TOP STORIES

CBSE has an antidote to exam blues. Ask your teacher
New Delhi, January 15
Going by the Central Board of Secondary Education’s latest endeavour, the innumerable volunteers (read helplines) who claim to offer assistance to children in distress may soon have to shut shop. The CBSE has come up with a handbook for teachers to help them solve common problems the students face.

Birth, death certificates via Internet soon
New Delhi, January 15
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi will provide online facility through the Internet to Delhiites for getting birth and death certificates and booking of parks for organising marriages and other functions from the new financial year. Application for factory and trade licences can also be submitted and obtained through the Internet, Director of Information and Technology, MCD, D.S. Pandey said.

19 govt buildings yet to pay house tax
Sonepat, January 15
The Sonepat Municipal Council has identified as many as 19 government buildings against whom a sum of about Rs 50 lakh is outstanding for the recovery of house tax.

Save Oil drive: Schoolchildren during an inaugural function of Oil Conservation Fortnight 2003 in the Capital on Wednesday. — Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

Passengers left out in the cold at Meerut rly station
Meerut, January 15
Hundreds of passengers and their relatives have been braving the intense cold wave at the Meerut City railway station. There is just an apology for a waiting room. Another waiting room is locked by the railway authorities.

Goods worth Rs 70 lakh gutted in rubber factory
Sonepat, January 15
Rubber goods worth Rs 70 lakh were reduced to ashes in a devastating fire which broke out in a factory on the G T Road near Kundli village about 25 km from here last night. However, nobody was hurt in the fire.

Trader robbed of Rs 40,000 at gunpoint
Noida, January 15
Scooter-borne armed criminals looted Rs 40,000, a moped and the keys of the shop from a trader at gunpoint in Boora Bazar in broad daylight while Rs 1.25 lakh was stolen from the firm of a groundnut merchant in the same area of Bulandshahr.

Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi: Famous TV stars Sudha Shivpuri, Apra Mehta and Shveta Keshvani at a musical soiree, organised by the Haryana Maitri Sangh in the Capital.

South-West Delhi records decline in crimes, except rape
New Delhi, January 15
South-West district has recorded a decline in various crimes except the number of rape during the year 2002. As many as 68 rape cases were reported in the year 2002 as compared to 43 in 2001, an increase of 25 cases. About 50 per cent of the accused in the rape cases were known to the victims.

• 8 pc dip in North-West

Rise and shine now!
New Delhi, January 15
With the sun coming out and the fog thinning early, the Met office today said better days were ahead. Though the minimum temperature showed a marginal increase, the chilly winds forced Delhiites to take protection under heavy warm cloths.

COMMUNITY

Probe sought into fund embezzlement
Bhiwani, January 15
The villagers of Hadoda village have sought a fresh probe into the embezzlement of funds in the watershed scheme. A deputation of the villagers met the Deputy Commissioner here today and submitted their complaint to him.

• Cong criticised on SYL
• Sports capital status

Special Focus on Panipat
Affluence and apathy make chaotic road scenes
Panipat, January 15
With the authorities and residents caring two hoots for the traffic regulations, the scene here has become chaotic and traffic jams are a common sight in the city. Traffic jams on all major roads, such as the Assandh Road flyover and the GT Road, have become a routine affair.

Professor of International Studies, JNU, F. K. Warikoo, Professor of International Relations, DU, W. P. S. Siddhu, Maj-Gen Vinod Saigal, the author of Dealing with Global Terrorism: The Way Forward, Dr Manmohan Singh and Dr Charan Wadhwa, president, Centre for Policy Research during an open forum discussion on Maj-Gen Saigal’s book in the Capital on Wednesday. — Tribune Photo

Factory workers stage dharna against retrenchment
Panipat, January 15
Workers of the Dhillion Cool Drinks today staged dharna in front of the District Labour Office in protest against the retrenchment of employees by the management. Scores of workers assembled at the local civil hospital in the morning and marched in procession to the Labour Office. It may be recalled that the Pepsi plant had allegedly been sold off to a Gurgaon-based firm. Over 200 employees were shown the door by the management on January 7 without any notice.

• Kelkar report
• Demolition drive
• Two killed
• Girl crushed

And now, power cuts, thanks to cold wave
Faridabad, January 15
The district is virtually reeling under power cuts, thanks to the increased demand due to chilling cold wave conditions and the shortage of power supply from sources. Cuts averaging about three to four hours daily are being imposed, leading to inconvenience to consumers in general.

Left to right: Mr A.R. Kohli, Mizoram Governor, Mr B.K. Agnihotri, Ambassador at Large, USA, Mr Kedarnath Sahni, Goa Governor and Mr Virender Singh Jauhar, President of Panjabi Heritage Society at the Lohri celebrations in the Capital.

CRIME

Spurious drugs’ sale continues unabated
Ghaziabad, January 15
While the owner of the fake drugs’ factory in Tila Mode police post area of Sahibabad continues to elude the law enforcers, the spurious drug mafia seems to have overawed the government agencies. The drug mafia is boldly supplying spurious medicines at all chemists’ outlets in Ghaziabad, Noida, Delhi etc.

SI arrested by CBI for accepting bribe
New Delhi, January 15
The CBI today arrested a Sub-Inspector of the Delhi Police posted at Adarsh Nagar police station in North-West district for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 2 000 from a complainant. The Sub-Inspector demanded the bribe from the complainant allegedly for not harassing a woman arrested in a case registered in the Adarsh Nagar police station.

Traffic policing being strengthened
Faridabad, January 15
The traffic police network in the town is being strengthened. As part of the exercise, at least five new traffic police posts had been set up in various areas. According to the Additional SP, Mr Subas Kaviraj, four traffic police posts had been set up in the eastern area covering mainly the urban sectors. He said the new posts would soon start functioning at the crossings of sectors 12-15, 15-A, 16-16A, 18-19 and 7-10.

• Gun licence racket

Yarn dealer kidnapped
Panipat
A yarn dealer, Mr Shiv Kumar, was kidnapped by two unidentified persons from his Model Town residence here on Tuesday night.

EDUCATION

Former Prime Minister I. K. Gujaral speaking at the 30th World Marketing Congress, hosted by the Institute of Marketing & Management.

CAMPUS
Teachers’ union threatens to boycott exams
Having resorted to strikes across the colleges in the city today the Delhi University Teachers’ Union (DUTA) has threatened to boycott examinations if the family of Dr M. N. Singh, who was shot dead in Swami Shraddhanand college is not compensated, at the earliest.

• Students march to VC’s office

• Courses for professionals

• Amity opens design centre

• Technology and Management

• IIF signs MoU with Uzbekistan

Mock boards launched for students
New Delhi, January 15
To boost the confidence level and preparation skills of thousands of students facing the class X and XII board exams, Ritnand Balved Education Foundation has launched ‘Amity Mock Boards’. The Amity Mock Boards, with a unique feature of personalised assessment/evaluation for each student appearing in these exams, will kickstart on January 18.

HEALTH

Eye conference to focus on macular degeneration
New Delhi, January 15
The age related macular degeneration, which is affecting more than 10 per cent of the old population and is considered to be the second largest cause of blindness worldwide, would be the focus of the four-day annual ophthalmology conference being organised in the Capital.