Highway horror in Moga; 18 dead

Moga, May 7
Eighteen persons, including six women and five children, were killed in a head-on collision between a Canter and a truck near Ghal Kalan village on the Moga-Ferozepur national highway in the wee hours here today.

The victims hailed from Daulatpura Uchha and Daulatpura Niwan villages of the Moga district. They were returning home in the Canter (HP-73-1054) after paying obeisance at the Nanaksar Kaleran gurdwara situated in the Jagraon subdivision of Ludhiana district.

The accident took place around 2 am. While 14 persons were killed on the spot, four others died in a Moga hospital. No one travelling in the Canter could survive.

Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the speeding truck (PB-29G-9765) crashed head-on with the Canter while trying to overtake some vehicle. Satpal Singh Bhangu SP (D) said the truck driver fled from the spot leaving behind his vehicle.

A criminal case under Sections 304, 427 and 279 of the IPC has been registered against the truck driver. He has been identified as Sukhwinder Singh of Kotkaror village of Ferozepur district.

Owner of the Canter Pala Singh was also killed in the accident. Eleven members of Pala Singh’s family, including him, were killed in the accident. The other members of his family who were killed included his wife Charanjit Kaur, sons Surjit Singh and Ranjit Singh, daughters-in-law Inderjit Kaur and Ranjit Kaur, grandsons Gurpreet Singh, Taranbir Singh and Ranbir Singh and granddaughters Manpreet Kaur and Sanpreet Kaur.

Another family of Daulatpura Niwan village lost five members in the accident. The two other persons killed in the accident were identified as Jaswant Singh and Surinder Kumar. Moga DM Arshdeep Singh Thind announced that the administration would bear expenses for the cremation of victims.

SSP BURSTS INTO TEARS

Moga SSP Surjit Singh burst into tears while meeting family members of the deceased at the district hospital. “I can understand the pain of losing family members in tragic incidents,” he said.

Delhi to Dhaka: Efforts on to build consensus on Teesta

New Delhi, May 7
India today told Bangladesh that it was trying to evolve domestic political consensus for an early conclusion of the Teesta river water-sharing accord with the neighbouring country.

With West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee still not on board with regard to signing what has now become a controversial pact, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told her Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni that since water was a sensitive issue, internal consultations were on amongst various stakeholders in India in accordance with the country's tradition of consensual decision-making.

''We are trying to develop a political consensus in India. It is important that the views of all those who are dependent on water are taken into account and burden is shared equitably. Meanwhile, there is no change in the situation...the waters are flowing,'' Krishna said at a joint press conference with Moni after the two ministers co-chaired the maiden meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC).

The Teesta agreement was to be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh last year but Mamata raised objections at the last minute, saying her state's interests were not being protected. This led to stalling of the much-anticipated pact.

Issues like Teesta water sharing, extradition treaty and the implementation of the land boundary accord are understood to have figured prominently during the meeting of the JCC, set up during Prime Minister Singh's visit to Dhaka. The two sides also discussed the implementation of the projects Bangladesh has launched under the $ 1 billion Line of Credit (LoC) extended to it by India.

The Bangladeshi minister described her talks with Krishna as productive and useful while reiterating Dhaka's demand that the Teesta agreement be signed as soon as possible.

Moni also noted that the Indian side has reassured her that "there will no unilateral undertaking of linking the Himalayan rivers without consultations with Bangladesh". She expressed the hope that India and Bangladesh would expedite their trade agreements and protocols.

The two sides also reviewed the 24-hour unfettered access to Bangladeshi nationals at Dahagram and Angarporta through the Tin Bigha corridor, the signing of the bilateral boundary strip maps under which a few areas are still to be covered, and the coordinated border management plan to reduce illegal and criminal activities.

‘Satyamev Jayate’: Truly Soul Stirring

Satyamev Jayate, a reality show anchored by Khan that dealt with the issue of female foeticide in its first episode, saw huge support from viewers on social networking websites within hours of its broadcast on Sunday morning.

The show, aired on television channels run by Star India Pvt. Ltd, including Star Plus and Star World and other regional channels in the Star bouquet, was among the top five trends in India on microblogging website Twitter.
Satyamev Jayate was also the top search in India on Google Trends.
“I am really touched and emotionally moved with the response,” Khan said. “I am glad people have liked it.”
Satyamev Jayate’s website received 42,000 likes on Facebook by around 9pm. On Twitter, at least 3,800 tweets were posted on the subject.
The debut episode of Satyamev Jayate was made available for viewing on its website soon after the telecast. “Our website crashed twice,” Khan’s spokesperson said.
Star India plans to upload the episodes on YouTube, a video website run by Google Inc.
Viewers lavishly praised the show, which also marked Khan’s television debut, on Facebook, the leading social networking website.
“Great show…and hope lots of other issues of importance would be covered,” said Rajan Sekhir. Another viewer, Ali Akbar Barodawala, said, “Great show and hosted it beautifully Aamir bhai. God bless and we are all with you supporting the cause.”
Satyamev Jayate aims to address India’s socioeconomic issues in 13 episodes, which will be aired every Sunday at 11am. The first episode dealt with the issue of female foeticide. The one-and-a-half-hour episode also featured a song, O Ri Chiraiya, performed by Swanand Kirkire and Ram Sampath.
The song, too, was well received by viewers. “A song that brings tears to the eyes,” Shweta Patil posted on Facebook.
Viewers outside India also praised the show. One such viewer, Ankit, tweeted, “I loved it and so did my entire family with whom I revived the lost Sunday morning tradition of watching TV. Thank you for that Satyamev Jayate.”
“A show which brings tears in our eyes and force us to think upon such a major issue,” another viewer, Raghib Khan, tweeted. “Hats off to Aamir and Satyamev Jayate team.”
Corporate India, social activists, and film and cricket celebrities also joined the praise bandwagon.
Anti-corruption campaigner Kiran Bedi tweeted, “Aamir’s Satyamev Jayate on Star Plus turned an idiot box into collective inspirational seeding, across professional cultural or age differences.”
Neeraj Roy, managing director and chief executive of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, tweeted, “Stop being cynical and start acting. Watching Satyamev Jayate. Brilliant effort. Well done Aamir Khan and Satya. We can make a difference.”
Khan and his team have left no stone unturned in making sure viewers participate through phone messages. Satyamev Jayate’s tweet said, “Thanks. SMS Y to 5782711 if the Rajasthan govt should set up a fast track court to tackle female foeticide.”
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle tweeted, “If Aamir Khan provides the action promised, Satyamev Jayate will truly succeed. For that action, we too have to be involved. SMS for a start.”
Shabana Azmi tweeted, “Aamir Khan’s show can bring a revolution. Thoroughly researched, covers all aspects, touches emotional chord n forces us to re-examine ourselves.”
Bollywood actor Preity Zinta tweeted, “Watching Aamir Khan on Satyamev Jayate discussing female feticide. I love this effort from him and thank him as a woman.” Film-maker and actor Farhan Akhtar tweeted, “Satyamev Jayate. A show with a heart.”
Khan is earning Rs. 3 crore to anchor each episode, a record in Indian television, Mint had reported on 21 April.
The broadcaster Star India is betting big on the show. It hopes to earn Rs. 10 lakh per 10 seconds of commercials aired during the show. According to Kevin Vaz, president, advertising sales, Star India, each episode of the show has just 30 seconds of inventory still available for advertisers.
Bharti Airtel Ltd is the presenting sponsor of the show and has paid around Rs. 18 crore, while water purifier brand Aquaguard, another sponsor, has paid some Rs. 16 crore, according to media buyers and channel executives.
The six associate sponsors—Axis Bank Ltd, Coca-Cola India, Skoda Auto India, Berger Paints India Ltd, Dixcy Textiles Pvt. Ltd, and Johnson and Johnson Ltd—have paid between Rs. 6 crore and Rs. 7 crore each.

Socialist Hollande ousts Sarkozy as French leader

Socialist Francois Hollande swept to victory in France’s presidential election on Sunday in a swing to the left at the heart of Europe that could start a pushback against German-led austerity.
Hollande was set to beat conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy by a decisive 51.9 percent to 48.1 percent margin, the TNS-Sofres polling agency said in a projection based on a partial vote count.
The president conceded defeat within 20 minutes of the last polls closing at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT), telling supporters he had telephoned Hollande to wish him good luck.
“I bear the full responsibility for this defeat,” he said.
Sarkozy, punished for his failure to rein in record 10 percent unemployment and for his brash personal style, is the 11th successive leader in the euro zone to be swept from power since the currency bloc’s debt crisis began in 2009.
Jubilant left-wingers celebrated outside Socialist Party headquarters and in Paris’ Bastille square, where revelers danced in 1981 when Francois Mitterrand became France’s only other Socialist president.
But the celebrations may be overshadowed by a political bombshell in Greece, where mainstream parties were hammered in a parliamentary election that exit polls suggested may leave supporters of Athens’ IMF/EU bailout without a majority, raising doubts about its future in the euro zone.
Hollande’s clear win should give the self-styled “Mr Normal” the authority to press German Chancellor Angela Merkel to accept a policy shift towards fostering growth in Europe to balance the austerity that has fueled anger across southern Europe.
His margin also positions the Socialists strongly to win a left-wing majority in parliamentary elections next month, vital to implement his plans for a swift tax reform.
If it wins that two-round election on June 10 and 17, the Socialist Party would hold more levers of power than ever in its 43-year history, with the presidency, both houses of parliament, nearly all regions, and two-thirds of French towns in its hands.
Even before the results were declared, cheering crowds gathered at Socialist headquarters to acclaim the party’s first presidential victory since Mitterrand’s re-election in 1988. Many waved red flags and some carried roses, the party emblem.
In Bastille square, flashpoint of the 1789 French Revolution and the left’s traditional rallying point for protests and celebration, activists began partying two hours before the polls closed and a swelling crowd cheered as giant TV screens relayed the results.
Hollande, a mild-mannered career politician, had held a steady lead for weeks after outlining a comprehensive programme in January based on raising taxes, especially on high earners, to finance spending and keep the public deficit capped.
As much as his own programme, he is benefiting from an anti-Sarkozy mood due to the incumbent’s abrasive personal style and to anger about the same economic gloom that has swept aside leaders from Dublin to Lisbon and Athens.
“If Hollande is elected, we will have eliminated for personal reasons someone remarkably competence, not just in France but in Europe,” said Christian Fabry, 72, who was among Sarkozy supporters waiting dejectedly in a Paris hall for the result.
SARKOZY NEEDED A MIRACLE
Sarkozy launched his campaign late and swerved hard to the right as he tried to win back low-income voters that polls show have ditched him for either the radical left or extreme right.
His aggressive rallies and promises to rein in immigrant numbers, crack down on tax exiles and make the unemployed retrain as a condition of getting benefits did not reduce Hollande’s lead. Sarkozy surprised many by failing to land anything like a knockout punch in a televised debate.
Although Sarkozy shaved a couple of points off Hollande’s lead in the last days of a frenetic campaign, aides privately acknowledged it would take a miracle to clinch a second term.
In two further blows in the last days of the race, far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who came third in the first round with 17.9 percent, and centrist Francois Bayrou, who came fifth with 9.1 percent, refused to endorse the conservative president.
The election comes at a crucial time for the euro zone as France, Europe’s No. 2 economy, is a vital partner for Berlin.
Hollande will join a minority of left-wing governments in Europe and has vowed to renegotiate a budget discipline treaty signed by 25 EU leaders in March, to add growth measures. Berlin has made the pact a pre-condition of aid for struggling states.
Hollande plans to visit the centre-right Merkel in Berlin within days of the election to discuss his ideas and planned to speak to her by telephone on Sunday evening, said Jean-Marc Ayrault, tipped as a likely Socialist prime minister.
While financial markets are warming to Hollande’s growth agenda, given growing support elsewhere in Europe, analysts say he would need to reassure investors quickly about his economic plans as fears resurface over the euro zone’s debt woes.
France is grappling with feeble growth and 10 percent unemployment, a gaping trade deficit and high state spending that is straining public finances and was a factor in Standard & Poor’s removing its triple-A credit rating.
French 10-year bond yields fell to 2.87 percent on Friday, a level not seen since early October. Yet French debt could remain vulnerable to selling pressure, as markets and credit rating agencies wait to be convinced of his fiscal credentials.
Economists want Hollande to trim over-optimistic growth forecasts and impose spending cuts, but political analysts say this would be difficult with left-wing voters hoping he will raise the minimum wage and reverse a recent sales-tax rise.
Little known outside France, Hollande will soon have his diplomatic skills tested at a Chicago NATO summit in late May and a Group of 20 summit in Mexico in late June. The former Socialist Party chief has never held a ministerial post.

Gujarat's first golden temple

RAJKOT: Gujarat is all set to get its first 'Golden Temple'. Barely 125 km from Ahmedabad, the Gopinathji Dev Mandir, popularly known as Gadhada Swaminarayan Mandir, has got gold-plated spires.

Around 70 kg of gold worth nearly Rs 21 crore has been used to plate the spires.

The temple, managed by Gopinathji Dev Mandir Trust, will be open to public on May 6.

"A special event will be held on May 6 for the golden temple's formal opening," S P Swami of Gopinathji Mandir told TOI.

"This is a proud moment for all saints and followers as Swaminarayan Bhagvan himself had built this temple brick by brick and it has a special affection for all of us," Swami said.

There are six Swaminarayan temples in Gadhada and Gopinathji Dev Mandir is where Lord Swaminarayan spent 29 years. There are important historical and religious aspects which make this temple a special one.

As many as 1,500 to 2,000 devotees visit the temple daily. On the day of poonam (full moon), nearly 40,000 people come to pay obeisance here.