TOP STORIES

Hospital charity only on paper: Panel
New Delhi, August 3
Several hospitals, which had been allotted land at throwaway prices on the condition that they will provide 25 per cent free treatment, are flouting the norm, points out a Central government committee constituted by Delhi High Court.

PM amenable to dialogue on Master Plan
New Delhi, August 3
Brushing aside the extreme, and often critical, reactions to the guidelines for the preparation of the Master Plan for Delhi 2021, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday said popular opinion would not be ignored and that a dialogue was welcome.

Noida Authority shelves five top projects
Noida, August 3
The Noida Authority has shelved its five top prestigious projects planned along the Gautam Budh highway. The five scuttled projects, which were announced with lot of hype, are: IT City, Bio Tech City, Medical City, NRI City, a shopping mall and a commercial hub.

• Asst commissioner suspended

A couple savour a quiet moment on Friendship Day at the India Gate. — Photo Kamal Singh

I-DAY RITUAL
Hunt for Lashkar suicide squad in Capital
New Delhi, August 3
The Delhi Police, in co-operation with other intelligence and security agencies, has launched a massive hunt to trace three members of a suspected Lashkar-e Toiba (Let) suicide squad which is believed to have sneaked into the Capital to strike on or before the Independence Day celebrations.

Criminal with reward on head overpowered
New Delhi, August 3
In Bollywood style, the Crime Branch officials this morning overpowered a criminal with a reward on his head, even though he had whipped out a weapon and threatened to kill them.

LEGAL CORNER
Notices on ‘slaughter’ of sick animals
New Delhi, August 3
The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Centre, the Lt Governor of Delhi, the MCD Commissioner, the city police chief and four others on a writ petition alleging illegal daily slaughter of over 15,000 animals, including sick and dead, in the Capital in violation of the court’s order.

URBAN TRAPS
50-year-old falls to death in Appu Ghar
New Delhi: A 50-year-old resident of Faridabad today died after he fell down from a swing in Appu Ghar this afternoon. The victim, Ramesh Sehgal (50), came to Appu Ghar this afternoon with his wife and two kids.

• Building collapses, 10 trapped

Third Front protests against damage to new flyovers, roads New Delhi, August 3 The Third Front held a sit-in at Jantar Mantar to protest against the damage to certain newly-constructed fly-overs and poor upkeep of roads here today. Chairman of Third Front Ramvir Singh Bidhuri then led his colleagues and supporters to the residence of Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, where he handed over a memorandum to her.   Third Front leaders protesting against poor upkeep of roads and flyovers in the Capital on Sunday. — Photo Kamal Singh

SPECIAL FOCUS ON SONEPAT
Canal water pilferage hits paddy crop
Sonepat, August 3
Farmers in the villages of Gohana sub-division of this district have been facing an acute shortage of canal water meant for irrigation purposes for the past few months. They allege theft of irrigation water by influential farmers having political clout.

Underweight ghee and oil packets being openly sold: Consumers
Sonepat, August 3
Despite opening up of several offices of the weights and measures department by the state government, to check irregularities in the market, the complaints by the consumers of being cheated on account of lesser weighing packets, are still being received.

Women extortionists held in CP
New Delhi, August 3
Four women extortionists were arrested by the Connaught Place police last evening when they asked two persons to hand over their money near the Madras Hotel. The victims — Anup Singh, a bus owner who resides in Sultanpuri, and Ramvir Singh, a bus conductor who resides in Kanjhawala – were in Connaught place last evening for some shopping.

• Eye check-up camp

• Kidnapped boy rescued

Hrithik Roshan at a press conference in the Capital on Sunday.

SFI to step up stir against fee hike
Rohtak, August 3
The Students’ Federation of India has resolved to intensify its agitation in protest against the increase in the fee for professional courses. A decision to this effect was taken at a two-day meeting of the state executive committee of SFI which concluded here today.

• Cong meet postponed

Two-week cleanliness drive launched
Sonepat, August 3
The Sonepat municipal council has launched a two-week cleanliness campaign in the city. According to a report, the drive would continue till August 15. Under the campaign, the safai workers and the inspectorate staff, adjudged the best, would be honoured on the Independence Day.

NCR BRIEFS
Curtains for three CADA offices
Sonepat, August 3
The Haryana Government has closed down three offices of the Command Area Development Authority in different parts of the state with immediate effect. According to official sources, these offices are situated at Gohana in Sonepat district, Rohtak and Palwal.

• Rai students strike

• HUDA makes payment

• Snakebite

• Road stretch washed away

CRIME

No FIR registered in truck hijacking case
Ghaziabad (Hapur), August 3
The police have not registered any complaint so far in a case of hijacking of a truck by a criminal gang on the Hapur-Garh area on July 16. Jurisdiction has been cited as the problem for non-acceptance of the complaint by the police.

BUSINESS

SHOWCASE Happy motoring! Aura wheel streets ahead of others Hindalco has launched an exclusive Aura Alloy wheel for Tata Indigo which looks sleek and is designed by the Telco department. The Aura Alloy wheel, specially designed for the Indigo, provides a wide range of benefits. It improves fuel efficiency, ensures faster pick-up and increases tyre/tube life due to faster heat dissipation of the wheels.

A fillip to sound quality Comfy footwear for GenXers A blend of aesthetics and functionality

For peaches and cream skin Lightweight sandals Latest liquid soap The musical way to unwind yourself

EDUCATION

Hindu Girls College waits for NCC air wing
Sonepat, August 3
The demand for an NCC air wing in the local Hindu Girls College, by the students, still remains unfulfilled. “We want to join the Air Force but we are unable to fulfil our dreams without facility of an air wing in National Cadet Corps unit”, several NCC cadets of the college said.

SCHOOL BUZZ Students put up colourful performance at Utsav 2003 Birla Vidya Niketan organised Utsav 2003, its annual inter-school festival. Students participated in events including ‘Rangalaap’, a painting and clay modeling competition, ‘Nritya Aaradhana’, dance competition, ‘Sangeet Sadhana’, music contest and ‘Cross Currents’ and ‘Manthan’, debates in English and Hindi respectively.
Self-care awareness Annual Day Celebrations Interactive Learning for Kids   The Birla Vidya Niketan team which won the first prize in the music contest, Musique Clip, organised during its annual inter-school festival.

PRINCIPALSPEAK
Do unto others what you would have them do unto you
Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and wrong. Because some time in our lives, we would have been all of these ourselves,” said Lloyed Shearen.

Looking at the world from a child’s eye

Guru Harkrishan Public School, Vasant Vihar, organised a seminar, ‘Entering into the World of Art and Craft from the Child’s Eyes and with Child’s Hands.’ The seminar, organised on behalf of the Delhi Sikh Public Schools Conference, was attended by headmistresses, primary and pre-primary teachers. Participants at a workshop organised by Guru Harkrishan Public School, Vasant Vihar, to facilitate a better understanding of children.

• Competition to bring out creativity in children

POLL VIOLENCE
HC allows withdrawal of cases by Cong, BJP
New Delhi, August 3
The Delhi High Court has allowed the police to withdraw counter cases filed by the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders over an alleged scuffle during elections in the Delhi Cantonment area a decade ago.

Assault on family: Three get 5-yr imprisonment
Ghaziabad, August 3
A Court has awarded five years imprisonment to three persons and three years imprisonment to another two in a case of murderous assault on a family in Murad Nagar in November 2000.

SPORTS

Frontier Club stun Delhi Cantt in DSA League
New Delhi, August 3
Frontier Club stunned Delhi Cantonment 2-0 in a Group B preliminary league match of the Delhi Soccer Association-SAIL A Division Football League Championship at the Ambedkar Stadium on Sunday.

Seven-member commission to inspect venues
New Delhi, August 3
A seven-member delegation arrived in Delhi to inspect the venues for evaluation of India’s bid for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. After the preliminary presentation in London, the Commonwealth Games Federation has formed an Evaluation Commission.

Indian eves gearing up for big event
New Delhi, August 3
The Indian women’s hockey team have been sweating it out at the National Stadium astro turf under the watchful eyes of coach M K Kaushi in preparation of many important events in the coming months.

• Kukoo Walia to attend FIH meeting

• Inter-School Tennis

Inter-School Soccer
New Delhi, August 3
The 12th Nivia Inter-School Football Tournament will be held at the Ambedkar Stadium from August 8 to 31. Entries close with organising secretary Mohd. Ashfaq at the Ambedkar Stadium. School boys in the under-14 and under-17 age groups are eligible to participate in the tournament.

• Quota for sportsmen