Smart City: Babu Jacob Denies V S Allegations of Rs.2 Crores Consultation fee

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Former Chief Secretary Babu Jacob has denied the strong allegations made by the state Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan saying that no consultation fee has been paid to consultant IL & FS IDC in connection with the project report preparations for the proposed Smart City project in Kochi. Achuthanandan announced in a press conference on Sunday that Rs 2 crore was given to IL and FS IDC as part of preparing the agreement with the Dubai Internet City (DIC) on the Smart City project. According to him, Babu Jacob had helped the firm to secure the consultation deal out of turn, reported Keralanext.com "Babu Jacob is quoted as saying that the Delhi-based consultancy firm, IL and FS IDC, had been providing expert advice on the Capital City Development Programme, of which he is the advisor. “Since it is a professional body established with the assistance of the Central Government, I used to seek its advice on several important projects.” “When I was asked to negotiate with the DIC team over the Smart City project, I felt that the domain expertise of the IL and FS in finance management with international agencies will be useful to me for an effective dialogue with the DIC people. However, the representatives of the consultation firm did not negotiate with the DIC representatives directly. They were only asked to provide me with enough information regarding the nuances of such an international deal. “After the first round of talks I had with the DIC people here in January, I told the IL and FS IDC representatives that since my term as the Chief Secretary was about to end, I do not need their consultation any longer and the question of payment also did not arise,” he said. Regarding the copy of an annexure, revealing the break-up of the consultation fee as demanded by the firm, distributed by the Opposition leader at the news conference, Babu Jacob said that the firm might have given a proposal to the government before he said ‘no’ to its advice. He ruled out any chance of continuing the role of IL and FS IDC as consultants. The IL and FS IDC normally charge Rs 2.5 lakh a month for a project to which it gives expert advice.

More on State Government Tie up with ILFS of Mumbai.http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/12/03/stories/2002120307840300.htm

Hawa Bastaki becomes first woman director in DM

DUBAI - His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality, on Monday issued an administrative decision transferring Ms. Hawa Abdullah Bastaki to the post of Director of the Administrative Development and Quality Department in the Municipality. Ms. Bastaki thus became the first woman director in the history of Dubai Municipality.Ms. Bastaki was also given a promotion to the first grade of the first category with immediate effect in accordance with the Personnel Affairs System of Dubai Emirate of 1992.

Sheikh Hamdan has issued another administrative decision transferring Maryam Ahmed Al Hammadi to the post of Assistant Director of the Administrative Development and Quality Department. She was also given a promotion to the second grade of the first category with immediate effect in accordance with the Personnel Affairs System of Dubai Emirate of 1992.

Thanking Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for appointing her in the new post, and Qassim Sultan, Director General of Dubai Municipality and Mattar Al Tayer, Deputy Director General and other Assistants to the Director General for recommending he for the post, Ms. Bastaki said the new responsibility is a challenging job.

“It has always been my nature to take up challenging tasks. With the strong support of the Assistant Director of the Department, heads of sections and units and my other colleagues in the department, I will continue to tread the path of challenges to achieve the strategic objectives of the Municipality and accomplish its vision and mission,” she said.

Ms. Bastaki said that she doesn’t feel any difference between male and female as far as the work is concerned. “Whether male or female, a government employee is an employee. It is the work experience and expertise that matters. Everybody should endeavour for result-oriented work,” she said. Ms. Bastaki, who is also the Chairperson of ?the Women’s Action Team in the civic body, joined the Municipality in 1986 as an engineer in the Construction Quality Control and Research Section. She became Head of Control and Follow Up Office in the section in 1988. In 1997 Bastaki was promoted as Head of Quality Management Section in the Dubai Central Laboratory Department. She was appointed as Assistant Director of Administrative Development and Quality Department and Head of Corporate Strategic Planning in 2000.

Ms. Bastaki took her Masters in Quality Management from the School of Industrial and Manufacturing Science at Cranfield University, England after doing her B Sc in chemical engineering from the Engineering and Petroleum Faculty of Kuwait University. Ms. Bastaki was a jury member of the King Abdullah Excellence Award in Jordan as well as many other local awards in quality and excellence. She has been involved in the strategic planning and organizational design as well as policy making exercises in the Municipality. Ms. Bastaki has also initiated strategies for Total Quality programmes in the Municipality and developed the first suggestion scheme for the civic body. She has been conducting a number of workshops and presenting papers in various national and international seminars and conferences.

Ms. Bastaki was also the member of the Dubai Financial Market Board and Dubai Quality Group. She has won several awards including Kuwait Foundation Award for the Advancement of Sciences, Sheikh Rashid Award for Scientific Outstanding, Certificate of Excellence at Dubai Municipality level for the Best Government Employee Category of the Dubai Government Excellence Programme and more than 30 appreciation certificates.

Empost inks deal with Consulate of Philippines for delivery of passports and Consular documents

Empost's Jawaz service will ensure swift delivery of documents to Filipino nationals residing in UAE

May 24, 2005 Empost, the UAE’s national courier service, has entered into an agreement with the Consulate of Philippines to deliver passports and consular documents to all clients of the consulate in the UAE, through its Jawaz service. The move is expected to greatly benefit the 200,000 strong Filipino community living in the Emirates. Commenting on the partnership, Sultan Abdel Rahman Al Midfaa, Empost Deputy General Manager, said: “The Jawaz service will help both Empost and its customers, as it will significantly reduce the number of visitors to the department, who will be able to carry out all their transactions over the internet and receive documents by courier. The agreement with the Consulate of Philippines is part of Empost's continuing efforts to reach out to more sections of the society and make Jawaz accessible to as many people as possible. The service facilitates speedy delivery of completed documents to and from the Consulate.”

Customers can avail the Jawaz service by purchasing a sticker for Dhs.10, which will have two portions. The first part will contain details of the customer and the service required. The second part will consist of the reference number, which needs to be retained by the customer for tracking and tracing the documents. “Jawaz provides call centre service as well as a webpage for tracking documents, which will enable customers to know the exact status of their documents anytime they want. Further, the documents are delivered to the customer anywhere in the UAE within 48 hours,” highlighted Al Midfaa.

Consul General, Generoso Calonge, Philippines Consulate General, said: “Availability of the Jawaz service comes as a huge boon to the large Filipino population in the UAE, who no longer need to spend time standing in long queues to collect various documents from the consulate. This agreement will ensure speedy and timely delivery of documents to all Filipino nationals. Moreover, customers can be assured of safety of their valuable documents as Empost takes responsibility for any charges for the loss of documents.”

“The Consulate of Philippines is the third Consulate that Empost has entered into a partnership with, following the Syrian and Indian Consulates. Providing high quality customer service will continue to be at the core of Empost’s operations and we will constantly look to introduce new services and facilities that can benefit a large section of UAE’s population,” concluded Al Midfaa. Empost is also the strategic partner of the federal and local governments as well as several government sectors for delivery of documents from government offices to customers.

Iran: Judiciary Stonewalls on Journalist's Death

(New York, May 25, 2005) -- The Iranian judiciary continues to delay investigations into the role of its agents in the death of Canadian- Iranian photojournalist, Zahra Kazemi, Human Rights Watch said today.

Zahra Kazemi died in July 2003, a few days after Iranian security forces detained her at Tehran's Evin prison for photographing in a restricted area in front of the same prison. She was arrested under the authority of the chief prosecutor of Tehran, Saeed Mortazavi, who is a high-ranking member of the judiciary and is implicated in numerous human rights violations. On May 16, an appeals court was convened at the request of lawyers representing Kazemi's family to identify those responsible for her death in custody. The Iranian Students News Agency reported that the presiding judge prevented reporters from entering the court room and closed the hearing to the public. When the family's lawyers protested the judge's decision, the judge ended the hearing without addressing any of the lawyer's objections to the closure. The next day, the judiciary's spokesman, Jamal Karimi-Rad, told reporters that the court would reconvene on July 25. "Almost two years have passed since Kazemi's death, yet the judiciary continues to find reasons to avoid establishing criminal responsibility for her killing," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "These delays only further discredit the public's faith that the Iranian judiciary will conduct a full and fair investigation of this matter."

An investigation into Kazemi's death by a parliamentary committee in October 2003 reported that Kazemi's death resulted from a severe blow to her head while she was in the custody of Iranian authorities. The report did not identify those responsible for Kazemi's death. The judiciary charged a low-ranking official from the Intelligence Ministry, Reza Ahmadi, of unintentionally killing her in the course of her interrogation. Despite strong protests from the Intelligence Ministry, in July the judiciary proceeded with a hastily organized trial. Stating that it lacked sufficient evidence, it cleared Ahmadi of the murder charges against him. On December 22, lawyers for the Kazemi family protested the failure of the court to convict anyone of wrongdoing and asked for a criminal investigation. The recent appeals court hearing was convened to address this request. "The Iranian judiciary must bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice," said Whitson. "Neither the international community nor the
Iranian public will allow this case to be covered up."

INDIA TO BECOME INTERNATIONAL TRADING CENTRE FOR DIAMONDS

Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, has said that his Ministry is working closely with the industry to develop India as an International Trading Centre for Diamonds. “Considering that we are the largest purchaser of diamond roughs in the world, there is no reason why India should not have a Diamond Trading Centre at par with the centres currently in Belgium, Israel and Dubai. We hope to have this established in the near future”, he said, while speaking at the inauguration of the International Diamond Conference – Mines to Market 2005 in Mumbai today. Shri Kamal Nath further said that the government would encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) and joint ventures between Indian entrepreneurs and businesses abroad in sectors all along the diamond chain – exploration, mining and sourcing, cutting & polishing, jewellery designing and manufacturing, exports, and sales and marketing. He underlined that enormous opportunities existed not only for FDI by foreigners in India but also for FDI by Indian industrialists in other countries.

“We are quite open to the idea of entering into economic cooperation agreements with countries, especially the countries of Africa, that ensure the supply of rough diamonds to India, while also bringing value and investment in other areas (such as transport, communications and infrastructure) to supplier countries. We should place emphasis on the promotion of forward and backward linkages, including the consolidation of our position in the small diamond sector segments, in syndicating buying of rough diamonds, and creating controlling stakes in mine-heads through joint ventures and tie-ups. We believe that only such trade is sustainable as brings value and benefit to all concerned; and we want to work on this basis”, he said.

Shri Kamal Nath also called upon investors to set up enterprises in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) dedicated to a single industry adding that “the gems and jewellery industry is best placed to take advantage of this”, now that the SEZ Act has been passed by Parliament. Mr. Festus Mogae, President of Botswana; Ms. Phymzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Minister of Mines & Energy, South Africa; Mr. Ingele Ifoto, Minister of Mines, Democratic Republic of Congo; and Shri Vilas Rao Deshmukh, Chief Minister of Maharashtra were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.

Referring to his recent visit to Australia in connection with meeting of the Joint Ministerial Council and Joint Business Council in Sydney and Melbourne, Shri Kamal Nath stressed that his first stop was Perth in Western Australia – the heart of Australia’s diamond mining area and said he had extensive and very promising discussions with mining companies as well as the Western Australian Prime Minister regarding continued supply of rough diamonds to India. The cut and polished diamond segment accounts for about 75% of India’s total gems & jewellery exports. Out of every 12 diamonds in any piece of jewellery in the world, 11 are cut and polished in India. “I would not like you to treat this amazing fact as a mere statistic, but rather see it as an indication of the enormous relevance and importance of the diamond industry to the people of India”, Shri Kamal Nath said.

THE EMERALD ISLANDS BOUNCE BACK

M. Jaya Singh*

A giant tsunami waves, triggered by a massive earthquake off Sumatra in Indonesia, smashed into Indian coastline on the morning of December 26, 2004, unsuspecting people were swept away by waves as high as 15 metres and similar was the fate of buildings, roads, ports, jetties, plantations, crops, beaches and other property. Among the worst-affected were Andaman and Nicobar IslandsScattered Islands

Here, it is essential to understand the topography of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to comprehend the challenges of relief and rehabilitation measures. The emerald islands floating in splendid isolation appear to be tiny dots on the map of India, giving an impression that they are quite close to each other. However, the length of the archipelago from one greenish end to the other, doted by 572 islands in between including the 36 inhabited ones, endowed with exotic marine species, palm fringed beaches, coral reeves and lush green forests, is more than 700 km, separated from each other by the vast blue waters of the Bay of Bengal. Most of the relief materials had to come from the main land such as Chennai and Kolkata that are 1200 km away from Port Blair, a voyage that takes more than 60 hours single way. To move things from Port Blair to the southern most points like Campbell Bay by ship takes another 50 hours on an average.

The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands can be classified into two, separated from each other by the geographical Ten Degree Channel, South of which is the Nicobar group of islands, and the North, the Andaman group. Most of the loss of life and property occurred in the southern group—Nicobar, Car Nicobar, Chowra, Teressa, Katchal, Kamorta, Trinkat, Nancowry, Little Nicobar and Great Nicobar islands, as they were closet to the epicenter of the earthquake. Unlike the mainland, it was a double attack on the Islands, first the earthquake that rocked buildings and infrastructure, closely followed by the tsunami waves that unleashed a force equivalent of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atom bombs, spelling death and destruction.

In the Andaman and Nicobar Island the prime mode of transportation both for intra and inter-islands is boats and ships. The first casualty of tsunami was the shipping infrastructure - jetties and vessels. 21 out of the 49 jetties spread across the islands and seven vessels were badly damaged, two got sunk. Compounding the problems were roads ripped apart, approaches were deluged with fallen logs, broken houses, debris and displaced soil. Water supply lines in many islands were snapped and power supply cut off, telecommunication links failed. Over 10,500 hectares of farmland and plantation crops were spoiled by seawater ingression and over 1.5 lakh livestock perished.

Challenges in Rehabilitation

The Centrally-administrated Andaman and Nicobar Islands were in the center-stage of the Government’s relief efforts. The first priority was to rescue those who survived the tsunami, dispose off bodies and to revive the basic infrastructure – jetties, telephone links, water supply and electricity. The Indian Coast Guard ships and other merchant vessels were immediately pressed into service to rescue the affected. The Indian Air Force despite the fact that some of their own family members had perished in the Tsunami, helped in lifting relief materials to the affected areas from Port Blair for locating the survivors. Medical teams were mobilized and with the help of Indian Coast Guard ships and helicopters, first aid and treatment was promptly provided. Over 61 Non-Governmental Organizations helped in the relief and rehabilitation work.

Communication Network

The Development Communication Network that was established by the Indian Space Research Organization to help impart vocational training to the Islands’ youth and the HAM operators, popularly known as amateur radio operators, metamorphosed as the vital communication service providers till gradual restoration of the telecom facilities.

Safeguarding Tribes

The Negroid aborigines of Andaman group of islands such as the Jarawa’s and Sentinalese, were found to be safe. The Nicobarese tribes such as the Onges, Great Andamanese and Shompens who are well into the mainstream and literate faced the brunt of the calamity as they live in the southern group of islands which got devastated.

Restoration

After the rescue and relief operations, the priority has been to provide the affected people living in makeshift tents with intermediate shelters before the monsoon. Materials weighing over 14,500 MT steel and tin sheets was brought from the mainland for this purpose.

Designs for permanent houses for those who lost their residential units have been readied by the Home Ministry and the Islands Administration. The prototypes of the permanent houses have been erected so that the public could see and suggest any modifications if required so that the designs based on the felt need and preferred structural parameters could be made on a large scale for the beneficiaries to feel at home.

Livelihood restoration is another area of concern as more than 11000 hectares of farm lands including plantations had been inundated with the saline water, fishing industry got severely crippled and tourism was badly affected. Revival of tourism is being undertaken on a large scale by the Centre and the Islands Administration, major national and international tour operators have been facilitated to visit the islands in May 2005 to judge the potentials and promote beach, water, eco, trekking and adventure tourism.

To reclaim the farm lands, action plans have been devised for scrapping of salt-laced top soil, enrich it with organic manures, pumping out stagnant sea water, application of gypsum to neutralize salty molecules and nursing and planting coconut seedlings. Revival of fishing sector in a larger scale is also being attempted.

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh as well as the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, visited Andaman and Nicobar islands to review the relief and rehabilitation measures. The Centre has come out with economic packages to rebuild islands like Car Nicobar, Campbell Bay in the worst-hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It has plans to reconstruct the archipelago into one of the best island habitations, more thriving than before tsunami. Resilience wins, and the people of the Islands are on the road to bounce back with greater vigour to make it one of the most happening places on the tourism map of the world as well as in agriculture with special emphasis to organic farming, fisheries and other eco-friendly areas.