CISF TO TEST FIRING SKILLS OF IGI SECURITY PERSONNEL

At a time when airports are constantly on the radar of terrorists, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has overhauled the training module of personnel posted at airports.

From testing their shooting skills twice every month by asking the personnel to fire while on the move to examining their physical fitness, the CISF want fitter and quicker personnel at airports.

Till now, the personnel had to undergo test for firing skills every six months. “We are observing 2017 as a year of training. While all the personnel with CISF need to be fit and quick, our special focus is on airports. The frequency to test their firing skills has been revised and we will check how accurate and quick they are,” CISF’S director general OP Singh said.

The CISF will launch a tactical unit at the Hyderabad training academy on April 29 and personnel posted with the Quick Reaction Teams (QRTS) at Delhi and other airports will be sent there for training. “For physical fitness, the exercise routine will be changed to improve the reflexes. We will also make some changes in the uniform design to accommodate more arms and ammunition,” Singh said.

The CISF will introduce fire and move and fire and cordon drills under which the commandos will be asked to fire on the move simulating emergency situations.

The CISF guards 59 airports in the country, and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has been asking the force to start tactical deployment of the personnel to improve response time in case of a terror attack.

However, Zoru Bathena, one of the petitioners in the Bombay HC matter said MMRC officials told him transplantations will only be done at Aarey Colony, Goregaon.

“After we told MMRC that except Aarey, the other locations did not have any space for transplanted trees, senior officers told us it would take place only at Aarey along with new plantations,” he said.

“As a responsible corporation that claims they have a responsibility towards the environment, MMRC’S actions on the ground prove otherwise. An international consultant has been appointed at a huge cost (Rs 1 crore) for tree plantation and transplantation purposes. This is being spent from the tax payer’s money, but it seems the services are not utilised at all,” said Godfrey Pimenta, trustee, Watchdog Foundation.

Despite repeated attempts to reach MMRC officials, they remained unavailable for a comment.

In the first phase, chawls in Naigaon and Lower Parel will be revamped by firms such as Larsen & Toubro and Shapoorji Pallonji respectively. Work on both began on Saturday.

There was some opposition to the the project, but the police detained those protesting until the function was over.

The BDD chawls were constructed by the British between 1920 and 1925. Nearly a century later, these chawls are highly dilapidated, with leaks and falling slabs. The Public Works Department (PWD), which owns them have not been successful in maintaining them, as the residents pay just Rs100 as rent every month.

The state expects to generate at least 16,000 affordable houses through this revamp which would be sold through a computerised lottery system.

Experts called the revamp a step in the right direction. “Considering the scale, this is a very challenging project and hopefully will create a some sort of precedent for future redevelopment schemes.

This will also create a huge stock of affordable houses in the heart of the city,” said Shubhankar Mitra, head, strategic consultant (West), Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) India, a real estate consultancy firm.

Yogi Adityanath had formed the so-called anti-romeo squads to tackle growing crime against women.

“The personnel on duty for anti-romeo squads will act and take action only on people with objectionable behaviour,’ he said.

Singh said he will try to ensure that police isn’t overburdened but added that “corrupt cops will face the music”.

Singh is likely to have a brief stint as the state police head as he is set to retire in September.

Before the recent assembly polls, the BJP had petitioned the Election Commission to remove Javeed Ahmed, alleging that he was working at the behest of the then Samajwadi Party government.

He visits what was the family palace in Gangtok at times. But he never ventures out, slipping out as quietly as he had arrived. “The Chogyal visits Sikkim quietly and leaves the same way,” a close relative said.

The former royal family is overzealously guarded about him. “We want the people to understand that the Namgyal family has lost the kingdom and people should respect our privacy,” one of them told HT.

Old-timers, however, say the Namgyal was a reluctant monk. “Once he realised there was no way of getting back his throne, he could only fall back on religion to seek solace,” pointed out a local. But monkhood was far from his mind on February 19, 1982, the day he was crowned at the Tsuklakhang Palace atop a hill overlooking Gangtok even as his father’s funeral pyres were being lit at the Luksyama royal crematorium.

Inside the palace drawing room, Namgyal sat on the throne as a motley crowd of people – commoners, relatives and even 10 MLAS of the then 32-member state assembly – trooped in one by one to present him the traditional ‘Khada’ (silk scarf) and wish good luck.

India never recognized the coronation, though those present said Namgyal was the 13th Chogyal of Sikkim. “Prominent lamas from more than 44 monasteries chanted prayers while school students shouted ‘long live the Chogyal’, waving the banned Sikkim national flag,” recollected a former chief minister who happened to be present.

But the excitement died out soon and Namgyal receded to the background. “He can’t even be contacted on mobile as he takes no calls. It is he who contacts people when he needs some work done,” pointed out a cousin.

The family owns cardamom plantations and real estates and hotels across the globe, but Namgyal, it is said, is more at peace leading an austere life. He has not even pursued the compensation claim of Rs 110 crore that his father had sought from the Indian government for taking away his kingdom. “Forget the throne, even the compensation is not in the realm of possibility,” pointed out one of his cousins, citing the fact that Palden Namgyal had refused to sign the instrument of accession. Taking refuge in religion has therefore been the best option for the monarch who ended up as a monk. clicked earlier this week — brought home the horrors of war but also rekindled hope o humanity. Many on social media say Yasin has done the same for them in a region where human bonds have been eroded by dec ades of insurgency.

“I told the girl’s friends that have two daughters and this gir is just like one of them. If you are the father of two girls or if you are a father of any child, you canno just see anyone’s child helplessly suffering like that,” says Yasin.

The 43-year-old has covered Kashmir since 2002 and received at least 15 international and national awards for his work. He says he picked up the girl when he realised no one was around to help her. “Looking back, I fee happy that I helped her. Pictures will keep coming,” he says. The story has a happy ending: The gir got to the hospital in time, was treated and is now stable.

Yasin says in a conflict zone photographers are often faced with such a dilemma: Of whether to take pictures or keep the cam era aside for some time and help the wounded. He brushes aside praise for thinking about the gir first, and not his photography.

“I am not the first one to have done this. I can tell you there are so many guys on the field in Kash mir who would have done the same ,’ Yasin adds.

The image was captured by young Srinagar-based photojour nalist Faisal Khan.

“Dar Yasin handed the camera to someone else, lifted he girl and began running. My first instinc was to assist him, but then I real ised I should capture this momen in a picture,” Khan tells Hindu stan Times.

“We got a cab to stop, put Khus boo and some of her friends in i and they were taken to SMHS hospital,” Khan says.

Who caused the injury is stil unclear: Police say the stone tha hit Khusboo came from miscre ants and students, locals say oth erwise.

Through a message, “Namaste India. See you on May 10th at DY Patil Stadium,” Bieber had con firmed his arrival first to HT on February 15.

Mumbai will be one of three Asian cities to host the Canadian singer — Tel Aviv (Israel) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates being the other two.

According to sources, Bieber will fly in with a 150-strong entou rage, including backup dancers and choreographers. During his planned week-long stay, the pop star is “excited about doing the typical touristy things”, said one source.

“Apart from Mumbai, he’l visit New Delhi and Jaipur for some sightseeing. The organisers are putting together a tentative itinerary that’ll include a visit to a film set, some local shopping plus a meet-and-greet with A-lis musicians and actors,” the source said.

Bookings for the the Justin Bieber concert were opened on February22 pricesrangefromrs