If migratory birds were centre attractions for the tourists in Assam, this time they have brought disaster with them. The health ministry has confirmed that it was migratory birds who brought this deadly bird flu to Assam.

The Assam government has not only started culling operations, but also formed teams of experts to keep a close watch on inter-country bird movements.

The Assam health officials said: "We are taking measures to control it, and let me assure that everything is under control. A team from the central health ministry has also arrived and is helping authorities in culling the poultry."

The outbreak of bird flu has come as a big setback to the health ministry also as barely three weeks before India had declared itself to be free from the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (bird flu).

However, India has re-notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about the outbreak of the disease and has lost its bird flu-free status. A country has to be completely free from the disease for at least three months to be notified as such.

Samples from Rajabazar village in Assam tested positive for H5 strain of Avian Influenza at the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal on November 27. Since then more than 20 Rapid Action Teams are deployed in the area to undertake the culling operations.

The health ministry was also extending all possible help to the Assam government in terms of human resource, medicine, masks and other preventive measures.

The culling of ducks and chicken is being carried out in 48 villages within a 5 km radius of village Thakurchuba in Kamrup district, about 40 km west of Assam’s main city of Guwahati.

The Assam health authorities, however, clarified that there was no need to panic. "Winter is a favourable period for the spread of bird flu as these migratory birds come southwards (to India) from other countries. The movement of these migratory birds cannot be stopped completely."

India has witnessed several outbreak of bird flu earlier in states like Maharashtra, West Bengal and a few North-eastern states.

"So far, nearly 40,000 chickens and ducks have been killed and the operation is still on in the district of Kamrup since Friday," said deputy director of the Assam veterinary department Manoranjan Choudhury. Culling is being carried out in as many as 48 villages that lie within the radius of 5 kilometers of village Thakurchuba in Kamrup district.

The outbreak of bird flu was confirmed by the health ministry last week soon after the laboratory tests found strains of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza. A pandemic will be spread if the H5N1 strain mutates in the human beings. World Health Organisation has also expressed its concern over the situation.

The virus has already taken a toll of more than 300 birds in the area. With veterinarians carrying out checks on all poultry farms, Assam’s veterinary and animal husbandry department has announced an alert. The authorities are also maintaining a strict surveillance on all farms in the state.

An alert has also been sounded in some new areas of the districts as avian flu has been detected in fresh areas.

The death of chickens was reported from the Bogri and Kachumara areas, prompting the district administrations to ban purchase and sale of eggs. Over a hundred birds were found dead at the Bongra and Kachumara areas from where samples had been collected and sent to the laboratories in Bhopal and Pune, Kamrup (rural) deputy commissioner R.C. Jain said.

The alert has been sounded as a precautionary measure as the avian disease is suspected to be spreading to fresh areas of Sarpara, Rangamati, Bongra and Kachuniapra villages.

The Karmup (metro) district administration has also imposed a ban on movement of birds and eggs from the affected areas as well as from the nearby markets at Mirza and Plashbari in the outskirts of the city.

In the Kamrup (rural) district, nearly 50,000 birds have been culled and another 30,000 will be culled in the next couple of days.

Scotland will be the flavour of the forthcoming 33rd International Kolkata Book Fair. Come January 2009, and the mammoth Scotland Pavilion will be constructed at the heart of Milan Mela Prangan (Trade Fair Ground) developed by the West Bengal government to play host to high-profile cultural events on the city’s calendar. Peculiarly enough, with the concept of "pleasure reading at leisure" creeping into upmarket urban lifestyles, a flurry of designer bookstores, swanky reading rooms, plush libraries and cosy closets have sprang up amidst much fanfare in the past couple of years. Now stepping into the spick-n-span shopping malls, one may come across nattily done up bookshops, where walking down the aisle, the readers can unwind over a piping hot cuppa, crunchy-munchy snacks and lively chitchats besides browsing through coffee table volumes. With the ingress of such spruce one-stop destinations doling out multifarious amenities and refreshment kiosks under one umbrella, the high-end customers can lap up luxury and have a whale of a time as an added bonus. So books are no longer meant to gather dust on shelves and wear a chunky hardbound look. They can come in slick paperbacks with designer covers and funky doodles with eye-catching radiant hues. In sync with this new age biblioscape, the book fairs too leave no stone unturned to keep abreast with the changing times. The winds of flux have blown into the much-hyped impending Kolkata Book Fair too! Incidentally, the fair will be the only recognised international trade exhibition in 2009.

Apart from the Scottish kilts, tartans, bagpipes and the Celtic jewellery that fascinate the tourists world-wide, a slice of the Scottish bibliosphere will lure in droves of book lovers to the Mecca of myriad tomes. To unveil this unique event, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh will sound the gong for the inaugural session and attend discussions around Unesco Kolkata City of Literature events. Come January 27, 2009, and all roads will lead to the bibliophiles’ favourite haunt from sharp 4.30 pm onwards. On weekends, expecting a denser footfall, the fair will be catering to public from 12 noon to 8 pm. While on the weekdays, the timings will apply between 2 pm to 8 pm. Equivalent to a metropolitan city’s mayor in India, the Lord Provost is Edinburgh’s civic head — an ancient office dating back to as old as the 13th century. George D.W. Grubb is the Lord Provost since May 2007. A liberal democrat councillor of the City of Edinburgh Council, he also doubles up as an ex-officio Lord Lieutenant of Edinburgh.

"Since Scotland will be the theme country for the forthcoming fair, we thought to pull out all the stops and showcase a composite package of Scottish flair. Over a pile of 200 books is likely to be stocked at the Scottish makeshift pavilion," shares Sujata Sen, director, BCL (East India).

With a horde of distinguished authors slated to be flown in all the way from the beautiful island country, the fair ground will be dolled up with a stream of stalls, billboards, banners, decorations, dazzling lights and lilting music in the milieu to lift up the spirits for this elaborate event. Starting off with noted writer Alexander McCall Smith — an erstwhile professor of medical law and a former faculty member in universities of the United Kingdom and abroad — he would be delivering the opening lecture at the fair pulpit. Credited with the best-selling titles like No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Scotland Street novels, Isabel Dalhousie series and the von Igelfeld collection, Smith is scheduled to read excerpts from his august body of works as well as sign autographs on purchased specimens at the bookstores. Bred up in the exotic terrain of Shetland — a group of islands in the British Isles, Christine De Luca is a well-acclaimed Scottish poetess penning her verses both in English as well as Shetlandic. Besides her four collections of poetry in print, she has also a series of published pamphlets to her merit. It’ll be an honour for the culture capital to play host to this commendable guest. Having won accolades all over, Christine will ring in her prosody in the Kolkata’s air. And the loyal, avid listeners will be all ears to tune in to her rhymes.

NEW DELHI

Dec. 2: The Central intelligence agencies are now concentrating on terrorist (involved in Mumbai terror attack) links with other terrorist outfits like Indian Mujahideen and Hizbul Mujahideen. Besi-des, the Central intellig-ence agencies have instru-cted all concerned states to increase vigil along the Ganga river, especially in Varanasi.

"Officials, who are interrogating the arrested terrorist are also examining whether the group has any connection with other terrorist organisations like Indian Mujahideen and Hizbul Mujahideen. It will also help in tracing their source of funding," said a senior intelligence official. Meanwhile, intelligence agencies have asked Uttar Pradesh government to increase security cover at different ghats of the Ganga river in Varanasi and other parts of the state.

State government has been asked to ensure that proper frisking of all those who visit different Ganga ghats in Varanasi is done. There are more than 100 Ganga ghats in Varanasi.

"The Ganga is a major river of the Indian subcontinent rising in the Himalaya Mountains and flowing about 2,510 km (generally eastward thro-ugh a vast plain to the Bay of Bengal). A large number of visitors, inclu-ding foreigners, come through river route from Kolkata to Varanasi. It becomes important to check this route properly. We have asked state government to increase patr-olling in the river as also in Varanasi," the official said. A meeting to review the security cover of Ganga ghats in Varanasi was called by senior officials of the district administration after the Mumbai terror attacks.

District administration has been asked to engage two boats for 24 hours patrolling in the river in Varanasi. Besides, all hotel, including hotel Taj in Varanasi, have been instructed to install CCTVs and other high-tech equipment for frisking of the visitors, said the official.

NEW DELHI

Dec. 2: Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta on Tuesday admitted that there had been a "systemic failure" in the country due to which the Mumbai terror attacks took place that has resulted in public outrage.

Admiral Mehta stated that the Navy had not received any "actionable" intelligence inputs from intelligence agencies before the Mumbai terror attacks. "There is a lacuna that exists (in coastal security). We will work to sort it out. There will be an appropriate action and response (to the situation)," Admiral Mehta said.

The naval chief indicated that transponders would need to be installed in Indian fishing trawlers so that the government could keep a track of the movements of the trawlers, in view of the Mumbai terror attacks that took place from the sea route. "There are about 1.5 lakh fishing trawlers in the country. Of these, 50,000 are in Gujarat and Maharashtra. About 5,000 people are coming in and going out on a daily basis," pointed out the Navy Chief.

He said that if there was a need felt that the Coast Guard should operate under the operational requirement of the Navy, that too could be considered. On intelligence inputs, he felt that these should be "actionable and specific". Special units of the Navy are currently conducting patrols off the Gujarat coast, it was indicated. Top naval sources also indicated that the Navy would need a communication satellite and that an order had been placed with the Isro already.

The communication satellite is expected to become operational in 18 months.

The naval chief also indicated that the country would need a "more powerful armed forces" and indicated that there should not be a fall in defence expenditure since "money should be there for equipment". He pointed out that the country was sitting at the "high table" globally after the Indo-US nuclear deal.

He said 32 ships and six submarines are currently being built and that more frigates too were being built. Admiral Mehta added that the two tankers are also being built with Italian help and that more submarines will also be acquired by the Navy.

NEW DELHI

Dec. 2: The delay caused by lack of an adequate and designated aircraft at the Delhi airport to rush NSG commandos to Mumbai led to precious wastage of time in a situation when terrorists were gunning down innocent hostages at the Taj and Oberoi hotels in Mumbai. According to sources, the IL-76 aircraft under the operation of the Aviation Research Centre (under the Union home ministry and Cabinet Secretariat) was not immediately available to rush the commandos to Mumbai.

Questions are also being raised as to why smaller groups of commandos with their equipment could not have been rushed in civilian aircraft that could have been requisitioned in such an emergency. "IL-76 aircraft under the Indian Air Force are stationed at the Agra and Chandigarh air force bases. An IL-76 aircraft had to be rushed from Chandigarh," sources said. "The IL-76 aircraft (of Russian make) is a huge transport aircraft that is capable of rushing hundreds of commandos along with all their equipment. The IL-76 landed at Delhi following which the equipment of the commandos was loaded. After NSG commandos occupied the aircraft, it took off from Delhi at about 3 am, roughly five hours after the firing started in Mumbai. The IL-76, which has four engines, needs about 20 minutes to take off," sources said. Initially, 192 NSG commandos had been rushed to Mumbai in the IL-76 aircraft. Aviation sources said that there was no delay from the side of the air traffic at Delhi airport control which promptly allocated a direct route flight path for the aircraft.

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Sena ‘bans’ Pak players in Mumbai

Mumbai, Dec. 2: The Shiv Sena will henceforth not permit any Pakistani player or cultural artiste to come and perform in Mumbai or Maharashtra, a senior party leader said. Party MP Sanjay Raut said that it had always been the Sena’s policy to discourage any kind of interaction between Pakistanis and Indians.

"However, after this dastardly terror attac-ks, we will ensure that not a single Pakistani player or cultural artiste will ever set foot anywhere in the state," Mr Raut said.

Castigating the Sena’s stand, Jatin Desai, a prominent activist said: "This was on the expe-cted lines from the Shiv Sena. In both India and Pakistan, the fundame-ntalist elements are str-ongly opposed to impr-oved relations."

—IANS

NEW DELHI

Dec. 2: Despite the hyperbolic call for a new tougher anti-terror law by the Opposition, the government is learnt to have been considering giving more teeth to the existing National Security Act 1980 in its effort to combat terrorism.

The Cabinet Committee on security, which met on Tuesday, considered a range of proposals to tighten security arrangements in the country in the backdrop of recent Mumbai terror attacks, even as key UPA constituent RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav asked for a complete overhaul of the intelligence setup.

The measures considered at the meeting included amendments in the NSA to make it full proof, setting up of a federal investigative agency, improving coastline surveillance and revamping country’s internal and external intelligence services, sources in the government said. A proposal of forming a six-member National Security Authority was also considered. The authority will have power to administer and supervise investigations relating to terror attacks, which generally have inter-state ramifications and cross-border links.

The CCS also discussed the draft proposal for setting up a federal investigating agency before sending it to the Union Cabinet for approval, sources added.

The meeting of the CCS, which took place at Prime Minister Manmohan Sin-gh’s residence, was attended by newly appointed home minister P. Chidambram, defence minister A.K. Antony, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and home secretary Madhukar Gupta. Incidentally, this was the first meeting, which Mr Chidambram attended as home minister.

NEW DELHI

Dec. 2: The Rashtriya Swayemsevak Sangh on Monday came out in full force against "jihadi terror” and ”fanatic religio-political elements” responsible of unleashing a reign of terror in the Mumbai terror attacks.

Senior RSS functionary Mohan Bhagwat, whose named appeared in the Malegaon blast probe after reports suggested that the Malegaon terror plot had involved a threat to his life, said that "terrorism is a war perpetrated by fanatical religio-political elements on democratic and civilised world”.

He said that a "national consensus” and a "will” were the first prerequisite for defeating such elements. The role of the Indian Army had come under scrutiny since the arrest of Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit in the Malegaon blast case. "I urge upon the countrymen to express solidarity with the armed forces and other agencies engaged in this war (against terror)," he said. The RSS has expressed solidarity with the people of Mumbai urging all "patriotic citizens” to organise public pr-ogrammes to pay homage to the victims.

***

Sena ‘bans’ Pak players in Mumbai

Mumbai, Dec. 2: The Shiv Sena will henceforth not permit any Pakistani player or cultural artiste to come and perform in Mumbai or Maharashtra, a senior party leader said. Party MP Sanjay Raut said that it had always been the Sena’s policy to discourage any kind of interaction between Pakistanis and Indians.

"However, after this dastardly terror attac-ks, we will ensure that not a single Pakistani player or cultural artiste will ever set foot anywhere in the state," Mr Raut said.

Castigating the Sena’s stand, Jatin Desai, a prominent activist said: "This was on the expe-cted lines from the Shiv Sena. In both India and Pakistan, the fundame-ntalist elements are str-ongly opposed to impr-oved relations."

-IANS

Moshe, the orphaned son of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, reached here in a special Israel Air Force aircraft on Monday night which also brought the governess, Sandra Samuel. The Jewish couple were killed during the terror siege of Nariman House where they ran a cultural and outreach centre for the ultra-orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

—PTI

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Pune on alert after threat

Pune, Dec. 2: Security measures in the city have been strengthened further following an anonymous fax message sent to the police, claiming that bombs have been planted at 40 places in the city, the police said on Tuesday.

The police issued a high alert on Monday night after receiving the fax and combed all parts of the city but failed to recover any explosives, the police said.

The fax, written in English, was traced to a shop in the busy Ganesh Peth area of the city, they said.

The police stepped up vigil at all sensitive places and installations and also sent SMSes to citizens appealing them to ignore rumours. —PTI

***

R.R. Patil sent copter by NCP

Mumbai, Dec. 2: Within minutes of resigning as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister in wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, R.R. Patil had vacated his official bungalow in Malabar Hill and driven to the native village in a private car. On Tuesday, his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) sent a helicopter to fetch him for the meeting here on Tuesday afternoon to choose his successor in the hot seat.

"Mr Patil had made up his mind to skip the meeting. It was a phone call by party President Sharad Pawar that made him change his mind and agree to attend the meeting," a source said.

—PTI

***

‘Don’t bury attackers here’

Mumbai, Dec. 2: Muslim clerics in Mumbai said on Tuesday that the bodies of nine militants who carried out last week’s attacks in the city should not be buried in India.

A group of Muslim scholars representing about 50 religious organisations met to discuss how the community should respond to the attacks that killed 188 people and injured more than 300. Only one of the 10 gunmen involved in the shootings and grenade atta-cks has been captured alive.

"These people should be buried where they came from," said president of the city’s Jamia Qadriya Ash-rafiya madrasa. —PTI

New Delhi

Dec. 2: In discussions with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice here on Wednesday, Indian representatives are expected to underline the perspective that terrorism perpetrated in India by elements within Pakistan cannot be brushed aside as an India-Pakistan issue.

It must legitimately be seen, well-placed sources suggest, as part of a serious worldwide problem that has driven America’s own foreign and security affairs agenda for much of President George W. Bush’s time in office.

High level sources indicated on Tuesday that during her day-long visit, Ms Rice was expected to counsel restraint so that Islamabad may not think to transfer its troops from its Afghan border — where it is supposed to engage the Taliban — to the Indian frontier. According to conventional thinking, such a move would adversely impact US interests in the region.

However, the Indian view is that this is segmented thinking in dealing with one of the most serious issues confronting the international community. Dr Rice may expect to hear analysis that the non-state actor elements that are creating so much trouble in northern and western Pakistan as well as Afghanistan are ideologically, as well as in networking terms, the same as those who carry out frequent strikes against this country.

The Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, which carried out the horror attack in Mumbai, in particular, is an outfit that has interlocking arrangements with the Taliban and the Al Qaeda-related groups active in Iraq.

Whatever the US approach, sources maintained that India would retain its autonomy of action in plotting steps to raise the costs for the ideological extremists in Pakistan.

The composite Indian view on the subject is expected to be conveyed by foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon to the transition team of US President-elect Barack Obama, who is scheduled to assume office on January 20 next. Mr Menon is currently on an official visit to the US.

Even before the foreign secretary embarked on his visit, a high Indian official informally conveyed to ranking members of the Obama team the centrality of a shared approach on the issue of terrorism-instability-democracy in South Asia.

It was pointed out in this context that the war in Afghanistan and the tribal badlands of Pakistan could not be conceptually divorced from terrorist depredations wrought in Kashmir and other places in India. As such, this needed to be kept in view by the international community in devising ways to combat terror.

It was also communicated to the leading lights of the incoming administration that the very high voting percentage in the Kashmir Valley in three rounds of polling in the Assembly election reinforced the validity of the Indian approach of inclusiveness while militarily fighting the terrorists trained in and armed by Pakistan, sources said.

New Delhi

Dec. 2: The Left parties, particularly the CPI(M), ran for cover, following the Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan’s refusal to apologise for virtually making a derogatory remark on the martyr, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan family member on Monday. The Kerala chief minister had told television channels: "If it had not been (Major) Sandeep’s house, not even a dog would have gone there." The RJD chief and the Railway minister, Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav demanded immediate removal of Mr Achuthanandan for his remarks.

As the CPI(M) top leadership failed to get the chief minister regret his remarks, the party general secretary Prakash Karat had to issue an apology saying "Certain remarks made by Mr V.S. Achuthanandan are regrettable." While the party sources revealed that Mr Karat had pulled up the chief minister, Mr Karat said, "I have spoken to him over phone from Rajasthan. He has assured that he no other intention but, to go to the home Sandeep Unnikrishnan who was brutally killed by terrorists in Mumbai, to pay homage and to condole with his family." When asked, whether he regretted his remarks, all Mr Achuthanandan said was "No, no."

While on Monday night, the CPI(M) and CPI leaders were busy ducking the media, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan described his remarks as "unfortunate."

He also felt that such kind of remarks were "unbecoming of a chief minister". The CPI general secretary, maintained that "martyrs belong to the entire nation".