STOCK PRICES SLIMP AGAIN Kathmandu, 21 March: Stock prices fell again as the market opened for trading Thursday on the last day of weekly five-day trading amid political uncertainty. Prices fell 1.68 points as Nepse came down to 525.59 points. Stock prices fell 3.75 points. Nnnn SITA AIR OVERLOADED WHEN IT CRASHED Kathmandu, 21 March: A preliminary probe report of the 2012 Sita Air crash has blamed overweight aircraft for the disaster and ruled out pilot error. On Sept 28, a Dornier aircraft belonging to the domestic carrier slammed into the banks of the Manohara River in Bhaktapur shortly after takeoff from Kathmandu, killing all 19 on board, Sangam Prasai writes in The Kathmandu :Post.. The plane was bound for Lukla, the gateway to Everest. The report has pointed out maximum gross takeoff weight for the disaster. “Instead of blaming the pilots, it has pointed to a ‘serious’ management error,” said a Tourism Ministry source who did not want to be named. The maximum gross takeoff weight defines the regulatory ceiling of the weight in an aircraft, whether passengers or cargo. The maximum permissible takeoff weight or regulated takeoff weight varies with altitude, air temperature and the length of the runway. The weight of the ill-fated Sita Air aircraft was higher than the limit, said the source quoting the report. He declined to divulge the exact excess weight stating that a detailed report would “probably” reveal the weight details. The detailed report is likely to be made public in June. The crash investigation commission submitted a preliminary report to the ministry recently. Officials said that the commission would collect comments from the state of the aircraft manufacturer and regulatory bodies with regard to compliance with ICAO Annex 13 before making the full report public. The finding has recommended to the ministry to direct the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to immediately revise its existing Flight Operation Requirement manual with improved weight specifications. Under the prevailing standards, a passenger’s maximum weight is marked at 75 kg for foreigners, 70 kg for Nepalis and 65 kg for women. The report has pointed out that the weight specification does not take into account Westerners who are generally much heavier. Normally, a Westerner’s weight is marked at 90 kg in other countries. The rescue team had found the bodies piled up behind the cockpit, leading experts to surmise that the plane’s seats and safety belts were too small for heavy passengers, and that the seats collapsed or the belts failed, sending them flying through the cabin when the aircraft plunged. Meanwhile, the investigation has also found serious lapses in the calibration of the weighing machines at the domestic terminal of Tribhuvan International Airport. For example, a piece of baggage that was shown to weigh 11 kg at Kathmandu airport was found to weigh 15 kg at Lukla Airport. According to the report, the aircraft was found to be airworthy before it took off. “The plane had sustained a bird strike, but there was no engine malfunction,” the source added. The pilot had suspected a bird strike immediately after take-off, but he did not confirmed about it to the control tower, according to the report. Traffic controllers at TIA had noticed the Dornier aircraft making unusual manoeuvres right after take-off. The plane banked steeply and hit the ground before bursting into flames. Nnnn ACTOR SANJAY DUTT JAILED FOR FIVE YEARS IN MUMBAI BLAST CASE Kathmandu, 21 March: The Supreme Court has begun delivering its verdict in the 1993 Bombay serial blasts case. It has upheld the death sentence for Yakub Memon and commuted the death sentence of 10 others to life. It will also decide if actor Sanjay Dutt, who was convicted in an arms case, will go to jail or be freed, India Today reports.. In an apparent setback to actor Sanjay Dutt, the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the way a special TADA court heard the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case and delivered its verdict in 2006. As the apex court started giving its judgement on a bunch of appeals and cross-appeals filed by and against 100 people, including Dutt, who were convicted by the special court, it observed: "We believe the TADA court has followed all norms of legal, constitutional and natural justice. Thus the contention of defence that procedural norms were not followed is rejected looking at the voluminous nature of case." The SC's final order on the matter was, however, yet to come. The actor was given a six-year jail term by the TADA court. Having already spent 18 months behind the bars during the trial, the 53-year-old actor would have to undergo the rest of the sentence if SC upholds the TADA court's sentence. The actor was convicted for illegal possession of a 9mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle, but was acquitted of more serious charges of criminal conspiracy. Meanwhile, Mumbai was put on alert in the wake of the SC verdict. Extensive security cover has been extended to sensitive areas, vital installations and blasts spots. According to reports, Mumbai Police has received specific inputs that some hospitals in the southern part of city were on terrorists' hit list. Paramilitary forces have been put on stand by. After 10-month hearing that started on November 1, 2011, the Supreme Court had in August 2012 reserved its verdict in the case. On March 12, 1993, Mumbai was rocked by a series of blasts that killed 257 people and left 713 injured. nnnn