writingonblog uncensored: DRI seizes 33.5kg of Sri Lankan gold from Triplica...

writingonblog uncensored: DRI seizes 33.5kg of Sri Lankan gold from Triplica...: Chennai: Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on Tuesday stumbled upon a Hawala network while seizing 33.5kg of smuggled gold worth Rs 9....

DRI seizes 33.5kg of Sri Lankan gold from Triplicane home

Chennai:

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on Tuesday stumbled upon a Hawala network while seizing 33.5kg of smuggled gold worth Rs 9.91 crore from a house in Triplicane in Chennai on Tuesday morning.

DRI sources told Express that they are interrogating two persons in this regard. The duo are identified as Thamin Ansari and Rahman.

DRI sources said they had information that gold will be smuggled from Sri Lanka to Keelakarai in Ramanathapuram. And from there it will be smuggled to Triplicane in Chennai.

“We also had the information about the gold being brought to Triplicane and later being handed over to the two persons,” a DRI source said.

But instead of nabbing the duo with the gold when the transfer took place, DRI officials began tailing them to a house in Triplicane. “We waited till they got in and then raided the house. We also wanted to check the house to get more incriminating evidence,” the source said.

“After this, we also conducted a raid in a house located two lane behind the house we earlier raided,” he added.

During the search we got some incriminating documents linking Rahman to money laundering and hawala transaction.

DRI sources said that it is learnt that Rahman is a big time hawala operator. He used to transfer funds to Dubai, Sri Lanka and Singapore. “We also learnt he is working for a Singapore based Hawala operator,” the DRI source said.

“We are currently interrogating them. They are likely to be arrested,” the DRI source added. While sources said that the duo are brother-in-law of Hassan Mohammed Jinnah, who is a DMK functionary. But Jinnah denied any links with the duo when Express contacted him. “I don’t have any sister,” he said. “It would be some other Jinnah they are referring to. I hail from Tiruvarur,” he added.

Sources also said the duo has an electronics shop in Ritchie street. It is believed the duo had been smuggling gold for a long time and had been supplying it to the small retail shops. Officials are trying to ascertain how such a large consignment of gold is smuggled into India. “We are also looking into various leads of hawala transaction,” DRI sources added.

writingonblog uncensored: Cybercrime displacing conventional crime, says ex-...

writingonblog uncensored: Cybercrime displacing conventional crime, says ex-...: Chennai: Cybercrime is slowly displacing conventional crime and Indian police in course of time will be well equipped to handle such cri...

Cybercrime displacing conventional crime, says ex-CBI director

Chennai:

Cybercrime is slowly displacing conventional crime and Indian police in course of time will be well equipped to handle such crimes, according to former director of Central Bureau of Investigation R K Raghavan.

Speaking during a workshop on Cyber Crimes and e-security, organized by Cyber society of India here on Tuesday, Raghavan said that more people will become victims of cyber crime than the conventional crime.

On an average only two per cent of our population is affected by conventional crime like dacoity, theft etc but in cyber crime almost everyone who has access to the Internet is vulnerable.

“Each individual has a potential to become a victim with the spurt in smartphones,” he added.

However, Raghavan is against the creation of a dedicated police force on the lines of CBI to tackle the cybercrime. “People like me have successfully handled cybercrimes. The police personnel will be able to take care of cyber crime effectively within a decade,” he said.

Talking about the delay in implementation of Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS), he said it is a matter of concern as the country does not have a single national database. CCTNS was to link 14,000 police stations across the country besides making biometric profile of convicts.

Earlier Governor K Rosaiah inaugurated the workshop, which marked the 10^th anniversary celebrations of Cyber Society of India.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that there are 42 million cybercrimes occurring every year on a Pan-India basis and last year alone 52 per cent of such victims suffered attacks. These include malware, viruses, hacking, scans, fraud and theft.

The governor quoting Norton Symantec report said that on an average 80 people in India are victims of cyber crimes every minute.

He stated that Cyber Society of India has a greater role to play to create awareness on the nuances of cyber crimes and educating people on how to guard themselves from such criminals.

Speaking on the occasion, N Vittal, former central vigilance commissioner, hailed the electronic voting machine and the person behind its development Sujatha Rangarajan.

He said the EVMs are fool-proof and rejected they were being tampered with on 2011 Lok Sabha elections. “I want to make it clear, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s election was fair,” he said.

Shanthi Gears Net Up 19%

Chennai:                

The turnover of Shanthi Gears Ltd. (SGL), a subsidiary of the Chennai based Tube Investments of India Ltd, (TII) of the Murugappa Group, for the year was higher at Rs 150.77 crore against Rs. 143.72 Crore in the previous year, representing a growth of 4.9pc.

The Net Profit for the year was Rs. 18.38 Crores against Rs. 15.47 Crores in the previous year, a growth of 18.8pc.

SGL was able to establish its capabilities in design, manufacture and servicing of Vertical Rolling Mill (VRM) and Planetary Gearboxes with key customers. In addition, the company was able to re-establish business with most of its past customers across product segments.

Moreover, SGL enhanced its presence in servicing of all makes of gearboxes by expanding its network of service personnel in all regions of the country. SGL also strengthened its position with export customers. All of the above initiatives resulted in the growth of top line when the Industry was in a downtrend. The Company finished its year with a healthy order book position.

With improving sentiment and improvement in liquidity aided by a good harvest and stabilising inflation it is expected that the growth in the industry will pick up in the coming quarters. The Company will continue to maintain its focus on growing the customer base, expanding its product offerings and capabilities, reducing cost and improving execution in line with customer expectations.

writingonblog uncensored: Gamesa ties up with Greenko to deliver 300 MW wind...

writingonblog uncensored: Gamesa ties up with Greenko to deliver 300 MW wind...: Chennai: Gamesa Wind Turbines Private Limited has recently firmed up another 100 MW out of the total 300 MW framework agreement with...

Gamesa ties up with Greenko to deliver 300 MW wind power

Chennai: Gamesa Wind Turbines Private Limited has recently firmed up another 100 MW out of the total 300 MW framework agreement with Greenko, one of the market leader and operator of clean energy projects in India.

With this Gamesa has secured 250 MW of projects which are currently under various stages of implementation.

“Gamesa values the close collaboration we have with Greenko. We are proud to execute this 300 MW framework agreement in its true spirit adhering to the project milestones.  It is indeed our pleasure to partner with Greenko in developing these wind farms across India. This project once again reinforces our execution capabilities in India especially in line with the demands of the Independent Power Producers” said Mr. Ramesh Kymal, Chairman and Managing Director, Gamesa India

writingonblog uncensored: TTDC to dredge sea to transfer Vagli onshore

writingonblog uncensored: TTDC to dredge sea to transfer Vagli onshore: Initial plan to shift the submarine using steel plates along seabed fails C Shivakumar Chennai: Rough sea along the Mamallapuram coa...

TTDC to dredge sea to transfer Vagli onshore

Initial plan to shift the submarine using
steel plates along seabed fails
C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Rough sea along the Mamallapuram coast has forced Tamil Nadu Tourism department officials to think of an alternate plan to dredge the sea to transfer Indian Navy submarine Vagli to the 30 acres of land abutting the beach near the UNESCO declared World Heritage site.

The earlier plan was to have steel plates in the sea bed cushioned by airbags to pull the submarine onshore.

However, due to the rough sea the steel plates could not be fixed in the seabed as such officials are working out an alternate plan to transfer the submarine to the land.

Officials said the alternate plan is to dredge the sea to create an artificial canal from which the submarine will be shifted onshore using the latest technology and mounted on a platform by Tradex Shipping Corporation.

“This method is a costlier one when compared to earlier method,” a TTDC official said. He said an expert committee is currently discussing the alternate plan.

“Once this plan gets a green signal, we will have Vagli mounted on the platform by next month,” he said.

He said Vagli is now sent back to Chennai Port. “The vessel was unmanned. Due to safety reasons, we have sent back the submarine to Chennai Port,” he added.

The submarine was stationed at Chennai Port for more than a year and TTDC has already spent Rs 3 crore for maintenance of the submarine.

Interestingly, TTDC’s contract with Tradex Shipping Corporation has come to an end this month. But TTDC sources said the contract would be extended and Tradex will help mount the submarine on the platform either using steel plates or dredging the sea.

Once the submarine is mounted on a platform then a tender will be floated to convert the submarine into museum, the TTDC official said.

writingonblog uncensored: Honda launches its first 125cc automatic scooter f...

writingonblog uncensored: Honda launches its first 125cc automatic scooter f...: Chennai: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India has launched the all new Activa 125 - Honda’s first 125cc automatic scooter for India.  ...

Honda launches its first 125cc automatic scooter for India

Chennai: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India has launched the all new Activa 125 - Honda’s first 125cc automatic scooter for India. 

The all new Activa 125, is specially developed to retain both existing automatic scooter customers who want to upgrade their ride and add new customers who now want much more from Honda.

Activa 125 comes in 4 stunning colors– Pearl Sunbeam White, Midnight Blue Metallic, Asteroid Black Metallic and Force Silver Metallic and is available for sale in two variants– Standard and Deluxe.

 Activa 125 is priced at Rs. 55,679 for Standard variant and Rs. 61,489 for the Deluxe variant (both prices Ex-showroom, Chennai).

Talking about Honda’s strategic direction, Keita Muramatsu - President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India said “The automatic scooter segment’s contribution to overall two-wheeler sales in India has grown exponentially from 16pc in 2009-10 to 24pc – indicating the growing demand in this segment.

Propelled by new third plant near Bangalore, Honda is all set to excite Customers with new products with speed. In this background, Activa 125 is Honda’s next strategic step towards reinforcing its market leadership and facilitating Indians to step up their daily ride for more power.

writingonblog uncensored: Harappan town planners role model for Europe after...

writingonblog uncensored: Harappan town planners role model for Europe after...: Harappan cities were more advanced than India's contemporary cities Chennai: Were Harappan cities much advanced than the modern cit...

Harappan town planners role model for Europe after 2000 years:expert

Harappan cities were more advanced
than India's contemporary cities

Chennai:
Were Harappan cities much advanced than the modern cities of India?
Yes says Michel Danino, the guest professor at Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar.
Delivering a lecture on Harappan expertise in Civil Engineering to commemorate World Heritage Day at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Danino says the cities during the Harappan era were well planned and scored over the contemporary civilisation.
Danino, who has authored The Lost River: On The Trail of the Sarasvati, said the cities at large resemble anything better than the modern Indian cities.
Danino, who hails from France, said that town-planning was of such a level that it would be found only 2000 years later in Europe.
“Geometrically designed, the towns had fortifications for protection against both intruders and floods,” he said.
He also said that Harappa and Mohenjodaro civilisation also had several distinct quarters, assembly halls, and manufacturing units of various types ; sewerage through underground drains built with precisely laid bricks, and an efficient water management with numerous reservoirs and wells.
He said the wells were constructed using special “trapezoid” bricks which would lock together if water of loose soil pressed on the well’s outer sides.
Talking about the Dholavira site in Rann of Kutch, Danino said it had separate drains to collect rain water and six or seven dams built across nearby rivers. Interestingly, he said the civilisation was one of the pioneers in water harvesting system.
He said that the rain pattern of the region in the Kachch region has not changed much in over four thousand years can be gauged from the fact that the Harappans at Dholavira were well aware of the need to conserve water – a trait found sadly lacking in modern India. He also said that there were five types of plans for Harappan houses.
Talking about the Kalibangan site, he said the lower town’s streets formed a well-planned and carefully maintained grid.

writingonblog uncensored: Tamil Film Producer Council boycotts South Indian ...

writingonblog uncensored: Tamil Film Producer Council boycotts South Indian ...: Chennai: Tamil Film Producer Council and various entities from Malayalam cinema will be boycotting the South Indian Film Chamber of Comm...

Tamil Film Producer Council boycotts South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce elections

Chennai:

Tamil Film Producer Council and various entities from Malayalam cinema will be boycotting the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce elections scheduled to be held on Sunday.

The bone of contention is that two candidates are being nominated to contest the post of South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce President from Kerala.

While a section claims Kuselan fame director G P Vijay Kumar is the official candidate of Malayalam film associations a rival group selected Sashi Kumar of Kerala Film Exhibitors Association for the post.

A majority of entities from Malayalam cinema has opposed Sashi Kumar’s nomination. Tamil Film Producers Council president A Kothandaramaiah, who is backing Vijaykumar, said that this is the first time South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce is facing such a situation. He said that the decision to boycott the election is being taken because of voting by proxies. “He alleged the election won’t be a fair one and also won’t be a favourable one for Vijay Kumar, who was selected as candidate by majority of Kerala film entities.”

G Suresh Kumar, president of Kerala Film producers Association, said that his association along with Kerala Film Distributors Association and Kerala Film Exhibitors Association will be boycotting the elections.

G P Vijaykumar said that he doesn’t want to stand in a election which is allegedly a fraudulent one. “Why should I have to stand and waste my time,” he said. Kameela Nasser, executive committee member of film producer council said that apart from Tamil Film producer Council, the election is also boycotted by Film and Television Producers guild of south India and other entities. The total votes are 2,088 for the elections.

The elections are being held after four-and-a-half year. The chamber is represented by Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Kerala film bodies. Currently, it is the chance of Kerala to have a president to head the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce.

During the meeting there was also a call to have Tamil Film Chamber of commerce backed by the state government.

writingonblog uncensored: Intellectual Property Appellate Board hits out at ...

writingonblog uncensored: Intellectual Property Appellate Board hits out at ...: Chennai: Intellectual Property Appellate Board has hit out at the move by United States Chamber of Commerce urging United States Trade R...

Intellectual Property Appellate Board hits out at US threat to downgrade India’s status

Chennai:

Intellectual Property Appellate Board has hit out at the move by United States Chamber of Commerce urging United States Trade Representative (USTR) to downgrade India’s status as worst intellectual property rights offender.

Speaking at a day-long national level workshop ‘Patentability: Ever greening and Compulsory Licensing in Indian Context and Global Threats’ here on Saturday, chairman of Intellectual Property Appellate Board, Chennai, K N Basha said that what sin has India committed that has forced US Chamber to ask USTR to review intellectual patents regime and downgrade India’s status to ‘Priority Foreign Country’.

He said US Chamber of Commerce has asked USTR to classify India as a ‘Priority Foreign Country’ specifically citing concerns over compulsory licensing. According to the World Trade Organisation, Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner.

India invoked the provision in 2012 in the case pertaining to Bayer Corporation versus Natco Pharma over the sale of patented drug Nexavar. Natco had sought for compulsory licence stating that the patentee failed to meet the requirements of public and the drug is not available to people at reasonable price. The drug was priced at Rs 2.8 lakh per month. IPAB intervened and asked Natco to manufacture and sell the same drug at Rs 8,800 per month besides paying a royalty of six per cent to Bayer.

“The verdict was in the interest of people. The judicial activism is for protecting the public interest,” he said.

He said the decision is consistent with Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement. “the decision is widely welcomed by many developing countries around the world,” he said.

He said that the right to health has become an integral part of Article 21 of Constitution. “Affordable drugs are an integral component of universal health care and accessible health care. When there is a conflict between patentee’s right and the public’s right to live, it is obvious that the latter will prevail over the former,” the former High court judge said.

Arputhammal’s 23-year wait stretched further to get her son released

SC refers Rajiv assassins case referred to constitution bench

Chennai:

The 23 years long wait for the mother of Perarivalan, one of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, stretched further  after the Supreme Court referred to the constitution bench the issue of waiving the jail terms of seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

Arputhammal, who was eagerly expecting her son’s release along with six others, suffered a blow when the Supreme Court referred the case to a constitution bench.

“I was waiting for my son’s release by Monday but now it got delayed. Why it happened, I don’t know. But I will continue my struggle to free my son,” the mother said trying to fight back her tears.

Arputhammal said that her son’s innocence has been proved by law. “The former CBI Superintendent of Police, V Thiagarajan has  admitted that he failed to record verbatim the confession of Perarivalan. We have faith in judiciary. He will be released,” she said.

“I believe he will be released in a month or two,” she said. “We never tried for parole. “We never forced Thiagarajan to admit about the lapses. He conscience has forced him to admit the

Arputhammal said that now she pins her hope on Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. “She will surely ensure my son is freed,” Arputhammal said.

To a query whether the release of convicts has been politicized, Arputhammal said that her son had been languishing in the prison for 23 years. “How long can they politicize it,” she said.

She said she has been affected by the verdict but the struggle will continue to seek Perarivalan’s release.

writingonblog uncensored: NTT DOCOMO to sell its stake in Tata Teleservices

writingonblog uncensored: NTT DOCOMO to sell its stake in Tata Teleservices: Mumbai: NTT Docomo will exercise its sale option under shareholders agreement (SHA) entered between Tata Sons Limited, NTT Docomo Inc. a...

NTT DOCOMO to sell its stake in Tata Teleservices

Mumbai:

NTT Docomo will exercise its sale option under shareholders agreement (SHA) entered between Tata Sons Limited, NTT Docomo Inc. and Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL).

This was decided during a board meeting held on April 25, 2014. Interestingly, Tata Sons Limited, NTT Docomo Inc. and Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) entered into a shareholders agreement (SHA) on March 25, 2009.

DoCoMo had purchased its Tata Tele stake in installments in 2009 and 2011 for $2.7 billion when Tata Tele was on the verge of adding GSM services to its CDMA-based offerings. 

Tata Sons release stated that  NTT Docomo has announced that it plans to exercise its sale option under the SHA as soon as the conditions for such exercise are met.

"As also stated by NTT Docomo, it is not possible to predict how events will unfold; however, Tata Sons is cognizant of its responsibilities, and will act keeping in mind the interests of all stakeholders and in accordance with law," the release added.

TTSL continues to be an integral part of the Tata group, the release added.

writingonblog uncensored: Five IT cos in IT park booked for remaining open d...

writingonblog uncensored: Five IT cos in IT park booked for remaining open d...: Chennai: Five Information Technology companies in Elcot campus in Shollinganallur that remained open during the polling day were booked ...

Five IT cos in IT park booked for remaining open during polling

Chennai:

Five Information Technology companies in Elcot campus in Shollinganallur that remained open during the polling day were booked for violating Election Code of Conduct.

The five companies that violated the election code of conduct include Wipro, HCL, Voltas, Sodexho and Tech Mahindra.

Revenue Inspector Jayanthi Mala told Express that the raid was conducted by Shollinganallur Tahsildar D Ravichandran along with deputy Tahsildar Senthil and herself at the Elcot campus after employees of these firms sent SMS to Election Control Room stating that they were being forced to work despite the election commission order announcing holiday for them to vote.

During the raid it was found out that though the employees were allowed to go and vote, they were also directed to come back to office.

“These companies were working on two shifts. We closed all the gates and kept open one gate and asked the staff to come out. There were around 2,000 to 4,000 employees in the first shift and same number were to report to office during the second shift,” she said.

Mala said that voting by IT personnel has always been negligible during the elections as they hardly get time to vote. “Most of the companies don’t declare holiday, so many hardly vote. The raid was to encourage IT personnel to vote,” she said.

She said a First Information Report against the five companies were registered by Semencherry Police Station.

“We have stationed a flying squad under a sub-inspector to ensure that the company remains closed till the polling gets over,” she said.

The IT company officials could not be reached.

writingonblog uncensored: Livelihood or Franchise: A few preferred work to v...

writingonblog uncensored: Livelihood or Franchise: A few preferred work to v...: C Shivakumar Chennai: Livelihood or Franchise! As Chennaites were celebrating democracy on Thursday a few opted to work to earn thei...

Livelihood or Franchise: A few preferred work to vote

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Livelihood or Franchise! As Chennaites were celebrating democracy on Thursday a few opted to work to earn their livelihood rather than vote.

Although, it was declared a holiday for nearly all the establishments, many hotels, shops, including vegetable retail market and other commercial establishments remained open.

Koyambedu wholesale market wore a desolate look. But then there were few retail vegetable sellers who kept their shop open anticipating some business.

“These are perishable items. We have to sell it or it will get spoiled,” said a shopkeeper, who preferred to carry out his business, rather than cast his vote.

“I understand elections are equally important but then livelihood is also equally important,” he said.

Most of those who avoided a visit to polling booth were daily wage earners. A sugarcane vendor Murugan in Saligramam said that during the summer he earns nearly Rs 400 a day. “I am keen to vote but then I also have a family to support. I can’t sacrifice my Rs 400 to cast my vote,” he said.

Similarly, Kannan, who used to pedal his tricycle from Vadapalani to Koyambedu, opted not to forgo his daily wage of Rs 200. Resting under a banyan tree, he says his day’s earning is more important rather than casting his vote. “Nothing will change. All parties are more or less the same,” he says.

Meanwhile, there was no respite from work for Chennai Metro rail workers. A Metro rail spokesman said that though it was a holiday they were working with a skeletal staff. “Most of the work is being done underground involving tunnel boring machines. We posted skeletal staff to carry out the task,” he said.

A few metro rail workers unmindful of the elections were busy doing their chores. “What elections, it is work here,” said a metro rail worker from Assam. “The election in my state was on April 16. I don’t have money to go and vote,” he said.