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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Kudankulam to open soon.........


At Mirpur, it would otherwise been an inconsequential match – the  teams have played each other on 29 occasions in ODIs, Bangladesh winning twice. Their first win came in February 2006 and the latest in January 2009.  For Sri Lanka which is already out of the 4 Nation tournament before this final match, there is little other than salvaging respect in this match – but their performance can spoil India’s chances of qualifying for the final and that way the match assumes significance.    A Lankan win  will end Bangladesh's Asia Cup, one the hosts spiced up through their thrilling chase against India that kept their qualification hopes alive and prevented Sunday's India-Pakistan encounter from becoming a mere dress rehearsal for the final.

Even for an ardent fan like me, the Parliament yesterday hailing  Sachin Tendulkar’s feat of completing a century of centuries seemed unnecessary.  The members in both Houses lauding the cricketer and terming the achievement as a matter of “national pride”. In the Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar made a reference congratulating Sachin for becoming the first cricketer to score a hundred centuries in international cricket.  In the Rajya Sabha also, members complimented Sachin for completing 100 centuries in international cricket, with opposition using the opportunity to take a dig at the government saying it has come at a time when things were not going right in the country.  Don’t we expect more important business of National interests and discussions affecting the lives of Indian citizens be taken up  in both the houses of parliament.
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Back home,  there is some good news - the Tamil Nadu government  announced that it has decided to make the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) operational at the earliest.  There was speculation as to the decision of the State Cabinet and after the meeting, Chief minister J Jayalalithaa said in a five-page statement that her government had studied the expert panel reports appointed by the Centre as well as by the state and the memorandum submitted by PMANE.  The report stated that a careful examination of the details showed that the plant is safe and poses no threat to the local population or the fisherfolk. She appealed to people in the state to support the commissioning of the plant.  There are reports that following the decision, hundreds of protestors from nearby villagers have poured to the plant site where the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) has been holding a sit-in protest for the last 217 days.  CM Jayalalithaa also announced a 500-crore development package for the local villagers that include social and public health infrastructure, and livelihoods development.

Caught between the air and the tarmac, the  ground is being prepared for the suspension, or even cancellation, of Kingfisher Airlines‘ scheduled operator permit licence.  Firstpost reports that the airline was issued a show-cause notice towards end-February asking it why its licence should not be suspended for flouting several conditions. It was given a 15-day time limit for a satisfactory reply. Kingfisher’s reply has been received but sources said the airline had not been able to satisfactorily explain why its licence should not be cancelled. “Their (Kingfisher’s) only response has been that their accounts have been frozen by the tax department and they are helpless in this situation.”

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

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