At Adda tonight, urban stories of adaptation

The unchecked expansion of Indian cities, relatively slow growth in physical and social infrastructure, and success stories of cities adapting and creating space will be some of the issues discussed in depth at the Express Adda on Tuesday in Mumbai.

Economist and author Dr Isher Judge Ahluwalia and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will take centrestage at the Adda, to be held at the Bhau Daji Lad museum at Byculla.

Both experts on urban planning and growth, they will have an informal discussion with a select audience. Shekhar Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of the Express Group, will moderate the conversation.

Dr Ahluwalia’s book, Transforming Cities: Postcards of Change was launched last month as part of the Express Book Series by Finance Minister P Chidambaram. It contains her columns in The Indian Express, and significant case studies of change from across the country.

At Adda tonight, urban stories of adaptation

The unchecked expansion of Indian cities, relatively slow growth in physical and social infrastructure, and success stories of cities adapting and creating space will be some of the issues discussed in depth at the Express Adda on Tuesday in Mumbai.

Economist and author Dr Isher Judge Ahluwalia and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will take centrestage at the Adda, to be held at the Bhau Daji Lad museum at Byculla.

Both experts on urban planning and growth, they will have an informal discussion with a select audience. Shekhar Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of the Express Group, will moderate the conversation.

Dr Ahluwalia’s book, Transforming Cities: Postcards of Change was launched last month as part of the Express Book Series by Finance Minister P Chidambaram. It contains her columns in The Indian Express, and significant case studies of change from across the country.

NIA’s touching faith in Internet downloads and bizarre bluster

* Yasin Bhatkal downloaded a picture of a Stinger missile from the Internet into his computer — this shows he was trying to “develop arms and ammunition” to wage war on India.

* Yasin told Riyaz Bhatkal to “look for a nuclear bomb” in Pakistan, because “everything was available” there. The idea was to nuke Surat, after pasting posters in mosques telling the town’s Muslims to “quietly evacuate”.

* Indian Mujahideen wanted to capture Jews in India so that it could “bargain” with the US for the release of Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui who is serving an 86-year sentence in an American prison for an alleged terror plot to attack the US.

* Indian Mujahideen is working with Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Pakistan’s ISI while at the same time consistently abusing ISI, calling it “dogs”.

* Riyaz believed that the Pakistani al-Qaeda were foolish, and he, therefore, flew to Peshawar to meet with the Arab al-Qaeda. Lest his colleagues disbelieved him, he kept his plane tickets to show them as proof of the visit.

Such sweeping conclusions based on little beyond hearsay and bluster are at the heart of the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA’s) supplementary chargesheet against alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) co-founder Yasin Bhatkal filed in a special Delhi court on February 24. Most charges are based on alleged web chats with little evidence of corroborative material.

Consider the key ones:

The chargesheet claims the IM’s current priority is to “wage war against Myanmar to take revenge for the atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims”. The evidence?

“During chat of Yasin with Riyaz on 11th May, 2013, Riyaz (said) that he had met someone whose community’s contact lived on Rajasthan border within Pakistan. The man was an old timer and had lived with Mullah Omer [Omar](of Taliban) and possibly with Osama Bin Laden (of the Al Qaeda), had crossed 5-6 times, was Burmese and wanted to start the struggle in Burma, and had come to Riyaz for help. The man mentioned that he was planning to take arms and ammunition from Pakistan for use in Myanmar, through the Indo-Pak border. Riyaz mentioned that he would accompany the man till borders. Another issue that the man told was about the network in Thailand where there was a place where arms and ammunition was manufactured, which was independent of Thai rule. Riyaz told that Rohingya Muslims were migrating to Thailand, and that one road from Thailand went over to Malaysia. This route was in the notice of Riyaz since long time. Riyaz was planning to establish someone of the IM in Thailand and was even thinking of sending Daniyal. He mentioned that there a launch was made which travelled upto

Let us seal FTA early, Prime Minister tells regional club

Urging the seven-member BIMSTEC grouping to fast-track trade and economic cooperation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday called for “early conclusion” of the BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement and said it should be extended to investment and services.

Hours later, the third summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) issued a joint declaration directing the trade negotiating committee to “expedite work for conclusion of the Agreement on Trade in Goods by the end of 2014, and to continue its efforts for early finalisation of the Agreement on Services and Investments”.

Singh said India would soon launch a direct shipping line to Myanmar. He also announced the opening of a BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate in Noida near Delhi. On the security front, he called for negotiations on a BIMSTEC extradition convention.

Addressing the summit, Singh said the FTA should be wrapped up early: “Most of us here are connected with each other through one or more regional economic arrangements and it should not be difficult for us to conclude one for BIMSTEC.”

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand make the BIMSTEC club, home to one-fifth of the world’s population and some of the poorest, with energy and mineral reserves that promise a future if governments fast-track growth and cut red tape for business.

A framework agreement for the BIMSTEC free trade area was signed in Phuket, Thailand in February 2004, committing parties to negotiate FTAs in goods, services and investments. But that pact has been elusive.

Ahead of the Nay Pyi Taw summit, Foreign Secretary  Sujatha Singh called the BIMSTEC negotiation process “particularly complex because it already encompasses countries which have FTA under the SAFTA process, and then you have other countries that belong to ASEAN… we have to arrive at an outcome that is optimal for India and them”.

Prime Minister Singh listed energy as another priority for the BIMSTEC. “As India and some of its neighbours are getting linked by energy grids, we are already experiencing the regional and national benefits of energy cooperation. We must connect each other through transmission highways and gas and oil pipelines, while examining opportunities for cooperation in renewable energy sources. I hope the BIMSTEC Energy Centre planned in Bengaluru will play a key role in this.”

“In coming together, we are not only stepping out of narrow, traditional definitions of regions such as South Asia or Southeast Asia, but we are also building a bridge across Asia’s most promising and dynamic arc,” he said.

Underlining physical and digital connectivity as “a driver of cooperation and integration”, Singh asked his counterparts to “identify and implement priority projects of regional importance from the comprehensive study prepared by the Asian Development Bank.”

“And even as we develop physical infrastructure, we should simultaneously start

Gurgaon murder: IIM-A alumnus hired detectives, planted bugs in house to spy on wife

Rajneesh Singh, who allegedly stabbed his 36-year-old wife Shweta Singh to death suspecting her of infidelity on Sunday, had hired private detectives and planted bugs in their house to spy on his wife, police said.

On Sunday morning, Rajneesh, in his mid-forties who is an alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad and works for a consultancy firm in Gurgaon, allegedly stabbed Shweta to death with a kitchen knife at their residence in Parsvanath Greens township in Gurgaon’s Sector-48.

They have three children — two daughters aged eight and five, and an 11-month-old son.

Police said Rajneesh stabbed Shweta, who ran a day-care centre in DLF Phase-IV, several times. The couple had been married for almost 10 years.

According to police, after allegedly killing Shweta, Rajneesh called up his parents and then informed police.

“Rajneesh told us that he had asked some private detectives to spy on Shweta, whom he suspected of having an affair. Not only that, every morning before he used to leave for office, he would allegedly plant recording devices at various places in the house. He would allegedly listen to them once he got back from office,” a senior police officer said.

According to police, Rajneesh alleged a man would often visit their house in Sector-48 once he would leave for office and their eight-year-old daughter would leave for school. Police are verifying his claims.

“Rajneesh told us that he confronted Shweta on Sunday morning and, in a fit of rage, allegedly stabbed her with a kitchen knife in the presence of their daughter. After that, he called his parents and police, and then gave himself up, confessing to the crime,” the police officer said.

The couple previously lived with Rajneesh’s mother in DLF Phase-IV, where Shweta ran the day-care centre first from their house and then from a rented location less than a kilometre away.

According to police, Rajneesh was presented before a magistrate on Monday and taken into police custody. “We have taken him into custody for three days,” Alok Mittal, Commissioner of Police (Gurgaon), said.

Police said Shweta’s post-mortem report indicates more than 15 stab wounds on the chest, stomach, abdomen, neck and elbow. The majority of the wounds are on the abdomen. “The post-mortem report indicates multiple stab wounds, mostly to her abdomen… The cause of death was shock and haemorrhage,” Mittal said.

Sources said the consultancy firm, where the accused was employed, was founded in 2009 and runs out in Sikandarpur in Gurgaon. 

On Women’s Day, chai pe charcha with ‘virtual’ Modi

On International Women’s Day this year, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has a grand plan — to speak to people across the country through video conferencing.

To make the interaction a success in the capital, Delhi BJP has finalised 70 areas where ‘virtual’ Modi will speak to the people on issues ranging from progressive economy, social and political scenario, women, trade, agricultural, among others.

Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan said, “Under this important programme, the BJP workers shall organise separate chaupals at 70 areas in Delhi and apprise the people about the policies and political thought of the BJP. Tea will also be served at these venues.”

The 70 venues, where the Delhi BJP plans to set up the chaupals, include Adarsh Nagar, Shalimar Bagh, Shakur Basti, Tri Nagar, Wazirpur, Model Town, Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Matia Mahal, Ballimaran, Burari, Timarpur, Rohtas Nagar, Babarpur, Gokalpur, Mustafabad, Jangpura, Okhla, Trilokpuri, Patparganj, Laxmi Nagar, Vishwas Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Shahdara, Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar, Moti Nagar, Delhi Cantt, Rajender Nagar, New Delhi, Kasturba Nagar, Malviya Nagar, R K Puram, Greater Kailash, Narela, Badli, Rithala,Bawana, Rohini, Mundka and Kirari.

Meanwhile, Harsh Vardhan alleged that the AAP and the Congress government had cheated the 15 lakh people of Delhi in the name of the food security scheme. “The Congress and the AAP governments had announced to pay Rs 600 per family per month under Annashree Yojna. These families have not received even one rupee under the food security scheme,” Harsh Vardhan alleged.

He also claimed that crores had been spent in advertising that Delhi was the first state to implement the food security scheme

Graeme Smith announces sudden retirement, says fortunate to have had many highs

Graeme Smith announced his sudden retirement from international cricket on Monday, ending the career of the most experienced Test captain and South African cricket’s savior.

Smith resurrected the team from the match-fixing scandal involving former skipper Hansie Cronje and a disastrous World Cup on home soil in 2003.

Smith, given control of the underperforming and fiercely criticized national team at 22, went on to play over 100 Tests, was captain for more than a decade and established South Africa as the No. 1 Test team in the world, although he couldn’t end the country’s long wait for a World Cup title.

“This has been the most difficult decision I have ever had to make in my life,” Smith said in a statement through Cricket South Africa.

He told teammates after the third day of the ongoing third Test against Australia at his home ground Newlands in Cape Town that he was retiring after the match.

“It’s a decision that I have been considering since my ankle surgery in April last year,” he said. “I have a young family to consider, and I felt that retiring at Newlands would be the best way to end it because I have called this place home since I was 18 years old.”

CSA said it was surprised by Smith’s announcement but recognized him as “one of the true legends of the game.” It follows the sudden announcement by allrounder Jacques Kallis to quit Tests late last year.

“We must respect him for deciding to call time,” CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said of Smith. “Knowing him as well as I do, having been instrumental as a selector in appointing him as a young captain, he would not have taken this decision lightly or without a great deal of thought.”

The 33-year-old Smith appears to be heading for a defeat against the Australians in his final Test, a result that would end the Proteas’ five-year unbeaten run in Test series.

He will give up all internationals after his 117th Test, against the same opponents and on the same ground where he made his debut almost to the day, on March 8, 2002. He also played 197 one-day internationals, and scored over 9,000 Test runs and 6,989 ODI runs.

Wicketkeeper-batsman AB de Villiers, the one-day captain, will likely be the favorite to take over as Test skipper.

Smith’s decision to quit just over two months after the long-serving Kallis announced his retirement on Christmas Day signals a “new era” in South African cricket, Lorgat said.

“I have been fortunate to have had many highs,” Smith said, “amongst them leading and being part of the best Test

Tehelka rape case: Tarun Tejpal’s bail plea hearing begins

The bail plea hearing of the Tehelka founder and former editor Tarun Tejpal, facing charges of rape of a junior journalist colleague, began on Tuesday.

As the hearing began, the media persons were asked to vacate the courtroom.

The Goa bench of Bombay High Court had on Monday granted permission to Tejpal to be present in the court during hearing of his bail plea.

Tejpal had moved an application before the bench seeking permission to be present in the court during hearing of his bail petition.

The 50-year-old journalist had contended that his presence was required as he wanted to assist his lawyer during the hearing.

Tejpal has been charged with rape, sexual harassment and outraging modesty of the woman journalist in Goa in November last year.

Tejpal, arrested on November 30 last year is currently lodged in Sada sub jail near Vasco town, around 40 kms from here.

Congress readies to walk alone in Andhra as TRS rules out merger

Days after Ramvilas Paswan decided to climb on to Narendra Modi’s bandwagon, the Congress suffered another jolt on Monday: the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) decided not to merge with it.

The TRS decision was learnt to have been made in response to the Congress’s refusal to make the party’s leader K Chandrasekhar Rao chief minister of Telangana before the elections.

“Last year I told the Congress that if Telangana is created by passing a Bill in September when Parliament was in session, TRS would merge with Congress. I gave that assurance. But that did not happen, and now we are under no obligation to merge,” KCR said after a meeting of his party on Monday evening.

Despite having its back to the wall, the Congress appeared to put its faith in its vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s firm belief in the philosophy of ‘ekla chalo’ — walk alone. The decision to go alone in Bihar in 2009 had backfired, but the party seemed prepared to play the same move one more time in that state.

Before Monday evening’s decision by the TRS, the Congress was learnt to have told KCR to either merge with it or contest separately. 

“There is no question of an alliance with TRS. KCR had declared that he would merge the TRS with the Congress if Telangana was created. If he goes back on his words, we will fight against each other,” a senior Congress leader had told The Indian Express.

KCR was said to have put conditions for the merger, including making him chief minister of the new state before the elections. The Congress had, in fact, explored the option of “delinking” Lok Sabha and state assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, but the Election Commission had been unwilling, sources said.

The Congress has been disinclined to hand over Telangana to KCR before elections. Having all but sacrificed its 25 Lok Sabha seats in the residuary state, the party was not willing to play second fiddle in Telangana as well.

KCR, on the other hand, has been wary of allowing his destiny to hang in the balance until after the elections, the sources said. Even as the party went into Monday’s meeting, most of its leaders were against a merger with the Congress.

In Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s response to renewed Congress overtures has been lukewarm, and JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav on Monday ruled out any alliance outside the 11-party non-Congress, non-BJP front.

The Congress considers RJD chief Lalu’s offer of a seat-sharing deal “humiliating” — not so much for the number of seats as for their “quality”. Most of the 11 seats that