arun Vajpai, a XII class student from Haryana, trekked at an altitude of 17,000 ft over a period of two and a half months and collected 32 kg of garbage. It was his effort to free the people living on mountains from various ecological problems they face.

"We generally think that it is more than enough for school children to complete their homework. However, these children are not only doing well in their studies but have excelled in helping others," said Ms Sujata Dutta, founder member of Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards, organised for the first time to felicitate such students in the country on Monday.

Altogether 42 students, belonging to classes VI to XII, were shortlisted from around 600 such young volunteers and awarded medals and certificates. Two students received gold medals, a cash prize and a return trip to the US while 18 got silver medals and 20 bronze medals. Two students were also presented with Jury Appreciation Awards.

Mother to a seven-year-old boy, Ms Dutta, however, stressed that community service in India is not easy, especially for girls "When we talked to these children, we realised that there are problems like community acceptance, insecurity, and lack of encouragement, except in some cases where teachers and parents were the morale builders," she said.

Citing an example, she informed UNI about a VII class boy, S R Poobesh Gowtham, in Hosur, Karnataka, who felt strongly for the girl students of his school who had to go to toilets with no roofs.

"For construction of the covered toilets he had to raise money. When he talked about it to his friends, they used to laugh at him. But he did not feel demoralised and collected Rs 10,000 for the construction activity," she said.

Gowtham even educated children about the importance of toilet hygiene through skits, presentations and life-skills classes in his own school premises. He received a silver medal and a certificate for the same.

Emphasising that encouragement from teachers and parents can lead these students achieve greater heights, Ms Dutta shared the story of VII class student Nikkita Chhiber of St Mary's school in New Delhi who initiated a greenery club at colony level.

"She started the club and was later joined by friends who all work regularly towards making the locality parks better. She was inspired by her grandmother who was a nature lover and was helped by her school teachers," she said.

The girl received a silver medal and a certificate.

The recipient of the awards, an extension of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in the United States, were selected by an eminent jury comprising retired d IPS officer Kiran Bedi, President of Pratham NGO Madhav Chavan, Founder of Shri Ram Schools Manju Bharatram, chief of Biocon Foundation Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Founding Dean of Indian School of Business Pramath Raj Sinha.

Numerous schools all over the country were approached personally by the host company from July 2010 to December 2010 to reach out to the students. Once applications were received, the students' contributions were judged on the basis of timeline of the service, how motivated the students were, the impact that the service created and the degree of challenges faced in accomplishing the goals.

Among the first 22 awardees, 11 were from Delhi and NCR while the rest were from states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Orissa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Punjab.

Noted film actress and theatre personality Shabana Azmi gave away these awards in the national capital.

After 76 hrs without eating, Hazare stands strong, loses 2.5 kg

New Delhi, Apr 8: As veteran social activist Anna Hazare’s fast against corruption demanding a stronger Lokpal Bill, entered the fourth day today, his blood pressure has started fluctuating with loss of weight but he still stands strong.

The anti-corruption crusader has lost 2.5 kg and his blood pressure is fluctuating, doctors examining Mr Hazare said and added that he is mentally going strong. Health of the 73-year-old activist has become a matter of concern as he has not been consuming even Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS). Addressing the gathering at Jantar Mantar yesterday, he mentioned about his high blood pressure. “I am pleased with the people’s support.

Yesterday my Blood Pressure had shot up a little but today it is back to normal visualising the people’s support. Thank you,” he told his supporters who assembled there in thousands of number. More than 76 hours have passed when Mr Hazare vowed not to eat till his demands are met.

There have been wide examples from the Indian history when people had survived without food for numerous days. Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi had gone without food for 21 days, Bhagat Singh for 64 days, Potti Sreeramulu for 82 days and many others.The whole nation is looking and praying for the well-being of the Gandhian activist, who is trying hard to make the country corruption-free.

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164 children go missing every day in India; activists blame government

New Delhi, Apr 1 : At least 164 children go missing every day in the country and are allegedly forced into various kinds of exploitation but the political will, needed to curb the menace, is missing, human rights activist Kailash Satyarthi said today.

"Parliament has brought a halt to various social ills but the matter of these 'nowhere children' is missing from the discussions.

Why don't Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj raise their voice against this?" Mr Satyarthi asked.

He added that though political leaders, including the Prime Minister, claimed to be concerned about these children, "their statements never translated into action".

"According to government figures, 60,000 children are reported missing annually with over 21,000 remaining untraced and the number is only rising. More than five children go missing from one area itself. What action has been taken in this regard?" Mr Satyarthi, also the founder of child rights NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), told UNI.

Referring to the situation in the national capital, the architect of the single largest civil society network for the most exploited children -- Global March Against Child Labour -- said more than 463 cases of missing children have so far been reported in just the first three months of 2011.

"These children have been kidnapped, lured, enticed and trafficked for the purpose of forced labour like child labour, bonded labour, forced begging, child prostitution, drug peddling and others," he said.

Under his leadership, the BBA along with a number of such parents who have been searching for their missing children for long, today held a march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament and submitted a memorandum to President Pratibha Devisingh Patil for strict policy and action to protest and get back such children.

Mr Satrayarthi said a national task force must be established that could look into finding these children and punishing the culprits.

"Significant and 'clean' people from the judiciary, CBI and police should form a part of it," he added.

He said the existing anti-trafficking legislation in the country should be amended and all the cases of missing children must be registered and investigated.

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Right to free education in India comes with hidden costs: Study

New Delhi, Mar 31: A year has passed since the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act came into effect in the country but 10-year-old Meenu does not know yet how a classroom looks like as her village in the national capital does not have a school.

The fate is the same for thousands of other such poor children who reside in various villages in the country with no education facilities.

In a study conducted by an NGO working for uplift of street and working children, Bachpan Bachao Aandolan (BBA), in 251 schools in nine states of the country, alarming statistics has come to the fore.

At least 20 per cent schools were found still charging admission fee while 42 per cent schools charged money for study material. Plus, admission is not allowed at all times of the year in about 30 per cent of the schools.

"Government has utterly failed to address the children of hardest to reach categories which include bonded and child labourers, victims of trafficking, child prostitution and pornography, forced beggary and street children," human rights activist and founder of BBA Kailash Satyarthi said.

He added children with disabilities and HIV/AIDS, children from nomadic tribes, displaced and migrant families and those who live in abject poverty were also excluded from education.

The study, that was conducted to check if schools are able to implement RTE in states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan Jharkhand, among others, observed that 24 per cent children dropped-out from school while 50 per cent had no School Management Committees.

Referring to various facilities which should be provided to in the schools, the report noted that 16 per cent did not have drinking water, 33 per cent did not have separate toilets and 17 per cent did not provide study material or accessories like bag.

Mr Satyarthi, the architect of the single largest civil society network for the most exploited children -- Global March Against Child Labour -- further said exclusion of education directly related to social, cultural and economic exclusion.

"Education of such children must be taken care through a coordinated effort of various ministries and agencies because the issue has gone beyond the reach of education sector alone," he said.

The child rights organisation recommended that privatisation and commercialisation of education should be checked and multi stake-holder partnerships must be fostered at village level for the inclusion and retention of children.

The NGO stressed that there needs to be a joint monitoring of child labourers by Labour and Education departments.

6-yr-old achieves 1st division in IGNOU's course of pottery

New Delhi, Mar 27 : Six-year-old Divya Prakash Pandey has surpassed all his elder classmates by passing a certificate in Craft and Design (Pottery) Programme in first division.

Divya has become the youngest pride of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) by passing the course under School of Engineering and Technology in July 2010 session with 76 per cent marks.

He is not only the youngest student at IGNOU but also the youngest student ever admitted in any university.

A class two student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Divya, had interest in Craft and Design (pottery) since childhood and so during the course of his studies, he created fusion in craft and design as well as magic, a university official said.

"He has created wonder in the world of clay by designing the famous magic trick 'Water of India' besides designing different pattern and creating innovative ideas in craft and design," he said.

The CCDP course is developed under the IGNOU-Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) project and aims at upgrading the knowledge and skills of artisans engaged/interested in pottery.

This programme envisages no prerequisite educational qualification for the target group of rural artisans and interested youths. It introduces artisans to conceptual designing as well as cost analysis and marketing of products.

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Kalam "dies" and comes alive on cyber space!

New Delhi: "People's President" A P J Abdul Kalam today became yet another eminent personality to have received numerous condolence messages and homage while being very much alive!

The former President's educational advisor Hafiz Saleh Muhammad Alladin's death, in no time, turned into a rumour about Dr Kalam's passing away and spread like wildfire in cyberspace.

Dr Alladin, 80, a renowned astronomer, died yesterday.

Homage and condolence messages started flashing on social network portals like Twitter and Facebook.

One of the tweets said, "India salutes its greatest president! Dr Abdul Kalam brought rare grace, courage, dignity and simplicity to Rashtrapati Bhavan. RIP." The rumour gained further strength when noted author Shobhaa De also tweeted regretting the death of Dr Kalam. Soon she removed that message and expressed deep regrets saying, "A thousand apologies.

Our beloved former President is alive and well. Jiyo Hazaaron Saal.

Maafi Chhaiye." However, with no dearth of people who rejected the news, the post was removed from the sites soon followed by many posts and tweets about Dr Kalam being very much alive.

Some called it a "cyber death for a few hours" while others termed the people who spread such rumours as "dumb".

Numerous countrymen also wished for Dr Kalam's well being and long life. "Guys, believe me, Abdul Kalam performs Shivananda yoga everyday and eats simply. He'll outlive all of us," a tweet said.

Send Hasan Ali behind bars: Ramdev tells govt

New Delhi, February 05: Yoga Guru Ramdev today asked the government that why is it not taking a stern action against the stud farm owner, Hasan Ali, whose alleged black money is stashed in Swiss banks.

''Why the government is not sending him behind the bars? Is it because his money consists of some share belonging to the government itself?'' he alleged during a press conference here.

The spiritual guru, who had launched his political party Bharat Swabhiman to clean up politics in the country, said when a common man commits tax evasion of even a lakh of rupees, immediate strict action is taken against him.

''Why is Hasan Ali not forming the part of the same league of criminals?'' he asked.

He claimed that the government keeps probing and tries to find out source of livelihood of only good people. ''Scores of enquiries were ordered on me and they are still going on. What is the use?'' he said.

Reportedly, Switzerland's Federal Office of Justice (FoJ) had told Indian authorities in August 2010 to complete their request for help in this case since 2007.

On January 30, it reiterated that the request has not been completed so far.
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