The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

BJP resents foreign origin of Sonia Vihar water project
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 23
The Delhi BJP president, Dr Harshvardhan, today alleged that the Congress government’s much-hyped Sonia Vihar project, which was being proclaimed as the answer to Delhi’s water problems, was actually being implemented at the behest of the World Bank to usher in private ownership of water through the backdoor.

Addressing a press conference here, he said, “Access to pure water is a basic human right. To give it to a private company, that too a foreign one, is immoral and against the precepts of our Sanatan Dharma. It is one thing to employ the service of a foreign company for providing technical knowhow to improve the water quality, but quite another thing to allow the foreign company to own that water and sell it to the people of India.”

He claimed that the Central government’s National Water Policy adopted in 2002 does not allow privatisation. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the Minister of Water Resources Management, Mrs Bijoya Chakrabarty, have categorically stated that the Government of India will not allow privatisation of water.

He said that the Congress government led by Sheila Dikshit in the Capital had gone ahead with a surreptitious plan to privatise water in the state. The people of Delhi, who were getting water at the lowest rate among all metropolitan cities in India, will have to pay a huge amount once this privatisation programme was completed by the multinational company. Like in the case of the DVB, the privatisation process of the Delhi Jal Board is shrouded in mystery. Nobody knows the details of the tendering process. The Congress government in the Capital has concealed vital facts about the contract drawn up with the French multinational company, Degremont. The government is not only paying the French company Rs 200 crore to set up the water treatment facility, it has also agreed to allow the multinational to install it, run it on an ‘operate and maintain’ basis for 10 years.

Dr Hashvardhan claimed that the citizens of Delhi were being misled into believing that the total Rs 600-crore project was entirely financed by the Delhi Government.

Mrs Dikshit had claimed that water was not being privatised. “If it is not so, why a foreign company has been engaged? Why the foreign company has been awarded the contract of operation and maintenance?” he asked.

The Delhi Jal Board has a staff strength of 2,600 and they are experienced enough to perform the job.

The BJP leader wanted to know as to who would own water in Delhi after the entire Sonia Vihar water treatment plant was completed. If it will be the DJB, what was the need to give contract to a multinational company, he asked.

Wholesale trade upset at shop closure diktat

Traders in the National Capital Territory of Delhi today opposed the Delhi government’s move to enforce the closure of shops by 7 pm. They termed it as ‘anti-trade’ and ‘anti-consumers’.

Confederation of All India Traders secretary-general Praveen Khandelwal said instead of improving trade environment and administration in the era of economic liberalisation, the Delhi government’s move would hamper both retail and wholesale trade.

He said that because of traffic restrictions, loading and unloading in the wholesale markets took place only in the evening. If this ‘diktat’ was implemented, it would adversely affect the wholesale trade of commodities exported to other states.

Mr Khandelwal said even in the retail markets, people preferred to shop late in the evenings after work.

Pointing out that the industrial units were allowed to function round the clock, he said traders should also be permitted to work extra hours. He said in view of long electricity failures and non-availability of water and other essential infrastructure, it was difficult to adhere to a time schedule.

The Delhi government should guarantee the benefits of uninterrupted power supply and other infrastructure before implementing its rule, he added.

The Delhi government had recently instructed the departments concerned to ensure that the shopkeepers adhered to the timings in order to reduce congestion on the city streets.

Innocent query resulted in their cold-blooded murder
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 23
With the arrest of two persons, the Delhi Police Crime Branch today claimed to have solved a double murder case.

On February 9, one Dr Mahender Kumar Verma (38) and his friend Yogender Sharma (25), both residents of Krishna Vihar, were killed and robbed in the Sultanpuri area of North-West district.

The incident came to light after the police fished out two bodies, one after another, in Sultanpuri. The white Maruti car in which the victims had travelled before being killed was also found burnt near the Nangloi railway gate.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Dependra Pathak said that the sleuths received a tip-off that the suspects involved in the crime would be coming to Sardar Patel Lake, Pooth Kalan Road. Accordingly, the police laid a trap and intercepted the accused. They were identified as Vijay Sharma, alias Vicky, (25), a resident of Partap Vihar, and Rakesh, alias Rinka, (22), a resident of Gaurav Vihar. The duo were found in possession of country-made weapon and knives.

During interrogation, they confessed to having committed the crime along with other accomplices— Lakhan, alias Pappu, and Sham, alias Mohan..

On the fateful evening, the four had assembled near 40 Foota Road, Machchi Market, in Sultanpuri and waited for a prey.

It was around this time that Mahender and Yogender came in a car and asked the accused the way to some place. Finding them an easy target, the accused pounced on the victims and beat them up so badly that they died. Later, the accused threw their bodies in ‘Ganda Nala’ in the Sultanpuri area. To wipe off the fingerprints and other evidence, they also brunt the car with the LPG cylinder fitted inside the vehicle.

The police said the accused were involved in at least six cases of burglary, theft and robbery. Except Vijay Sharma, who hails from Rohtak, the other three accused belong to Aligarh.

A hunt is on for the other two persons involved in the crime, the police said.

Travel in autos at night at your peril
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, February 23
Travelling in a three-wheeler, especially during night, is not only risky but also unsafe.

A resident of Sector-10 here, Mr Gaurav Kumar, became an unsuspecting victim of a gang of robbers, one of whom was in the guise of a driver of an autorickshaw. Gaurav was not only beaten up badly but also deprived of his cell phone and cash, before being dumped at a secluded place recently.

Although the police have registered a case, no arrest has been made. The victim, a marketing executive in a Delhi company, was on way home at around 10 pm on Saturday. He had taken an autorickshaw from Badarpur border to YMCA Chowk, along with other passengers. While most of the passengers disembarked midway, he and three other persons, including the driver, remained in the vehicle by the time it reached the busy Ajronda Chowk.

It is learnt that the driver suddenly veered to the left near Sector-12 commercial zone and stopped the vehicle in a dark spot, which was about 100 metre from the main road.

Before Gaurav could react and question the driver about the unscheduled halt, three persons, including the driver, overpowered him and pinned him down.

He was beaten up and the criminals snatched his mobile and purse before fleeing in the same auto. He recalls that he managed to reach his house somehow, from where he was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The victim said the incident took place around 10.30 pm and the spot of crime was in the vicinity of the highway traffic police office.

He said the robbers threatened to kill him if he informed the police.

It may be recalled that over 14,000 autorickshaws ply in the town, of which the majority have no proper papers.

Nearly half of such vehicles have no proper number plates and only a few meet the pollution norms.

According to experts, heavy traffic was responsible for air pollution in Faridabad and about one-third of the vehicles plying on the main roads at any point of time were three-wheelers and other commercial vehicles. They operate mainly on outdated diesel engines. The district administration has been announcing schemes from time to time to contain the problem of outdated three-wheelers and traffic congestion on the main road, but without any result, says a social activist.

He said the town needed an efficient local bus service and a proper traffic monitoring system. While the authorities have failed to provide a separate service lane for plying of three-wheelers, action was lacking against the vehicles plying without proper documents, the activist said.

City scan
Delhi Govt sop for senior citizens
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 23
The Delhi Government today decided to give old-age pension to more than 1,50,000 senior citizens belonging to the economically marginalised sections. Earlier, only one lakh people were given the pension.

The cabinet headed by the Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, enhanced the number of beneficiaries under the scheme to 1,50,000. The Government had earlier enhanced the old-age pension from Rs 200 to Rs 300 per month.

The cabinet also decided that the verification of cases pertaining to the ‘Old Age Scheme’ shall be done by the groups of widowed women under the aegis of Gender Resource Centres at a rate of Rs 10 per case. It also deliberated upon the proposal of converting the one-time grand scheme for widows into a pension scheme on the lines of the Old Age Pension Scheme.

Compensation for Gt Noida farmers hiked

Greater Noida: In an effort to win over the Greater Noida farmers, UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has at last increased the land compensation from Rs 234 to Rs 300 per sq. yard. The decision was announced by the Chief Minister at a public meeting in Mussori yesterday. The Chief Minister said previous governments in the state had been neglecting this long-pending demand of Greater Noida farmers.

“The Samajwadi Party government is a farmer’s government. So, it has taken appropriate decisions in favour of farmers. The government has also decided that if traditional farmers buy land in another village, they will be entitled to suitable compensation. This way farmers will get Rs 50,000 more on one bigha of land,” the Chief Minister said. OC

Bhajan lists scams to puncture BJP's feel-good bubble
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, February 23
The president of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee and the former Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr Bhajan Lal, today described the “Feel Good” and “Feel Great” slogan of the BJP as nothing but a dream to woo the electorates of the country.

In a press statement issued here, he alleged that a large number of scams had taken place during the regime of BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and one of them was related to the former BJP national president, Mr Bangaru Laxman. And the people of this country had seen on the TV when he was accepting the bribe money. He also alleged that corruption and unemployment were on the increase in every field and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had utterly failed to check the corruption and unemployment. The Prime Minister’s repeated announcements to provide employment to one crore youths in the country had proved a hoax.

Mr Bhajan Lal also alleged that petrol pumps, LPG agencies etc, had been allotted to the BJP leaders and activists out of turn. The BJP-led NDA government had also been exposed in the purchase of coffin for the Kargil martyrs, he also alleged.

He also described the president of the AICC, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, is a true Indian woman, and said that the sacrifices made by the Nehru family for the independence of the country will always be remembered. He, however, regretted that the BJP was making Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin as an issue in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The HPCC president claimed that his party would sweep the Lok Sabha elections and win all the 10 seats in Haryana, as the Congress wave is sweeping in the state. The coming road show of Sonia Gandhi would boost the image of the party in the state, he added. He strongly condemned the BJP-led NDA government for its step-motherly treatment to Haryana and hoped that the people of the state would take their revenge and vote in favour of the Congress candidates, in the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state.

Again, a waterless day for Sonepat residents
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, February 23
Thousands of people in the city remained without water again on Saturday for several hours following the disruption in the drinking water supply system.

This correspondent made a series of attempts to contact the officials of the Public Health Department (PHD) from Junior Engineers to the Superintending Engineer, but failed to get any response from their side on account of public holiday.

According to a report, The PHD had utterly failed to set up a special cell for receiving public complaints on the gazetted holidays about the disruption in the water supply system. Even it had failed to depute any officer to redress the grievances of the residents about the non-supply of waster and the faults in the system.

Many residents alleged that the district authorities have remained silent spectators and they do not take any action against the erring officials of the PHD, who were responsible for the water crisis in the city.

On Friday, too, several areas of the old section of the city remained waterless for at least six hours because of disruption in the water supply system. A saluice valve at Kot Mohalla developed a major defect and this was the main cause of the stoppage of the water supply.

The worst affected areas were Ram Bazar, Mohalla Klaan and their surrounding areas. The residents of the areas got the normal water supply around 2 pm instead of 8 am. The residents of these areas failed to get any information from the officials of the PHD about the disruption in the water supply system.

Representatives of various political parties, social and voluntary organisation, the Residents Welfare Association and the Sonepat Citizens Council today expressed their concern over inefficient and unsatisfactory working of the PHD and demanded a high level probe into the public complaints about erratic water supply and stern action against the erring officials.

FACE TO FACE
Recreating the glory of past

We can give birth to a modern-day Chanakaya to make India prosperous and eradicate the seeds of violence responsible for making our lives hellish and miserable, says the founder president of Golden India Foundation, Dr P. C. Lunia. In a conversation with Nalini Ranjan, he talked about his dream organisation and its future plans.

Sixty-year-old Dr P C Lunia, a prominent social worker and international business tycoon, is the founder president of Golden India Foundation, a non-profit social service organization engaged in the uplift of the downtrodden and restoring the glorious past of ancient India. This organization works as a think tank and does research on some of the fundamental problems facing the country and imparts highly pragmatic suggestions regarding their solution to the people at the helm of affairs in the government.

Hailing from a well-known and affluent family of Multan, now in Pakistan, his ancestors initially moved to Jaisalmer, then Delhi and finally to Jaipur, where they set up their gem and jewellery business. One of his forefathers, Dhengarmal Shah, was the prime minister of the then state of Multan.

Dr. Lunia is a qualified appraiser of gems and jewels and is internationally known for his acumen.

He is presently into designing and is considered extremely innovative. His work in the field has been noticed by international media as well. But despite the worldly success, there was this inherent desire to do some thing for the country, which had given him and his family immense opportunities to thrive.

It was during such discussions with close friends that the idea to launch the Golden India Foundation was conceived several years ago. Since then, there has been no looking back for Dr Lunia.

His achievements in the field of social service and humanity have also been recognised and the WISITEX foundation conferred on him (March 3, 2000) the award of ‘International Man of Knowledge’ in recognition of his holistic approach, dedication, self-less service and far-reaching vision as a young industrialist.

Settled abroad, where he pursues the dream of his Foundation, which is primarily funded by him, he was recently in town to participate in the Non Resident Indians conference and to execute some innovative schemes of his organization.

Excerpts:

What is the sole objective of your organization?

Golden India Foundation has been established with the sole objective of restoring the pristine glory of our country in every walk of life. The path is strewn with thorns and challenges but if we have the resolute will to improve the quality of life, we can resurrect the golden era of Chandra Gupta Maurya. We can give birth to a modern-day Chanakaya to make India prosperous and eradicate the seeds of violence responsible for making our lives hellish and miserable. We are still capable of rebuilding our nation. Mere economic prosperity will not make the people of India happy. India has had a glorious past. We are all proud of our cultural heritage embedded in the teachings of our ancient seers, rishis and wise persons.

The two great apostles of peace and non-violence, Lord Mahavira and Lord Buddha, were born here. Our sacred lore is replete with innumerable incidents and anecdotes relating to self-illumined and enlightened sages and other holy persons. It is owing to our common spiritual and modern values, which mark our unity in diversity, that our cultural heritage is intact, despite foreign invasions from time to time.

In truth, India was not only the spiritual guru for other nations, but a role model when it came to economic prosperity and development. Our ancient legacy in all areas has been singularly unique and peerless. Unfortunately, India has not been able to retain its past glory. It is beset with numerous problems like poverty, overpopulation, underdevelopment, corruption, lack of sensitivity and sensibility, blind copying of the western culture, ecological and environmental degradation, ethnic and communal violence and a host of other related difficulties.

How do you visualize India as a country?

I visualize an India where there is no poverty and unemployment, no scarcity of essential commodities and water, where people are computer savvy and where information technology has led them to the path of progress and prosperity. But dreams are only dreams, unless they turn into reality. However, I am sure that the glory of ancient India can be restored and it can once again become the Golden India, which can provide leadership to other nations. We can achieve this goal by a determined effort in development and use of information technology, taking a cue, where necessary, from advanced countries of the west. Framing of right type of policies, proper planning and meticulous implementation within a time frame and with a sense of purpose and dedication can help us achieve our goal in the shortest possible time.

To work for national causes, motivation always comes from a sense of nationalism and love for one’s country.

What will be your action plan in this regard?

While in developed countries, an average person earns more than Rs 20,000 per month, in India the per capita income is miserably low, resulting in millions of our countrymen living below the poverty line. In my observation, the reasons for this deplorable situation are lack of sense of nationalism, lack of moral values in our society, lack of initiative and a burning desire for improvement, inadequate use of modern technology in industry and agriculture, lack of training and lack of sufficient funds. Without curing these basic maladies, nothing can improve. A ‘co-operative movement’ in the country can change the scene.

Extensive and intensive efforts should be made to impart training to at least 50 million persons every year with the best knowledge available in the world with the help of electronic media.

Tourism in our country should be revamped. Tourism must be given industry status. There should be a separate legislation for tourism. Tourism has ample potential for employment. I would like to give a magic formula. The interest rate for banks is to be kept below 5% per annum, preferably 4%.

It will give extraordinary benefit. Even chronic inflation prone economies like Italy and Spain have benefited tremendously from it. They have been very successful in bringing down inflation and giving a new boost to the economy, just by reducing their interest rates.

A few years back over 10 lakh people migrated from Barmer and Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan because of water shortage and over 10 lakh cattle and sheep died. We will have to search for a permanent solution to the acute water problem.

It is heartening to note that the scheme of ‘Garland Canal,’ which was given to our first Prime Minister by Dastur consultants of Bombay, is being revived by the present government.

Under this project, all major rivers of the country are being linked, so that the problems of drought, flood, and shortage of food grains can be solved once and for all. The government should implement this on a war-footing.

Reliance power project at Dadri to boost employment
Our Correspondent

Noida, February 23
The mega gas-based power project being set up in Behra village near Dadri by the Reliance Industries will act as a catalyst to developmental activities in the area. The Dadri project will take about two to three years to be completed and is likely to provide fillip to industrialisation and commercial activities. The project is expected to offer employment to some 10,000 people after its completion.

The UP Chief Minister, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, laid the foundation stone of the project yesterday at Behra village.

The power project being set up by the Reliance Industries at an estimated cost of Rs 10,000 crore will not only produce enough power to meet the requirements of Utter Pradesh but will even be able to sell some of the surplus power to the other states.

The local farmers contributing land for the giant project and the sprawling township will receive special benefits by the UP Government and the Reliance Power Company, said Narendra Bhatti, a member of the working committee of the Samajwadi Party.

A total of 2,500 acre of land will be acquired for the project, which will produce 3500 megawatt power. Currently, UP has a shortfall of 1,200 to 1,500 megawatt power. It is hoped that with the commissioning of the project, power shortage will become a thing of the past. A large number of farmers from Greater Noida and Dadri had declared their intention to obstruct the visit of the Chief Minister in protest against his decision to scrape the district status of Gautam Budh Nagar.

They blocked the highway and raised slogans against the Samajwadi party and Mulayam Singh Yadav.

However, the district administration had deployed police and para military forces in sufficient number and managed to disperse the farmers. It is learnt the Chief Minister is likely to announce attractive land compensation rate to the farmers of Greater Noida in an effort to win over the angry people of the area.

NCR briefs
Speeding Qualis crushes two to death
Our Correspondent

Jhajjar, February 23
Two persons were crushed by a speeding Qualis jeep near Silani gate on the Rohtak- Rewari road here last night.

The driver of the vehicle was arrested by the police after a brief chase.

According to information, a youth, identified as Appu, resident of Najafgarh in Delhi, was returning to his home from Utlodha village after attending a wedding ceremony with his friends. Their car developed some technical snag on the way. The victim along with his friends, identified as Anil, Manoj, Bhushan, Salim, Vicki and Satender, were pushing the car to get it started.

Meanwhile, a Qualis jeep coming from the rear went out of control and rammed into them, killing Appu on the spot. After ramming into their vehicle, the Qualis jeep crushed a milkman, identified as Shiv Kumar.

The motorcycle of the milkman was dragged along the road after it got entangled with the Qualis jeep. Some policemen posted at the Silani gate spotted some sparks coming out of the vehicle. The suspicious policemen chased the Qualis jeep and seized the vehicle on the Gurgaon road and arrested the driver of the vehicle. Both the deceased were rushed to the hospital where doctors declared them brought dead.

Sonia in Sonepat on Feb 26

Sonepat: Sonepat is all set to give a rousing reception to the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, during her ‘road show’ on February 26 when she is scheduled to pass through the district.

According to a report, Mrs Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to pass through the villages of Issapur Kheri, Butana, Khandrai, Gohana town, Nagar, Barauta, Kheri Damkan, Lath, Jauli, Bidhal, Pinana, Mohana and Barwasni before arriving at Sonepat city.

She will be taken in a procession from Chhotu Ram Chowk on the Sonepat-Gohana road and pass through the foodgrains market, Kath Mandi, Kalupur, Industrial area, Railway over-bridge, Double storey quarters, Atlas Road, Subhash Chowk, Railway road, Gita

Bhawan Chowk, Mamoon Bhanja Chowk, Sikka colony, Lajpat Nagar, Bahalgarh Road, ECE road, Ahmadpur village, Bahalgarh and Rai.

She will make a brief halt at Ethnic India, a tourist resort of the Haryana Tourism Corporation (HTC), for a cup of tea.

She is scheduled to take a helicopter for the national Capital from the premises of the Motilal Nehru School of Sports.

Delhi digest
Sterilization programme for stray dogs speeded up
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 23
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has speeded up the sterilization programme for stray dogs in the Capital. The action has been speeded up following reports indicating sudden rise in dog bite figures from several parts of the city.

The MCD has sterilized as many as 10,169 stray dogs between April 1, 2003 to January 31, 2004 and efforts are on to raise this figure to 12,000.

“It is proposed to start area wise drive to sterilize the stray dogs. We have taken the help of some NGOs for this task who have been asked to prepare colony-wise action plan,” said the MCD Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Mehta.

He said that the drive would be undertaken in coordination with the local RWAs so that the area wise sterilization could be done effectively in colonies.

Mr Mehta said that children are the easy prey for these dogs, which should be checked at the earliest.

Some of the NGOs that have sterilized dogs on big scale are Friendicos-SECA that has sterilized 2,532 dogs. Besides, Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre has sterilized 2,269 dogs and Circle of Animal Lover has sterilized 2,261stray dogs.

Digital imaging centre inaugurated

The Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Sushma Swaraj, inaugurated a fully digital imaging centre. Mahajan Imaging Centre is equipped with state-of-the-art imaging devices, including a 4-D ultrasound, digital X-ray, digital mammography, colour doppler etc., that can scan the entire body in less than 35 seconds.

The centre will also be equipped with one of the most advance 32 slice per second CT scanner, providing complete body scan besides offering non invasive coronary angiography in a single breath-hold.

The director of the centre, Dr Harsh Mahajan, said, “the centre would be a one-stop-shop for all radiology related medical diagnostic requirements and is equipped with the most advanced diagnostic equipment available today.”

Established at a cost of over Rs 18 crore, the centre is capable of transferring the digital files anywhere in the world.

MCD officer held for graft
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 23
The Anti-Corruption Branch of the Delhi Government today claimed to have arrested a MCD officer for graft. The officer, identified as R.K. Kohli, is Registered Valuer with the MCD. According to an official of the branch, the joint assessor and collector of House Tax deputed Mr R.K. Kohli as official valuer to evaluate the construction cost of a farmhouse in Rajokari.

Mr Kohli inspected the farmhouse and evaluated its construction cost to be Rs 35 lakh. However, he agreed to reduce his evaluation if he was given a bribe of Rs 15000.

Ashok Kumar reported the matter to the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Delhi Government, following which the sleuths of branch laid a trap and arrested the valuer.

Police to check noise pollution

In view of the forthcoming university and board examinations, the Delhi Police Commissioner, Mr K. K. Paul, has instructed the DCPs and other officers to take all necessary steps to keep the noise pollution under check.

He has asked the officers to use level meters acquired by the Delhi Police for this purpose. These meters are available with the ACPs of Sub Divisions for use by the police station. The noise level meters can be used for loudspeakers, public address systems, generator sets and even pressure horns in vehicles, the Police Commissioner stated.

Loadshedding Announced

The NDPL today announced power shutdown in Pitampura and Keshav Puram due to repairing work in sub stations. The affected areas will be RP Block, Pitampura, from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M., part of Rampura village and Jai Mata Market from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.