Ahmedabad, 6 May 2013

The Supreme Court today issued notice to Government of India while hearing a case filed by the Gujarat government on pre-matriculation scholarship scheme for students from minority communities. The Supreme Court didn’t stay Gujarat High Court’s order in which it had rejected the Gujarat government’s contention that the scheme was discriminatory. The case will next be taken up in the first week of August.

The Supreme Court said it has to view the matter through the Centre-state relationship prism and issued notice to the Centre, asking it to respond to Gujarat’s contention that the scheme is discriminatory.

In a majority decision, the Gujarat High Court had upheld the constitutional validity of the scheme and directed the state government to implement it. The Modi government then approached the Supreme Court.

The Gujarat government argued that the Centre’s scholarship for minorities is a scheme based on religion and the Centre cannot compel the state to implement it. Gujarat argued that the state already has a similar scheme for all poor students irrespective of their religion and that the Centre’s scheme amounted to discrimination based on religion. Congress leader Adam Chaki had first filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Gujarat High Court, asking it to direct the state government to implement the Centre’s scheme.

The Centre’s scheme, applicable in all states, is for students belonging to five religious minorities, including Muslims, whose parents earn less than Rs. 1 lakh annually. The Central government pays for 75 per cent of the scholarship amount and states are expected to pick up 25 per cent of the tab.

Ahmedabad, 6 May 2013

-BJP suspends those who voted against the party or remained absent during the election of President and Vice President in Umreth and Borsad Municipalities. Show cause notice served to four members absent in Navsari Municipality’s President/Vice President elections.

-The Ahmedabad division of Western Railway has resumed issuance of platform tickets to visitors with immediate effect.

-Ground breaking of Rs 58 crore underground gutter project was performed today at Dholka town in Ahmedabad district.

-Ahmedabad police’s Crime branch today arrested two persons with fake currency notes of Rs five lakh.

-A group of youths in Surat ransacked the office of Bharat Info(BIS). They alleged that the company has cheated them and other youths.

-Gujarat Congress today accused the state govt of implying price hike in various sectors after coming back to power last year. According to Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi, ST bus fares are 16.25% up, ST bus special trip fares are 30% up, Power tariff 20% up, CNG price 15% up, PNG 20% up, Irrigation rates 150% up, Jantri rates are 700-1000% up after BJP govt was re-elected to power last year.

By our correspondent, Gandhinagar, 6 May 2013

Government of Gujarat (GoG) today blamed the Congress-ruled Central Government for deliberately delaying granting permission to complete the gates at Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) to raise the dam height from 121.92 metres to 138.68 metres on the Narmada.

According to state government spokespersons, Finance Minister Nitin Patel and Energy Minister Saurabh Patel, the Government of Gujarat (GoG) has completed Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) of Project Affected Persons (PAPs) in 2006, as so also the Government of Madhya Pradesh (GoMP) in consultation with R&R Sub-Group and the Government of Maharashtra (GoMH).

The ministers said that the partner states have submitted the completion report to R&R Sub-Group at the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) meeting in New Delhi on September 12, 2012. However, the meeting presided over by Union secretary for Justice and Empowerment postponed granting permission, asking some insignificant details from the Congress-led GoMH. The latter has complied with the details on January 8, 2013. These details had nothing to do with GoMP which had in fact submitted its report in January 2010.

And, yet, the ministers said that Gujarat’s Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil is blaming GoG and GoMP with a view to misleading the people of the state. It is unbelievable that Congress leaders of Gujarat weren’t aware of the real reasons behind the delay.

Out of 412 PAPs to be rehabilitated by GoMH, the Ministers pointed out that GoG provided private arable land to 90 PAPs in Nizhar taluka inside Gujarat while GoMH provided land to remaining 322 PAPs.

The next meeting of the R&R Group and NCA, which was scheduled to be held on January 23, 2013 was abruptly postponed at the eleventh hour citing the R&R Group’s Chairman’s indisposition.

The delay reflects the Central Government’s apprehension that allowing the dam’s height to go up to 138.68 metres would help Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi take the credit of completing the dam.

The ministers said that the GoG had completed all the spadework to place the gates (spillway piers) in June 2005, but for the permission. It would take about 30 months to complete the remaining job.

The ministers recalled that whenever Mr. Modi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he had requested the latter to end the stalemate. He repeated the request last time on February 6, 2013 during his courtesy call on being elected for another term. Dr Singh even expressed surprise at the delay. A delegation of Members of Parliament had also personally met the Prime Minister and submitted a memorandum but to no avail.

Sadly, they said, the completion of the dam to the stipulated height would benefit not only Gujarat but also Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The completion would hold 34-lakh acre feet of water (three times the present capacity) and generate 40 per cent additional electricity, helping Maharashtra partly meet the power shortage.

The ministers regretted that a multipurpose river valley project of immense national importance to benefit four states is pending for the last 50 years due to the Congress party’s negative attitude.

Ahmedabad,6 May 2013

There are over 60 Pakistani prisoners in various jails of Gujarat. Highest 40 Pakistani prisoners are kept in Jamnagar jail, followed by Rajkot jail 12, Palanpur 6 and Ahmeadabad and Vadodara 1 each.

The Gujarat government has alerted Superintendents of all jails to keep Pakistani prisoners in one group and ensure their security within the jail premises.

The biggest group of Pakistani prisoners is in Jamnagar jail, and all of them are kept together now after the incident of attack on Pakistani prisoner in Jammu jail, following Indian prisoner Sarabjeet Singh’s brutal murder in Pakistan’s Kot Lakhpat jail.

Ahmedabad, 6 May 2013

Representatives from the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai will conduct a presentation on applying for U.S. visas in Baroda on May 9, 2013 at 2:00 pm. This event, hosted by Shree Kalyanraiji Sarvajanik Charitable Trust, is free of charge and open to the public.

The session is designed to provide information on U.S. visas and the process for applying and travelling to the United States. The session will also provide tips on how to avoid being victimized by fraud or immigration scams.

The presentation will discuss the B1/B2 visa (travelling for business or for pleasure, tourism or medical treatment) and the H and L visas (for a skilled temporary worker in a specialty occupation and for intra company transferees).

The presentation will be conducted at the Shree Kalyanraiji Sarvajanik Charitable Trust, Kalyan Prasad Bank Road, Mandvi, Vadodara, Tel: 9426385514.

By our correspondent, Rajkot, 5 May 2013

Mathurbhai Savani. He is a man who can organize grand events attracting lakh to two lakh people, more than once.

Today’s SAUNI mahayagna was one of such events.

Mathurbhai has earlier organized huge gathering on the issues of ‘save girl child campaign’ and ‘check dam movement’.

A diamond baron Mathurbhai is originally from Saurashtra, but he lives in Surat with his family.

Through his Saurashtra Jaldhara Trust, Mathurbhai started check-dam movement in late 1990s in Saurashtra, starting from Bhavnagar district’s Khopala village. The movement yielded huge success in terms of conservation of water, and betterment in ground water level.

Mathurbhai was once offered a ticket to contest assembly on Botad seat. He refused it as he wanted to remain a non-political person, and thus Saurabh Patel got a chance to contest from Botad. Saurabh Patel is influential minister today. Mathurbhai is still continuing with his social work – mainly on water conservation issue.

His ability to communicate and convince common villagers of Saurashtra is excellent. He lives in Surat, but his heart is always in rural Saurashtra. You can spot him touring in Saurashtra villages in his car often.

Mathurbhai has superb influence in rural Bhavnagar and Patidar dominated areas of Surat. He is Leuva Patel by caste, but he keeps safe distance from ‘Patel politics’ unsuccessfully attempted by Keshubhai Patel and Gordhan Zadafia.

Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi today in his speech at SAUNI Mahayagna said, “if Mathurbhai’s NGO(Saurashtra Jaldhara Trust) was foreign funded, with English speaking people, with anti-Narmada dam mentality, with people staying in five star hotels wearing Khadi, he could receive too much publicity and admiration from all over the world for his same work.”

Presented above is Mathurbhai Savani’s today’s speech on water conservation issue.

Rajkot, 5 May 2013

This little girl Bhasha Vaghani gave a speech in Saurashtra Jaldhara Trust’s SAUNI Yojana Mahayagna today in presence of senior ministers, lakhs of people and Gujarat Chief Minister himself. She administered a pledge on water conservation and at the end of her speech received pat on her back by the Chief Minister. The idea of presenting her to speak on water conservation was about projection of long term vision behind the mahayagna and its cause. Enjoy the video.

Ahmedabad, 5 May 2013

Senior Congress leader and former Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil today in media interaction, said that in the past, all political parties had a joint front on the issue of Narmada project. But now the Chief Minister is not taking anyone in confidence. This is just because this would expose him and his failures.

He said Gujarat gets more than 9MAF of Narmada which is its share. This can help provide water to people of parched Gujarat.

At a levish function at Siddhpur on September 8, 2005 Chief Minister had claimed that Sarasvati river near Siddhpur will have Narmada water round the year. He had said that the check dams in the bed of Saraswati River will be filled by Narmada water through canal and pipelines. And thus the river will have water round the year. Chief Minister had gathered more than 150 religious leaders and others to make the function a great publicity show. No water has been brought into the river after that day.If saints present at 2005 meeting go to Siddhpur today, they will find people playing cricket in the river bed, Gohil said.

Instead of giving benefits of farmer centric Narmada project to most needy people, Chief Minister has started giving its advantage to his industrialist friends. Gohil rolled out figures which show that Gujarat was slicing off Narmada command area for the benefit of industrialists by setting up Special Investment Regions and Special Economic Zones.

He said that 28,000 hectare of land of Bhal area was denotified for setting up Dholera SIR. This is in Narmada command area. Similarly, 13,000 hectare command area land around Sanand has been denotified for SIR and GIDC. Other such cases are, he said,45259 hectare of Bharuch and Vagra taluka for petroleum and petrochemical SIR, 16800 hectare of Aliabet for entertainment SIR, 16674 hectare of villages of Santalpur and Radhanpur taluka has been denotified for a SIR and12229 hectare of Halol, Kalol and Savali taluka for a SIR. Much of this land is of Narmada command area.

In addition to this, state government plan for 11 other SIR will make landless thousands of farmers of Sanand , Bavala, Bhachau, Anjar, Bhuj, Malia, Mandal, Sami Bahucharaji, Dabhoi and Tilakwada. Government also has proposal for SEZs which will require a total of 319.78 Sq kms in different parts of the state, mainly in the command area. Government cannot denotify this land since the command area is defined and demarcated by the Tribunal.

Gohil cited example of Rajasthan to drive home his point that sincere implementation of scheme can work miracle. Rajasthan has a share of 0.5 MAF and command area of 75,000 hectare. But through innovative irrigation schemes, Rajasthan has an operational command area of 2.25 lakh hectare. Gujarat gets 9 MAF with command area of 16.08 lakh hectare, but it has not increased even an inch. On the other hand, Gohil said, Gujarat has worked in five lakh hectare only.

Why leaders of other political parties were not invited to speak a programme organized by NGOs on Narmada, he asked. Gohil challenged Modi to discuss issues of Narmada project on a public platform. He reminded Modi of days when Chief Ministers used to hold all party meetings. Why this practice has been stopped, he asked. At the same time he extended full support to Gujarat government in smooth and quick implementation of the project.

Ahmedabad, 5 May 2013

Gujarat Police has taken custody of an alleged member of Indian Mujahedeen (IM) and a prime suspect in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blast case Usman alias Shahid Nagori, 28, who was arrested from Ujjain on Friday.

The accused, Usman alias Shahid Nagori, 28, was arrested from Nagori Mohallah from near Topkhana area at 5.00 pm on specific intelligence inputs from Gujarat’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS). Nagori was working in his fabrication shop when police team arrived to arrest him.

Nagori is one of the 25 accused of year 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts cast who are on run. An arrest warrant was pending against him in the blast case (CR No 236-08). After his arrest Nagori was produced before the district court in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday from where he was handed over to the Ahmedabad Crime Branch team led by Himanshu Shukla on transit remand.

More than 56 persons were killed and 100 injured in a series of 21 bomb blasts that hit Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, within a span of 70 minutes. So far 76 accused are arrested, while 25 are on run.

By our correspondent, Rajkot, 5 May 2013

Speaking at large gathering of villagers from all over Saurashtra region at Bhadar dam in Rajkot district today, Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi said that tender for Rs 4,000 crore works on Bhadbhut barrage which is part of ambitious Kalpsar project will be floated soon.

He said, construction of Bhadbhut barrage in Bharuch district of central Gujarat will prevent surplus Narmada water going to the sea, and conserve it on land. A canal will be constructed to supply water stored in Bhadbhut barrage to Kalpsar. Thus surplus water of Narmada water will go to Kalpsar, and work on this project will start soon.

Modi said that 80 percent feasibility reports for Kalpsar project are over.

Modi said the project has capacity to solve the problem of water in Saurashstra for next 100 years.

Modi attacked centre for not allowing erection of gates over Narmada dam. He said the state government is ready to keep the gates open which would ensure that there’s no further submergence, but central government is not concerned about progress of Narmada project, the centre just is concerned about bhai, bhatijas.

In his speech, Shri Modi profusely congratulated Saurashtra Jaldhara Trust(NGO) that organized the programme and took on the so-called activists over their double standards. “Had this NGO been English speaking, with people who wear torn Kurtas with Jholas, who frequent 5 Star hotels and got money from overseas, it would have been praised all over India and the world. Oppose Narmada and you will shine on TV but support it and it is different,” he stated.

About Bhadbhut Barrage

-11 km long and 100 ft wide Bhadbhut barrage will be constructed near the mouth of Narmada river near Hansot. It will connect Hansot and Hazira through six lane highway.The initial cost of barrage was announced at around Rs 2500 crore by state Finance Minister last year in Gujarat assembly.

-Once constructed, the barrage will store more water than total water storage capacity of Saurashtra’s two biggest dams Shetrunji and Bhadar together.

-Bhadbhut dam will be connected to Kalpasar project through a 32 km long canal which is yet to be constructed.

By our correspondent, Ahmedabad, 4 May 2013

Three new Additional Judges of Gujarat High Court today took oath in presence of state Law minister, minister of state for Law, Judges, senior advocates and others.

The new judges are: Justice Abdulla Ghulam Ahmed Urezi, Dr. Justice Kaushal Jayendra Thakar and Justice Ratilal Parshottambhai Dholaria.

Oath was administered by Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Shri Bhaskar Bhattacharya.