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Water, sewerage collection rates being Sonepat, February 15 The charges of drinking water are being increased by 50 per cent whereas that of sewerage by 30 per cent. However, these rates have not been officially announced so far, but would be made public when the order is received from the Public Health Department. As per the revised tariff card for drinking water, the first 15 litres of water will cost the domestic user Rs 1.25 per litre; for the second slab of 15 to 20 litres the charges would be Rs 2.50 per litre. Besides, Rs 4 per litre would be charged for consumption exceeding 30 litres. The industrial units will have to pay Rs 4 per litre whereas consumers living in residential colonies of Haryana Urban Development Authority will be charged Rs 2.80 per litre. The premises, which are not covered by the HUDA, will have to pay Rs 4/per litre. The water connection fee is also being hiked. The fee for domestic and industrial consumers has been fixed at Rs 500. The state government has also fixed the security deposit at Rs 10,000 for colonisers, societies, HUDA and other government departments in the state. The state government is also tightening its noose around consumers who have installed booster pumps on the main pipeline; a penalty of Rs 1,200 will be imposed each time on their detection. The sewerage charges for the latrines, urinals and kitchens have also been increased to Rs 8, Rs 3 and Rs 4, respectively, per month. The sewer connection fee has been fixed at Rs 500. The domestic consumers will be charged Rs 500 for an illegal water connection. The commercial and industrial consumers will be charged Rs 5000 and Rs 10,000 as penalty. These charges will be recovered in addition to the normal charges. |
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Villagers hold baratis captive, force them Ghaziabad, February 15 However, the groom and his grandfather are being held in captivity as the cash, which had exchanged hands during the engagement ceremony, has not been returned by the groom’s side yet. Earlier, the police had tried to pressurize the villagers to free the members of the marriage party, but the latter refused to budge. On being informed that the marriage party had been held captive, the SO, Hafizpur police station, arrived at the spot with his force. He was told that the baratis had been detained, but they will not be harassed. The villagers reportedly withstood the police pressure to release the party. “They will be set free as soon as a we get back the gifts presented on the engagement ceremony”, the police were told. The bridegroom, Mohan alias Pawan, his grandfather Bhajan Lal and others had to wait in captivity all day for the gifts to be returned. Finally, the gifts arrived in a 407 Tata truck. Immediately, Parmveer Singh, brother–in-law of the groom, his friends Ved Prakash, Om Prakash, Sanjay Tomar and Sanjay Singh were allowed to go. In question was the marriage of Suman, daughter of retired Army
Havildar Chander Pal Singh of Morpur village, with Mohan Singh, son of Bhure Singh, of village Gazipur in Aligarh on Friday. The girl’s family had been told that the groom was employed in Indian Navy. However, just before the marriage, the parents of the bride learnt that their would-be son-in-law was not in Navy.
Criminal killed in encounter Three criminals on a motor bike snatched a Maruti Zen car and Rs. 25,000 in cash from a Delhi resident at gunpoint in Ghaziabad yesterday. The police, who had cordoned off the area, were able to shoot down one of the criminals in an encounter while the other two succeeded in escaping. Jamil Ahmed of Mustafabad, Delhi, who was on his way to Mussori to make advance payment for a plot, was accosted near Govindpuri by the assailants who deprived him of Rs. 25,000 in cash and his Zen car (No.DL3 CK-3620). The criminals were riding a motor cycle without a number place. Jamil immediately informed the Govindpuri police post. The police swung into action and the criminals were surrounded near Central School, Kamala Nehru Nagar. One of the criminals was shot dead in the ensuing encounter. His two companions, however, escaped. The police have recovered the cash, the car and a .315 English revolver from the arrested criminal. |
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Cops ferret out chit fund owner who New Delhi, February 15 The suspect, Krishan Murari Sharma, who was a director in Hoff Land Finance, the JVG group of companies and Keshav and Aruma Finance, was wanted by the Delhi Police in a chit fund case and had a reward of Rs 50, 000 on his head. His other associates, Sunita Sharma, his wife, and T.S Bhan, a retired colonel, are still absconding, the police said. He was allegedly involved in chit fund cases in Delhi, Bihar and Haryana. He was wanted for cheating thousands of innocent investors who had parked their funds in his non-banking finance companies during 1990. The anti robbery section of Crime Branch had received information that the notorious finance company cheat was living incognito under assumed names and identities in Mumbai. The Crime Branch constituted a special team and was sent to Mumbai for follow-up action. Their quest led them to the Panch Mukhi Apartment in Andheri, West Mumbai, where they netted their big catch. Initially, Sharma refused to disclose his identity and accused the police of undue harassment. He tried to attract the attention of his neighbours, pleading his innocence. He also tried to misrepresent facts by producing an anticipatory bail order. However, when the Crime Branch confronted him with valid court papers and the notification of the reward announced by the Delhi Police, his support in his neighbourhood whittled away. Later, he was arrested and produced before the ACMM court in Mumbai and brought to Delhi on transit remand. According to the police, Krishan Murari is brother-in-law of another notorious cheat, V.K. Sharma and B.B. Sharma of JVG group of companies and Hoff Land Finance, who had duped thousands of innocent investors of crores of rupees across the country. Krishan Murari’s GNG group and Keshav and Aroma Finance were sister concerns of JVG and Hoff Land group of companies. The police said that at one point of time in the 90’s the trio was were able to mesmerise gullible investors across the country with their promotion, acumen and marketing strategies. Finally, when the bubble burst there was a furore among the investors. Subsequently, many cases of fraud, cheating and embezzlement were registered in Delhi, Bihar and Haryana. Krishan Murari, along with his family members, brother-in-law and others absconded and did not show his face to the complainant. The police said that B.B. Sharma and an ex-bank manager were arrested first. Krishan Murari was also arrested in January 2002, but later jumped bail in all the cases. |
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In a nutshell Faridabad, February 15 The incident took place when the victim was doing some work near his welding set. It is reported that he accidentally touched a live wire there and fell unconscious. While he was being taken to the hospital by his fellow workers Dheeraj breathed his last. In another incident, a youth was killed and another injured when a truck hit their motorcycle in the NIT area here last night. The deceased has been identified as Mohit while his friend Pankaj, who was the pillion rider, is stated to be serious. The accident took place near the Eicher factory campus on Saran Road.
Two fall to death Two persons, including a teenaged boy, were killed after they fell from running trains in separate incidents in the district. According to a report, 18-year-old Rajesh, a resident of Morena district of Madhya Pradesh, who was on his way to Delhi, fell from the train near Rundhi village. In another incident, a person identified as Devender Sharma of Palwal fell from the Mangla Express near Hodal town and died.
Lok Adalat for women Sonepat: On the instructions of the executive Chairman
of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority, Mr Justice V K Bali, a one-day Lok Adalat, especially for women, was held on the premises of the judicial complex here yesterday. OC |
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Crime most foul New Delhi, February 15 The court, in its judgement, said this is no doubt a case in which a small child of four years, who knew nothing of the world, was raped and killed by strangulation. She was subjected to the most depraved violation of her person, added the court while finding the convict Ramesh, alias Bajrangi, guilty of the heinous act. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 14,000 on him. On the intervening night of 5-6 June, 1999, Ramesh took the girl from outside her house at JJ Colony in Shakurpur, raped her at a nearby park, killed her by strangulation and threw the body in a drain. The case was registered at Saraswati Vihar police station. The prosecution examined 29 witnesses in the case. Ramesh had burnt the clothes of the victim after committing the crime, the police said, adding that sniffer dogs had led to Ramesh’s residence. In 1991 also Ramesh was arrested for allegedly committing a similar offence but was acquitted after the trial court found no substantial evidence against him.
Girl’s murder
stumps family members, cops Gurgaon: The local police have failed to unravel the motive of murder of a young girl, who was shot dead by two unidentified youths here on Friday. Ms Charu, aged 23, along with her relative, was returning home in a rickshaw when two youths came on a red-coloured motor cycle and fired at point blank range. The deceased was hit in the temple. She was taken to the hospital, where she was declared brought dead. Charu’s sister was scheduled to marry on February 16. Ever since her father Gobind Lal Chabra died in 1996, she used to assist her mother in her boutique business, which is being run from their residence at Housing Board Colony, Sector 7 Extension, Gurgaon. Strongly ruling out a love affair, a close relative of the family informed the NCR Tribune that the three members of the family were extremely reserved and kept to themselves. However, the police are investigating all possible angles of the murder. No arrest had been made till late in the evening.
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Special Focus on SONEPAT Sonepat, February 15 According to a report, power supply has always been an important issue in Haryana and has decided the fate of the state government in the past two decades. The previous governments of Mr Bhajan Lal and Mr Bansi Lal were shown the door by voters in 1996 and 2000 basically on issues including their “failure” to ensure proper and round-the-clock power supply in the state. To increase the availability of power and to improve the functioning of the then Haryana State Electricity Board (HSEB) the Bansi Lal Government had decided to partially privatise the Board and converted it into a Nigam by bifurcating it into separate companies for the generation and distribution of power. The board now known as the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) has allegedly failed to improve the power supply. The situation, like previous years, has worsened in the months between May and July last year when the temperatures are normally very high. The present government had promised to improve the power situation in the state before coming to power but it seems things are going the way they were during the regime of the previous government. According to some leaders of the Opposition, the state government has virtually lost control over the HVPN and the Nigam is going its way without caring for the welfare and interests of the consumers who are paying one of the highest charges for power in the country. They say it is “shameful” that while the supply situation has worsened the government has been thinking to hike the power tariff. According to Mr Azad Singh Nehra, secretary of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), if the present situation continues people might come on the roads to teach the authorities a lesson. Alleging that while there were no power cuts in the residential colonies of the HVPN, life in both urban and rural areas had become miserable because of the cuts during day and night. He alleged that in rural areas, there were 15 to 20 hours power cuts every day. He also said that the people of several villages falling under the jurisdiction of Ganaur, Murthal, Kharkhauda and Gohana sub-divisions had come out on streets to lodge their protest against the power cuts. Mr S. N. Solanki, and Mr Howa Singh, both CPM leaders, have also criticised the government in this regard. Meanwhile, there has been no let-up in the frequent loadsheddings, power failures and low voltage in the city. The loadsheddings are being enforced in the morning and in the late evening every day plunging the entire city and its suburbs in darkness and causing inconvenience to thousands of residents. The officials of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) are not bothered to give any prior information to the consumers about the loadsheddings, which had paralysed the normal life and business activity. The industries are the worst hit. The representatives of the Sonepat Residents Welfare Association and the Sonepat Citizens forum have protested against the unscheduled and unorganised power cuts and demanded a high-level probe into the public complaints in this regard and stern action against the officials found responsible for the power cuts. |
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Wheat crop runs to seed due to shortage Sonepat, February 15 According to a report, the farmers, who had sown the wheat crop today, needed canal water for irrigation purposes, but the officials of the division have utterly failed to ensure regular water supply even during the rotation period. Many farmers alleged that theft of irrigation water was the main cause for not reaching the canal water in their fields, which are situated at the tail end of the distribution system. It is also alleged that a number of farmers who allegedly enjoy the patronage of the ruling party MLAs and other politicians, are indulging in large-scale theft of canal water. The farmers whose fields are situated at the tail end bear the brunt of the theft. Expressing anguish over the inadequate and erratic supply of irrigation water, the sarpanches and panches of the villages as well as the members of the block samitis and Sonepat Zila Parishad say that the farmers are ready to pay the revenue for their share of water, but the government should ensure regular supply of canal water. The maintenance of canals, distributaries and minors continue to remain a major problem despite heavy expenditure incurred on them in Gohana sub-division of the district. Though the state government has spent lakhs of rupees on cleaning operations of canals and distributaries in Gohana sub-division, but the position has hardly improved, as water does not reach the tail end fields. Farmers who are supplied water by Israna minor, Butana distributary, Gangesar, Bichpari, Baroda and Busana tails, have made series of complaints to the authorities concerned about the non-supply of canal water, but no action has so far been taken in this regard. The district administration has also taken a serious note of the farmers’ complaints and directed the authorities concerned to take positive steps to ensure the reaching of the canal water to the tail end villages. However, the farmers alleged that the embankments of various canals and distributaries were facing the problem of siltage, resulting in waterlogging in large areas. Many farmers alleged that some officials were minting money by preparing bogus muster-rolls and cheating the state government on this account. The farmers demanded an inquiry into the scandalous working of the officials of Gohana Water Service Division and immediate transfers of the Executive Engineers, SDEs and the junior engineers to ensure an independent and impartial inquiry. Meanwhile, the farmers of several villages, including Garhi Ujjale Khan, Garhi Sarai namdaar Khan, Gamri, Khanpur, Kakana, Kasanda, Kasandi, Nagar and Sainipura, are facing an acute shortage of canal water for irrigating the land under wheat crop and have appealed to Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala to provide immediate relief to them. |
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Rotaract Council felicitates Arindam Chaudhuri New Delhi, February 15 ‘The Great Indian Dream’. The award ceremony was chaired by Dr Philly Karani, Chairman of the World Rotaract. Every year, the District Rotaract Council organises its annual district Rotaract conference. The objectives of these conferences are to provide a forum for all Rotaractors to meet and discuss community service projects for the future, promote fellowship and focus on self-improvement. The highlight of these conferences is a session wherein ‘The Example to Youth Award’ is given away to a person who has proved to be an example to the youth by means of their service to the society and community through their professional prowess and personal commitment. The objective of the award is to honour the recipient for their service and also motivate the future citizens of India to emulate their good deeds, have a sense of commitment and focus in their lives. Speaking on the occasion, Prof Chaudhuri commented, “As a part of IIPM, I was fortunate to interact with youngsters from various states with different socio-economic background. During these interactions, I developed a keen understanding of what they want, their interests, their aim in life... this had a great impact on my books and writings and would also be reflected in my debut directorial film, RokSako To Rok Lo - a youthful film on the romance of friendship.” |
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180th birth anniversary of Swami Dayanand New Delhi, February 15 At a function held at Rajendra Bhawan auditorium on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, Union Labour Minister Sahib Singh Verma paid floral tributes to the social reformer. On the occasion, Mr Verma said Swami Dayanand Saraswati’s teachings were relevant today more than in the past because there was a need to walk the talk. The Labour Minister also stressed the need to uphold moral values. Delhi Pradesh BJP president Harshvardhan, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesperson Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Jaibhagwan Goel of Shiv Sena and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Prahlad Singh Chandok also spoke on the occasion. |
Two witnesses shot dead by murder accused Sonepat, February 15 According to a report, the suspect escaped immediately after the incident. The police have registered the case against him and a hunt is on to apprehend him. The bodies of the victims have been sent to the local civil hospital for a postmortem examination. The injured was rushed to the local civil hospital from where he was referred to a trauma centre at Delhi for treatment. It is stated that Anil had been facing trial in a murder case and was released on parole some days ago. Both the victims and the injured man were witnesses in this case. Further details are awaited. The double murder has caused a panic among the residents of the village. The police have intensified the patrolling in the village to check any untoward incident.
Brick kiln owner
gunned down Mr Maman, owner of a brick kiln and president of the Brick Kilan Owners Association was shot dead by a youth Deepak of Pehladpur Kirohli village and his four associates at a brick kiln of Sehoti village about 15 km from here yesterday. According to a report, the alleged assailants have come to the brick kiln in a car and fled after shooting down Mr Maman. The assailants, it is alleged, fired several shots in the air to scare away the people. The police have registered the case against five persons, including Deepak and launched a hunt for the culprits. It is stated that Deepak Kumar had a quarrel with Mr Maman on January 10 but the dispute was resolved after the intervention of Mr Jai Parkash, brother of the victim. But Deepak Kumar took revenge on Mr Maman after more than one month. When Mr Maman, along with his brother Mr Jai Parkash, Mr Jagdish, Mr Raj Singh and others reached the brick kiln of Mr Suraj Mal after a morning stroll, a car carrying five persons reached there. One of them got down from the vehicle and gunned down Mr Maman. The associates of Mr Maman tried to apprehend the assailants but they drove away the car after firing shots in the air.
Bid to kidnap ASI The Sadar Police have arrested one Sanjeet in connection with the alleged kidnapping of an ASI of police, Mr Ram Phal, and launched a massive hunt for three others who are involved in the case. According to a report, Mr Ramphal who is posted at Samalkha, reached Sonepat on Friday evening and got a lift in the Maruti van for reaching village Bhatgaon. When the Maruti van reached the village, Mr Ramphal tried to get down from the van, but the driver drove it away. Thereupon, Mr Ramphal raised the alarm. The residents of the village then chased the van and apprehended one of them along with
the van. Girl injured in stove burst Manu, a 14-year-old girl sustained burn injuries when a stove burst in her house at Qumashpur village about 13 km from here last evening. According to a report, the girl who was alone in the house, was preparing the meals when the stove burst. As her clothes caught fire, she raised the alarm. The neighbours reached and took her to the local civil hospital for treatment. Later, the doctors referred her to the PGIMS at Rohtak for further treatment.
Two acquitted in
dowry death case The District and Session Judge, Mr B L Singal, yesterday acquitted two accused, Karan Singh and Rattan Singh, involved in the dowry death case for lack of evidence. The police had registered a case under Section 498 A IPC against them on October 21, 2003 on the complaint of Mr Maha Singh, father of the victim Naresh Devi. |
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Passenger robbed; driver,
conductor held New Delhi, February 15 During investigation, the police questioned the driver and conductor of the bus who confessed to have connived with the suspects. The robbers have been identified, the police said.
Thieves strike in World
Book Fair Tilak Marg police arrested two thieves who were caught stealing a mobile phone of Nitin Gupta in the World Book Fair yesterday. He was identified as Santosh Kumar. In another case, Vinod was arrested for stealing purse of Ms Sandhu who visited the fair yesterday, the police said. |
Showcase Harrison Locks introduces a new range of products with trend-setting contemporary designs that are positioned as Locks for Life-n-Style. The introduction includes the Pincylindrical Mortice Lock meant for hotels, homes and rooms alike. It comes with three nickel-and chrome-plated keys and key combinations in thousands. Another introduction is the Pincylindrical Lock, suitable for homes and hotels in different finishes such as copper, stainless steel, gold and wooden to match the door décor. The economical AK-56 Mortice Set Lock comes with a brass handle in four designs: Nice, Chivas, Gift and Royal in gold lacquer, black gold and silver gold finishes. The Godown latch lock has an additional feature of latch attached along with it. This solid brass latch and locking bolt provides extra security and enhances door décor and is designed to fit easily in any door. The Rim Lock is an automatic lock most suitable for main doors. A safety catch inside provides extra security and prevents it from being opened even with its own keys from the outside. It is available in three designs: single cylinder, rim lock with chain and double cylinder.
Beauty products Oriflame introduces three exciting beauty products in its colour by Oriflame range comprising a colour kit, pure colour duo eye shadow and fine liner. Colour kit comes in a choice of warm shades for cheeks, lips and eyes to complement your skin tone. Pure Colour Duo Eye Shadow has six new shades; each duo contain one shade to colour and contour together with a co-ordinating highlighter. It also contains Vitamin E, Borage oil and moisturiser. Fine liner is available in four shades; it is self-sharpening and a non-retractable super soft high precision pencil.
Tickle your tastebuds Weikfield launches a new, creamy and rich mango variant of custard powder to its exciting flavours of custard powder like vanilla, raspberry, strawberry, orange, lemon, banana and pineapple. It is ideal for quick and easy preparation of pouring custards, creamy toppings, set custard puddings, fruit trifles and many other desserts and puddings. It is 100 per cent vegetarian.
Sugar candy After the successful launch of Pass Pass, DS Group is launching Patak Putuk. It has popping sugar candy along with the natural constituents such as dry dates, saunf and other herbal fresheners. It contains no supari or saccharin and is safe and healthy for all ages.
Comfort mantra Franco Leone offers a new range of footwear corporate style management in black, brown and other equally stunning colours. The high quality corporate style statements shoes offer the rich experience of craftsmanship and come in exciting designs to complement formal and casual dressing. Franco Leone’s mantra of comfort and freedom fit translates to the leather being supple enough to support the contours of the feet without restricting their movement and proper cushions at stress points. The sole is either PU or TR with soft padded top-line collar for light, dual density and protection against pressure or friction. Nectarean drink Ladakh Foods Limited, a public limited company with equity participation from SFAC and Nafed, introduces fruit nectar Leh Berry made from the extract of seabuckthorn. Seabuckthorn, which grows in Ladakh, has medicinal uses. The healing qualities of Leh Berry have been got from Sanjeevani Booti, a medicinal plant. Leh Berry is an exotic nutrient-packed natural energizer with unique natural taste, appetising flavour and appealing colour. It is touted as one of the world’s richest vitamin ready-to-serve nectar containing seabuckthorn’s basic constitutes of over 100 vital nutrients, including essential vitamins, minerals like iron, zinc, calcium, amino acids, primary anti-oxidants, carotenoids, flavonoids and bio-active substances vital for growth and body functions. Reliable switches HPL launches motorised on-load changeover switches in 125-630 amps and 415 volts four-pole version. It has a strong and reliable mechanism to change over from one supply source to the other operated remotely. Its emergency handle arrangement brings the switch to O position to manually operate the system. It comes with a moulded frame made of fibreglass reinforced polyester and hence has high mechanical and electric strength with fire retardancy. Watches for men and women Japan CBM Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Citizen Watch Company, has launched its latest Q and Q range of digital, dual vision and formal watches for men and women. The dual vision range is available in analog and digital dials with features like world time, world map, telephone directory, message rolling, calendar, alarm, chime, light and stop watch. The digital watch range is one of its kind with premium quality stainless steel straps and dials. The unique designs are available in a wide variety of styles from square dials to rotating bezels to bold and round dials in grey, white, blue and black. Diamond jewellery D’damas, the latest brand of diamond jewellery from the Gitanjali group, offers an all-new diamond collection of more than 20 exquisite designs. Titled “love me do”, this intricately-designed collection of diamond pendants, rings and earrings was launched recently. Available as part of the festive promotion Love season with Diamonds, the D’damas “love me do” collection is available till the festival of Holi. Trivector meter HPL launches LT CT and whole current trivector meter with logging and display of temper data, time of the day metering, load survey data which can also be stored., measurement and recording of harmonic energy in the system and communication both through optical port and hardwired. Home interiors Greenply introduces new shades of laminate to make your home interiors look more resilient. Some of the new designs are rubber wood, mapa burl, poppy mauve, poppy green, beige and coppefield. The colours and designs of these laminates are derived from contemporary abstract and contemporary wood finishes and are concocted to complement the other room accessories. Cotton trousers Excalibur, the flagship homegrown brand of Arvind Brands, introduces 100 per cent cotton trousers in two variants – bio-washed and wrinkle-free. Crafted from blends of high quality two-ply 100 per cent cotton, the trousers come in a contemporary fit. The waist sizes in classic pleated range from 30 – 40 inches and in flat front from 30–36 inches. It comes in the 10 colours of black, navy, silver, rock, mint, smoke grey, khaki, moss, sand and grey. |
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