Diesel drivers face charges to cut pollution

Drivers of diesel cars face penalties and restrictions to combat the growing threat posed by air pollution in cities, The Times has learnt.
Almost all diesel vehicle drivers will have to pay an extra £10 to drive into central London under plans being drawn up by Boris Johnson, the mayor of London. Other cities across the country are looking urgently at ways to cut diesel fumes in order to comply with clean air rules from Europe.
Mr Johnson will also lobby the government to raise road tax on diesel cars to encourage motorists to switch to cleaner vehicles.
Air pollution causes about 29,000 premature deaths a year in Britain and the problem has been worsened by the rapid shift to diesel prompted by government tax incentives designed to lower carbon emissions.
Labour is planning a national network of low emission zones that would force older diesel vehicles out of many cities. Sheffield, Leicester, Bradford, Birmingham, Bristol and 15 other cities with poor air quality are considering introducing low emission zones. Oxford introduced one for buses this year and may extend it to other vehicles.
The £10 charge in the capital would be on top of the congestion charge and would come into play in 2020, meaning that diesel drivers would pay at least £20 to drive into the central London “ultra low emission zone”.
Only those diesels that meet the Euro 6 emissions standard will be exempt. Petrol cars registered before 2006 will also have to pay.
The initiatives are being driven by the threat of heavy fines from the European Commission for breaching air pollution limits. The commission launched legal proceedings against Britain in February.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs admitted that London, Birmingham and Leeds would be exposed to dangerous air pollution from vehicle exhausts until the 2030s unless tougher action were taken. Diesel vehicles produce nitrogen dioxide, which can inflame the lung lining and lead to respiratory disease.
Mr Johnson will launch an “air quality manifesto” today that he claims will take London two thirds of the way to compliance with EU limits. He will say that the government and the commission must deliver the other third.
The government should reverse the incentives for diesel by increasing vehicle excise duty rates and the commission should establish a fund to help cities to switch to electric cars.
Matthew Pencharz, the mayor’s environment adviser, said: “We want to see an unwinding of incentives that have driven people to diesel. Euro engine standards on emissions have not delivered the savings expected, meaning we now have a legacy of a generation of dirty diesels.”
He said the ultra low emission zone, which will have the same boundaries as the congestion charge zone, would encourage drivers of diesel cars to switch back to petrol engines or buy the latest diesel models complying with the new Euro 6 standard. Mr Pencharz dismissed calls by environment groups and some scientists for a ban on most diesel cars in London and said that a £10 charge from 2020 would be fairer.
“It would not be reasonable to say, ‘I’m sorry, you have just bought that car but it’s now banned.’ People bought them in good faith and it’s not fair to clobber them,” he said. “We think a five-year notice gives enough warning. People who drive in once a month might not buy a newer car whereas somebody who drives in every day probably would do.”
Simon Birkett, director of the campaign group Clean Air in London, said that Mr Johnson had previously encouraged dirty diesel cars by exempting smaller ones from the congestion charge.

Russia sanctions will cost City millions

Europe and the US will announce co-ordinated sanctions today to hurt the Russian economy and target allies of Vladimir Putin in a major escalation of pressure on Moscow.
Britain will also send more than 1,300 troops armed with tanks to join a training exercise at Nato’s eastern border in Poland. The move is designed to reassure allies in Eastern Europe, but the stark return to Cold War tactics will further inflame tensions in the region.
As the crisis over Russia continued to grow yesterday, David Cameron took part in a rare five-way video conference call with President Obama, the German chancellor Angela Merkel, France’s president François Hollande and Matteo Renzi, the Italian prime minister. The group vowed further tough action after agreeing Russia is failing to take the necessary steps to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Intelligence officials say that Moscow is continuing to support Russian separatists, who are blamed for downing Malaysian Flight MH17 nearly two weeks ago, and has not stopped the flow of weapons across the border since the crash.
“Despite numerous calls made to President Putin, [the five leaders] regretted that Russia did not effectively pressure the separatists into negotiating or take concrete measures . . . to ensure control of the Russian-Ukraine border,” a statement posted on the French Presidential website said last night.
The EU will confirm today that it is moving to “level three” sanctions, which target entire sectors of the Russian economy, a significant step which Mrs Merkel rejected as unnecessary the day after MH17 came down.
The announcement will see a ban on EU funding for Russian banks, forcing Moscow to step in at great cost, a bar on the export of technology to support the energy industry and a new embargo on future arms sales and goods which could be used by the Russian military.
The curbs to the Russian financial sector are likely to cost the City of London hundreds of millions of pounds, although EU leaders have been at pains to stress the burden is being shared equally across Europe.
Germany’s high-tech energy exports to Russia are five times those of the UK while France’s arms exports are worth almost ten times those of Britain.
EU ambassadors are also finalising the list of “Kremlin cronies” who will face restrictions, on top of the 87 people and 20 organisations already subject to EU sanctions. Discussions have dragged on longer than expected and the list is expected to be “tiny”.
No 10 said last night that the co-ordinated move, an unusual EU-US show of solidarity, was a significant step forward and had taken considerable negotiation over the previous ten days. Germany’s change of attitude on the issue has been regarded as vital.
Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, hinted at a possible further expansion of Nato activity along its eastern flank, with Nato members due to meet in the coming weeks at a two-day summit to be hosted by Mr Cameron in Newport, southeast Wales.
The Ministry of Defence said that it would send a full battle group of 1,350 military personnel, equipped with more than 350 armoured and other vehicles to take part in Exercise Black Eagle in October. It is understood that about 20 tanks will be included in the deployment.
The move marks Britain’s largest commitment to the region since 2008.
Typhoon jets are already taking part in a Nato air policy mission, protecting the skies over the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. A company of British troops also took part in a military exercise in Estonia in May.

David Cameron announces immigration crackdown

David Cameron is to announce tough action on immigration that will halve the amount of time foreigners can claim benefits in the UK.
The Coalition will introduce laws to ensure that European Union migrants can only claim out-of-work benefits for three months, Mr Cameron says in an article for The Telegraph.
The Prime Minister also pledges to stop more than 500,000 British jobs being advertised across the EU and announces tough new curbs on colleges offering visas to "bogus" students.
The Government will make changes to the immigration system that put "Britain first" and ensure that the UK is "a country that is not a soft touch", Mr Cameron says. "We changed the rules so that no one can come to this country and expect to get out-of-work benefits immediately; they must wait at least three months," Mr Cameron adds.
"And we are announcing today that we are cutting the time people can claim these benefits for. It used to be that European jobseekers could claim Job Seeker's Allowance or child benefit for a maximum of six months before their benefits would be cut off, unless they had very clear job prospects.
"I can tell Telegraph readers today that we will be reducing that cut-off point to three months, saying very clearly: you cannot expect to come to Britain and get something for nothing."
Mr Cameron's latest intervention on immigration will be seen as an attempt to woo back Conservative voters who have defected to Ukip in recent months.
Under measures announced last year, European immigrants have to wait three months before they can claim out-of-work benefits. They can then claim the benefits for a maximum of six months.
Mr Cameron's announcement came as the International Monetary Fund warned that "restrictive immigration policies" in the UK "could have a negative impact on productivity growth". In a report on Britain's finances the IMF, which last week upgraded its forecast for UK growth to 3.2 per cent this year and 2.7 per cent in 2015, said: "Relaxing immigration requirements in areas with labour shortages, such as manufacturing, could provide a boost to productivity and facilitate the rebalancing of the UK economy." There was anger last year after it emerged that under an EU scheme partly funded by British taxpayers, all positions advertised in UK job centres also have to be offered to workers in European member states. UK firms are given as much as £1,000 as a bonus for taking on the foreign workers.
The EURES scheme offers foreigners hundreds of pounds of funding to pay for interviews in the UK, relocation costs and even English lessons.
Of the 2.4million jobs posted on the EURES site, 1,138,847 are posts in the UK. Jobs at UK firms including Tesco and Sainsbury's are advertised on the site.
Downing Street said that in future, jobs will only be uploaded to the website if an employer specifically requests that the position is offered across the EU. "Some recruitment agencies have even been recruiting directly from elsewhere in the EU without British workers ever getting a chance to apply for jobs," Mr Cameron writes. "So we are banning overseas-only recruitment - legally requiring these agencies to advertise in English in the UK. And today we are announcing a further measure. In the past, all vacancies advertised in Jobcentre Plus were automatically advertised on an EU-wide job portal.
"This meant advertising over a million job vacancies across the EU. So we are going to massively restrict this, aiming to cut back the vacancies on this portal by over 500,000 jobs."
There have also been growing concerns that colleges are abusing immigration rules offering visas for money so that people can come to the UK to work by pretending that they are here to study.
"Some of the most egregious examples were those claiming to be students, enrolling at bogus colleges," Mr Cameron says. "We have taken radical action - shutting down more than 750 of these colleges. Today we are announcing a further step to make sure colleges do proper checks on students: if 10 per cent of the students they recruit are refused visas, they will lose their licence." In his article, the Prime Minister also highlights a series of measures that have come into force in recent days, including new restrictions on abuses of European human rights laws, which immigrants have used to avoid deportation.

Hamas Leader's House 'Hit By Israeli Missile'

The home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been hit by an Israeli missile, according to the Gaza Interior Ministry.
An Israeli aircraft fired a missile at the house early on Tuesday causing damage but no casualties, the ministry said.
An Israeli military spokeswoman had no information on the report but was checking for details.
Mr Haniyeh's son confirmed the strike on his Facebook page and added that the house of the former Hamas Gaza prime minister was empty.
Hamas said that its TV station Al-Aqsa TV was also targeted but the station continued to broadcast.
As night fell over Gaza, army flares illuminated the sky and the sound of intense shelling could be heard.
The military warned thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes in areas around Gaza City - usually the prelude to major army strikes. A number of rockets fired from Gaza were launched toward various regions in southern and central Israel, including the Tel Aviv area.
At least one of the rockets was intercepted by the Iron Dome system.
Earlier, Israel accused Hamas of misfiring two rockets - one of which struck Gaza's main hospital and the other a refugee camp, killing nine children.
A Palestinian official said at least 10 people in total were killed in the strike on the camp, and a further 46 injured.
However, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) denied responsibility for the attacks and said it had not been operating in the area.
Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, an Israeli army spokesman, rubbished the claims as "ridiculous" and told Sky News: "The Israeli Defence Forces did not carry out any strikes in that area. Shifa Hospital was not a target, nor was the Shati Beach camp.
"Both of those locations were struck by terrorist rockets that were launched towards Israel and fell short."
The IDF also tweeted: "Since the beginning of the operation #IDF has documented approximately 200 rockets & mortars that landed short within #Gaza."
Sky's David Bowden, who visited the hospital in Gaza City, said: "I've seen injured children, some very badly injured and not so badly injured, and in the morgue I have seen dead children.
"There were screaming children, some walking wounded, but they were all dazed, wondering what was going on, and were surrounded by screaming relatives.
"The blame game has started. Clearly, the people there believe it was the Israelis. But the Israelis were quick off the mark to say it was nothing to do with them.
"Whatever happened, there are children dead and injured, and those pictures are winging their way around the world, and the pressure from the international community on both sides to stop this, and stop it now, will become immeasurable."
Israeli media, meanwhile, reported nine soldiers had been killed - four in mortar strikes on Eshkol in southern Israel, and another five in combat in Gaza.

UPSC may postpone Civil Services exam date as CSAT protests continue

Amid continued protests by students, government sources on Monday indicated that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) might postpone the date for Civil Services preliminary test, slated to be held on August 24.
Sources in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said the final decision on exam date was expected only after a three-member committee submits its report on the issue.
Earlier in the day, Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the issue.
A group of protesting students had also called on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, seeking the party's support on the issue.
Rajnath Singh had on Sunday convened a high-level meeting to resolve the issue. Jaitley and Jitendra Singh were among the Ministers who were present in the meeting, attended by various top government and UPSC officials.
After the meeting, Rajnath Singh had briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the situation in the wake of students' protests against UPSC syllabus and the steps being taken by the Centre on the issue.
Civil Services aspirants have been protesting in the national capital and demanding change in the pattern of civil services preliminary examination. The issue has been raised repeatedly in Parliament too.
A three-member government-appointed committee is looking into the demands of civil services aspirants to change the pattern of the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) to give level-playing field to those coming from rural areas.

Thousands mourn death of Indian-origin Israeli soldier

Thousands of people took part in the funeral of a 27-year-old Indian-origin Israeli soldier killed after being hit by a mortar shell near the Gaza Strip border while Israel was holding fire under a UN-brokered humanitarian truce.
Barak Refael Degorker, killed on Saturday night, was laid to rest on Sunday in a military cemetery in his hometown of Gan Yavne.
The bereaved family, parents Ora and Moshe and two younger brothers, while inconsolable at their loss spoke about "kind hearted" Degorker whose death has left a "permanent void" in their lives.
The two brothers, also doing reserve duty at the Gaza border, were the first ones to receive the news of Degorker's death.
"My brother would volunteer in all situations and he would do whatever was required of him," one of the brothers said at the funeral breaking down in tears.
His sister said it was "hard to wake up to a world in which you are not here. It's hard to describe the pain. You are everyone's hero and my personal hero. I love you my brother, guard us from above."
Degorker was in a reserve unit of the Engineers Corps and was stationed close to the Strip with other units when he was injured by the mortar fire.
One of his relatives said that Degorker recently finished law school with distinction and had begun an internship.
"He had so many plans for the future. All of us would always say he would go far in life. We had so much expectations...he died so that we all could live," the relative said.
A young soldier from Degorker's unit said he "was a leader who would go to any extent for his friends".
"He was a man that everybody followed. He always had sound advice for people around him who appreciated his intelligence. Barak would always do the maximum possible and would go out of the way to help his close ones," the soldier said.
Degorker belongs to the Bene-Israel community, which has its origin in the Mumbai region, and is the largest community of Indian Jews in Israel. There are about 80,000 Indian Jews living in Israel. Many other youngsters from the community are also fighting for the Israel Defence Forces in Gaza.
The deadly 20-day conflict between Hamas and Israel has killed over 1,000 Palestinians and 46 Israelis.

Debutant Dickwella fined, reprimanded

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan debutant wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella .—AFP file photo

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s debutant wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella has been fined and reprimanded for claiming an unfair catch in the ongoing second cricket Test against South Africa, International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Sunday.

The ICC said in a statement that the 21-year-old was fined 10 percent of his match fee and given an official reprimand after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

The incident occurred during the third day’s play on Saturday when South African batsman A.B. de Villiers gloved a ball that Dickwella collected on the bounce and immediately claimed it to be a catch.

The batsman was ruled not out after television replays.

Jadeja fine decision very hurtful, says Dhoni

“While claiming an unfair catch is a serious offence, we noted that this is Niroshan’s first Test and in excitement he claimed the catch,” the statement quoted match referee Jeff Crowe as saying.

“We are sure that in future when a catch of this nature is in doubt he will indicate such,” he said.

Dickwella was included in the team for the second Test against South Africa in place of Dinesh Chandimal and scored a half-century in his first Test innings.

Shawwal moon sighted, Eid to be celebrated on Tuesday

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-File Photo

KARACHI: The Ruet-i-Hilal Committee announced on Monday that the moon of the month of Shawwal had been sighted and that Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Tuesday.

The announcement was made by Chairman of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman, after chairing the meeting of the committee in Karachi.

Rehman said confirmations of moon sighting had been received from many parts of the country.

The Ruet-i-Hilal Committee had convened earlier in a meeting for the moon sighting.

Pakistan street child football team defeats Norwegian club 6-0

Pakistan street child football team defeats Norwegian club 6-0

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A view of the team in Norway's capital city Oslo. — Photo courtesy of Facebook Team Pakistan - Street Child World Cup 2014

OSLO: Pakistan's street child football team defeated Norwegian club Ben Ford 6-0 on Monday, DawnNews reported.

The Pakistani team had already made a winning start to the competition with a 1-0 win over another local Norwegian team Lambertseter.

The Norway Cup 2014 is the world’s largest International youth football tournament and has featured over 47,000 teams since the tournament’s inception in 1972, with over 1,400 teams participating in the competition in it's previous edition alone.

Pakistan previously won the bronze medal in the Street Child World Cup (SCWC) held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil this year.

Superstition or logic? Disaster-struck Malaysia Airlines to change name to boost reputation

Reeling under the pressure of two catastrophic aviation tragedies, Malaysia Airlines is mulling a name change and restructuring of routes in a bid to repair its reputation, a media report has said.
The Malaysian flag carrier, majority-owned by the government, is likely to change its name as part of a radical overhaul and also seek new investors to rebuild its business after two major tragedies within six months killing 537 people, The Telegraph reported.
In March, MH370, which was traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, lost touch with air traffic control, an hour after take-off. It was carrying 239 passengers, including 5 Indians, and crew. The wreckage of the plane which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian is yet to be found.
While earlier this month, the Boeing 777 with 298 people on board was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur as it was downed between Krasni Luch in Luhansk region and Shakhtarsk in the neighbouring region of Donetsk, Ukraine. All 298 people were killed.
It is believed that flight MH17 crashed after being hit by a surface-to-air missile fired from the rebel-held area.
Work has begun on a strategic review that will restructure the airline's routes and expand ousourcing to increase profitability, the report said.
Additional private investment for the airline could come from rival aviation groups, it d sources as saying. The review process is being led by the Malaysian government.
Airline's commercial director Hugh Dunleavy, writing in The Sunday Telegraph, insists that despite the "tragic loss" of both aircraft, the airline would eventually "emerge stronger".
"Our majority shareholder, the Malaysian government, has already started a process of assessing the future shape of our business and that process will now be speeded up as a result of MH17," Dunleavy wrote.
"There are several options on the table but all involve creating an airline fit for purpose in what is a new era for us, and other airlines," he said.
Those options are said to include renaming and rebranding the airline, which carries 50,000 passengers a day and employs 20,000 staff, the report said.
Although the airline raised 9.9 bn Malaysian ringgit (1.8 billion pounds) in 2013, and is said by industry analysts to be well-funded, it is thought external investment could help to return confidence to Malaysia following the recent tragedies.
"Airlines such as ours should be left to focus on the quality of our product in the air, not on the air corridor we fly in, which should be guaranteed as safe passage," Dunleavy said.

WB: 5 tea gardens shut, workers dying of hunger, sell children to survive

North Bengal: The shutdown of five tea gardens in West Bengal has pushed workers to the brink. They have been dying of malnutrition while some have even been selling their children to try and make ends meet.
Forty-five-year-old Ratia Kharia is one of the thousand workers who lost their jobs when the Bundapani tea estate closed. Struggling to make ends meet, he has been reduced to a bag of bones. Locals here claim 18 workers like Ratia have died due to starvation.
Ramesh Mahali, a tea garden worker, and his ailing wife have been fighting death with one morsel a day. "When I work, we eat, when I can't find any work we don't eat. Sometimes we borrow food from our neighbours and eat," Ramesh said.
Seventy-year-old Buddhi hasn't seen his son in months since he left for Ladakh for work. Today he barely has any strength left to chop wood for cooking. "I don't have money for food, I get Rs 15 or 20 a day. I don't get old age benefits from the government either," he said.
Close to 100 people have reportedly died of starvation and malnourishment in the five closed tea gardens of West Bengal. But the government continues to be in denial. "All this is bogus, there is no such thing. These things are created by the media," said Gautam Deb, the North Bengal Development Minister.
An embarrassed Mamata Banerjee government has finally set up a co-ordination committee to monitor the situation in the closed and sick tea gardens even as it continues to deny the reports of starvation deaths, but this stop gap arrangement aside, the biggest issue ailing the tea gardens is wages, which way below the minimum wage in the state leading to mass migration of workers and more worryingly trafficking of women and children.
Workers are paid Rs 90 for 8 hours a day to produce the expensive Darjeeling tea. In Terai and Doars, it is Rs 95 rupees day, in inhuman living conditions.
Thousands of women and children have fallen prey to touts to escape poverty. This boy was eight when his father sold him to one. After 6 years he was finally rescued from forced labour and slavery.
Meanwhile, there is no breakthrough over new wages. The workers want nothing less than minimum wages of Rs 206. But plantatation owners remain defiant, asking the government to bear the cost of housing, ration and electricity instead.
"We have been in discussion with the government both at the Centre and the state for a long time where we have been saying that structurally it's important that these costs are taken off the industry. It is important for the competitiveness of it and to make sure it is alive and ticking for the next 100 years," said Monojit Dasgupta, Secretary General, CCPA.
As the deadlock continues, a human catastrophe seems to silently unfold for Bengal.

Centre says UPSC exams must be postponed if pattern is changed: sources

New Delhi: There may be some relief in sight for the UPSC aspirants protesting against the language bias in the Civil Services Aptitude Test. Sources have told CNN-IBN that the government is of the view that the UPSC preliminary examination dates should be postponed if the pattern is changed.
Sources say that no decision will be taken till the three member UPSC committee submits its report. The three-member committee is expected to finalise and submit its report this week.
Sources say that the UPSC is an autonomous body and the ultimate decision about change in exam pattern and dates of exam will be taken by the UPSC. Sources say that the government is hopeful that a solution acceptable to all will be reached this week.
MoS Personnel Jitendra Singh met Home Minister Rajnath and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yet again on Monday. Rajnath Singh had chaired a meeting on Sunday too hoping to end the stand off. After the meeting, Rajnath Singh had also briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the situation.
This development comes on a day when the UPSC protests intensified on Monday as aspirants burned their admit cards outside the UPSC Bhavan in the capital. The protestors have been detained after they burned their admit cards.
Meanwhile, a delegation of the UPSC aspirants also met Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday. Aspirants have demanded the scrapping of the current format of the Civil Services Aptitude Test, calling it discriminatory against non-English speakers. "We met Rahul Gandhi and asked him to champion our cause. He reassured us. The Congress has always take up the cause of students," said an NSUI leader.

Kareena Kapoor: 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' has nothing to do with my personal life

Mumbai: Kareena Kapoor and Salman Khan's next 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' is about a Brahmin girl and Muslim boy, but the former says that it has no correlation with her personal life.
"The film is going on floors in October. It's a story of a Muslim guy and Brahmin girl. It's got nothing do with my personal life, but it's a beautiful human story," Kareena, who is married to Saif Ali Khan, told IANS.
"I think it will be Salman's career's best film. It will have Salman in a completely different light altogether and it's a very special film.
"It's special because Salman is producing himself and I am honoured I am with him. I am lucky to work with all the Khans in all their home productions," added the actress who was last seen in damp squib 'Gori Tere Pyaar Mein'.
Kabir Khan will wield the megaphone for 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'. To be made under Salman Khan Ventures, it will be released on Eid next year.

Ministries asked to implement plans for Modi's big bang I-Day speech: Sources

New Delhi: All the Union ministries have been asked to implement as many budgetary proposals as possible before August 10 so that Prime Minister Narendra Mdoi can deliver a big bang Independence speech, said sources in the government.
Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth directed the ministries to bring some major reforms before the Independence Day on August 15 as Modi wanted to present his government's achievements in his address to the nation.
Sources said that the government's priority will be to facilitate Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in some sectors like insurance. Finance Ministry is also likely to take steps to being down inflation and also approve some key infrastructural development projects.
Sources add that the government's priority is to bring down prices in the next three weeks. FDI in defence and railways can be next.

Gadkari bugging issue: Former PM Manmohan Singh demands probe

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed his displeasure and demanded a probe over the news of Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari's residence being bugged.
Singh on Monday said there should be an investigation into the report of bugging devices having been found in Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's residence and asked Government to explain the issue in Parliament.
"If Ministers' houses are bugged, then it is not a good omen. It should be investigated. How can it happen? it should be explained by the Government in the House," he told reporters at an Iftar get-together hosted by Congress president Sonia Gandhi
A media report has claimed that high power listening devices were found in the bed room at the 13 Teen Murti Lane residence here of Gadkari, the Road Transport and Highways Minister.
Gadkari dubbed the report as "highly speculative".
"Reports in a section of the media about listening devices having been found at my New Delhi residence are highly speculative," Gadkari said on his Twitter account.

Saharanpur: Curfew relaxed for four hours, situation still tense

With the situation improving in violence-hit Saharanpur, in Uttar Pradesh, the district authorities on Monday relaxed curfew for four hours in the new city area to allow people to buy their daily need items from markets which were directed to remain open.
As the situation has shown improvement, curfew was being relaxed from 10 am to 2 pm in the new city and from 3 pm to 7 pm in the old town areas, District Magistrate Sandhya Tiwari said.
"This is being done to allow people to pick up their items of daily need from the markets," she told reporters here.
Tiwari said security forces have been asked to maintain a tight vigil during the curfew relaxation hours and keep a close watch on trouble-mongers to prevent any untoward incident.
She said a lot of people contacted the authorities last night as certain rumours had been spread but "more than 96 per cent of the incidents were not found to be true".
An uneasy calm had prevailed Sunday in Saharanpur where 38 people were arrested as a political blame game erupted with Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing Samajwadi Party of indulging in "vote-bank politics" and Congress blasting the UP government for "lapses".
Curfew and shoot-at-sight orders had remained in force on Sunday in the wake of clashes between two communities over a land dispute with some indulging in arson. Three persons were killed in the violence on Saturday that also left 33 injured.
22 shops were gutted or damaged and 15 four-wheelers torched in the incidents, according to Tiwari.
Meanwhile, Saharanpur Superintendent of Police Rajesh Pandey said one person who had "instigated" the violence has been identified. "We have not arrested him yet, but we are hopeful that we will catch hold of him very soon," he said, noting that the individual has been charged with rioting, arson and conspiracy.
He said, "We will undertake a detailed investigation and only then we can say whether it is a grand design or some thing else is behind the scene."
"We are trying to get the situation back to complete normalcy," Pandey said, adding the violence took place over the disputed piece of land which was a "cause of concern".
Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mukul Goel had Sunday said in Lucknow, "It has been directed that action should be taken against whosoever is found guilty."
Officials in Lucknow said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has sought a report from the district authorities regarding the incidents in Saharanpur, which is nearly 170 km from Delhi and 560 km from Lucknow.
Yadav has termed the violence as "unfortunate" and said that those responsible will not be spared.
Reacting to the charges levelled by Congress and BJP, Samajwadi Party has said there was an effort to "disrupt peace in the state" and that there was "no place for communalism, anti-social elements".
Trouble began when members of one community started construction work at the site in Kutubsher area in the wee hours of Saturday, which was objected to by the other group.
Both the sides indulged in heavy brick-batting, arson and opened fire, police said.
Police had fired rubber bullets to control the situation as mobs went on the rampage, setting several shops afire.
Additional forces, including from PAC, CRPF, RAF and ITBP have been deployed in the troubled areas.
Five policemen and a city magistrate were among the injured. A constable was stated to be in serious condition in Chandigarh PGI after suffering a bullet injury.

Delhi HC stays EC show cause notice to Ashok Chavan

The Delhi High Court on Monday has stayed the Election Commission's show cause notice against former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan asking why he shouldn't be disqualified for hiding details of his 2009 poll expenses.
The HC has issued notice to BJP leaders Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Kirit Somaiya and an Independent candidate who had filed complaint with the EC against Chavan.
Earlier, the Election Commission had slapped a show cause notice on Chavan for failing to lodge his election expenses as per law in a paid-news case.
The EC, on the directions of the Supreme Court, had issued a notice to Chavan in May last to appear before it in connection with the case of alleged expenses made by him during the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly polls which were categorised as "paid news".

Plane 'was punctured by shrapnel'

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed after being punctured multiple times by shrapnel, according to recovered flight data recorders.
Ukraine's national security spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the plane suffered "massive explosive decompression" after it was hit by fragments he said came from a missile.
The data recorders were sent to UK experts for examination.
Flight 17 went down on July 17 as it flew from Amsterdam toward Kuala Lumpur. All 298 people aboard died. The US and Ukrainian governments say it was shot down by a missile fired from territory held by armed pro-Russian separatists, probably by mistake.
The separatists deny shooting down the plane; Russia says the Ukrainian military may have shot it down.

Russia Ordered to Pay $50B to Yukos Shareholders

Russia must pay a group of shareholders in defunct oil giant Yukos around $50 billion for expropriating its assets, a big hit for a country teetering on the brink of recession. The Hague's arbitration court said Monday it had awarded GML, a group of Yukos shareholders, just under half of their $114 billion claim, going some way to covering the money they lost when the Kremlin seized Yukos, once controlled by Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Tim Osborne, director of GML, welcomed the award, which he said was the largest ever, as "very favorable". He said Russia would likely attempt to delay matters. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would most likely appeal the decision, underlining that the shareholders, who have battled through the courts for a decade, will have to fight further to receive the compensation.

Anarchy in Libya: Tripoli Fuel Depot Ablaze After Rocket Attack

TRIPOLI, Libya - A rocket hit a fuel storage tank containing 1.5 million gallons of gasoline, triggering a major blaze as rival brigades of former rebels fought for control of Tripoli's main airport. A huge cloud of black smoke billowed across the capital's skyline on Monday and Libya's government asked for international help to try to contain the disaster. A spokesman for the National Oil Company said the blaze was burning "out of control," adding that firefighters had withdrawn from the area.

Foreign governments have looked on powerless as anarchy sweeps across the North African oil producer, three years after NATO bombardment helped topple dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The U.S., United Nations and Turkish embassies have already shut operations after the worst violence since the 2011 uprising. Two weeks of clashes among rival factions killed nearly 160 people in Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi. Since Gadhafi's demise, Libya has struggled to keep its transition to democracy on track, with its parliament deadlocked by infighting among factions and militias often using threats of force against political rivals. Many heavily armed former anti-Gadhafi fighters refuse to hand over weapons and continue to rule the streets.

MAHMUD TURKIA / AFP - GETTY IMAGES

Smoke billows from a burning oil depot near Tripoli airport on Monday.

Carlo Tavecchio in racism row after calling African players “banana eaters”

Well, beyond a general dread of racism, the reason to care about Tavecchio is because he’s about to become the next president of the Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC). Currently he’s a vice-president, and he’s in charge of the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti (National Amateur League), which controls all amateur soccer in Italy.

Tavecchio caused a stir this weekend when he suggested that Italy implement England’s strict requirements for non-EU players, holding them to high standards of play and professionalism.

He went on to contrast that with the Italian attitude, saying:

Here instead we get Opti Pobà, who previously ate bananas and then suddenly becomes a first-team player with Lazio. That’s how it is here. In England, you need to demonstrate what you have on your CV and your pedigree.

Opti Pobà is not, in fact, a person. He is an invention of Tavecchio’s, a way of referring to African players. Lazio have but one African player on their team. Nigerian Ogenyi Onazi arrived from Lagos club My People, joining the Lazio youth system in 2011.

Despite referring to Africans as banana eaters, Tavecchio remains in prime position to become head of the FIGC, after former president Giancarlo Abete stepped down following Italy’s early exit from the World Cup. Perhaps those prepared to vote for him believe what he said after his speech:

I can’t remember if I said the word ‘banana’ but I was referring to the CV and professionalism required by English football for players who come from Africa or other countries. If anyone has interpreted my speech as offensive, I offer my apologies.

Wanting to hold players to high standards before granting them work permits is one thing. Referring to them by use of a racial slur is quite another. Especially since Italy still grabs headlines for the racist behavior of its fans. They abused Mario Balotelli after the World Cup, the ultras regularly find themselves in trouble for racist chants or banners, and the fan curvas are often closed in punishment for behavior that abuses those of a different skin color — or even those from a different region of Italy.

This is the sort of behavior that Italy should be weeding out, not ushering up to such an influential position in the sport. Italy needs to take steps to address racism in soccer, not elevate a man that is likely to look the other way when players are abused.

Shawwal moon sighting: meeting of Ruet-e-Hilal Committee underway

KARACHI: The meeting of Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is underway here on Monday for the sighting of Shawwal crescent, Geo News reported.

The meeting of is being chaired by the Committee's Chairman, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman.

The meetings of zonal committees are also being held at their respective district headquarters.

Meanwhile, Chief Meteorologist Tauseef Alam has predicted that there were clear indications of sighting of Shawwal moon today (Monday).

Lawmakers to announce tentative deal on bill to overhaul troubled VA

FILE: May 17, 2014: The Department of Veterans Affairs in Phoenix, Ariz.AP

The leaders of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees are planning to unveil a tentative deal on Monday on legislation meant to improve veterans' health care and tackle the litany of scandalous problems at the VA. 

The plan is expected to authorize billions in emergency spending to lease 27 new clinics, hire more doctors and nurses and make it easier for veterans who can't get prompt appointments with VA doctors to obtain outside care. At the heart of the department's problems have been long wait times and falsified records covering up the delays. 

Though talks appeared to be imperiled late last week, Fox News confirms a tentative deal was struck over the weekend between Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. They plan to unveil details at a 1:30 p.m. ET press conference. 

The announcement could quell concerns that Congress would start a five-week summer recess without a legislative solution amid widespread national outrage over problems within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The pair said in a joint statement that they had "made significant progress" toward an agreement on legislation "to make VA more accountable and to help the department recruit more doctors, nurses and other health care professionals."

Eighteen veterans died while on a secret waiting list for care at the VA facility in Phoenix. And an inspector general’s report in May found roughly 1,700 veterans in Phoenix were on the unauthorized list with some waiting as long as 115 days for treatment.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned shortly after the release of the report.

Lawmakers were working through dueling proposals last week. Those proposals would have scaled back separate House- and Senate-passed bills after lawmakers in both parties expressed shock at price tags totaling more than $35 billion. The proposals would still allow veterans to go to private doctors if they face long waits for appointments at VA hospitals and clinics, or if they live more than 40 miles from a VA site. 

The Senate panel made the first move last week, announcing a proposal that would cost about $25 billion over three years to lease new clinics, hire thousands of doctors and nurses and make it easier for veterans to go outside the VA system. 

The proposed price tag was $10 billion less than a bill passed by the Senate last month and nearly $20 billion less than a House-backed measure.

The House panel countered hours later with a proposal that would require only $10 billion in emergency spending, with a promise of more spending in future years under the normal congressional budget process. Miller's bill would keep most of the provisions in the Senate-passed bill and also would authorize about $100 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs to address shortfalls in the current budget year. 

The Obama administration says it needs about $17.6 billion to hire thousands of doctors, nurses and other health professionals, lease new facilities and upgrade its computers to reduce a backlog of veterans awaiting care at VA hospitals and clinics.

The administration's request does not include money to allow more veterans to go to private doctors to avoid long waits for VA care. Expansion of private care was the biggest cost in the bills approved by Congress.

Republicans complained that Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson's budget request was thinly documented.

Miller told Gibson on Thursday he was surprised that such a large request was made in a slim, three-page memo.

The request "makes it very difficult for us to do our job" Miller told Gibson at a hearing of the House veterans' panel.

Gibson said the request reflected his judgment about what the department needs to address current problems.

The VA request includes $8.2 billion to hire 1,500 doctors and thousands of nurses and other medical and mental health professionals; $6 billion for construction projects to improve safety or patient access; $1.2 billion for computer enhancements; and $400 million for more staff to deal with the agency's backlog of benefits claims.

North Carolina mayor walks to Washington to bring focus to ObamaCare's effect on rural hospitals

A North Carolina mayor on Sunday was just a few miles away from finishing his 273-mile walk to Washington to draw attention to the closing of his small town’s local hospital and the plights of other rural facilities caught in financial bind created largely by ObamaCare, a changing economy and less federal funding.  

“We’re almost there,” Belhaven Mayor Adam O’Neal, a Republican, said as he reached northern Virginia ahead of an approaching thunderstorm. “We’re going to make it.”

The mayor and others argue that an increasing number of small, rural hospitals have been shuttered since ObamaCare was signed into law in 2012.

Still, O'Neal is equally focused on bringing attention to what he considers Department of Health and Human Services and Justice Department failures leading to the closure of Belhaven’s Vidant Pungo Hospital.

“They let our hospital close,” he told FoxNews.com on Sunday. “Nobody is helping our people.”

He argues that closing the hospital, which receives federal funds, is a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act because the closure disproportionately impacts poor black people.

However, HHS is now investigating the possible violation, the mayor said.

O’Neal also thinks hospital owner Vidant Health failed to fulfill the terms of mediation required by the Justice Department and that the agency did not follow up on the agreement.

Still, he argues the turning point was after the hospital closed July 1, when a 48-year-old local resident suffered a heart attack, then died waiting an hour for a helicopter to take her to the now-closest hospital, 75 miles away.

To be sure, the 49-bed hospital appears a likely candidate for closure.

Beyond getting less Medicaid and Medicare money and few subsidies under ObamaCare, the aging facility reportedly serves fewer than 20 patients a day.

Vidant declined Sunday to comment but recently told The Wall Street Journal that the hospital last year saw an average of just four patients daily and that admissions had dropped by 30 percent.

The company also released a statement just before the hospital was scheduled to close that stated the town’s accusations “only serve to disguise the fact that it has failed to fulfill its obligations as outlined by the mediation agreement.”

Vidant said in part that multiple failed attempts to contact Belhaven about the transition “made it apparent that the town knew that it did not have a plan.”

As an alternative to keeping the hospital open, Vidant has opened a clinic in the costal North Carolina town to serve the residents of Beaufort and Hyde counties, many of whom are poor and uninsured, and plans to open an urgent-care facility next year.

O’Neal and others argued that Vidant makes hundreds of millions in annual profits and that keeping open smaller facilities such as Pungo also turns a profit, just not as much as closing them and instead opening urgent-care facilities.

At least 14 rural hospitals have closed since last year, according to several reports.

They have been squeezed in large part by the increasing cost of health care, fewer patients allowed overnight stays, less subsidies under ObamaCare for helping the uninsured and the potential for cuts in Medicaid payments in the next fiscal year.

Along the way to Washington, O’Neal met in Richmond with Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who is dealing with similar issues and vowed to contact the White House for assistance.

The mayor also has a meeting Monday on Capitol Hill with North Carolina Rep. G.K. Butterfield and is tentatively scheduled to meet with fellow Democratic Reps. David Price, N.C., and Hank Johnson, Ga.

O’Neal’s argument that expanding Medicaid under ObamaCare could have prevented the hospital's closure puts him at odds with Republican leaders, considering North Carolina and 23 other states, all GOP-controlled and mostly southern, have refused Medicaid expansion.

Gaza fighting resumes after UN Security Council calls for 'immediate' cease-fire

Israeli jets resumed airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas rocket fire hours after the United Nations Security Council ratified a draft statement early Monday calling for a cease-fire in the region. Israel's military said it struck two rocket launchers and a rocket manufacturing facility in central and northern Gaza after a rocket hit southern Israel. The rocket caused no damage or injuries. Earlier, the Israeli military said it had not carried out any attacks in Gaza since 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, but that troops on the ground were pressing on with efforts to destroy the cross-border tunnels constructed by Hamas for attacks inside Israel. The military said it opened artillery fire on Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza in response to the rocket fired at Ashkelon, said the office of Israel's military spokesman. "Quiet will be met with quiet," the office statement said. In New York, the Security Council adopted the presidential statement calling for an "immediate and unconditional humanitarian cease-fire" as Muslims began celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The statement calls for both Israel and Hamas "to accept and fully implement the humanitarian cease-fire into the Eid period and beyond." It said this would allow for the delivery of urgently needed assistance. The statement also called on both sides to begin to "engage in efforts to achieve a durable and fully respected cease-fire," based on a proposal previously put forward by Egypt. Hamas has rejected previous Egyptian proposals for a truce in the region and insisted that any cease-fire agreement must include the lifting of a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza. The resolution was drafted by Jordan, the Arab League's representative on the Security Council. The text "expresses grave concern regarding the deterioration in the situation as a result of the crisis related to Gaza and the loss of civilian lives and casualties," though it does not call for the Israeli military to pull out of the territory. Rwanda, the current council president, announced agreement Sunday night on the presidential statement and the immediate, rare emergency meeting. Presidential statements become part of the council's official record and must be approved at a council meeting. They are a step below Security Council resolutions, but unlike resolutions they require approval of all 15 members. The Security Council is often deeply divided on Israeli-Palestinian issues, with the United States, Israel's most important ally, often blocking or using its veto on statements and resolutions pressed by the Palestinians and their supporters. Jordan's deputy U.N. ambassador Mahmoud Hmoud said the presidential statement was the first Security Council document on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since January 2009, when the council called for an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza after another conflict with Hamas. The Gaza health ministry claims the 20-day war has killed more than 1,030 Palestinians, though it is unclear how many are civilians. Israel has lost 43 soldiers, as well as two Israeli civilians and a Thai worker killed by rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza, according to the Israeli military. The Palestinians and the Israelis both criticized the statement adopted by the council. Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour said the council should have adopted a strong and legally binding resolution a long time ago demanding an immediate halt to Israel's "aggression," providing the Palestinian people with protection and lifting the siege in the Gaza Strip so goods and people can move freely. Nonetheless, Mansour expressed hope that Israel will "honor and respect" a new humanitarian cease-fire which the Palestinians hope will last "for a long time" so all outstanding issues can be addressed, especially the siege. "You cannot keep 1.8 million Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip in this huge prison," he told reporters. "That is a recipe for disaster, It is inhumane, and it has to be stopped and it has to be lifted." Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor said the presidential statement didn't mention Hamas or the firing of rockets into Israel or Israel's right to defend itself. He sidestepped several questions on whether Israel would accept a new humanitarian cease-fire, but stressed that it had agreed to five cease-fires since the conflict began. "Every single time the international community called for a cease-fire, we ceased and Hamas fired," he said. Prosor directed his statement to countries that give money to the Palestinians in Gaza, saying, "Your tax dollars are not being used towards education, civil services or development -- they are being used to develop a terrorist stronghold." The statement calls for "full respect" for international humanitarian law and reiterates "the need to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of civilians and their protection." The statement also commends efforts by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to achieve a cease-fire. Ban is scheduled to address U.N. correspondents on Monday morning on his mission. In the longer term, the statement urges the parties and the international community to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace "with secure and recognized borders."

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Joy of swim star Erraid's parents

The proud parents of teenage swimming sensation Erraid Davies have described their daughter as "just amazing".
David Davies, 69, and wife Joyce, 64, watched their daughter blaze to Commonwealth bronze in front of a screaming home crowd at Glasgow 2014.
The 13-year-old captured the nation's heart by coming in third in the para-sport 100 metres breaststroke.
Earlier, she finished second in the morning heat which featured the same seven competitors as the final.
"It's been an amazing day. She's just amazing," her father told the Press Association.
"Unfortunately we weren't in the best position to see her in the race in the morning so we could only see her on the video screen, but I just couldn't believe how fast she was going. I've never seen her swim as fast as that.
"This evening we were in a much better position at the finish line, and it was just absolutely amazing to hear the noise. "When she was coming out the noise was just tremendous and it just built up, and I don't think it could have been any more amazing if she won the gold.
"It was just so amazing with everyone being behind her, and I believe the whole Twitter-sphere is going wild.
"She got into swimming because she developed a hip condition called Perthes' disease when she was three, and was told she was not to do any weight bearing exercises and that the best thing for her was to swim.
"We had just moved to Shetland and she couldn't swim, but she was soon taught and she has virtually never been out of the pool since.
"She trains in a 16 and 2/3 metre pool with three lanes nine times a week and once a week in a 25 metre pool.
"I've not seen Erraid for about four weeks. She went to the Team Scotland camp at the beginning of July, and spent 10 days in Stirling using a 50m pool and then up to the Scottish swimming holding camp in Aberdeen so I suppose she got a feel for a 50m pool there but it's still a totally different atmosphere.
"Even that could not have prepared her for what she faced tonight, but she just took it in her stride.
"She's just got a great big grin on her face all the time now. She's very pleased with herself and very happy, as she should be.
"We've got to have discussions now about her future. She's got a couple of galas planned. She going straight to the youth games in Sheffield, and then she's going to the UK school games in Manchester in September.
"After that we don't know. Obviously there's the IPC world championships next year, again in Glasgow, which I'm pretty sure she's got a qualifying chance for now.
"After that it's the Rio Olympics, but we don't know."
Erraid said she kept the fact she was spending her summer holidays at the Commonwealth Games a secret from her school friends. She set a new personal best for the second time in a day as she fought her way into a medal position in the Tollcross pool.
Roared on by the crowd, she finished strongly just behind Australian silver medallist Madeleine Scott in one minute and 21.38 seconds, with New Zealand's Sophie Pascoe taking gold.
Erraid later took a standing ovation in her stride following the medal ceremony but she had earlier shunned the limelight among her friends.
"They didn't know before I came here, I didn't really know how to tell them," she said.
"I am really happy to have another PB. I got a medal and I am so happy. I am feeling really, really happy."
When asked what she felt she could achieve in her sport, she said: "I don't know. I am just going to keep on swimming and see where it gets me."
Liz Southern, a meetings planner and former president of the Delting Dolphins Swimming Club in Brae, for which Erraid competes, said there was a great sense of thrill among its members.
"We're delighted," she said. "I watched it on the telly and I'm really happy for her and the family.
"We're quite a small club and we all live miles apart, so there's been emails and texts going around celebrating.
"Erraid goes to school 30 miles away from where she goes swimming. We have very dedicated swimmers.
"We're all overjoyed here.
"We went to the Scottish Open together with Erraid in June. There's a great bond up here and we're so excited."
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond sent his best wishes to the country's new star, writing on Twitter: "Congrats to Scotland's youngest-ever Commonwealth Games competitor Erraid Davies winning a brilliant Bronze."
And Erraid's coach at Delting Dolphins, Lorraine Gifford, was ecstatic to watch the race she feels will launch a push for a place at the Olympics in two years' time. Ms Gifford said: "I was screaming at the telly. I'm known for being pretty loud but I'm sure she could hear me.
"I started coaching Erraid when she was eight. I did some lessons with her before.
"She still does a lot of able-bodied meetings for us. It's just recently she's been classified for the para-sports.
"We're all so proud of her."
Ms Gifford stayed at home while her star pupil headed south to Glasgow.
"I thought there were enough coaches here, and I'm going to spend a week with her at the upcoming nationals."
Ms Gifford is certain that Erraid will take the attention in her stride.
"I think she'll cope with everything," she added. "It's great that she's done this. I hope she's enjoying herself.
"I think she can go to Rio for the Olympics. This has been the shot to launch her international career."

Ravi vs Sabarmati: Team seeks revision of riverfront project cost

.— File photo

LAHORE: A Pakistani team has observed that the cost incurred on various components of the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project (SRDP) in Ahmedabad, India, mainly diversion and disposal of sewerage water after treatment, is too low than that estimated by a foreign consultancy firm preparing a feasibility report of the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project (RRUDP) in Lahore.

The members directed the consultants to visit SRDP along with the technical staff working at the firm’s country office in India, analyse cost and find how the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) managed it in such low cost, Dawn has learnt. The team headed by Commissioner Rashid Mehmood Langrial and comprising Lahore Development Authority Director General Ahad Cheema, LDA’s Strategic Policy Unit Project Manager Moazzam Sipra and technical expert on urban development Mustafa Kamal Chaudhry recently paid a three-day visit to SRDP, an initiative of Indian premier Narendra Modi during his tenure as chief minister of Gujarat, Ahmedabad, and returned on July 23.

Officials said the visit was beneficial with a view to executing the RRUDP. “We inspected the SRDP in depth and were given presentations from AMC senior officials as well as site visits with them. We saw how the AMC managed bringing water through a barrage in the barren Sabarmati river, developed limited infrastructure at various spots, treatment of sewerage water, its diversion and disposal on other sides to avoid water pollution on the 11km stretch,” a team member told Dawn.

Team set to visit India for riverfront project study

He said the team observed that cost estimation prepared by consultants for the feasibility of RRUDP was much higher than the money spent on SRDP. “Though our consultants are reviewing the cost they reported in the pre-feasibility report, but we have advised them to visit SRDP as soon as possible,” the official added.

When asked how the AMC managed its low cost, he said it might be due to availability of local vendors manufacturing and maintaining water treatment plants and other allied equipments in India rather than importing them. Since there was no such arrangement in Pakistan, the consultant might have added the cost of importing the plant and its parts. “But we have an alternative plan. If we have no such arrangement here, we could ask Indian vendors to help us in saving cost,” the official explained.

He said the RRUDP management would try to accomplish phase-1 of the project, at least riverfront, within a year after getting a detailed feasibility report from the consultants.