Briefly Nation

16 feared dead in Chamba bus accident

SHIMLA: 16 people reportedly died when a private bus from Tissa skidded off the road and rolled down into a 500m deep gorge on Wednesday. 12 bodies have been recovered from the Bihali river. Deputy Commissioner Chamba Sharab Negi said that the bus was on its way to Dalhousie when it skidded off the road near Shikari Mor. Though the exact cause of accident is not known,eyewitnesses claimed that the bus driver,while negotiating a curve,lost control over the vehicle. This is third major road accident in Chamba in the last four months.

CBI to probe Koda power contracts

RANCHI: Following a recommendation made by the Centre,Chief Minister Arjun Munda on Wednesday asked the CBI to probe allegations of corruption in the award of contracts worth crores by former CM Madhu Koda to a Hyderabad-based firm under the Union Ministry of Energys flagship scheme Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojna.The file was cleared to notify the inquiry by the CBI, CMs Principal Secretary DK Tiwari said. During 2006-08,job orders were issued in favour of Hyderabad-based IVRCL at much higher rates than approved,according to a report prepared in 2009 by former JSEB chairman A K Chugh.

I-Day security: Trains cancelled in Assam

GUWAHATI: Twenty passenger and express trains have been cancelled in Assam for an indefinite period with the authorities citing security reasons. Due to security reasons,speed restrictions have been imposed on trains running in Assam. This has reduced the number of trains that can be run in a day. As a result,a number of trains continue to be cancelled,short terminated/ partially cancelled and rescheduled, an official press note issued by the Northeast Frontier Railway said here on Wednesday. Movement of trains will remain suspended from dusk to dawn from August 13 to 16,an NF Railway official said.

2 IEDs found in bus going to Guwahati

GUWAHATI: BSF personnel on Wednesday recovered two IEDs from a Guwahati-bound bus in Dhubri district in western Assam,thus averting a major incident in the Assam capital. A BSF official in Dhubri said that two three kg IEDs were recovered after a search was carried out following specific information that a particular person was transporting it to Guwahati. We recovered a note from the bag,saying the bag will be handed over to another person code-named 555 at Jalukbari in Guwahati. We suspect a joint plot of the ULFA and the newly formed Adivasi Peoples Army APA, a BSF official said.

Another arrested in fake pilot scam

NEW DELHI: The police arrested another pilot on Wednesday in the fake pilot scam. Gaurav Jain had reportedly procured commercial flying license using forged documents. Police till now has arrested 13 pilots,three DGCA officials,two middlemen and two forgers. Jain was arrested after information from D C Sharma,Director of DGCAs Civil Aviation Department. Jain allegedly met Manoj Dhaka,a CPL holder,who assured him of getting a CPL for Rs 30,000. Dhaka is accused in a similar case where he had taken Rs 50,000 from one Rohit Kapoor. Kapoor has already been arrested and Dhaka is absconding.