Groundwater set to be made public property

NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES

Mamata Banerjee's 'Yes' to Pranab Mukherjee as Presidential candidate, is the lead story in most newspapers today. 'Mamata gets off her high horse, will back Pranab', writes the Hindustan Times. The Pioneer says, 'Dada factor works on Didi'. The Hindu reports, 'All's well with UPA as Mamata blinks'. The Times of India says, 'Out of options, Didi backs Pranab with 'heavy heart' ", adding she will also toe UPA line on Ansari as Vice-President.

The death of an Indian Fisherman in firing by an American warship is also noticed prominently by many papers. The Hindu headline reads, 'U.S. firing was a mistake, says UAE official', reporting a survivor as saying 'Unprovoked, they rained bullets for five minutes'. The Asian Age reports, 'Indian death in US Navy firing: Delhi seeks action', adding, 'Fishermen deny 'warnings' by warship'.

'Carve up Uttar Pradesh', under that headline, the Pioneer reports, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has suggested splitting of Uttar Pradesh, to end, what he called 'administrative nightmare'.

 The Times of India reports, 'CNG losing out to diesel' in Delhi, spelling bad news for the city's air, with dealers reporting a 60-80% drop in sales of CNG kits for private vehicles this year, as car owners are moving to diesel vehicles.

'Groundwater set to be made public property', is another story in the Times of India. The paper says, groundwater, a precious natural resource, is for all practical purposes, private property in India, and a law that ensures it is treated as public, and not private property, is long overdue.

The same paper also reports data thrown up by a Labour Bureau Report, revealing India's ironic peculiarity where 'Higher the degree, less is the chance of getting a job'.

And finally, In a breather for broadcasters, 'TRAI softens its stance on TV ad diktat', reports Mail Today, saying the Telecom Regulatory Authority told TDSAT on Tuesday, it is ready to hold discussions with TV channels to consider amending its directions on limiting advertisement time for their programmes.