STORY: PLAGUE

LOCATION: DELHI, INDIA

DATE: 9 OCTOBER, 1994

DURATION: 1.01

Threat passes as sickened economy tries to recover

The end of the pneumonic plague epidemic in India seems to be in

sight after authorities said on Sun day (9/10) that no deaths had

been reported for five days. Shortly afterwards thousands took to

the streets for a clean-up operation, clearing away rubbish in an

attempt to get rid of the rats that spread the disease. The

clean-up drive was laun ched by the chief minister of the Indian

capital, Delhi, who vowed to banish garbage from the city of

nearly 10 million people. City Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana

carted loads of decaying rubbish from aroun d a Moghul monument

near the city centre and loaded it on a mun icipal truck. Khurana

laun ched the drive by going to four prominent districts armed with

a broom, beginning with an industrial suburb on the western

fringes. Crowds were returning to markets in Delhi as the annual

Dussenhra Festival approached. Cinemas were also fumigated and

will be re opened on Monday after having their doors closed for

ten days. Indian exporters are hoping to boun ce back quickly from

the outbreak which has cost hun dreds of millions of dollars to

both tourism and trade. Ministry officials estimated that up to 20

percent of monthly overseas sales of between 1.5 and two billion

dollars may have been affected by actions taken against Indian

goods. The Federation of Indian Chambers and Commerce and Industry

(FICCI) estimated total losses to tourism and trade since the

disease was diagnosed on September 20 at more than 650 million

dollars.

SHOWS:

(DELHI, INDIA, 9/10) GVS street scenes. Streets with

shoppers. Women looking at saris. CU food in cafe, people eating.

Cinema exterior, billboards. Cinema notice - open from Oct 10th.

Man fumigating cinema. Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana

helping in clean up with shovel. Various of clean-up. Shovelling

rubbish. CU shovel. WS hospital. People on beds with hygiene

masks. CU doctor and patient with bandage. Patient taking pills

with doctor.

LEADIN:

In some parts of India mountains of garbage are becoming a real problem.

Community groups are beginning to spread awareness about the garbage amassing in public spaces.

They are organising clean-up teams to help reclaim the country's garbage-strewn streets, parks and beaches.

STORYLINE:

Welcome to Mumbai's Versova beach - a symbol of India's growing waste problem.

Government estimates suggest that each of India's 1.3 billion citizens generates roughly 0.2 to 0.6 kilograms (approximately 0.44 to 1.3 pounds) per day.

Waterways across the country are choked by the mounting rubbish - a collection of discarded plastic bags, bottles, clothes and wrappers.

But many people have had enough.

For the past two years, Mumbai based lawyer Afroz Shah has spent every weekend cleaning Versova beach, yet every time he does there's still plenty more to pick up.

He started off alone as a man who was simply fed up of seeing the oceans, a lovely natural phenomenon for Shah, filled with plastic.

His passion and drive has grown into a steady group of volunteers who dedicate two hours every Saturday and Sunday in the pursuit of a clean, plastic-free ocean.

"All stakeholders must have to come forward, this includes the citizens, the government, the NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations), the environmentalists, you know…United Nations Environment, UN, everybody must come on the ground level. We have too many laws, too many policies, less enforcement, so what we are doing is enforcing the law actually," Shah says.

Along with hundreds of volunteers, Shah has picked up over five million kilograms of trash, mostly plastic, from the beach.

Wearing hats, gloves, face masks, and smiles on their faces, the volunteers also include foreign tourists.

Ines Lemberger, a tourist from Germany, was shocked to see the state of the environment.

"Oh God…to me this was the most shocking place I've ever been to actually, I mean, really, it's horrible. Especially when you're from Germany (which is) such a very clean country, and then (it is) even worse to see how all this trash lands in the ocean and makes me really sad," she says.

Lemberger is, however, happy that the clean up mission has local support.

But New Delhi-based group New Delhi Rising finds it hard to pull in the same numbers.

Founder Nakul, who only uses one name, started the clean up group in 2014, just before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his Swacch Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) in October that year.

And while the conversation around cleanliness in the country has certainly increased, Nakul still finds it hard to get people out cleaning each weekend.

He has received help from students of The Indian School in New Delhi, who volunteer on a regular basis as part of the school's citizenship program.

Nakul says he believes people need to realize that the garbage situation is one that the government alone cannot fix.

"It only takes two hours, doesn't take money, it only takes will power and I hope more and more citizens take inspiration from all the work different groups around India are doing, and just come out and take their own local community, and do something," he says.

According to New Delhi based Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, Delhi alone produces 15,500 tons of trash every day.

"A major problem, I would say, with waste management in India, is that people are not even aware of how big the problem is," says Chitra Mukherjee, Head of Programmes at Chintan.

"I mean, unless you are actually working in this sector and you are actually involved in environment, you don't even know that…you're basically sitting on a time bomb," she adds.

Mukherjee also believes that people who are aware of the depth of the problem, and willing to engage with the issue, are the key.

"The citizen has to realize that this is my waste, nobody is going to take care of it but me," she says.

Mumbai, India – 29 July, 2017

1. Pan shot of Versova beach, where a group of volunteers have been led by local lawyer Afroz Shah to clean up the waste

2. Volunteers picking up garbage from the sand and putting it into bins

3. Various of garbage on beach and in water

4. Various of Afroz Shah, lawyer who initiated clean up, picking up garbage along side volunteers

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Afroz Shah, Lawyer:

"All stakeholders must have to come forward, this includes the citizens, the government, the NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations), the environmentalists, you know…United Nations Environment, UN, everybody must come on the ground level. We have too many laws, too many policies, less enforcement, so what we are doing is enforcing the law actually."

6. Dog and crows sitting on a mound of garbage

7. Various of Ines Lemberger, German tourist visiting India, cleaning up

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ines Lemberger, German tourist visiting India:

"Oh God…to me this was the most shocking place I've ever been to actually, I mean, really, it's horrible. Especially when you're from Germany (which is) such a very clean country, and then (it is) even worse to see how all this trash lands in the ocean and makes me really sad."

New Delhi, India – 22 July, 2017

9. Various of girls from The Indian School cleaning posters off a wall under a central New Delhi flyover

10. Various of other volunteers helping remove posters from underneath the flyover

11. Various of Nakul (uses one name), founder of clean up group New Delhi Rising painting concrete walls

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Nakul (uses one name), Founder of New Delhi Rising:

"It only takes two hours, doesn't take money, it only takes will power and I hope more and more citizens take inspiration from all the work different groups around India are doing, and just come out and take their own local community, and do something."

Mumbai, India – 29 July, 2017

13. Wide of truck carrying garbage on Versova beach

14. Wide of volunteers dumping garbage in one spot for collection

New Delhi, India – 16 August, 2017

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Chitra Mukherjee, Head of Programmes, Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group:

"A major problem, I would say, with waste management in India, is that people are not even aware of how big the problem is. I mean, unless you are actually working in this sector and you are actually involved in environment, you don't even know that, you know, we are actually sitting…this is just a... you're basically sitting on a time bomb."

New Delhi, India – 22 July, 2017

16. Various of New Delhi Rising volunteers underneath the flyover

New Delhi, India – 16 August, 2017

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Chitra Mukherjee, Head of Programmes, Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group:

"Whether it is larger places like Delhi and Bangalore, or Mumbai, or small places, it is…the key is getting citizens involved. The citizen has to realize that this is my waste, nobody is going to take care of it but me."

Mumbai, India – 29 July, 2017

18. Shah dumping garbage in a separate pile with the help of a volunteer

19. Mid shot of garbage pile at the beach

20. Shah giving instructions to volunteers

21. Women carrying bags of garbage on their heads

LEADIN:

In some parts of India mountains of garbage are becoming a real problem.

Community groups are beginning to spread awareness about the garbage amassing in public spaces.

They are organising clean-up teams to help reclaim the country's garbage-strewn streets, parks and beaches.

STORYLINE:

Welcome to Mumbai's Versova beach - a symbol of India's growing waste problem.

Government estimates suggest that each of India's 1.3 billion citizens generates roughly 0.2 to 0.6 kilograms (approximately 0.44 to 1.3 pounds) per day.

Waterways across the country are choked by the mounting rubbish - a collection of discarded plastic bags, bottles, clothes and wrappers.

But many people have had enough.

For the past two years, Mumbai based lawyer Afroz Shah has spent every weekend cleaning Versova beach, yet every time he does there's still plenty more to pick up.

He started off alone as a man who was simply fed up of seeing the oceans, a lovely natural phenomenon for Shah, filled with plastic.

His passion and drive has grown into a steady group of volunteers who dedicate two hours every Saturday and Sunday in the pursuit of a clean, plastic-free ocean.

"All stakeholders must have to come forward, this includes the citizens, the government, the NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations), the environmentalists, you know…United Nations Environment, UN, everybody must come on the ground level. We have too many laws, too many policies, less enforcement, so what we are doing is enforcing the law actually," Shah says.

Along with hundreds of volunteers, Shah has picked up over five million kilograms of trash, mostly plastic, from the beach.

Wearing hats, gloves, face masks, and smiles on their faces, the volunteers also include foreign tourists.

Ines Lemberger, a tourist from Germany, was shocked to see the state of the environment.

"Oh God…to me this was the most shocking place I've ever been to actually, I mean, really, it's horrible. Especially when you're from Germany (which is) such a very clean country, and then (it is) even worse to see how all this trash lands in the ocean and makes me really sad," she says.

Lemberger is, however, happy that the clean up mission has local support.

But New Delhi-based group New Delhi Rising finds it hard to pull in the same numbers.

Founder Nakul, who only uses one name, started the clean up group in 2014, just before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his Swacch Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) in October that year.

And while the conversation around cleanliness in the country has certainly increased, Nakul still finds it hard to get people out cleaning each weekend.

He has received help from students of The Indian School in New Delhi, who volunteer on a regular basis as part of the school's citizenship program.

Nakul says he believes people need to realize that the garbage situation is one that the government alone cannot fix.

"It only takes two hours, doesn't take money, it only takes will power and I hope more and more citizens take inspiration from all the work different groups around India are doing, and just come out and take their own local community, and do something," he says.

According to New Delhi based Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, Delhi alone produces 15,500 tons of trash every day.

"A major problem, I would say, with waste management in India, is that people are not even aware of how big the problem is," says Chitra Mukherjee, Head of Programmes at Chintan.

"I mean, unless you are actually working in this sector and you are actually involved in environment, you don't even know that…you're basically sitting on a time bomb," she adds.

Mukherjee also believes that people who are aware of the depth of the problem, and willing to engage with the issue, are the key.

"The citizen has to realize that this is my waste, nobody is going to take care of it but me," she says.

Mumbai, India – 29 July, 2017

1. Pan shot of Versova beach, where a group of volunteers have been led by local lawyer Afroz Shah to clean up the waste

2. Volunteers picking up garbage from the sand and putting it into bins

3. Various of garbage on beach and in water

4. Various of Afroz Shah, lawyer who initiated clean up, picking up garbage along side volunteers

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Afroz Shah, Lawyer:

"All stakeholders must have to come forward, this includes the citizens, the government, the NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations), the environmentalists, you know…United Nations Environment, UN, everybody must come on the ground level. We have too many laws, too many policies, less enforcement, so what we are doing is enforcing the law actually."

6. Dog and crows sitting on a mound of garbage

7. Various of Ines Lemberger, German tourist visiting India, cleaning up

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ines Lemberger, German tourist visiting India:

"Oh God…to me this was the most shocking place I've ever been to actually, I mean, really, it's horrible. Especially when you're from Germany (which is) such a very clean country, and then (it is) even worse to see how all this trash lands in the ocean and makes me really sad."

New Delhi, India – 22 July, 2017

9. Various of girls from The Indian School cleaning posters off a wall under a central New Delhi flyover

10. Various of other volunteers helping remove posters from underneath the flyover

11. Various of Nakul (uses one name), founder of clean up group New Delhi Rising painting concrete walls

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Nakul (uses one name), Founder of New Delhi Rising:

"It only takes two hours, doesn't take money, it only takes will power and I hope more and more citizens take inspiration from all the work different groups around India are doing, and just come out and take their own local community, and do something."

Mumbai, India – 29 July, 2017

13. Wide of truck carrying garbage on Versova beach

14. Wide of volunteers dumping garbage in one spot for collection

New Delhi, India – 16 August, 2017

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Chitra Mukherjee, Head of Programmes, Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group:

"A major problem, I would say, with waste management in India, is that people are not even aware of how big the problem is. I mean, unless you are actually working in this sector and you are actually involved in environment, you don't even know that, you know, we are actually sitting…this is just a... you're basically sitting on a time bomb."

New Delhi, India – 22 July, 2017

16. Various of New Delhi Rising volunteers underneath the flyover

New Delhi, India – 16 August, 2017

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Chitra Mukherjee, Head of Programmes, Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group:

"Whether it is larger places like Delhi and Bangalore, or Mumbai, or small places, it is…the key is getting citizens involved. The citizen has to realize that this is my waste, nobody is going to take care of it but me."

Mumbai, India – 29 July, 2017

18. Shah dumping garbage in a separate pile with the help of a volunteer

19. Mid shot of garbage pile at the beach

20. Shah giving instructions to volunteers

21. Women carrying bags of garbage on their heads

INDIA CLEANUP

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTIONS: AP CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 3:22

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS – AP Clients Only

Mumbai, India – 29 July, 2017

1. Pan shot of Versova beach, where a group of volunteers have been led by local lawyer Afroz Shah to clean up the waste

2. Volunteers picking up garbage from the sand and putting it into bins

3. Various of garbage on beach and in water

4. Various of Afroz Shah, lawyer who initiated clean up, picking up garbage along side volunteers

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Afroz Shah, Lawyer:

"All stakeholders must have to come forward, this includes the citizens, the government, the NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations), the environmentalists, you know…United Nations Environment, UN, everybody must come on the ground level. We have too many laws, too many policies, less enforcement, so what we are doing is enforcing the law actually."

6. Dog and crows sitting on a mound of garbage

7. Various of Ines Lemberger, German tourist visiting India, cleaning up

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ines Lemberger, German tourist visiting India:

"Oh God…to me this was the most shocking place I've ever been to actually, I mean, really, it's horrible. Especially when you're from Germany (which is) such a very clean country, and then (it is) even worse to see how all this trash lands in the ocean and makes me really sad."

ASSOCIATED PRESS – AP Clients Only

New Delhi, India – 22 July, 2017

9. Various of girls from The Indian School cleaning posters off a wall under a central New Delhi flyover

10. Various of other volunteers helping remove posters from underneath the flyover

11. Various of Nakul (uses one name), founder of clean up group New Delhi Rising painting concrete walls

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Nakul (uses one name), Founder of New Delhi Rising:

"It only takes two hours, doesn't take money, it only takes will power and I hope more and more citizens take inspiration from all the work different groups around India are doing, and just come out and take their own local community, and do something."

ASSOCIATED PRESS – AP Clients Only

Mumbai, India – 29 July, 2017

13. Wide of truck carrying garbage on Versova beach

14. Wide of volunteers dumping garbage in one spot for collection

ASSOCIATED PRESS – AP Clients Only

New Delhi, India – 16 August, 2017

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Chitra Mukherjee, Head of Programmes, Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group:

"A major problem, I would say, with waste management in India, is that people are not even aware of how big the problem is. I mean, unless you are actually working in this sector and you are actually involved in environment, you don't even know that, you know, we are actually sitting…this is just a... you're basically sitting on a time bomb."

ASSOCIATED PRESS – AP Clients Only

New Delhi, India – 22 July, 2017

16. Various of New Delhi Rising volunteers underneath the flyover

ASSOCIATED PRESS – AP Clients Only

New Delhi, India – 16 August, 2017

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Chitra Mukherjee, Head of Programmes, Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group:

"Whether it is larger places like Delhi and Bangalore, or Mumbai, or small places, it is…the key is getting citizens involved. The citizen has to realize that this is my waste, nobody is going to take care of it but me."

ASSOCIATED PRESS – AP Clients Only

Mumbai, India – 29 July, 2017

18. Shah dumping garbage in a separate pile with the help of a volunteer

19. Mid shot of garbage pile at the beach

20. Shah giving instructions to volunteers

21. Women carrying bags of garbage on their heads

LEADIN:

In some parts of India mountains of garbage are becoming a real problem.

Community groups are beginning to spread awareness about the garbage amassing in public spaces.

They are organising clean-up teams to help reclaim the country's garbage-strewn streets, parks and beaches.

STORYLINE:

Welcome to Mumbai's Versova beach - a symbol of India's growing waste problem.

Government estimates suggest that each of India's 1.3 billion citizens generates roughly 0.2 to 0.6 kilograms (approximately 0.44 to 1.3 pounds) per day.

Waterways across the country are choked by the mounting rubbish - a collection of discarded plastic bags, bottles, clothes and wrappers.

But many people have had enough.

For the past two years, Mumbai based lawyer Afroz Shah has spent every weekend cleaning Versova beach, yet every time he does there's still plenty more to pick up.

He started off alone as a man who was simply fed up of seeing the oceans, a lovely natural phenomenon for Shah, filled with plastic.

His passion and drive has grown into a steady group of volunteers who dedicate two hours every Saturday and Sunday in the pursuit of a clean, plastic-free ocean.

"All stakeholders must have to come forward, this includes the citizens, the government, the NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations), the environmentalists, you know…United Nations Environment, UN, everybody must come on the ground level. We have too many laws, too many policies, less enforcement, so what we are doing is enforcing the law actually," Shah says.

Along with hundreds of volunteers, Shah has picked up over five million kilograms of trash, mostly plastic, from the beach.

Wearing hats, gloves, face masks, and smiles on their faces, the volunteers also include foreign tourists.

Ines Lemberger, a tourist from Germany, was shocked to see the state of the environment.

"Oh God…to me this was the most shocking place I've ever been to actually, I mean, really, it's horrible. Especially when you're from Germany (which is) such a very clean country, and then (it is) even worse to see how all this trash lands in the ocean and makes me really sad," she says.

Lemberger is, however, happy that the clean up mission has local support.

But New Delhi-based group New Delhi Rising finds it hard to pull in the same numbers.

Founder Nakul, who only uses one name, started the clean up group in 2014, just before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his Swacch Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) in October that year.

And while the conversation around cleanliness in the country has certainly increased, Nakul still finds it hard to get people out cleaning each weekend.

He has received help from students of The Indian School in New Delhi, who volunteer on a regular basis as part of the school's citizenship program.

Nakul says he believes people need to realize that the garbage situation is one that the government alone cannot fix.

"It only takes two hours, doesn't take money, it only takes will power and I hope more and more citizens take inspiration from all the work different groups around India are doing, and just come out and take their own local community, and do something," he says.

According to New Delhi based Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, Delhi alone produces 15,500 tons of trash every day.

"A major problem, I would say, with waste management in India, is that people are not even aware of how big the problem is," says Chitra Mukherjee, Head of Programmes at Chintan.

"I mean, unless you are actually working in this sector and you are actually involved in environment, you don't even know that…you're basically sitting on a time bomb," she adds.

Mukherjee also believes that people who are aware of the depth of the problem, and willing to engage with the issue, are the key.

"The citizen has to realize that this is my waste, nobody is going to take care of it but me," she says.

====

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SHOTLIST

DUSK/NIGHT SHOTS

AP Television

1. Various of debris and police site of blast near subway station in Connaught place, New Delhi's central business district

TV Today - No Access India

2. Pan from garbage bin near subway station in Connaught Place to blood on pavement

3. Police at scene

4. Close of personal belongings and blood on pavement

TV Today - No Access India

5. Pan of police and debris at blast site in Karol Bagh

6. Overturned and mangled rickshaw

TV Today - No Access India

++QUALITY AS INCOMING++

7. SOUNDBITE (Hindi): Aarti Mehra, Mayor of Delhi

"It is a very cowardly and dastardly act by the terrorists. They want to break the spirit of Delhi. They have not been able to do that in other states of our country and they will not be able to do so in Delhi."

8. Various of police and debris at blast site in Greater Kailash market

TV Today - No Access India

++AMATEUR VIDEO++

9. Police van arriving at scene of blast in park in Connaught Place

10. Various of injured being carried away; UPSOUND sirens

11. Policemen carrying injured to van

12. Injured being put into van

AP Television

13. Sign for emergency wing at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, tilt down to people outside

14. Various of injured people arriving, making their way inside

AP Television

15. Forensic experts rummaging through contents of garbage bin in Connaught Place

16. Forensic expert marking road with chalk

17. Various of bloodstains and fragments being encircled with chalk

18. Bagged samples

19. Various of men bagging samples

20. Close of garbage bin

21. Wide exterior of 'Regal' cinema hall, where unexploded bomb was detected

22. Various of bomb in box

23. Wide of bomb disposal team detonating bomb in circular bomb disposal machine; lets off smoke

24. Mid of circular bomb disposal machine

AP Television

25. End shot of police in Connaught Place

STORYLINE

A coordinated series of explosions struck a park and crowded shopping areas across the Indian capital on Saturday evening, killing at least 18 people and wounding at least 61 more, officials said.

A Muslim militant group claimed responsibility for the bombings.

A number of Indian media outlets received an e-mail sent just before the blasts warning that India was about to receive "the Message of Death."

"In the name of Allah, Indian Mujahideen strikes back once more. ... Do whatever you can. Stop us if you can," said the message.

All of the bombs exploded in, or very near, crowded shopping areas in various parts of New Delhi.

They began going off just before sundown - prime time for weekend shoppers in this crowded, chaotic city.

Police Commissioner Y. S. Dadwal said there had been five explosions, though Mayor Arti Mehra said there had been as many as seven, and that at least 61 people had been wounded.

"It is a very cowardly and dastardly act by the terrorists," Mehra told reporters near the scene of two of the explosions, in the M-Block market of the city's upscale Greater Kailash neighbourhood.

"They want to break the spirit of Delhi. They have not been able to do that in other states of our country and they will not be able to do so in Delhi," she said.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil said at least 18 people had been killed.

The deadliest explosion was believed to be in Gaffar Market in the city's Karol Bagh neighbourhood, a warren of stores popular among wholesalers and bargain-hunters.

It exploded on a street jammed with clothing shops and stores that sell cheap mobile phones.

Hours later, a mangled rickshaw could be seen in front of the small shop where the bomb exploded.

Two of the explosions occurred just 300 yards (metres) apart in Connaught Place, the city's central shopping district.

The usually crowded streets quickly emptied of shoppers and filled with screaming police cars, fire engines and gawking crowds.

One of those bombs went off by a subway station entrance on a major road, and a police officer at the scene said it appeared to have been left inside a plastic sidewalk garbage bin that had been ripped apart by the explosion.

He declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The sidewalk was covered with garbage, broken glass and a small pool of blood.

A second blast in Connaught Place went off inside a park crowded with families and young people relaxing on the grass.

Hours after the series explosions struck, security personnel detonated a bomb also in New Delhi's central Connaught Place district.

The live bomb was detected near a cinema hall and was isolated by men in bomb disposal suits.

Forensic experts also worked into the night collecting samples from the two blast sites in Connaught Place.

An unexploded bomb was also recovered near India Gate, a colonial-era memorial that is one of the country's best-known symbols, police said.

On weekend evenings, the park around India Gate is packed with families who flock there to picnic, buy ice cream for their children and enjoy the grass and the fountains.

The Indian Mujahideen was unknown before May, when it claimed responsibility for a series of bombings in the western city of Jaipur that killed 61 people.

The group also said it was responsible for July blasts in the western state of Gujarat that killed at least 45.

SHOTLIST

AP Television

(Connaught Place - near subway station)

1. Various of debris and police at site of one site of blast in Connaught place, New Delhi's central business district

TV Today - No Access India

(Connaught Place, New Delhi - near subway station)

2. Pan from garbage bin to blood on the pavement in Connaught Place

3. Police at the spot

4. Close of personal belongings and blood on pavement

TV Today - No Access India

(Karol Bagh, New Delhi)

5. Pan of police and debris at blast site in Karol Bagh

6. Tracking shot of bloodstains on the ground

7. Overturned autorickshaw

TV Today - No Access India

(Greater Kailash market, New Delhi)

++QUALITY AS INCOMING++

8. SOUNDBITE (Hindi): Aarti Mehra, Mayor of Delhi

"It is a very cowardly and dastardly act by the terrorists. They want to break the spirit of Delhi. They have not been able to do that in other states of our country and they will not be able to do so in Delhi."

9. Various of police and debris at blast site in Greater Kailash market

TV Today - No Access India (+AMATEUR VIDEO+)

(Connaught Place, New Delhi - in park)

10. Police van arriving at blast in park site in Connaught Place

11. Various of injured being carried away; UPSOUND sirens

12. Police and people at the spot near park

13. Policemen carrying injured to van

14. Injured being put into van

AP Television

(Connaught Place, New Delhi - in park)

15. Police at the site of blast

16. SOUNDBITE (Hindi): Y. S. Dadwal, Police Commissioner, Delhi

++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

"There have been three blasts which have caused deaths and injuries. There were two other blasts in which there were no injuries. Besides these, two bombs have been found which we are in the process of defusing."

17. Security at blast site

AP Television

(Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, New Delhi)

8. Ambulance arriving at hospital

9. Various of injured being taken into hospital

10. Pan from Emergency Wing to people outside

TV Today - No Access India

(New Delhi - exact location unknown)

11. SOUNDBITE (Hindi): Sriprakash Jaiswal, Minister of State for Home Affairs

"There was general intelligence that terrorists could cause any kind of incident anywhere in the country especially the metro cities. Delhi police was alert and had arrested a number of suspects in recent days."

AP Television

Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, New Delhi

12. Various of injured being wheeled into hospital

13. Ambulance with sirens wailing arriving at hospital

TV Today - No Access India

New Delhi

14. Wide of movie hall outside which a bomb was defused

15. Various of two men in bomb disposal suit handling a box

STORYLINE

A coordinated series of explosions struck a park and crowded shopping areas across the Indian capital on Saturday evening, killing at least 18 people and wounding at least 61 more, officials said.

A Muslim militant group claimed responsibility for the bombings.

A number of Indian media outlets received an e-mail sent just before the blasts warning that India was about to receive "the Message of Death."

"In the name of Allah, Indian Mujahideen strikes back once more. ... Do whatever you can. Stop us if you can," said the message.

All of the bombs exploded in, or very near, crowded shopping areas in various parts of New Delhi.

They began going off just before sundown - prime time for weekend shoppers in this crowded, chaotic city.

Police Commissioner Y. S. Dadwal said there had been five explosions, though Mayor Arti Mehra said there had been as many as seven, and that at least 61 people had been wounded.

"It is a very cowardly and dastardly act by the terrorists," Mehra told reporters near the scene of two of the explosions, in the M-Block market of the city's upscale Greater Kailash neighbourhood.

They want to break the spirit of Delhi. They have not been able to do that in other states of our country and they will not be able to do so in Delhi," she said.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil said at least 18 people had been killed.

The Indian Mujahideen was unknown before May, when it claimed responsibility for a series of bombings in the western city of Jaipur that killed 61 people.

The group also said it was responsible for July blasts in the western state of Gujarat that killed at least 45.

The deadliest explosion was believed to be in Gaffar Market in the city's Karol Bagh neighbourhood, a warren of stores popular among wholesalers and bargain-hunters.

It exploded on a street jammed with clothing shops and stores that sell cheap mobile phones.

Hours later, a mangled rickshaw could be seen in front of the small shop where the bomb exploded.

Two of the explosions occurred just 300 yards (metres) apart in Connaught Place, the city's central shopping district.

The usually crowded streets quickly emptied of shoppers and filled with screaming police cars, fire engines and gawking crowds.

One of those bombs went off by a subway station entrance on a major road, and a police officer at the scene said it appeared to have been left inside a plastic sidewalk garbage bin that had been ripped apart by the explosion.

He declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The sidewalk was covered with garbage, broken glass and a small pool of blood.

A second blast in Connaught Place went off inside a park crowded with families and young people relaxing on the grass.

"There was general intelligence that terrorists could cause any kind of incident anywhere in the country especially the metro cities. Delhi police was alert and had arrested a number of suspects in recent days," Sriprakash Jaiswal, Minister of State for Home Affairs, told Indian TV Today.

TV Today also showed pictures of two men in bomb disposal gear handling a box thought to be a bomb left at the entrance of a movie hall.

SHOTLIST

AP Television

(Connaught Place - near subway station)

1. Various of debris and police at site of one site of blast in Connaught place, New Delhi's central business district

TV Today - No Access India

(Connaught Place, New Delhi - near subway station)

2. Pan from garbage bin to blood on the pavement in Connaught Place

3. Police at the spot

4. Close of personal belongings and blood on pavement

TV Today - No Access India

(Karol Bagh, New Delhi)

5. Pan of police and debris at blast site in Karol Bagh

6. Tracking shot of bloodstains on the ground

7. Overturned autorickshaw

TV Today - No Access India

(Greater Kailash market, New Delhi)

++QUALITY AS INCOMING++

8. SOUNDBITE (Hindi): Aarti Mehra, Mayor of Delhi

"It is a very cowardly and dastardly act by the terrorists. They want to break the spirit of Delhi. They have not been able to do that in other states of our country and they will not be able to do so in Delhi."

9. Various of police and debris at blast site in Greater Kailash market

TV Today - No Access India (++AMATEUR VIDEO++)

(Connaught Place, New Delhi - in park)

10. Police van arriving at blast in park site in Connaught Place

11. Various of injured being carried away; UPSOUND sirens

12. Police and people at the spot near park

13. Policemen carrying injured to van

14. Injured being put into van

AP Television

(Connaught Place, New Delhi - in park)

15. Police at the site of blast

16. Security at blast site

AP Television

(Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, New Delhi)

17. Pan from Emergency Wing to people outside

18. Various of injured being taken into hospital

19. Ambulance with sirens wailing arriving at hospital

STORYLINE

A coordinated series of explosions struck a park and crowded shopping areas across the Indian capital on Saturday evening, killing at least 18 people and wounding at least 61 more, officials said.

A Muslim militant group claimed responsibility for the bombings.

A number of Indian media outlets received an e-mail sent just before the blasts warning that India was about to receive "the Message of Death."

"In the name of Allah, Indian Mujahideen strikes back once more. ... Do whatever you can. Stop us if you can," said the message.

All of the bombs exploded in, or very near, crowded shopping areas in various parts of New Delhi.

They began going off just before sundown - prime time for weekend shoppers in this crowded, chaotic city.

Police Commissioner Y. S. Dadwal said there had been five explosions, though Mayor Arti Mehra said there had been as many as seven, and that at least 61 people had been wounded.

"It is a very cowardly and dastardly act by the terrorists," Mehra told reporters near the scene of two of the explosions, in the M-Block market of the city's upscale Greater Kailash neighbourhood.

They want to break the spirit of Delhi. They have not been able to do that in other states of our country and they will not be able to do so in Delhi," she said.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil said at least 18 people had been killed.

The Indian Mujahideen was unknown before May, when it claimed responsibility for a series of bombings in the western city of Jaipur that killed 61 people.

The group also said it was responsible for July blasts in the western state of Gujarat that killed at least 45.

The deadliest explosion was believed to be in Gaffar Market in the city's Karol Bagh neighbourhood, a warren of stores popular among wholesalers and bargain-hunters.

It exploded on a street jammed with clothing shops and stores that sell cheap mobile phones.

Hours later, a mangled rickshaw could be seen in front of the small shop where the bomb exploded.

Two of the explosions occurred just 300 yards (metres) apart in Connaught Place, the city's central shopping district.

The usually crowded streets quickly emptied of shoppers and filled with screaming police cars, fire engines and gawking crowds.

One of those bombs went off by a subway station entrance on a major road, and a police officer at the scene said it appeared to have been left inside a plastic sidewalk garbage bin that had been ripped apart by the explosion.

He declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The sidewalk was covered with garbage, broken glass and a small pool of blood.

A second blast in Connaught Place went off inside a park crowded with families and young people relaxing on the grass.

SHOTLIST:

1. Greenpeace activists getting off a truck

2. Activists unloading trolleys full of garbage bags

3. Close-up of garbage bags, tilt up to activists on the truck

4. Activists unloading the dump, tilt up to activists in truck unfurling a banner reading: "France Your Waste Kills"

5. Police restraining an activist and grabbing the trolleys

6. Policeman pushing an activist, police loading trolleys back into the truck

7. Policewomen scuffling with women activists

8. Wide of truck with the activists standing on top holding their yellow banner, activists dumping garbage bags on the road

9. Truck being driven away

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vanutha Gopalan, Greenpeace campaigner:

"We were here to deliver messages of thousands.... of hundreds of Indian citizens. They have written messages to Jacques Chirac, to the president of France who is going to be here in India very soon. As a representative of the French government, we are bringing it to the French embassy to send these messages to him. The messages are very clear. France your waste kills. Do not dump your waste on Indian soil, do not contaminate our workers and our soil."

11. Close-up of a garbage bag with message reading: "France Your Waste Kills"

12. SOUNDBITE (English): P K Ganguly, Trade Union leader:

"We are not against ship-breaking, but we are against this contamination, asbestos, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and all these things which are killing our workers, all these things. So, they must go back."

13. Pan from garbage bags to Greenpeace activist arguing with the police

14. Wide of French embassy, with soldiers standing guard outside

15. Zoom out from French flag to Greenpeace activists lined up in front of a banner

STORYLINE :

Greenpeace activists tried to deliver hundreds of rubbish bags to the French embassy in New Delhi on Thursday to protest against the scrapping in India of a decommissioned French warship alleged to contain hundreds of tons of toxic waste.

The bags containing domestic waste and stamped with the message, "France Your Waste Kills" printed on them, were collected by Greenpeace protesters during a week-long campaign against the ship Clemenceau entering India.

French President Jacques Chirac is due to visit India later this month, and Greenpeace activists said they want to deliver a clear message to him during his visit, by way of the garbage bags.

"We are bringing it to the French embassy to send these messages to him. The messages are very clear. France your waste kills. Do not dump your waste on Indian soil, do not contaminate our workers and our soil," said Vanutha Gopalan, one of the campaigners.

Greenpeace claims the ship has at least 500 tonnes of asbestos on board that France wants to dump in India.

The French Defence Ministry has said most of the asbestos has been removed from the vessel and it is carrying only 45 tonnes of asbestos.

Environmentalists and trade unions have demanded that France decontaminate the Clemenceau of asbestos before it is dismantled at the Alang ship-breaking yard in western Gujarat state.

A coalition of trade unions representing the unorganised migrant workers of the ship-breaking yard joined the protest on Thursday.

"We are not against ship-breaking, but we are against this contamination, asbestos, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and all these things which are killing our workers, all these things. So, they must go back," said Trade Union leader, P K Ganguly.

The Indian Supreme Court has barred the ship from Indian territorial waters until experts determine whether it is carrying hazardous waste.

The court is expected to decide the issue on February 13.

The Clemenceau, currently in the Arabian sea, left the French Mediterranean port of Toulon on December 31 and is expected to reach the Alang ship-breaking yard in western India in early March.

Greenpeace says the ship's arrival in India would violate the Basel Convention, an international pact on the trade in potentially hazardous waste, and has vowed to continue protests until the ship is decontaminated in France.

Activists said France possessed sophisticated equipment needed to decontaminate the ship, while the Indian port did not.

Workers in Alang use bare hands and hand tools to break up ships, exposing them to any hazardous materials they contain.

France's ambassador to India, Dominique Girard, said on Wednesday that France would be willing to take back asbestos contained in the decommissioned warship if the Indian government or courts ordered it.

He promised that the workers' health would be tracked during and after the ship-breaking project.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4040973

LEAD IN:

The southern-most Indian state of Tamil Nadu is seeing a new wave of surfers.

Born into the fishing communities around Chennai, many boys have now given up the trade - taking up full-time surfing instead to travel the world participating in ocean championships.

STORY-LINE:

In Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu state, the long stretch of coastline is mostly lined with fishing hamlets.

For decades, the coastline was seen as nothing more than a home for fishermen, with few options for young people to do anything else.

However, a number of fishermen have given up the trade to take up surfing instead, in pursuit of a better and more exciting future.

It's common to see the Chennai coast dotted with fishing boats, nets and people selling their daily catch.

But in the past few years, surfboards and surfers are also becoming a common sight, especially at Covelong Surf Point.

Surfing points such as this have mushroomed along Chennai, thanks to tourists and locals who've discovered the area's potential.

The waves break in such a way that it is perfect for surfing, with some comparing the experience to that of Bali in Indonesia.

A few years ago, Murthy Megavan opened up "Social Surf School" which is the driving force behind these fishermen-turned-surfers.

He only got interested in surfing after a chance encounter.

"In 2003, an Australian who was visiting had given a surf board to a local boy here, but that boy had no idea what it was. I paid him Rs1500 (apx $22) and bought that board from him and I tried surfing," says Megavan.

Meghavan is a self-taught surfer, who later honed his skills with the help of generous donors and professionals who were willing to support him.

He later set up the surfing school, with the support of donors, as a way to teach other young fishermen the skills that he learnt.

Meghavan says he had a tough childhood as his father was an alcoholic and he mostly stayed with his grandmother who looked after him.

He says that alcohol and drugs are a big problem in the fishing community, and he wants to change that.

He wants to break the cycle, and help youngsters focus on sports so they don't make the same choices as the older generation did.

So, he offers free lessons to the local kids.

His only condition for signing up for these classes is – they should not drink or smoke.

He also makes it mandatory for the surfers to clean up the beach and make sure it is maintained well.

Most of Chennai's coastline is underused and is filled with garbage, with little to no effort taken to maintain the beach.

These surfers want to change that.

At present, a very strong community of surfers has emerged from this surf school and they not only participate in competitions around the world, but also teach surfing to others.

Sekar who uses only one name, is one such surfer.

This two-time national champion winner is one of the top surfers in the senior category in India.

He says that, before he met Meghavan, his life only revolved around fishing.

But now, he works at the school full-time as an instructor and also participates in competitions in India and abroad.

He says that his life has changed, thanks to the rigor and focus of the training he has to maintain.

Vikram Menon, a sports promoter and a regular surfer at Covelong surf point says that the boys who train here have immense potential.

"I think it's amazing that these boys actually have an option. Because, many of them in the past wouldn't have had an option to do whatever they want to do. But here, they are getting a chance to surf, to get fitter and maybe in some cases, even put themselves on the world stage. We have a bunch of boys from here who are some of the best surfers in Asia. So, you never know, maybe a year from now or maybe ten years from now we'll have somebody on the world stage."

Meghavan says that he dreams of a day when Chennai too can become a tourist hub for surfers and wants to see the local community thriving and catering to the tourists.

He also wants the surfing school to grow in an organic and socially responsible way.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4040973

LEAD IN:

The southern-most Indian state of Tamil Nadu is seeing a new wave of surfers.

Born into the fishing communities around Chennai, many boys have now given up the trade - taking up full-time surfing instead to travel the world participating in ocean championships.

STORY-LINE:

In Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu state, the long stretch of coastline is mostly lined with fishing hamlets.

For decades, the coastline was seen as nothing more than a home for fishermen, with few options for young people to do anything else.

However, a number of fishermen have given up the trade to take up surfing instead, in pursuit of a better and more exciting future.

It's common to see the Chennai coast dotted with fishing boats, nets and people selling their daily catch.

But in the past few years, surfboards and surfers are also becoming a common sight, especially at Covelong Surf Point.

Surfing points such as this have mushroomed along Chennai, thanks to tourists and locals who've discovered the area's potential.

The waves break in such a way that it is perfect for surfing, with some comparing the experience to that of Bali in Indonesia.

A few years ago, Murthy Megavan opened up "Social Surf School" which is the driving force behind these fishermen-turned-surfers.

He only got interested in surfing after a chance encounter.

"In 2003, an Australian who was visiting had given a surf board to a local boy here, but that boy had no idea what it was. I paid him Rs1500 (apx $22) and bought that board from him and I tried surfing," says Megavan.

Meghavan is a self-taught surfer, who later honed his skills with the help of generous donors and professionals who were willing to support him.

He later set up the surfing school, with the support of donors, as a way to teach other young fishermen the skills that he learnt.

Meghavan says he had a tough childhood as his father was an alcoholic and he mostly stayed with his grandmother who looked after him.

He says that alcohol and drugs are a big problem in the fishing community, and he wants to change that.

He wants to break the cycle, and help youngsters focus on sports so they don't make the same choices as the older generation did.

So, he offers free lessons to the local kids.

His only condition for signing up for these classes is – they should not drink or smoke.

He also makes it mandatory for the surfers to clean up the beach and make sure it is maintained well.

Most of Chennai's coastline is underused and is filled with garbage, with little to no effort taken to maintain the beach.

These surfers want to change that.

At present, a very strong community of surfers has emerged from this surf school and they not only participate in competitions around the world, but also teach surfing to others.

Sekar who uses only one name, is one such surfer.

This two-time national champion winner is one of the top surfers in the senior category in India.

He says that, before he met Meghavan, his life only revolved around fishing.

But now, he works at the school full-time as an instructor and also participates in competitions in India and abroad.

He says that his life has changed, thanks to the rigor and focus of the training he has to maintain.

Vikram Menon, a sports promoter and a regular surfer at Covelong surf point says that the boys who train here have immense potential.

"I think it's amazing that these boys actually have an option. Because, many of them in the past wouldn't have had an option to do whatever they want to do. But here, they are getting a chance to surf, to get fitter and maybe in some cases, even put themselves on the world stage. We have a bunch of boys from here who are some of the best surfers in Asia. So, you never know, maybe a year from now or maybe ten years from now we'll have somebody on the world stage."

Meghavan says that he dreams of a day when Chennai too can become a tourist hub for surfers and wants to see the local community thriving and catering to the tourists.

He also wants the surfing school to grow in an organic and socially responsible way.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 7 May 2016

1. Tilt up of the ocean at sunrise

2. Wide of fishermen on a boat

3. Various of a temple along a fishing village

4. Shot of Murthy Megavan, founder, "Social Surf School" surfing

5. Mid of another surfer

6. Wide of Murthy Megavan surfing

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 6 May 2016

7. SOUNDBITE (Tamil) Murthy Megavan, Founder, Social Surf School, Covelong:

"In 2003, an Australian who was visiting had given a surfboard to a local boy here, but that boy had no idea what it was. I paid him Rs1500 and bought that board from him and I tried surfing. My sister chided me for spending that much money on a board given the situation our family was in. I fought with her saying I earned the money going fishing everyday. I started practicing on the board and the locals used to make fun of me and laugh at me. But I did not give up, because I knew I would be able to surf one day. I was just confident, though I did not even know how to tie the leash."

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 7 May 2016

8. Various of the fishing village and boats

9. Various of two boys with their catch

10. Various of the fishing area

11. Mid of two boys sitting

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 6 May 2016

12. Various of the surfing school

13. Wide of a young boy from the fishing community surfing

14. Various of the boy taking a shower

15. Wide of boy putting the surfing board back

16. SOUNDBITE (Tamil) Murthy Megavan, Founder, Social Surf School, Covelong:

"First aim is to provide the local kids free surf boards and free lessons – the only condition is that they must refrain from drinking and smoking. I brought in drug awareness to the community. One more thing is, if the boys come and learn surfing here, it is their responsibility to keep the beach clean. I taught them how to keep this place clean. We also bring in local school children and we clean the beach here. We also set up eye camps and health camps, where the local boys get involved, help spread awareness by distributing flyers, and people from the local fishing communities can get free health check-ups, laser eye surgery, etc, with the help of a few hospitals."

17. Wide of a surfer from the village

18. Wide of people surfing

19. Mid of a surfer walking on the beach

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 7 May 2016

20. Mid of Meghavan in the ocean

21. Various of local boys surfing

22. Close of surfer from the school teaching

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 6 May 2016

23. SOUNDBITE (Tamil) Sekar (uses only one name), fisherman turned surfer:

"If you look at my background, all my life, I was only a fisherman. Then, I started learning how to surf from Murthy in my free-time. So, I was alternating between fishing and surfing. But then I progressed into surfing full-time, and then I became an instructor here and started teaching others. Now, I am a full-time surfer."

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 7 May 2016

24. Wide of a surfer walking along the coast

25. Various of surfers

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 6 May 2016

26. SOUNDBITE (Tamil) Sekar (uses only one name), fisherman turned surfer:

"Before we go for competitions, if the waves are good, we train intensely for a month or so. Before we go for every competition, we'll be a little tensed and we train a lot. We'll be very focused and practice all the time. Our only goal will be to win the competition. That way, surfing has brought about a lot of changes in me."

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 7 May 2016

27. Wide of surfers from India and abroad

28. Wide of a dog swimming along with the surfers

29. Wide of a German family on the beach

30. Various of the trophies won by the local surfers, in competitions in India and abroad

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Vikram Menon, sports promoter and surfer:

"I think it's amazing that these boys actually have an option. Because, many of them in the past wouldn't have had an option to do whatever they want to do. But here, they are getting a chance to surf, to get fitter and maybe in some cases, even put themselves on the world stage. We have a bunch of boys from here who are some of the best surfers in Asia. So, you never know, maybe a year from now or maybe ten years from now we'll have somebody on the world stage."

32. Various of surfers

33. Wide of the ocean

LEAD IN:

The southern-most Indian state of Tamil Nadu is seeing a new wave of surfers.

Born into the fishing communities around Chennai, many boys have now given up the trade - taking up full-time surfing instead to travel the world participating in ocean championships.

STORY-LINE:

In Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu state, the long stretch of coastline is mostly lined with fishing hamlets.

For decades, the coastline was seen as nothing more than a home for fishermen, with few options for young people to do anything else.

However, a number of fishermen have given up the trade to take up surfing instead, in pursuit of a better and more exciting future.

It's common to see the Chennai coast dotted with fishing boats, nets and people selling their daily catch.

But in the past few years, surfboards and surfers are also becoming a common sight, especially at Covelong Surf Point.

Surfing points such as this have mushroomed along Chennai, thanks to tourists and locals who've discovered the area's potential.

The waves break in such a way that it is perfect for surfing, with some comparing the experience to that of Bali in Indonesia.

A few years ago, Murthy Megavan opened up "Social Surf School" which is the driving force behind these fishermen-turned-surfers.

He only got interested in surfing after a chance encounter.

"In 2003, an Australian who was visiting had given a surf board to a local boy here, but that boy had no idea what it was. I paid him Rs1500 (apx $22) and bought that board from him and I tried surfing," says Megavan.

Meghavan is a self-taught surfer, who later honed his skills with the help of generous donors and professionals who were willing to support him.

He later set up the surfing school, with the support of donors, as a way to teach other young fishermen the skills that he learnt.

Meghavan says he had a tough childhood as his father was an alcoholic and he mostly stayed with his grandmother who looked after him.

He says that alcohol and drugs are a big problem in the fishing community, and he wants to change that.

He wants to break the cycle, and help youngsters focus on sports so they don't make the same choices as the older generation did.

So, he offers free lessons to the local kids.

His only condition for signing up for these classes is – they should not drink or smoke.

He also makes it mandatory for the surfers to clean up the beach and make sure it is maintained well.

Most of Chennai's coastline is underused and is filled with garbage, with little to no effort taken to maintain the beach.

These surfers want to change that.

At present, a very strong community of surfers has emerged from this surf school and they not only participate in competitions around the world, but also teach surfing to others.

Sekar who uses only one name, is one such surfer.

This two-time national champion winner is one of the top surfers in the senior category in India.

He says that, before he met Meghavan, his life only revolved around fishing.

But now, he works at the school full-time as an instructor and also participates in competitions in India and abroad.

He says that his life has changed, thanks to the rigor and focus of the training he has to maintain.

Vikram Menon, a sports promoter and a regular surfer at Covelong surf point says that the boys who train here have immense potential.

"I think it's amazing that these boys actually have an option. Because, many of them in the past wouldn't have had an option to do whatever they want to do. But here, they are getting a chance to surf, to get fitter and maybe in some cases, even put themselves on the world stage. We have a bunch of boys from here who are some of the best surfers in Asia. So, you never know, maybe a year from now or maybe ten years from now we'll have somebody on the world stage."

Meghavan says that he dreams of a day when Chennai too can become a tourist hub for surfers and wants to see the local community thriving and catering to the tourists.

He also wants the surfing school to grow in an organic and socially responsible way.

LEAD IN:

The southern-most Indian state of Tamil Nadu is seeing a new wave of surfers.

Born into the fishing communities around Chennai, many boys have now given up the trade - taking up full-time surfing instead to travel the world participating in ocean championships.

STORY-LINE:

In Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu state, the long stretch of coastline is mostly lined with fishing hamlets.

For decades, the coastline was seen as nothing more than a home for fishermen, with few options for young people to do anything else.

However, a number of fishermen have given up the trade to take up surfing instead, in pursuit of a better and more exciting future.

It's common to see the Chennai coast dotted with fishing boats, nets and people selling their daily catch.

But in the past few years, surfboards and surfers are also becoming a common sight, especially at Covelong Surf Point.

Surfing points such as this have mushroomed along Chennai, thanks to tourists and locals who've discovered the area's potential.

The waves break in such a way that it is perfect for surfing, with some comparing the experience to that of Bali in Indonesia.

A few years ago, Murthy Megavan opened up "Social Surf School" which is the driving force behind these fishermen-turned-surfers.

He only got interested in surfing after a chance encounter.

"In 2003, an Australian who was visiting had given a surf board to a local boy here, but that boy had no idea what it was. I paid him Rs1500 (apx $22) and bought that board from him and I tried surfing," says Megavan.

Meghavan is a self-taught surfer, who later honed his skills with the help of generous donors and professionals who were willing to support him.

He later set up the surfing school, with the support of donors, as a way to teach other young fishermen the skills that he learnt.

Meghavan says he had a tough childhood as his father was an alcoholic and he mostly stayed with his grandmother who looked after him.

He says that alcohol and drugs are a big problem in the fishing community, and he wants to change that.

He wants to break the cycle, and help youngsters focus on sports so they don't make the same choices as the older generation did.

So, he offers free lessons to the local kids.

His only condition for signing up for these classes is – they should not drink or smoke.

He also makes it mandatory for the surfers to clean up the beach and make sure it is maintained well.

Most of Chennai's coastline is underused and is filled with garbage, with little to no effort taken to maintain the beach.

These surfers want to change that.

At present, a very strong community of surfers has emerged from this surf school and they not only participate in competitions around the world, but also teach surfing to others.

Sekar who uses only one name, is one such surfer.

This two-time national champion winner is one of the top surfers in the senior category in India.

He says that, before he met Meghavan, his life only revolved around fishing.

But now, he works at the school full-time as an instructor and also participates in competitions in India and abroad.

He says that his life has changed, thanks to the rigor and focus of the training he has to maintain.

Vikram Menon, a sports promoter and a regular surfer at Covelong surf point says that the boys who train here have immense potential.

"I think it's amazing that these boys actually have an option. Because, many of them in the past wouldn't have had an option to do whatever they want to do. But here, they are getting a chance to surf, to get fitter and maybe in some cases, even put themselves on the world stage. We have a bunch of boys from here who are some of the best surfers in Asia. So, you never know, maybe a year from now or maybe ten years from now we'll have somebody on the world stage."

Meghavan says that he dreams of a day when Chennai too can become a tourist hub for surfers and wants to see the local community thriving and catering to the tourists.

He also wants the surfing school to grow in an organic and socially responsible way.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 7 May 2016

1. Tilt up of the ocean at sunrise

2. Wide of fishermen on a boat

3. Various of a temple along a fishing village

4. Shot of Murthy Megavan, founder, "Social Surf School" surfing

5. Mid of another surfer

6. Wide of Murthy Megavan surfing

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 6 May 2016

7. SOUNDBITE (Tamil) Murthy Megavan, Founder, Social Surf School, Covelong:

"In 2003, an Australian who was visiting had given a surfboard to a local boy here, but that boy had no idea what it was. I paid him Rs1500 and bought that board from him and I tried surfing. My sister chided me for spending that much money on a board given the situation our family was in. I fought with her saying I earned the money going fishing everyday. I started practicing on the board and the locals used to make fun of me and laugh at me. But I did not give up, because I knew I would be able to surf one day. I was just confident, though I did not even know how to tie the leash."

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 7 May 2016

8. Various of the fishing village and boats

9. Various of two boys with their catch

10. Various of the fishing area

11. Mid of two boys sitting

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 6 May 2016

12. Various of the surfing school

13. Wide of a young boy from the fishing community surfing

14. Various of the boy taking a shower

15. Wide of boy putting the surfing board back

16. SOUNDBITE (Tamil) Murthy Megavan, Founder, Social Surf School, Covelong:

"First aim is to provide the local kids free surf boards and free lessons – the only condition is that they must refrain from drinking and smoking. I brought in drug awareness to the community. One more thing is, if the boys come and learn surfing here, it is their responsibility to keep the beach clean. I taught them how to keep this place clean. We also bring in local school children and we clean the beach here. We also set up eye camps and health camps, where the local boys get involved, help spread awareness by distributing flyers, and people from the local fishing communities can get free health check-ups, laser eye surgery, etc, with the help of a few hospitals."

17. Wide of a surfer from the village

18. Wide of people surfing

19. Mid of a surfer walking on the beach

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 7 May 2016

20. Mid of Meghavan in the ocean

21. Various of local boys surfing

22. Close of surfer from the school teaching

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 6 May 2016

23. SOUNDBITE (Tamil) Sekar (uses only one name), fisherman turned surfer:

"If you look at my background, all my life, I was only a fisherman. Then, I started learning how to surf from Murthy in my free-time. So, I was alternating between fishing and surfing. But then I progressed into surfing full-time, and then I became an instructor here and started teaching others. Now, I am a full-time surfer."

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 7 May 2016

24. Wide of a surfer walking along the coast

25. Various of surfers

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 6 May 2016

26. SOUNDBITE (Tamil) Sekar (uses only one name), fisherman turned surfer:

"Before we go for competitions, if the waves are good, we train intensely for a month or so. Before we go for every competition, we'll be a little tensed and we train a lot. We'll be very focused and practice all the time. Our only goal will be to win the competition. That way, surfing has brought about a lot of changes in me."

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India - 7 May 2016

27. Wide of surfers from India and abroad

28. Wide of a dog swimming along with the surfers

29. Wide of a German family on the beach

30. Various of the trophies won by the local surfers, in competitions in India and abroad

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Vikram Menon, sports promoter and surfer:

"I think it's amazing that these boys actually have an option. Because, many of them in the past wouldn't have had an option to do whatever they want to do. But here, they are getting a chance to surf, to get fitter and maybe in some cases, even put themselves on the world stage. We have a bunch of boys from here who are some of the best surfers in Asia. So, you never know, maybe a year from now or maybe ten years from now we'll have somebody on the world stage."

32. Various of surfers

33. Wide of the ocean

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide of drain; tilt down to garbage blocking the drain

2. Various of plastic waste blocking the drain

3. Cattle near drain

4. Various of bags made by 'Conserve'

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Anita Ahuja, President, Conserve:

"Since a lot of plastic was coming and we were dumping it in the municipal dhalau (landfill), what it is commonly known as, we felt it was not right. So we wanted to make it into zero waste areas and then we started experimenting with the polythene bags. And a series of accidents led us to develop this technique and once we understood how we could use these sheets into making... these bags into making thicker sheets, we decided to help the marketing efforts by making them into products."

6. Wide of workers sorting out garbage

7. Waste polythene bags

8. Workers sorting out polythene bags

9. Various of polythene bags put on ropes for drying

10. Wide of women working

11. Various of women cutting out edges of bags

12. Mid shot of boy

13. Various of polythene bags being cleaned

14. Various of dried polythene bags being taken down from ropes

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Anita Ahuja, President, Conserve:

"Once these plastic bags are washed, they are quality-checked, packed and they are taken to another unit which is known as our fabric-making units where they are converted into fabrics. This fabric is then given out to the fabricators who can make it into handbags or footwear. We have now got into household accessories like cushion covers, table mats, so it has got a lot of versatility."

16. Various of designer working

17. Close up of face

18. Pan from material to designer

19. Close up of the designed layout

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Anita Ahuja, President, Conserve:

"We were very lucky. We always had a very good designer coming from a different country every time. But they all worked closely with us in developing the designs. We have had designers from UK, from Russia and even from Sweden. So I think largely, our success in design has come because of all these volunteers who worked very hard with this material to come out with very contemporary designs which found an easy market."

21. Man working on a bag

22. Mid shot spools of thread

23. Various of worker sewing bags

24. Sewn bags being put in container

25. Various of bags being inspected

26. Various of goods being packed

27. SOUNDBITE: (English) Anita Ahuja, President, Conserve:

"India is now producing one million tonnes of plastic every year and the target is to increase it to five million tonnes. China is consuming 7 million tonnes a year. But we have seen in the West that plastic is still a problem. They have not been able to solve it. So I really do not think that the plastic industry should put so much investment in plastic and push the plastic industry to produce so much plastic. They should take responsibility."

28. Various of bags on display

SUGGESTED LEAD-IN:

India has been a favoured dumping ground for plastic waste, mostly from industrialised countries like Canada, Denmark, Germany, UK, the Netherlands, Japan, France and the United States, according to Statistics of Foreign Trade of India.

More than 59,000 tons and 61,000 tons of plastic wastes have found their way to India in the years 1999 and 2000, according to Indian government import data.

Plastic's popularity as bags, furniture and other products is rooted in its durability...but the fact that it is difficult to destruct is also plastic's main problem.

Plastic waste is a mounting crisis across the world.

Now, Conserve, an NGO in New Delhi, seems to have found a way to reduce plastic wastes.

It recycles plastics to make handbags, shoes and other accessories.

VOICEOVER:

Non-biodegradable plastics in drains are common in Indian metropolitan cities.

Polythene bags often end up choking drains and many of them cause the death of stray cattle who accidentally feed on them.

The non-governmental organisation, Conserve, has started to turn the plastic waste into something useful - fashion products, like handbags, shoes and other accessories.

In 1999, Conserve was working in the areas of waste management and energy conservation.

In their waste management programme, the Conserve team received many plastic bags which had been dumped in the municipal waste.

During their project zero-waste, they started experimenting with colourful plastic bags.

Conserve President Anita Ahuja and her team soon realised that plastic sheets were very versatile and could be shaped into anything.

Converse decided to start making handbags, a common, fast-moving fashion accessory.

The response to the products was good and Conserve was soon exporting handbags to the United Kingdom, France, Denmark and the United States.

The process itself is quite simple, although manpower-intensive.

Every morning, teams of bag pickers, mostly self-help groups of women, go out and collect plastic bags of different colours.

These bags are then brought to washing units on the outskirts of the city where they are sorted.

Their handles and edges are cut off and the bags are then washed in soap water.

Once they are clean and dry, these bags are sent to the fabrication unit where they are pressed into sheets by using heat.

No dyes are used in the production of these colourful sheets.

The patterns and colours on the sheets are produced by arranging different-coloured bags in a particular way.

Over the years, the Conserve team has developed an independent colour code which is easily understood by the armies of illiterate rag pickers.

These sheets are then designed into handbags, footwear and home accessories.

The waste is also used to make pieces of colourful jewellery.

International designers, who volunteered to work with the NGO for short periods, made a large contribution to Conserve's success in exports.

Conserve exports 4,000 handbags per month to stores in the UK, France, Denmark and the United States.

Big names like Ikea and Benetton are also in talks with Conserve to sell their products.

Anita also receives many enquiries from other countries where people want to replicate her project.

But she doesn't think it is a solution to the amount of plastic waste in modern society, say the plastic industry needs to take responsibility.

According to government figures, the consumption of plastics in India has gone up from one million tons in 1990 to nearly 4.2 million tons in 2003-04.

India is expected to become the third largest plastics consumer in the world by the year 2010.

Keyword-wacky -bizarre

SHOTLIST

1. Wide of explosion inside circular bomb disposal machine; lets off smoke

2. Wide of site with security personnel around

3. Personnel moving in front of machine

4. Men in bomb disposal suits moving near the machine

5. Ambulance moving in

6. Forensic experts rummaging through contents of garbage bin in Connaught Place

7. Show on road

8. Forensic expert marking road with chalk

9. Cutaway security personnel

10. Various of bloodstains and fragments being encircled with chalk

11. Bagged samples

12. Various of forensics team at work

13. Media and security

14. Various of men bagging samples

15. Wide of blast scene

16. Close of garbage bin in which explosion took place

17. Wide of movie hall ' Regal ' outside which bomb was detected

18. Various of bomb in a box

19. Commandoes with sniffer dogs approaching blast site in Central Park, Connaught Place

20. Dog sniffing near garbage bin

21. Commando checking garbage bin

STORYLINE:

Security personnel detonated a bomb in New Delhi's central Connaught Place district on Saturday, hours after a coordinated series of explosions struck the Indian capital, killing at least 18 people and wounding at least 61 more, according to official estimates.

The live bomb was detected near a cinema hall and was isolated by men in bomb disposal suits.

An unexploded bomb was also recovered near India Gate, a colonial-era memorial that is one of the country's

best-known symbols, police said.

On weekend evenings, the park around India Gate is packed with families who flock there to picnic, buy ice cream for their

children and enjoy the grass and the fountains.

A Muslim militant group claimed responsibility for the bombings, all of the bombs exploded in, or very near, crowded shopping areas in various parts of New Delhi.

Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said there had been five explosions, though Mayor Arti Mehra said there had been as many as seven.

Forensic experts worked into the night collecting samples from two of the blast sites in Connaught Place.

LEADIN:??The seas and oceans of the world are battling for survival as tons of plastic waste makes its way into waters every year.??A recent World Economic Forum (WEF) study claimed the oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050 if nothing is done to reverse the process.??In India, a group of scuba divers are taking the lead in cleaning up the mess, hoping to save precious and life-sustaining marine resources from a plastic onslaught.?

STORYLINE:??Their job is to help tourists enjoy scuba diving in one of India's few ecologically-critical habitats along the western coastline, known for its rich marine bio-diversity .??But their mission is to nurse the ailing sea back to health - by pulling plastic waste from the sea.??A 2016 World Economic Forum (WEF) report on "The New Plastics Economy" estimated there is 150 million tons of plastics in the oceans already.??It said at least eight million tons of plastic ends up in the oceans every year - that's the equivalent to dumping one truck full of garbage into the water every minute.??The plastic litter, including abandoned fishing nets, bottles, wrappers and other trash, is collected on the beach and sorted by these scuba divers to segregate the recyclable waste.??These young fishermen-turned-divers have been trained under an ongoing United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project to promote marine conservation by linking it to sustainable livelihoods for local communities.??The Sindhudurg project runs in partnership with India's government and is supported by the Global Environment Facility in creating alternate opportunities for locals in order to take the pressure off fishing.??30-year-old Bhushan Kashinath Juwatkar comes from a family of traditional fishermen and has taken up scuba-diving as a profession.??He says there is an urgent need to stop damage to the marine eco-system and control what is put in the sea.

Abandoned and discarded plastic fishing nets on the ocean floor trap marine animals, it's known as 'ghost fishing.'??Ingestion of plastic waste and tiny plastic micro beads that get dumped into the oceans from gutters and drains also harm marine life in large numbers.

?"If we don't take it out, nothing will survive," he says.

?"If we do not take out the ghost net (abandoned net) then it will kill the fish and the marine life.

?"We won't be able to save anything in the water because of the plastic ... there won't be fish or corals - only plastic will survive. One day will come when people will see only a sea of plastic."

?These men have launched a voluntary group, called 'Indian Scuba Diver and Aquatic Life Saving Foundation, Malvan.'??Fish and other marine species found entangled, but alive, in discarded nets are put back into the sea by divers.??Officials say the focus on eco-tourism will ensure scuba divers continue to protect marine life.??"If there are elements like pollution getting into the waters, they are people who would raise their voice. So, that is the kind of synergy that we are trying to build," says N. Vasudevan, chief conservator of Mangrove forests in Maharashtra state.??The fishing communities along India's nearly 7,500 kilometre-long coastline rely directly on the ocean economy to survive.??They are already battling rising sea levels due to climate change and declining fish catch due to pollution and overfishing.??According to the United Nations, the oceans are also a major source of protein for more than three billion people, putting them at risk of consuming plastic indirectly.? ?Absence of effective waste management and disposal systems for sewage and pollutants add to the problem.??The WEF report claims that by 2025, there will be one ton of plastic for every three tons of fish in the oceans.??It also says that given the projected growth in production, oceans could contain more plastics than fish by 2050.

?"Some of the turtles chew plastic as if it was a jellyfish or it gets into the system of some of the dolphins and other animals," says Vasudevan.

?"So there is a lot of damage caused by these waste materials, solid waste. And then there is pollution, which are untreated pollutants, sewage being released by hotels and houses into the waters, which also causes a lot of pollution. And it disturbs the whole eco-system."

According to UNESCO, plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds and more than 100,000 marine mammals every year.

The UNDP project in Sindhudurg is also encouraging simple, but eco-friendly ways of sea food harvesting. ??Here in Wadatar Village, a group of local women manages an oyster farm that's made harvesting easier and incomes higher.? ?In this creek, surrounded by mangroves, the women hang nylon strings, each with five empty oyster shells, on erected bamboo frames.? ?Sayali Surendra Phadke, a fisherwoman and oyster farmer, demonstrates how the farming technique works.? ?The empty shells hanging on the strings are kept submerged in water for eight to nine months.

?The oyster spat settles on them and starts growing by feeding on planktons and other organisms present in the water.

?Before this, the oyster seeds used to settle on creek-side rocks and the women had to step on hard rocks to collect them.

?With five to ten new shells growing around each empty shell, the women now have a healthy oyster crop to sell every season.? ?Oyster farmer Kasturi Kashinath Dhoke says they make 150 rupees (approx. $2.5 two USD) for a dozen oyster shells sold at the local market.

?"I go to sell fish in the market and meet other women there. I tell them about our project and the benefits we are getting," says Dhoke.

?"We tell the women to come and see our project and then do the same if they like it. We have received so much benefit from this project - we earned Rs.19,800 (approx. $310 USD)."

?Marina Walter, from the United Nations Development Programme, claims participation of the local community in conserving marine bio-diversity is critical.

?It creates an organic link between healthy eco-systems and the incoming generation.

?"What's going on here right now is providing very good examples for other countries around the globe with coastal areas where you need to achieve this urgent balance between species protection, bio diversity protection and providing livelihoods for the communities that are living right there," she says.??There is growing awareness among the local fishing community to not just exploit the wealth of the ocean, but also look after its health.? ?Fisherman turned scuba diver and certified instructor Goving Dhuri was among the first young villagers to advocate alternate sea-based vocations.

?"Always we are just getting lots of things from the ocean, ocean, ocean, ocean … so we (are) trying to give at least cent (100) percent (back) to the ocean," he says.

?Representatives are currently meeting at the United Nations in New York City for 'The Ocean conference.' It runs 5-9 June.

?At the end of the conference, on Friday, almost 200 countries are expected to issue a 'call for action' for addressing urgent marine issues.

?The conference will urge nations to implement long-term and robust measures to reduce the use of plastics and stem rising ocean temperatures and increasing ocean acidity.?

Today (June 8) is World Oceans Day.

Malvan, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India - 31 May 2017

1. Wide of fishermen turned scuba divers arriving at beach in boat

2. Tracking shot of trash and abandoned plastic fishing nets taken from sea by divers lying in boat, scuba divers pushing boat onto beach

3. Mid of divers taking abandoned fishing nets from boat

4. Wide of scuba divers sorting pile of trash and abandoned nets, garbage taken from sea piled up in foreground

5. Tilt down from fisherman turned scuba diver Bhushan Kashinath Juwatkar, to pile of plastic and other trash pulled from sea

6 Wide of scuba divers sorting out trash taken from sea, scuba diving gear in foreground

7. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Bhushan Kashinath Juwatkar, 30-year-old Fisherman turned scuba diver:

"If we don't take it out, nothing will survive. If we do not take out the ghost net (abandoned net) then it will kill the fish and the marine life. We won't be able to save anything in the water because of the plastic ... there won't be fish or corals - only plastic will survive. One day will come when people will see only a sea of plastic."

8. Various of scuba diver picking discarded fishing nets washed onshore and putting them with pile of trash pulled from sea

9. Various of scuba divers trying to free fish entangled in abandoned net taken from sea, cutting net

10. Tracking shot of Juwatkar walking with the fish freed from entangled net and putting it back into sea

11. Various of crabs entangled in abandoned nets being taken out and put back into sea by the divers

Malvan, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India - 30 May 2017

12. SOUNDBITE (English) N. Vasudevan, Chief Conservator of Mangrove Forests, Maharashtra:

"During the day, they take the tourists for scuba diving, but they are conscious that their environment has to be kept clean. And that is prompting them to keep the bio diversity intact. If there are elements like pollution getting into the waters, they are people who would raise their voice. So, that is the kind of synergy that we are trying to build."

13. Pan left of fishing community neighbourhood

14. Mid of fishermen walking on beach

15. Wide of trash washed ashore on beach, dog walking in foreground

16. Pan right of garbage and litter strewn on beach, near homes of fishermen

17. Tracking shot of trash and empty bottles on beach

18. SOUNDBITE (English) N. Vasudevan, Chief Conservator of Mangrove Forests, Maharashtra:

"In coastal areas, you find a lot of trash - everywhere on the beaches, in the water - eeverywhere you have the trash. And that is even causing damage to the wildlife. Some of the turtles chew plastic as if it was a jellyfish or it gets into the system of some of the dolphins and other animals. So there is a lot of damage caused by these waste materials, solid waste. And then there is pollution, which are untreated pollutants, sewage being released by hotels and houses into the waters, which also causes a lot of pollution. And it disturbs the whole eco-system."

Village Wadatar, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India - 31 May 2017

19. Zoom in of bamboo rafts with oyster shells submerged in water

20. Pan right of oyster farm

21. Close of oysters after harvesting

22. SOUND BITE: (Marathi): Sayali Surendra Phadke, 41-year-old Fisherwoman and Oyster Farmer, showing how empty oyster shells are tied to string and how other shells grow around them

"Like these (showing white shells on string), say about 350 seed oysters are used for the project, and then after some time, say about nine months, they get shells like these (showing string with clusters of brown shells) … there will be about five to ten oysters attached to every shell on the string."

23. Mid of members of women's group talking, Kasturi Kashinath Dhoke, 40-year-old Fisherwoman and Oyster Farmer, showing slides on laptop with women collecting oysters during low tide

24. Close of screen showing slides

25. Mid of woman listening

26. Wide of women looking at slides on laptop

27. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Kasturi Kashinath Dhoke, 40-year-old Fisherwoman and Oyster Farmer:

"I go to sell fish in the market and meet other women there. I tell them about our project and the benefits we are getting. We tell the women to come and see our project and then do the same if they like it. We have received so much benefit from this project - we earned Rs.19,800 (approx. $310 USD)."

Malvan, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India - 31 May 2017

28. Various of trawlers and boats in sea

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Marina Walter, Deputy Country Director, United Nations Development Programme, India:

"What's going on here right now is providing very good examples for other countries around the globe with coastal areas where you need to achieve this urgent balance between species protection, bio diversity protection and providing livelihoods for the communities that are living right there."

Dandi village, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India - 30 May 2017

29. Wide of boat on beach, rainbow in sky

30. Pan right of fisherman turned scuba diver and instructor Goving Dhuri walking into home

31. Mid of Dhuri's mother and sister

32. Wide of Dhuri's family at home

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Goving Dhuri, Fisherman turned Scuba Diver and Instructor:

"Always we are just getting lots of things from the ocean, ocean, ocean, ocean … so we (are) trying to give at least cent (100) percent (back) to the ocean."

34. Wide of cart on beach

35. Wide of plastic trash swept ashore

36. Pan right of beach at sunset

LEADIN:??The seas and oceans of the world are battling for survival as tons of plastic waste makes its way into waters every year.??A recent World Economic Forum (WEF) study claimed the oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050 if nothing is done to reverse the process.??In India, a group of scuba divers are taking the lead in cleaning up the mess, hoping to save precious and life-sustaining marine resources from a plastic onslaught.?

STORYLINE:??Their job is to help tourists enjoy scuba diving in one of India's few ecologically-critical habitats along the western coastline, known for its rich marine bio-diversity .??But their mission is to nurse the ailing sea back to health - by pulling plastic waste from the sea.??A 2016 World Economic Forum (WEF) report on "The New Plastics Economy" estimated there is 150 million tons of plastics in the oceans already.??It said at least eight million tons of plastic ends up in the oceans every year - that's the equivalent to dumping one truck full of garbage into the water every minute.??The plastic litter, including abandoned fishing nets, bottles, wrappers and other trash, is collected on the beach and sorted by these scuba divers to segregate the recyclable waste.??These young fishermen-turned-divers have been trained under an ongoing United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project to promote marine conservation by linking it to sustainable livelihoods for local communities.??The Sindhudurg project runs in partnership with India's government and is supported by the Global Environment Facility in creating alternate opportunities for locals in order to take the pressure off fishing.??30-year-old Bhushan Kashinath Juwatkar comes from a family of traditional fishermen and has taken up scuba-diving as a profession.??He says there is an urgent need to stop damage to the marine eco-system and control what is put in the sea.

Abandoned and discarded plastic fishing nets on the ocean floor trap marine animals, it's known as 'ghost fishing.'??Ingestion of plastic waste and tiny plastic micro beads that get dumped into the oceans from gutters and drains also harm marine life in large numbers.

?"If we don't take it out, nothing will survive," he says.

?"If we do not take out the ghost net (abandoned net) then it will kill the fish and the marine life.

?"We won't be able to save anything in the water because of the plastic ... there won't be fish or corals - only plastic will survive. One day will come when people will see only a sea of plastic."

?These men have launched a voluntary group, called 'Indian Scuba Diver and Aquatic Life Saving Foundation, Malvan.'??Fish and other marine species found entangled, but alive, in discarded nets are put back into the sea by divers.??Officials say the focus on eco-tourism will ensure scuba divers continue to protect marine life.??"If there are elements like pollution getting into the waters, they are people who would raise their voice. So, that is the kind of synergy that we are trying to build," says N. Vasudevan, chief conservator of Mangrove forests in Maharashtra state.??The fishing communities along India's nearly 7,500 kilometre-long coastline rely directly on the ocean economy to survive.??They are already battling rising sea levels due to climate change and declining fish catch due to pollution and overfishing.??According to the United Nations, the oceans are also a major source of protein for more than three billion people, putting them at risk of consuming plastic indirectly.? ?Absence of effective waste management and disposal systems for sewage and pollutants add to the problem.??The WEF report claims that by 2025, there will be one ton of plastic for every three tons of fish in the oceans.??It also says that given the projected growth in production, oceans could contain more plastics than fish by 2050.

?"Some of the turtles chew plastic as if it was a jellyfish or it gets into the system of some of the dolphins and other animals," says Vasudevan.

?"So there is a lot of damage caused by these waste materials, solid waste. And then there is pollution, which are untreated pollutants, sewage being released by hotels and houses into the waters, which also causes a lot of pollution. And it disturbs the whole eco-system."

According to UNESCO, plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds and more than 100,000 marine mammals every year.

The UNDP project in Sindhudurg is also encouraging simple, but eco-friendly ways of sea food harvesting. ??Here in Wadatar Village, a group of local women manages an oyster farm that's made harvesting easier and incomes higher.? ?In this creek, surrounded by mangroves, the women hang nylon strings, each with five empty oyster shells, on erected bamboo frames.? ?Sayali Surendra Phadke, a fisherwoman and oyster farmer, demonstrates how the farming technique works.? ?The empty shells hanging on the strings are kept submerged in water for eight to nine months.

?The oyster spat settles on them and starts growing by feeding on planktons and other organisms present in the water.

?Before this, the oyster seeds used to settle on creek-side rocks and the women had to step on hard rocks to collect them.

?With five to ten new shells growing around each empty shell, the women now have a healthy oyster crop to sell every season.? ?Oyster farmer Kasturi Kashinath Dhoke says they make 150 rupees (approx. $2.5 two USD) for a dozen oyster shells sold at the local market.

?"I go to sell fish in the market and meet other women there. I tell them about our project and the benefits we are getting," says Dhoke.

?"We tell the women to come and see our project and then do the same if they like it. We have received so much benefit from this project - we earned Rs.19,800 (approx. $310 USD)."

?Marina Walter, from the United Nations Development Programme, claims participation of the local community in conserving marine bio-diversity is critical.

?It creates an organic link between healthy eco-systems and the incoming generation.

?"What's going on here right now is providing very good examples for other countries around the globe with coastal areas where you need to achieve this urgent balance between species protection, bio diversity protection and providing livelihoods for the communities that are living right there," she says.??There is growing awareness among the local fishing community to not just exploit the wealth of the ocean, but also look after its health.? ?Fisherman turned scuba diver and certified instructor Goving Dhuri was among the first young villagers to advocate alternate sea-based vocations.

?"Always we are just getting lots of things from the ocean, ocean, ocean, ocean … so we (are) trying to give at least cent (100) percent (back) to the ocean," he says.

?Representatives are currently meeting at the United Nations in New York City for 'The Ocean conference.' It runs 5-9 June.

?At the end of the conference, on Friday, almost 200 countries are expected to issue a 'call for action' for addressing urgent marine issues.

?The conference will urge nations to implement long-term and robust measures to reduce the use of plastics and stem rising ocean temperatures and increasing ocean acidity.?

Today (June 8) is World Oceans Day.

Malvan, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India - 31 May 2017

1. Wide of fishermen turned scuba divers arriving at beach in boat

2. Tracking shot of trash and abandoned plastic fishing nets taken from sea by divers lying in boat, scuba divers pushing boat onto beach

3. Mid of divers taking abandoned fishing nets from boat

4. Wide of scuba divers sorting pile of trash and abandoned nets, garbage taken from sea piled up in foreground

5. Tilt down from fisherman turned scuba diver Bhushan Kashinath Juwatkar, to pile of plastic and other trash pulled from sea

6 Wide of scuba divers sorting out trash taken from sea, scuba diving gear in foreground

7. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Bhushan Kashinath Juwatkar, 30-year-old Fisherman turned scuba diver:

"If we don't take it out, nothing will survive. If we do not take out the ghost net (abandoned net) then it will kill the fish and the marine life. We won't be able to save anything in the water because of the plastic ... there won't be fish or corals - only plastic will survive. One day will come when people will see only a sea of plastic."

8. Various of scuba diver picking discarded fishing nets washed onshore and putting them with pile of trash pulled from sea

9. Various of scuba divers trying to free fish entangled in abandoned net taken from sea, cutting net

10. Tracking shot of Juwatkar walking with the fish freed from entangled net and putting it back into sea

11. Various of crabs entangled in abandoned nets being taken out and put back into sea by the divers

Malvan, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India - 30 May 2017

12. SOUNDBITE (English) N. Vasudevan, Chief Conservator of Mangrove Forests, Maharashtra:

"During the day, they take the tourists for scuba diving, but they are conscious that their environment has to be kept clean. And that is prompting them to keep the bio diversity intact. If there are elements like pollution getting into the waters, they are people who would raise their voice. So, that is the kind of synergy that we are trying to build."

13. Pan left of fishing community neighbourhood

14. Mid of fishermen walking on beach

15. Wide of trash washed ashore on beach, dog walking in foreground

16. Pan right of garbage and litter strewn on beach, near homes of fishermen

17. Tracking shot of trash and empty bottles on beach

18. SOUNDBITE (English) N. Vasudevan, Chief Conservator of Mangrove Forests, Maharashtra:

"In coastal areas, you find a lot of trash - everywhere on the beaches, in the water - eeverywhere you have the trash. And that is even causing damage to the wildlife. Some of the turtles chew plastic as if it was a jellyfish or it gets into the system of some of the dolphins and other animals. So there is a lot of damage caused by these waste materials, solid waste. And then there is pollution, which are untreated pollutants, sewage being released by hotels and houses into the waters, which also causes a lot of pollution. And it disturbs the whole eco-system."

Village Wadatar, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India - 31 May 2017

19. Zoom in of bamboo rafts with oyster shells submerged in water

20. Pan right of oyster farm

21. Close of oysters after harvesting

22. SOUND BITE: (Marathi): Sayali Surendra Phadke, 41-year-old Fisherwoman and Oyster Farmer, showing how empty oyster shells are tied to string and how other shells grow around them

"Like these (showing white shells on string), say about 350 seed oysters are used for the project, and then after some time, say about nine months, they get shells like these (showing string with clusters of brown shells) … there will be about five to ten oysters attached to every shell on the string."

23. Mid of members of women's group talking, Kasturi Kashinath Dhoke, 40-year-old Fisherwoman and Oyster Farmer, showing slides on laptop with women collecting oysters during low tide

24. Close of screen showing slides

25. Mid of woman listening

26. Wide of women looking at slides on laptop

27. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Kasturi Kashinath Dhoke, 40-year-old Fisherwoman and Oyster Farmer:

"I go to sell fish in the market and meet other women there. I tell them about our project and the benefits we are getting. We tell the women to come and see our project and then do the same if they like it. We have received so much benefit from this project - we earned Rs.19,800 (approx. $310 USD)."

Malvan, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India - 31 May 2017

28. Various of trawlers and boats in sea

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Marina Walter, Deputy Country Director, United Nations Development Programme, India:

"What's going on here right now is providing very good examples for other countries around the globe with coastal areas where you need to achieve this urgent balance between species protection, bio diversity protection and providing livelihoods for the communities that are living right there."

Dandi village, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India - 30 May 2017

29. Wide of boat on beach, rainbow in sky

30. Pan right of fisherman turned scuba diver and instructor Goving Dhuri walking into home

31. Mid of Dhuri's mother and sister

32. Wide of Dhuri's family at home

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Goving Dhuri, Fisherman turned Scuba Diver and Instructor:

"Always we are just getting lots of things from the ocean, ocean, ocean, ocean … so we (are) trying to give at least cent (100) percent (back) to the ocean."

34. Wide of cart on beach

35. Wide of plastic trash swept ashore

36. Pan right of beach at sunset

SHOTLIST

Gurgaon - 18 September, 2007

1. Various of exterior of Wipro building

2. Wide of reception

3. Close of plaque showing the platinum rating

4. Wall with Wipro logo and boards announcing features of the green building

5. Pan from board saying 'Intelligent Light Fixtures for Work Areas' to board saying 'Furniture Made of Rapidly Renewable Materials'

6. Tilt down from lights on the ceiling to the reception area

7. Window with board saying 'Low U-Value Glazing'

8. Wide of people waiting for lift

9. Tilt down shot of lift going down

10. Various of the building; green courtyard

11. Wide of workplace

12. Mid of man working on computer

13. Various of interiors

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gaurav Arya, Operations Support Head Wipro Technologies

"All the glass which you see outside the building is twin-paned glass which allows only the light to come in but not the heat, significantly, hence reducing air conditioning and lighting costs. The lighting systems used inside the building have the activity monitors so if they do not sense human activity for more than fifteen minutes, the lights would automatically switch off. Also, we have software which specifically monitors the lux levels inside the rooms, which is essentially to say that if you have over-clouded skies, you know, the lights inside the ODCs (offshore development centres) and light inside the work places would automatically brighten up, and if you have a brightly lit sky, they would dim, hence saving electricity."

15. Wide of 'B.M.S (Building Management System) Room'

16. Tilt down from board saying 'Access Control Room' to man working on computer

17. Mid of operator manning Building Management System

18. Close of monitor showing temperatures and carbon dioxide levels

19. Cutaway hand moving mouse

20. Various of charts showing energy consumption figures

21. Various of solar panels and water heater on the rooftop

22. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gaurav Arya, Operations Support Head Wipro Technologies

"Leave alone corporate responsibility, even the sheer economics of this whole enterprise is very attractive. You spend 15 percent to 20 percent more on your capex (capital expenditure), create a building like this, but look at us today, we are actually saving almost 40 to 45 per cent of power costs and power costs in any building is the largest chunk of expenditure...the operating expenditure on the building, that's power. And we are saving 40 to 45 per cent of power month on month, year on year. So we have, in effect, recovered our costs very easily and today, if you look at the cost of running this building, yes, it is far far lesser than any other building of this size anywhere in the country."

AP File

Gurgaon - Recent

23. Wide of flyover with traffic and tall buildings in the background

24. Various of new buildings under construction

New Delhi - 27 June, 2007

25. Various of slides

26. Pan from thermograph picture of an energy efficient building to an energy inefficient building

27. Wide of Greenpeace energy expert K. Srinivas explaining the slide show

28. Reporter looking at a thermograph picture of a building

29. SOUNDBITE: (English) K. Srinivas, Energy Expert, Greenpeace

"If you have just the new buildings, new commercial buildings bring in energy efficiency norms, you could save roughly about 1.7 billion kilowatt hours and if that happens, then you can wipe out the entire, you know, energy deficit which we have- the peak deficit as well as the base load deficit. At the same time, we said that there is about roughly 50,000 megawatt of electricity required to electrify the non-electrified. You will have enough electricity to also service people who are not consumers as yet."

New Delhi - 15 June, 2007

30. Wide of building with sign saying TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute)

31. Glass door saying 'TERI'

32. Various of TERI Green Building expert Mili Majumdar with her team

33. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mili Majumdar, Green Building Rating Cell, The Energy and Resources Institute

"Green buildings are designed to be, you know, thermally more comfortable, visually more, sort of comfortable, so it has also been internationally proven that green buildings increase the productivity of people. Offices which are designed green, they have higher productivity. Of course, you cannot really, you know, convert it into numerical terms but general feeling that there is an overall feel good factor, both from the environmental perspective as well as the people who work there. So it's a win-win for everybody."

Gurgaon - 18 September, 2007

34. Pan from window to wide of cafeteria

35. Various of employees having lunch in the cafeteria

36. Wide of separate garbage bins for 'Plastic'; 'Paper' and 'Glass'

37. Tilt down from signs

LEAD IN:

With the threat of climate change looming, some Indian companies are becoming more aware of their green credentials.

One such firm claims it has built India's most environmentally friendly building ever.

STORYLINE:

Information Technology giant, Wipro, claims its Software Development Centre is India's greenest building to date.

The development, based in Gurgaon, is spread across 1.2 acres of land.

Finished in April 2005, it received the prestigious Platinum Rating in the 'Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)' category, from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

The USGBC is one of the top groupings of construction companies working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, and are healthy to live and work from.

The Wipro centre secured 57 points - the maximum points in India - for its various eco-friendly features.

From the special double-paned glass that lets in light, to smart lights to recycled furniture - the building is a lesson in energy efficiency and environment friendliness.

Seventy-five percent of the building is day-lit that includes the spacious reception area.

Whereas ninety-five per cent of the workspaces have direct access to outside view.

A central green courtyard performs varied functions.

Designed to form a light well, it acts as a micro-climate generator, thus reducing energy consumption.

Terrace gardens at various levels help offset the solar gain of the building as well as filter rain water before it reaches the storage tanks.

Gaurav Arya is the Operations Support Head for Wipro Technologies.

He says the building's lighting system automatically switches off when someone exits the room.

In addition, the lights adjust intensity as the natural light dims, according to Arya.

The heart of the building's efficiency is found in the Building Management Systems room in the basement.

Here a central computer monitors the temperature and levels of carbon dioxide in the workplace.

As soon as the carbon dioxide levels go up, the operator with a click of the mouse, pumps in more purified air into the building.

Some of the building's energy is also generated from the solar panels found on the roof.

Although the building was slightly more expensive to build than a conventional building of its size, Wipro's Gaurav Arya claims the company has recovered the costs and is saving on the energy expenditure.

Arya says the initial investment in constructing the office block has now paid off, and they are now saving around 40 to 45 per cent of their energy costs.

As new construction sites open across the country, environmental groups are calling for a clear set of guidelines.

According to estimates, energy consumption in commercial buildings in India is as high as 200 kilowatt-hour per square meter for lighting and cooling purposes alone.

In a study conducted earlier this year, Greenpeace released thermographic images, taken by an infra red camera of prominent buildings across India.

The majority of the buildings photographed were wasting energy, mainly on account of faulty design or usage of inadequate glass.

K Srinivas is an energy expert working for Greenpeace.

He says if only new commercial buildings were to adopt energy efficiency norms, the energy saved could wipe out the entire energy deficit of the country.

According to a recent Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change report, energy efficiency in new and existing buildings in India can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 30 per cent by 2030.

Greenpeace is demanding that the Energy Conservation Building Code introduced by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in May this year be made mandatory for new buildings.

Compliance with the code is voluntary right now.

One of the groups concerned with raising the profile of green buildings is the Energy and Resources Institute.

The institute was founded in 1974 with the aim of tackling environmental issues affecting India.

Mili Majumdar is the "green building" expert at the institute.

She says the benefits of a green building are not only in economic or environmental terms, but also in health terms too.

Perhaps the best people to answer this are the employees at the Wipro centre, in Gurgoan.

Here employees are encouraged to recycle all their waste, in line with the building's ethos.

Compared to their peers in other companies, employees breathe in fresh air and get plenty of natural light - something of a luxury in conventional buildings.

According to an estimate prepared by IGBC, the number of certified green buildings is projected to touch 100 by 2010, with an estimated market potential of US$ 400 million.

SHOTLIST

1. Bus driving through flood water

2. Flooded houses

3. Man wading through water in alley

4. People in flooded room watching television

5. Various interiors of flooded room

6. SOUNDBITE (Hindi): Mr Sikender (surname only provided), resident:

"My house is flooded with water. I don't have anything to eat. Food has become costly and I don't have any money to buy food. No one is bothered about that. The government has been providing rations to some people, but we have not received any"

7. Various stream of water in the street

8. People standing under umbrellas

9. Truck collecting garbage from the street

10. Various of workers collecting garbage and putting it in the truck

11. Various of traffic

STORYLINE

Deadly rains have killed 924 people in western India over a six-day period, authorities said on Monday, as renewed downpours impeded body-retrieval efforts in India's financial capital Mumbai (Bombay) and surrounding areas.

Mumbai residents were ordered to stay home for the second day in a row as heavy rains that began late on Sunday pounded western Maharashtra state.

Navy divers were deployed in low-lying areas to ferry marooned people to safety as floodwaters entered homes in the worst affected areas in Mumbai's northern suburbs and other parts of the inundated state.

As many as 421 people were killed in Mumbai alone. Most of deaths were caused by landslides and flooding after a record 94 centimeters (37 inches) fell last Tuesday over 24 hours, cutting off the state from the rest of the country.

Schools and colleges remained closed and streets were deserted. Usually packed commuter trains were mostly empty, and rail authorities were monitoring the situation as renewed flooding threatened to submerge tracks.

Mumbai's two main airports were open, but few flights were operating.

Health workers were deployed in Mumbai's suburbs to distribute medicine and disinfectants to guard against the spread of waterborne disease.

"My house is flooded with water. I don't have anything to eat", said Mr Sikender who lives in a slum.

"Food has become costly and I don't have any money to buy food. No one is bothered about that. The government has been providing rations to some people, but we have not received any," he said.

Electricity was gradually being restored to many neighbourhoods after angry residents demonstrated on Saturday demanding the restoration of tap water, power and the cleanup of garbage and decomposing animal carcasses.

Some 25,000 sheep and goats and 2,500 buffaloes drowned in Mumbai, officials said.

SHOTLIST

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Organiser calling for lights to be switched off

2. Light switched off in distant apartment

3. Organiser calling on people to switch lights off to raise awareness of global warming

4. Various of people listening

5. Human chain as people call for lights to be switched off, including Bollywood actress Kunickaa Lall

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kunickaa Lall, Bollywood actress:

"Every countries which has automobiles, every country which have factories, every country which is attributing (contributing) to garbage, I mean the un-(re)cycleable garbage, every country which has all this factors is part of the global warming issue, and if I say that because America is a country, a first world country as you call it, or a very technologically savvy country that is the one contributing and India is not or India says, visa versa, it does not make any sense. Every country who has all these factors is contributing to global warming."

7. Various of people chanting: (Hindi) "Put out the lights and put off global warming."

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Nigel, no other name given, Organiser of Batti Bandh:

"The blame game will continue, but it is up to us to take, it's enough to stop blaming people, it is up to us to take the entire responsibility of everything, each and every individual citizen of the entire world has to take responsibility to stop the effects of global warming."

9. Singer entertaining the crowd

10. Older woman in crowd watching performance and clapping

11. Building with lights out

STORYLINE

Hundreds held a night demonstration in the centre of Mumbai on Saturday, calling for lights in the Indian city to be switched off to raise awareness of global warming.

The name of the protest "Batti Bandh" means "Lights out".

Organisers called on people to turn off lights for an hour to get people thinking about the effects of global warming.

Among those in the crowd was Kunickaa Lall, a Bollywood actress who told AP Television that every country had to accept its part in the problem.

"Every countries which has automobiles, every country which have factories, every country which is attributing (contributing) to garbage," she said. "Every country who has all these factors is contributing to global warming."

An organiser of Batti Bandh said people needed to stop blaming others.

"Each and every individual citizen of the entire world has to take responsibility of global warming to stop the effects of global warming," Nigel said.

Participants in the peaceful protest formed a human chain.

During the evening they watched entertainers including street plays raising issues around global warming and listened to speeches on the matter.

SHOTLIST

AP Television

1. Various of debris and police at site of one site of blast in Connaught place, New Delhi's central business district

TV Today - No Access India

2. Various of debris and police at blast site in Karol Bagh market area

3. Various of injured arriving at hospital

AP Television

4. Police at the site of second blast in Connaught Place

5. SOUNDBITE (Hindi): Y. S. Dadwal, Police Commissioner, Delhi

++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

"There have been three blasts which have caused deaths and injuries. There were two other blasts in which there were no injuries. Besides these, two bombs have been found which we are in the process of defusing."

6. Security at blast site

7. Media and people crowding at first blast site in Connaught place

AP Television

8. Ambulance arriving at hospital

9. Various of injured being taken into hospital

10. Pan from Emergency Wing to people outside

TV Today - No access India

11. SOUNDBITE (Hindi): Sriprakash Jaiswal, Minister of State for Home Affairs

"There was general intelligence that terrorists could cause any kind of incident anywhere in the country especially the metro cities. Delhi police was alert and had arrested a number of suspects in recent days."

AP Television

12. Various of injured being wheeled into hospital

13. Ambulance with sirens wailing arriving at hospital

TV Today- No access India

14. Wide of movie hall outside which a bomb was defused

15. Various of two men in bomb disposal suit handling a box

STORYLINE

A coordinated series of explosions struck a park and crowded shopping areas across the Indian capital on Saturday evening, killing at least 18 people and wounding at least 61 more, officials said.

A Muslim militant group claimed responsibility for the bombings.

A number of Indian media outlets received an e-mail sent just before the blasts warning that India was about to receive "the Message of Death."

"In the name of Allah, Indian Mujahideen strikes back once more. ... Do whatever you can. Stop us if you can," said the message.

All of the bombs exploded in, or very near, crowded shopping areas in various parts of New Delhi.

They began going off just before sundown - prime time for weekend shoppers in this crowded, chaotic city.

Police Commissioner Y. S. Dadwal said there had been five explosions, though Mayor Arti Mehra said there had been as many as seven, and that at least 61 people had been wounded.

"There have been three blasts which have caused deaths and injuries. There were two other blasts in which there were no injuries. Besides these, two bombs have been found which we are in the process of defusing," Dadwal told AP Television at one of the scenes of the blast in Connaught Place.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil said at least 18 people had been killed.

The Indian Mujahideen was unknown before May, when it claimed responsibility for a series of bombings in the western city of Jaipur that killed 61 people.

The group also said it was responsible for July blasts in the western state of Gujarat that killed at least 45.

The deadliest explosion was believed to be in Gaffar Market in the city's Karol Bagh neighbourhood, a warren of stores popular among wholesalers and bargain-hunters.

It exploded on a street jammed with clothing shops and stores that sell cheap mobile phones.

Hours later, a mangled rickshaw could be seen in front of the small shop where the bomb exploded.

Two of the explosions occurred just 300 yards (meters) apart in Connaught Place, the city's central shopping district.

The usually crowded streets quickly emptied of shoppers and filled with screaming police cars, fire engines and gawking crowds.

One of those bombs went off by a subway station entrance on a major road, and a police officer at the scene said it appeared to have been left inside a plastic sidewalk garbage bin that had been ripped apart by the explosion.

He declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The sidewalk was covered with garbage, broken glass and a small pool of blood.

A second blast in Connaught Place went off inside a park crowded with families and young people relaxing on the grass.

"There was general intelligence that terrorists could cause any kind of incident anywhere in the country especially the metro cities. Delhi police was alert and had arrested a number of suspects in recent days," Sriprakash Jaiswal, Minister of State for Home Affairs, told Indian TV Today.

TV Today also showed pictures of two men in bomb disposal gear handling a box thought to be a bomb left at the entrance of a movie hall.

SHOTLIST:

1. Various shots of traffic going through flooded street in the Nehu Nagar slum area

2. Various of cleaners removing garbage from street

3. Pile of garbage in street

4. Woman from Mumbai Municipal department distributing water and purification pills in affected areas

5. Staff providing help for flood affected people

6. SOUNDBITE (English): Dr Dinesh Jain:

"Health wise they are coming with loose motions, they are coming with lots of stomach ache, and fever, and these are the things they are coming for. But mainly they are coming because they have some hurt (pain)."

7. People queueing to collect food

8. People being given rice and sugar

9. SOUNDBITE (Hindi): Mr Shankar Dravid, social worker:

"Many people here are not in a condition to cook. As their homes are still flooded, distribution of rice and sugar will still not serve their purpose, as they can't cook in their homes. Instead ready-made cooked food should be provided for a week."

10. Volunteers hand out food and clothes

11. People queueing

STORYLINE

Aid workers distributed food grains, drinking water and milk in flood-ravaged cities and villages of western India during a let up in rainfall on Tuesday, a week after the region was battered by torrential rain.

The death toll in Maharashtra state after a week of incessant rain was 943 - 429 of which occurred in India's financial capital Mumbai.

As many as 59 people are still missing, said Chief Secretary Prem Kumar, the state's top bureaucrat.

Efforts continued to retrieve bodies from landslide-hit areas and to trace missing persons feared swept away by flood waters, he said.

Local municipal authorities are concentrating on distributing aid in flood affected areas, among others in the Nehu Nagar slum where the poor are in desperate need.

They are also receiving medical aid, water and purification pills.

On Tuesday, respite from the rains helped Mumbai's transport and communication links get back on track.

The city's airports, among the nation's busiest, operated normally and local train services were also restored.

But some 50,000 people living near dams and river banks across the state have been evacuated to higher ground over the past three days because of an overflow of dam water.

SHOTLIST:

1. Various of truck with water cannon arriving and extinguishing a fire blazing by the road side

2. Wide pan of crowds

3. Protester being beaten by police

4. Crowds and police in a narrow street

5. Various of police rushing in to control protesters

6. Protesters uprooting a roadside railing and throwing it on the road

7. Protesters upturning a garbage box

8. Police putting railings back as the road divider

9. Various of protesters shouting slogans

10. Pile of hay burning on the road, protesters in background

11. Policeman with tear gas gun in his hand

12. Protester running and being apprehended by the police

13. Protesters on bus

14. Closed shops

15. Close-up of lock on shutter of shop

16. Child sleeping outside closed shop

STORYLINE :

Police and paramilitary forces fanned out across New Delhi on Tuesday and arrested scores of shop owners who were angrily protesting against government plans to demolish illegally constructed buildings.

Markets were deserted during sporadic clashes between police in protective riot gear and shop owners, some of whom threw stones at officers.

In east Delhi, angry protesters hurled stones and set fire to municipal garbage containers as police fired tear gas to disperse the rampaging crowd.

Countless commercial buildings in New Delhi have been thrown up in recent years with little regard to planning laws, and Tuesday's protests were the latest against a government campaign to tear them down.

The demolition of some 18-thousand unauthorised buildings was first ordered last year by the New Delhi High Court, which said city authorities colluded with builders, allowing apartment and commercial buildings to be constructed in violation of city rules.

Demolitions have since taken place sporadically - hitting everything from small family-run shops to high-end shopping malls - halted repeatedly by legal appeals from city authorities and traders.

But on Monday, opponents of the campaign appeared to have exhausted their last judicial option when a special committee set up by India's Supreme Court recommended that all shops operating illegally in residential districts be sealed pending demolition.

Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy announced on Monday that the government would have to resume the demolition campaign after the court ruling.

So thousands of police and paramilitary forces were on alert on Tuesday in New Delhi to prevent attacks on buses and blocking of highways by the striking shop owners.

Authorities also ordered all schools closed in New Delhi.

Shop owners in the capital said they would continue their strike until the government stopped the demolition campaign.