The Tribune – Trade via Attari to be resumed today

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 1. Four days after they suspended bilateral trade between India and Pakistan at the new Integrated Check Post at Attari, the striking traders today decided to temporarily resume the trade from tomorrow after the government agreed to one of their major demands while assuring to review others as well.

Talking to The Tribune over the phone from New Delhi, Amritsar Exporters Chambers of Commerce vice-president Rajdeep Uppal said the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) officials had agreed to allow free storage for three days, including the day of arrival, for gypsum, which had been one of their main demands.

Earlier, the CWC was charging Rs 3 per tonne per day as storage charge for gypsum. Similarly, they told the CWC that cement being imported from Pakistan could not be lifted the same day. He said they also raised the issue of entry fee of Rs 200 per truck for goods being imported from Pakistan and that the CWC had assured to review it.

Apart from it, they also voiced their concern over the exporters being levied labour charges. “Though the trucks loaded with goods meant for export are not unloaded, still we have to pay labour charges. We are also paying 25 per cent of it to the CWC as handling charges despite the fact that they provide no service when it comes to exports,” he said.

The CWC officials told the traders that they had entered into a contract in this regard and they would have to seek a legal opinion on this particular issue. Sources said there were also differences between the two sides as to who would take up the matter with labourers as both of them were passing the buck on each other.

Uppal said CWC managing director BB Pattnaik gave them a patient hearing on various issues concerning the trade at the Integrated Check Post and assured them to review their other demands as well within eight to 10 days. He said a team headed by Land Port Authority of India member Mohinder Ranga would reach Attari on Friday and submit a report after looking into the ground realities for a couple of days.

The traders had proceeded on strike, suspending exports to Pakistan and lifting of imported goods, on April 27 to lodge their protest against “excessive handling charges” at the ICP. Subsequently, the bilateral trade between India and Pak suffered a blow with exports coming to a halt and stock of imported goods piling up at the check post. The only movement witnessed in the otherwise deserted ICP was that of trucks loaded with gypsum and cement that are arriving from Pakistan for the last four days.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120502/punjab.htm#1

The Tribune – Rapid transport project hits roadblock

Amritsar’s narrow lanes force authorities to alter original plan; scheme may miss 2014 deadline

G S Paul, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 1. The state government’s ambitious ULTra personal rapid transport system that is to be introduced in the holy city is unlikely to meet its 2014 deadline. For, the congested and narrow streets of Amritsar have compelled the authorities to implement need-based changes in the original model.

Conceptualised on the lines of a similar project at Heathrow Airport in London, construction work on the Rs 198-crore project’s first phase, connecting the Bus Stand, Hall Bazar and the Golden Temple, was to begin in January last. The entire project’s length is 3.3 km.

According to the latest plan, the 20-ft elevated guide-way for magnetic pods (driverless self-driven battery operated six-seat cabs) would be laid on one side of the road. Earlier, it was to be built in the middle of the road.

The major hindrance is the 600-ft-long stretch on Maha Singh Gate-State Bank of India branch-Town Hall-Bus Stand route.

Raising a 12-ft-wide elevation for rubber track in the narrow lane, which is just 14-ft wide, would be a tough job.

Then, the century-old residential buildings, especially those located on the left hand side of the route, are also an impediment. In view of their weak foundation, there is threat to these structures when six-ft-deep gorges would be dug up to erect pillars for supporting the elevated track. Encroachments by traders and intermingled bunch of telephone and electricity cables are also an obstruction.

Amid all these hiccups, questions are being raised over the rationality of the feasibility recce conducted by local agency ULTra-Fairwood, which was hired to look after the design and management of the project.

Amritsar Municipal Commissioner Dharampal Gupta said, “A safety study is being done by a team of experts. We can afford to be a bit late than introducing structural errors…All eyes are set on this country’s first innovative project. We are trying to find alternatives to overcome hindrances like making the project feasible through the narrow lanes of the holy city.”

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120502/punjab.htm#9

The Asian Age (Deccan Chronicle) – Rajiv case: Supreme Court shifts three mercy pleas to itself

S S Negi

New Delhi, 2 May 2012 – Taking note of high ‘politicisation’ of mercy petitions by three death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case in Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the transfer of their cases to itself from the Madras high court.

“We do not consider it necessary to decide whether the support extended by political outfits and others to those found guilty of killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi may impede fair adjudication of the writ petitions… the registrar-general of the HC is directed to ensure that records of the three writ petitions are sent to the SC within two weeks.”

On completion of formalities of transferring the cases of death row convicts T. Sathendraraja alias Santhan, A.G. Perarivalan alias Arivu and V. Sriharan alias Murugan, a bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and S.J. Mukhopadhya ordered listing of their cases for final disposal on July 10.

The three convicts challenged the rejection of their mercy petitions by the President after a long delay in the Madras high court, saying they suffered in solitary cells for years when their mercy petition were pending. Due to abnormal delay, they claimed, they were entitled to commutation of death sentences into life imprisonment.

The SC bench issued notices to all three petitioners informing them of the transfer order.

http://www.asianage.com/india/rajiv-case-sc-shifts-three-mercy-pleas-itself-168

6 April 2012 – Kerkom, Ons Bruine Lieve Vrouw

This is the road that I often take when cycling to Gingelom
On the way out I cross the busy N80 only twice
Going back to Sint-Truiden I have to criss the N80 four times !

Inside ‘Ons Bruine Lieve Vrouw’ chapel

Ons Bruin Lieve Vrouw – Our Brown Lady

The Chapel surrounded by trees

To see more Belgium (mostly Limburg) pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622046344528/

More Belgium pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – Kabul seeks Indian equipment for its security forces

Ashok Tuteja, Tribune News Service

New Delhi , May 1. Afghanistan today sought India’s assistance in not only training its security forces but also equipping them under the strategic partnership agreement so that they were in a position to defend the trouble-torn nation after international forces withdraw from there by the end of 2014.

This was conveyed by Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul to External Affairs Minister S M Krishna at the inaugural session of the India-Afghanistan Partnership Council, which formally set in motion the implementation of the strategic partnership pact signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in October last year.

Expanding security and counter-terror cooperation figured prominently in the talks. Issues relating to the safety of nearly 4,000 Indians living in that country and the security of Indian missions and facilities also figured prominently.

Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, Krishna responded favourably to his Afghan counterpart’s suggestion, saying New Delhi had always been unwavering its commitment to assist the people of Afghanistan in their endeavour to build a peaceful, stable, democratic and prosperous country.

“Let me assure you that while it is a time of change and transformation in the region, India ’s commitment to Afghanistan is neither transitory nor in transition…India’s security is intertwined with that of Afghanistan’s stability,” he told Rassoul.

The visiting minister also called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who hoped the strategic partnership between the two countries would be further strengthened in the critical period ahead.

Krishna said India was hopeful that by the time the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and American forces pull out of Afghanistan , the Afghan security forces would be in a position to protect the sovereignty of their nation.

On the process of reconciliation with the Taliban, the Afghan minister said the Afghan government was not looking at the military aspect of dealing with the situation in the country alone but also at the political side in keeping with the decision taken by the Loya Jirga-the governing council of tribal leaders. Talks would be held only with those among the Taliban who respect the Afghan Constitution and recognise the gains made by the country in different areas during the last 10 years of conflict.

On his part, Krishna reminded his Afghan opposite number of the need to adhere to the red lines drawn by the international community for negotiations with the Taliban. The process of reconciliation must be Afghan-led, inclusive and transparent.

Talks should be held only with those who snap links with the militia and promise to abide by the constitution. Afghanistan must be prevented from sliding back to safe haven for terrorists and extremist groups, he added.

On the fears expressed by IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne that the Taliban or other such groups might shift close to the Indian border with Pakistan at Wagah if the situation deteriorated after the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, Krishna said India was always monitoring developments at its borders.

“We keep a close watch on the situation and take steps to check infiltration by the Taliban or others.’’

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120502/main3.htm

BBC News – Barack Obama pledges to ‘finish the job’ in Afghanistan

Wednesday 2 May 2012. US President Barack Obama has pledged to “finish the job” and end the Afghan war, addressing the US public live from a military base in Afghanistan.

Speaking a year after Osama Bin Laden’s death, he thanked US troops and hailed plans to end combat operations.

Mr Obama arrived in Afghanistan on a surprise visit to sign an agreement on future Afghan-US ties with President Hamid Karzai, ahead of a Nato summit.

Hours after his speech at least six people died in a bomb blast in Kabul.

Afghan officials said at least two suicide bombers targeted a guesthouse popular with foreigners in the eastern part of the Afghan capital.

They said that most of the victims were civilians.

Two security officials later told the BBC that two to three attackers were still holed up in a building near the scene of the original attack. They have been firing from machine guns and firing RPGs.

Police have now surrounded the area.

The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attacks.

‘National security’

Earlier, Mr Obama said signing the pact with President Karzai was “a historic moment” for both nations.

Hit visit and TV address come as correspondents say public patience with the war in Afghanistan is wearing thin.

In the speech, beamed back to prime-time evening audiences in US, the president said that at the upcoming Nato summit, to be held in Chicago, the alliance would “set a goal for Afghan forces to be in the lead for combat operations across the country next year”.

Nato has already committed to withdrawing from combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

“I will not keep Americans in harm’s way a single day longer than is absolutely required for our national security,” Mr Obama said. “But we must finish the job we started in Afghanistan, and end this war responsibly.”

Correspondents say Mr Obama’s words appear to be aimed at showing American voters he is pursuing a strategy to wind down the war, while reassuring Afghans in the face of a continuing Taliban insurgency.

‘Path to peace’

About 23,000 of the 88,000 US troops currently in the country are expected to leave Afghanistan by the summer, with all US and Nato troops out by the end of 2014.

“It is time to renew America,” Mr Obama said towards the end of his remarks.

“My fellow Americans, we have travelled through more than a decade under the dark cloud of war. Yet here, in the pre-dawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon,” Mr Obama said.

“The Iraq war is over. The number of our troops in harm’s way has been cut in half, and more will be coming home soon. We have a clear path to fulfil our mission in Afghanistan, while delivering justice to al-Qaeda.”

During the speech, Mr Obama outlined the agreement he had just signed with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The BBC’s Paul Adams says 20 months of negotiation finally produced an agreement after differences over night raids by special forces and the handling of prisoners were ironed out.

According to the US president, the document outlines plans for training Afghan forces and supporting counter terrorism efforts, as well as “Afghan commitments to transparency and accountability”.

Mr Obama also spoke of a “negotiated peace” with the Taliban, saying that if insurgents break with al-Qaeda, and follow the “path to peace”, there can be reconciliation.

He said that ahead of the Chicago meeting of Nato, he had made it clear to Pakistan that it could be an “equal partner in the process”.

Pakistan and US relations soured after Mr Obama launched the raid that killed bin Laden inside the country’s border.

“In pursuit of a durable peace, America has no designs beyond an end to al-Qaeda safe-havens, and respect for Afghan sovereignty.”

Mr Obama also rejected calls to leave Afghanistan before the 2014 Nato timeline, saying “we must finish the job we started in Afghanistan, and end this war responsibly”.

In the wake of the agreement, the US is to designate Afghanistan as a major non-Nato ally, US officials are quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17917750