FROM COAST

Mysore, Chain-snatchers in city appear to be mocking the Police Department by carrying out their nefarious trade in broad daylight, with three incidents of the crime reported in city in a single day and one of the victims being the wife of a Policeman !

The City Police, who are on constant vigil for the evasive chain-snatchers through their 'Operation Sunset' by deploying Police personnel at sparsely populated areas in city during the dusk, have been hoodwinked again by the criminals by not only robbing women of their jewels astride two-wheelers, but also trying their skills in crowded buses.

Kusuma, wife of Seetharam, resident of Nanjumalige, was robbed of her gold chain weighing 65 grams yesterday morning by two miscreants who came on a motorbike while she was walking on the road from her home towards Nanjumalige Circle. A case has been registered at Lakshmipuram Police Station.

Another incident of daylight chain-snatching was reported from Vijayanagar Police Station limits yesterday, in which the victim Savitha is the wife of Constable Mahadev of District Armed Reserve. She was robbed of her 30 gram gold chain while she was returning with her child from school in Lakshmi-kanthanagar at around 2 pm. Vijayanagar Police have said that based on clues about the chain-snatcher, he will soon be arrested.

The third incident occurred in a city bus, the victim being a tourist from Bangalore. The woman who was robbed of her 60 gram gold chain in a crowded bus was travelling along with her family members from Chamundi temple to the Zoo.

A case has been registered at Nazarbad Police Station in this regard.

New power supply cable for Isles to be built in 2012

The Zanzibar government yesterday disclosed that the project to lay-down a new sub-marine cable for power supply to the Isles from Tanzania Mainland will be completed in 2012, after the US government reduced the project implementation timeframe.

This was said by Isles Minister for Water, Construction, Energy and Lands Mansour Yussuf Himid, when responding to questions by Members of the House of Representatives here yesterday.

He said previously, the project was set for completion by 2013, but the Isles government requested the US Government to reduce the timeframe due to power problems facing Zanzibar.

The minister told the House that the tendering process had been floated and would be opened on February 19, this year.

Himid said already various companies had applied for the implementation of the long-awaited project adding that the financier of the project, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), would go through all processes of picking the winner from the bidding firms.

The new power supply route would have the capacity of 100MW from the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (Tanesco), he said, adding that the cable would pass under the Indian Ocean from Kiromono Cape on the Mainland to Fumba in Zanzibar.

Zanzibar spends 1.2bn/- every month in power expenses from the Mainland, however Isles customers have been living without hydro-electric power supply since December last year, after a key electric device exploded at Fumba main power station.