The gloves are off and the Army-CBI war is out in the open now. Furious at a CBI “surprise check” on the Army Command Hospital at Pune, a senior Army officer of the Army’s Pune-based Southern Command has recommended that the “apparent compromise” between a CBI official of the anti-corruption branch and the “medical suppliers’ lobby” in Pune be probed.
The senior Army officer of the Army’s Southern Command has also recommended that the Central Bureau of Investigation’s request for documents pertaining to an Army lieutenant Colonel “be rejected” by the Army.
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Kerala orders probe into job scam
AGE Correspondent
Thiruvananthapuram
Dec. 8: The state Cabinet on Wednesday ordered a crime branch probe into a scandalous job racket under which people got jobs in the revenue department by producing fake memos of the Public Service Commission with the connivance of officials and pro-CPI union leaders.
The scam came to light in Wayanad district where around eight people were found to have got government jobs by paying lakhs of rupees to union leaders.
However, there are fears in government circles that it may balloon and sully the Left democratic front regime’s image in its last months in power.
Indicating that the government will act tough, the chief minister, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan, on Wednesday suspended the Wayanad district collector, Mr T. Bhaskaran, for gross irresponsibility. A handful of other officials were suspended the other day.
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AI shuts hub at Frankfurt, says Praful
AGE Correspondent
New Delhi
Dec. 8: National carrier Air India has discontinued its hub at Frankfurt from November 2010, civil aviation minister Praful Patel has informed Parliament. “With the establishment of an integrated terminal at Delhi and the planning of a hub and spoke arrangement from Delhi, and operations of direct flights to international destinations from Delhi from November, 2010, it was not feasible to continue with the hub at Frankfurt for Air India,” Mr Patel stated.