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Sleaze rules Meerut, December 25 According to the Additional Superintendent of Police, Dr Arvind, the police got a tip-off that a woman Meenakshi, alias Lata, from Gwalior had been running a call girl racket in Brahampur police station for several months. The police raided the premises and arrested Pallavi (17) of Kanpur and Ritu of Moradabad. Pallavi, alias Radha, has just passed intermediate and is a student of BA I while Ritu is a cabaret dancer in Hotel Bumper (Bandra) Mumbai. The ASP told media persons that both these girl were hired by Meenakshi for 15 days through another woman of Dilshad Garden, Delhi. Besides, two of their local agents, Munna and Manoj, were also arrested while three of their customers escaped, taking advantage of thick fog at night.
NCERT for infusing
Indian tradition into schooling New Delhi: Re-examining the objective of education and a flexible curriculum that caters to students with varied abilities are some of the recommendations put forth at a national seminar that also sought to highlight the need to inculcate elements of the Indian traditions in the schooling system. Conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training, the seminar, ‘Psychology in Indian Traditions: Conceptual and Methodological Issues for Indian Schools’, sought a course of action to bring the Indian psychological traditions in proper perspective, relevant for schooling. Participants from across the country deliberated on several issues, including spirituality and well-being and shaping the psyche: an agenda for schooling. Among the recommendations, which were put forth by the participants pertaining to the agenda for schooling, include a need to design a pedagogy which will equally emphasise cognitive, physical, emotional, aesthetic and spiritual development of the child. It was pointed out that “conceptually rich and methodologically rigorous psychology embedded in Indian traditions has the capacity to improve the quality of teaching and learning process of Indian schools”.
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Delhi Govt bid to allay consumer fears on CAS New Delhi, December 25 Chief Secretary Shailja Chandra, who chaired a meeting of officials drawn from the Government of NCT of Delhi and the Delhi Police, has said that all the nine consumer courts in the Capital would entertain complaints from consumers about violation of the stipulated guidelines. To ensure that what-you-pay-is-what-you-get, all the divisional commissioners and police officials have been asked to take proper action against a cable operator found guilty of violating the Act concerned because violation of any of the provisions is a cognizable offence. Also clarified was that a consumer will reserve the right to buy or rent a set-top box. Without a set-top box, a consumer will still get to watch free-to-air channels at a nominal tariff of Rs 72 plus taxes. This flows from the agreement reached between cable operators and broadcasters. The clarifications follow Tuesday’s talks between Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ravi Shankar Prasad. Dikshit had thereafter announced certain consumer-friendly measures to prevent harassment of consumers. The Government of NCT of Delhi has not ruled out further steps to protect the interests of consumers. The thinking in government circles is that introduction of CAS elsewhere in the Capital depends on its success in south Delhi. The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has already issued the notification, making it mandatory for cable operators to offer consumers an option of taking STBs on rent. It entitles consumers to a refund should he not wish to use the STB for any reason.
You will …
1. Watch free-to-air channels with or without set-top box at Rs 72 plus taxes. This is your right. 2. Have the option to either rent or buy a set-top box. 3. Also have the right to appeal in any of the nine consumer courts in the event of dispute or complaint. |
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Mercury rises, but cold wave persists
New Delhi, December 25 Yesterday, the mercury stood at 12.5, which was ten degrees less than normal. However, the morning fog continued to delay flights and movement of trains. According to an Airport Authority of India (AAI)official, all early morning flights could take off only around 11 a.m.. The Northern Railway had to cancel eight trains today. They are: Lucknow-New Delhi-Lucknow Gomti Express, Amritsar-New Delhi Intercity Express, New Delhi-Jullunder Intercity Express, Delhi Jaipur-Delhi Express and Jammu Tawi-Delhi-Jammu Tawi Express. Besides, the Amritsar-Darbhanga Express and the Darbhanga-Amritsar Shaheed Express were late by an indefinite period and the Bhiwani-Delhi Farkkha Express of yesterday by 18 hours.
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Undertrials dupe police escorts Jhajjar, December 25 According to information, 11 policemen, who were in the escort party, have been booked for negligence. The escort party of ASI Sher Singh, Jagmal, Jaiprakash, Kuldip, Narender, Ramprakash, Rajesh, Chamanlal, Naresh, Pradeep and Satbir had taken four criminals to Tis Hazari courts from Rohtak jail for a hearing. However, when they were returning at about 7.30 pm yesterday, one of the undertrials told the police party that he wanted to stay at his relative’s house in Sector-6 in Bahadurgarh for the night. At the relative’s residence, some accomplices of the undertrials were already present. They served the escort party with juice which was reportedly laced with some intoxicant, as a result of which the policemen fell unconscious, and three of the undertrials, Rajesh, Mahabir and Pawan, escaped from the house. However, one undertrial could not make good his escape. According to sources, ASI Sher Singh and Jagmal had parted company with the escort party at Bahadurgarh bus stand. The police swung into action immediately and put up nakas on all checkpoints. Inspector General of Police Resham Singh and SP M H S Doon have rushed to Bahadurgarh.
Jhajjar gets its lone fire tender after
a year After a wait of nearly one-and-a-half year, a fire tender has finally arrived in Jhajjar. The DC commissioned the fire tender in a newly built fire station. Addressing a press conference, the DC told media persons that the chassis of the fire machine was sent to Ambala an year back. Thus far, the administration had to requisition tenders from neighbouring towns. Another such machine has been sent to Bahadurgarh town. The fire station in Bahadurgarh has three tenders now. The building of the fire station in Jhajjar is also complete, which would be inaugurated by the chief Minister.
Mystery of three
missing ‘tantriks’ Sonepat: Mystery shrouds the disappearance of three ‘tantriks’ from the city. The security agencies — the CID and the IB are baffled over their disappearance. According to a report, the `tantriks’ have fled with lakhs of rupees in cash and other valuables, which had been received from traders, industrialists and other affluent residents of the city. Of these, many have alleged that the tantriks had cheated them on one count or another. It is believed that the tantriks had prior information about the police raids and they managed to escape with all their belongings. One of the tantriks, Baba Sikandar Bengali, belonged to Bulandshahar. He used to come to Sonepat daily and return to his home at night. He had opened an office on Tarana Road and a large number of people would visit him daily.
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Flashback ’03 Faridabad, December 25 According to information, there are at least eight to 10 cases of unsolved murder. While a total of 57 murders have taken place in the district till December 24, one more than the total last year, the police recorded 37 cases of rape during this period. One of the most shameful incidents took place on December 6 this year, when a 22-year-old young and unmarried fashion designer employed in a company was raped and then killed. The body of the victim, a daughter of an official in the power department here, was found hanging from a tree in the nude in Sector 31. Her trousers had been used to hang the body by the criminals. This incident not only sent shivers down the spine of residents but it also spoke volumes of the fact that women were not safe in Faridabad, says a woman resident of Sector-16. As about 20 days have gone by, the police are still to arrest the culprits, although the probe was being conducted by a DSP. The residents of Sector 7-C, to which the victim belonged, met the senior authorities for immediate action to trace the accused. Besides, there were many cases of murder that are still unsolved. These include the daylight murder of Congress leader Amarjeet Singh who was gunned down in a park in Sector-17; the culprits used an AK-47 rifle to kill him. Faridabad seems to have emerged as a haven for criminals of nearby areas. Some gangsters hijacked a car in New Delhi recently and looted the driver’s belongings after dumping him in Faridabad. The Delhi police had rescued earlier a woman, the wife of a jeweller of Jaipur, held as captive at a house in Sector-19 here for ransom. Many incidents of looting at gunpoint in residential areas have also been troubling the residents. According to BJP leader and MLA from Mewla Maharajpur, Mr Krishan Pal Gurjar, the law and order situation had worsened here and he blamed the government for it. |
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HP ready to work to end Capital’s water woes New Delhi, December 25 Addressing a large gathering of Himachalis settled in Delhi at a function organised by ‘Himachal Social Bodies Federation’ here, Mr Singh said that the Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikhit, will soon visit Himachal Pradesh to address problems of farmers and orchardist of the state, who visit the national Capital to market their produce. He said that economies of Himachal Pradesh and Delhi were linked in many ways. Thanking Himachalis living in Delhi for supporting the Congress in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha polls, Mr Singh urged them to support the Congress in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Recalling his association with Delhi, Mr Singh said he had studied in the city and had stayed here while being a MP for four terms. Calling for full statehood to Delhi, the Chief Minister said the step will lessen Delhi’s dependency on the Centre and the state government will be able to implement its programmes effectively. The Himachal Pradesh Transport Minister, Mr G. S. Bali, who heads the ‘Himachal Social Bodies Federation’, said his organisation planned to start a school for Himachali students in Delhi to provide them quality education. According to an official spokesman, the Minister said construction work on the second phase of ‘Himachali Sarai’ at Karampura in Delhi will start soon. He urged Himachal and Delhi Governments to provide adequate financial assistance for completion of this project. |
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Parking problems mar serene ambience of locality Sonepat, December 25 According to a report, trucks come here to pick goods or offload regularly and park here for days in front of the makeshift repairing shops. At many places trucks are parked in a double row on the road causing traffic bottleneck and reckless honking of pressure horns. If a truck is moving backwards, chaos prevails for at least half-an-hour. Many residents have been killed by speeding trucks and other vehicles during the past few years, whereas a large number of other residents had sustained injuries. Many electric poles on the central verge of the road had been erected but they usually remains dark at night. But some of them have been knocked down by trucks while manoeuvring for parking. According to sources, problem at the road has deteriorated especially after the shifting of the office of the Sonepat Truck Operators Union on the road. Now, they too have started diverting their vehicles to the road. No one goes to other areas, which are the designated parking places for the trucks. Constant representation to the traffic and civic agencies have yielded no response. The district and police administration too remain silent spectators. In a residential area if commercial activities are allowed, then it becomes a mixed-use area. But if activities make the life of the residents difficult, it can not be permitted, the residents point out. The Residents Welfare Association has demanded immediate shifting of the office of the Truck Operators Union from the road otherwise strict action should be taken against the truck drivers found violating the traffic rules and regulations. |
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Segregation of garbage to be a priority area for MCD in 2004 New Delhi, December 25 The MCD can be successful in segregation of garbage through the implementation of the Bhagidari Policy of the Delhi Government, which is already in practice in nine of the 12 zones of the Corporation. This system will promote composting and recycling of garbage, he said. Giving details of the segregation policy of the Corporation, the Municipal Commissioner emphasized that a viable strategy for waste management was important for the future generations since the land for dumping the waste was becoming scarce. Keeping this in view, the MCD proposes to start an engineered self-loading facility (SLF) site at Jaitpur and undertake environment impact assessment at two more SLF sites at Bawana and Bhatti Mines. He said that global positioning system (GPS) based solid waste management will be implemented to facilitate monitoring of movement of removal trucks, clearance of bins and dhalaos. It would also facilitate automatic calculation of charges payable to truck operators by obtaining weightage from electronic weighing bridges located at SLFs and distances from offline GPS devices mounted on trucks. Besides, tendering of privatization of transportation of garbage in six zones was under process. The Municipal Commissioner said the double entry system of accounting would start showing far-reaching impact on the Corporation next year. It would bring more transparency and accountability. The new purchase policy will ensure that the purchases are made according to the requirements of the financial propriety as well as guidelines issued by the CVC and the Government of India. The Commissioner resolved to implement the unit area method (UAM) for the assessment of property tax from April 1, 2004. The UAM would be made extremely citizen friendly and enable tax payers to pay their taxes without hassles or harassment. The method would remove a major source of corruption in the Corporation. The Corporation was in the process of preparing the Property Tax Information System to enable computarised calculation of property tax for the benefit of the citizens. He informed that the MCD would also have a panel of 1,000 architects and draftsmen to assist in the calculation of covered area of properties. A ward wise list of such architects was being complied in a booklet. They can be approached through telephone and would calculate the covered areas of properties. He expressed his commitment to strengthen e-governance in the working of the civic body so that the MCD could provide municipal services in the most efficient and transparent manner. He said the Corporation in the coming year planed to bring Delhi’s first modern parking system to South Extension, Karol Bagh, Greater Kailash and Shastri Park. The construction of these parking sites will start in 2004. Talking about the advertising policy of the Corporation, the Commissioner said that the Corporation would implement a new advertising policy in 2004, keeping in mind the aesthetic beauty of the city and public interest as well the generation of higher revenue. The policy was being framed with the help of the School of Planning and Architecture. Starting from 2004, the MCD will implement an innovative scheme of computer-aided learning in a phased manner in its primary schools. Computer education will be introduced in 250 schools by March 2004 and in 750 schools by the beginning of the academic session of 2004. |
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BSNL contemplating action against erring officials Sonepat, December 25 Giving this information, Mr R C Hooda, General Manager, BSNL, Sonepat district, told newsmen here yesterday that guilty officials will be punished. He also disclosed that the vigilance wing of the Nigam and the police have been entrusted to conduct a thorough probe and action would be taken after the completion of the probe by these agencies. He, however, denied the allegations that the BSNL authorities were not cooperating with the local police officials who were conducting the inquiry into the entire episode. He maintained that he had informed the local police authorities about the need for a comprehensive investigation into the matter. He also disclosed that he was inquiring into the circumstances that led to the release of the telephone connections to Ram Phal and Ramesh, identified as the two ISI agents. He said that the officials were unable to verify all aspects of the subscribers during the release of the telephone connections. However, this case came to light during the routine checking of the record and bills of the two subscribers. Mr Hooda claimed that the gang members had cheated the Nigam through its conferencing facilities. However, stern action would be taken against officials found guilty in the case. He also said that the officials of the vigilance wing of the Nigam were trying to check the destination of the telephone calls made by this gang. So far the officials had not achieved any breakthrough, he added. |
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Special Focus on ROHTAK Rohtak, December 25 The purpose of the report is to review the development of Haryana, to identify its problems and make projections of its development perspective with specifications of policy issues for the state in the emerging scenario and to provide a vibrant document with inputs for decision makers. The Planning Commission had advised the state governments, for the first time since its inception, to get their ‘Development Report’ prepared by some independent agencies, like universities or autonomous institutions. In Haryana, this task was assigned to the Institute of Development Studies of Maharshi Dayanand University. The project has been financed to the extent of Rs 25 lakh by the Planning Commission. The Institute of Development Studies has submitted its report to the Planning Commission on December 10. It is believed that the annual and five-year plans of the states would be prepared in accordance with the state development reports. Prof Bhagwan Dahiya, Director of the Institute of Development Studies, who presented the report, says that the basic goal of the state development is to enlarge people’s choices to lead a long and healthy life, to acquire knowledge, to have access to the resources needed for a decent standard of living while preserving it for future generations, protecting personal security and achieving equality of all women and men. The proposed strategy of development, he says, is to review the development process in terms of efficiency with which it uses an economy’s productive capacities, involving both physical and human resources, as means to attain the desired ends. The report has been divided into four parts. The first part is on assessment and management of resources, which include detailed analysis of natural resources, human and fiscal resources and financial management. The second part is on sectoral development, which include the agriculture and allied activities, industry and minerals, urban development and rural development. The third part of the report is on Human and Social Development, which would include detailed analysis of the demographics trends and development, education, health and family welfare, housing, water supply and sanitation, labour and employment, poverty, food and nutrition, public distribution system and food security, labour welfare and social security, social welfare, empowerment of women and children, empowerment of socially disadvantaged groups, youth and sports. The fourth part is on infrastructure, technology and governance including infrastructure, power and energy, roads and transport, telecommunications, irrigation and flood control, science and technology, governance and implementation, decentralisation, Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies. |
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In this festive season, say it with flowers… New Delhi, December 25 And with the festive season having begun, more bloom means more moolah for the flower dealers. There are many takers…whether it is a single stem or a bunch wrapped with ribbons. “The sales begin to pick up a little before Christmas and continue till the February 14. There is a small dip after mid of January and till a little before the Valentine’s Day though,” said Hari
Kishen, a flower seller. Kishen who began by selling the good old roses and gladioli has moved on to more “fetching options”, the orchids. “I have stocked orchids from Thailand as well as the domestic ones for those who don’t want to pay much,” he adds. The Thai variety being imported is costlier than the ones grown in Kerala and the North-East. The craze for orchids apart the rose has its share of loyalists. “There are many who want to buy roses. While red rose is clearly the favourite, colours like white and yellow are also gaining popularity,” says
Kishen. It was pointed out that the price of a rose also varies according to the quality. While the Super Tata variety lasts longer, it is priced on the higher side at Rs 35 for a bunch of ten. The normal Tuberose is sold at Rs 100 for a 100-piece bunch in the wholesale market and for Rs 5 and above at the florists in the market. Festive season also means a hike in flowers, “specially on the New Year and the Valentine’s Day”. Reason perhaps why some people insist on buying directly from the wholesale flower markets in Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Mehrauli and Khari
Baoli. But there too it is the early bird that catches the worm. These wholesale markets wind up business by nine in the morning. |
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Residents protest against erratic supply of power Sonepat, December 25 According to a report, they also shouted slogans against the officials of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Balwan Singh, urging him to intervene otherwise they will have no alternative but to launch an agitation and block the roads in the area. The memorandum pointed out that all the power consumers in the villages have been paying the electricity bills regularly, but they have been denied the supply of electricity for the past two weeks. The memorandum further pointed out that the electricity transformers in the villages were overloaded and they are burnt frequently. The officials of the UHBVN, they alleged, have failed to replace the burnt or damaged transformers quickly and this was the main cause of the blackout in the village. The memorandum also alleged that the officials of the UHBVN always remain absent from their offices for most of the time and the residents have to wait for them for hours together. On several occasions, the officials did not turn up to their offices for the whole day and the residents have to return to their homes disappointed after spending money on the mode of transportation. The memorandum demanded stern action against the official of the UHBVN who always remain on furlough and failed to come to the offices. The DC promised to look into their complaints and take appropriate action in the matter. Thereafter, the irate residents dispersed. |
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NCR Briefs Bhiwani, December 25 Railway employee run
over by train Sonepat: Mr Krishan, a resident of Akbarpur Barota village, was run over and killed by a goods train near the railway station here last evening. According to a report, the victim was an employee of the Railways and he was crossing the railway track when the accident occurred. The GRP has sent the body for the postmortem examination.
Goods worth Rs 1.50 lakh stolen Thieves are reported to have broken into a shop on the Sonepat-Bahalgarh road here last night and decamped with goods worth Rs 1.50 lakh from it. According to a report, the shopkeeper had lodged a complaint with the police for investigations.
Courts closed The judicial courts will remain closed till January 1 in this city and elsewhere in the district on account of winter holidays.
Son kills father Mr Ram Mehar, a former sarpanch, was killed by his elder son, Jaipal, in his house at Bichpari village, about 45 km from here last night. According to preliminary reports, a dispute over the agricultural land was stated to be the main cause of the murder. The police have registered the case against Jaipal and recovered the ‘kulhari’ used in the murder from the possession of the culprit, who is still at large.
Loan recovery campaign Panipat: Under its ‘recovery campaign’, the Bank of Rajasthan took possession of the properties of three defaulters yesterday. According to Mr V. K. Singh, Senior Manager, the Chief Manager, Mr K. V. Monoharan, took possession of the properties in the presence of the Duty Magistrate, Mr Surendra Sangwan, Naib Tehsildar and the police force from the Model Town and the City Police stations. The possession had been facilitated under the SAROF Act, 2002. The firms, whose properties were locked, are Agro Machinery Company, the Sony Cloth House and the Chopra Shuttering House.
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Delhi digest New Delhi, December 25 The Kotwali police have arrested the accused, Prakash Bharati alias Motu, resident of Kanpur, for criminally assaulting the girl on the pretext of finding her a job. The victim had arrived at the Delhi Railway Station from Ranchi on December 21. She was spotted by the accused, who offered to help her find a job. However, the accused took her to a park near the Hanuman Mandir and raped her. Later, the victim reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused.
Man held for
attempt to murder The North-East district police have arrested one Mukesh (30), resident of Usmanpur, for attempting to murder one Rajender, also a resident of Usmanpur. Two other associates of Mukesh managed to escape. The police claimed to have recovered two country-made weapons from the possession of Mukesh. Wanting to kill Rajender, a STD booth owner, Mukesh fired two shots at him with his country- made weapons. However, both the shots misfired. A hunt was on to trace the associates of Mukesh. |
Vehicle finance racket busted, four arrested New Delhi, December 25 The police claimed to have seized a stolen Maruti car, fake voter I-card and several fake documents from their possession. The accused have been identified as Raj Kumar alias Raju (29), resident of Uttam Nagar, Naresh Khanijo Arora (26), resident of Haryana, Naresh Gupta (35), resident of Haryana and Harish Kumar (42), resident of Kamal Vihar. The police sent a decoy customer to Raj Kumar for a fake voter I-card after receiving a secret information that a gang was involved in getting vehicles financed on forged documents. Subsequently, Raj Kumar was apprehended near the Uttam Nagar bus terminal when he came to deliver the fake voter I-card. During interrogation, Raj Kumar confessed that he along with his associates used to prepare fake documents such as voter I-card, driving licences, PAN cards and bank statements for the purpose of getting loans sanctioned from banks. Raj Kumar and Harish were incharge of renting accommodation, while Naresh Gupta prepared the fake identity cards and other documents. They changed their accommodations frequently so as to evade arrest. The accused had fraudulently financed at least 40 vehicles in different names and addresses and had disposed them off at discounted prices in Punjab and Delhi. A hunt is on to trace the local dealers who were in league with them. |
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