Jaipur IOC Depot fire claims 9 Life

The fire at the Indian Oil depot here continued to rage Friday morning, a day after it broke out, with six people still trapped and officials saying nine people could have been killed and nearly 150 injured. The blaze, which broke out at 7.15 p.m. following a minor earthquake, has engulfed the nearby Agro food centre and a power grid. The fire, at the Sitapur industrial area near Jaipur, was of great intensity and the flames could be seen from a distance of over 15 km.
Oil and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora visited the injured at the government-run Sawai Man Singh Hospital here and said it would be another day or two before the blaze could be brought under control. Deora added that six workers of the Indian Oil depot were still trapped and that their chances of survival were bleak. "There is no option but to let the fuel burn. It will take a day or two before the fire could be brought under control," Deora told reporters here.
The depot had 7,000 kilo litres of petrol, 24,000 kilo litres of diesel and 1,000 kilo litres of kerosene. Two truckloads of foam have been brought from a Mathura refinery to extinguish the fire. However, according to officials it could only be put to use when the fuel burns itself.
The district collector has prohibited the entry of anybody within a five kilometre radius of the area under fire. The Jaipur-Kota highway has been closed down for vehicles and about 20 trains scheduled to pass through the nearby railway line have been affected. Nearby villages have also been vacated. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said all private hospitals have been asked to treat the injured and that the government would pay for their treatment.

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Woman mayor for Jaipur, Kpta and Udaipur

The directorate of local bodies (DLB) completed the lottery which decided that this time Jaipur, along with Kota and Udaipur, will have women mayors. According to a DLB release, the lottery was opened for 184 urban local bodies(ULB) across the state out of which 87 ULBs have been reserved for women as per the 50% quota guidelines. This means these ULBs will have women chiefs like mayors or chairpersons. "Jaipur, Kota and Udaipur will have directly elected women (general) mayors," said Joga Ram, director DLB.
Among other highlights, five posts (ULB) in the state have been reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (STs) out which two have been set aside for ST women. Out of 27 reserved Scheduled Castes (SCs) seats 12 ULBs have been reserved for SC women in the state. For the Other Backward Castes(OBCs), out of a total 38, 18 ULB posts have been reserved for women. Total of 114 general posts earmarked for, 55 ULB posts have been put aside for women.

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BJP Leader in Rajasthan, Kataria Lead the race

BJP in Rajasthan is now looking for the next BJP Leader of Opposition in state after much awaited resignation by Vasundhara Raje. Now BJP is looking for the successor for Vasundhara Raje. After Raje's resignation, former Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria is considered the frontrunner for the post. A former leader of the Opposition, he is also having RSS Support. Other contenders are Narpat Singh Rajvi and Kiran Maheshwari. While Rajvi, a former minister, is the son-in-law of former vice-president and party veteran Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Maheshwari is Recent looser MP who lost most assured BJP seat from Ajmer. But she has the advantage of being a woman contender. Some other names are Digambar Singh and Rajendra Rathore. Meanwhile BJP may play other card by selecting some Brahmin candidate or Most possible a Jat candidate to attract 17% of Rajasthan vote bank who play deciding role in last 1o years Rajasthan Politics.

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Pushkar Fair 2009 started today

Pushkar Fair started today at holy city Pushkar in Rajasthan. Hoteliers and people involved in the tourism industry were happy with the initial bookings. Hotels in the city are occupied by both foreign and domestic tourists. City-based travel operators were busy arranging luxury buses and taxis for tourists. “Nearly 60% foreign tourists visiting Pushkar during the festive period between October 25 and November 2 prefer to stay in Jaipur due to availability of wide range of hotels, good connectivity and other facilities like money exchange and tourist bureau in the city,” said Gunjan Singhal, a city-based travel operator. The hospitality industry has welcomed the sudden surge in the number of travellers — both foreign and domestic — due to the Pushkar Fair. The tourist flow during the Diwali celebrations were also satisfying.
It is all about devotion that devotees and tourist are making a huge opening in first day of fair even, Pushkar lake is dried up this year because of low mansoon and renovation work of lake is in full swing now days.

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OASIS 2009 at BITS Pilani Rajasthan : 27-31 Oct

The Annual Inter Collegiate Cultural Festival, Oasis 2009 will be held at BITS Pilani from 27 to 31 October 2009. The Oasis, which is in its 39th edition this year, will be inaugurated by popular Actor, Screenwriter, Director and Social Activist, Mr Rahul Bose. Promising 96 hrs of non stop entertainment, Oasis 2009 brings together several events which include Music, Dance, Fashion shows, Dramas, Quiz, Literary Events, Rock Competitions and Fun Games. Over 6000 students which include 1400 outstation participants representing 70 colleges from various states of country will get together for mind boggling fun and entertainment and high energy games lasting five days. On 28th, Mr Sunil Pal, winner of Great Indian Laughter Challenge will participate in the Hasya Kavi Sammelan on 29th, the English Band – Rainbow Bridge, Chennai and the team Shankar Ehsaan Loy will present music shows on 29th and 30th respectively.
Oasis 2009 has tied up with several cultural organizations including Thespo Drama Group of Mumbai, Glitz Modeling, Delhi and Shiamak Davar’s Institute of Performing Arts, Delhi . They will judge the winners who will get entry to participate in forthcoming national events hosted by these organizations. As a societal concern, the organizers in association with the NSS unit of BITS and the voluntary organization, NIRMAAN, have set up an “Expo of Indian Artistries” which sell sarees, garments, handicrafts, bags, toys etc manufactured by local villagers.
Speaking on the eve of the event, Prof N V M Rao, Dean, Student Welfare Division said “Oasis, which was started as an annual event in 1969, has grown in magnitude and attained the enviable position of being one of the most comprehensive cultural festivals. Our student teams have put in tremendous efforts to make this year’s Oasis indeed special. I wish all the participants and students an enjoyable time during the five days”.

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Vasundhara Raje resigns as leader of opposition in Rajasthan

Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje met senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani on Friday and submitted her resignation as leader of opposition in the state assembly. "Raje met Advani and tendered her resignation," said a BJP leader, who said he was privy to the development, but refused to be identified as the party had not made an official announcement. The issue has been a tricky one for the party with the leadership asking Raje two months ago in August to accept moral responsibility for the BJP's defeat in the Lok Sabha and the assembly polls in the state and step down.
The BJP was Friday tightlipped on the issue. Party vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the matter would be taken up in a parliamentary board meeting likely to begin Friday evening. "I have no knowledge about Raje resigning. I don't think she has so far. But the matter will be taken up in the meeting later," Naqvi said. The BJP has convened the parliamentary board meeting to discuss the Raje issue and the causes for the poor performance in the assembly polls in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh, Naqvi said.

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After RCA, Rajasthan cricket team in trouble now !!!

Two teams claiming to represent the faction-ridden Rajasthan Cricket Association have turned up here to play against hosts Mumbai Cricket Association in the C K Nayudu under-22 league. "Two teams have come here claiming to represent Rajasthan. In such a situation, as per the instructions from the BCCI's CAO Prof Ratnakar Shetty, neither team would be allowed to play the match," said MCA's joint secretary Hemant Waingankar today.
The RCA is divided into two factions, with both claiming to have the rights to run the association. Both the group representatives were accommodated by the BCCI at its AGM held last month. Waingankar could not say whether Mumbai would be granted full points if the match, scheduled to be held at Navi Mumbai's D Y Patil Stadium from tomorrow, does not take place. "I don't know that," he said.

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SAARC Team visits Sariska

A team of ministers and officials of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations is on a visit to the famed Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan to know about the country’s success in tiger conservation. The delegation visited the sanctuary on Tuesday night and is also scheduled to go around the sanctuary to get a first-hand experience on India’s efforts in conserving tigers on Wednesday. The SAARC ministers, who have come to India to take part in the two-day meeting on climate change being hosted in the national capital, New Delhi, were welcomed at Sariska in traditional Indian way. The visitors were given a detailed description as to how with utmost care the tigers were relocated.

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