MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2012

34 Pages Rs. 3.00 City Edition Chennai

ISSN 0971 - 751X Vol. 135 No. 151 Regd. TN/ARD/17/2012-2014 RNI No. 1001/57

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SHOWCASING MARITIME FORTS

PAGE 6

BOLLYWOOD IN BAGHDAD
INTERNATIONAL PAGE

SAY 'NO' TO PESTICIDES

OP-ED PAGE

WIMBLEDON FROM TODAY

SPORTS PAGE

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Jawans lose battle, Suspense ends, Morsy wins Presidency Muslim Brotherhoods victory may resonate in West Asia and North Africa little Mahi is dead
Atul Aneja

The 4-year-old died of asphyxia a couple of hours after she fell into borewell on Wednesday night: post mortem report
Ashok Kumar
GURGAON: All hopes of four-

year-old Mahi coming alive out of the 70-foot-deep borewell in Kasna village here were dashed on Sunday afternoon, when Army personnel brought out her decomposed body after an 86-hour rescue operation that had kept the people nationwide glued to their TV sets. The operation launched soon after Mahi fell into the borewell on Wednesday night during her birthday celebrations and was prolonged by almost 48 hours as the rescue team ran into rocky terrain ended around 1.30 p.m. on Sunday, when a team of personnel pulled her out. The girl, wrapped in a green cloth, was immediately rushed to the ESIC Hospital at Manesar in an Army ambulance, amid loud applause by locals who had gathered at the spot in large numbers since early morning, anticipating a successful climax. But the child was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. The body was then sent to the Gurgaon Civil Hospital mortuary. Post-mortem revealed that Mahi died of asphyxia just in a couple of hours of the fall. She died three-four hours after she fell into the borewell, said a doctor at the Gurgaon Civil Hospital. The rescue team had reached Mahi in the early hours of Sunday, negotiating around a boulder in the rescue tunnel, but there was delay as it had to cut through a rock in the borewell also, where the bloated body was found stuck. While digging the borewell, the house owner had hit a rocky terrain. He tried to cut through the rock but abandoned it when he could not do so. It was in this rock that Mahis body was found stuck. The rescue teams encountered boulders twice while digging the tunnel also, and this caused the delay, Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner P.C. Meena said. He said separate cases were registered against house owner Rohtash and the contractor who had sunk the illegal borewell. Three police teams

FAILED MISSION: Army and police personnel worked for 86 hours to rescue Mahi (inset) from a borewell at Kasna near Manesar. The operation, launched soon after she fell into the borewell on Wednesday night, ended around 1.30 p.m. on Sunday. She was found dead. PHOTO: PTI
have been constituted to trace and arrest them. So far, our priority had been to pull out the girl. Now that the operation is over, we hope to catch them soon. The girls parents and relatives blamed the death on the district administrations delayed response. Had the administration responded quickly to the situation, she would have been alive today. The police reached the spot almost two hours after they were informed. The efforts to pull her out gathered pace only on Thursday morning, after the Army was called in, said Mithilesh, a close relative. An inconsolable Sonia, mother of Mahi, almost collapsed in grief soon after the news was broken to the family. She had to be physically lifted by women police personnel and taken away from the hospital gate. Earlier, around noon, the crowd grew restless as the rescue operation drew out. The people started shouting slogans against the administration, but the situation was soon brought under control.

DUBAI: Mohamed Morsy is set to become Egypts rst elected President following a historic election, brought about by an uprising that rst expelled the dictator, Hosni Mubarak, and then paved the way for the countrys transition to democracy. As a nation gripped in suspense watched, Farouk Soltan, head of the Supreme Presidential Election Commission, announced after a lengthy preamble on Sunday that the Islamist candidate belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, won a bitterly contested race. Mr. Morsy secured 51.7 per cent of the vote, defeating Ahmed Shaq, who got 48.3 per cent. Cairos Tahrir Square, ground zero of the revolution, lled by Mr. Morsys supporters, erupted in elation as the message of their candidates victory sank in. For the next few minutes, a giant roar seemed to overwhelm the square, where thousands waved the Egyptian ag, while some sought vantage points to express their joy. Emotions, built on the bedrock of anxiety, ran high as both candidates had claimed victory earlier. Mr. Morsys supporters were particularly on edge after the recent rulings by the generals negated much of

GROUNDSWELL OF ENTHUSIASM: Supporters of Muslim Brotherhoods candidate Mohamed Morsy celebrate his victory at the Presidential election at Tahrir Square in Cairo on Sunday. PHOTO: REUTERS
their previous electoral gains. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) earlier dissolved an elected Muslim Brotherhood-dominated Parliament, following a ruling by the countrys highest court that one-third of the Peoples Assembly had been unconstitutionally elected. Sundays announcement was a giant moment for the Muslim Brotherhood, whose candidate managed to scale the highest office of the land, after 80 blood-stained years of the formation of the group. Mr. Morsys victory is set to resonate in West Asia and North Africa, where Libya is heading for elections next month, and moderate Islamists, following the example of Turkeys Justice and Development Party,have triumphed in Tunisia. Despite the euphoria, Mr. Morsys task is cut out. The Parliament has to be restored, for after its contentious dissolution, the generals have grabbed all legislative powers. The SCAF has also stripped the president-elect of signicant political powers by adding a debilitating annexure to an earlier constitutional declaration. The writ of the President, no longer the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, will not run over the Army, which has, in effect, recast itself as a state-withinstate. The drafting of a new constitution, on which hinges the promise of Egypt becoming a civil state, is set to emerge as a new arena of conict between the Muslim Brotherhood and the SCAF. Editorial: Between a rock and a hard place

Probe ordered
PTI reports: The Haryana government has ordered a magisterial probe into the death. As it is mandatory to seek the Deputy Commissioner's permission to dig a borewell in Gurgaon as per court directions, a separate case of contempt will also be initiated against Rohtash, officials said. Teenager falls into open well in West Bengal: Page 12

Several lakh students who just passed out of school are running from pillar to post hoping to realise their dream of making it to a good college. Even as the number of colleges and seats available continues to grow, the competition only intensies every year. As cut-offs, entrance examinations, interviews and counselling dominate their vocabulary, The Hindu's education correspondents from across India capture the buzz in a ve-part series beginning today. See Page 9

In Tamil Nadu, borewell norms guard against danger

Tamil Nadu Bureau
CHENNAI: Even as the death of a four-year-old girl, Mahi, who was trapped for 86 hours in a borewell in Gurgaon has shaken the collective conscience, such tragedies in the State are unlikely, given that the average diameter of borewells is too small for any child to fall through. Officials who supervise digging of borewells for public water supply system say that on an average the diameter of the wells is barely six inches. Normally, in a hard rock terrain, the work is completed in eight to 10 hours. Even in the case of sedimentary formation where the duration of work goes on for 15-20 days, the site is under constant vigil and usually, it is about a km from any habitation. Given the trend of declining groundwater table in cities and towns, the borewell phenomenon is restricted to rural areas, the officials add. Borewells in and around Chennai have a maximum diameter of 46 inches. They have casing pipes that jut at least 2 feet above the ground

BRIEFLY
Minor re in Home Ministry
NEW DELHI: A minor re broke out in North Block, near Union Home Minister P. Chidambarams office, on Sunday afternoon. But there was no casualty or damage. Photograph on Page 12

Normal diameter of borewell: 6 inches Pipe casings sunk immediately on drilling holes
level. Following an incident in north Chennai many years ago, when a child fell into a borewell located on a street, the State government passed an order, directing closure of disused borewells. Since then, there were no reports of any mishap. Borewell agencies say pipe casings are sunk immediately on drilling the holes, which are never left open. In failed cases, the holes are closed immediately with gravel and sand. However, experience has shown that even the most unlikely event cannot be ruled out. About three months ago in Madurai 10 persons, including women and children, were killed when a passenger van fell into a deep open well near Thirumangalam. Jolted into action, the district administration and the police department launched a joint survey to identify open wells and ordered the construction of barrier walls or closure of dysfunctional ones. Also, the practice of rig operators orally informing the authorities in advance about their plans is no longer in vogue, an engineer of Tiruchi Corporation points out. Deputy Director (Fire and Rescue Services Department, Southern Region, Madurai) M. Shahul Hameed suggests preventive steps, such as cautioning parents to be vigilant whenever a borewell is being dug in their neighbourhood. Borewell operators or contractors should also ensure that the area is adequately kept guarded round the clock till the works are completed. The borewell should be temporarily covered as a protective measure, as strangers may be unaware while crossing the point. L. Elango, professor, department of Geology, Anna University, says that not just borewells, there is a need to ensure that large open wells in agricultural areas have parapet walls.

Chinese craft docks with orbiting module

BEIJING: A Chinese

spacecraft, carrying three astronauts, carried out a manual docking with an orbiting module on Sunday, a rst for the country as it strives to match American and Russian exploits in space. Article on Op-Ed Page: China's star trek, steadily paced

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