16 killed in Haridwar stampede

n STAMPEDE AT GAYATRI PARIVAR FUNCTION n Thousands had gathered for Shanti Kunj centenary celebrationsn Second incident in 19 monthsn PM, state announce compensation
 
Haridwar, November 8
Sixteen persons —14 women and two men — were killed in a stampede today during a religious ceremony attended by tens of thousands of devotees near the famous Har-Ki-Pauri on the banks of the Ganga here. Police sources said nearly 2 lakh people from home and abroad had gathered for the ceremony, considered to be the biggest after the Kumbh Mela.
At least 50 persons were also injured in the stampede that broke out when people tried to enter the 'yajnashala' (place of sacred fire ceremony) at Chandidweep Ghat for the birth centenary celebrations of Shri Ram Sharma, the founder of Shanti Kunj Ashram. The saint-scholar-philosopher was also the founding father of 'Akhil Vishwa Gayatri Pariwar', which has a huge following.
Eyewitnesses said the stampede occurred around 11 am in the Laljiwala area adjacent to Neeldhara, just 500 m from Har-Ki-Pauri after completion of a yajna ritual. Devotees were climbing stairs to cross a mini bridge ahead of the venue for the religious ceremony 'Gayatri Mahayagya', a survivor said.
While tens of thousands of devotees were jostling with each other to proceed to the 'yajnashala' at the ashram to make offerings, some people tripped while those behind continued to push forward. The situation soon went out of control and people ran helter-skelter, many women, children and the elderly falling to the ground.
Some of the injured men and women limped as they tried to walk while others were taken away on stretchers. Ambulances, with sirens screaming, reached the scene and rushed the injured to a makeshift 10-bed hospital that the organisers had set up to deal with emergency situations. The condition of at least 10 persons was stated to be critical.
Chaos reigned supreme in the area in the absence of police force as Shanti Kunj volunteers were managing the function and services of the police were not utilised. Consequently, no immediate help was available from the district administration. Haridwar District Magistrate D Senthyl Pendiyan and SSP Pushkar Seylal reached the site an hour after the incident.
Police officials blamed the ashram authorities for not involving the police and district administration in the management of the ceremony where lakhs of people had gathered during the past few days.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was also holding 'yajna' at the ashram when the stampede broke out.
Today's stampede is the second within 19 months at Haridwar. In the last stampede on April 14 last year, seven people were killed during the Mahakumbh Mela.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister BC Khanduri, who had himself performed rituals at the 'yajnashala' a day ago, visited the stampede site and ordered a judicial magisterial probe into the incident. He also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of each of the victims and free treatment for the injured, who are being treated at the district hospital and at makeshift medical centres of Shanti Kunj. Shanti Kunj Ashram also announced a compensation of an identical amount.
District authorities ordered the organisers to call off the four-day event that was due to end on Thursday when a large number of people are expected to take a dip in the Ganga to mark ‘Kartik Poornima’. The organisers agreed to end the celebrations tomorrow after a prayer meeting but the yajna -- the main function of the ongoing centenary festival - was cancelled today itself.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed grief over the stampede tragedy and sanctioned financial assistance to the families of those killed and injured. Families of those killed will get Rs 1 lakh each and those seriously injured will get Rs 50,000 each, a release from the PMO said.
BJP president Nitin Gadkari also visited the stampede site and met some of the injured. Governor Margaret Alva also expressed grief over the incident. Meanwhile, the Shanti Kunj ashram has accepted moral responsibility for the tragic incident.
“We sypmathise with the deceased families and are shocked as we didn’t envisage such a tragedy could occur,” said head Pranav Pandya.
Unexpected rush of devotees proved fatal: Pandya 

Haridwar, November 8
On Monday evening, Uttarakhand Chief Minister after performing yajna rituals at the yajnashala at Laljiwala, where a stampede occurred today, had lauded the management of the Shantikunj family in hosting such a well-managed festival on a grand scale.

But today, he was seeking details from Shantikunj head Dr Pranav Pandya and district administrative officials of the cause of the stampede that took a toll of 16 people, just outside the yajnashala.

The decision by the Shantikunj family of managing the grand centenary celebrations on the occasion of its founder Pt Shri Ram Sharma Acharya’s birth anniversary proved fatal.

The administrative help was sought only for getting permission regarding land venue, electricity, water and only VIP security.

But Shantikunj administrators forgot that Mahakumbh 2010 was hosted with the help of 22,000 mela police personnel and a separate mela administration which worked almost 2 years prior to the commencement of the mega fair.

Acknowledging that they had mistaken the number of people coming to attend the function, Dr Pandya said they had failed in their calculation of the number of people as they exceeded almost 10 lakh by today only. Dr Pandya had told mediapersons on October 11 that they had restricted the number of Akhil Bharatiya Gayatri Parivar activists to visit Haridwar by 8 lakh.

But as the festival began on November 6, Dr Pandya claimed that this festival would be attended by 50 lakh people, forgetting the repercussions that this crowd would have on the infrastructure.

District Magistrate of Haridwar D Senthyl Pendiyan also accepted this fact that due to the administration not being in the thick of things regarding the events, particulary yajnashala, was a major hindrance in providing timely relief to the stampede victims.

He said on his level, an ADM will probe this matter and will be submitting a report, after which only he will take any step. Similarly, SP Traffic Dr Kiran Lal Shaw last night pointed to the organisers of having a special monitoring of the yajnashala area at Laljiwala and also at the temporary bridge that led to the yajnashala, adjacent to the Dehradun-Haridwar national highway.

“This is a minor incident and during such big occasions, not much emphasis should be given to these. We have hosted such mass-scale yajnas at various other cities successfully, people are participating in thousands which point out that the incident was a minor”, remarked media spokesperson of the centenary festival Divyesh Vyas which itself reflects the way organizers tried to downplay the tragedy.

CM announces Rs 2 lakh for kin of deceased 

Dehadun, November 8
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri has expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death caused due to stampede and suffocation in Haridwar today. He expressed profound regret that such an incident occurred in the holy land of Haridwar in Uttarakhand. He announced the grant of financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. He also said the state government would bear the cost of treatment of all those who had been injured in the mishap.
Earlier in the morning, Khanduri set aside his scheduled programme to Srinagar Garhwal and immediately rushed to Haridwar upon learning of the incident. Upon arrival at Haridwar, he obtained full details of the incident from the officials. He also went to the mishap site and met the injured persons in local hospitals and enquired about the treatment being given to them.
The Chief Minister said in their hour of distress, all residents of the state had sympathy for the deceased. This was indeed the saddest moment that such an incident had happened in Uttarakhand. He said the congregation of devotees was an event organised by the Gayatri Parivar. The administration would take all precautionary measures in all such programmes to be organised in the future to avert any recurrence of such incidents, he said.
Functions cancelled

DEHRADUN: In view of the tragic incident of stampede at Haridwar in which 16 pilgrims were killed, the state government has cancelled all programmes and cultural functions to be organised on the state Foundation Day on November 9. According to a press release, only a book release programme would be held. All other cultural programmes have been cancelled.
Unruffled BJP chief attends cultural festival near accident site 

Haridwar, November 8
Despite 16 persons died in a stampede, shockingly just 200 metres away, a cultural festival continued at Kala Manch, Rodi belwala, here today. Showing no concern for the deceased and injured, the Shantikunj administration tried to downplay the tragic incident.

Even BJP leaders didn’t show any sympathy with the deceased, with BJP national president Nitin Gadkari being the chief guest at Kala Manch.

To the tunes of a musical group, Gadkari along with BJP Uttarakhand chief Bishan Singh Chufal was present on the dais and were given a warm welcome by organisers.

It seemed as if nothing had happened here or all had forgotten the tragedy and were happy in being part of this grand celebration.

When Dr Pranav Pandya, head of the Shantikunj, was asked about the tragedy initially, he declined any such incident occurring in the Laljiwala area. It was only after the media pressure that an official confirmation was made, which also tried to hide the number of victims. Their media spokesperson only said just five bodies had been found and everything was normal with people participating at yajnashala with enthusiasm.

Though later the Shantikunj administration cancelled the cultural and all other programmes with immediate effect and said tomorrow at yajnashala, prayers will be held for the peace to the departed souls of the deceased.

Ottawa warns of worsening economy, will miss four-year balanced budget target

CALGARY - Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says worsening economic conditions will add almost $16 billion to the deficit in the next two years, and he will no longer be able to deliver on the government's pledge to balance the budget by 2014.
Instead, the minister says it will take one, or possibly two, more years to completely eliminate the deficit that reached as high as $55.6 billion following the severe economic downturn that began in the fall of 2008.
Flaherty warns that following an initial recovery, conditions are darkening again and becoming more precarious.
As such, he is paring down slightly austerity measures designed to balance the books as quickly as possible.
Flaherty says Ottawa will cut in half payroll taxes scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1 that would have raised premiums on workers by 10 cents per $100 of insurable earnings, and 14 cents for firms.
The changes will mean workers earning the maximum $43,000 of insurable earnings can expect to see their take home pay shrink by about $23 a year, while firms will be paying an additional $31 a year per employee.
The government says the hit to its revenues will be $600 million next year, adding that it plans to return to the normal 10-cent premium increase in 2013.
The government is also extending the work-share program until next October.
In a speech to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, the minister said it was important to protect workers, but also essential that Canada keep its finances under control.
In an unrelated, announcement, Flaherty said the government had renewed its agreement with the Bank of Canada keeping the central bank's marching orders of targeting inflation at two per cent annually in place for another five years.

How much Cdns plan to spend on holidays

TORONTO - Feelings of financial insecurity could overwhelm the Christmas giving spirit, pressuring Canadians to be more frugal holiday shoppers this season, according to a survey released Tuesday by Deloitte Canada.
The financial services agency predicts spending will grow by a modest two per cent over last year — but the growth is due to higher prices while inflation is also up by two per cent. That will stretch shopping budgets, giving consumers less gift for their buck.
On average, Canadians will spend $1,080, although that figure was skewed upward by big spenders in Calgary and Toronto.
Half of Canadians surveyed said they will stick to a budget, with the median being around $477. Those earning less than $30,000 reported a median budget of $264 while those households with an income greater than $150,000 reported a median budget of $816.
It is the first year Deloitte has asked specific spending level questions in its annual survey, so there is no year-ago comparison.
While survey respondents said their highest priority is to pay off lingering bills, as household debt-to-income ratios continue to rise, that goal can be obscured during the holidays as festive sentiment encourages further spending, said Jean-Philippe Vorsanger, a retail consultant with Deloitte Canada.
"People's horizon is always short-term, people know in the back of their mind that things may go bad — but it's Christmas ," he said Tuesday after the survey's release.
"They get in the spirit of the moment and they spend money."
Those who have trouble reining in their holiday shopping budgets risk a tough financial lesson once the holiday season ends and the bills start to arrive, Vorsanger said.
Government officials have been warning Canadians about piling on too much debt during this low interest rate climate because it could become too burdensome to pay back when interest rates inevitably rise.
The latest jobs report — showing a surprising 54,000 jobs lost in October — stock market volatility, the pressure of a high loonie and rising food and fuel prices have taken their toll on consumer confidence, said Vorsanger.
Only 29 per cent of respondents in the Deloitte survey said they expect the economy to improve in the coming year, while 33 per cent thought it will decline, the report found.
Last year, nearly half — 49 per cent — of Canadians were optimistic about the economy for the coming year and 15 per cent had a negative outlook.
Deloitte noted that its consumer confidence index has dropped to 75 from 89 last year — though Canadians are still more optimistic that shoppers south of the border, where the confidence index hovers around 45.
But Vorsanger said while the predictions aren't optimistic, at least they're not negative, as they were during the Christmas of 2008.
That Christmas , Canada had officially entered a recession and there were huge job losses and holiday sales were down 1.5 per cent.
"When people are unemployed they just don't spend money," said Vorsanger.
"As long as employment is at a reasonable level or going up, you can see flat or a small growth in retail. It's when employment goes down in very large numbers, like it did in 2008, that you start seeing negative growth."
The findings are in line with two earlier surveys.
A report by OTX and Google released last Tuesday found Canadians plan to be more frugal this year. The average amount Canadians said they planned to spend this year was $711, down from $728 last holiday season.
And a Bank of Montreal study predicted in October that Canadian retail sales will be up about 2.5 per cent in November and December, compared with a gain of 3.1 per cent in last year's holiday season.
The BMO study also noted that retail sales will be restrained by high household debt, modest wage growth and turbulent global markets.
Meanwhile, retailers, who are also feeling the pinch of a slowing economy, anticipate slow sales and have cut back inventory accordingly, Vorsanger said.
That means stores are unlikely to hold big sales and deep discounts to attract customers, he said.
"I don't think retailers are out there making splashes with big promotions early in the season — they will wait."
Electronic spending will be a key driver of holiday sales, with that category expected to increase 10 per cent from last year when there was a lack of hot tech items on the market.
This year, as competition ramps up in the tablet computing market, price wars are also heating up, which could drive sales.

Irish opt for bold change in helmets

The Fighting Irish have some of the most iconic images in college football history whether it's the solid gold helmet, the interlocking "N" and "D" or the boxing Irishman. So why in the world does Notre Dame continue to keep peddling the shamrock logo?
For luck, perhaps?
The Irish are debuting their new helmet for the "Shamrock Series Game" against Maryland this weekend in what seems like an attempt to outdo the Terps' uniform creativity.
This is the second time this season Notre Dame is slapping a shamrock on the side of its hats for a game. The Irish did something similar against Michigan earlier in the year, though the helmet was solid gold while this one has some texture to it. However, the luck of the Irish didn't help as Notre Dame lost 35-31 to the Wolverines.
This year is the first time Notre Dame has sported the shamrock since 1959 when coach Joe Kuharich introduced it. The fad only lasted until 1962 before it reemerged this season.

Lucky for all of us (pun intended), the Shamrock Series is not just a one-game deal. The Irish will wear special uniforms for its 2012 game against Miami at Soldier Field in Chicago and in 2013 against Arizona State at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The helmet will be the only change for this weekend's game. The rest of the uniform will be the green ones the Irish wore against Army last season.
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US exit from Iraq provides opportunity to Arab world: Expert

Dehradun, November 7
Professor Tim Niblock, President of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies, said today that the exit of the US from Iraq has provided an opportunity to the Middle East countries to independently manage their own political, economic and security concerns.
“Without leaning towards the Western countries the Arab world should be able to manage their own collective interests and even go on to organise regional-level security outfit. The American engagement in Iraq has already exposed the short-sighted nature of the country of its policies that has only resulted in the gain for Iran. With new players emerging on the scene, especially China, it would be interesting to see if the region once again becomes a source of conflict for countries vying for space,” said Professor Niblock while delivering a talk on “China, India and the Gulf: Promoting Collective Interests and Avoiding conflict”, at Doon University here.
He said while India had long historical ties with the Gulf countries, China’s association with the Gulf countries began taking firm shape only in 2000 when it began to look for oil supplies from the Gulf to fulfil its growing needs. “As an emerging economic giant, China is expected to fill the slot vacated by the US followed by India and other countries. China enjoys a political and historical advantage, as it does not carry any political and historical baggage as carried by the Western countries. But my interaction with the Chinese suggest they are interested in building only economic ties and taking lessons from the past would like keep itself aloof politically,” the Professor said.
He said by all accounts India too had similar interest. “While it has historical ties with the middle east and a strong expatriate population in these countries, India too has several advantages. Their role in the Gulf then should be seen as complementary instead of competitive and it may eventually lead to peace in the region,” said Professor Niblock.

Fake driving licence scam

Mastermind surrenders in court
Chandigarh, November 7
In the fake driving licence scam, mastermind Manish, a resident of Sector 45, surrendered in the court of the Chandigarh Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) here this evening.
Inspector Dulip Rattan said the accused used to provide licences by forging the signature of DSP (Traffic) Vijay Kumar. He added that they had got the two-day police remand of the accused and further investigations were on.
The police had earlier arrested six persons, including Jaswinder Singh, alias Jassi, owner of Zamidara driving school, and recovered 28 files based on fake papers that were prepared by the gang from the office of the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA), Sector 17.
Investigation revealed that the accused had documented more than 200 driving licences by using fake stamps and signatures. During initial investigation, the police had discovered that the accused also used to forge the signatures of sub-inspector Sukhdev Singh, in charge, Chandigarh Traffic Park, as part of the process of completing licence files.
The scrutiny of the recovered files had revealed that the beneficiaries had not appeared for the driving test at the Chandigarh Traffic Park in Sector 23. Their files were found to be having valid serial numbers.

HC wants separate account for property tax deposited by schools

Chandigarh, November 7
The Punjab and Haryana High Court in its orders has stated that property tax, if deposited by schools in Chandigarh, should be kept in a separate account.
In case appeals filed by the municipal corporation are dismissed, the amount shall be refunded to applicants, the Bench of Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice GS Sandhawalia ruled, while dismissing three applications filed by the schools for vacation of an ex-parte order dated April 6.
Vide the order, the appeals against the order passed by a Single Judge on September 24, 2010, were admitted and the operation of the order was stayed.
The Single Judge had quashed a notification fixing property tax on institutional lands.
The order came on a bunch of 23 petitions filed by St John’s High School-26 and other institutions.
The writ petitioner had contended that the municipal corporation’s resolution to levy tax on institutional lands and buildings was absent. Therefore, the notification was without jurisdiction.
The Bench ruled: “The argument that the payment of tax at this stage will amount to undue enrichment is again not tenable. The tax has been levied in terms of the statutory provisions and after complying with the procedure. It is for the writ petitioners to device means of payment of tax.”
“Since the tax is, prima facie, legal, the vacation of the order passed by the court will lead to the stay of levy of tax.”
The Bench also asserted, prima-facie, it did not find any procedural irregularity in imposing tax.
The Bench asserted: “Prima facie, we find that the order of Single Judge may not be sustainable. The resolution specifically excluded the levy of house tax on residential lands and buildings used for residential purposes. Meaning thereby, that except lands and buildings which are being used for residential purposes, there is a resolution of the municipal corporation to levy tax on all lands and buildings.”
The Bench added: “The exemption to schools in Punjab has nothing to do with the tax. Still further, schools are imparting education to children again cannot provide any binding precedent on this Bench. Prima-facie, we do not find that there is any procedural irregularity in imposing tax. The levy and recovery of tax serves public purpose.”
The Bench concluded: “Any observation made in the order, is only for the purpose of deciding the present applications for vacation of stay.
It shall not be taken into consideration while deciding the appeals on merit. The appeals have already been ordered to be heard within a year on April 6. Since the issue is short, we are of the opinion that the interest of justice warrants that the present appeals be posted for final hearing in the month of January, 2012, high-up in the list.”

No military resolution to problem: Russia

Moscow, November 7
Russia's foreign minister warned on Monday that any military strike against Iran would be a grave mistake with unpredictable consequences.
Russia, the closest thing Iran has to a big power ally, is deeply opposed to any military action against the Islamic Republic, though Moscow has supported United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, is expected this week to issue its most detailed report yet on research in Iran seen as geared to developing atomic bombs. But the Security Council is not expected impose stiffer sanctions as a result.
Israeli media have been rife with speculation that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working to secure cabinet consensus for an attack on Iranian nuclear installations.
"This would be a very serious mistake fraught with unpredictable consequences," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said when asked about reports that Israel planned a military strike against Iran.
Lavrov said there could be no military resolution to the Iranian nuclear problem and said the conflicts in Iran's neighbours, Iraq and Afghanistan, had led to human suffering and high numbers of casualties.
A raid on Iran's nuclear facilities would be likely to provoke Tehran into hugely disruptive retaliatory measures in the Gulf that would sever shipping routes and disrupt the flow of oil and gas to export markets, political analysts believe.
Iran is already under four rounds of United Nations sanctions due to concerns about its nuclear programme, which it says is entirely peaceful.
Washington is pushing for tighter measures after discovering what it says was an Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States.
Russia has tried to push Tehran to disclose more details about its nuclear work to ease international concerns.
Senior Russian security officials accept that the West has legitimate concerns about the nuclear programme though Moscow says there is no clear evidence that Iran is trying to make a nuclear bomb.
Any military strike against Iran would be likely to sour ties between the West and Russia, whose leader, Vladimir Putin, is almost certain to win a presidential election in March.
"There is no military solution to the Iranian nuclear problem as there is no military solution to any other problem in the modern world," said Lavrov.
"This is confirmed to us every day when we see how the problems of the conflicts around Iran are being resolved -- whether Iraq or Afghanistan or what is happening in other countries in the region. Military intervention only leads to many times more deaths and human suffering."

India to commission its third research station in Antarctica

Panaji, November 7
Nearly 28 years after it set up the first permanent research station in the South Polar region, India is all set to commission and occupy a third such station in Antarctica by March next year. After the station named 'Bharti' becomes operational, India will join the league of select nations that have multiple operation stations in the region.
Director of the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) Rasik Ravindra said that the new station is located almost 3,000 km away from the existing 'Maitri' station which is serving the nation since its inception in 1988-89.
"The construction of the new station is going on at a hectic speed. The current Indian Antarctic Expedition that sailed off from Cape Town on October 26 under the leadership of Rajesh Asthana will complete the project in this Antarctic summer itself, hopefully by March 2012," Ravindra told PTI.
"We will occupy it soon thereafter," he said.
The scientists associated with NCAOR had earlier carried out a comprehensive environmental evaluation (CEE) of the project for the new station at Grovnes promontory in the Larsemann Hills on the eastern part of the South Pole.
Indian scientists will undertake cutting-edge research on geological structures and tectonics at the centre from the next year, he said.
'Bharati' station is a self-contained double-storey structure on stilts and is designed to have a life span of 25 years. It will accommodate 25 people during summer and 15 people during winter.
The setting up of this station was taken up in two phases. Phase I materialised during summer of 2010-11 and Phase II in the successive summer.
As per the CEE, minor and transitory impacts on the Antarctic environment are likely due to construction of the ambitious project.
Although 'more than minor and transitory impacts on the Antarctic environment' are expected due to construction, the impacts are expected to be minimised with measures like use of combined heat and power concept for heating and renewable energy sources, low sulphur fossil fuel, optimisation of vehicle movement, efficient treatment of effluents, bringing back hazardous and sanitary wastes to mainland for disposal and others, Ravindra said quoting the CEE study.
The proposed location is of interest on account of scientific and logistic reasons, ice-free terrain and easy access from the sea.
"This area, including the islands and promontories, offer an excellent scope for extensive studies on geological structures and tectonics with special reference to Gondwanaland, palaeoclimatology, solid earth geophysics, space-weather and meteorology, oceanography, marine biology, microbiology, environmental science," Javed Beg, a senior NCAOR scientist said.
"To facilitate the planned scientific studies, including environmental monitoring, the station will have state-of-the-art laboratory facilities," he said.
The station is designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions prevailing at Larsemann Hills and is compliant with the environmental standards under the Madrid Protocol, Ravindra said.
The Larsemann Hills area is marked by persistent, strong katabatic winds that blow from east to southeast during austral summer. Extreme minimum temperature recorded in the region so for is -40 C, though the daytime mean monthly temperatures during summer drop to around 0 degree C.
India had in the past established Dakshin Gangotri (1983) and Maitri (1988-89) stations in Antarctica. The former has since been decommissioned after it got buried under ice and has been marked as an historic site.