Creativity in Organizations

Much of the practical creativity we witness in daily life ,like novel appliances, new products ,useful services offered by various companies and institution is the result of organizational efforts.This is fact comes about due to creative efforts of hundreds of creative minds.This is necessary and acts as a barometer of any society's move towards progress and prosperity.such organization prove as a window to those wishing to study and understand as to how to make organization more creative.Let us therefore take a look at some creative organization,the forces that impel an organization to be innovative and transforming the process of a bureaucratic organization into a creative one.
Organization is the grouping of people together with varied talents ,experiences to achieve a group objective.Organization do not exist independently but have to operate in an external and internal environment.These environment spur or restrict creative abilities of the members of the organization.
The external forces operating and influencing the organization are dynamic and complex.Organization have to operate in increasingly turbulent circumstances.With the rise in literacy all over,there is perceptible increase in demand for ease,comfort and sophistication by the clients.In many industries competition is getting tougher.it would be impractical for any organization not to be innovative.Thus due to the compelling influences of environment turbulence,vulnerability,sophistication,management's commitment to growth and excellence any emerging crisis as well as favorable market opportunities would help organizational creativity .More of these condition operating simultaneously,greater will be the commitment to creativity .On the other hand,if external environment is stable,free of risk,there being no competition with standardized products by the company ,the management i s less likely to value creativity .


There are some external forces which aid creativity .An ambitious forward looking management wishing to explore new avenues ,goes for new and novel products,take calculated risks,encourage employees by providing fair opportunities,reward and recognition s,is likely to accelerate innovation.

Creativity is like a tender plant.it is difficult to grow in an environment in which ,

"We have never done this before",
"it won't work",
"We have no time and sufficient resources",
"it's alright in theory ,but not practical",
are the stock phrases of people in power.The force of conservatism runs strong in many families and offices,so is the fear the strange ,new and untried.We have many people complaining that their environment are hostile to creativity and they are helpless victims.But it is seen that with constant purposeful efforts,useful modification can be brought about in these environment .Individual,s actions can be taken to make such environments less hostile and more encouraging for creativity.it could be by way of obtaining support from a receptive person who accepts creatively by selling creative ideas to others.A consistent effort is desired.Such efforts of a number of individual will have a cascading effect on the surroudings and on the organization ultimately.

"Everyone has creative potential",

self-esteem is one of the most important elements of creativity .people must believe in their ability to develop original ideas and they must continue to believe in themselves after repeated failures.

Roger Von labels four stages of the creative process:

1.Explorer.Finding new ideas and resources from which an idea may be built.

2.Artist. Transforming ideas(gathered by the explorer)into something new.

3.Judge. Ideas developed by the artist are evaluated and their merits are weighed;
suggestion are offered on how they can be improved or further developed.

4. Warrior. Implementation of the ideas approved by the judge requiring persistence and determination.

Secrets to Creative problem Solving

Be an optimist

Take your time

Get enough information

Brainstorm by yourself

Redefine your problem

Plan for results

Break the routine

Make a minus a Plus

Don't give up.

Allow yourself to daydream

Ask questions

Have a sense of humor

Tolerate ambiguity

Group Techniques to Generate Creativity

Brainstorming-Groups generate as many ideas as possible,listing ideas on a chart so that group members may modify them or combine them to create additional ideas.
Criticism is not allowed during brainstorming,nor is evaluation of ideas.

Storyboarding-An adaptation of brainstorming,but it is primarily nonverbal so articulate group members are not able to dominate the process.Storyboarding uses a process similar to parliamentary procedure to gain support of an idea before it can remain part of the discussion.Storyboarding allows group members to produce data and solution to problems generating ideas off of previous suggestions.

Nominal Group Technique-Focuses attention on individual members' ideas by having members write down their ideas/solution on their own before sharing them with the group.ideas are all recorded,everyone votes to prioritize ideas,then discussion is held on only the top ones before another vote is taken .This technique allows everyone to participate and contribute ideas before the group reaches its decision.

Roadblocks to creativity
Thinking there is one right answer-Many of us have the tendency to stop looking for alternative right answers after the first answer has been found.Often it is the third,fifth or tenth right answer that is what we need to solve a problem in an innovative way.
"That's not logical" --Logic is an important creative thinking tool when you are searching for ideas ,however,excessive logical thinking can short circuit your creative process.

Following the rules --you often have to break out of pattern to discover another.
Being practical -- practical people know how to get into an open frame of mind,listen to their imagination and build on the ideas they find there.

Avoiding ambiguity --Too much specificity can stifle your imagination!
Being afraid of making a mistake --Errors are a sign that you are diverging from the norm.if you are not failing every now and then it is a sign you are not being very innovative.

Group Techniques to Generate Creativity

Creative Thinking

Defination of creativity:
1. Creativity is that aspect of intelligence,which is characterized by the ever new sprouting of ideas.

2. "A process of becoming sensitive to problems,deficiencies,gaps in knowledge,missing elements,disharmonies,and so on,identifying the difficulty; testing and retesting these hypothesis and possibly modifying and retesting them;and finally,communicating the results"

3.Creativity=(Knowledge*Imagination*Judgement)

4.creativiy is producing something new and original,wheras innovation is introducing something new in whatever already exists.

Approaches to Studying creativity:

(A) The Creative product (c)The creative personality
(B) The creative process (D) The creative press i.e.Environment

Level of Creativity:

1. Expressive -- Spontaneity, where originality and quality of the product are unimportant(as in children's drawing).

2. technical --- Involving skill and a new level of proficiency Inventive --Ingenuity with materials,providing combination to solve old problems in new ways
(Example: Edison's light and Bell's telephone).

3.Innovative --Basic principles are understood so that modification through alternative approaches is possible(example:jung and Adler elaborate on Freud).

4.Emergentive --involves the most abstract ideational principles or assumption underlying a body of art or science.In rare instances there is an emergence of an entirely new principle or assumptions(example:Einstein,freud,picasso).----Taylor, I.A(1975)

Creativity is"a generalized(i.e., content-free)constellation of intellectual abilities(usually designated as fluency,flexibility,originality,and ability to sense deficiencies,elaborate and redefine),personality variables,and problem-solving traits";rather than as a particularized and substantive capacity;and those generalized abilities may be manifested in particular ways depending upon interests,sensory deficiencies or acuities,and opportunity.

Amul Topical Story!!!!!!!

Amul Butter Girl

Edited from an article by Mini Varma published in The Asian Age on March 3, 1996
The moppet who put Amul on India's breakfast table

50 years after it was first launched, Amul's sale figures have jumped from 1000 tonnes a year in 1966 to over 25,000 tonnes a year in 1997. No other brand comes even close to it. All because a thumb-sized girl climbed on to the hoardings and put a spell on the masses.

Bombay: Summer of 1967. A Charni Road flat. Mrs. Sheela Mane, a 28-year-old housewife is out in the balcony drying clothes. From her second floor flat she can see her neighbours on the road. There are other people too. The crowd seems to be growing larger by the minute. Unable to curb her curiosity Sheela Mane hurries down to see what all the commotion is about. She expects the worst but can see no signs of an accident. It is her four-year-old who draws her attention to the hoarding that has come up overnight. "It was the first Amul hoarding that was put up in Mumbai," recalls Sheela Mane. "People loved it. I remember it was our favourite topic of discussion for the next one week! Everywhere we went somehow or the other the campaign always seemed to crop up in our conversation."

Call her the Friday to Friday star. Round eyed, chubby cheeked, winking at you, from strategically placed hoardings at many traffic lights. She is the Amul moppet everyone loves to love (including prickly votaries of the Shiv Sena and BJP). How often have we stopped, looked, chuckled at the Amul hoarding that casts her sometime as the coy, shy Madhuri, a bold sensuous Urmila or simply as herself, dressed in her little polka dotted dress and a red and white bow, holding out her favourite packet of butter.

For 30 odd years the Utterly Butterly girl has managed to keep her fan following intact. So much so that the ads are now ready to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for being the longest running campaign ever. The ultimate compliment to the butter came when a British company launched a butter and called it Utterly Butterly, last year.

It all began in 1966 when Sylvester daCunha, then the managing director of the advertising agency, ASP, clinched the account for Amul butter. The butter, which had been launched in 1945, had a staid, boring image, primarily because the earlier advertising agency which was in charge of the account preferred to stick to routine, corporate ads.

One of the first Amul hoardings

In India, food was something one couldn't afford to fool around with. It had been taken too seriously, for too long. Sylvester daCunha decided it was time for a change of image.

The year Sylvester daCunha took over the account, the country saw the birth of a campaign whose charm has endured fickle public opinion, gimmickry and all else.

The Amul girl who lends herself so completely to Amul butter, created as a rival to the Polson butter girl. This one was sexy, village belle, clothed in a tantalising choli all but covering her upper regions. "Eustace Fernandez (the art director) and I decided that we needed a girl who would worm her way into a housewife's heart. And who better than a little girl?" says Sylvester daCunha. And so it came about that the famous Amul Moppet was born.
That October, lamp kiosks and the bus sites of the city were splashed with the moppet on a horse. The baseline simply said, Thoroughbread, Utterly Butterly Delicious Amul,. It was a matter of just a few hours before the daCunha office was ringing with calls. Not just adults, even children were calling up to say how much they had liked the ads. "The response was phenomenal," recalls Sylvester daCunha. "We knew our campaign was going to be successful."


The Rebecca Mark favourite

For the first one year the ads made statements of some kind or the other but they had not yet acquired the topical tone. In 1967, Sylvester decided that giving the ads a solid concept would give them extra mileage, more dum, so to say. It was a decision that would stand the daCunhas in good stead in the years to come.

In 1969, when the city first saw the beginning of the Hare Rama Hare Krishna movement, Sylvester daCunha, Mohammad Khan and Usha Bandarkar, then the creative team working on the Amul account came up with a clincher -- 'Hurry Amul, Hurry Hurry'. Bombay reacted to the ad with a fervour that was almost as devout as the Iskon fever.

That was the first of the many topical ads that were in the offing. From then on Amul began playing the role of a social observer. Over the years the campaign acquired that all important Amul touch.

India looked forward to Amul's evocative humour. If the Naxalite movement was the happening thing in Calcutta, Amul would be up there on the hoardings saying, "Bread without Amul Butter, cholbe na cholbe na (won't do, won't do). If there was an Indian Airlines strike Amul would be there again saying, Indian Airlines Won't Fly Without Amul.

There are stories about the butter that people like to relate over cups of tea. "For over 10 years I have been collecting Amul ads. I especially like the ads on the backs of the butter packets, "says Mrs. Sumona Varma. What does she do with these ads? "I have made an album of them to amuse my grandchildren," she laughs. "They are almost part of our culture, aren't they? My grandchildren are already beginning to realise that these ads are not just a source of amusement. They make them aware of what is happening around them."

Despite some of the negative reactions that the ads have got, DaCunhas have made it a policy not to play it safe. There are numerous ads that are risque in tone.

"We had the option of being sweet and playing it safe, or making an impact. A fine balance had to be struck. We have a campaign that is strong enough to make a statement. I didn't want the hoardings to be pleasant or tame. They have to say something," says Rahul daCunha.

"We ran a couple of ads that created quite a furore," says Sylvester daCunha. "The Indian Airlines one really angered the authorities. They said if they didn't take down the ads they would stop supplying Amul butter on the plane. So ultimately we discontinued the ad," he says laughing. Then there was the time when the Amul girl was shown wearing the Gandhi cap. The high command came down heavy on that one. The Gandhi cap was a symbol of independence, they couldn't have anyone not taking that seriously. So despite their reluctance the hoardings were wiped clean. "Then there was an ad during the Ganpati festival which said, Ganpati Bappa More Ghya (Ganpati Bappa take more). The Shiv Sena people said that if we didn't do something about removing the ad they would come and destroy our office. It is surprising how vigilant the political forces are in this country. Even when the Enron ads (Enr On Or Off) were running, Rebecca Mark wrote to us saying how much she liked them."

Amul's point of view on the MR coffee controversy

There were other instances too. Heroine Addiction, Amul's little joke on Hussain had the artist ringing the daCunhas up to request them for a blow up of the ad. "He said that he had seen the hoarding while passing through a small district in UP. He said he had asked his assistant to take a photograph of himself with the ad because he had found it so funny," says Rahul daCunha in amused tones. Indians do have a sense of humour, afterall.

From the Sixties to the Nineties, the Amul ads have come a long way. While most people agree that the Amul ads were at their peak in the Eighties they still maintain that the Amul ads continue to tease a laughter out of them.

Where does Amul's magic actually lie? Many believe that the charm lies in the catchy lines. That we laugh because the humour is what anybody would enjoy. They don't pander to your nationality or certain sentiments. It is pure and simple, everyday fun.
Back to Top

Monks go global with YouTube

Monks from Austria's Heligenkreuz abbey have landed a deal thousands of aspiring pop stars can only dream of. Record label Universal Music, home to stars like Amy Winehouse or rapper Snoop Dogg, is set to produce a CD of the monks' Gregorian Chants.

Universal, which had mounted a global search for masters of the old sacred chants, were impressed by the monks' performance as seen on online video-sharing site YouTube.

"Our liturgy apparently exerts an ever greater fascination on people, especially the Gregorian Chant," Father Karl Wallner from the Cistercian abbey said.

"We don't sing for performance or perfection. The chant is sung prayer, it is part of us, like breathing," Father Karl, who has been at Heiligenkreuz for 26 years and aged 45 is one of the older monks in the thriving monastery.

The clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLFN-RVpLtk&feature=related - provides an authentic view of their style, he said. It also shows dramatic images of the monastery's light-filled gothic cloisters and the black-and-white-robed monks praying and singing in their high-ceilinged abbey church.

Universal executives were highly impressed with the high quality of the monks' singing. The monks found out about the label's search for chant-masters by accident, and provided universal with a link to their monastery website and the YouTube clip.

"I heard about it from a friend Feb 29, the day of the competition's deadline. I emailed them at the last second and immediately forgot about it again," Father Karl said. "I had no clue what Universal Music was."

The recording session is scheduled to take place April 1 to 3 at Heiligenkreuz, and the CD's international release is planned for later this year.

The Cistercian abbey, a half-hour drive from the capital Vienna, dates back to 1133 and is one of the country's main spiritual centres, home to 70-odd monks and a large number of visitors each year.

Gregorian Chants, named after Pope Saint Gregory I, are a spiritual form of plainsong, which dates back to the 4th century.

It is not the first record production for Austria's singing monks. A CD featuring the monk's chats was produced in Austria by public broadcaster ORF in 2003.

John Abraham signs David Dhawan's next

Three years after Priyadarshan's Garam Masala, John Abraham will once again be doing a comedy. The still-to-be-titled movie will be directed by David Dhawan for UTV.

The corporate house had signed up Dhawan more than a year ago.

But the Sanjay Dutt-Zayed Khan film which was apparently being scripted by Rensil D'Silva (of Rang De Basanti fame) didn't take off.

Abraham was committed to UTV for two films. One of them, Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, was released last year.

Going solo
Last week, Dhawan and Abraham met for the final narration and have confirmed that they will be doing the film. The rest of the cast and crew is being finalised.

Abraham, who was completely overshadowed by Akshay Kumar in Garam Masala, need not worry this time. This is a solo-hero project.

RESOLVED QUESTION

I want to do commercial pilot training(CPL).what is the estimated cost for it?which schools r the best for it?

what about the scholarships?tell me more about the other courses available in varios schools?
Is CPL a degree/diploma and with what is it equivalent to?

• 1 year ago

  Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

  You might get additional answers if you post your question in a more appropriate area. In the United States, "Special Education" refers to education of children with special needs (autism, cognitive delays, vision or hearing impairments, etc.) There is a heading of "Cars and Transportation", and a subheading under that is "Aircraft." I am guessing that people who post in that section will be more able to answer your question than parents and teachers of children with special needs, who are the most likely to read the questions posted in Special Education.
• 1 year ago
  1. You may pursue CPL training at the following academies:-
  
  (a) INDRA GANDHI RASHTRIYA UDAAN ACADEMY , RAE BARELI.
  
  (b) MP FLYING CLUB , INDORE
  
  2. The training period is from 1 year to 18 months and the the cost of training is anything between 3 lacs to 8 lacs depending on the infrastructure and the category of aircraft you are being trained upon.
  
  3. IGRUA is presently the best as it is getting a lot of governmental aid to bring it at par with international standards.
  
  **** THERE IS GOING TO BE A SHORTAGE OF APPROXIMATELY 3000 COMMERCIAL PILOTS BY 2010. I SUGGEST YOU GIVE IT A SERIOUS TRY.****
• 1 year ago

0% 0 Votes

CPL is neither a degree or a diploma, but it allows u to fly an airplane that is endorsed on it.
However there is an aviation school in Andheri(W) mumbai that offers a B.Sc (Aviation) that ends with a CPL, However they are not so successful so far, as they do not have sufficient flying facilities.
Thakur polytechnic at Kandivli (E) mumbai offers courses for Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME), and shall be shortly offering courses for CPL.
The cost would be close to Rs. 10 lacs for CPL and 3 lacs for AME diploma.
I do not know where u live ? or I could give u reference to a place close to your home town.

• 1 year ago
  Go to a airport near you, talk to the commercial pilots, they can guide you. Most airports have flight schools and the instructors/recruiters who can fill you in.
  
  So far you have many good answers.
  
  You need to do a lots of foot work.
  
  You also need to know that after getting the commercial pilot licence you need to get a job soon or must have money to fly few hours per month or in a year's time to keep the licence current. This is very expensive to do.
• 1 year ago

0% 0 Votes

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Welcome to AIATA ... Your doorway to Aviation

The Australian International Aviation Training Agency is Australia's leading Commercial Pilot Training and Aircraft Maintenance Engineer training Coordinator.

AIATA brings together Australia's leading pilot training Flying Schools, TAFE Colleges, Universities, and private colleges offering the best aviation training in Australia. AIATA allows you to search pilot training and aircraft maintenance engineering programs to ensure you decide on the best aviation training to get your career off to a flying start!

With all the information International Students need about life in Australia, submitting an application for enrolment, student visa application and preparing for life and study in Australia, AIATA will be there every step of the way.

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Pilot's training too expensive? Here's help

January 31, 2007

Part I: Want to be a pilot? The sky's the limit

Part II: The highs and lows of being a pilot

Part III: How to train to be a pilot

Part V: 'Why I like being a pilot'

Due to the shortage of pilots in India, students from flying schools are being instantly absorbed. However, training to become a pilot is an expensive proposition.

Although you will earn handsomely, you must be prepared for the steep initial cost of training that can push you into a financial air pocket, irrespective of whether you train in India or abroad.

For example, the fees at the premier flying school, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi, Rae Bareilly are above Rs 16 lakh for CPL+PPL. The 18-month CPL course for those who already have a PPL costs Rs 12 lakh plus.

The cost is very high, and even after the initial license you will have to get an airline endorsement, which means training on large aircraft like the Boeing 737. Training and endorsement costs for different aircraft, including the Airbus 320, Boeing 747, can be extremely expensive and range from Rs 15 lakh upwards. Moreover, each time a pilot moves over to another type of aircraft, he/she will have to undergo special training for that aircraft and obtain the Type Endorsement.

Here's some information on education loans and scholarships:

When pilot training in free

If you would like to be a pilot in the Indian Air Force, you can do so by taking the NDA entrance exam after Class XII (Phys & Math). In this case your training is free and you will be paid a decent stipend throughout your three years of training at the National Defence Academy, followed by specialised training at the Air Force Academy. After this, you will be commissioned as a Flying Officer and posted as a pilot at an Air Force Station.

Note: Once you get into the air force, you cannot leave at your own discretion and there are legal tools to prevent IAF pilots from leaving the force. Pilots cannot be released unless they are not required by the IAF and the IAF permits them to leave.

Web site: http://careerairforce.nic.in

Scholarships

~ The following scholarships are available at and administered through IGRUA, in Rae Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh):

1. Indian Airlines scholarships

Two scholarships of Rs 4,00,000, each given on merit-cum-means basis per batch.

2. Air India scholarships

Two scholarships of Rs 4,00,000, each given on merit-cum-means basis per batch.

3. Rajiv Gandhi Foundation

For two women pilots on merit-cum-means to the extent of Rs 3,00,000 each per batch.

4. Scholarships for SC/ST candidates

* Rs 2,00,000 on training fee.
* Additional Rs 2,00,000 by IGRUA to three SC/ST candidates per batch by selection on merit cum means basis.
* Some state governments award scholarships to SC/ST candidates for training at IGRUA. Eligible candidates may approach the respective State SC/ST Welfare Directorate for the same.

5. JRD Tata Memorial scholarships

For four students, of an amount not less than Rs 1,00,000 on merit-cum-means basis. The JRD Tata Trust offers up to Rs 10 lakhs per year to trainees as decided by its Board of Directors.

Vist the IGRUA web site for more details.

~ The Madras Flying Club offers a government scholarship as well.

Eligibility: Class X + 10+2; you must also have a Private Pilot License from the Madras Flying Club.

Address

Madras Flying Club Ltd
Madras Air Port, PO
Madras -- 600 027

~ A government scholarship for pilot training is available for SC/ST candidates who have completed SSC/10+2.

Web site: http://www.dgca.nic.in/licencing/fly-ind.htm

You may write to:

The Central Government
M/s Internal Aviation 4-A
Garden Rose, Four Bungalows
Andheri West
Mumbai -- 400 053

~ Also visit the following web sites for more scholarship info:

* http://www.scholarshipsinindia.com/civil.html
* http://tribal.nic.in/cpladvt.pdf
* www.scholarshipsindia.com

Education loans

Traditionally, flying schools admitted students from affluent families. However, the trend is changing now. Flying schools as well as airlines have reported an increase in the number of students from middle-class families. For instance, around 50 per cent of pilots from SpiceJet's new batch are from middle-class families.

Education loans have enabled the dreams of aspiring pilots from middle-class families to take wings.

~ Flying school-airlines tie-ups

Various flying schools have tied up with banks as the cost of pilot training is exorbitant and many interested candidates are from middle-income families. These flying schools also have a tie-up with airlines to provide them with students.

* United Aviation, a pilot training school, has tied up with SpiceJet wherein it provides pilots to the airline.
* American School of Aviation has an official tie-up with Kingfisher Airlines.
* Aerostar Aviation, a Delhi-based flying school has tied up with Flight Safety Academy of USA to help bridge India's pilot shortage.

~ Bank loans

Pilot training now features in the top three categories of education loans, along with MBA and hotel management.

* Around 45 per cent of the educational loans furnished by Centurion Bank of Punjab in a month are for pilot training.
* Many other nationalised banks grant educational loans to pursue commercial pilot training courses, the details of which can be obtained directly from such banks.
* For example, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur offers a commercial pilot loan, the details of which can be read at this link.
* Corporation Bank also offers and Educational Loans for Commercial Pilot Training both within and outside India.
* Other banks which offer student loans are State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank and Punjab National Bank.

Part I: Want to be a pilot? The sky's the limit

Part II: The highs and lows of being a pilot

Part II: How to train to be a pilot

Part V: 'Why I like being a pilot'



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Strike raises a stink at IGI

New Delhi, March 13, 2008

First Published: 03:00 IST(13/3/2008)

Last Updated: 03:20 IST(13/3/2008)

The indefinite strike called by the Airports Authority of India Union largely failed to affect services at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) but passengers were seen complaining at the international terminal on Wednesday.

The international terminal was the worst hit while there were fewer problems at the domestic terminal. Passengers at the international terminal had to wade their way through garbage heaps and the elderly and the sick faced problems due to non-availability of wheelchairs.

Almost all flights operated on time. About 1,400 employees of the AAI employees went on an indefinite strike from Wednesday midnight after talks with the government failed on Tuesday night.

“After we touched down at the airport I had to wait for about two hours to get a wheelchair. After a long flight from USA, this was the last thing I had expected. I am old and sick, they should have made some arrangements at least for people like us,” said 85-year-old Sudershan Katiyar who arrived at the airport from USA.

Other passengers claimed that the toilets were stinking and there was a heap of garbage lying outside. “When I went inside the toilet, it was stinking. Toilet papers and other stuff were lying around. There was no one to clean up the mess. We had to call an attendant from outside to clean it,” said Ramneet Sandhu, a resident of Hyderabad.

Passengers also claimed that they had to stand for hours to claim their baggage. There was no one to operate the conveyor belts. “Though my flight landed two hours ago I had to wait for my baggage at the conveyor belt. The flight information display system was not working. We ran from one counter to another to claim our baggage,” said RK Singh who had arrived from Thailand.

The operations at the domestic terminal were smooth enough. “My flight reached on time. I did not face any problems while claiming my baggage,” said Kadir Vellu, a resident of Chennai who arrived from an Air Deccan flight.

Passengers at the domestic terminal also said there were porters around to help them with their baggage. “The washroom was clean. My flight landed on time,” said Harender Jadhav who landed by a Spicejet flight.

The members of the employee union who went on an indefinite strike that they termed as 'non-cooperation,' shouted slogans against the government. A posse of police and paramilitary force had been pressed into service to curb any untoward incident. As many as 250 flights arrived and 120 flights took off on time from the IGI airport from 5.30 am till 5 pm on Wednesday.

There were reports of infighting among the union members as many of them reported for work and joined the agitation after they finished work. The AAI employees who went on strike were working at pump houses, aerobridges, cargo, telephone exchanges and other attendants.

Flight services unaffected across the country

The first day of the strike called by employees of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to protest against the impending closure of the old airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore later this month, failed to make any impact on flight services across the country. However, with no cleaners around, some airports began to wear a distinctly soiled look as the day progressed.

From Srinagar to Thiruvananthapuram, from Ahmedabad to Guwahati, flights took off and landed on time. Most airport managements had made contingency arrangements to cope with the absence of regular airport staff. At several places Indian Air Force personnel were deployed, at others the fire services were called in. Everywhere airline employees went the extra distance to ensure passengers were not inconvenienced. “We have brought in trained staff from the IAF and everything is under control,” said JP Alex, director of the Raja Bhoj Airport, Bhopal.

But the toilets remained dirty, the garbage bins overflowed, litter remained strewed all over the floor in several airports. “The place stinks,” said Imtiaz at Hyderabad airport, waiting to catch a flight to Delhi. The situation is bound to worsen if the strike continues.

IGI 2: Covert Strike

For IGI 2: Covert Strike the acclaimed superb stealth-based first-person shooter action returns, and continues the modern warfare and espionage theme of the original. The covert missions continue the career of David Jones, a former SAS soldier, now working freelance for the secret organisation, codenamed 'IGI'.

IGI 2 takes place soon after the events in the previous title, bringing back key characters in a brand new story and new locations across the globe.

The spiralling plot will take Jones through Russia, across Libya and into China in three linked campaigns, as he infiltrates a wide variety of locations including military airbases, harbours and secret government installations.

Each mission expands the plot and is sequenced with impressive animated scenes that continue to absorb the player in the game's carefully constructed narrative.

It won't be an easy ride: completely new Artificial Intelligence systems will give Jones' many enemies the ability to work together as effective teams, using realistic combat tactics and electronic security systems to locate him, hunt him down and neutralise him.

But at least he'll have the resources available to deal with them - whether hacking a security computer, sniping a guard from a distant tower, or storming a courtyard with all guns blazing. IGI 2 will feature an outstanding array of realistically-modelled weaponry in both single and multi-player modes, from sidearms and machine pistols to assault rifles and missile launchers.


Game Information


Game: IGI 2: Covert Strike
Released: Feb 2003
Game Type: 3D Action
Developer: Innerloop Studios
Publisher: Codemasters / PAN Vision
Homepages: http://www.codemasters.co.uk/games/?gameid=711&territory=...
http://www.igi2-game.com/
FAQs: http://www.projectigi2.co.uk/html/faq.php
Requires: Windows / Direct3D
Supports:
Multiplay: Internet / local network
Keywords: first-person / modern / tactical / shooter
ESRB Rating: Mature (17+) for Blood, Violence

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HIV News Stories

Page 1 of 12 > >>
03/25/08
Soon, law to protect HIV+ patients from bias
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Denying patients suffering from HIV their right to work and any discrimination in their treatment could soon lead to jail terms.

The health ministry plans to table in the long-awaited AIDS anti-discrimination bill in the coming monsoon session of Parliament. The Bill seeks to prohibit any social or financial discrimination against those affected by the virus.

From Times of India.
[More]
03/17/08
Nuns thrashed at AIDS awareness meet in Alibaug
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

Alibaug: A women’s gathering, organised in this coastal town on Saturday to spread AIDS awareness among adivasis, turned into a nightmare for two nuns from an NGO. Sister Mercy Tuscano and Sister Philomena D’Mello were assaulted by a mob of around 50 followers of a spiritual leader. The reason: the nuns were allegedly converting the adivasis to Christianity.

Archana Sharma for TNN
[More]
03/17/08
NACO stops funding for 438 NGOs for poor anti-AIDS performance
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

NEW DELHI: National AIDS Control Organisation has discontinued funding for as many as 438 NGOs after their performance in AIDS prevention programme was not found to be satisfactory.

PTI, from Economic Times.
[More]
03/17/08
Ignou to launch HIV study programmes
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

NEW DELHI: The Indira Gandhi National Open University is going to launch several courses and formal study programmes on social work and HIV/AIDS, masters in social work (MSW) from July 2008. Besides, a PG diploma in social work may also be launched from January 2009.

From Times of India.
[More]
03/17/08
Aware of HIV but few in rural areas go for tests
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

Pune, February 10: Even though India is among the nations having the highest number of AIDS cases in the world, very few women in its rural backyard go for an Elisa test during pregnancy to detect the deadly HIV virus. In fact, very few women are even aware of the existence of voluntary counselling and testing facilities, despite a Government policy to expand ante-natal HIV screening and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV virus.

From Indian Express.
[More]
Print this pagePrint this page
Latest HIV News

Page 1 of 6 > >>
03/25/08
Soon, law to protect HIV+ patients from bias
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Denying patients suffering from HIV their right to work and any discrimination in their treatment could soon lead to jail terms.

The health ministry plans to table in the long-awaited AIDS anti-discrimination bill in the coming monsoon session of Parliament. The Bill seeks to prohibit any social or financial discrimination against those affected by the virus.

From Times of India.
[More]
03/17/08
Nuns thrashed at AIDS awareness meet in Alibaug
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

Alibaug: A women’s gathering, organised in this coastal town on Saturday to spread AIDS awareness among adivasis, turned into a nightmare for two nuns from an NGO. Sister Mercy Tuscano and Sister Philomena D’Mello were assaulted by a mob of around 50 followers of a spiritual leader. The reason: the nuns were allegedly converting the adivasis to Christianity.

Archana Sharma for TNN
[More]
03/17/08
NACO stops funding for 438 NGOs for poor anti-AIDS performance
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

NEW DELHI: National AIDS Control Organisation has discontinued funding for as many as 438 NGOs after their performance in AIDS prevention programme was not found to be satisfactory.

PTI, from Economic Times.
[More]
03/17/08
Ignou to launch HIV study programmes
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

NEW DELHI: The Indira Gandhi National Open University is going to launch several courses and formal study programmes on social work and HIV/AIDS, masters in social work (MSW) from July 2008. Besides, a PG diploma in social work may also be launched from January 2009.

From Times of India.
[More]
03/17/08
Aware of HIV but few in rural areas go for tests
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

Pune, February 10: Even though India is among the nations having the highest number of AIDS cases in the world, very few women in its rural backyard go for an Elisa test during pregnancy to detect the deadly HIV virus. In fact, very few women are even aware of the existence of voluntary counselling and testing facilities, despite a Government policy to expand ante-natal HIV screening and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV virus.

From Indian Express.
[More]
03/17/08
"Women can nullify marriage if husband affected with AIDS"
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

New Delhi: If an AIDS affected person marries while concealing his disease, his wife shall have full right to get her Nikah annulled, declared Islamic Fiqh Academy (IFA).

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter. Original story here.
[More]
02/27/08
Copy of the Memorandum submittd to the Indian Prime Minister by the Coalition for AIDS Treatment Access (CATA) on 22 February
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

Memorandum respectfully submitted to the Honorable Prime Minister of Indian, Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on 22 February 2008 by Coalition for AIDS Treatment Access (CATA) and HIV/AIDS activists in India.

Source: AIDS INDIA e-FORUM
[More]
02/27/08
Centre asks states to give condoms to prisoners
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

KOLKATA, Feb. 23: The Union home ministry has requested directors-general (prison) of all states to distribute condoms among HIV-infected inmates of major correctional homes to stop the growth of HIV population in correctional homes.

Rajib Chatterjee, for The Statesman.
[More]
02/27/08
Under fire, Mumbai AIDS project head quits, declines Sion Hospital dean’s job
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

Mumbai, February 22 Scathing remarks from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) on the management of the HIV spread in Mumbai has led to the resignation of the head of the city’s AIDS project on Friday. Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS) project director Dr Nirupa Borges, who submitted her resignation, has also refused to take over as dean of the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Sion — the new post offered to her.

From Indian Express.
[More]
02/27/08
Hospital sued for wrong HIV report
Category: General
Posted by: pablo

CHENNAI: A leading private hospital in Adyar was sued for allegedly wrongly certifying a cook as having tested positive for HIV.

T S Sekaran, from newindpress.com
[More]

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LATEST TREATMENT IN HIV-AIDS

Goals of Therapy & Tools to Achieve Goals


* Improvement of quality of life
* Reduction of HIV-related morbidity and mortality
* Restoration and/or preservation of immunologic function
* Maximal and durable suppression of viral load
* Selection of ARV regimen
* Preservation of future treatment options
* Rational sequencing of therapy
* Maximizing adherence
* Use of resistance testing in selected clinical settings

Considerations for Discontinuing Therapy


* Patients begun on HAART at CD4 count >350 cells/µL
* No clinical data on safety of treatment discontinuation
* Potential benefits: decreased toxicity, drug interactions, and drug resistance
* Potential risks: rebound in viral replication, immunologic deterioration



Current Antiretroviral Medications
NRTI

* Abacavir ABC
* Didanosine DDI
* Emtricitabine FTC
* Lamivudine 3TC
* Stavudine D4T
* Zidovudine ZDV
* Zalcitabine DDC
* Tenofovir TDF

NNRTI

* Delavirdine DLV
* Efavirenz EFV
* Nevirapine NVP

PI

* Amprenavir APV
* Atazanavir ATV
* Fosamprenavir FPV
* Indinavir IDV
* Lopinavir LPV
* Nelfinavir NFV
* Ritonavir RTV
* Saquinavir SQV
* soft gel SGC
* hard gel HGC
* tablet INV
* Tipranavir TPV

ANTIRETROVIRAL COMPONENTS IN INITIAL THERAPY

NNRTIs



ADVANTAGES

* Less dyslipidemia and fat maldistribution than in PI-based regimens
* PI options preserved for future use

DISADVANTAGES

* Resistance - single mutation
* Cross-resistance among NNRTIs
* Rash; hepatotoxicity
* Potential drug interactions (CYP450)

PIs



ADVANTAGES

* Longest prospective data
* NNRTI options preserved for future use

DISADVANTAGES

* Metaboliccomplications (fat maldistribution, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance)
* Greater potential for drug interactions (CYP450), especially with ritonavir

NRTIs



ADVANTAGES

* Established backbone of combination therapy
* Minimal drug interactions
* PI and NNRTI preserved for future use

DISADVANTAGES

* Lactic acidosis and hepatic steatosis reported with most NRTIs (rare)
* Triple NRTI regimens show inferior virologic response compared with efavirenz- and indinavir-based regimens*

Treatment-Experienced Patients: ARV Treatment Failure

* Causes of treatment failure include:
* Patient factors(CD4 nadir, VL, comorbidities, etc)
* Suboptimal adherence
* ARV toxicity and intolerance
* Pharmacokinetic problems
* Suboptimal drug potency
* Viral resistance

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Electric shock for Mumbaikars

Author: Shashank Rao Date: 26 Mar 2008

As demand rises this summer, cost of procuring more power means you may have to pay an electrifying hike of 0.80 paise per unit



plugged or unplugged? The hike in your electricity bill will be reflected only next year. The hike will affect those who consume more than 300 units per month
When temperatures rise over the next two months, ushering in a scorching Mumbai summer, your electricity bill, dear consumer, will also rise. To meet this rising demand for power in the island city, companies supplying power to Mumbai will be buying it at Rs 9 per unit from other states.

This means, the price per unit will shoot up to Rs 12, from the existing Rs 9 per unit, making it the costliest purchase ever. For a consumer, it will mean a direct hike of of 0.80 paise per unit.

Reliance Energy Limited (REL), Tata Power Company (TPC) and BEST have formed a committee called the Power Procurement Group (PPG), and will buy electricity from Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and northeastern states through PPG. The committee caters to the power proposals sent by the three companies every day.

“It’s difficult to predict the exact per unit price hike, but prices could touch Rs 12 to Rs 13 per unit, if Mumbai and Maharashtra face extreme power crunch,” said a TPC official.

And that’s likely. The city’s demand for power shot up from 2,600 MW in March, April and May 2007 to an expected 2,900 MW in the same period this year; supply remained constant at 2,200 MW.

Punched firebrand may desert Congress

Author: B.V. Shiva Shankar Date: 24 Mar 2008
Benki Mahadevu, who recently came to blows with party colleague Siddaramaiah, is being wooed by BJP and JD(S)



Congress leader M Mahadevu, who was punched in public by party colleague Siddaramaiah recently, is dallying with the BJP and the JD(S).

Benki (fire) Mahadevu, so called as he spits fire in his public speeches, had cooled down considerably after he was defeated from Nanjanagud in the last elections.

He was further snubbed when Siddaramaiah, known to be his arch rival, was allowed into the Congress after he severed ties with Deve Gowda. The two leaders don’t get along even though they are in the same party.

Mahadevu had petitioned the high command against Siddaramaiah but nothing happened as the leader is in Sonia Gandhi’s good books. A miffed Mahadevu boycotted the Jananadolana rally organised in Mysore by Siddaramaiah last week. But the high command ignored his tantrums.

Mahadevu is a Lingayat, and could sway a good percentage of votes in the area. The BJP was the first to approach him. G T Deve Gowda, who recently joined the BJP after quitting the JD(S), has nearly convinced Mahadevu to join his party.

“I think he has made up his mind, and joining is just a formality,” said a BJP leader.
JD(S) boss Deve Gowda is also looking for a strong Lingayat leader to take on the BJP in Mysore. He believes Mahadevu is a good bet. He fixed an appointment with Mahadevu on Sunday.

When he came to know that Mahadevu was leaning towards the BJP, Gowda dropped the idea of meeting him, and tried to convince him over phone. A source said Kumaraswamy was expected to meet Mahadevu shortly.

Mahadevu told MiD DAY, “Yes, I am not happy with developments in the Congress. But I haven’t made up my mind about what to do.”

No gain, only pain

Author: Hemanth Kashyap Date: 24 Mar 2008
Bank gives woman credit card and loan, but takes away her fixed deposit when she defaults on payments



Ratna Shankar swears she will never touch a credit card after her bank took away Rs 5 lakh from her fixed deposit in lieu of credit card dues and an outstanding loan.

The elderly housewife from Basaveshwara Nagar said she was given a credit card by ICICI Bank as she had a fixed deposit in the bank. She said she used the card and her bills ran upto Rs 1 lakh. She also took a loan of Rs 2 lakh in 2006 on the deposit.

“I paid back close to Rs 1 lakh but could not make the monthly installments as I fell ill after a few months. I was shocked to discover that the bank took away Rs 5 lakh from my fixed deposit with them as I had defaulted on a few loan installments and credit card payments,” she told MiD DAY.

Ratna is angry that the bank not only took away her fixed deposit, but has also been sending her reminders that she owed them Rs 1,12,000.

“I have assured them that I will repay the entire loan. I suggested that they deduct Rs 3 lakh from the fixed deposit and return the balance to me, but they haven’t made any commitment on this. Instead, they told me that I had to pay them Rs 1,12,000,” she said.

Bank officials reportedly told her that under section 171 of the Indian Contract Act, they were allowed to take such a step.

Gidappa, secretary of the Credit Card Holders’ Association of India, said, “The case has come to me very recently. I plan to send a legal notice to ICICI Bank.”

“Many such cases are reported every day. We need to check our data. We cannot comment until we have ascertained facts,” said an ICICI Bank spokesperson.

City's top leaders don't vote here

Author: B V Shiva Shankar Date: 24 Mar 2008
They live here and work here, but go elsewhere when it’s time to vote. And leading Bangalore’s non-participants is Governor Rameshwar Thakur



Some of Bangalore’s biggest newsmakers will not vote in Bangalore. Leading the bigwigs is Governor Rameshwar Thakur, who prefers to vote in Delhi.


movers and shakers: Governor Rameshwar Thakur (left) prefers to vote in Delhi and Kumaraswamy (right) votes in Hassan, while Dharam Singh (centre) is the only former CM who votes in Bangalore

Thakur does not figure in the revised electoral rolls published on March 20. He resides at Raj Bhavan that comes under Sampigehalli of Shivajinagar assembly segment. Although Sampigehalli is his official address for the last six months, he has asked the authorities not include his name in the state voters’ list.

Many other luminaries have followed suit: they stay in the city and exercise their franchise elsewhere. Seven former chief ministers live in Bangalore, but only one votes here.

S Bangarappa, M Veerappa Moily, H D Deve Gowda, S M Krishna, Dharam Singh, H D Kumaraswamy, and B S Yeddyurappa are prominent Bangalore citizens. But only Dharam Singh will vote in the city. He lives in Sadashiva Nagar and has enrolled as a voter in the Jayamahal constituency.

Bangarappa and S M Krishna live in Sadashiva Nagar but vote in Soraba (Shimoga) and Somanahalli (Maddur) respectively. Deve Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy are residents of Padmanabhanagar, but they vote in Holenarasipura (Hassan). Yeddyurappa has a house in Dollars Colony in Bangalore but votes in Shikaripura (Shimoga).

Former deputy chief ministers Siddaramaiah and M P Prakash stay in the capital but vote from Mysore and Bellary respectively.

“The rules allow the voter to choose his voting address,” said an officer at the election commission. “All that he has to produce is proof of address, and ensure that his name is not duplicated elsewhere.”

Congress spokesperson V S Ugrappa, lives in Mahalakshmi Layout but votes from Pavagada (Tumkur).
He said, “We want to identify with our voters and prefer to vote with them. For official work, we have to stay in the capital and we are also proud to be Bangaloreans.”

Aaya Kya? Kahin Bhi Kar Lo….

Author: Pee kay pagal Date: 21 Mar 2008



The government has decided to replicate the fragrance of our public toilets and spread it in the whole city before the Commonwealth Games.

Not only Indians, but all the guests from different countries will feel proud in smelling this familiar fragrance which eludes them in their own toilets back home. Experts say the fragrance will help in getting rid of mosquitoes and make the city disease-free.

According to sources, this is a better option than trying to keep the public toilets clean, which is impossible anyways. The government will put all its sandaas resources to spread the fragrance in the city, which it may even commercialise and bottle for sales abroad.

The Health Minister of Delhi has already given his nod to the proposal."Like Basmati and Haldi, the smell is indigenous and our city has a copy right on it. It will be the best gift to people coming from abroad during the commonwealth games. We have all plans to patent it," said state Health Minister Joga Nand Shashtri

Officials also said that the problem of making Sulabh Shauchalayas in the city would be sorted out and a lot of public money would be saved. Joga added that during the Commonwealth games, freedom would be the keyword and people would be able to ‘do it’ anywhere in the city.

"We know this is happening now also but some walls have useless slogans like'dekho, gadha p….. kar raha hai' This hurts the sentiments of many gentlemen. No such inhibitions will exist during the Games," the official added.

In order to follow the rules and learn the value of time, the Education Minister of Delhi, Lavinder Singh Babli has asked the schools to include this 5000-year-old art of making fragrance in their syllabus.

"Students should be taught that finding a toilet is a waste of time. Instead they should just chill in this fragrant city and attend the call of nature anywhere," Babli added.

Holi ki Masti — with love from team mid day

The characters and incidents portrayed on many of our pages today are fictitious. Any similarity to the name, character or history of any person is entirely non-coincidental and intentional. We honestly mean no harm
— Editor

Pani pila, pila ke marenge

Author: Sheikh Chilly Date: 21 Mar 2008

On the occasion of holi, Prof. Jagdish Sukhi, Ladder of the Opposition, convened a meeting of his party's Maal Lene Ayaa (MLA) members in his chamber and chalked out a strategy to trap leila dikshit . He then invited her for a meal and after feeding her mirchi kaa saalan, hot and sour soup and hari mirch ke pakore with hot tea, refused to serve her water on grounds that the taps in his house had been dry for a month.

Later, he exclusively told this reporter that he wanted to tell leila what it was to stay without water. "I wanted to put herself in the shoes of my constituents who have not eaten a single green chilly in the last one month. Can you imagine anything worse than that?" he asked passionately.

Prof. Sukhi said lakhs of people living in unauthorised colonies were compelled to drink liquor as the Delhi Government, despite its repeated statements that it would 'regularize unauthorized water' without any terms or conditions, had failed to do anything about it.

Goons of WATCOMs are supplying booze bottles and false cases have been fabricated against consumers who have been drinking water. "In a case from my constituency Janakpuri block Y, one poor bloke was booked for drinking soda without any additives," Sukhi said.

"Due to fast meters, consumers are compelled to pay the aroused bills of electric-shitty. The BJP will take the Government with stern hands," he said. Despite our repeated attempts, Stern was unavailable for comment.

Prof. Sukhi said there was hue and cry on the issue all over Delhi. Hue was crying and available for comment but we did not take his comments.

Fundas to save water
Drink beer and not water
Use Morarji's tricks- don't waste
Don't shave or bathe
Make a bath harvesting policy
Five people to bathe together

Sharma gets life sentence

Author: Anshuman G Dutta Date: 25 Mar 2008

The court praises former IPS officer as an ‘asset to the nation’, but was unequivocal regarding the harshness of the degree of punishment

ASSEST: Suspended IPS officer R K Sharma comes out from Karkardooma court

Except for a crime (murder) which was not of "that ilk which could shock the conscience of society", R K Sharma was an asset to the nation, a local court observed while sentencing the suspended IPS officer to life imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 20,000 for conspiracy to murder.

The punishment

Additional Sessions Judge R K Shastri handed down the life terms to the other three convicts for the murder of Indian Express journalist Shivani Bhatnagar.

The judgment in the sensational murder case came after five years of protracted legal battle, which witnessed many highs and lows both for the prosecution and the defence.

The court praised Sharma for his "distinguished" career as an IPS officer, having served top assignments including those with the Prime Minister's Office and the United Nations but at the same time was unequivocal regarding the harshness of the degree of punishment for his crime. "The degree of the judgment could be ascertained with one sentence which prescribes To dump him (Sharma) in jail till he breathes his last," it said.

"The murder in itself is an abominable and heinous crime, offender of which can never be pardoned," it said.

Rejecting prosecution's plea for death sentence to the convicts, the court held that it was not the "rarest of rare" cases attracting the capital punishment. It justified life imprisonment, saying "a life devoid of the fundamental liberties is nothing more than an animal existence".

Strained relationship

Sharma was convicted as the main conspirator who co-opted with Shri Bhagwan Sharma, Satya Prakash Sharma and Pradeep Sharma to get Shivani killed over a strained relationship with the scribe. The court termed Pradeep a "distracted youth impelled to do a wicked act of killing a person". It was of the view that though Pradeep had been convicted in a case of cheating it did not qualify him being a danger to society.

The defence counsels said that they would soon file appeals in the High Court.

I am a Pauper

R K Sharma will be paid Rs 52 daily or dihadi in jail terms out of which Rs 13 will be paid to the Shivani Bhatnagar's family. The dismissed IPS officer will fall in the category of skilled labourer and will be given desk jobs like file handling and etc.

If he pays the fine imposed on him through his daily wages then he will have to wait for one year and three months (approximately) to collect the required sum of Rs 20,000.

"I am a beggar here and I have not earned anything for last five years, how can I pay the fine?" said Sharma. When asked for his reaction, "hardly matters" was the reply of a nonchalant Sharma.

Unlike the last time when he made the whole police escort team wait for the court's order, Sharma was handed the copy of the judgment almost immediately.

Controversial encounter specialist shot dead

Author: Prawesh http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.photo.gif
Add ImageLama Date: 25 Mar 2008




ACP Rajbir shot dead
Controversial cop and encounter specialist Rajbir Singh was shot dead by a property dealer inside his office on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road late night yesterday. The incident took place around 00.30 am when Rajbir Singh had gone to meet Vijay Bharadwaj to his office relating to a financial dispute where Bharadwaj was to pay around Rs 40 lakh to Rajbir.

According to the police, Bharadwaj shot Rajbir after he had gone inside his office.

The police later arrested Bharadwaj after he confessed in front of the media that his life was under threat from Rajbir as he owed him money.

After the shootout senior cops from Gurgaon and Delhi including Gurgaon Commissioner Mahender Lal reached the spot. Talking to MiD DAY, Lal said, "We received news about a Delhi police ACP being shot in Gurgaon. He has been identified as Rajbir Singh. We have arrested the accused and will investigate the case."

Security missing

The Commissioner also added that Rajbir had come to the spot in a car (DL 3C AL 5456) with a security guard. However the security guards at the residence of Rajbir said that he had left the house with his full security consisting of commandos and other officials.

However the Commissioner failed to answer several questions like how many shots were fired at him and what was the dispute between the ACP and the property dealer. Rajbir's Z plus security was not with him when he had gone to meet the property dealer.

Life threats


Crime scene: Pool of blood in the spot where ACP Rajbir Singh was shot dead pic/Imtiaz Khan
Sources in the Gurgaon police said that they had recovered two glasses and bottles of soda from the spot clearly giving rise to suspicion that the two must have drunk before the killing took place. "The accused alleged that he was facing life threats from Rajbir and his friends. He had to return money to Rajbir, which he had failed and knew that he would be killed. In a state of fright he fired at Rajbir," a source said.

After shooting Rajbir, Bharadwaj took Rajbir's car and then surrendered to the police. The accused has a shop by the name of Vijay and Associates Property Consultants.

Able officer

Rajbir Singh was posted as the ACP of the Special Operation Squad of the Crime Branch. He has been involved in around 56 encounters. He had joined the Delhi police in 1982 as a sub-inspector. He was also promoted as the ACP of the Special Cell in the late 90's. He was regarded as a very able officer and was also in the investigating teams that probed the Parliament attack and the Red Fort attack cases.

Special security

He was also given a Z plus security. After some years in the Delhi Armed police, where he was shunted for being involved in controversies relating to fake encounters and land deals with a builder he was again posted to the Special Operation Squad of the Delhi police Crime Branch in November 2007 with the motive of targeting hardened criminals.

Rajbir's wife and his two children who were informed by the media and they reached Gurgaon at around 4:30 am today