Amitabh speaks out against caste

Amidst the debate on the inclusion of caste in the national census, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has said that he does not believe in caste and neither does his family.

The 67-year-old veteran said that if asked about his caste, he will answer that he is an Indian.

"My father never believed in caste and neither do any of us. He married a Sikh, I married a Bengali, my brother a Sindhi, my daughter a Punjabi, my son a Mangalorean, in his autobiography my father had expressed that future generations of his family should marry into different parts of the country. So far that tradition has been kept alive," wrote the actor on his blog.

Census enumerators came calling on the Bachchan household, prompting the actor to express his views on the issue.

"Officials from the BMC, the Bombay Municipal Corporation, troop into Prateeksha to detail in on information. All kinds of information is sought name, place, age, dependents, place of birth, house, residence years. I wait for them to come to the crucial controversial one... caste. They don't.

"Wary of the sensitivity that this has raised recently by politicians, they keep away from it. I tell them irrespective of what the system decides, my answer is ready, caste, Indian," wrote Bachchan.

Political parties including Samajwadi Party, which has Bachchan's wife Jaya amongst its members, are demanding that caste be included in the ongoing census.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said the government will soon take a decision on caste-based census in the country.

Deputy leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Janata Dal-United (JDU) president Sharad Yadav are amongst those demanding that caste be registered during the census exercise.

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Manmohan Singh congratulates David

The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh has congratulated Mr David Cameron, the newly elected Prime Minister of United Kingdom. In a letter to Mr Cameron, the Prime Minster extended his warm wishes and hoped the two countries will further strengthen the bonds of friendship. Following is the text of the Prime Minister's letter:

Dear Mr Prime Minister,

Please accept my heartiest felicitations and congratulations on your assumption of the office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The elections in the United Kingdom and your stewardship of the Conservative Party reflect the best traditions of parliamentary democracy. I wish you the very best in your leadership of the United Kingdom in the years ahead.

I recall with great pleasure our meeting in New Delhi in September 2006. Over the years, our bilateral relations have diversified into a vibrant and multi-faceted strategic partnership encompassing almost all areas of human endeavour.

We are today well-placed to build upon this strong edifice not just for the welfare and benefit of our two peoples, but also to work together to address the pressing global challenges that we face today, and to harness the growing inter-dependence among nations for the good of humankind. I look forward to working with you to further advance and strengthen our bonds of friendship, to which India attaches the highest importance.

It gives me great pleasure to extend a most cordial invitation to you to visit India at your convenience.

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Young bride dead, honour killing suspected

Gurleen, her husband Amarpreet and her mother-in-law were a happy family just a month ago.

Today they are just another terrible statistic, the latest victims of an 'honour' killing.

Gurleen and her mother-in-law were hacked to death allegedly by a group that included Gurleen's own brothers.

Her neighbours woke up to the noise of gun shots early on Wednesday morning.

"We heard gunshots around 2 am in the morning, it was dark so could not see much but at dawn we saw Amarpreet lying in pool of blood and we informed the police," said Baljit Singh, neighbour.

Gurleen's husband Amarpreet was also shot but survived and was able to talk to the police. A case has been registered against Gurleen's father and two brothers.

"The girl had married against the wishes of her family and they attacked the house last night and killed the girl and her mother-in-law while the girl's husband has been injured and is in hospital. We have formed teams to nab the culprits," said Pritpal Singh, SSP Taran Taran.

This is third honour killing in Taran Taran in a year, and not surprisingly authorities are passing the buck.

When the issue was put before Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Mukul Wasnik, he said, "You are trying to make out as if these issues are connected to my ministry. These are law and order issues connected to Home Ministry, you should ask them."

With court orders and police protection proving to be of little use, now all hopes are being pinned on the Union Law Ministry's proposal to make honour killings a separate offence with appropriate punishment.

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Radioactive substance spills at BARC lab

A chemical spill at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) in Mumbai left ten people vulnerable to minor radiation. On Tuesday evening, a radioactive chemical spilled out from a flask during an experiment. Ten people working in the lab were put through rigorous medical tests, and three who were suspected to have been affected were "decontaminated." One person, whose hand touched the radioactive chemical, is under observation for possible internal contamination. In an official statement, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre noted, "The incident involved minor contamination of the hands of a person who was involved in the transfer of samples in a sealed container from one laboratory to another for analysis. The incident is of a very minor nature with no safety consequences." In December, two scientists died in a fire at BARC. (Read: Fire at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, 2 killed) Delhi is still recovering from one of the country's worst radiation crises - a machine containing radioactive Cobalt-60 was dismantled in a scarp market without any precautions or protective gear by scrap dealers. One person died as a result, six others were hospitalized.

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Explanation from party MP Jindal

Congress has sought an explanation from party MP Naveen Jindal for his remarks favouring the khap panchayats in Haryana and the praise he had showered on the controversial extra constitutional bodies. "I have sought an explanation," AICC General Secretary in-charge of Haryana Prithviraj Chavan told reporters in new Delhi when asked what the party had done in the wake of the young leader heaping encomiums over the caste councils of Haryana. The explanation was sought after the Kurukshetra MP praised the works of these caste councils at a Khap mahapanchayat at Kaithal in Haryana and extended support to their demand to amend the Hindu Marriage Act to prohibit same sub-caste (gotra) marriages. Congress sources later said Jindal has given an explanation to the party. "He (Jindal) has given an explanation. He is not in support of them. The party has already made its stand clear and the matter is closed now," a senior party leader said.

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Alcohol on fire in Ambala

Two persons were charred to death and six received burn injuries when a fire broke out in a liquor factory in a village in Ambala district of Haryana on Wednesday. The army is helping to fight the fire. All the victims were employees of the factory located in Badholi village, some 30-km from Ambala, police said. Four huge tanks containing 6 lakhs of litres of spirit caught fire which engulfed the factory premises. Firefighters were still battling the leaping flames. Police said that two bodies, charred beyond recognition, had been recovered. The extent of damage suffered by the factory could run into crores of rupees, sources have said. The cause of the blaze was yet to be ascertained.

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Shilpa-Raj stake is legitimate :RR

After questions were raised about why they're not mentioned in ownership documents for the Rajasthan Royals, Shilpa Shetty and husband Raj, along with their co-owners, have said they're legitimate stakeholders in the Jaipur team of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

On Monday, Shashank Manohar, president of the Board of Control forCricket in India (BCCI), said that the parentage of the Royals seems uncertain. "We are asking Modi, how can he sign an agreement with A when the bid came from B. Modi made a statement that the entire world knows who the shareholders are but the fact is that not even the Governing Council members know about Rajasthan Royals. I did not find the names of Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra in the papers and they claim to be stakeholders."

An alarmed Shilpa Shetty tweeted on Monday "Woke up & heard on TV that we're not co-owners of RR! There's no doubt Raj is a stake holder & I'm the brand ambassador."

Forty per cent of the Royals franchise is owned by Suresh Chellaram, Modi's wife's brother-in-law. The board says that if shares were transferred to Shilpa and her husband after they invested in the Royals, no transfer fee has been paid.

Here's the full statement from Rajasthan Royals:

Rajasthan Royals would like to clarify certain misconceptions about the franchise, which have been raised through the media.

The Rajasthan Royals franchise bid was successful, with full compliance of BCCIguidelines, in a process conducted with the committee members of BCCI in January 2008. Full details of the consortium bid structure and the way the company would be set up were contained in the original submission to the BCCI in January 2008. The structure has been completely transparent and in accordance with regulatory guidelines ever since.

The corporate structure was established in accordance with the details provided in the bid submission shortly after the bid. It was not established prior to the bid, as we obviously did not know if the bid would be successful. Moreover, the time allotted between the Invitation to Tender (27 December 2007), and the bid submission date (23 January 2008), would not have allowed sufficient time to incorporate the intended structure with an Indian entity.

The investors agreed to submit the bid using a consortium, led by UK-based Emerging Media (IPL) Ltd. The other entities in the consortium were disclosed in the bid submission documents.

Subsequently, on 8 March 2008, an Indian company Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt Ltd was incorporated, as detailed in the bid submission. We then executed the franchise agreement on 14 April 2008. The ownership of the consortium did not change between the award of the bid on 23 January 2008 and the signing of the franchise agreement on 14 April 2008.

As part of our strategy to broaden our shareholder base, in February 2009 Kuki Investments Ltd (Raj Kundra and Family) acquired an 11.7% stake in EM Sporting Holdings Limited, the parent company of Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt Ltd, which was fully disclosed to the BCCI/IPL.

According to the BCCI/IPL rules, the IPL was entitled to 5% of the increase in the pro-rata value of the franchise. In February 2009 the Rajasthan Royals contacted the BCCI to agree the precise definition, to agree the amount that needed to be paid, and we are still awaiting a response. For absolute clarity the payment has been fully accrued for within our accounts.

The current shareholders of EM Sporting Holdings Limited, who all have multiple business interests and independent means, are as follows: Emerging Media (IPL) Ltd (Manoj Badale - 32.4%), Tresco International Ltd (Suresh Chellaram Family - 44.2%), Blue Water Estate Ltd (Lachlan Murdoch - 11.7%) and Kuki Investments Ltd (Raj Kundra & Family - 11.7%). There are no other shareholders.

In accordance with regulatory filings, we subsequently volunteered to make a full disclosure application (in July 2009) through the Government's FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) process. The relevant information submitted in that application, including details of the structure, now appears to be publicly available. Our application was not initially accepted due to a miscommunication of submission timings. Our subsequent application in January 2010 has not been rejected. We are well advanced towards fulfilling the procedural steps and additional information requests necessary to satisfy the FIPB.

Rajasthan Royals have always conducted themselves with integrity and look forward to co-operating with the BCCI to ensure continued public support for the IPL.

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Nitya(Sex)ananda Swami allegedly smuggled gold from US

CID sleuths have revealed that Swami Nithyananda would routinely smuggle 24 carat gold weighing several kilograms from the US.

According to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Swami Nithyananda visited the US quite often. During his visits, he used to carry objects that looked like gold.

"He usually got things made in form of rosaries and sandals that he used to wear while returning to India," reads a DRI letter that was sent to the Bangalore airport authorities, a copy of which is in possession of MiD DAY.

The letter also mentions that Swami Nithyananda misused his image of a spiritual guru to smuggle gold.

According to the officials, the swami believed that he'd be never caught, as the custom officials never bothered to check him when he used to go on spiritual trips.

DRI officials had also issued a look out circular to all the airports soon after sex swami went into hiding.

The DRI sleuths suspect that Nityananda could have used the same technique for smuggling precious stones as well.

Besides, the officials suspect that Ma Nithyananda Gopika, sex swami's personal assistant, helped him in the smuggling racket.

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Indian-origin doctor killed by ex-colleague

A doctor was charged Monday with fatally shooting a Yale University doctor and firing at the victim's pregnant wife after a history of confrontations with the victim and other colleagues that led to his dismissal from a New York hospital.

Branford police said 44-year-old Lishan Wang is charged with murder, attempted murder and firearms offenses in the fatal shooting of Vajinder Toor outside his home. Police say Wang, a Chinese citizen from Beijing who was last known to be living in Marietta, also fired at Toor's wife, but she was not struck.

Wang is being held on $2 million bond. A message was left with an attorney representing him in a civil lawsuit.

Toor worked at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Centre in New York before joining Yale. Police are investigating whether Toor and the gunman had a dispute on the job, using information provided by the victim's wife, said Lt. Geoffrey Morgan.

"We're following a hypothesis that the victim and the assailant had some sort of negative interaction at a previous employer," Morgan said, adding that police do not expect to make additional arrests.

Wang and Toor were involved in a confrontation a few years ago at Kingsbrook after Wang left his post at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and was not reachable for a few hours, according to a hospital employee who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing murder investigation. The employee said Toor reprimanded him and that Wang threatened Toor in front of other employees.

Wang filed a federal discrimination lawsuit last year against the hospital. He talks about a heated exchange with his supervisor in the hospital's residency program, "Dr Vajinder," in May, 2008 after Vajinder accused him of ignoring pages and calls from hospital staff.

"An hour after this heated discussion, Dr Vajinder then accused Dr Wang of threatening his safety by using hostile body language, although he did not summon security to assist him," Wang's lawsuit states.

It is one of several allegations of anger and behavioral problems that Wang acknowledges he was cited for while in the program. In the lawsuit, he said he was unfairly labeled excitable, emotional and unable to control his anger.

Wang was suspended with pay on May 22, 2008, and notified by letter that the hospital had decided to propose firing him. He was told by the union that the hospital would only allow him to remain employed if he sought disability leave for mental impairment. He was fired in July.

On Monday, Toor was walking in the parking lot toward his car at Meadows condominiums, miles from the Ivy League campus, shortly before 8 a.m. when he was shot multiple times.

Wang was taken into custody on a traffic stop nearby after residents provided police with details about the suspect and his vehicle, police said.

Toor was a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Medicine who was working with the infectious disease section of Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Yale Police Chief James Perrotti sent an e-mail to the university community - which was shaken in recent months by the killing of a graduate student in her lab building - saying Branford police told him the crime was not a random act and was unrelated to Yale.

Hersh Arora, a neighbor and family friend, said Toor's wife, Parneeta, had just waved goodbye to her husband and closed the door when she heard gunshots and ran outside. She saw her husband lying on the ground, saw a man with a gun and asked what he was doing.

The man started firing at her, so she hid behind a car, Arora said. A neighbor tried to perform CPR on Toor, Arora said.

The couple have a three-year old-son, and Parneeta is five months pregnant, Arora said.

"She can't even cry in front of the kid," Arora said. "She's trying to be brave."

Wang's lawsuit claims injuries resulting from discrimination based on race, national origin and disability, and accuses the hospital of retaliation against him for investigating, disclosing and opposing the discrimination.

Wang disputes evaluations by human resources staff at Kingsbrook that he had behavioral problems and anger issues, saying he received favorable evaluations.

"Additionally, during the time period when some of his supervisors and KJMC Human Resources began to falsely characterize Dr. Wang as mentally impaired and suffering from 'anger' issues, Dr. Wang scored well on the "interpersonal skills sections of his evaluations with no mention of emotional or anger-related problems," the lawsuit states.

Another doctor, Dr. Gealda Xavier, claimed Wang had yelled at her during a phone call. Wang responded by accusing the hospital of racism.

"Dr Xavier is not Chinese and Dr Wang had previously complained to his supervisors that she had treated him in a rude and abusive manner. Nothing was done to address Dr Wang's complaint. However, the committee sided with Dr Xavier, who is not Chinese, and inappropriately attributed the perceived problems with Dr Wang's behavior to unspecified 'family problems," the lawsuit states.

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Father's message to Lalit Modi

He's been suspended, but Lalit Modi is in a defiant mood. And thoughrelationships have been strained, he has the backing of his family to take the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) head-on.

His father KK Modi, owner of the Rs 3,500-crore Godfrey Philips India, says his son will emerge a winner.

KK Modi spoke to NDTV about family members being stakeholders in teams and what Lalit Modi might reveal.

Q: Are you backing him at this point and do you believe he will come out clear?
A: The entire family is backing him.
Q: How do you react to accusations of kickbacks, money-laundering and family members as stakeholders in teams?
A: We knew that from before. He needed money to be invested and so what if family members came forward?
Q: He has said he will reveal all? What does he have?
A: Maybe names of some who received some money. There was so much money made...
Q: The IPL Governing Council (GC) said he took decisions without consulting them. Is he being singled out?
A: Of course. There are decisions which need ratification. He will come out clean.
Q: What do you advise him?
A: Don't give up, don't resign and fight to the end. Go to the Supreme Court.

Lalit Modi's father's message is clear: Lalit Modi will not go down without a fight.

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Tigers safe in Kaziranga?

Kaziranga World Heritage site may be one of the successful rhinoconservation stories and has the highest density of tigers in the country today but there seems to be enough reason to raise an alarm with poachers residing just outside the Park and unabated mining activity blocking animal corridors.

Recently Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh spoke about tigerconservation.

"Kaziranga was never associated with tigers till December 2007 when it was declared it as a Project Tiger Area. The numbers that seem to come from camera trap seems to suggest tiger population of anywhere between 75-100 in a total area of about 860 sq kms which is probably the highest density per sq kms in the country," said Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh.

Ramesh added: "Kaziranga now claims to have the highest density of tigers in the country which is good as well bad news. It makes the Park very vulnerable with an already existing poaching network."

Fourteen rhinos have been killed in this Park in the last one year.

"It's too simplistic to say that they will go for one particular animal and not touch tigers. Last year we lost 10 tigers and this year we have lost 2," said Dr Rajesh Gopal Member Secretary, NTCA.

Animals particularly the rhino often stray from the Kaziranga National Park cross these channels of the Brahmaputra and come on the embankment but what's worrying is the significant number of poachers and country made weapons that are present in these villages.

"In many areas there is a determined effort to finish off the tiger population. It is not coincidental, it's not an accident, there is a deliberate conspiracy, there is a conjoining of real estate mafia, mining mafia," said Jairam.

Such is the state of affairs, at the Panbari reserve forest adjoining the Kaziranga and an important animal corridor, there are 123 stone quarries on this fringe and some of them have been given license by the Kaziranga Park authorities.

Kaziranga has a unique eco system and the tiger may be much safer here but with the park situated right on the international smuggling route, the pressure on wildlife will always be there.

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Direct access to Headley soon: Indian Embassy

India will get direct access to 26/11 conspirator David Headley soon, that's what America's Attorney General Eric Holder has told India's Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam at a meeting they had in Washington.

A statement released by the Indian Embassy in the United States says:

"Gopal Subramaniam along with the Ambassador of India to the United States, Meera Shankar met with the Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder and other Department of Justice representatives, followed by detailed discussions. The two partners agreed to take suitable steps to bring about direct access by Indian authorities to David Headley as soon as possible.

The partnership between India and the United States recognizes the high priority to be accorded to each country's national security. Both countries recognized the need for the investigations to reach a fruitful and successful outcome."

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Modi stripped his security cover

A day after Lalit Modi was shown the door by the BCCI, he is all set to lose his security cover too. If reports are to be believed, Modi's security cavalcade will be a thing of the past. Mumbai police officials are considering withdrawing his police protection, which incidentally he had been getting for free for the past year. A senior police officer confirmed the move, saying, "We are awaiting the reports from the local police station, Crime Branch and Special Branch on threat perception to Modi and his family. If the report is negative, we will immediately pull out the policemen provided for his security." Free of cost Modi had been given police protection free of cost, thanks to a powerful neta, who apparently made a phone call to a senior cop, asking that Modi and his family be provided security. Five cops were immediately sent to give day-night protection to Modi and his family. For the past two months, this number has increased to 10. The estimated cost of this protection works out to almost Rs 15 lakh (at the rate of Rs 600 per constable per day, for a year). MiD DAY had reported about police security for Modi on April 2, 2009 'Lalit Modi and family live under threat'. Police officials attached to the protection branch admitted to receiving verbal instructions initially on Modi's security cover and subsequently provided him with two armed constables (one on each shift). His wife and children were entitled to one constable each for 12 hours. Cop cover The number of policemen was gradually increased after Modi wrote a letter to Mumbai Police Commissioner D Shiva-Nandan on March 2, 2010 (a copy of which is with MiD DAY), in which he thanks the police department for doubling his security and also asks for more protection for his family. Accordingly, a few days later the protection department doubled the manpower for Modi and his family. Modi was provided 2+2 (two constables in day and two at night) armed with carbines and his family was provided with one constable each (12-hr shift) for 24 hours. "Even if Modi stayed out of Mumbai or India during the above period, he was still under the police cover and officials from protection branch were in constant touch with his personal security guards, knowing his movements and details," said a police officer. Advocate M P Vashi, who had earlier filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court on unwanted police protection given to political leaders, said, "The police should not have wasted 10 of their men for Modi and his family. They do not deserve such treatment. They enjoy such luxury for free only due to their nexus with certain political leaders."

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Will 47,000 low necklines cause an earthquake

Bangalore girls say they would not mind wearing low necklines to support worldwide protests against the Tehran cleric who blames scantily clad women for causing earthquakes. "Many women who dress inappropriately cause youths to go astray, taint their chastity and incite extramarital sex in society, which increases earthquakes," Ayatollah Kazem Sedighi had said at the last Friday prayer in Tehran. In response to this comment, Jennifer McCreight, a postgraduate student from Purdue University, USA, organised Boobquake, an online campaign on popular social networking websites Facebook and Twitter. McCreight has urged women around the world to wear their 'most cleavage-showing shirt' on April 26, to scientifically test the Iranian cleric's claim. At present the campaign has received 47,766 positive responses. "With the power of our scandalous bodies combined, we should surely produce an earthquake. If not, I'm sure Sedighi can come up with a rational explanation for why the ground didn't rumble," wrote McCreight on Facebook. However, in India, there are dissenting voices that do not support this method of protest. "It is like instead of being careful while cooking, you end up burning the entire house. Islam urges women to cover themselves. Why do they need to wear inappropriate clothes to protest?" asks Mahmood Dariabadi, general secretary of All India Ulema Council. "The Iranian cleric could have meant that such immodesty leads to earthquakes in society." Many Indian social activists were however not sure if the campaign would meet with any success. "Such campaigns hardly help. However, such initiatives do help in underlining how today's women are ready to take on any challenges. They don't bow down to such absurd observations. They mock them instead," said Brinda Adige (30), who works for Global Consultants, a city based non-governmental organisation to support women and children rights. Brinda was one of the organisers of the Pink Chaddi campaign held in Bangalore to protest Mangalore pub attack by Hindu hardliner Parmod Mutalik's supporters and his objection to Valentine's Day celebrations. "I will definitely wear such a t-shirt tomorrow to show my support," Brinda added. Whereas, Sulakshana K (23), a fashion designer, said, "I don't know how effective it will be but why not do it anyway for the fun of it all?"

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Shoaib-Sania's reception marred by mismanagement

The reception party of the newly married couple Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza at the Pakistani cricketer's hometown Sialkot was marred by mismanagement with some 2,000 people turning up as against 1,000 invitees. In their efforts to stop the "uninvited guests" who arrived to attend the reception held at a hockey stadium on Sunday night, private security guards did not even allow some of Shoaib's relatives and friends to enter the venue. Thousands of Sialkotees gathered outside Shoaib's house on Sunday and danced to the beat of drums through the day and the hockey stadium was specially decorated for the festive occasion. Many residents of the city said yesterday was a special day for them as the people of Sialkot had been waiting for the arrival of the cricketer and his Indian bride. But there was chaos soon after Sania, clad in a green sari with gold brocade, and Shoaib, in a white sherwani, entered the venue at 9 pm. A local journalist said 1,000 guests were present at the stadium that can accommodate only some 700 people. "The entry of so many people created mismanagement and even Sania was unhappy about it," the reporter said. Some TV news channels beamed footage of what they described as an exchange of heated words between the couple over the issue. A clip showed an upset Shoaib and Sania being escorted by security guards as they tried to avoid a crowd of guests. The guests were served chicken korma and rice in keeping with the government's ban on serving more than one dish at wedding receptions. However, a petition was filed in the Lahore High Court alleging that more than one dish was served on that occasion. After the reception, Shoaib and Sania returned to Lahore's Pearl Continental Hotel at around 3 am this on Monday morning. The couple remained ensconced in their hotel room and was expected to tour Lahore later in the evening. Sania's sister Anum said her sibling had come to Pakistan in 1991 to play a junior tennis tournament in Islamabad. She also described Lahore as a beautiful city that resembled Delhi. The couple's "walima" or reception hosted by the groom's family will be held at the Pearl Continental Hotel tomorrow and some 1,000 people have been invited there. Senior government functionaries are also expected to attend the reception party. Pearl Continental official Aila Tariq told PTI that the hotel management will ensure that only one dish is served during the function in line with the government's directive. Chicken korma will be served with rice and naans during the function, hotel officials said.

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Airport Line trains to be in Delhi soon

Having received the first lot of trains from Spain, the Delhi Airport Metro Express Limited will put them on tracks for testing by the middle of next month as it gears up to launch the much-awaited line connecting Connaught Place with the Airport by September. The first set of trains, procured from CAF, Spain which also supplied trains to Hong Kong airport metro and London's Heathrow Express have arrived at the Mundra port and will reach Delhi in another three-four days, an official spokesperson of the Reliance Infrastructure-led Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd told PTI. The Airport Express Line, once operational, will cover the entire 23 kms from New Delhi to Indira Gandhi International Airport in just about 20 minutes that too in a luxury environment. Once the trains reach Delhi, they will be stationed at the Dwarka depot for the mandatory tests to be conducted. "Static tests will be done and it will take 4-5 days. After the static tests are over, the train will be put on test track for testing. Thereafter, the rake would be transferred to the mainline where low-speed and high-speed test would be carried out. Finally, oscillation trials will be carried out under the supervision of RDSO. The entire process will take 2 to 3 months," the spokesperson said. Lalit Jalan, CEO, Reliance Infrastructure, said the Airport Express Line, which will be the showcase line of the capital, will be operational by September, a month before the Commonwealth Games. The Airport Line will be better than anything that the city has seen till now. We are going to use the best technologies available around the world and are completing work on a war footing to open the line by September," he said in a statement. Once the tests are over, the trial runs on the line will begin. However, it is not yet clear when the trial runs will begin. The Airport Express Line is the first metro line in the country to come up on Public Private Partnership model. The DMRC will create all the civil structures and hand them over to Reliance Infrastructure which will run the high-speed corridor for 30 years. This will also be the first line in the country to be mapped on Geographic Information System to enhance safety, maintenance and traffic regulation. Mapping the corridor on GIS will help in mobilising emergency services in case of a blast or fire on the train. The company will map all the emergency services, including fire stations, police stations, hospitals etc. along the alignment, the spokesperson said. The company has already made some maps for the Delhi alignment and when the construction of the corridor is complete, locations of the piers, viaduct, stations will be imported into GIS. The trains on this line will be entirely different from the existing ones and will have in-built noise reduction features for a noise-free ride in a plush ambience. The wheels will have flange lubrication system for less noise and better riding comfort. Each coach will have LCD screens for entertainment of the passengers and will also show flight information for convenience of airtravellers. The trains will be fitted with an event recorder which can withstand high levels of temperature and impact and will act as a black box and aid investigations in case of an accident.

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