India local
- 1. Price : Rs.2 Page : 8RNI No. : MAHENG/2011/38665 INDIA'S LOCAL NEWSPAPER Vol.:2 Issue:45 Monday, 6th to 12th May 2013 Page .......2 1 killed in Andheri building slab col- lapse Page .......3 Doctors in dock for giving anaesthesia, causing death Page .......8 Rapes will come down if people shun meat, alcohol: Swami Agnivesh Inside INDIA'S LOCAL NEWSPAPER Visit u at www.indialocal9.blogspot.in Email-indialocal9@gmail.com I-T DETECTS NEW DELHI, The Income-Tax de- partment has de- tected alleged tax evasion to the tune of Rs 7 crore in the business transactions of Purti Group of companies related to former BJP president Nitin Gadkari. Probing the al- leged dubious trans- actions of the Purti Power and Sugar Limited (PPSL) since last year, the department has com- pleted assessments pertaining to the last two financial years and has found eva- sion to the tune of more than Rs 7 crore, top official sources said. ‘TAX EVASION’IN PURTIGROUPTRANSACTION ‘TAX EVASION’IN PURTIGROUPTRANSACTIONThe Purti Group, in its reaction, said it has not received any notice in this regard. A notice is not any in- dicator of any wrongdoing, it said, adding that Mr Gadkari was not as- sociated with the group for the past two years. “Our at- tention has been drawn to reports in a section of media that the Income-Tax de- partment is serving a tax assessment notice to the Purti Group for the last two as- sessment years. We would like to make it clear that neither the Purti Group nor any functionary of the Purti Group has re- ceived any notice so far,” Mr Nitin Kulkarni, PRO of Purti Group, said in a statement. “If any tax assessment notice is received, our MD Sudhir Dive in con- sultation with our tax advisors will give an appropriate re- sponse. However, a tax assessment notice is a routine proce- dure. There are dif- ferent levels of ap- peal at various stages. The Purti group will deal with the matter. The tax assessment notice is certainly not any in- dication of wrong doing. We would like to place on record the fact that Mr Gadkari has not as- sociated with the Purti Group from the past two years,” Mr Kulkarni said. The I- T department has begun the final scru- tiny of documents of all the Purti group companies and the other assessments would be completed by the year end, the official sources said. While preparing the final assessment orders, the depart- ment has taken into cognisance the state- ment of Mr Gadkari and other senior of- ficials of Purti group. The assessment report, prepared by compiling the probe dossiers of various I- T units present in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, the depart- ment says, has found that a number of small entities had in- vested or routed their money through the Purti Group which was not reported for the “purposes of tax”. Late last year and early this year, the department had con- ducted a search on a number of units and business firms which have reportedly in- vested or transacted in the Purti Group. Mr Gadkari could not get a second term as BJP president af- ter the allegations of tax evasion and fi- nancial irregularities had cropped up in the Purti Group. He had earlier also sub- mitted a 25-page document in reply to questions by the I-T department regarding his personal transac- tions and investments related to the Purti Group of companies and others.
- 2. PAGE 2INDIALOCALMonday,6thto12thMay2013 Editorial The poor saps at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila have a very benign view of India. They believe that women are safe if they refrain from baring their legs and so ask that they do not wear short dresses. They also ask couples not to kiss or embrace as these are considered sexual acts in India. Clearly, they have not seen our lumpen lads up close and personal. After causing a flutter, these noble guidelines were taken off the website with some people crying hoarse that these guidelines propagate a stereotyped image of India. But others felt that they make sense in the wake of rise in sexual harassment cases. This is of a piece with the advice from our moral vigilantes blaming women for attracting unwelcome advances owing to their clothing. But what the ADB overlooks is that most Indian women are normally clad from head to toe in saris and yet find themselves at the receiving end of harassment from men. Age, looks and dress are no deterrents to the determined voyeur or harasser. And we have policemen, who instead of focusing on real crime, make it their mission to hound couples in parks and other public places even if they happen to be sitting a respectable distance apart. We who have had the misfortune of living in this macho land have seen that there is really is no antidote to harassment short of embarrassing the harasser. When a moralistic crusade was unleashed in Bangalore, spunky women got together and started the pink chaddi campaign. In this, they sent the coloured undergarments to the organisation carrying out attacks on women in bars and other public places after which the cowards ended their ugly campaign. So, the ADB should rid itself of the notion that all it takes is a modest form of dressing to stop attracting unwanted attention. Perhaps, they should consider giving their female employees a martial arts allowance. Nothing like a kick where it hurts most to dampen the ardour of our budding Romeos. Time for truthorbare ONE STEP BACK, TWOSTEPSAHEADThe border standoff between India and China seems to have been resolved in a manner that seems to combine the best of diplomatic and military pressure. This has come after a few weeks of tension that had threatened to severely disrupt the initial political engagement with the new leadership in China. On the face of it, the mutual troop withdrawal was a sensible compromise. The two military outposts were untenable given the isolation of the Depsang plateau and the inclement weather that it faces. Neither government was in a position to make any concession that looked even remotely lop-sided in favour of the other. Whatever happened, the solution would have to be broadly reciprocal. Nonetheless, there can be no doubt that China has been the instigator of the present crisis. New Delhi was caught unawares by the sudden intrusion. That it took place just weeks before the Indian external affairs minister was to travel to Beijing and the Chinese premier was to make a return visit, makes China's actions especially troubling. There can also be no doubt that the area of Eastern Ladakh in which the standoff took place is not in dispute - India's sovereignty over this area is something that China's own maps and diplomatic communications have acknowledged since the 1950s. India may withdraw its troops for the purposes of this encounter, but it is hoped that they will be back there, patrolling, as soon as it is possible. Also, China's demands that India halt or dismantle its new border defence infrastructure should be rejected out of hand. It is well known that China has built a complex and intricate defence infrastructure across the southern edge of Tibet. India has belatedly begun to build this infrastructure only in the past five years. Beijing obviously wants to preserve this mismatch as this ensures that it holds the edge in any land conflict with India. India must not back down on this front as this, in effect, would mean waving a white flag on the border. A more fundamental problem is the frequency with which such border flare-ups occur. The 2005 protocol governing how the militaries of both sides handle localised disputes needs to be reconsidered by both sides. The past practice of brushing these incidents under a carpet of secrecy must also come to an end. It is impractical to expect that such things will stay hidden and result in the odd case that does surface, becoming magnified out of proportion in the public sphere. India and China have a mutually beneficial relationship in the economic space. The two fail to bind on the political front. This is not a problem. What needs to be worked out is an understanding that ensures that political friction does not spark a military fire. This modus vivendi is the missing part of this bilateral relationship - a goal only put back by the sort of incidents that happened at Depsang.
- 3. PAGE 3INDIALOCALMonday,6thto12thMay2013 INDEFINITESTRIKEAGAINSTLOCALBODY TAXBRINGSTRADETOAHALTINMUMBAI All business and trad- ing activity ground to a haltinthecountry'scom- mercial capital Monday as over 1.5 million re- tailers, wholesalers and manufacturers launched an indefinite strike against the Maharashtra government'sdecisionto bring in Local Body Tax (LBT) in lieu of octroi. Strike against local body tax:Trade grinds to ahaltinMumbai Traders protesting LBT implementation in Maharashtra Neighbourhood retail shops, wholesale trading in clothes, electronics, hardware, metals, cloth, foodgrain, fruit, veg- etables and all types of manufacturing activities in Mumbai were paraly- sedsincemorning,incon- veniencing millions of customers. "Over a million retail- ers have wholeheartedly joined the strike from to- day (Monday), besides another half a million- plus wholesalers and traders in Mumbai, bar- ring certain essentials likepharmacies,"Federa- tion of Retail Traders' Welfare Association (FRTWA) president VirenShahsaid. TheFRTWAhasjoined itsoveronemillioncoun- terparts in the rest of the state, large sections of whichhavebeenonregu- lar strike and agitations sinceApril 22, following a call by the Confedera- tion ofAll IndiaTraders. "If the state govern- ment does not roll back theLBTandreverttooc- troi, it will mean a loss of around Rs 500 crore per day in Mumbai alone," Shahwarned,addingthat the losses for the entire state are being tabulated. "We do not want the LBT under any circum- stances.We shall surren- der our LBT registration soon if the government does not withdraw it," an aggressiveShahsaid. A petition by a Pune trade body challenging theLBTwillcomeupfor hearing before the Su- preme Court Tuesday, May7. LBT, which replaced the traditional octroi in the various municipali- ties in the state, is an ac- count-based cess collec- tion for every raw mate- rialusedorimportedinto thecitylimitsbyallbusi- nesses,tradersandmanu- WHAT IS LOCALBODYTAX? facturers. While it has already been imple- mented in most parts of Maharashtra from April 1, it is due to be imposed inMumbaifromOctober 1 this year. Earlier, the FRTWA had gone on a day's token strike April 22 in support of octroi, whichhadreceivedasig- nificant response. The city Bharatiya Janata Party unit extended sup- port to the strike and urged Maharashtra gov- ernment to scrap LBT and revert to octroi, ac- cording to city unit chief Raj Purohit. Local Body Tax (LBT), to be im- posed in Maharashtra October on- wards, will be valid on the sale or consumption of certain products. It was proposed in the state bud- get as a replacement for Octroi, as per the Government directives to the BMC, where businessmen would de- clare their income and tax would be paid on that. How is it different from octroi? LBT gives direct access of ac- counts and turnovers of merchants. Earlier, octroi was charged on the material that came into the city, but LBT will be charged on overall turn- over of merchants. Trader has to pay the tax once ev- ery 40 days using online portals, cheque, demand draft or cash through a designated bank or counters of the civic bodies. According to traders, the tax will be an addition to the existing Value AddedTax(VAT). REVENUESYSTEM The current cash flow of the admin- istration will change in this system, as they will get the revenue every month-end and not on an annual ba- sis. Traders claim that if they have to pay more taxes, they will finally levy it on the buyers, as the end product will cost them more. The tax varies from 0-7 per cent, depending on the goods. ANTI-LBT Retailers, wholesalers and manu- facturers are against LBT which they feel will lead to more corruption. They also said that government's tax regime keeps changing every year, in turn inconveniencing them.
- 4. PAGE 4INDIALOCALMonday,6thto12thMay2013 Big B to buy a flat in Bhopal?Looks like Bachchans have a strong connection with Bhopal. According to sources, while senior Bachchan was shooting for Prakash Jha’s film, Satyagraha in Bhopal, he used his free time to scour for a suit- able residential property to set up another home. Interestingly, the legendary actor has a special connection with the city as his wife Jaya’s mother Indira resides there. It is said that the Bachchans al- ready have two flats and some land in Bhopal. This time AB is apparently interested in buy- ing a property at the outskirts of the city of lakes.The source adds, “Bachchan saab was here for the shooting of Prakash Jha’s movie and he had earlier ex- pressed how he likes the place for its lush green ambience.” Apparently Big B had stayed back for a day after the shooting to finish some work and the hunt is still on for the coveted prop- erty. Another source from Bhopal revealed that someone close to the Bachchans had mentioned that the family loves the city so much that he took the latest addition in the family -- granddaughter Aaradhya -- to his mother-in-law’s place. Even during his earlier shooting schedule for Satyagraha, he was seen visiting his favourite places in the city. THE IDENTITY CRISIS IN BOLLYWOOD Farah Khan Ali, the jewellery designer, re- cently received a mail about the hotel booking which she never did. “The identity crisis is a part of life now I have changed my name to Farah Khan Ali and I hope the other Farah Khan changes hers to Farah Khan Kunder! I had to call up the man- ager of this hotel and tell him that they have sent the mail to the wrong Farah. I also re- ceive bare chested pic- tures of these hot hunks wanting to act in mov- ies and I keep wonder- ing why I am getting these mails.” Farah Khan, the choreogra- pher turned producer has a different set of problems. She says, “I get these invitations from really top haute couture designs and I know they are not for me. She gets a lot of flowers and gifts meant for me. The funniest thing perhaps is when Shah Rukh sent a senti- mental message meant for me to her.” Kunal Roy Kapur and Kunal Kapoor also have had their share of hilarious incidents. Once Kunal Roy Kapur got a call to judge a college fest. As he was out of town he said he won’t be able to. The caller to his embar- rassment then asked if someone else from Rang De Basanti team will be able to make it. Kunal Roy Kapur,Kunal Kapoor “Instead of explain- ing them the goof up, I simply told them that none of them are free. This keeps happening every once in a while with me.” The other Kunal Kapoor had once mentioned that he gets a lot of calls meant for Kunal Roy Kapoor for acting offers in the- atre and also some call to ask for Siddharth’s (Kunal Roy Kapur’s brother) number.
- 5. PAGE 5INDIALOCALMonday,6thto12thMay2013 Don't allow Shah Rukh to en- ter Wankhede: MCA writes to MUMBAI POLICE"We wrote a letter to Ma- rine Lines police station to- day asking them not to al- lowShahRukhKhaninside the stadium tomorrow (when Kolkata Knight Rid- ers play Mumbai Indians). This was after the police had asked us to send a let- ter to that effect," MCA president Ravi Savant told reporters in Mumbai. The Bollywood superstar was banned for five years from entering MCA pre- mises, including the Wankhede Stadium, by theAssociation's Manag- ing Committee, headed by the late Vilasrao Deshmukh, on May 18 last year, after he was in- volved in a skirmish with security staff and officials of the cricket body follow- ing KKR's victory over MI two nights earlier. Shah Rukh, however, de- nied he had misbehaved and maintained he reacted onlyafterchildren,including hiskids,were"manhandled" by the security staff at the stadium. Meanwhile, it has been learnt that security person- nel have been told by the authoritiesnottoallowSRK inside the premises. RAJASTHAN ROYALS THRASH KINGS XI PUNJAB BY 43 RUNS A good all-round effort by the Rajasthan batsmen pro- pelled them to a score of 177 for six and some tight bowl- ing helped them restrict Kings XI Punjab to 134 for eight. It was a brilliant team effort by the 2008 champions led by former India captain Rahul Dravid. Johan Botha (2-21), Shane Watson (2-22) and Shaun Tait (2-18) took two wickets each while SiddharthTrivedi and Stuart Binny took wicket apiece. Watson, who also struck a 17-ball 36, was also adjudged Man of the Match. The only cause for worry for the visitors was their poor fielding performance. They could have wrapped up the match much earlier but dropped three easy catches. Kings XI Punjab chasing a big target never looked in the hunt.Theyweredealtearlyblowsastheirin-formbatsman Mandeep Singh (7) got out playing a rash shot whileTait, playing his first game, accounted for Nitin Saini (2). CaptainDavidHussey(8)toodidnotstaylongatthecrease and with Shaun Marsh (34) departing the very next over,it was all but over for the hosts. Former Pakistan all-rounder AzharMahmood(24)putupabrieffightbutwasdeceived by a slower ball from Binny. Earlier, electing to bat, Rajasthan lost their top run getterAjinkya Rahane (5) in thesecondover,caughtbehindoffAustralianRyanHarris. Skipper Rahul Dravid (46) and Watson (36) strung to- gether a 69-run partnership for the second wicket to put Rajasthan in the driving seat. Dravid, who recently retired frominternationalcricket,lookedingreattouchhittingeight foursinhis39-ballinnings.TheIndianveteranthenforged another good partnership with youngAshok Menaria (34) as Rajasthan looked well on their way to set a big start. However, things came to a standstill as Harris, who ended with figures of four for 34, sent Dravid back to the pavilion.BradHodgethoughplayedablisteringinningslate on, scoring 36 off 23 balls as he propelled the visitors to an imposingtotal. Former India leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan elected to ICC panel In an appointment that was backedbytheBCCI,former India leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnantodayre- placed Tim May as a play- ers' representative on the ICCCricketCommittee."... Sivaramakrishnan is one of the two Current Player rep- resentatives (replacingTim May). The other Current Player representative is former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who has been on the committee since 2007," the ICC said inastatementonMonday. "Sangakkara and Sivaramakrishnanwerere- cently elected by a vote of the10Testcaptains,andwill serve on the Cricket Com- mitteeforathree-yearterm from 2013-15," it added.The appointment was preceded by the head of South Africa's players union'srecentallegationthat Indianinterestshaveforced are-voteforthepositionof players'representative.Tony Irish,whoisalsoontheFed- erationofInternationalCrick- eters'Associations, had said initial voting for the post by the10Testcaptainshadcho- sen May, who has been a long-term senior players' advocate.Meanwhile, the ICC further announced that the annual Cricket Commit- teemeetingwilltakeplacein London on May 28 and 29. The committee will be chaired for the first time by former India captain Anil Kumble, who has suc- ceeded ex-West Indies skip- per Clive Lloyd.
- 6. PAGE 6INDIALOCALMonday,6thto12thMay2013 Minor girl raped by step-fa- ther who wanted to marry her BJP EXPOSES BANSAL'S BUSINESS LINKS WITH ARRESTED NEPHEW BJPleader Satya Pal Jain demanded that the CBI should interrogate Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal who has said that he has no business links with his nephew who was arrested for allegedly accepting Rs 90 lakh to promote a railway official. At a press conference on Sunday, Jain produced docu- ments to claim that Bansal and his family had close business links with his nephew Vijay Singla, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday. in the line of fire: According to documents shown by BJP, Railway Minister PK Bansal had close business ties to Vijay Singla, his nephew and even the com- panies floated by Singla had Bansal’s residence on it. File pics Jain is in charge of the BJP’s legal cell and a former mem- ber of parliament from Chandigarh. “I am surprised why the CBI has not interro- gated Bansal yet. Docu- ments that establish a clear business link between Bansal’s family and his nephew are available,” Jain said. The bribery scam is the lat- est to hit the UPA govern- ment at the centre. Jain claimed that Bansal’s two sons were directors in some of the companies floated by Vijay Singla, who is the son of Bansal’s sister. Singla was arrested on Saturday with three others for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 90 lakh. The bribe was paid to him on Friday by two people for getting a senior railway officer, Mahesh Kumar, appointed as a memberofthepowerfulRailwayBoard.MaheshKumar was appointed to the post on May 2. Jain claimed that companies floated by Singla had given the ad- dress of Bansal’s palatial house in an upscale area of Chandigarh’s Sector 28. “If they are using his address for their companies, how can there not be a business link? Why is Bansal not coming out in public and answering questions being raised on him?” Jain said. Singla, who is setting up big a mall-cum-hotel project, Acropolis, in Chandigarh’s industrial area, has busi- ness interests in real estate, industry and other projects. He said that a thorough investigation be carried out by the CBI into the growth of the finances and assets of the Bansal family and their relatives in recent years. He alleged that a senior IAS officer, Rahul Bhandari, who is the son-in-law of Bansal’s sister and is the railway minister’s private secretary, had also bought properties in and around Chandigarh recently. The BJP said it will keep pressing for the ouster of union ministers Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Kumar Bansal which, it hoped, will eventually lead to PM Manmohan Singh quitting. Law Minister Ashwani Kumar is facing fire for vetting a CBI report on the coal block allocations scam, while the opposition is baying for the blood of Pawan Kumar Bansal. “We are putting forward this demand on behalf of the people of India. Whether it is Pawan Bansal or Ashwani Kumar, they are trying to save them because they know, as soon as these ministers are out, the prime minister will be in direct line of fire,” said Ravi Shankar Prasad.Backing Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, the Congress said no action will be taken against them immediately. “There is a probe going on, let the result come. We will decide after that,” said I&B Minister Manish Tewari after a meet- ing of the Congress core group at the PM’s official residence. DELHI MOST CREATIVE STATE IN INDIA, MAHARASHTRAINTOP10:REPORT According to Creative Index Report in 2013, Chandigarh, Punjab, Kerala, Goa, Mizoram,Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Maharashtra round out the top nine. Haryana and Manipur are tied for the tenth position, it said. "Delhi takes the top spot as the most creative state in India with the greatest potential for success in today's creative economy," it said. The study explores the presence of the 3Ts - Technology, Talent and Tol- erance in economic develop- ment within each state and Union Territory in India. "Each of the 3Ts is important toeconomicdevelopment;no one T on its own can provide sufficient support to sustain growth and continued pros- perity. “Taken together, these 3Ts of economic develop- ment combine to produce the CreativityIndex,ameasureof a regions overall creative economy," said Kevin Stolarick, Research Director, Martin Prosperity Institute. He said India should recognise the importance of building talent, courting technology and promoting tolerance in gaining an economic advantage. "Such an approach for India would mean recognising the creative talent of its residents in order to develop the businesses and industries of tomorrow; investing in the infrastructure required to mobilise more innovation and recognising the importance of openness and diversity in gaining economic advantage," he added. It also said within India, the Far North, Far East, and Southern States and Union Territories appear to have higher concentrations of the creative class than central and western regions. MahendraSonar,aresidentofDhruwa colony of Ranchi, was arrested Sun- day night. Mahendra's wife lodged a complaint in the Dhruwa police sta- tion alleging that he had been raping her 14-year-old daughter for the last eight months. Police arrested Mahendra and sent him to jail. The minor, in her statement to police, revealed that Mahendra had been forcing himself on her and had even wanted to marry her. She in- formed her mother May 4. The mother had left her first husband, the father of the girl, and married Mahendra, with whom she has two children. Her daugh- ter from the previous marriage and the two children all lived together in Ranchi. A medical test has been conducted on the girl, and police said further action would de- pend on the results of the test.
- 7. PAGE 7INDIALOCALMonday,6thto12thMay2013 CROSSWORD ARIES: The stars recommend that you should take proper care of your health and temperament during this week. Some of you might be under mental stress during first half of the week and vague feeling of depression may engulf you. TAURUS : You will be in a relaxed and a happy state of mind most of the time during this week. Be prepared to shoulder responsibilities that come your way regarding family matters. There is strong possibility that you would repent later to wonder how you could have done this. GEMINI : Your health will be fine and you will feel energetic and able to undertake tasks that you had postponed earlier. However senior citizens might suffer from joint pains or chest congestion. Long awaited promotions, elevations in social status or rise in salary are on the cards for the most of you. CANCER : The planetary configuration indicates that you are required to observe necessary precautions in your eating habits and take proper rest coupled with sleep to maintain your physical and mental health. You will receive lot of respect from others. LEO : The period under consideration is favourable for enjoying good health most of the time. The favourable days during this week are likely to be Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. You are advised to try to make the optimum use of opportunities when they come along. VIRGO : Health and domestic affairs would need your attention this week. Do not neglect an ailment that, though not serious, may become a nagging problem. However, your expertise in preparing meticulous and detailed project reports will stand you in good stead later. LIBRA : Those of you, who had been suffering from general weakness and headaches, would feel relieved during this week. Youngsters might decide to go on a health binge. Regular exercise schedule and proper diet will make them more relaxed and active. If connected with computer related work, you will receive an offer to set up your own enterprise. SCORPIO : Your health will be fine and you will feel energetic throughout this week. However you might be required to look after the health of the elderly in your family who may require medical attention. There may be some changes in the household for those living in a joint family. SAGITTARIUS : It is a busy period for work and career, but at the same time you should not neglect your regular exercise schedule. It is necessary to pay necessary attention towards your health also. The work assigned to you during this week might be a test of your expertise and knowledge. CAPRICORN : Your health might experience ups and downs. Hence you are required to observe slight precautions regarding your health during this week. A desire to advance your career will inspire you to work sincerely towards achieving your objectives and goals. AQUARIUS : Those who have just recovered from a spell of illness should be careful regarding their health. A relapse at this stage might prove to be troublesome for you. If you have been thinking of starting an independent enterprise, make a concrete move in that direction now by meeting people and discussing your ideas. It may take some time. PISCES : It will be a good week to build up your stamina and reserves to tackle the coming onslaught of work. However some of you may have a slight health problem that will require you to take rest for few days. Take care of your diet and focus on your health. Your horoscope for this week A NOQUICKDIVORCEFORMARRIED After a week, 336 of the 650 couples who applied for divorce in Cixi area did not show up at the divorce office, authorities told Xinhua. The new divorce policy was introduced on a trial ba- sis April 1 in Cixi area of Ningbo city. "...we saved 336 families (from divorce)," said He Guoxin, director of the social affairs department of Ningbo CivilAffairs Bureau. Many couples, especially young couples born in the 1980s, came to the divorce office on impulse, and the delay helps them to calm down, He said. He said the city's re-mar- riage rate proved that many divorces were driven by im- pulse. Sex and relationships, No quick divorce for couples in this Chinese city The remarriage rate climbed to 18.5 percent in 2010 from 9.2 percent in 2006. "Some young couples re- marry three days after they divorce," He said. "It is too easy to divorce, which makes some couples leave each other without a second thought," said Luo Xianlin, general manager of a match-making website hongniang.com based in Zhejiang, and director of Zhejiang Match-making Pro- fessional Committee. China cancelled the one- month approval time for di- vorce in 2003. The nation's divorce rate has climbed over the past decades to 30 to 40 percent in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. The country re- corded only 341,000 divorces in 1980. The number jumped to 1.21 million in 2000, and reached 2.21 million in 2011. Shang Shaohua, a mem- ber of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Confer- ence, proposed to establish a calm-down period for couples seeking divorce in 2010 during the "two ses- sions" of the National People's Congress. The divorce reservation policy was first imple- mented in Qingdao city in Shandong provinceatthe beginning of this year. The di- vorcereserva- tion gives the two sides a chance to calm down. The rising divorce rate re- flects the rise of self-con- sciousness, but also indi- cates instability in society, said Yan Shan, another mar- riage expert. Across: 1 __ Lanka : our southerly neighbour (3) 4 Detonate or cause to begin or start (3,3) 7 A dividing membrane or parti- tion (6) 8 Crave, covet or lust for (4) 10 Lower House of Parliament (UK) (3,7) 12 Prohibitions by custom or reli- gion (6) 14 Accumulates by skimping (6) 15 In large amounts of quantity, in a way (4,2) 17 Famous hospital on Pedder road (6) 19 Unable to read or write (10) 21 Bathroom powder (4) 22 ___ ___ nobis : pray for us, in Latin (3,3) 23 __ ___ puzzle : fit the pieces – you get the picture (3,3) 24 Big name in moulded luggage (3) Down: 1 Agroup of six musici (6) 2 Understanding term? (1,3) 3 Tramples heavily on (6) 4 Feeling one's way overseas (6) 5 Unwelcome visitor, intruder (10) 6 Whimsical; strange (3) 9 Sorcery from the West Indies (6) 11ChineserestaurantatChurchgate (10) 13 Microscopic one-celled animal (6) 16 Come as a logical consequence (6) 17 Delayed bodily effects due to long journey by plane (3,3) 18 Maintain, prevent from sink- ing, especially tempo, one's spir- its, etc (4,2) 20Nameofseaformingnorth-east- ern arm of Black Sea (4) 21 __ Mahal : the wonder at Agra (3) COUPLESINTHISCHINESECITY!Thenewmethodshouldto be expanded to cover more parts of the country, and the calm-down period could be extended to more than a week, Yan said. "Divorce res- ervation is common in other countries. The period is one to three months in the Repub- lic of Korea (South Korea) and nine months in England," Yan said.
- 8. PAGE 8INDIALOCALMonday,6thto12thMay2013 If you want to make it BIG in LIFE start reading OWNED,PRINTED&PUBLISHEDBY:ARINDAM BANERJEE,AshiwiniCo.Op.Hsg.Soc. Flat No. B/008, Gr. Flr., First Lane, Lokhandwala Complex,Andheri (W), MUMBAI-400058 Printed at Somani Printing Press, Sharma Ind. Estate, Goregaon(E),Mumbai-400072.EditorialOffice :ShopNo.2,MarbleArch,Shastri Nagar,Andheri (W), Mumbai-400053. Mob. :9920205579-022- 26365459 EDITOR:ARINDAM BANERJEE.AllDisputestobesettelledinAndheriCourtonly. According to a news report, Mumbai Police was alerted by the Western Naval Command Headquarters about a possible terror attack on the US Consulate in Mumbai in July.The report further reveals that U.S. Con- sulateofficialsarethetargetafterananonymousletterwith Al-Jihad logo was sent to them. The letter warns of an attackonnotjusttheconsulateinMumbai,butalsoonthe US Consulate in Kolkata. The letter has been sent to the USConsulateandaresponseisawaited.Thepolicearein theprocessofcheckingtheveracityoftheletter,thechan- nel reported. IB alert over possible ter- ror attacks on US Consu- lates in Mumbai, Kolkata MURDER OVER JUHU FLAT: STRANGLED, BODIES PUT IN SACKS, DOUSED WITH PETROL, SET ON FIRE HowdidVinodBroker(84) and his secretary Usha Nair (51) meet such a gruesome end?Followingthearrestofthe threeaccusedIbrahimShaikh, Ravindra Reddy and Nitin Bhatia cops claim to have solvedthecaseanddeciphered thesequenceofevents. Twoofthethreeaccused, IbrahimShaikhandRavindra Reddy, being taken to the ShivajinagarCourtinthekid- napping and murder case of VinodBrokerandUshaNair. Pic/KrunalGosaviInvestiga- tionshaverevealedthataround noononApril30,whenthevic- timswerelastseen,theoffend- ers took them on a drive in a hired car on the pretext of showingVinodapropertynear Shirval.Theythenstrangulated the duo, and left them in Khandalaaftersettingthebod- iesonfire.Thiswasajointin- vestigationledbySeniorIn- spector Bhanu Pratap Barge from Social Security Cell of PunePolice,sleuthsofCrime Branch(UnitIX)ofMumbai police and Koregaon Park policestation.Afterarresting IbrahimandRavindra,police yesterday morning appre- hendedNitinfromMumbai. CopssayIbrahimtheprimeac- cusedwasdrivingthecar,while NitinandRavindra,whowere sittingintheback,asphyxiated the victims occupying the middle seat. Barge said that Nitinisadriverbyprofession and used to work for a re- nownedtravelagency.Hewas a close associate of Ibrahim. “Nitin was the one who ar- rangedaToyotaInnova,with registration number MH 04 DE 2667, which he later changed to MH 09 109.Re- latingwhattranspired,Barge said,“Around11amonApril 30, the trio came to Vinod’s KonarkEnclaveHousingSo- ciety residence and went in withoutenteringtheirnamesor vehiclenumberinthesecurity register.HeretheymetVinod and Usha who were already waitingfortheminthe84-year- old’s C-7 apartment.” After chattingandhavingsomere- freshments,Ibrahimofferedto showVinodhispropertynear Shirval.Theyalllefttogether at12.15pm,accordingtothe CCTVfootageofthebuild- ing.TheyreachedtheKatraj Tunnelanhourlater,andhere NitinandRavindrastrangled thevictims.Theyputthebod- ies in bags and, on reaching KashediGhatat2pm,burnt the corpses after pouring petrol on both. However, momentsaftertheyhadleft,a local resident informed Khandalapolicestationthat someunidentifiedpeoplehad set fire to two bodies near a closedstone-crushingplant. “Theaccusedhadremovedall thebelongingsfromthebod- ies and even stripped them. Theytookthehousekeysfrom Vinod’spocketandreturned to Konark Enclave at 4.20 pm. From here the trio took thekeystoVinod’scaranda bag containing important documentslikepassportand PANcardandleft10minutes later.TheytookUsha’scar,in whichshehadarrivedforthe morningmeeting,andsoldit toapersoninBandra.Weare tryingtofindoutwhohadpur- chasedthevehicle.Ateamhas been sent to recover the car andotherpapersoftheJuhu property,”saidBarge.