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Traders want dialogue to end VAT stalemate
MCD to appoint local agents to collect property tax
CBI chargesheets DDA ex-chief,
5 others
Panchayati Raj polls, a tricky problem
Irregularities alleged
in tenders for
micro chips in cattle
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Court order helps cause of Abhibhawak Manch
Widow humiliated as Noidaites watch
Haryana power workers’ union calls off stir
Forensic science helps cracking critical cases
TB kills 5 lakh a year
The best doctor is your body, listen to it!
Dropsy stalks western UP
Class X pupils, give more attention to practicals now
Double murder solved, three held
Jewellery show
GGSIPU Professor honoured
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Traders want dialogue to end VAT stalemate
New Delhi, March 31 “How will the government implement VAT from tomorrow when the VAT acts and rules are not known. The VAT system will result in a massive hike in prices … it will make the lives of common people miserable,” Mr Khandelwal claimed. He said that traders today took out a protest march from the Red Fort to the Chandni Chowk clock tower, where a sit-in was also held. The agitation, he added, would continue tomorrow and a sit-in would be held at Jantar Mantar. Meanwhile, the general secretary of Federation of Dry Fruits and Spices Traders Association of India, Mr Shyam S Bansal, said that the introduction of VAT would solve the problem of multiple taxation between various states, but the high rate of tax (12.5 per cent) in those states following this new system would jeopardise the ongoing trade and would make the commodity unaffordable for the people. Responding to the ongoing agitation against VAT, the BJP said that VAT would destroy industry and render more than 100 articles of daily use like water, diesel and cooking gas
very costly. The president of Delhi Pradesh BJP, Dr Harshvardhan, today joined a sit-in held by representatives of associations of aluminium, plywood and plastic traders to protest against VAT.
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MCD to appoint local agents to collect property tax
New Delhi, March 31 The Municipal Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Mehta, said that agents would be asked to collect the tax from the residents who pay less than Rs 1 lakh. At present, the Residents Welfare Associations, registered societies of residents, whether group housing or plotted colonies and the registered market associations would be eligible for such a responsibility. They would be given contract for a period of three to four years so that a long-term association can be built up. The duty of an agent would be to collect cheques and demand drafts or pay orders from the property owners and deposit them in the ‘Citizen Service Bureau’. The agents will not be allowed to collect tax in cash from the taxpayers. They will also be liable to maintain the ‘Assessment Book’ in electronic form and will be given two per cent commission. If the cheques bounce, they will be returned to the agents, who will have to get fresh cheques from the property owners. The agents will be liable to pay the service charges to the ECIL-SARK consortium as per already agreed rates with the MCD from the G-8 receipts issued in the CSBs for the payments collected by the agents and deposited in the bureau. If there is any violation of the terms and conditions and more than three defaults are noted by way of loss of revenue, the agent will be warned twice. However, his contract will be cancelled if it is repeated the third time. They will be given proper registration number and separate database of the agent would be maintained with proper authorisation in the contract, indicating the total number of properties to be represented by him.
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CBI chargesheets DDA ex-chief,
5 others
New Delhi, March 31 According to a CBI release, the agency today filed chargesheet against former DDA Vice-Chairman Subhash Sharma, former Commissioner (Land Disposal) Anand Mohan Sharma and former Commissioner (Planning) Vijay Risbud. Others include Dharambir Khattar, resident of
Gurgaon, Ajay Khanna, chief executive, DLF Universal Limited, Ravinder Taneja and director, Taneja Construction Udyog Limited. The agency said that they were booked for offences of criminal conspiracy and various offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Meanwhile, with the arrest of five persons involved in looting factories, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police today claimed to have worked out five cases of robbery. The sleuths also claimed to have recovered stolen items worth Rs two lakh and two daggers from their possession. The accused persons arrested have been identified as Surender Kumar, resident of Gautam Budh Nagar, Ashok Kumar, resident of Gaunda, Deepak, alias Deepu, resident of Sanjay Colony, Hanumant Mishra, resident of Gaunda and Ajay, alias Kunal, resident of Sanjay Colony. Acting on a tip-off that a gang involved in looting factories would gather near ESI Hospital in the Okhla Industrial Area to commit dacoity, the sleuths laid a trap and nabbed the accused persons. During interrogation, the accused persons confessed to the sleuths that they used to commit dacoity by incapacitating chowkidars. In another case, the North district police claimed to have arrested four robbers and recovered stolen items worth Rs 5.5 lakh from their possession. They were identified as Badra Alam (40), resident of Pakki Khajuri, Brij Mohan (24), resident of Terah Khand, Bhoop Singh (25), resident of Kalyanpuri and Shamim (30), resident of Loni. Acting on a tip-off that the robbers would come to Nangia Park in Shakti Nagar to sell some confectionery items looted from Sahibabad, a special team laid a trap and nabbed them. During interrogation, the accused persons confessed to the police that they had looted a truck near Gyani Border in Sahibabad by tying the hands and legs of the driver and the cleaner. They later drove the truck to a rented godown at Karawal Nagar and abandoned the truck after unloading the goods. Based on their information, the police during a raid seized 336 cartons of Parle confectionery items from the godown at Karawal Nagar. Efforts were being made to trace the whereabouts of their associates.
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Panchayati Raj polls, a tricky problem
Faridabad, March 31 One of the most important features of these elections will be the use of ballot paper instead of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The number of the total voters and the nature of the voting list for these polls will be different, as there has been a clear-cut bifurcation in the rural and urban voters. The rural voters will be voting to elect their respective sarpanch, panch, members of the panchayat samiti and the zila parishad. The voters will be given four ballot papers and asked to cast vote for each of them separately. Thus, the polling could be quite a complicated affair and the voter might be confused in selecting the candidate and would require guidance from the polling officials. The total time to be taken by a voter on an average would be more and could create confusion, admitted an official. However, the urban voters will be electing the members of the municipal committees, council and the Municipal Corporation. The elections of the civic bodies will be held on April 17. A meeting was held here yesterday in which the authorities concerned asked the election officials to be more vigilant. There will be a total of four ballot boxes in each booth. The ballot papers will be of different colour for all the four elections. Each booth will be divided into two wings and voting for the two elections will be held in each of them. The voter will have to sign or put a thumb impression at four places before being allowed to vote. A rehearsal of all the presiding officers was held here recently. Meanwhile, there have been reports that the flow of liquor has increased in the rural areas in view of the polls.
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Irregularities alleged
in tenders for
micro chips in cattle
New Delhi, March 31 The scheme to install microchips in the cattle will enhance the cost of milk and adversely affect its availability, particularly for the poor people, patients and children, he alleged. The proposal to install micro chips, previously placed before the Standing Committee by the Municipal Commissioner for approval, was opposed by the BJP for the reasons that it had been prepared to benefits some predetermined private operators and not to control the unauthorised dairy menace in the city. The matter was referred to a Sub-Committee that never met. However, the recommendations of the Sub-Committee has been approved by the Standing Committee without placing it either on the Agenda of the meeting held yesterday or on the table. He alleged that the Congress party in connivance with the Municipal Corporation administration has authorised the Commissioner to process the case for installation of chips in the cattle. It has been admitted that the price quoted at Rs 90 per cattle for lifetime had been arrived at without any proper tender process and that proper financial procedure had not been followed to determine the exact price. Meanwhile, Mr Gupta has also demanded a CBI probe in all the cases of transferring of advertisement rights to private parties in lieu of management, maintenance and construction of ‘dhalaos’ and toilet blocks. It has deprived the corporation of crores of rupees through public auctioning of advertisement rights on these municipal sites, he alleged. He disclosed that almost all the privatisation proposals approved by the corporation involve transferring of advertisement rights to the private parties. The estimated income from the advertisements, in open auction, in respect of the concerned privatisation scheme had never intentionally been put up to the Standing Committee, he alleged. He alleged that new ‘dhalaos’ have been constructed by contractors on the main road sites having more advertisement revenue potential, which is not mentioned in the agreement. These sites would have earned more than 20 times of the estimated income to be paid to the MCD had these been auctioned. It is unfortunate that these rights are given on contract basis. The approval of the corporation for allotment of advertisement rights to the advertiser concerned had never been obtained though a period of three years had since elapsed. The contractors, who had failed to comply with the conditions of the NIT called more than three years back, have been allowed to start the work on the previous rates and conditions.
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Court order helps cause of Abhibhawak Manch
Faridabad, March 31 According to the judgement, the court would take up the issues raised by the Manch and expedite them in four months. The Manch has been protesting against fee hike and demanding an immediate implementation of the ‘Education Rules-2003’, framed by the state government. It has decided to intensify its campaign to get the rules implemented and seek closure of the schools, which have been functioning just as ‘teaching shops’. Mr O.P. Sharma, president of the Haryana Abhibhawak Ekta Manch, who had also been the head of the Faridabad Abhibhawak Ekta Manch, said here that the Manch was happy with the recent court order. The court has asked the government to treat the writ as a representation and take a decision thereon in accordance with the law. The Manch, in its PIL filed in 1997, had alleged gross irregularities by the private schools in the matter of fees and blatant violations of the various rules framed by the government and other authorities, including the Haryana Urban Development Authority, which had allotted plots to these schools at subsidised rates. The Manch sought an appropriate order to the state government and the CBSE to discharge their duties by exercising a control over the functions of the schools, besides a rational fixation of the fee and other charges. The writ had also demanded a direction to the schools to refund the excess charges collected from the parents in various forms and directing Huda to take back the plots from the errant schools. The Manch had made as many as 30 private schools here as the party to this case, besides the Department of Education, Haryana, CBSE, Delhi, Haryana School Education Board, Director, School Education, Haryana and Huda. This application under the Section 151 of the Code Of Civil Procedure had prayed that the petition may be taken on board and disposed of in terms of the judgement of the Supreme Court in the case of Modern School, Delhi versus the Union of India in 2004. According to the Manch, a majority of the private schools in the district and the state had been exploiting the students and their parents by hiking fees and other charges and were making a mockery of the rules with the connivance of the officials concerned. He announced that the Manch would soon meet the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and ask him to take measures to check this injustice and the growing commercialisation in the field.
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Widow humiliated as Noidaites watch
Noida, March 31 Shockingly, a number of people just watched the act as mute spectators without helping her. Rampal’s son and nephew of landlord Dharmpal, in whose house Rekha (false name) was living as a tenant, had allegedly torn off her clothes along with his four friends on the pretext of Holi revelry. The five youths pawed her and then dragged her like a beast. Dozens of Holi revellers just watched the incident, but did not raise objection. Somehow she freed herself and reached the house of a known policeman. The cop took her to police station in Sector-20. The police have been able to arrest only one of the accused, Dhanjay Dubey. Four others, including the main accused, Anurag, son of Rampal Sharma, have yet to be arrested. As the victim met the SSP Piyush Mordia and told him that she was being threatened by the accused, the SSP shifted the inquiry officer and appointed lady SI Reeta Yadav, in-charge of Gole Chucker police post as the IO. The victim has not been medically examined for four days. Some social organisations like Noida Manch have expressed deep concern at the incident.
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Haryana power workers’ union calls off stir
Faridabad, March 31 The agitating staff of the plant had announced to stage a demonstration today in support of its demands, including the suspension of the chief engineer. It is reported that the plant Chief Engineer, Mr R.S. Bhatti, invited the leaders of the power corporation workers union and the thermal plant union this morning for talks on the issue. The meeting which ran for about two hours led to an agreement between the authorities and the staff, who had been locking horns for past about three weeks. The AHPCWU spokesperson, Mr Subhash Lamba, claimed that besides apologising for the alleged misbehaviour with the employees, the Chief Engineer assured them of
a favourable action on various issues which had been the cause of this confrontation. He said the authorities concerned assured an action into the demand for a probe into the allegations of corruption in the matter of purchases and the employment of contractual labour at
the plant. The plant has total staff strength of about 700 employees, of whom about 200 were employed on contractual basis. The other demands of the staff included withdrawal of the transfer of about 15 employees done in the past about six months, residential quarters to all employees, release of proper pay slips and providing due promotion to the staff. It is learnt that a meeting of the union leaders and the authorities of the thermal plant has been convened on April 7 to discuss various pending issues.
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Forensic science helps cracking critical cases
New Delhi March 31 Mr Dora distributed certificates and diplomas to the candidates who had completed the courses in Forensic Sciences for Army and Air Force officers at AIBHAS here. He also released a journal on the occasion. Highlighting the importance of the Behavioural and Forensic Sciences for the Army, Dr Ashok K. Chauhan, Founder President, Ritnand Balved Education Foundation, said: “AIBHAS has gone a long way in establishing its credentials within Amity and outside of Amity University.”
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TB kills 5 lakh a year
Noida, March 31 But thanks to a nationwide TB control programming, launched in the country with help of the Central government, it has started giving positive results with fall in death rate. In Gautam Budh Nagar district last year, 2433 new TB patients were detected. The figure was 30 per cent more than that of in 2003. Some 85 per cent of these patients have been treated under this programme, while 15 per cent are still undergoing treatment. According to WHO sources, no patient has died in the G.B.Nagar district due to TB. They say the disease has been brought under control due to higher number of detection of the incidence of the disease. According to the doctor in-charge of tuberculosis, Dr Ashok Misra, there was a tendency among people to conceal the TB incidence with the result that it could not be treated properly. Now there is a better awareness among the people. Besides, two treatment units are now functioning in this district under the national TB control programme—one unit is functioning in District hospital, Noida while the second is in Primary Health Centre, Dankore.. One microscopic and 139 DOT centres are also functioning here, where necessary examination of TB and its treatment are available, Dr Misra added.
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The best doctor is your body, listen to it!
New Delhi, March 31 Dr B R Patel, a naturopath claims that the key to good health is healthy living and lending an ear to the body. “Your body is the best doctor. If you listen to it and follow the instructions, you need not pay fee to any doctor,” he says. Explaining the role of the body as a doctor, he adds, “Who repairs a broken bone? No doctor in this world can repair it. What doctors do is at best plaster it, but it is the body that heals it.” Dr Patel who runs a naturopathy clinic, points out that the body gives clear signs and hints before one falls ill. “The first sign your body shows is morning sickness and constipation. In a constipated body, various symptoms start occurring as indigestion, gastric trouble and acidity. If these signs are not heeded, serious illnesses begin.” Dr Patel also claims that suppressing the common cold or cough through medicines can lead to serious illnesses like asthma and the body becomes loaded with toxins. “Using laxatives and purgatives to clear the bowel movement adds to the misery of the body through their stimulating and irritating effects. Their habitual use destroys the body’s normal ability to evacuate. That is why their quantity needs to be increased and it has been seen that finally even the strongest laxatives fail to work, because the intestines have been destroyed,” he warns. Dr Patel claims that the body needs “cooperation and a helping hand and some soothing and energising effects to be capable of improving inner functions to get rid of the accumulated toxins clogged in the system”. He adds, “The body has to adjust the food we eat through a digestive tract of about 27 feet. The last five feet is the colon, which the body uses as a sewerage system to clean the wastes, but the modern-day lifestyle has reduced it to a septic tank.” Dr Patel points out that a body not being ailed by asthma, obesity or any other disease also has toxins, which need to be cleaned. “No ill symptoms can exist in a detoxified body and if you clean your body, you can be your own doctor,” he adds.
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Dropsy stalks western UP
Ghaziabad, March 31 According to reports, 11 suspected patients of dropsy have been identified in Katira village under Garh police station area in Garhmukteshwar Tehsil of Ghaziabad district. They were all referred to district hospital, Ghaziabad, out of which at least four have been admitted for treatment. The local doctor, while referring the patients to Ghaziabad, had also in a letter to the Circle Medical Officer (CMO), stated that they were suspected cases of dropsy. The CMO has reportedly confirmed the presence of dropsy symptoms in these patients referred by the Garh doctor. The real status of dropsy, he said, will be known after the availability of investigation report. The health department was also taken aback by the large number of dropsy patients being detected. Since dropsy is caused by the use of adulterated mustard oil, District Magistrate Santosh Kumar Yadav has ordered that samples of mustard oil be collected from all retail shops and wholesale dealers. He said needed facilities and arrangements are being made in all the hospitals for dropsy patients. The urgent medical steps have also been taken in government hospital, Ghaziabad where Dr S. C. Gupta of the emergency ward had called senior surgeon Dr Upadhya for examining all the patients referred to by Garh doctor.
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Class X pupils, give more attention to practicals now
New Delhi, March 31 The changes will be applicable for class X students from 2007. The CBSE claims that as part of its ongoing exercise in improving curricular transactions and based on the feedback received from teachers and students,
the Board has decided to make changes in Science practical work. The revised scheme of practical work envisages a written paper on practical examination along the lines of the theory examination. As per the new system, the theory examination will be of two and a half hours duration and will account for 60 marks, there will be a separate paper on practical skills in Science and Technology for 20 marks and the duration of the examination on practical skills will be one and a
half hours. The paper on practical skills will be based on multiple choice questions and will be conducted by the Board after the theory examination on a separate date notified by the Board. There will be an internal assessment in Science and Technology with an allocation of 20 marks. The marks for theory and practical will be indicated separately in the statements of marks issued by the Board. The scheme will be effective from the ensuing academic year, 2005-06 commencing from April 2005 in class IX. Meanwhile, the CBSE has also announced changes in the accountancy syllabus for Class XII for the examination year 2006. In Unit two, multiplier as a method of valuation of goodwill is deleted, in Unit 4, Private placement of shares will include only meaning of employee stock option plan. In the analysis of financial statements, Unit 6.2, the unit has been renamed as ‘Cash Flow Statement’ and Statement of Changes in Financial Position on Working Capital concept has been deleted. In computerised accounting, Unit- 6.1, ‘Enhancements’ (of entity relationship model) is deleted, ‘Concept of Normalisation’– need and practical rules is deleted and structured query language will include only basic queries.
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Double murder solved, three held
New Delhi, March 31 The accused persons, identified as Tapan Kumar Rai (27), resident of Kolkata, Hafizul Sheikh (20) and Asad-Ul (18), both residents of Bangladesh, were nabbed from the New Delhi Railway Station while they were waiting to board a train to Kolkata. On March 28, the police received a call that two persons were lying injured after an altercation with some local boys in Shashi Nagar. The police rushed the injured persons, identified as Surender (23) and Rishi Kumar, alias Nikka, both residents of Shashi Mohalla, to a hospital. However, they were declared brought dead in the hospital. Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims had been injured during an altercation with some local boys. The three suspects also went absconding immediately after the incident. During interrogation, the accused persons confessed that they had killed them due to enmity.
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Jewellery show
New Delhi, March 31 Zak Jewels 2005 is one of the few shows that attract the finest craftsmen in the field who imprint their vision and finest efforts on precious metals and stones with their magical hands. The show will display all the distinct traditional as well as contemporary styles with 50 participants from all over the
country. — TNS
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GGSIPU Professor honoured
New Delhi, March 31 The award is being presented to him for his seminal contribution in the field of Biotechnology, especially in the area of Stem Cell technology, Nobel Prize winning molecule-Ubiquitin and for introducing Biotechnology at Senior Secondary level in India. The award is given to individuals excelling in the fields of science and technology, education, industry, fine arts, politics and social service.
Annual day of Aditi College
Aditi Mahavidyalya celebrated its 11th Annual Day here recently. Prof. Vachaspati Upadhyaya, Vice-Chancellor, Lal Bahadur Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, was the chief guest on the
occasion. — TNS
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