Thursday, November 26, 2009

Ratan Tata leads prayer at Taj hotel

I
n an internal meeting this evening, Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata will address staff of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel and say a short prayer in memory of guests and employees slain in the terror strike on November 26 last year.

"The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai, will hold a solemn and private memorial meeting within the hotel to mark the events that took place on 26th November last year," the Taj said in a statement.

"We do not propose to have a public event, which, we are sure, is fully understood by so many people in Maharashtra, all over India and the world. Their support has been overwhelming," the hotel added.

Top executives of the Indian Hotels Co Ltd (IHCL), which owns the Taj, including General Manager Karambir Kang, Managing Director Raymond Bickson, and Vice Chairman R K Krishna Kumar are expected to be present among others.

"Employees (about a thousand) will observe silence for a few minutes and say a short prayer. Mr Tata is also expected to say a few words," a source said.

The Taj had been holding private multi-faith prayer meetings according to Hindu, Islam, Buddhist, Sikh, Christian, Parsi norms between November 14 and 24.

Indian Hotels Co plans to reopen the 106-year old Taj's heritage or Palace wing in phases till April 2010.

SBI cashier held for Rs one crore fraud

T
he Meghalaya police has arrested a cashier of a State Bank of India branch in Jaintia Hills district for fraudulently withdrawing over Rs one crore from accounts of several customers.

Sample Pohthmi, cashier of the SBI's Amlarem branch in Jaintia Hills district, was arrested yesterday by sleuths of the Criminal Investigation Department, sources in the CID said.

The SBI conducted an inquiry following complaints of missing money by several customers and confirmed that Pohthmi, who had been working in the bank for the last six years, withdrew huge amounts of money from customers' accounts through different means and forging signatures.

The CID, which was investigating the matter, said the total amount embezzled could run to over Rs one crore.