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Mid-day meal contracts given to ‘unfit’ firms
Five held for auto theft
Civic body chief in the dock on murder rap
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GDA plans eight-lane road at Maharajpur
Travel agent arrested for forging passports
DPS puppet show to mark AIDS Day
Verification drive for servants, tenants
Kalam for two-year compulsory NCC training to youths
One-time settlement offered to power consumers
AIIMS union will not disrupt work
One day in prison for assaulting
rickshaw puller
2 arrested for making fake notes
Rambabu Sharma, president, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, Rashid Alvi, MP, Prahlad Singh Chandok and others, participating in a bhajan-kirtan to celebrate Guru Nanak Dev birthday, organised by Delhi Pradesh Congress Minority Cell, at Congress office in the Capital on Monday.
— Tribune photo
Seminar at FIIB on WTO challenges
Massive workers’ rally for land reforms
Latest facilities at Oriental Bank
Power shutdown
Liver Day on Dec 3
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Mid-day meal contracts given to ‘unfit’ firms
New Delhi, November 29 He said that the contracts of mid-day meal are being awarded to firms, which have been declared unsatisfactory by the Nutrition Federation of India (NFI). Mr Arya demanded that the CBI should investigate the matter as to how contracts had been awarded to such firms. He pointed out that the MCD has spent lakhs of rupees to check the supply of mid-day meals and now contracts were being awarded to firms whose work has not been found satisfactory in the report submitted by the NFI. The report is being ignored by the vested interests. According to an NFI report, Pragati Charitable (City Zone), ISCKON (Central Zone), Subhash Rana and Chiranjeev Prabhakar (Narela Zone), Food and Beverages (Rohini Zone), Tej Shri Khadi Gram Udyog (Shahdara South Zone), Maitri Foundation (Najafgarh Zone), Himalayan Institute, Venture Food and Resettlement Health (Central Zone), Dalit Manav (Shahdara North Zone), Jan Chetna (South Zone) were awarded poor grading. Besides, six kitchens of Stree Shakti situated at Prahladpur (Central zone), Ranjeet Nagar (Karol Bagh zone), Pitampura (Rohini zone), Geeta Colony (Shahdara South zone), Mansoravar Garden (Shahdara South zone), and Chirag Delhi (South Delhi) were also adjudged unsatisfactory. Two suppliers, Dhamija and Shri Om Caterers of Najafgarh, were adjudged satisfactory. It is really painful that after keeping aside the report, the Congress leaders and municipal officers connived to award the contracts of mid-day meal to these firms which have not been found satisfactory as per the rating of NFI. It is strange that the firms declared satisfactory in the ratings have not been given contracts of mid-day meal. It may be recalled that during the last three-four months, the majority of cases of unhygienic mid-day meal are related to Stree Shakti. Mr Arya alleged that giving contracts to such firms is playing with the lives of children studying in the municipal schools. He informed that the majority of children studying in the municipal schools were found suffering from anaemia and malnutrition. Giving background, Mr Arya disclosed that according to the decision of the Supreme Court dated November 28, 2001, cooked mid-day meal was to be supplied to 9.5 lakh children at Rs 2 per day and 200 days in a year. It was also stipulated that the meal should contain 300 calories and 8-12 grams of protein. Mr Arya said that the contracts of mid-day meal are being awarded to the firms found unsatisfactory as per the NFI report.
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Five held for auto theft
New Delhi, November 29 In the first incident, the police have arrested three persons for factory burglaries in Northeast district. The accused have been identified as Param Hans (28), Bansi (50) and Singhasan (38). The police have recovered a countrymade pistol and live cartridges, and claim to have worked out five cases of burglaries in the factories. In another incident, the police have arrested Anwar, alias
Nadeem, 24, and Saleem, alias Mamu, 28, from Southwest district. The police also claim to have worked out 32 cases of autolifting cases in Delhi and UP areas. The police have recovered seven vehicles from their possession, including four Maruti cars, one Maruti van and two motorcycles.
10-yr RI for minor’s rape
A 35-year-old fruit seller who raped a three-year-old girl was today sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment by a city court here. Additional Sessions Judge N K Gupta also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on Inder Thakur, a native of Darbhanga in Bihar. Prosecution successfully proved beyond reasonable doubt that it was the victims’ neighbour Thakur who had committed the ‘shameful’ crime, the court said. On March 29, 2003, the mother of the victim lodged a complaint at Shalimar Bagh police station saying her daughter had gone missing. She was playing in front of their house in a slum nearby, the victim’s mother complained. During a search, the girl was located after her cries had been heard from a hutment in the area, police said. Thakur was arrested that night itself. Medical reports confirmed that the girl had been sexually assaulted.
Four arrested for making fake gas regulators
The Delhi Police have unearthed a factory that was making duplicate gas regulators of reputed companies at Bihari Colony in East district and arrested four persons in this connection. The accused have been identified as Mohammed Asif, Mohammed Sohal, Mohammed Qasim and Mohammed
Sadah. According to the police, one of the accused had been initially arrested on November 28 with duplicate regulators from Bihari Colony. He was rounded up with the regulators and factory material, including machines and raw material kept in a house. The accused were making duplicate gas regulators of Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat
Petroleum and Indian Oil Corporation. The police also recovered 1,000 regulators from them. The additional DCP east district, Ajay Chaudhary said, “They revealed that the factory belongs to one Mohammed Salim of Meerut who arranges raw material for making the duplicate regulators.”
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Civic body chief in the dock on murder rap
New Delhi, November 29 Filing the chargesheet in the court of Additional Sessions Judge at Karkardooma District Courts in East Delhi, the CBI alleged that Bansi Lal, who was then also a Municipal Councillor from Geeta Colony, had conspired with other accused and killed the proprietor of A D Metal Daulat Ram. Ram was allegedly killed as he demanded Rs 34 lakh as payment for supply of raw material from Lal’s brother Mohinder Pal, the co-owner of Vishal Metal Works at Rani Garden. On the evening of June 28, 1999, the accused called Ram to the factory and allegedly murdered him. The accused took the body of Ram to a site near Super Fast Company in Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh and burnt it to destroy the evidence. The case was handed over to the CBI by the Delhi High Court on May 6, 2002, for further investigation on the petition of
the brother of the slain businessman as the
Delhi Police had not chargesheeted the Municipal Councillor. The Karkardooma Court had already awarded life imprisonment to Mohinder Pal, Harish and Harmesh for killing Ram. Bansi Lal was not put on trial as the Delhi Police did not find any evidence against him earlier. Lal would now be tried in the court under sections 302, 201 and 120-B for murder, conspiracy and destruction of evidence.
Murder case solved, kin held
The police today claimed to have solved the murder of a 23-year-old woman in North Delhi area with the arrest of her brother-in-law. The accused, Mahinder (25), arrested today, had allegedly stabbed his ‘bhabi’ Bharti to death at her Timarpur residence last night. The jewellery and Rs 5,000 that was found missing from the house after the murder have been recovered from the accused. Mahinder, who had been working as a waiter in Taj Manshingh Hotel, had lost his job after he met with an accident two months ago, was frustrated and had become a heavy drinker, the police said. During interrogation, the accused revealed that he committed the murder as he was tired of the arguments between his mother and sister-in-law.
DTC, private bus operators’ feud turns ugly
Noida, November 29 When the private bus operators are unable to bribe the DTC bus drivers and conductors, they are known to have used violent means. In a case of rivalry between bus operators, one DTC bus conductor, identified as Jai Singh, was stabbed near Sector-37 crossing by three assailants, reportedly hired by a private bus company. Later, the wounded conductor was rushed to a government hospital. The injured conductor was on duty on bus route number 493, plying between Noida and Nehru Place. The incident took place when the DTC bus was about to proceed to the depot after dropping the commuters. Three persons boarded the bus and started beating Jai Singh. When he resisted, they stabbed him repeatedly. Jai Singh sustained deep cuts on his neck and left hand. The assailants fled from the spot, leaving Jai Singh in a pool of blood. During investigation, Jai Singh was unable to identify his assailants. The police have been unable to provide security and boost the confidence of the DTC employees, so that they can stand up to the criminals employed by the private bus operators. It may be recalled that two months back the rivalry among two bus operators on the Ghaziabad border had resulted in a gun battle, in which some persons were even killed.
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GDA plans eight-lane road at Maharajpur
Ghaziabad, November 29 This has been stated by GDA Vice-Chairman D. P. Singh and Chief Engineer S. P. S. Raghav. The design has been finalised and the work is expected to be taken up within next two months. The whole project is estimated to cost Rs four crore, Mr Singh said. The Vice-Chairman admitted that the frequent traffic jams in Maharjpur area had become a very serious problem that required an enduring solution. The eight-lane road to Dabur tri-junction from Maharajpur appeared to be the only viable solution. This will mean adding two lanes on either side of the road for this stretch, he added. D. P. Singh said a system would be evolved under which goods carriers would not be allowed to be parked on the roadside. Separate footpaths and railings will form part of the new arrangements. Sodium lights will be fixed on both sides of the road. There was no direct road from Ghaziabad to Greater Noida. The Greater Noida Authority had built a 10-km-long road up to Pratap Vihar. There is a gap of 1.50 km in this road, which goes via Akbarpur, Behrampur etc. Since the area is in Ghaziabad territory, GDA has decided to bridge the gap by constructing a 1.50-km road. The cost of the road will be borne by GDA while the Noida Authority will pay compensation for acquisition of land necessary for building the missing link.
Gangajal for Noida residents
New Delhi, November 29
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Travel agent arrested for forging passports
New Delhi, November 29 The accused, identified as Amanjit Singh, alias Lovely, had allegedly prepared passports bearing the same name but different photographs in connivance with some employees in the Regional Passport Office here, the police said. Later, these were sold to illegal immigrants for upto Rs 10 lakh. According to the police, the accused had even procured visas in the name of a garment export company on the basis of the fake passports. Three persons have already been arrested in this connection. While Dilbagh Singh was a travel agent working with Amanjit, Jitendra Singh was arrested at the IGI Airport here while boarding a flight to Moscow with one of the fake passports. According to the police, one Hardev Singh, who was travelling on a fake UK visa, had been deported from Tashkent. The police were probing the link of RPO employees in the case.
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DPS puppet show to mark AIDS Day
New Delhi, November 29 The show will be the culmination of the year-long activities conducted by the schools as part of ‘Jagrit’, the life skills programme with a special focus on HIV/AIDS awareness. The programme began with an HIV/AIDS awareness camp in April 2004, where 300 students and teachers from DPS schools across the country were initiated into a campaign to fight the dreaded disease. The camp is the brainchild of Chairman of the DPS Society, Mr Narendra Kumar who said, “In order to combat the menace of HIV/AIDS, active participation of the youths cannot be ignored.” More than 20,000 students and 500 teachers have played a part in AIDS awareness through street plays, posters and slogan writing. An interactive session with HIV positive persons was also organised. Thirty teachers and students from Kendriya Vidyalayas were also roped into the programme as were the students of DPS shiksha kendra, where the children of the marginalised sections are taught. The puppet show directed by Kat Katha is a collaborative effort of the children from various DPS branches and the people living with AIDS. The performance looks at HIV/AIDS as not just a disease, but a phenomenon. It talks about the misconceptions on the HIV positive. The voiceover for the performers has been done by the people living with HIV/AIDS who are also putting up a musical performance.
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Verification drive for servants, tenants
New Delhi, November 29 up in different colonies where senior citizens and others can approach the local police for verifying the antecedents of both servants and tenants. The step was taken after a directive issued by the Commissioner of Police, Dr K.K. Paul. The Southwest district police have initiated a security mela also. In North district, the police have made adequate arrangements for the residents and asked them to approach the police for tenants’ verification. Senior citizens will be given due attention. According to the DCP South district, Mr Praveer Ranjan, “We have carried out a special drive for tenant verification. Yesterday, we carried out this drive in Greater Kailash area wherein a number of residents approached us for the verification of their tenants. Similarly, we have given special directions to all the beat constables to meet the senior citizens in their areas at least once a week.” He said that the issue is not only to meet them but also try to understand their problems. In Southwest district, 49 public meetings were
held in various areas in which more than 1,000 senior citizens attended the meetings. A health mela was also organised by the police. Besides, more than 500 landlords/tenants and 350 servants came forward for verification. Similarly, in East district, the DCP, Mr Nuzhat Hassan, has made adequate arrangements. The directions have been issued to the police stations to verify the tenants and servants in the area.
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Kalam for two-year compulsory NCC training to youths
New Delhi, November 29 Delivering the National Cadet Corps lecture here, the President said, “In my view, two years’ NCC training must be made compulsory for all eligible students, both for boys and girls at the school or college level.” “This may work out to cadre strength of 20 million students for the NCC. I realise the NCC budget needed for this will increase substantially. However, the output in terms of societal development and peace will adequately compensate through the availability of young disciplined human resource,” he told cadets and officers who had come from different parts of the country to participate in the 56th Founding Day celebrations of the NCC. The President said 540 million youth below the age of 25 were the “prime resource” for transforming India into a developed country by 2020. He said he was confident that if 10 million trained cadets were “injected” into the society with a mission every year, it would have a positive impact by promoting righteous life, eliminating corruption, improving efficiency, augmentating a clean environment and ensuring disciplined and committed action on the part of the cadets. “The mission of the NCC rightly fits into the evolution of enlightened citizens needed for developed India mission,” he added. The President highlighted the fact that that “Dynamics of the nation with a billion population are becoming complex day by day. Every year, 10 million educated youth are injected into the society who are looking for employment opportunities. They need productive employment, otherwise instability in the society will set in.” He also had a word of advice for political parties, asking them to “compete with each other” to determine how the country could be developed faster in quality and work for providing higher standards of living for the people. Kalam said of the estimated 20 million cadets trained by NCC since its inception, about 30 per cent had joined the Armed Forces. “A special research should be taken up by the Ministry of Defence in collaboration with Indian Institutes of Management to study and analyse how the balance 70 per cent have made an impact on society through their chosen area of work and their work ethics, ethos, performance and career path,” he suggested. He said the “new role” of the NCC should be to demonstrate that the government could utilise the power of the youth for national development cutting across political and geographical barriers. The President said integrated action in core competence areas-agriculture and food processing, reliable electric power, transport, education, healthcare, information and communication technology and strategic sectors-was necessary to make India a developed nation. Speaking on the occasion, NCC Director General N. C. Bhandari said in a few years, girl cadets would move to “responsible positions” in the largest uniformed youth organisation in the world with 13 lakh cadets.
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One-time settlement offered to power consumers
Noida, November 29 An amount of Rs 6.89 crore, belonging to the UP Power Corporation, is blocked in some 397 court cases. There are some 437 consumers against whom more than one case is pending in the court. According to the General Manager, UPPC, Mr B. B. Singh, action has already been initiated on this scheme. The surcharge on payments pending up to October 31, 2004 had already been exempted. Under the scheme, as much as 90 per cent exemption will be given for consumption on tube well operations. Power consumption for domestic use will receive 70 per cent exemption, while other category of consumers will get an exemption of 50 per cent. The registration in this regard for consumers of the Gautam Budh Nagar can be done in the sub division itself. The concerned consumers in Noida, Javer, Dadri, Greater Noida, Dankaur and other places have been accordingly informed. It was emphasised by Mr Singh that the exemptions will be made available only on the condition that the pending cases were withdrawn from the various courts, including the District Consumers Forum. The district administration has already issued notices in this regard under Section 5. At least 10 per cent of the pending amount has to be deposited before the consumers can avail of all the benefits of the scheme. However, he said consumers who have already taken advantage of the exemption offered between March 31 to July 31, 2003, will not be eligible for the exemption under the present scheme.
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AIIMS union will not disrupt work
New Delhi, November 29 The undertaking was given by AIIMS Karamchari Union president Satya Prakash, vice-president Arjun Singh Rawat, secretary Ramesh and joint secretary Vijay Kumar during the hearing of a public interest litigation. Following the undertaking given by the union, a Division Bench of Chief Justice B C Patel and Justice B D Ahmed disposed of the PIL filed by one SP Sampat Kumar, which contended that the strike was violating the people’s right to life and it was also contrary to the decisions of the Supreme Court on the subject. Kumar’s counsel Rekha Palli had sought directions to the AIIMS, Union Health Secretary and the Karamchari Union to restore normalcy forthwith in the hospital. However, the court clarified that the employees could give a memorandum to the authorities for the redressal of their legitimate grievances. The karamcharis were disrupting work in the hospital following the death of an employee’s son allegedly due to the negligence of a doctor. On the first day of the strike, many operations scheduled for the day as well the OPD services were stalled by the karamcharis.
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One day in prison for assaulting
rickshaw puller
New Delhi, November 29 The only fault of the rickshaw-puller was that he had ‘dared’ to advice the man to drive carefully after he had rammed his scooter into his rickshaw in the Malviya Nagar main market. Additional Sessions Judge D. S. Pawaria sentenced Ghanshyam “till the court rises for the day” and also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on him. The court also directed him to pay Rs 9000 of this sum to the victim, identified as Suraj Pal Singh. The incident dates back to May 12, 2002 when Ghanshyam, who was riding his scooter along the wrong side of the road in Malviya Nagar main market, rammed into Singh’s rickshaw. The rickshaw-puller then advised Ghansyam to drive carefully. This enraged Ghanshyam who took out a rod, which was lying in the rickshaw and hit Singh. The rickshaw-puller lost consciousness and was shifted to a nearby hospital. Subsequently, Ghanshyam fled from the scene, but was later arrested after he was traced on the basis of his scooter registration number.
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2 arrested for making fake notes
Faridabad, November 29 The police party, which had come from Agra, swooped down at a house in SGM Nagar here and nabbed the accused, who had been living as tenants in the colony for the last few months. A computer and a scanner allegedly used for making the notes, along with Rs two lakh fake notes, were recovered from the accused. Acting on a tip-off that some persons were making fake notes in a house and circulating them in the market, the sleuths raided the house and apprehended the accused. It may be recalled that the local police had arrested three persons, including two women, all residents of Delhi, who had been trying to circulate counterfeit notes in Faridabad three months ago. An amount of 20,000 had been recovered from them. The police have made similar arrests in the last few years, but had failed to bust any major racket. Some more people and groups could be involved in the racket and the town could be a nerve centre of such operations, the police said.
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DPCC celebrates Parkash Utsav
New Delhi, November 29 DPCC President Ram Babu Sharma said that Guru Nanak Dev’s teachings were particularly relevant today because they show the people the
right path and right conduct, which would be necessary for the all-round well-being and moral uplift of all.
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Seminar at FIIB on WTO challenges
New Delhi, November 29 Giving an overview on the significant gains at the Doha Development Agenda, Mr Bhandari discussed about the systematic phase out of export subsidies, dropping of unpopular Singapore issues and major losses like unfair adoption of damaging NAMA framework, agriculture, domestic supports, market access, trade facilitation and services, other development issues etc. Emphasising on the need to create a level playing field, Mr Rajbhandari expressed his concerns over how big countries generally control decision-making process and how developing countries are not properly represented. Speaking at the function, Dr Reena Ramachandran, Director-General, FIIB, described that the world has now become a ‘Global Mall’ and how the globalisation is affecting the Indian economy and trade in a big way.
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Massive workers’ rally for land reforms
New Delhi, November 29 The rally was addressed by D Raja, secretary, Communist Party of India. Advocating the creation of a Common School System and Constitutional Right to Work, he said the only way to achieve the goal of eradicating unemployment and illiteracy is through total implementation of land reforms. Mr Raja said that if the UPA government doesn’t fulfill their demands in the winter session of Parliament, they will fight not only within the House but on streets also. Addressing the rally, national organiser Ambarish Rai said, “This time also, the budget has reaffirmed the continuity of globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation. Belying aspirations, it has reduced its outlay on rural and agricultural sectors, and done nothing to resolve the problem of unemployment and poverty. It has revved up the militarist jingoism by offering an increase of Rs12,000 crore in its defence spending.” He criticised the UPA government, “It has not said anything on privatisation, commercialisation and trivialisation of education.” While addressing the rally on Parliament Street, national convenor, NAFRE, Karan Tyagi said, “We demand an education system which secures the right to work as a fundamental right.” The issues in focus are implementation of Common School System, six per cent allocation from GDP, withdrawal of anti-people free and compulsory education Bill, and drafting of a new pro-people bill, withdrawal of price hike and constitutional right to work.
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Latest facilities at Oriental Bank
New Delhi, November 29 The new CBS technology platform, along with the bank’s integrated 376th ATM, was inaugurated by its Executive Director, Ms H. A. Daruwalla, at Greater Kailash in the national Capital. Speaking at the inauguration of the CBS branch, Ms Daruwalla said, “One of the biggest benefits from moving to the core-banking system is that the customers will get ‘Anytime Anywhere Banking’ facility and the transaction costs will be sufficiently reduced. The customers of the branch will now become customers of the bank.” The bank plans to take the number of CBS branches to about 500 by the end of the current fiscal in March, 2005. The CBS would provide facilities like instant fund transfers, cheque collection and deposit facility across cities, interconnected ATMs at more than 375 sites, instant generation of statement along with cash management services for corporates. Ms Daruwalla further stated that the bank would soon be starting Internet banking facility, multi-city cheque books and ‘anywhere’ banking facility.
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Power shutdown
New Delhi, November 29 The areas in Sector 8 Rohini will be affected between 10 am and 5 pm; the areas in Shakti Nagar, LIG Flats Gulabi Bagh from 10.30 am to 2 pm. In Keshavpuram district, the affected area is B Block, Onkar Nagar, between 1.30 pm and 5 pm. In Moti Nagar, the affected parts are Naraina Industrial Area Phase-1 and D Block, Mansarover Garden from 10 am to 5 pm. ‘Inflated’ power bills irk Mukhi
The BJP today said that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s government might not have achieved much insofar as reforms in the electricity sector are concerned but she can claim to have revamped the billing system so much that consumers are getting inflated bills.
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Liver Day on Dec 3
New Delhi, November 29 The event is aimed at creating awareness amongst
students about liver health and disease. The programme will see students from various schools in and around the Capital compete against each other in various contests. Stalls and kiosks providing information on the subject will also be set up.
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