Conference on trends in energy engg

Dehradun, March 23
A two-day All India National Conference on ‘The emerging trends in energy engineering’ began at the Dehradun Institute of Technology (DIT) here today. The conference aims at providing a common platform to researchers, academicians and industrial experts to share their knowledge and expertise in the field of energy engineering and formulate recommendations for the implementation by stakeholders.
The conference is being jointly organised by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and the Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST). The event would witness participation of experts, researchers, scientists, professors and students from all across the country.
Dr Krishna Kumar, Executive-Director, DIT, said, “Modern world is unimaginable without energy. It is of paramount importance that adequate efforts should be made to increase the generation of energy to cope up with the rapid expansion of the industrial sector. Research in the field of generation and management of energy is the need of the hour. Therefore, we are organising this conference to provide a platform to experts and researchers in the multidisciplinary fields to meet and discuss the related issues and challenges,” he added.
Dr JS Raini, an expert in thermal energy and a faculty at DIT, asserted that the conference would draw excellent response from researchers from all over the country. “35 research papers out of 100 have been selected to be presented at the conference. These research papers are related to engineering areas, including energy resources, energy efficiency and management, heat transfer and fluid flow, energy storage and many others. The convention would serve as a useful forum for the exchange of ideas and views of technical experts and students,” he emphasised.

‘Weather watch group to benefit farm sector’

Dehradun, March 23
Setting up of mandatory crop weather watch group will greatly benefit Uttarakhand in increasing its agriculture yield in the state. This was stated by Director, Dehradun Meteorological Centre, Dr Anand Sharma, while interacting with the The Tribune on World Meteorological Organisation Day today.
He said several states of the country had the mandatory crop weather watch group that was proving useful for the agriculture sector.
The group that comprises stakeholders linked to agriculture like irrigation, power, seed resources, weather and others, holds regular meetings in order to have a look at all factors that affect the agriculture and take necessary measures. “The state needs to have such groups for strengthening its agriculture sector,” said Dr Sharma.
Referring to the role of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in the country, he said the IMD was providing services in almost every sector of the economy such as food security, transport, health, tourism, management of water energy and other resources in environment monitoring and protection, disaster management and in the sustainable development. “We have to make judicious use of the climate information and services to maximise benefits and minimise risks”, he said, adding that timely forecast in the state had helped prevent hazards from turning into disasters.
Dr Sharma also held that the centre had been receiving appreciation for its services from all quarters. “Very recently we received a letter of appreciation from Uttarakhand Chief Electoral Officer Radha Raturi for the weather forecast details provided to the commission in the recently concluded Assembly elections in the state,” he stated. He said even the External Affairs Ministry and Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force had lauded their services linked to weather forecast during Kailash Mansarovar Yatra every year.
Meanwhile, the meteorological centre was open today for students and general public as a part of the day. Students who visited the centre in big numbers were informed about various issues related to atmospheric sciences. They also had a look on the meteorological instruments.

Koteshwar hydro project synchronised with Northern Grid

Dehradun, March 23
The fourth unit (100 MW) of Koteshwar Hydro Electric Project (HEP) has been successfully synchronised with the Northern Grid. Koteshwar HEP will now add 400 MW of power to the Northern Grid. This 400 MW of power has come as a big relief for Northern India, which is already facing power shortage ahead of the summer season. The commissioning of all units of KHEP was scheduled in March 2012, and the same is achieved well in time with the synchronisation of this unit. Before this the third unit was also commissioned in January 2012 in line with the commissioning of Unit I and II in March 2011 as per schedule.
Energy of 581 Million Units (MU) is already generated from three units of KHEP against the target of 564 MU up to March 2012. It is expected that 600 MU of energy will be generated by the end of this month. With the successful commissioning of all four units of KHEP, the total installed capacity of Their Hydro Development Corporation India Limited (THDCIL) has now increased to 1400 MW.
With this (1000 MW), Tehri Hydro Power Project and (400 MW) Koteshwar Hydro Electric Project are fully operational and the work on (1000 MW) Tehri Power Station Project (PSP) is in progress. It is a run-of-the-river scheme which will generate 1234 MU of energy annually. The reservoir created by Koteshwar Dam having live storage capacity of 35 MCM will also function as lower (balancing)reservoir for Tehri PSP. This project will also regulate water releases from Tehri reservoir for irrigation purpose.

2 booked for hacking kin’s facebook account

Chandigarh, March 23
The UT police has booked two residents of Karnal for hacking the facebook account of a person and posting obscene comments and pictures on it. Sahil Pandhir and Neeraj Pandhir, both residents of Old Housing Board Colony, Karnal (Haryana), have been booked for hacking the account of the complainant’s son and posting obscene comments of her daughter on it.
A case under Section 66 of the Information Technology Act has been registered in the police station of Sector 17.
The hacking came to light when the brother of the woman in Sector 22 started receiving dirty phone calls and then noticed comments of facebook visitors on his account.
Neeraj Pandhir is the husband of the woman.
The police said a matrimonial dispute between Neeraj and his wife was already pending with the crime against women cell (CAW) of the Chandigarh police. Though Neeraj is pursuing his engineering in a private institute at Rohtak, co-accused Neeraj is studying in Chandigarh. Police sources said the suspects had hacked the his brother-in-law’s facebook account from their computer in Rohtak. 

Liquor to remain cheaper in chandigarh

Chandigarh/Mohali, March 23
Chandigarh would continue to be favourite with boozers, as according to the proposed Excise Policy 2012-2013 of the UT, liquor in the city will remain cheaper than that sold in Mohali.
Though the UT is yet to come out with its new excise policy, Punjab’s decision to increase the excise duty by 15 per cent and increase the quota of liquor would see bacchus lovers from the region heading towards the city.
The difference in the liquor prices at the two cities, varying between 10 per cent and 20 per cent, would remain despite the UT proposing to generate more revenue from the sale of liquor vends by basing the last year’s highest quoted price of each vend as the base licence fee of the respective vend. Last year, at least three vends on the outskirts of the UT had fetched over Rs 2 crore as licence fee.
By doing so, the department would do away with the prevailing system of fixing a uniform licence fee. The new Excise Policy of the UT is expected to be out next month.
On the other hand, the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department, in its new policy 2012-2013, has announced to continue with the prevailing system of draw of lots. For the draw of lots to be held on March 28, the excise department had formed 25 groups with maximum concentration of vends along the Punjab border with the UT.
UT Finance Secretary VK Singh said various issues related to the new excise policy were today discussed at a meeting. “Nothing has been finalised yet,” he said.
“The increase in the licence fee will certainly have an effect on the liquor prices but it will still be cheaper than liquor sold in Mohali as the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department has not only increased the excise duty, but has also increased the liquor quota,” said a senior official.
Though the UT officials are tight-lipped on the excise policy 2012-13, it is believed that the proposed move to substantially increase the licence fee would fetch a much higher revenue than the last year’s projected revenue of Rs 127 crore. The exact tax structure would be known once the UT comes out with excise duty. Sources reveal that the department was also seriously considering to lower the fixed liquor quota from the existing 27 lakh liquor cartons, as the traders had not been able to lift 13 lakh cartons.
With over a month still left for the start of the new policy (May 2012), the traders had yet to lift around 9 lakh cartons. The Punjab excise officials said after fixing the quota, smuggling of liquor from the UT had come down.
To further curb the menace, Punjab had doubled the fines under the excise laws. Regular checks on the border had also been proposed by Punjab. By rough estimates, the price of popular brands of the IMFL were expected to increase by around Rs 15 per bottle, a bottle of beer is expected to cost around Rs 60. On the other hand, the price of IMFL would increase by anything between Rs 30 and Rs 50 per bottle while a bottle of beer would cost around Rs 70 per bottle.
No opinion on social aspect
A few years ago, former Adviser to the UT Administrator Lalit Sharma had constituted a committee of experts from the police, health and social organisations to analyse various aspects of the liquor policy. Issues like location of vends at spots prone to road accidents and public nuisance were discussed. But this year, no such public opinion has been sought by the UT.

EcoSikh ropes in gurdwaras for green drive

Chandigarh, March 23
Ecosikh, an organisation working to check pollution, has said it had persuaded over a thousand gurdwaras to plant trees.
Ravneet Singh, who is Ecosikh project director (India), said thousands of saplings were planted over the last one week in various gurdwaras across the country following an initiative by the organisation.
Singh said the Ecosikh, which had its branches in various countries, was committed to enhance the green cover in states like Punjab, which were highly deficient in this regard. He said responding to their appeal, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee had agreed to turn all gurdwaras in Delhi into “green places of worship”.
The Ecosikh said Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief Paramjit Singh Sarna had promised to use solar energy in all gurdwaras in Delhi and also to stop the use of plastic disposables at such places. Besides planting trees, the managements will also hold prayers on a daily basis for the betterment of the ecosystem.

Martyrdom Day of Bhagat Singh

Badal announces memorial in Doaba belt Says will exclusively highlight Punjabi martyrs, to be better than the one at Anandpur Sahib

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal addresses a gathering at Khatkar Kalan. Photos: Vishal Kumar/Malkiat Singh

Hussaniwala/Khatkar Kalan (Nawanshahr), March 23
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced the setting up of a high-tech memorial in Doaba region that would exclusively highlight Punjabis who were part of the freedom struggle.
The memorial, Badal said, would even outshine the Virasat-e-Khalsa complex that had come up at a cost of Rs 350 crore in Anandpur Sahib.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion of Bhagat Singh's martyrdom day at his ancestral Khatkar Kalan village, Badal said the deputy commissioners of four Doaba districts had been told to identify 20 to 25 acres of land for the memorial. Badal said while Punjabis comprised 2.5 per cent of the country's population, as many as 80 per cent of the martyrs and participants in the freedom struggle were from the state. "Despite such a major contribution by the Punjabis, the state has always been meted out a step-motherly treatment by the Centre," he claimed.
The SAD patron also used the opportunity to attack the Opposition Congress: "Those who indulged in petty politics and had been carrying a 'khoonda' (a stick with a knife at its tip) were discarded by the people." In an adjoining 'pandal', Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar countered the comment: "Khoonda has been kept on a standby as of now. We will take it out at an appropriate occasion."
In Hussainiwala, where the Chief Minister addressed a state-level function, the thin crowds at the memorial to pay homage to Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on their 81 Martyrdom Day were indicative of the diminishing patriotic fervour among the masses.
The solemnity of the occasion was marred by vendors selling wares on the sidewalk of roads leading to the memorial calling out for buyers. What was even more jarring was the sound of drums coming from a sports event being held nearby.
The sombre occasion, it seems, has assumed the look of a fair in the past 10 years or so. Recalled Bachan Singh: "In the 70s the crowds were large and everybody would remove their shoes to pay respects to the martyrs."
Another visitor said the politicians only paid lip service and did little to follow the path shown by the martyrs. The place was teeming with youngsters sporting turbans like that worn by Bhagat Singh. They raised slogans of "Inquilab zindabad" and "Bhagat Singh amar rahe" every now and then.
Scores of women activists, mostly in green salwaar kameez, preached against drug addiction and female foeticide.

Diminishing zeal

• Thin crowds at the memorial to pay homage to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev at Hussaniwala
• Solemnity of the occasion marred by vendors selling wares on the sidewalk of roads leading to the memorial
• Even more jarring was the sound of drums coming from a sports event being held nearby

Sukhdev’s kin honoured at khatkar kalan

Martyr Bhagat Singh's kin were usually honoured at his native Khatkar Kalan village on his martyrdom day. But, the SAD had to call martyr Sukhdev's nephew Vinod Thapar from Ludhiana for the function at Khatkar Kalan as Bhagat Singh's nephew Abhey Singh Sandhu joined Manpreet Badal's outfit People's Party of Punjab last year.

Gujarat Porngate

Clean chit to BJP MLAs
Gandhinagar, March 23
A beleaguered BJP in Gujarat today heaved a sigh of relief after the Forensic Science Laboratory gave a clean chit to its two MLAs accused of watching porn on a tablet device in the state Assembly.
But, the controversy over the issue refused to die down with an unrelenting Congress disrupting the proceedings of the House to seek their dismissal, prompting the Speaker to order the suspension of the main Opposition MLAs for the third successive day.
The FSL, which examined the iPad on which Shankar Chaudhary and Jetha Bharwad had allegedly watched obscene material, today submitted its report in a sealed cover to Speaker Ganpat Vasava, who read out the conclusions in the House.
In its report, the FSL concluded that there were no obscene videos or pictures on the iPAD belonging to Chaudhary.

More uranium trouble for Punjab

New Delhi, March 23
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre has found traces of uranium in groundwater in regions beyond Malwa. The government has confirmed that traces of radioactive elements were detected in samples collected from 13 new districts, including Tarn Taran, Moga, Barnala, Sangrur, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali, Ropar, Nawanshehar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Pathankot.
Reaching beyond established problem areas of Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot and Ferozepur, BARC collected 92 samples from 13 new districts under a collaborative project with Guru Nanak Dev University. The uranium content in these samples varied between 0.1 and 153 ppb (parts per billion), Minister of state in PMO V Narayanasamy told the Rajya Sabha in response to a question by nominated member HK Dua yesterday.
Narayanasamy, in fact, urged Punjab to conduct epidemiological studies at its population-based cancer registry in Patiala to ascertain whether presence of uranium in sub-soils could be a cause for high prevalence of cancer in the region.
Though BARC has not carried out studies related to high prevalence of cancer in the region, Narayanasamy struck an assuring note by saying that several studies focusing on health effects had been carried out in Finland among people who use drilled wells as source of drinking water, “having uranium concentrations much higher than that observed in the Malwa region”.
“These include case-cohort studies of uranium intake and risks of leukaemia, stomach and urinary tract cancers as well as chemical toxicity studies of uranium intake and renal and bone effects. Nevertheless, none of the human studies reported so far has shown a clear association between chronic uranium exposure and cancer risk, clinical symptoms, or toxicity,” the minister declared.
Gopal Krishna of the Toxics Watch Alliance, however, is certain that exposure to uranium at every level is unsafe.
“Uranium is an endocrine-disrupting chemical and populations exposed to environmental uranium must be followed for increased risk of fertility problems and reproductive cancers,” says Krishna.
In 2009, BARC, in collaboration with GNDU, had collected water samples from Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot and Ferozepur, detecting “elevated” levels of uranium concentration ranging from 2.1 to 644 ppb in 520 samples. 

Mali president ‘safe’ after coup, claims source

File photo of Mali's President Amadou Toumani Toure delivering a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg 

Mali President Amadou Toumani Toure, who was forced to flee his palace during an overnight coup, is unharmed and in a safe location, a loyalist military source said on Thursday.

“The president is in good health and in a safe location,” the official said on condition of anonymity, without elaborating on Toure’s whereabouts. He said the interior and defence ministers were also safe.

“The situation is evolving rapidly. We are trying to see who is behind all this.”

Toure, who has served two terms, was to step down after a presidential election scheduled for April 29. The Malian official reacted angrily at French Minister Alain Juppe’s call for polls to be held as soon as possible.

“In situations such as these, you don’t call for early elections. The first thing you should ask for is the restoration of constitutional order,” he said.

Coup in Mali

Soldiers in uniform appeared on national television that night they had occupied since Wednesday and announced that it put "an end to the incompetent" in place in Bamako.

France hopes the elections "as soon as possible" in Mali, where a coup has just taken place, said Thursday the foreign minister, Alain Juppe.

"We are committed to respect for democratic rules and constitutional. We demand the restoration of constitutional order, elections, they were scheduled for April, they must take place as soon as possible, "he said on Europe 1.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for its part, "strongly condemned" Thursday the military coup against the regime in Mali's President Amadou Toumani Toure.



The regional organization of 15 States "strongly condemns the actions of misguided mutineers." It "reminds members what is their responsibility under the Constitution, and reiterates the ECOWAS policy of" zero tolerance "towards any attempt to seize or maintain power through unconstitutional means," a statement said.

Malian military took power in Bamako Thursday after several hours of fighting, dissolves institutions and declared a curfew, according to them, end the lack of resources in the fight against the Tuareg rebellion and Islamist groups in the north.

Thursday at 4:00 uniformed military appeared on national television they had occupied since Wednesday and announced that it put "an end to the incompetent" in place in Bamako, have dissolved "all institutions" suspended "the constitution" and declared a curfew.



The spokesman of the soldiers, Lieutenant Amadou Konare, said they had acted to address "the failure" of the regime of President Amadou Toumani Toure "to manage the crisis north of our country", prey a Tuareg rebellion and the activities of armed Islamist groups since mid-January.

Lieutenant Konare, surrounded by a dozen others, spoke on behalf of the National Committee for the recovery of democracy and the restoration of the rule.

Soon after, Captain Amadou Sanogo, junta leader, took the floor to announce that a curfew had been decreed from Thursday.

"Restoring the power"

Lieutenant Konare also justified the coup by the "lack of adequate equipment for homeland defense" available to the army to fight against the rebels and armed groups in the north, and "the failure of power to fight against terrorism. "

The junta has "made a solemn commitment to restore the power" civil and implement a national unity government.

The coup leaders were initially appeared on television, but the lieutenant Konare's speech could not be heard because, apparently, a technical problem. He had to try several times before being heard clearly.

"We control the presidential palace," had earlier announced a mutinous soldier, another stating that several members of the regime of President Toure, whose foreign minister, Soumeylou Boubèye Maiga, and that of Territorial Administration, Kafougouna Konewere arrested.

An independent source has said that President Toure "and his men are no longer in the palace", without specifying where they were.

Exchanges of gunfire between the presidential guard and the mutineers were heard for several hours in the night between Wednesday and Thursday.

Presidential canceled

The day on Wednesday began with a mutiny in a camp in Kati, garrison town near Bamako, and then had spread to the capital itself, whose soldiers took to the streets shooting into the air, creating panic. "We are tired of the situation in the north," said one of them.

The U.S. State Department urged the Mali resolve tensions "through dialogue and not violence." Secretary General Ban Ki-moon "called for calm and that grievances are resolved peacefully."

In early February, relatives of soldiers and women were demonstrating in several cities including Bamako, to denounce the silence on the situation of these soldiers and the "soft power" against the rebellion.

Some of these demonstrations had turned violent and property belonging to Tuareg and other Malians and foreigners with fair skin had been ransacked.

President Toure had managed to calm down when these women by promising them they could hear from their husbands at the front.

Mali is facing since mid-January to attacks from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and other Tuareg rebels, whose heavily armed men who had fought for the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, who took several cities in the north.

A Tuareg armed Islamist movement, Ansar Dine (Defender of Islam) who wants to impose Sharia law in Mali, said control three towns in the north-east, near the Algerian border: Tinzawaten, Tessalit Aguelhok.

The Malian government has also accused Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which has bases in northern Mali where it operates in several Sahelian countries, to fight with the MNLA. AQIM was particularly accused of summarily executed nearly a hundred soldiers Malian Agulhok.

The coup put an end to the electoral process, including a presidential whose first round was scheduled for April 29. 

Pakistan bans 'Agent Vinod'

Reacting to the ban on his upcoming film 'Agent Vinod' in Pakistan,

actor Saif Ali Khan, who is also the co-producer of the film, says that

it was unfortunate that the film was not being allowed in Pakistan and

that the monetary loss was a secondary problem.

Whitney Houston cause of death was drowning, coroner says

 

LOS ANGELES - Drugs took many things from Whitney Houston — her pristine voice, clean image and her career — andc's officials revealed Thursday that cocaine also played a role in the Grammy winner's death in the bathtub of a luxury hotel nearly six weeks ago.

Houston drowned accidentally at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 11, and autopsy results revealed heart disease and her recent and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors.

The results ended weeks of speculation about what killed the singer-actress at age 48 on the eve of the Grammy Awards and a planned comeback. Instead, Houston now joins the long list of entertainers who have died early with drugs at least partly to blame.

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Coroner's officials did not reveal how much cocaine was found in Houston's system, but said there were signs of recent and chronic use. It was unclear whether she suffered a heart attack before drowning, Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said.

"We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure," Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and manager, said in a statement.

Houston's death the night before the Grammys altered the awards ceremony and brought back immediate memories of the singer in her better days, belting out hits and starring in the feature films such as "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale." Years later, Houston's drug use had robbed her of her ability to hit high notes and left her once clean image tarnished.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 television interview with then-husband Bobby Brown by her side.

In 2009, after she had divorced Brown, she told Oprah Winfrey that her cocaine and marijuana use took over her life. Both drugs were found in Houston's system after she died, though the marijuana and several other prescription drugs played no role in her death, coroner's officials said.

"I had so much money and so much access to what I wanted," Houston told Winfrey. "I didn't think about the singing part anymore. I was looking for my young womanhood."

Houston's planned comeback after that interview didn't pan out, but she was taking another shot this year with her appearance in a remake of the film "Sparkle."

She stars as the mother of a family of girls who form a singing group and struggle with fame and addiction. She also sang for the film, delivering a soulful rendition of the gospel hymn "His Eye is on the Sparrow."

It is unclear what impact, if any, the autopsy results will have on the film, although untimely death has not been an impediment to the posthumous releases of other actors and entertainers. Heath Ledger's performance in "The Dark Knight" helped propel the film to blockbuster status and earned the actor a posthumous Oscar. He died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January 2008, months before the film's release.

More recently, Amy Winehouse's duet "Body and Soul" with Tony Bennett earned them a Grammy Award, months after the singer died unexpectedly in London. An inquest determined she died from an accidental alcohol overdose.

A spokesman for Sony Pictures did not return an email message Thursday seeking comment on whether Houston's autopsy results would alter marketing of "Sparkle."

It will be a couple weeks before the exact amount of cocaine in Houston's system is released, officials said.

The drug has been known to cause damage to the heart and could have cause Houston's death, said Dr. Michael Fishbein, professor of pathology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He had no role in the investigation.

He said a likely scenario was that Houston's cocaine use interfered with the normal function of her heart.

"There's no reason to drown in a bathtub unless you're incapacitated," Fishbein said.

Houston's friend and collaborators said after her death that they didn't believe she was still abusing drugs, and she described as being a complete professional on the "Sparkle" set.

Houston, a sensation from her first, eponymous album in 1985, was one of the world's best-selling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," ''How Will I Know," ''The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You."

She was buried last month in a New Jersey cemetery next to her father after an emotional four-hour funeral service that was attended by friends, family and superstars such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Roberta Flack