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BJP wants PM’s ear on DVB ‘scam’ Troupe faces music for late arrival at wedding The day after: Indefinite curfew in Saradhana |
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IMD to prepare quake vulnerability maps Considering the recent cases of low intensity earthquakes that have rocked the national Capital, the Met Department is working out a plan to prepare a new set of earthquake vulnerability maps, which could help in construction of buildings that can withstand such tremors. Inderjit Singh decries raw deal to farmers The Union Minister of State for External Affairs and local MP, Mr Rao Inderjit Singh, today expressed concern over the plight of farmers in Haryana, whose agricultural land was allegedly being acquired by the government at low rates. New Delhi, June 20 Synthetic ghee, that is flooding local markets, contains hazardous chemicals and can cause diseases, including cancer. This was stated by the Dairy Products Traders Association, the Federation of All India Dairy Products Association and other dairy products associations here yesterday. Noida lights: ‘On’ in the day, ‘off’ at night-time Tytler says he has clean chit on ’84 riots Youth missing Drive against beggars AIDS awareness campaign Man, son shot at in Loni Rape case registered Two engineers suspended Noida to have law college Absconding granthi held in rape case Mystery shrouds soldier’s death Pak singers recreate magic of evergreen songs Report on ‘construction’ at graveyard sought
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BJP wants PM’s ear on DVB ‘scam’ New Delhi, June 20 Mr Harshvardhan writes that the Sheila Dikshit Ministry privatised Delhi Vidyut Board in disregard of rules and relevant laws. The existence of this scam has also been validated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in its latest report. He claims to be in possession of “many facts” related to the scam. “By presenting full relevant details related to this scam before your authority, I wish to request you to order a CBI probe in the matter concerned,” reads the letter in which Mr Harshvardhan is categorical that the Government of NCT of Delhi is “planning to destroy many of the relevant documents and other evidence that could expose the extent of the involvement of many politicians and senior officials in this scam”. In a statement released to media, Mr Harshvardhan reiterated that the government compromised the interests of the people of Delhi and unjustly enriched the distribution companies. He claims that by using the quantum of loss worth Rs 7,190 crore suffered by DVB (up to March 31, 2002), the government has allowed the private companies to make money at public expense. The “scam”, the statement reads, begins with the appointment of SBI Caps as consultant. “The CAG has pointed out that “no discernible procedure or method was followed” in the selection of the consultant,” the statement quotes the CAG as having stated in its report. Mr Harshvardhan further claims that the government “bypassed” the office of the Lieutenant Governor to smoothen the process for the private companies.
Expect more showers Delhi continued to receive pre-monsoon showers, signalling the early arrival of monsoon in the national Capital. The Met department has also predicted more rain in the next 24 hours. The spell, which started the day before yesterday, caused the temperature to drop by about six degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature was recorded at 23 degree Celsius. With the monsoon arriving in Delhi ahead of schedule, more such showers are likely in the next 24 hours, the Met department sources said today. Though the morning was pleasant, due to the rain, high relative humidity made the conditions uneasy in the afternoon, the department said. |
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Troupe faces music for late arrival at wedding New Delhi, June 20 Upholding a district consumer forum order, the state commission held M/S Sindhi Hiranand Ghodiwala liable for causing ‘inconvenience, disappointment and social embarrassment’ to journalist Vijay Kumar Gupta. The ‘baraat’ had to wait for about 40 minutes in the open on the evening of December 12, 2002. The forum also rejected the plea of the musical troupe that the delay was caused on account of heavy traffic on the roads and further noted that the troupe had also caused ‘’interference’’ during the garlanding ceremony by stating that the balance had been paid by the scribe to save himself from social embarrassment. The troupe also refused to perform during the reception of the ‘doli’, contending that they were supposed to play music till the departure of the ‘doli’ before midnight. Mr Gupta, a resident of West Shalimar Bagh here, had entered into a contract with the troupe for providing lights and a band troupe comprising 20 musicians from 5 pm on the day of the wedding for a sum of Rs 15,000. Though the troupe admitted to disturbances during the garlanding ceremony, it denied its involvement, saying that it was “caused by the complainant’s own family or neighbours or the local beggars.” It further raised a counter-claim of Rs 50,000 for alleged loss in business, saying that the marriage ceremonies went well past the midnight deadline. The forum, leaving no scope for the musical troupe, noted that from the copy of the order form it was evident that “the band was booked for December 12, 2002, from 5pm onwards without any limit as the column ‘to’ was left blank.” The commission further rejected an appeal on behalf of the Karol Bagh-based troupe to restrict the media from reporting the order on the ground that the plea was devoid of merit. |
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The day after: Indefinite curfew in Saradhana Meerut, June 20 The communal elements once again came into play after another brutal murder on Saturday evening. At least two persons have been killed and 12 others injured since the incident erupted. According to police, at least 45 people have been arrested so far in this connection. Hundreds of people from a particular community attacked another group, which was returning after the cremation of Bobby, who had been stabbed to death on Friday night. Panic gripped the city after members of a particular community pelted stones and opened fire from rooftops. The assailants had reportedly slit the neck of Baljeet (60), maternal uncle of the deceased, Bobby, in the presence of police and the circle officials. The violent mob forced the RAF and PAC to retreat; the PAC personnel had to take refuge in a temple to save their lives. According to sources, many persons were injured in the attack. Later, police also opened fire to disperse the mob in which a youth was also injured. Security beefed up in zone Meanwhile, the security has been beefed up in the entire Meerut Zone. The police has also put up nakas (barriers) at every entry point. The mob jammed the main road and demanded the immediate arrest of the killers of Bobby and a compensation of Rs 5 lakh. The District Magistrate, Mr Rajesh K. R. Singh, and the SSP, Mr B. P. Singh, were also manhandled by the mob. The irate mob also protested against the local SP leader Munnavar Hasan and alleged that he was tacitly helping a particular community. Family members and the local residents also alleged that the administration was working under the pressure of the local MP. However, a red alert has been sounded in the entire Meerut zone. At least 10 companies of paramilitary forces, including two companies of RAF, have been deployed in the highly sensitive area. On the direction of the state government, the Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order), Mr Bua Singh, also rushed to the affected areas. Additional police forces had been summoned from the adjoining districts to Saradhana town. Besides, eight companies of PAC and two companies of RAF, two ASPs, five circle officers, 50 sub-inspectors and two hundred constables were deployed in Saradhana. According to sources, the situation deteriorated on Saturday evening when the senior administrative and police officials showed laxity on their part. If the security had been tightened at the cremation ground, then the violence could have been averted, said a resident of Meerut. |
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IMD to prepare quake vulnerability maps New Delhi, June 20 The department would make a detailed assessment of the potential risk due to an earthquake on a scale of as low as 100 meters through a detailed study of the land’s structure in the national Capital, sources in the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said. For this, the IMD will work in collaboration with the Geographical Survey of India (GSI), the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, (IIT). These agencies will be roped in to prepare the map, making area-wise assessment of soil structure in the Capital. The project would provide localised details of the soil strength, which could help assess the potential risk in case of an earthquake and help design the buildings which could minimise the damage, the sources said. Knowledge of the holding capacity of the land would make it easier for architects and builders to build structures which are more scientific and quake resistant. The information can also be used to make the existing buildings quake-resistant in a more precise and scientific manner. Depending on the holding capacity of the land in different areas an earthquake of similar intensity would have altogether a different impact in two places, it was pointed out. At present, Delhi falls under zone four, an area, which is considered more prone to earthquakes, and factors such as low water table, soil composition and its density between the ground surface and the bedrock on the crust of the earth, play a major role in its vulnerability, IMD officials said. The zones were primarily defined keeping in view the potential risk in case of an earthquake. Attributing the earthquake prone nature of the national Capital to the geographical “faults” in the neighbourhood of the city, it was pointed out that proximity to the Himalayas also contributes to its vulnerability. |
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Inderjit Singh decries raw deal to farmers Gurgaon, June 20 Speaking at a public meeting organised by a Congress Leader Khazan Singh, Rao Inderjit wondered why the Haryana government was paying abysmally low compensation rates to the farmers in comparison to the high rates given by the Congress government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The farmers of South Haryana were the worst sufferers on account of this anomaly, he added. Referring to the apex court’s directive to the Centre to get the construction works started on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal project within a time-frame, he said the Congress-led government had taken a decision to honour the directive. However, he cautioned that mere construction of the project was not enough as all would depend on how much water was released by the Punjab government from Ravi-Beas to the SYL. The water from Ravi-Beas was meant exclusively for areas of South Haryana. He also lamented that the available water was not being distributed equitably in the state. The water meant for South Haryana has been diverted to Sirsa, the home district of Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, he added. Speaking on the occasion, a Congress leader, Mr Birender Singh, who was the main speaker on the occasion, said that the INLD Government had lost its moral authority to rule in the State after its rout in the parliamentary election. Mr Singh said that the Congress was determined to create a social safety net for the minorities and the other downtrodden sections of the society. He also lamented that the local youths were not being provided jobs in the industrial units set up in the State, especially in Gurgaon and Faridabad. According to him, the industrial units of the state were downing their shutters, so that they could relocate in Ghaziabad and Noida in Uttar Pradesh and in Bhiwadi in Rajasthan. For this, he blamed the faulty policies of the government. Mr Khazan Singh alleged that the functionaries of the state government were adopting intimidatory tactics against the opponents of the INLD. However, factionalism in the Congress yet again surfaced on the occasion as the District Presidents, both rural and urban, Mr K.L.Yadav and Mr Dharamvir Gauba, were conspicuously absent at the function. Mr Gauba reacted to the public meeting, saying that it was not a Congress affair and charged that there was no reason to organise the event. |
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Synthetic ghee bad for heart New Delhi, June 20 These associations jointly organised a Press conference to expose the synthetic fake dairy products, specially different brands of ghee being openly sold in our domestic market. The president of the Khari Baoli-based Dairy Products Traders Association, Mr Ashok Arora, said this synthetic ghee, prepared with hazardous chemicals, is being sold as ‘Agmark’ pure ghee in the market. One of the most dangerous constituents used in this ghee is ‘ styrene,’ commonly known as refined palm oil. This oil is meant for the preparation of soaps and detergents and is not edible. This white-coloured very cheap ingredient has a high melting point and is tasteless and odorless. When mixed, it gives the essence and colour of pure ghee. It is very harmful for the heart, lungs and kidneys. It even causes cancer. These fake brands are bringing a bad name to the dairy industry. The consumer is being duped at large. He further said that this fake ghee was being sold in most parts of the country, specially in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and now in the walled city. This ghee was being sold under brand names like Shakti Bhog, Hare Krishna, Cream Gold, Madhurattan, Gwala, Utsav, Natkhat, Murari, Govind, Varsha, Sona, Chetak etc. It was shocking to note that most of the agencies concerned like Health, Prevention of Food Adulteration, the Crime Branch and Agmark were turning a deaf ear on this matter.
Valedictory session A valedictory session was held here to award certificates to students who have completed the three-month advanced certificate course launched by the Amity School of Urban Management. Mr Ashok K Chauhan, founder president, Ritnand Balved Education Foundation (RBEF), presided over the function. |
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Noida lights: ‘On’ in the day, ‘off’ at night-time Noida, June 20 The sodium and other lights are known to lose 75 per cent of their capacity prematurely. Ever since the streetlights were made the responsibility of the work circles, this is the routine. Earlier, about 90 per cent light points were functioning normally. There are at least 11,495 tube lights of 40 watt on Noida roads, besides 10,231 sodium lights of 250 watt, 1063 sodium and mercury lights of 70 watt, 293 sodium and mercury lights of 400 watt. The yearly billing of all these light poles is Rs five crore. Besides street lights, repair of junction boxes of 10 work circles have separate budgets of Rs 2.20 lakh, ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 40 lakh per each circle. Rs one crore is spent on fixing new streetlights every year. About 120 persons have been employed on contract basis for switching the lights on and off and for their maintenance. Since project engineer and other senior officials of work circles are not personally looking after this work, employees at lower level are also negligent and work in a slipshod manner. Lights switched on in the evening remain illuminated the next day, too. This affects the life span of bulbs, tubes and other equipment etc. So, there is darkness at night and light during the day. |
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Tytler says he has clean chit on ’84 riots New Delhi, June 20 Mr Tytler also said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had given him a clean chit prior to his acquittal by the court. The agency, he said, had done so after interacting with several Sikh families. Claiming that he was falsely implicated, Mr Tytler said at a function hosted by the Rajput Association of Delhi that he was not in the Capital when the riots took place. The minister asserted it was at his request that the Delhi High Court directed the CBI to conduct an inquiry. He also claimed that the Sikhs had voted for him in large numbers in the Lok Sabha election.
Youth missing Amanpreet Singh Sawhney (22), a resident of Paschim Vihar, has been reported missing from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. He left his house yesterday for the YMCA to attend his class but did not return. His scooter and other belongings were found near Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. A case of missing person has been registered in police station, Parliament Street. When Amanpreet left his house yesterday, he was wearing a black ‘patka’, yellow-brown half sleeve shirt, black trousers and black shoes. Any information in this regard would be suitably rewarded, the police said.
Drive against beggars The New Delhi Police has launched a drive against beggars and remanded 38 of them in the beggar house. Hanuman Mandir, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and Bhairon Mandir are the areas frequented by a large number of beggars. The police apprehended 103 beggars and out of these 38 were sent to the beggar house, Kigsway Camp; the remaining have been detained in police stations.
AIDS awareness campaign An NGO, Mission, has launched an awareness campaign for truckers on HIV and AIDS and is distributing free condoms to the drivers and cleaners. The programme was organised by local MLA, Mr Bhagwan Aggarwal, who was the chief guest on the occasion. The awareness campaign was launched from Main Chowk, Samaypur Badli. Addressing the volunteers and others, Mr. Jai Bhagwan Aggarwal said that awareness was the only way to control the spread of HIV. |
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leader’s brother stabbed Ghaziabad, June 20 Sanjeev of Daulat Pura was called out from his residence by three persons. He was taken to the steel market on Bulandshahr road and attacked there with knives. Sanjeev, who is a brother of Sunil Dutt, president of the BJP’s backward classes cell, was rushed to Yashoda Hospital. A case against three persons has been filed in the Kavi Nagar police station. Anil Sharma, an employee of Express PM Cargo Transport Co, Moradabad, was on the way home to Hisar in Haryana. He had travelled in a truck from Moradabad and was going on a rickshaw in order to board a bus. At the Hapur trijunction, at 1.30 am, certain criminal elements came on a motor bike and tried to snatch Anil’s attaché case at gunpoint. Anil jumped off the rickshaw and tried to escape. But one of the criminals fired at him, injuring him in the hand. He reported the matter to the police who took him to Yashoda Hospital.
Man, son shot at in Loni A man and his son were both shot at and wounded when they tried to catch criminals who had come with the intention of committing a robbery in Saraswati Vihar Colony of Loni at 4 am. The injured persons were rushed to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur (SGTB) Hospital, Shahdara. The police have not been able to trace the culprits as yet. Certain criminals had intruded into Saraswati Vihar Colony of Loni. Seeing them, certain persons raised the alarm. As Noor Hassan and his son Mehaboob came out of their house, they saw four persons fleeing from the area. When Hassan and his son tried to grapple with them they were fired at and wounded by the thieves. Noor Hassan and Mehaboob were rushed to SGTB Hospital.
Rape case registered Noida (Javer):
The Javer police have registered an abduction and rape case against two persons after a court passed orders to the police to do it. Chiranjeev Lal had complained to the police on May 3 that a youth of the village along with a friend of his had enticed his 14-year-old daughter and raped her after abducting her. But the police had refused to register a rape case. Chiranjeev Lal had then filed an appeal in court as a last resort. The court had then passed orders asking the police to register Chiranjeev Lal’s rape report.
Two engineers suspended The Noida Chairman, Mr Dev Dutt, has suspended two senior engineers, A. K. Goel and project engineer V. K. Sharma, for carelessness in work in the Noida stadium. A.K. Goel’s work has been assigned to project engineer L. K. Gupta. Similarly, V.K. Sharma’s work has been assigned to Assistant Engineer R.C. Vashishth. Besides, the Noida Authority Chairman has also issued warnings to project engineer, Jal, B. M. Pakhriyal and R. L. Mahla. Mr Dev Dutt had inspected the Noida stadium’s Aerobics Hall on June 18. He was annoyed to see that action on his instructions for procuring a gen set was being taken at a very slow pace. Documents had not even been finalised for floating a tender, it is learnt.
Noida to have law college A law college has been established in Noida by the Society for the Institute of Management Studies (IMS) on their campus in Sector 62. MIS Director C.S. Nagpal said the law college, which would offer a five-year integrated law course leading to LLB will be affiliated to Chaudhry Charan Singh University, Meerut, and will admit students after class XII. The Bar Council of India has allowed the IMS Law College to admit 160 students. Dr Nirmal Singh Azad, a former naval officer with 35 years’ experience and impeccable academic qualifications in law has been appointed the Principal of the college. |
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Absconding granthi held in rape case New Delhi, June 20 The kidnapping-cum-rape case was registered in January 1998. The suspect, identified as Devender Singh (45), was arrested yesterday. The victim, a student of class X (in 1998), was allegedly kidnapped and raped by the accused when she was coming back from her school in Ramesh Nagar. She was held in captivity by the accused for two days. The father of the victim, who worked as a sewadar in Gurdwara Mansarovar Garden in Kirti Nagar area, reported the matter on January 19, 1998, when his daughter did not reach home. The accused, a chief granthi in the same gurdwara in 1998, was also found missing, which led to suspicion about his involvement in the kidnapping case. The victim returned home on her own two days after and narrated her ordeal. The police had registered a kidnapping-cum-rape case against the granthi but could not arrest him as he was hiding at Sitapur in Bihar. Eventually, he was declared a proclaimed offender by the court in September 2000. Again he managed to get a job of a granthi in Gurdwara Sangam Vihar Colony. Now, he has been finally arrested. Further investigation is on, the police said. |
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Mystery shrouds soldier’s death Meerut, June 20 The victim, Mohd Hanif Khan, a resident of Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, was posted here at the RVC centre and school. Some RVC officials told The Tribune that Hanif had died of rabies. Some soldiers, on the “special direction” of their officials, told media persons that a stray dog had bitten Hanif a few days back and an anti-rabies vaccination had been administered to him. Despite that, the soldier got infected with rabies. Later, he had been shifted to military hospital, Meerut, where he breathed his last on Wednesday. According to some eyewitness, a gun carriage, accompanied several Army officers and soldiers, arrived at the Vilayat cremation ground in the morning. The Army officials were keen on cremating the body along with the coffin, but the caretaker of the cremation ground objected to that. The RVC officials contended that it was not advisable to take the body out of the coffin. However, the caretakers, Abdul Talnir and Abdul Haq, insisted on following the religious rites. |
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Pak singers recreate magic of evergreen songs
New Delhi, June 20 With such legendary singers being part of their history, the new generation of Pakistani singers are now trying to recreate the magic their predecessors had produced on the Indian music scene with their own brand of music.
— TNS |
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Report on ‘construction’ at graveyard sought
New Delhi, June 20 The court has issued a notice to the Union Ministry of Urban Development, Government of NCT of Delhi, and the Central Public Works Department while directing the L&DO to submit a report by June 28. The petitioner’s counsel sought to restrain the Uttaranchal Government from raising any construction on the land measuring eight bighas in village Indraprastha on Kotla Road. It was argued that even as a dispute regarding the plot was pending in the High Court, the Uttaranchal Government had moved in construction materials at the site.
— TNS |
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