11-11-11 – 2G hearing today ; of Pesticides and what is inside vanity bag ?

Nov 2011 (11-11-11) sounds great to be written in this manner but would certainly be just another day for most.  Before that yesterday at Newlands – ‘Test Cricket is often felt dreary and boring, especially after the advent of T20.  but on a single day – 4 innings were played -Aussies completed their first innings, SA were bowled out; Aussies skittled and SA started the chase of the final innings.  Read the post below providing some details of  a day when 23 wickets fell !!

Of late lot has been happening only because of judicial activism – at the prod of the Apex Govt. in directing the Govt in doing things and keeping the Country aware of the happenings. That way today could be another important day……………. – the  trial in the 2G spectrum scam case, in which the former Telecom Minister, A. Raja; DMK Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi; and several corporate bigwigs are arraigned as accused, is slated to begin in the CBI special court with the prosecution expected to examine three witnesses today.

Special Judge O. P. Saini had ordered that the trial start on November 11 after framing charges against all 17 accused in the case on October 22.  There are 164 prosecution witnesses in the case, including some high-profile persons like Attorney-General of India G. E. Vahanvati and controversial former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia. There are 28 persons in the first list of witnesses the CBI submitted to the court for issue of summons this month. Testimonies of Reliance ADA Group executives, A. N. Sethuraman and Anand Subramaniam, and Etisalat DB Telecom Chief Regulatory Officer Vinod Kumar Budhiraja, are  also expected to be recorded on this day.  The Special Judge while denying bail had stated that  there was “well-founded apprehension” of witnesses being influenced or threatened, besides implying that the accused could approach his court for bail after all witnesses deposed before him. The charges framed against the accused under the Indian Penal Code include those of criminal conspiracy to commit criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, and faking of documents.  Charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act relate to abuse of official position, getting bribe, criminal misconduct by public servant, and abetment charges. Though things may not happen overnight, lot has happened in the recent past and the Nation looks forward to its logical conclusion.

From the way of natural farming, things have moved a lot – use of pesticides and fertilizers are common.  Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.  Though there are biological agents used as pesticides, majorly they are chemicals used against pests like  insects, plant pathogens, weeds, molluscs, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes, and microbes that destroy property.

They are expected to benefit the humans but their usage has many drawbacks also as they are potentially toxic. The environmental impact of pesticides is often greater than what is intended by those who use them.  It is claimed that a very high % of sprayed insecticides reach a destination other than their target species, contaminate land and water when it escapes from production sites and storage tanks, when it runs off from fields, when it is discarded, when it is sprayed aerially, and when it is sprayed into water to kill algae.  They have been harming and killing birds in a big way.

India is a home to migratory birds and one can gleefully sight birds at many places  - a few months ago six Mongolian migratory birds were reported to be found dead near Saiki & Paradgaon lakes off Nagpur.  They had died reportedly after consuming pesticide-infected harbara (gram) plants. Farmers are using excessive pesticides to get rid of pests.  There were fears that more harm could be done in a biological cycle.  The birds dye of excessive pesticides, they may be eaten by local dogs, which in turn may be consumed by small carnivores which may be hunted again by man or be eaten when dead by birds including migratory ones and the harm would keep spreading.  The migratory birds are already shooed away by human disturbance, plastic pollution, encroachments, poaching, fishing and climatic changes. 

Quite unfortunately even death of human being do not garner much attention and tragedies are often forgotten in a few days !!

There are reports that around 23 crows died mysteriously  in a  schools complex in South Carolina.  The tests conducted revealed that the deaths were result of a pesticide typically used in cotton and potato fields.  The Dept of Pesticide Regulation is reportedly trying to figure out who administered the pesticide and when.  The death of the birds had puzzled the investigators as there was no evidence of common diseases.  Over there even death of crows make Authorities conduct investigations – violation of pesticide laws can result in monetary fines or suspension of business license in US.

Have you ever wondered what women carry in their vanity bag ?

In a totally unrelated incident, Expressbuzz reports that there was a scare at the Chennai domestic AP, when a woman passenger attempted to check-in with a duffel bag filled with bullets.  She was to board a flight to Madurai.  When her handheld baggage was scanned, the CISF personnel were agog to see the bag filled with what appeared to be bullets and cartridges. They stopped her and opened the bag to find that it contained 175 unfired bullets and two cartridges.   It was later explained that she had made the mistake of picking up the wrong bag, as she had left in a hurry. She reported  said that her husband was a registered rifle shooter with the Madras Shooting Club, and that the bag belonged to him.  After check up and confirmation, she was allowed to travel but the bullets were confiscated.   

With regards – S. Sampathkumar