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| Thursday,
October 31, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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Metro Ordinance out, to Sheila’s discomfort New Delhi, October 30 The Council of Ministers of the Government of NCT of Delhi trashed the promulgation of the Ordinance, saying the popular, duly elected government had not been consulted at all. Joining issue with the Centre, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday said the promulgation of the Ordinance amounted to “interference” in the affairs of the NCT of Delhi. She said she would write to the Prime Minister to convey the “displeasure” of her Ministry over the issue. In a communique released on Wednesday to the media, the Union Government said the Ordinance – patterned on the Indian Railways Act – would be replaced by a Bill to be introduced in the ensuing Winter Session of Parliament beginning in the latter half of November. With the promulgation of the Ordinance, the DMRC is in a position to begin commercial run. The Delhi Metro will begin ferrying commuters sometime in December after the 8.3-kilometre-long Shahdara-Tis Hazari section of Phase I of the project is thrown open to traffic. The Ordinance provides for a Metro Railway Administration with its own Safety Commissioner for maintaining the service. Operation, maintenance and upkeep of the DMRC is to be regulated in orderly ways under the Ordinance. A Claims Commissioner will go into accidents and resultant compensation in its operation. The provisions for offences and penalties to be prescribed are in consonance with those in the Kolkata Metro Railway and in the Indian Railways Act with suitable enhancement. The chief minister reiterated the Ordinance would have served better had the Council of Ministers been taken into confidence and its views sought. Dikshit felt her Ministry’s plans of putting in place an integrated mode of transportation with bus, electric trolley, metro, etc, could be in jeopardy as its success or otherwise would be determined by the rationalisation of fares also. “Delhiites will be using the Metro. They should therefore have a say in how to run it,” she maintained. Besides determining the tariff, the routes on which the metro would ply are a bone of contention. The Ordinance vests in the Union Government absolute powers to fix tariff, identify routes, etc. The first phase of the project has three lines : Shahdara-Trinagar-Barwala, Vishwavidyalaya-Central Secretariat and Barakhamba Road-Connaught Place-Dwarka covering a total distance of 62.16 km. |
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A 16-yr-old keeps track of pennies in this bank New Delhi, October 30 At 16 Anuj is an accountant and works for the Bal Vikas bank, which has given the underprivileged children a chance to work and earn. Started by the NGO, Butterflies, the bank is run at the Fatehpuri Night shelter in Old Delhi. “We were approached by the National Foundation for India which in turn had been approached by the Ford Foundation to create a youth bank, where kids living on the streets could not only save their money, but also get financial help to earn a living”, says Samiullah, an educator and bank coordinator at Butterflies. From a modest start in June 2001, the bank today has 134 members. “Sixteen children have been given loans, out of which five took the loan to purchase cycle rickshaws”, says Mr. Pervez, coordinator, street programme. Butterflies runs 11 contact points in the Capital where the street children are provided education and health care. They are also encouraged to save money with the bank and, once they come of age, they can apply for loans and get into a vocation of their choice. Those between 14 and 18 years of age are eligible for loans. “These children have to be members of the bank for at least three months. They have to have at least 10 per cent of the loan amount in their account. Then, we decide whether the project that the child wishes to start is feasible or not. We have to ensure that the children are not taking money for frivolous purposes”, adds Samiullah. The bank also has a saving scheme for children upto 10 years. “The bank adds 50 per cent to the amount that they have saved in a year. The annual rate of interest is 10 per cent and the annual interest on loan deductions is five per cent”. For children like Afroz and Santosh, who were saved from the drudgery of rag picking, the bank is no less than a boon. “ I was a rag picker, but now I work hard and have repaid a major chunk of my loan. I try to save as much as I can and have even convinced my family members to save their money in a bank”, says Afroz who works 14 hours a day selling knick-knacks outside the bank. Like Afroz there are other success stories that have inspired many to continue their education at the contact points and apply for loans to start their own “business”. “The children meet once a month and decide how the loan applications should be dealt with. They also decide on the time frame for returning the money and the penalty for the defaulter”, says Samiullah. Apart from the money saving schemes the children are also provided basic health care education. “Since we cannot be with them throughout the day, we have trained some of these children and appointed them as health care coordinators. The children who were exposed to drugs have been
counselled and many have quit the habit”, points out Samiullah. |
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Panipat
refinery develops 500-acre green belt Panipat, October 30 Conceptualised on the basis of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIV) conducted by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, saplings of over four lakh trees of 30 species had been planted in the 14-km periphery of the refinery. Babul, kala saris, neem, amaltas, kasond, seru, shisham, gulmohar and barghad are some of the popular varieties planted in the sprawling greenbelt. The refinery produces LPG, Naphtha, petrol, kerosene and diesel for the north-western region. A visit to the greenbelt and refinery on Tuesday revealed that the refinery is using only de-sulphurised fuel gas and low sulphur fuel oil in its operation with a view to preserving the environment. Besides, there is a sulphur recovery plant to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions and online stack analysers to monitor emissions, refinery officials highlighted. The Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station and Van keep a strict vigil on the air quality. Total reuse of effluents treated to the Minimum National Standard (MINAS) parameters and making it a zero effluent discharge unit are the future plans of the refinery. The state-of-the art effluent treatment plant boasts of a small rose garden. A herbal garden having rare Indian herbs is the latest addition to the plant. A large pond is provided for the storage of treated effluent and it is reused mainly in cooling water make-up, fire-water make-up and irrigation of green belt. The pond attracts several exotic birds during winter. The refinery’s concern for environment extends beyond the refinery campus. It initiates sapling plantation drives at Panipat and surrounding villages through the Forest Department regularly. |
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He lapped up his curse for 12 years Rewari, October 30 But the marble trough carries with it a historic curse, which was hurled by Baba Mohan Das at his disciple Gopal Das, who as a result had to undergo the most harrowing time for 12 long years at a stretch. It all happened in the second half of the 16th century when Gopal Das became the first disciple-saint of the enlightened Saint Baba Mohan Das at his sacred temple in Bharawas village, which lies beside the ancient Delhi-Ajmer Road, about 7 km from Rewari. Then one night, the Guru (Baba Mohan Das) asked Gopal to fetch water from the well. Legend has it that Gopal, who too possessed miraculous divine powers like his great Guru, went to the well without a string, made the water at the bottom of the well rise to the brink through his divine powers, and then filled his Tumbi (a pot made from dried gourd) with water and took it to Mohan Das who drank the water. However, when Mohan Das came to know of Gopal’s feat, he, in a fit of holy wrath, cursed him saying, “O dog! You have unnecessarily tormented Varun Dev (God Mercury), may you be crippled.” No sooner was the curse uttered that Gopal became a cripple to the dismay of all present. Later, Baba Mohan Das sent for a marble trough out of which the ‘crippled’ Gopal Das virtually lapped up his food like a dog for 12 long years after which the persistency of the curse as well as Gopal Das’ disability was completely gone. Mohan Das now asked Gopal Das to move to Tint village, seven km from Bharawas, as like two equal-sized swords not finding simultaneous access in one single sheath, the guru and the chela (disciple), who both were now endowed with divine powers, could not occupy the same hermitage simultaneously. Thus, while leaving Bharawas for Tint, Gopal Das himself placed his tongue-spotted marble trough upside down with the strict instructions that in future only a perfect (superbly divine) saint like himself would be entitled to use this trough for taking meals. Since then over four centuries have elapsed and the above trough lies on a specially erected platform near the holy shrine (samadhi) of Baba Mohan Das in his temple at Bharawas. The historic well, from which Gopal Das had brought water for his guru Mohan Das, now lies in total ruins on the bank of the Mohan Sarovar in the temple complex at Bharawas. With the passage of time, the number of Mohan Das’ devotees has gone into legions, both in India as well as in some foreign countries. Year after year, on various occasions, they visit the temple at Bharawas and offer their obeisance at Mohan Das’ samadhi. Simultaneously, they also pay their respects to Gopal Das’ tongue-spotted trough, the historic Heens tree, Saint Gharib Das’ miraculous Gudri (a patched bedding), and other sacred relics. The trough contains deep and indelible spots as a result of the 12-year-long lapping up of food by the ‘crippled’ Gopal Das. |
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Dye house owners call off strike Panipat, October 30 Over 400 dye house owners had gone on an indefinite strike since Monday protesting against the move of the district administration to shift their units from the residential areas to the Industrial Area, Sector 29. They have alleged that the administration had gone back on its promise of providing certain additional incentives to the shifting units, including reduction in the plot prices. The owners, while terming the plot prices as exorbitant, have alleged that shifting of the units to the Industrial Area would deal a deathblow to the their business. The dye houses are considered to be the backbone of the world-famous handloom industry, which earned a foreign exchange of over Rs 1,400 crore last year. |
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Ransom season in Sonepat Sonepat, October 30 As a mark of protest, lawyers in the city and other parts of the district struck work on Monday and Tuesday and submitted a memorandum to the district and police authorities, demanding immediate arrest of the anti-social elements and criminals. In the latest among a series of such cases, an owner of a kiryana shop on the old DC road received a threat call on the telephone. The anonymous callers demanded Rs 2 lakh, if he wanted to save his life. The owner informed the police about the call but the police authorities refused divulge any details to mediapersons. Meanwhile, a group of miscreants forced their way into a VCR and cassette shop on the Kakroi road here last night and took away a VCR and Rs 5,000 after injuring the owner of the shop and one of his associates. According to a report, both the injured persons were rushed to the local civil hospital where the condition of one of them was stated to be serious. |
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Dulina kin appear before inquiry panel Jhajjar, October 30 As many as 24 people from three villages arrived here today. The family members reportedly reiterated their earlier allegations in their statements, blaming the police for the tragic killings. Later, talking to reporters, they demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident. |
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Barrier-free flats for kin of Kargil martyrs This scheme, conceived and executed by DDA architects and engineers, has been designed in association with a panel of renowned architects including Padmashree A. P. Kanvinde, Mr P. R. Mehta, president of the Council of Architects, and Mr S. K. Das. It consists of two types of houses — two bedroom (Type A) and three bedroom (Type B)— constructed with a covered area of 90 sq m and 130 sq m respectively. A total number of 414 houses, consisting of 302 Type A and 112 Type B, have been
constructed. To take care of persons disabled in the war, the complex and its immediate surroundings have been designed and constructed completely barrier free. The corridors in three-storey blocks are also connected by walkways approachable by ramps in addition to the staircase not only to allow free movement but also to facilitate interaction among residents and movement of wheelchair users. Thoughtful use of sloping roof with terracotta tile cladding not only imparts distinct character to the whole complex but also provides better insulation against heat to the top floor residents. To make it eco-friendly, special landscape effect has been developed by providing a large central green spine with community facilities etc. The facilities like canteen, common kitchen, library, medical aid centre, and common hall etc have been provided for use of the residents in the facility block of the complex. The houses have been constructed with hollow concrete blocks, which have ensured better quality and better insulation against weather conditions. With less thickness of walls, more space is available within the same plinth area. The hollow block construction also provides more resistance to earthquake. DDA is not charging the cost of land and development. Only the cost of construction of the flat at the rate of Rs 6 lakh for three-bedroom and Rs 4 lakh for two-bedroom houses is being charged. |
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NCR BRIEFS Faridabad, October 30 Soldier cremated Rewari: The mortal remains of Mr Ram Kanwar (56), an inspector of the 172
Battalion, were consigned to the flames with full state honour in Titarpur village, about 10 km from here, today. He died in an IED blast engineered by militants in the Rajouri Sector of Jammu and Kashmir on October 28. His funeral today was attended by several distinguished peoples. He is survived by two sons and a married daughter.
One killed in road mishap Sonepat: One person was killed and another injured seriously when a tractor on which they were travelling overturned on the Sonepat-Gohana road near Barwasni village, about 5 km from here, last evening. According to a report, the victim and the injured person have not been identified so far. The tractor was on its way to Sonepat from Gohana. The police have registered a case and further investigations are in progress.
Villagers block traffic Jhajjar: Residents of Jahangirpur village blocked traffic on the Badli road in protest against erratic supply of electricity and inadequate supply of canal water in their village today. Hundreds of villagers led by Satbir Singh, a block samiti member, gathered on the road around 11am and held up traffic for nearly three hours. Later, district officials, including the SDM, DSP and executive engineer of the Irrigation Department arrived in the village. They assured the villagers of providing sufficient electricity and releasing water in the canal after disilting it at the earliest. On getting the assurance, the villagers lifted the jam. |
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DELHI DIGEST New Delhi, October 30 Following the agreement, the UTI would install ATMs in most of the police premises for the convenience of the personnel so that they could withdraw their salaries and deposit cash round the clock. Builders ‘harass’ shop owners:
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Cops register dowry case after dilly-dallying Ghaziabad, October 30 After about a fortnight of struggle, the hapless but strong-willed Umesh had succeeded in getting her complaint registered with the local police. Daughter of Mangal Singh of Muradabad, Umesh was married on May 26, 1997 in Madheek Nagar village. She suffered all kinds of torture at the hands of her in-laws whose greed for dowry was insatiable. In-laws were pressuring her parents for Rs 1 lakh plus a plot of 200 sq. yards. They beat up Umesh on December 7, 1999, so much so that her pregnancy got aborted. Then she left for her father’s house, but on April 18, 2000, after the intervention of some relatives, her in-laws brought her back. But within days, they started ill-treating her again. She was thrown out in June 2001 after being beaten black and blue. She was brought back after a while. On October 14, 2002, her in-laws savagely beat her up and forced her to run away from the house. She then approached the police for justice after getting treatment at a government hospital. But instead of registering her complaints, police rebuked her relatives and shooed them away from police station after a couple of days. Then her father and brother Phool Singh met SP Umesh Srivastava. But even then the FIR was not registered. Subsequently, they met the SSP Ghaziabad. The SSP sent a written order to SO Sihani Gate police station, but even this was ignored by the policemen for a couple of days. Only on October 27, the police registered the report.
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Finally, a crackdown on brothels Meerut, October 30 On October 24 the Commissioner, Meerut Division, had written a letter to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr Gurdarshan Singh, seeking help in conducting a raid within three days to ensure that no illegal trafficking was on in the red light area. On Monday evening a large contingent of police force, including the circle officer, the in-charge of the police helpline, and the Additional City Magistrate, conducted several raids in Akbari Bazar. Those arrested would be produced before the Magistrate for recording their statement under Section 164 CrPC. The police also sealed six brothels with the help of the Magistrate. A large number of brothels fall in the Delhi Gate police station area but the law enforcers of that area did not bother to raid these
brothels. On October 23 a teenaged girl was released from a brothel with the help of a soldier. Resident of the area and several other social workers alleged that several teenaged girls were being forcibly kept in some brothels with the help of musclemen. A local non-government organisation, Surabhi Parivar, held a procession the next day and blocked the traffic in the area, demanding police action in the area against illegal trafficking of humans. Residents also alleged that area police was protecting the brothel owners in exchange for money. |
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Woman poses as govt official, cheats schools New Delhi, October 30 The accused, Seema Bajaj (25), an engineer by profession, had cheated a number of schools by convincing them to buy computers and later take away one of the computers from there. She also cheated a furniture company by ordering furniture worth Rs 1.20 lakh. During interrogation, she confessed to her crime and disclosed that one Raj Bedi used to receive the computers from her. Businessmen duped:
Stolen mobikes seized:
12 minor girls rescued:
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Youth shot dead at rly station Rohtak, October 30 The other assailant, Sanjay, then took the gun and fired in the chest of Daljit who died on the spot. The incident took place in front of several people but nobody dared to check or chase the criminals who easily escaped on their motorcycle. An old enmity is said to be the reason behind the attack. The police have arrested Sonu and Leela in this connection and registered a case under Sections 302, 34 and 120-B of the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. Community service group:
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Airtel expands network in Delhi New Delhi, October 30 The Airtel network in Delhi currently manages more than 150 million call minutes every month and with the scaling up of the capacity it can cater to the needs of more than 1.5 million customers. The company has deployed 1.8 MHz of additional bandwidth in the 900 MHz frequency band allocated to Airtel in Delhi. “By scaling up our capacity, we will ensure unmatched network performance for our current subscriber base and at the same time it positions us uniquely to participate in the ongoing growth in this market”, said Mr Saravjit S. Dhillon, CEO, Airtel, Delhi and UP (West). |
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New Delhi, October 30