Pawar Play

FIRE FIGHTING

AFTER the fire incidents in the Maharashtra secretariat and in North Block in the Capital,several government organisations are in a hurry to take a fresh look at their fire-safety arrangements. The Railway Boards headquarters next to the Parliament building complex is undergoing a complete revamp of its fire-fighting apparatus installed on all floors. Fire-extinguishers are being reloaded,fresh paint is being applied to them and even new pipes are being attached after years of neglect. A top-level directive from the government has made this exercise mandatory for all government buildings. Seems like it takes not one,but two back-to-back fire incidents in government offices for the powers that be to wake up to fire safety protocol.

SPECIAL SEND-OFF

A grateful Congress party is leaving no stone unturned to give a memorable farewell to presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee. He got an emotional send-off from the Congress Working Committee on Monday. And now,his election manager Pawan Kumar Bansal is trying to ensure that the filing of his nomination papers on Thursday becomes a special occasion. Bansal is learnt to have written to all Congress cabinet ministers to be present in Parliament when Mukherjee files his nomination papers. The first set of nominations have already been signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Competing rivals

AFTER competing with each other to support the candidature of presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee,arch rivals Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party are making sure they are present when Mukherjee files his nomination papers. BSP supremo Mayawati is learnt to have asked her party leaders from both the Houses Dara Singh Chauhan Lok Sabha and Satish Misra Rajya Sabha to be present on June 28 when Mukherjee files his nomination papers.

Mayawati herself is unlikely to be present though,but Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is likely to descend to Delhi specially to be present on the occasion.

GENERALs visit

ARMY Chief Gen Bikram Singh8217;s first foreign visit in office would be the same place that was the last official visit by his predecessor Gen V K Singh. After visiting the Northern Command,Gen Bikram

Singh will go to other Army formations but his first foreign visit is likely to be Nepal. The General is expected to visit the neighbouring nation next month and will receive the traditional rank of General of the Nepalese Army a time honoured traditon accorded to all Indian Army Chiefs.