Missing Sachin can be crucial: Dhoni

Colombo, August 13 2008 : Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today expressed concerns over Sachin Tendulkar's absence in the upcoming five-match ODI series and said it might have some negative impact Talking to mediapersons after he arrived here this evening, Dhoni said, ''Sachin's presence in the dressing room and in the field virtually makes a big difference, in terms of his talents and timely advice। Losing him at this point of time can be crucial.'' Tendulkar, who did not perform up to his potentials and expectations during the recently concluded three-Test series against Sri Lanka, suffered an elbow injury in the third and final Test and was subsequently ruled out for the One-day series against Sri Lanka.

The master blaster, though named for the ODI series, has flown back to India and replaced by Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath। Dhoni and few of his young teammates, including Irfan Pathan arrived in Colombo nearly four hours late due to flight delay. The Indian captain said physically he was ''fully fit'' to play the series against Sri Lanka and added that he has got a good blend of young, energetic and experience players for the series. Commenting on Sri Lanka's new spin sensation, Ajantha Mendis, who picked up 26 wickets in the Test series against Sri Lanka to become the Man-of-the-series, Dhoni said the team was having a good look at his bowling using video clips and is making preparations to take him on.

''He is certainly a different spin bowler। You have to frame your mind more than the body to face him and we have got the frame of mind,'' Dhoni said. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's jubilant captain Mahela Jayawardena said his team was very cautious about ''not to be complacent'' after the Test victory over India. ''This is a different version of the game altogether and we should get our game plan right as much as we did for the Test series,'' Jayawardene said.

Hailing the match-winning performance of his Test debutant, Ajantha Mendis, Jayawardene said his emergence as the match winning bowler along with Muralitharan had given him much options to work around with the players। ''We always focus on performing as a team and Ajantha is a member of that team. He will be workin according to the game plan and the task assigned to him,'' Jayawardene asserted.

Opening batsman Malinda Warnapura, who has shown his talent with the bat during the Test series, has been drafted in the 15-member Sri Lankan squad that will take on India in a five match ODI series beginning next week in Dambulla।

Warnapura is the third opener in the side backing up veteran Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Udawatta.

West Bengal, August 13 2008 The police would take stern action if any political party stages a demonstration at Singur's Tata Motors factory site and poses an obstruction to the ongoing work there, said Ashok Mohon Chakraborty, West Bengal home secretary, Wednesday।

'No political party can arrange agitation programme obstructing the main gate of Tata Motors project in Singur। If there's any such incident, the police will take strong action against them,' Chakraborty said after attending a meeting in West Bengal's Singur, about 40 km from here.

He said the security at the Singur factory site would also be stepped up to tackle untoward incidents during political agitation।

A high-level meeting, chaired by Chakraborty, was held in Singur Wednesday to discuss the law and order situation there। A.B. Vora, state's director general of police, and other senior government officials also attended the meeting.

Renewed agitation by the state's principal opposition force the Trinamool Congress has threatened to delay the rollout of the world's cheapest car, Nano, from Singur।

Asked about Aug 24 agitation announced by the Trinamool Congress, Chakraborty said: 'We have discussed that issue in the meeting but will take the final decision later।'

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee earlier threatened to lay siege to the Tata Motors factory in Singur for an indefinite period from Aug 24 to force the West Bengal government to return 400 acres of land 'forcibly' acquired from farmers।

Unveiled in January at an auto exposition in New Delhi, the four-seater Nano promises a dealer price of Rs।100,000 ($2,500), about half the cost of the cheapest car in today's market Maruti 800, a 25-year-old model from Maruti Suzuki.

However, the washout of the ruling communists in the recent local body elections in Singur over the issue of land seizure triggered a volley of fresh protests by those who lost their land, led by the Trinamool Congress.

'Panel for redevelopment of Dharavi slum'

MUMBAI Agust 13, 2008 : A coordination committee comprising locals in Dharavi would be set up for carrying out redevelopment of Asia's largest slum, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray।

The Sena leader met Deshmukh at Mantralaya, along with a delegation comprising Dharavi residents to highlight the 'lacuane' in the State Government's redevelopment plans for the slum।

"The Chief Minister also informed Thackeray that the Government would consider the demand for alloting 400 sq feet houses to Dharavi residents instead of the 225 sq feet houses announced earlier", Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said।

The delegation, comprising former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi and Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Ramdas Kadam, also apprised Deshmukh about problems faced by potters and fishermen, Gorhe said।

Kadam lodged a strong protest against the Deshmukh Government's decision to appoint Mukesh Patel as consultant for the Dharavi redevelopment project.