Sealing drive in Gujarat IT park

Ahmedabad (PTI): The Gandhinagar Urban Development Authority sealed around 100 shops that had “illegally come up” on the Gandhinagar Infocity campus.

“The sealing of shops began this morning (Friday). We have sealed around 100 shops,” officials said.

The officials said they had permitted Infocity promoters to set up offices in the IT park. However, they had sold the space meant for offices to businessmen to set up shops and showrooms.

The sealing drive in Infocity comes a day after the state government announced its IT policy for 2006 to 2011.

The CEO of Infocity, Dilip Barot, had recently criticised the Gujarat government for not doing enough to promote the state as a favourable “IT destination”.

Barot said lack of socio-economic infrastructure, inadequate talent pool and the state’s association with communal riots were keeping IT companies at bay.

India in smoking fight

New york (PTI): India and four other Asian countries, which account for more than half of the world’s smokers, will get priority in billionaire Michael R. Bloomberg’s two-year $125-million initiative to combat tobacco use.

Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, has selected five organisations to coordinate the initiative to “promote freedom from smoking”, which will concentrate on Russia, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and India.

Bloomberg’s $125 million more than doubles the global total of private and public donor resources devoted to fighting tobacco use in developing countries.

Jessica plea

New Delhi: Ram Jethmalani has filed an application before Delhi High Court seeking the transfer of the Jessica Lal murder case.

The counsel of Manu Sharma, the main accused in the case, said his client has fears that Justice R.S. Sodhi will be unable to deliver an unbiased verdict.

JJ visit

New Delhi: Army chief General J.J. Singh begins his six-day visit to the US from Saturday. This is the first time in two years that an Indian Army chief will visit the US, the last being by General N.C. Vij in March 2004.

Indians missing

Kuala Lumpur (PTI): At least 1,500 foreign students, including six from India, who went to Malaysia to study have now “disappeared”. They had abused the conditions of the student pass by using them to get work, deputy home affairs minister Tan Chai Ho has said.

An exhibition organised by the Computer Education Society in Kochi from November 30 will feature the latest products and innovations of leading companies like Microsoft.