AHMEDABAD: The chairman of the Petition Committee of the Lok Sabha, Dilip Sanghani, today said the report of the panel on the Narmada project will be tabled in the winter session of Parliament. Sanghani, BJP MP from Saurashtra, told reporters here that the opinion of the majority members of the committee was that the Narmada project should be declared a national project. The committee had sought to know from Medha Patkar, who is leading a campaign against the Narmada project, the source funding her organisation.

Three arrested for Thirssur blast

THRISSUR: Three persons have been arrested for storing explosive materials allegedly in violation of licence norms in a chemical and explosives dealer's premises, where a blast claimed four lives on Sunday. Police said on Monday that the three were arrested last night. The arrested were two partners of the firm in whose name the licence for storing the highly explosive potassium chlorite had been issued and the owner of the building here in which the chemicals were stored.

Ex-minister chargesheeted in Orissa

CUTTACK: Kalindi Charan Behera, a former minister in Biju Patnaik government, was today chargesheeted by Orissa State Vigilance Department for possessing disproportionate assets of over Rs 17.22 lakh. The chargesheet was filed under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate here, official sources said. The Vigilance Department, which had earlier conducted searches in residences of Behera and his relatives, had registered a case against him.

Surcharge on commuters opposed

MUMBAI: A meeting of Maharashtra MPs held today before the ensuing Parliament winter session, strongly opposed levy of a surcharge on suburban commuters by the proposed Mumbai Rail Development Corporation (MRDC) and requested the Chief Minister Manohar Joshi to convey their sentiments to the Union Railway Minister Ram Vilas Paswan. The surcharge has been proposed under the terms of a draft memorandum of understanding with the Railway Ministry which had been approved last week by the State Cabinet.

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