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March 22, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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A flurry of
financial frauds, mostly unsolved Noida, March 21 The most
interesting case pertains to the Sector 18 branch of Hong Kong and
Shinghai Banking Corporation. The manger of the bank had registered a
case with the Sector 20 police on October 3, 2002, about a person who
had taken a loan for Rs 2 lakh, but never bothered to deposit the
instalments. When the bank manager demanded the instalments, the
loanee not only refused to pay, but threatened to eliminate the bank
manager. The bank named three persons in its complaint. The
investigators closed the file after sometime, saying that the “accused
were not traceable”, the sources said. That was the end of the case. Similarly,
a case of cheating was filed in the Sector 20 police station against
an executive engineer of UP Power Corporation, N.C. Agarwal, on
January 19, 2002 for having defrauded the corporation of over Rs 2.90
lakh. An inquiry revealed that Agarwal had been depositing cheques
presented by a company in the name of his son instead of the power
corporation’s account in the bank. Sources said that this case was
also closed on October 23, 2002. In another case, Rs 3.45 lakh were deposited in the savings account of an employee by mistake instead of the current account of the corporation in Vijaya Bank. This amount had remained in the savings account of the employee for 18 months. The UP Power Corporation had failed to detect the mistake. The employee, who reaped the windfall, had withdrawn the money within 10 days and used most of it by the time the mistake was found out. The bank detected the blunder on February 21 last year when the bank manager filed a preliminary report with the police. The account holder was arrested and some amount recovered from him. But the bank had not taken any action against any of its own staff, it is learnt. One person had reportedly withdrawn Rs 1,000 from UCO Bank against a fake voucher. Though a report was filed in the Sector 20 police station, the matter is still unsolved. One
Mr Khurana had filed a case against a person who had availed of Rs 4
lakh car finance loan by submitting a fake document. In another case,
the amount deducted by a company from the employees’ salaries was
not deposited in the PF account. The company had filed a case against
its employee responsible for this lapse. This case was still unsolved. |
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MDU
CONVOCATION Rohtak, March 21 “We have no option but to set before us
the task of making knowledge the cornerstone of a resurgent India. We
have already achieved a well-earned recognition at the international
level as a knowledge-based society. Our experts have dominated the
international scene in computers, IT, electronics, bio-technology,
pure science, economics and management sciences. We are definitely
comfortably placed in this new phenomenon,” he said. Mr Jaswant Singh said that the future belongs to India and its younger generation. The need of the hour is to shun narrowness of thought and inferiority complex. He called upon the youth to seize the moment and give a direction to the changing times and lead a meaningful life. Congratulating
the candidates who got their degrees and medals, the Union Finance
Minister said that they have it in them to touch the horizons of
success in life. He fondly remembered Haryana’s proud astronaut
daughter Kalpana Chawla who dared to dream that “my home is the
Milky Way”. This kind of confidence and broadness of thought is
required to achieve success in life, he said. Earlier, he noted that the ratio of girl students getting degrees and medals in the convocation was higher than that of boys. An educated girl, he said, is an asset to the society. The
Chancellor, Babu Parmanand, awarded PhD degrees to 86 candidates in
the faculties of law, commerce, education, engineering and technology,
humanities, life sciences, management sciences, social sciences etc.
Prominent among them were Additional District Judge Shiva Sharma
(Law), the wife of Mr K. P. Singh, DIG (CID), Haryana, Mrs Deepa Singh
(Law), and an ex-judicial officer, Mr R. D. Jatain (Commerce). |
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Khurana
to meet Jaswant on VAT New Delhi, March 21 Union Labour Minister Sahib Singh Verma and BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra (both members of Parliament from NCT of Delhi) and Leader of Opposition in Delhi Legislative Assembly Jagdish Mukhi will accompany
Khurana. The VAT is to come into force from April 1. Certain states have voiced their objections to the new tax regime. NCT of Delhi is among them. The Government of NCT of Delhi has sought time to introduce the VAT. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had on March 15 called on Union Finance Minister Jaswant Singh to discuss about the introduction of VAT in the Capital. She told the finance minister that the NCT of Delhi’s status as the Capital, and a centre of trade, should be factored in before introducing the new tax regime. The Government of NCT of Delhi, she said, was concerned about the likely impact on the trade in general and consumer in particular. “The legislation,” she said, “should protect their interests.” The finance minister was also apprised of Delhi Pradesh BJP president Madan Lal Khurana’s utterances on the introduction of VAT and how they contradicted the party’s stand.
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FILM
CITY CASE Noida,
March 21 Alpana, a resident of Sector 44, and her companion Yogesh, an assistant manager of a five star hotel in Delhi, were returning from a hotel in Sector 18 when another car overtook them near Film City in Sector 16-A around 11 pm. Two persons came out of the other car and shot Alpana in her chest and injured Yogesh seriously. She died on the spot. Soon
after the incident, Yogesh, who also received bullet shots, drove to
the Mayur Vihar Police Station in Delhi and then to Lal Bahadur
Shastri Hospital where Alpana was declared brought dead. On gaining
consciousness, Yogesh informed Alpana’s family. Subsequently, the
Noida police were informed about the incident by the Mayur Vihar
police. The Noida police are trying to figure out why Alpana had gone for dinner so late and what was the objective of going to the Film City at that hour and why Yogesh had gone towards Delhi after the incident when there are good hospitals close by here. The father of Alpana, Dhruv Lal Bhargava, has filed a report in the Sector 20 police station alleging that the two brothers of Mahavir Dalal, Sunil and Anil, had murdered his daughter. A case under Sections 302 and 307 of the IPC has been registered. Alpana
was married to Mahavir of Delhi in 1990. Mahavir, who used to visit
foreign countries, developed differences with Alpana, which culminated
in their divorce in 1998. The Noida District Court had given the
child, Koutalya (11), the right to stay with his mother on February
25. (The child is now studying in a school in Shimla.) After this,
Mahavir had threatened Alpana on phone many times, Mr Bhargava
said. |
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QUIET
BURIAL New
Delhi, March 21 This provision was made by Parliament when Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister, to strengthen the finances of the MCD and municipalities in other states. Thereafter, all state governments had started constituting finance commissions, which recommend how much amount the municipalities require for their development works. The first Finance Commission of the Delhi Government had submitted its report in 1998. The second Finance Commission was constituted in 2001 on the order of the Delhi High Court. However, its recommendations have yet not been implemented. As per the recommendations of the second commission, the Delhi Government had to release Rs 350 crore to the corporation and the money would be disbursed under the non-Plan head, sources in the corporation said. Sources said bickering in the Congress had delayed the sanction of money as the party was in power both in the NCT of Delhi as well as in the corporation. Three years have passed since the second finance commission made its recommendations. Chairman
of the Standing Committee of the corporation Ram Babu Sharma said that
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had assured him that the recommendations
of the second Finance Commission would be implemented soon. |
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‘Alert’
operation gives police
something to cheer about Sonepat, March 21 The police, he claimed, also busted four gangs of highway robbers, burglars, thieves and murderers operating in this region. The police also solved nine cases of looting, burglaries, thefts etc and recovered eight country-made pistols, nine live cartridges, three knives, three iron rods and a motorcycle from the arrested members of these gangs. The
SP also disclosed that the police organised `naka bandis’ at 249
places in different parts of the district during the campaign. Thus,
the police managed to arrest three persons — Mahinder Singh,
Dharambir and Surinder alias Sheru — allegedly involved in a looting
near Murthal chowk. Two country-made pistols, one live cartridge, a
car (CH 01/7890) and Rs 1,400 were seized from them. According to
the SP, the police also arrested Ishfaq of Mani village (UP) and Vinod
of Nehru Vihar (Delhi) and solved a robbery case of Ganaur. The
police, he said, also recovered a country-made pistol, a ‘kamanidar’
knife, a motorcycle and Rs 6,200 in cash from them. The SP further disclosed that the city police solved a case of kidnapping and arrested five persons including two women in this connection. The arrested persons have been identified as Ms Anita and Balraj of Burari village, Mukesh and Ramphal of Khaleela village and Ms Jaiwanti of Ganaur. The police, he said, rescued a woman, Mrs Ram Rati, allegedly kidnapped by them. A Maruti car (HR-06/G/8268) was seized from them. He also claimed that the police solved three cases of looting and recovered property and goods valued at Rs 4.07 lakh. Similarly, five cases of burglaries and four cases of thefts were also solved and stolen goods worth Rs 1.71 lakh recovered. Eight persons were arrested in eight cases registered under the NDPS Act in different police stations of the district. The police, he said, seized 3.2 kg charas and 130 gm opium from the arrested persons. Under the Indian Arms Act, the police arrested 40 persons in 31 cases registered in various police stations of the district. The police, he said, also recovered 33 country-made pistols, 14 live cartridges and seven knives from their possession. Under
the Excise Act, 21 persons were arrested and 531 bottles of country
liquor and 64 bottles of IFML were seized from them. The police
arrested 14 persons in 11 cases registered under the Gambling Act in
different police stations. The police also recovered a cash of Rs
3,515 and other articles of gambling from the arrested persons. |
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Nagar Nigam
washes its hands of garbage Ghaziabad, March 21 After the Supreme Court directive in 2000, a strategy was chalked out for its retrieval, cartage and disposal, but somehow it was never implemented. The
Nagar Nigam has the capacity to deal with only half of the garbage it
generates — the other half remains on the city roads. The domestic
garbage generated in Mahan Nagar is estimated at 500 tonnes daily for
which no special land-fill has been allocated. As a result, half-a-km
stretch on the Meerut Road is home to the city’s garbage which,
apart from being a blot on the landscape, also gives rise to obnoxious
smells and odours. Interestingly, no insecticide or even lime power is sprinkled on it. Instead, it is allowed to become a breeding ground for flies, mosquitoes, etc. A solid waste committee, set up under Ashim Bansal, had made certain recommendation in 1999 which were to be implemented within two years. But they are gathering dust right now. In October 2000, the Central government had issued a notification listing in detail the steps for management, collection, storage and disposal of garbage. The dumping ground and its overall management had also been spelled out. But this, too, remains on paper. A separate system with attendant rules had been specified for toxic garbage being produced by hospitals, nursing homes and pathological laboratories. The
poisonous and harmful substances need to be destroyed in a scientific
way in an incinerator. Till date, no incinerator has been arranged for
the purpose. Toxic waste, combined with domestic waste, is left in
open plinths in the city as if public health, sanitation and
cleanliness are nobody’s concern. The main reason for this
pathetic state of affairs is the duality of operations, with usually
overlapping jurisdictions between Nagar Nigam and the Ghaziabad
Development Authority. Even in GDA colonies, there is no clear cut
arrangement for transportation of domestic refuse. No fixed place is
assigned for containers or garbage bins which are kept at random. |
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Abducted
22-yr-old freed New Delhi, March 21 While quizzing the occupants, the cops spotted a girl who was crying. When questioned, she told the police that she was being kidnapped. The
four — Ranjeet, Pawan, Sanjay and Parveen — all residents of
Khanpur and in their early 20s were taken into custody and, during
interrogation, Ranjeet confessed that he wanted to marry the girl.
When he heard the news that she was engaged, he decided to kidnap her
and marry her against her wishes.
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SPECIAL FOCUS ON JHAJJAR/BAHADURGARH Jhajjar, March 21 Even though the unbearable stench emanating from the
drain has made the life of the people living nearby “unbearable”,
the dwellers here have “little choice”. The west juwa drain, with
a capacity of 1080 cusec, passes through about 7-8 colonies before
making its way out near the Parnala village on the National Highway No
10. Unfortunately, the drain has not been disilted for the last
27years. To make matters worse, the Bahadurgarh Municipal Council, the
body responsible for sanitation and cleanliness in the town, has
constructed shops by encroaching upon the embankment of the drain. Subsequently, the SDO, Irrigation, lodged a complaint with the Bahadurgarh Municipal Council in this regard and sent a copy to the local SDM and Executive Engineer, Irrigation, Rohtak. The department sources said that that if the encroachment were not removed, it would move the court for necessary action. According
to sources, the Bahadurgarh Municipal Council “encroached upon the
land”, near the Railway Road and auctioned it for the construction
of shops. Strangely, “no official of the Municipal Council, except a
clerk”, was present at the time of the auction, while it should have
been held in the presence of senior officers, including an executive
officer. Moreover, sources informed that “no paper work on the deal
was completed”. It may be mentioned here that the Municipal Council, in tandem with the local administration and the police, has launched an intensive drive to remove illegal encroachments on government land. The
“double standards” of the administration on the ongoing
anti-encroachment drive has also been exposed by the fact that it has
constantly ignored this encroachment despite the written objections
from the Irritation Department, which is the real owner of the land. When
asked to clarify its view on the need to clear the “choked drain”,
the Municipal Council authorities maintained that this responsibility
was with the Irrigation Department and the Municipal Council “was
not bound to engaged its staff for this work”. On the other hand
the Irrigation Department said it was the responsibility of the
Municipal Council since it was their sweepers who dumped garbage in
the drain, which resulted in choking and blockage of the drain. The
also said that the department did not have “adequate funds for desilting
of the drain”. |
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Killer
road: Residents nonplussed New Delhi, March 21 Residents have seen such accidents on a regular basis on this stretch since Hauz Rani city forest area was developed. The residents have to cross MB road from Saket to enter the Hauz Rani city forest. The stretch does not have any blinker red light or subway to cross the road, which has led to major collisions here. Even though the senior citizens welfare association, Saket, approached the Lt-Governor, DCP Traffic and Deputy Commissioner, MCD, there was no solution to their problem in sight. The association suggested the construction of a subway from H block/J block side to the city forest across the road. They also suggested that pelican lights be installed and speed breakers and zebra crossing be constructed there. More
than 5000 people, including a large number of senior citizens, ladies
and children of the area use the park for their morning and evening
walk and exercises. The area MLA, Speaker of Delhi Assembly and other
eminent personalities of the area are also regular visitors to the
park. A member of the senior citizens welfare association, Mr Ved
Kumar, said, “We wrote a letter to the Lt-Governor on August 22,
2002, regarding this ‘killer road’ and other encroachments in the
colony. After lot of persuasion, the ACP Traffic, Defence Colony,
agreed to install two traffic light signals near N block and a pelican
light near H block.” S.R. Mathur, a resident of the area, said,
“if we cannot avail the services of such a beautiful place, then
what’s the use of maintaining it?” A.K Singla, ACP Traffic, said,
“We give the requirements as per our survey. We have written to the
MCD that a subway is needed. However, it is a time consuming project.” |
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Gupta stresses inter-state coordination New Delhi, March 21 Mr Gupta expressed apprehension over
terrorist strike in the national capital even as he spoke of his
force’s ‘success’ in preventing any major subversive action last
year. At least 41 terrorists, including five Pakistanis, were
arrested last year and ‘no successful militant activity’ was
allowed, Mr Gupta said at an interactive session on ‘Law, Order and
Security in Delhi — Perceptions and Reality’, organised by CII
here. “But there is no room for complacency. We have to remain
vigilant,” he said. Mr Gupta said the Bomb Detection Squads and
Bomb Disposal Squads were being deployed in all the nine districts of
the national capital and Sniffer Dog Squads were being augmented to
keep a check on terrorist activities. Speaking on the modernisation
of the force, the police chef said all police stations would be
computerised within the stipulated period. It would provide a database
of wanted persons and help track them down, Mr Gupta said. He said 10
police stations would come by the end of this year and three
state-of-the-art disaster management centres have been set up in the
city. On the increase in the cases of rape and eve-teasing in Delhi,
he said police were taking effective steps, including sensitisation of
the force, to tackle these problems. He said the issue of increase of
crime against women was because of the weakening of the social values
and family bonds. An analysis of perpetrators of crime against women
indicated that the majority of them were friends and family
members. A demographic profile of eve-teasers apprehended revealed
that they were well-settled family men in the age group of 35 to 40,
he said, adding that this was a poor reflection of our society and
needs serious thinking. Mr Gupta said special cells and helplines for
women in distress have been set up and 6,000 police officers would be
trained to sensitise them to the problems of women and enable them to
deal more effectively with victims. Traffic situation needs
improvement, he said and added, “We cannot educate public. We can
only assist them to follow traffic rules and regulations. People have
to take the initiative themselves.” He said the issue of complaint
regarding the non-registration of cases at police stations was being
looked into on priority basis. |
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Protect
advocate’s rights, NHRC urges police Gurgaon, March 21 The NHRC has urged the police that an “Action Taken
Report” be sent to it within six weeks from the date of receipt of
its communication. A copy of the letter has been addressed to the
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon and copies of it were sent to
the state’s Inspector General of Police (Crime) and the complainant
in the case. The ‘NCR Tribune’ has the NHRC’s letter to the
police. The district police chief, Mr Kuldip Singh Sihag, was not
available for comments when his office and residence were
contacted. Mr Singh had complained to the Commission that he was
kidnapped and kept in illegal detention by the District Revenue
Officer, Mr Lalban and the Estate Officer, Huda, Gurgaon, Mr Pradeep
Dagar in the intervening night of December 17-18,last year, for
several hours. According to his version, he was detained on the
premises of Huda office during. The officers tortured him mentally and
threatened to liquidate him if he did not withdraw the case from the
Punjab and Haryana High court pertaining to the closure of the local
Krishi Vigyan Kendra. According to the representation to the
Commission the officials misused the government machinery on December
17 to illegally demolish a building of a high school run by Mr Singh
and his kin along with the residential structures constructed on 13
acres in Bindapur Jharsa village. He and his family members had
purchased the piece of land. There was litigation on the ownership of
the land between Huda and the owners. The demolitions were done in
violations of the court’s guidelines. He and his family members were
not served notice and the demolitions were done with the help of large
contingent of police force, Mr Singh pleaded to the Commission. He
alleged he was kidnapped from the site of the debris of the demolished
structures when he had gone there at about 11 pm the same day after
getting reports that the government officials were trying to tamper
with documents. He was kidnapped at gun-point by the two senior
officers with the help of several persons in civvies. He pointed out
to the Commission that he had been targeted for witch-hunting as he
had moved the court to restrain the government from closing the Krishi
Vigyan Kendra set up on 46 acres of prime land. According to him, the
government wanted to wind up the Kendra with an intention to start
casino. He alleged that the government machinery was used to force him
to withdraw the case at the instance of the Deputy Speaker of the
Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Mr Gopi Chand Gehlot, who is also the local MLA.
However, official circles had rebutted the charges of Mr Singh and
justified the demolition of the school building and the residential
structures.
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‘Sector
14 no better than an
unauthorised colony’ Sonepat, March 21 The
president of the Residents’ Welfare Association, Mr Sushil Chand and
its secretary, Mr K.D. Vashisht, justified their assessment. They
said though Sector 14 was the first sector to be developed by HUDA in
the 1970s, it is “no better than an unauthorised colony”, which
generally lacks proper maintenance. Though people have moved into
HUDA sectors for better living, the authorities are “unconcerned”
so far as the maintenance of the facilities are concerned, the
office-bearers alleged. “Damaged roads with potholes provide space
for the accumulation of filthy water, which have become breeding
grounds for mosquitoes and the garbage piled up on the road is always
an open invitation to stray animals, including pigs”, they
reiterated. Dowry Case registered:
Balram’s wife, Meena,
had lodged a complaint of dowry harassment against her in-laws in the
court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Sudheer Jeewan. |
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Jal Utsav to create awareness about water conservation New Delhi, March 21 Titled the Jal Utsav, the programme will showcase a series of events. Beginning on March 22, the Utsav will have a water quiz for school children, wetlands and water quality round table conference, theatre presentation, photo and painting exhibitions, essay competitions and a cartoon exhibition. A
seminar on ‘Developments in Hydrological Information System’ will
also be organised in association with the Government of Netherlands,
who are also providing a grant-in-aid of 14.84 million Euro in the
form of technical assistance under the bilateral Indo-Dutch agreement. The
project aims at improving the ‘Hydrological Information System’ in
peninsular India so as to arrive at a comprehensive and easily
accessible and user friendly database, covering all aspects of
hydrological cycle. The programmes have been planed so as to focus attention on the gravity of water problem through a creative and innovative platform. Announcing the event, the Minister for Water Resources, Mr Arjun Charan Sethi, called upon the people to pool in their resources and knowledge for judicious use of water and said that using audio visual presentation will help in taking the message of conservation to the rural parts of the country with a greater impact. |
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Women protest with samples of dirty water
Faridabad, March 21
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SPEAKING OUT
Whatever may be the field of his or her work, a doctor’s
profession is one of the noblest ones. He is an angel of God when he
gets permission to deal with His creation. He, therefore, is highly
revered. In the Ramayana, we find Ram standing with folded hands
before the noble ‘vaid’, a doctor of Ayurveda, for reviving his
brother Lakshmna from deep coma. He rushes his dedicated disciple
Hanuman at odd hours for ‘Sanjivani’ (life saving herb). There
are examples of Indian doctors working with missionary zeal. One such
doctor was Dr Kutnis. He worked with extraordinary spirit of service
in China during the Japanese attack on China. He lost his life while
retrieving the lives of soldiers as well as civilians in the Chinese
makeshift medical camps during the China-Japan war. His life story has
been immortalised by V. Shanta Ram, the producer-director, actor and a
genius of Indian cinema, in his one of the best art movies: ‘Dr
Kutnis Ke Amar Kahani’. Similarly, the Indian doctors working on the foreign soil, even if they left India for earning money, have made a mark there in their respective branches of medicine and surgery. In
the post-Independent India, though there had been a scarcity of Indian
doctors, they were well known for their spirit of service. Dr Sushila
Nayyar was one of them. After Partition, when settlement and
rehabilitation of a large number of refugees from West Pakistan was
being undertaken in Faridabad, Dr Sushila Nayyar, in true Gandhian
spirit, identified herself with the uprooted refugees. She was a woman
of substance and conscience. In the dark days of emergency, when
Indian democracy was in real danger, she did not sit apathetic to the
sensibilities of people. She protested and was sent to jail.
Subsequently, due to her spirit of service and dedication to the
people’s cause, she rose to the position of the Union Health
Minister. But, what has happened in Punjab in Rs 100 crore kidney scam has put to shame the medical profession. In the recent years, there have been rumblings of corrupt practices adopted by the doctors in government hospitals, private nursing homes and private hospitals. In the mad rush after money, most of them have lost the spirit of service. This does not augur well for the country. What a shame that most of them, in place of being considered as angles to human beings, have turned themselves into butchers! Let them stem this rot themselves. UJJAL
PAL SINGH, NIT, Faridabad The old business of looking good
This
is with reference to the news item, ‘The business of looking
good’ (NCR Tribune March 12), wherein it is stated: “The
business of beauty is profitable as also creative. With good
looks and groomed persons, the order of the day, teaching beauty
has become a serious vocation.” Without going into the usefulness and utility of the schools
and academies, providing training and courses in beauty culture,
make-up, cosmetology, I wish to add that the Indian neo-rich
middle class is the master imitator of everything foreign, may
it be dress, language, beauty culture, customs or fashion. This middle class has started discarding age-old beauty aids, hairstyles, and dresses. With the result, beauty saloons are mushrooming not only in cities, but also in small towns. Beauty,
good looks and attractive glowing skin are nature’s gift to
human beings and there is no replacement for these natural
gifts. Interference with these may bring some short-term
benefits, but in the long run may prove harmful. So, let us ponder and do not waste time and money on synthetic anti-ageing, expensive beauty creams, because our age-old beauty-aids for skin, face and hair are far more affective and cheaper. And it does not need any schooling or training for their use and application. O.
P. SHARMA,
Faridabad Kudos to the hotel employee It was gratifying to note that a major tragedy was averted outside the New Delhi Railway Station, where six powerful bombs were found in a plastic bag. Had it not been noticed, many persons would have lost their precious lives. Of course, Girdi Ram, a hotel employee, who detected these bombs, done a nice job. Similarly, it is the duty of all citizens to be more alert while travelling. Thus, the anti-national elements must be exposed and be given severe punishment. SUBHASH C.
TANEJA,
Remove ‘bhattis’ from
Uttam Nagar Of late, we, the inhabitants of Indra Park, Bindapur, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi, are facing a peculiar problem. By 5 pm, our colony gets covered with black clouds. It is made of the black smoke, which emits from the bhattis of potters. Although the Delhi Government had driven out the polluting factories out of Delhi, it forgot to shift these potters to outer Delhi. Maybe, the government did this knowingly for getting some political mileage. It is very difficult as well as dangerous for the residents to breathe here. Will the authorities concerned take notice of this and save the residents from this unhealthy environment? The Central Pollution Board and the Delhi Government must take some remedial steps to curb this problem. R.K. MALHOTRA,
Celebrate Nav Varsh in April Last year, when I visited Ajay on the ‘Chaitra
Prathma’ and chanted “Nav Varsh Ki Shubh Kamnayein, Bandhu (Happy
New Year, friend)”, he was taken aback for a moment. After a
while, he started laughing and said, “What has happened to you? Have
you taken opium or bhang that you thought of New Year more than three
months after January 1? “Oh, I really wanted to know whether you
really know about the Vikrami Samvat, which is the basis of our
calendar in the Swadeshi parlance. But you always shout ‘Be Indian,
buy Indian’. It is really a pity that you do not know when the
Indian calendar begins. Now I understand what is meant by the saying
‘nearer to the Church, farther from God.’ Call it a church, temple
or gurdwara and call Him Parmatma, God, Vahe Guru or anything else.” “Achcha”,
he said, and added, “I know quite well all about the desi month of
chaitra and also the prathma being the first day of our calendar.
“Because the
people around celebrate the first of January as the New Year day the
world over. I agree with you that while I know it well, there are many
of us who do not seem to know about this, which indeed is pathetic.
All of us must know our calendar and our duties in keeping with the
lifestyle. We must keep basic faith in our ethical and moral values.” Needless
to reaffirm that our civilisation and culture are not only one of the
most primitive, they are also rich in content and tenor. That’s
why we feel proud about our tradition and heritage. But it seems that
the western culture, being adopted by the modern generation, is fast
eating into our vitals and eroding our ethical values. The example of
it is not far to seek. Most of our youngsters and the middle-aged
celebrate the New Year Day on January 1. They don’t know when the
Vikrami Samvat begins. True, Indians subscribe to the dictum: ‘Love
thyself without hating others’. The saying goes ‘Do in Rome as
Romans do’, which means any one of us going abroad would gladly join
the international community and celebrate January 1 as boisterously
with our friends over there. But while back home on the Indian soil,
we should celebrate the same on April on Samvat. Therefore, I would like to remind our people to exchange good wishes and greet each other on Vikrami Samvat. Our
desi month Chaitra has both geographical and historical background and
significance. Indian calendar’s New Year Day dates back to
Vikramiditya, the great emperor who defeated and trounced the foreign
marauders from our soil. Not only that. Lord Ram’s incarnation
took place on the very day, which proved a rule for peace and
prosperity and came to be known as the period of ‘Ram Rajya’. Mother
Bhagwati manifests her ‘shakti’ (power and potential) beginning on
the first day of Chaitra and is symbolic of ‘Veer Bhogya Vasundhara’,
meaning ours is the world, which believes that only the ‘survival of
the fittest’ could be the only guarantee to save and protect the
pious people from the demons and the dare devils. We should not forget that the great social reformer, Saint Jhoolelal (whose prayers are sung by the Sufi vocalists and are very popular), was also born on this day. Navratras dedicated to the Divine Mother begin on the prathma divas (first day) of Chaitra. The
period of nine days, ‘Navratras’, is deemed the most auspicious
for all good beginnings. Secondly, the Sikh Guru, Guru Angad Dev Ji, and Sindhi Saint Jhoolelal Ji were born on the prathma divas as well. Even the Arya Samaj was founded on this day. Bharat,
being a country of farmers, reap their ‘harvest of gold’, which is
a source of our survival and prosperity alike also coincides with this
very month of Chaitra and on this very day. All this not only reminds us of the rich past but also focuses on our commitment for the well-being and prosperity of all the peoples, the world over. It is the Hindu culture and way of life, which affords equal opportunity to all religions of the world to work together for prosperity of the people. R. L. PATHAK
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An ‘aged’ dancer cry for justice New Delhi, March 21 “Am I the only one who is forty? Why do they
refer to me as the aged dancer? Why doesn’t anyone write bald, aged
dancer while mentioning about Kelucharan Mahapatra,” questions Ms
Varadan who now wants Parliament, Cabinet and the Prime Minister to
take note of the injustice that she has been suffering. The dancer
who is also a photographer and a painter, is peeved that the ICCR has
‘clipped her wings’ by empanelling her in “a lecture
demonstration category” instead of considering her a “performing
artist”. Ms Varadan took the ICCR to court. However, as the
judgement was not in her favour, she now looks for justice from the
“Prime Minister, who is himself a poet and appreciates
art”. Furthermore, the dancer is angry with the critics who have
described her performances in less than polite words. “They have
refereed to my performance as ‘twilight dancing’. They have
referred to me as a housewife who took up dancing and used her
bureaucrat husband’s clout to get government accommodation,
institutional land for the dance school, Kalaikoodam”. Ms
Varadan’s claims that the ICCR committee overlooked the clause
related to age of the artist when “old artists” like Sonal
Mansingh and Birju Maharaj were sent abroad. “These artists were
certainly not between 25 and 45”. However, her claim that she has
been sidelined on the basis of her age is refuted by noted art critic
Ms Shanta Serbjeet Singh, “The committee does not only consider age,
but we look at the performance capability. There are others who have
been put in the lecture demonstration category and are doing well, she
is the only one who took the ICCR to court over the issue.” Ms
Singh adds, “Besides if we keep encouraging artists of her age, what
will happen to the younger ones. Someone has to take care of them and
keep their interests in mind.” |
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NCR BRIEFS Faridabad, March 21 In another incident, dacoity took place in a
house in Jawahar Colony, where the owner was deprived of cash and
valuables worth about Rs 30,000. In the third case, three youths
attempted to snatch the gold chain from a young woman of NH-5 of the
NIT here last night. The residents who rushed to the rescue of the
victim, were able to nab one of the accused, who was beaten badly. He
was admitted to a hospital. A case has been registered. This is the
second case in past 10 days in which a chain-snatcher has been caught
and beaten. A youth who had been caught on similar charges in Sector-8
recently died after he got injured while trying to jump from a
building, in an attempt to flee. This is third incident of
chain-snatching in past 10 days.
DTC cutting into Haryana
Roadways revenue The transport authorities are concerned about the
increasing frequency of route visits by the buses of Delhi Transport
Corporation (DTC) in some of the NCR towns of Haryana. A meeting of
the roadways officials of both the states has been convened to discuss
the issue and decide on the number of route visits from both sides. A
senior official of the Haryana Roadways said that there were
complaints that the DTC had been operating more number of buses on
routes between Delhi and Faridabad, Delhi and Gurgaon and Delhi and
Sonepat. As a result, it is claimed that the revenue recovery of
Haryana Roadways buses on both long and short routes between these
towns had been affected adversely. It is reported that at least 100
trips were made by the DTC buses on these routes daily. Due to this,
the number of passengers in Haryana Roadways buses had decreased.
Faridabad depot has over 300 buses and a large number of these operate
on long and short routes daily. About a dozen buses run on the route
between Delhi (ISBT) and Faridabad only.
Complaint against
in-laws Sonepat: A young housewife of Ganaur, Mrs Meena, has filed a
complaint in the court of Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Ganaur, Mr
Sudhir Jiwan, against her husband Balram, mother-in-law, Mrs Bala, and
husband’s sister, Ms Sushil, all residents of Siwah village in
Panipat district. She alleged harassment at the hands of her in-laws
for not bringing enough dowry at the time of marriage and not
fulfilling the demands of a motorcycle and some cash. According to a
report, she stated in her complaint that she was married on August 12,
2001, and since then she had been harassed on some pretext or the
other.
Youth attacked Sri Niwas, a youth, sustained knife injuries
when he was assaulted with a knife by two youths at Khewra village,
about 13 km from here. According to a report, the injured was taken to
a hospital and is stated to be out of danger. The police are
investigating the case. However, no arrest has been made in this
connection. |
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DELHI DIGEST New Delhi, March 21 The council has also decided to extend the grant-in-aid to
various NGOs, medical, cultural and social institutions and the amount
for the same has been increased to Rs 12,85,000. Mr Ram Bhaj said
that the civic body has made arrangements for the removal of waste as
well. The process has been fully mechanised and 550 garbage bins, each
with a capacity of 1,100 litres, are being procured. A total of Rs 1.9
crore has been sanctioned for the proposal. To collect maximum
arrears by way of recovering electricity and water dues by allowing
rebate in late payment surcharge, the council has extended the last
date of depositing the dues till the 31st of this month. Among other
initiatives are widening of roads between Parliament Street and All
India Radio and naming of link roads in Sarojini Nagar and its
adjacent areas. The decisions including one sanctioning a sum of Rs
1.13 crore for purchase of three power transformers for reliable
electric supply were taken at the monthly meeting of the council here
today. Property tax date extended The
property owners will be given a rebate of 20 per cent of the total
payment of their property tax under SIS if it is paid till the last
date given by the corporation. For instance, if the outstanding dues
are Rs 5 lakh, the owner needs to pay Rs 4 lakh only. The balance of
Rs 1 lakh will be allowed as a special rebate, the spokesman
said. Minor fire in Udyog Bhawan: Medical entrance test: This year, 2,42,788 candidates will be appearing in the
examination at 452 centres spread across 32 cities in the country, a
CBSE release said here today. To facilitate the candidates,
particulars of all eligible candidates with roll number and centre of
examination have already been put on CBSE website
‘www.cbse.nic.in’ and admit cards have also been dispatched to the
candidates separately. |
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Cloth merchants observe strike Sonepat, March 21 According to a report, the striking merchants staged a
demonstration and raised anti-government slogans. A rally was also
held and the speakers urged the government to withdraw its decision
without delay. The leaders announced that they would submit the
charters of demands to the area MLA and member of Parliament on March
23 and organise a demonstration and dharna at the district level on
March 26. The traders would also take out a procession and burn the
effigy of the VAT on March 29 and observe a two-day complete bandh on
March 31 and April 1. They would join the ‘All India Rally’ being
held on April 8 in Delhi. US action condemned:
According to a report, carrying the
effigy of the US President and raising anti-US slogans, they marched
through the main streets of the city and held a rally outside the
railway station. JE bail rejected:
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Holla Mohalla
Purab held New Delhi, March 21 Thereafter, ragi jathas participated in shabad kirtan and revived the memory of Holla Mohalla Purab, which was started with pomp and show by Guru Gobind Singh, a release said today. Meanwhile, the president of the Istri Wing of Shiromani Gurudwara Sewadar Committee Bibi Ravinder Kaur appealed to the jathedar of Akal Takht to use his authority for providing the right of sewa and kirtan inside the Golden Temple and thus maintain sex equality in Sikh religion as preached by its founder. She appealed to the women members of the community to come forward and join hands with their brethren to strengthen the community and the country. Bibi Ravinder Kaur asked the DSGMC to organise Gurmat training camps for women as mother is the first teacher of the child and if you educate a woman, you educate a family.
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Trucker held for rape of minor New Delhi, March 21 The suspect, who lived in the neighbourhood of the victim, took her to a nearby jungle on the pretext of giving sweets and raped her, police said. Man shot at:
Bookie held:
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