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BJP
flays Cong for inaction on water crisis ‘Indians
in UK excel in every line’ |
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Dogged
by tragedy, she is knocking at Sonia’s door Confusion
reigns as DU test schedules clash
Action
against SHO, investigative officer for
shoddy probe Five
dreaded criminals nabbed after encounter Residents
decry tampering with green belt Rohini
federation flays Co-op Societies Act
Insurance
co told to pay Rs 9,900 for lost mobile Nomination
process for six MCD seats begins today Faridabad
in grip of water, power shortage Ludo
game with an anti-tobacco message NCR
Board to relocate industrial units soon
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Cop held for wife’s murder New Delhi, May 31 The body of 27-year-old Meena Devi, wife of Constable Ravinder Kumar (30), was discovered on Saturday morning with her throat slit in their house. The house was also found ransacked. Immediately after the incident, the police searched the house and learnt that the crime must have been an insider’s job as there was no sign of anything abnormal, which is usually the case during a robbery. The entry also seemed friendly. The police later informed Ravinder Kumar about the incident. He expressed shock and said he would be back as soon as possible. During the course of investigation Kumar confessed to having committed the crime as he nursed a grudge against his wife for sending him and his family members to jail in a dowry case. He said he had taken the help of his brother, Pushpender Kumar (33), and his mother Phoolwati (55). On the fateful night Kumar told his wife that he along with his brother and mother was going to Gwalior and would be back in a few days. Along with his brother and mother he went to the Nizamuddin railway station and purchased tickets for Habib Ganj Express scheduled to leave at 11 pm for Gwalior. The three later returned to Narela and both the brothers went to the house and killed Meena while their mother sat in the car. The police said that Meena was seven months’ pregnant when she was killed. The couple had a two-and-half-year old boy who was unharmed. |
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BJP flays Cong for inaction on water crisis New Delhi, May 31 The Delhi BJP president, Mr Harshvardhan, said, “Lakhs of people in the Capital were forced to live a hellish life because of the apathy of the Congress government”. He ridiculed the Chief Minister, who is also the chairperson of the Delhi Jal Board, for her “total failure” to provide relief to the people reeling under the severe water and power crisis. Water in the Capital, he said, was a rare commodity and the quantity supplied was so polluted that it was causing water-borne diseases like jaundice, cholera and diarrhoea. Dr Harshvardhan said that in Welcome Colony, east of Yamuna, liver diseases due to contaminated water were assuming an alarming proportion. In most of South Delhi, people were facing acute water scarcity. It was because of its failure to solve the water problem that the Government of NCT of Delhi was planning to privatise water, which would lead to sharp hike in water charges, making the people’s life more difficult, he said. Several colonies in the north-west of the Capital too were going without water as the Delhi Jal Board had failed to meet the rising demand. Moreover, the ground water level had gone down further with the increase in the temperature. Meanwhile, Delhiites braved the blistering heat as the mercury shot up to about 43 degree Celsius during the day. The maximum temperature rose to 42.9 degree, which was two degree above normal. The minimum at 28.6 degree was one less than normal. Rain and dust storms had brought down the temperatures for about a week but the mercury started rising from yesterday when it shot up to 41.8 degree. The weather office said dust storms or thundershowers accompanied by squalls might occur in some areas during the next 24 hours. |
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‘Indians in UK excel in every line’ Noida, May 31 Lord Dr Bir Lall was the first Indian to become
the chairman of the Newham Chamber of Commerce in over 100 years. Dr
Bir Lall, who was recently in New Delhi, shared his experiences with
The Tribune. How have Indians, especially Punjabis, fared in
England? Indians on the whole, particularly Punjabis and
Gujaratis, have done very well. Their business expertise is superb.
Indians from Uganda have also done well. What is the contribution
of immigrant population to the UK? Immigrant population is
controlling one third of London economy. The Indians in Britain are
very strong in almost every business. They are chartered accountants,
doctors, engineers, surveyors, property tycoons, industrialists, and
all sorts of business people. A lot of IT work is now being outsourced
to India. What are your childhood memories, as a boy in Pakistan,
like? Well, you could say I had a troubled childhood in
post-Partition India. Born in 1933 in a small town in what is known as
Bannu in Northwest Pakistan, I remember walking to school in worn-out
shoes while my wealthy classmates travelled in horse-drawn carriages.
My whole family were made refugees in 1947. We escaped to India where
we struggled hard to survive. What were your earlier experiences
in the UK? When I first arrived in England, I saw notices like:
"Rooms available—sorry no coloured, no Irish, no dogs.."
In spite of those signs, I found it a wonderful country. I had, and
still have, faith and love for England. I believe if you have the
passion, drive and aspiration to succeed, there is no greater country
than the UK. |
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Dogged by tragedy, she is knocking at Sonia’s door New Delhi, May 31 A resident of Farrukhabad, who has migrated to Aligarh, Khursheeda has spent not just countless hours but what is for her a small fortune in trying to meet Mrs Sonia Gandhi. Khursheeda has been told that Mrs Gandhi “ gives money to needy people”. “I came to Delhi on Thursday to meet Mrs Gandhi. My son, it has been diagnosed, has brain tumour and the surgery will cost around Rs 20,000. My husband is suffering from blood cancer and his treatment has been discontinued ever since my son fell ill. The MP in Aligarh advised me to meet Mrs Gandhi and seek monetary help from her”, said Khursheeda, who after days of running from one room to another, is yet to meet the Congress president. The sum of Rs 300 that she borrowed in Aligarh has already been spent on commuting between the railway station, where she sleeps at night along with her 10-year-old boy, and 10 Janpath where she spends her days hoping to receive the aid she desperately needs. A domestic help, Khursheeda is scared of the “police” posted outside Mrs Gandhi’s residence, yet keeps lingering around in the hope that someone will let her in to meet her “benefactor”. Like Khursheeda, there are scores of cancer afflicted people and their families seeking funds from the powers that be. “Cancer is a terribly expensive disease but it is most unfortunate that these people find it hard to get funds. Some years ago we received the case of an IIT student who was diagnosed with the disease and could not afford its treatment. The medicine, which was the only remedy for it, alone cost Rs 1.25 lakh. He applied for some money from the relief fund set aside by the government but ultimately was helped by his own friends and alumni of the institute”, said the General Manager, Administration, Cancer Patients Aid Association, Ms Neharika Raina. The CPAA, which helps patients with medicines and chemotherapy, cannot offer any financial assistance to patients. “We cannot provide any financial assistance to people. We also rely on funds from individuals and organisations”, adds Ms Raina. For Khursheeda and many like her the prospect of getting help is bleak. “Funds are insufficient. Even the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund gives only Rs 30,000 which is inadequate to cover the cost of chemotherapy and medicines”, pointed out Mr P. K. Ghosh, general secretary of Cancer Care India. He added, “There is not just dire need to create more funds to fight the disease but there is also a need to review the distribution and management of the existing funds.” |
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Confusion reigns as DU test schedules clash New Delhi, May 31 It is learnt that
these tests are being conducted by the colleges independently and not
by the university. Not only has this restricted the options for
students, it has become quite a pain for outstation students as
well. Sourav Gupta, a resident of Panipat, who has come to Delhi to
get admission, said, “I have scored 92 percent in humanities.
However, in the past three days, I have visited over 15 colleges, all
of which are conducting entrance tests even for admission to
economics, history and social work. With the schedules for the tests
not matching, it’s not only hectic, but also a tough decision
regarding the selection of college.” Another student, Sneha, who
has come from Rohtak, said she was spending Rs 1,500 every day on the
hotel room where she was staying with her mother. “We had thought
the admission process would take a day or two only. But with the
colleges conducting tests independently, we have to spend several days
here to appear for those tests,” she said. The mismanagement on the
Delhi University’s part is causing considerable hardship to the
students. One can witness long queues of students outside the inquiry
offices of the colleges, all wanting to apply for the entrance test.
According to Aditya Narayan Misra, President, Delhi University
Teachers’ Association (DUTA), “Conducting the entrance tests on an
individual level is very confusing. The university should conduct
entrance tests on the pattern of Joint entrance tests.” It’s
during the last four years that the practice of conducting entrance
tests has come up. “Delhi University is a central university and it
must maintain its national character,” Mr Misra added. |
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Action against SHO, investigative officer for New Delhi, May 31 “The SHO and the IO would be facing strict action for serious lapses in the case besides performing faulty investigations and poor supervision. The accused was acquitted following various lacunae in investigations, including technical irregularities in the recording of the victim’s dying declaration by the SDM,” said a senior officer. The victim, Sharmila Bano, in her dying declaration, had mentioned that after her marriage in 1997 her husband and in-laws started harassing her for dowry on several occasions and demanded household things like fridge and cooler. Bano also said her parents were unable to meet the demands raised by her husband and his family members. She was also beaten up several times and ill-treated by her husband and in-laws for her inability to bring adequate dowry from her parents’ house. Sources said that on August 6, 2001, Sharmila Bano was burnt alive by her husband Nasir Ahmed and sister-in-law Nazma Khatoon after they had poured kerosene on her. The police arrested both Ahmed and his sister and registered a case under Sections 302 and 498-A of the IPC against them. |
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Five dreaded criminals nabbed after encounter Ghaziabad, May 31 Two of them were wanted in a murder case in Gurgaon. All are allegedly involved in murder, loot and road hold-up cases. The police have recovered three stolen cars from their possession. According to information, the police had marked some men in three cars who had tried to flee on seeing the police. While the police were surrounding them, they started firing on the police. The police were able to nab five of them eventually. The criminals identified themselves as Yogesh, alias Sonu, son of Kushal Pal Singh, Phool Singh, son of Banwari Lal, Rakesh, son of Chandan Singh, Dharminder, son of Bheem Singh of Gurgaon, Haryana, and Kaushal, son of Rajveer of Bulandshahr. The cars had been stolen from Gurgaon and brought to Link Road area for sale in Delhi or Ghaziabad later, police said. The prospective buyers had called them there. SO, Link Road police station said a murder case was registered against Rakesh and Yoginder in Gurgaon police station from where both had absconded. All of them are involved in a number of loot cases, hold-ups and murders, the police said. |
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Residents decry tampering with green belt Gurgaon, May 31 The residents, almost half of them women, took to the street, raising slogans against the builder of Greenwood City, the Unitech. The agitationists held demonstrations under the banner of the Residency Green Residents’ Welfare Association led by its president, Mr
A. K. Singla. The residents allege that the Unitech management is trying to encroach on the park of the colony for setting up villas. The Greenwood City consists of Vista Villa, Greenwoods and Residency Greens segments. The residents point out that earlier the management had plans to set up 11 more Villas in the Vista Villa section in the ongoing expansion plan, but now it wants to increase it to 14. They charge that the plan is to take away the park land of Residency Greens and annex it to the Vista Villa section. An elderly resident, Mr Puran Chand said that the Unitech cannot take away the park land as it is integral to the Residency Greens. This is borne out from the fact that the park is shown to be part of the colony in the original layout plan. A visibly upset Ms Mrigya Gaur, treasurer of the Residency Green Residents’ Welfare Association, said that she, like other residents, had opted for the colony for its greenery and the sylvan landscaping. With the ill-conceived move of the management, the dreams of the residents lie shattered. |
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Rohini federation flays Co-op Societies Act New Delhi, May 31 The enforcement of the DCS Act was condemned at a meeting of 145 representatives of Group Housing Societies
(GHS) held in Rohini. The meeting was presided over by the by the Leader of the Opposition in the Standing Committee, Mr Vijender Gupta. The federation members demanded necessary amendments in the Act forthwith. They decided to apprise and approach the authorities, including the Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, and the Minister of Cooperative Development of the NCT of Delhi and brief them about the difficulties faced by the owners of flats of GHS and the resultant burden and exploitation of middle class families. These families have spent their life’s earnings on a house. Mr Vijender Gupta pointed out that under Section 91 in chapter nine of the DCS Act, 2003, it was stipulated that it would be mandatory for owners of flats of GHS who had purchased their flats on power attorney basis leasehold to freehold. Not only this, the owners of such flats had to deposit Rs 10, 000 with their society as transfer fees. He further emphasised that stringent panel provisions had been made in the Act which were unconstitutional and unjustified. In case a man purchased a flat on power of attorney basis and could not get his flat converted from leasehold to freehold within 360 days of notification of this Act then he would have to pay Rs 50,000 as fine or seven years’ imprisonment or both. He said that out of three lakh flats of the societies more than two lakh had been sold on power of attorney basis. If the Act was enforced then lakhs of families would be badly affected. It was strange that enormous power had been provided to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies in this matter. |
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Insurance co told to pay Rs 9,900 for lost mobile New Delhi, May 31 “Admittedly the insurance policy covered `all risks’. The fact that the cell phone is lost is also not disputed. Therefore, we hold the insurance company guilty of deficiency in service and direct it to pay the insured amount of Rs 9,900 to the complainant as damages,” District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (Central) Members S. Siddiqui and N. K. Aggarwal said in their order. The complainant Hemant Saini, a resident of Pandav Nagar in East Delhi, had spent Rs 9,400 on the mobile phone and the SIM card. Later, he got it insured with NIA for Rs 9,900 in an ‘All Risk Policy’ scheme for the period December 22, 2000 to December 21, 2001. However, Saini’s brother lost the mobile phone while he was travelling in a bus from Shakarpur to Mother Dairy here. Saini immediately lodged a complaint on September 25, 2001 with the police and informed the insurance company about the loss the following day itself. However, despite repeated reminders the NIA failed to respond to his claim of Rs 15,000. Subsequently, he approached the consumer court for relief. The insurance company in its reply stated that the complaint was frivolous, malafide and suppressed material facts. However, the consumer forum rejected New India Assurance’s contentions, saying that the insurance company had wrongly rejected the claim of the complainant and ordered it to pay the damages.
Shramdan by railway staff The railway staff organised a ‘shramdan’ at the Old Delhi Railway Station today, where the Chief Traffic Manager, Delhi Division, Mr Ajay Anand, along with 250 railway men, including officers, coolies and vendors, participated. The garbage was removed from platform number one and around the railway track with the help of both the unions - NRMU and URMU. Later, the garbage and scrap, collected from a 10, 000 square feet area from the Old Delhi Railway Station, was taken away by a railway wagon. Mr Anand appreciated the effort of the officers, the staff and the safai karamcharis of the Old Delhi Railway Station in removal of garbage. |
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Nomination
process for six MCD seats begins today New
Delhi, May 31 Tri Nagar and
Keshavpuram seats fell vacant after the murder of Atma Ram, a senior
Congress Councillor, allegedly by another councillor, Mrs. Sharda
Jain. The other seats fell vacant after the incumbent councillors
successfully contested the Delhi Assembly elections earlier this year.
Sources said that the reason for delay in finalising the names of the
candidates was that the corporators who had won the Assembly elections
were trying to push the case of their family members. However, this
was being opposed by the other ticket seekers, who are calling for
transparency and democratisation in the ticket distribution process.
They have demanded that ticket should be given to those with clean
image in the areas. The BJP, which had not done well in the
Corporation, Assembly and Parliamentary elections, is planning to
allocate tickets to strong candidates. |
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Faridabad in grip of water, power shortage Faridabad, May 31 The power department claimed that the recent squall and windstorm had badly affected the power transmission lines due to felling of trees. The rectification could take another couple of days. According to reports, the disruption of power and water supply and functioning of tubewells had been affected badly in the past one week. While the situation appears to have improved considerably in the urban areas, things are still to be normalised in many villages and sub-divisional towns. The Senior Deputy Mayor, Mr Shiv Charan Lal Sharma, admitted that there is an acute shortage of drinking water in certain colonies of the NIT, especially in Ward no. 5 and 6. The residents of these colonies have to buy the potable water daily from the private tankers. The ‘Renniwell Water Scheme’ launched last year, had failed to provide relief to the residents of many colonies of the region, he added. He also demanded that the authorities concerned should immediately focus their attention to this issue. The Congress leader and the MLA from Palwal, Mr Karan Dalal, held a press conference here today on the issue of shortage. |
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Ludo game with an anti-tobacco message New Delhi, May 31 Releasing this unique playing kit, Mr Makan said that such an innovative way of creating health awareness was the need of the hour. Ludo is a household game so the anti-tobacco ludo will remind the players of the ill-effects of tobacco in society and ways to quit it. The health ludo has been conceptualised by Dr K. K. Aggarwal, president elect of the DMA. Dr Dhalla said there was an increase in the number of smokers and tobacco chewing. Most deaths in our country occurred because of cancer, heart attack and paralysis. To a large extent, all three were the result of tobacco intake in some form or the other. |
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NCR Board to relocate industrial units soon Greater Noida, May 31 It is a sequel to the apex court’s decision to relocate these illegal units outside Delhi to Noida, Greater Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad. The Board has also asked the Greater Noida authority to furnish information regarding the same. The Greater Noida Authority officials are collecting the data pertaining to the availability of industrial plots as well as the proposed new industrial sectors and the stage of acquisition process for these sectors. As per a recent Supreme Court decision, as many as 1.25 lakh polluting units operating in the residential sectors of New Delhi are to be relocated. The NCR Board has called for this information in detail. Besides, the Greater Noida Authority has also been asked to furnish complete details about the new industrial sectors being developed and the development stage of these new sectors. They have also been asked to provide information regarding land acquisition for setting up new sectors. According to GM (Industries), the Greater Noida Authority has already initiated action for inviting pollution-free units from Delhi to Greater Noida area. The information will be transmitted to the NCR Board as soon as it is collected. |
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Man dies in mysterious circumstances Noida, May 31 As there is considerable tension, police were deployed in the village. According to SO, Sector-58 police station, Ajay Kumar, Tejpal and his wife had died in the Behlolpur village some 18 years ago, leaving a two-year-old son Sunder. He was brought up by Tejpal’s elder brothers Khubi and Charanjit. Sunder had inherited two and a half Bigha land, compensation for which had already been determined. |
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Sant
remembered New Delhi, May 31 |
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