New Delhi, October 1
The government is working on a state policy for senior citizens and will soon increase old age pension from Rs 350 to Rs 500 per month. It is also creating a fund for senior citizens.

“We are working on a policy for the senior citizens which will take into account the needs for more old age homes, health insurance, transportation facilities, security etc,” Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said after a meeting chaired by her to discuss a draft State Policy for senior citizens.

“We are increasing the old age pension to Rs 500 and will also create a special fund from which assistance can be given to the senior citizens,” she said. The Chief Minister also announced that ten more old age homes will be opened in the Capital.

The meeting, which coincided with the Senior Citizens Day, was attended by different stakeholders, including a number of senior citizens from different walks of life and a senior officer of Delhi Police.

A number of suggestions came forth at the meeting, such as issuance of photo identity cards to senior citizens and the need for courtesy in government offices to them, identifying five major old age diseases, short stay homes for the aged, sensitisation of the younger generation and adequate security for the elderly who are living alone.

Delhi Police, meanwhile, told the meeting that a separate security cell for the aged has been working since last year and stated that out of the cases referred to the special cell, 40 per cent were related to family disputes and only four per cent were distress calls.

Delhi Health and Social Welfare Minister Yoganand Shastri was also present at the meeting.

New Delhi, October 1
After airlines and the railways, it’s now the turn of hospitals to offer discounts to the elderly. The elderly people in its neighbourhood are to figure prominently in the scheme of healthcare for private hospital Max Devki Devi Heart and Vascular Institute in Saket, South Delhi.

On the eve of ‘World Elders Day’, the Delhi Lt-Governor, Mr B. L. Joshi, launched the ‘Senior Citizens’ Healthcare Programme’ of Max, which will lower its bills by up to 20 per cent and waive off consultation fees and blood pressure checks for the elders on designated days.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays every week, the senior citizens in Saket can walk into the hospital and meet specialists as well as get their blood pressure and blood sugar checked for free.

On Sundays, doctors will go out of the hospital into the colonies, taking healthcare service to the doorsteps of the senior citizens. ‘’Better healthcare will give a meaningful life to our citizens,’’ said Mr Joshi, a senior citizen himself.

Experts say though the average lifespan of Indians has gone up to 65 from 50 three decades ago, quality of life has not changed much for the elderly people. ‘’The challenge is to provide quality life to the senior citizens,’’ said Mr Joshi.

For now, the programme is available only to members of the Saket Senior Citizens’ Welfare Association numbering about 200, all living in middle class residential colonies. ‘’We will extend it to the poor people in the neighbourhood after a month,’’ said Dr Ashok Seth, chief cardiologist
at Max.

There will be 20 per cent discount on CT scan and ambulance charges and 10 per cent discount on outpatient investigations and preventive health check-ups, says the hospital, which will identify beneficiaries through the welfare association.

According to official figures, there are about 700,000 elderly people in the national Capital out of a total population of 14 million. ‘’This kind of facility should be extended to other areas too,’’ Mr Joshi suggested.

New Delhi, October 1
No meter was found running fast in the meter-testing drive launched by Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) today even as RWAs declared that they will launch a ‘Satyagraha’ campaign to bring out the truth behind the power privatisation deal.

Commencing its three-month long meter-testing drive, DERC checked seven meters in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area, all of which were found to be alright.

“All seven meters tested were found to be ok. We have received around 500 complaints, and we will carrying out tests on a daily basis,” a senior DERC official said.

He said experts from the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will be part of the team along with DERC officials in the meter-testing drive.

Delhi Government conducted the third leg of its meter-testing drive today, in which a total of 84 teams under the supervision of the 24 SDMs participated.

In all 372 meters were tested, of which 369 were found to be within the prescribed limits of accuracy, while three meters were found to be slow, an official spokesman said.

Meanwhile, citizens’ group People’s Action today announced the launch of a campaign based on the Gandhian principle of “insistence on truth” about the privatisation of Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) from tomorrow, coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary.

The campaign will be launched by RWAs through meetings conducted in different colonies.

“RWA members will observe a day’s fast in relay fashion from colony to colony until our demands are met,” said Col. D K Shandilya, General Secretary, People’s Action.

New Delhi, October 1
With the arrest of three persons including a pimp, an associate of Kamaljit Singh and two high-profile call girls, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police today claimed to have busted a call girl racket being operated from five-star hotels in the Capital.

The sleuths also claimed to have recovered several mobile phones and a new car from their possession.

While the pimp, a trusted lieutenant of infamous Kamaljit Singh has been identified as one Vimal Thapa, one of the call girls is an aspiring model and performed group dance in several Hindi movies including “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.”

Acting on a tip-off that Vimal Thapa and two call girls have arrived in a hotel on Aurobindo Marg, a special team reached the spot and a decoy customer was sent to strike a deal. The decoy customer struck the deal of Rs 10,000 for one hour and as soon as money exchanged hands, the sleuths nabbed the suspects.

During interrogation, Vimal Thapa told the sleuths he was initially employed as a servant at Kamljit’s house and later became his trusted lieutenant. The South district police arrested Thapa for the first time in 1994 for ferrying two call girls. Later, he was booked under MACOCA for operating with Kamaljit Singh.

One of the call girls disclosed that she used charge Rs one lakh per night and traveled to other states, including Mumbai, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Uttaranchal and Chennai for flesh trade. She also owns a house in Jogeshwari in Mumbai East. 

New Delhi, October 1
With the arrest of two persons, the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police today claimed to have busted a gang involved in online share-trade fraud with a loss of Rs 6.13 lakh to the companies.

The accused persons arrested have been identified as Ashu Tyagi (25), resident of Modi Nagar and Sushil Saini (24). Acting on a complaint from one Subhash Chander of Laxmi Nagar, their associate Manish Sharma has been absconding.

While Ashu Tyagi holds a diploma in data processing and was working at Khandelwal Securities as a computer operator, Sushil Saini is a diploma holder in software design and hardware maintenance and employed as a systems designer. 

New Delhi, October 1
As a controversy brews over the non-regularisation of some industrial areas in the Capital, Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit today said the government would reply to the questions raised by Lt Governor B L Joshi over the process.

The issue of regularisation of industrial areas in the capital has taken on a political hue, with Delhi Congress President Rambabu Sharma writing to the CM complaining that the government “misreprenseted facts” due to which only seven of the 23 areas were cleared by the Lt Governor for notification.

Sharma said the Lt Governor had sought certain clarifications regarding the 23 industrial areas listed for notification, “but the Delhi Industries Minister deliberately misrepresented facts and did not pass on the relevant documents that the LG asked for verification”.

New Delhi, October 1
The Municipal Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Mehta, today said that the civic centre under construction would be 24 hours ‘live complex’. He was speaking at a meeting with architects, city planners, conservationists, heritage experts, traffic planners and some prominent citizens.

The building complex will come alive in the evening with banquet halls, functions, parties, cultural programmes etc.

To the concern expressed by participants that it was ultra-modern structure, he assured that steps have been taken to integrate the concept with city life and citizens.

Besides, the MCD is moving towards e-governance where citizens will not be required to physically visit the offices. The Convenor of Delhi Chapter of the INTACH, Mr. O. P. Jain emphasised that civic centre should not be another huge office complex or another mall, but a cultural city in itself. 

New Delhi, October 1
An attempt to rescue the children of construction workers on the campus from depravation and exploitation is getting underway in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

The campus is surging ahead to provide succour to these malnourished toddlers deprived of wholesome food and clean water and seen crawling in the dust, seeking cover from the rain and the harsh sun.

“It is a matter of great concern for us. At the site of construction work taking place behind the School of Social Sciences (SSS-I) building, the children of construction labourers hang around without clothing or shelter. When it rains, these infants get drenched and have no shelter other than the car park whose flooring also gets wet. The children are exposed to the chill and dust and seem deprived of food and safe drinking water, especially the girl child,” pointed out JNUTA president Rupamanjari Ghosh.

Drawing attention to this problem and having proposed some steps to address the issue, the JNUTA has also solicited suggestions from the campus community for helping these children lead better lives.

“From our side we have suggested that an interested team of JNUTA members may get together and review the guidelines for contracts awarded for construction or maintenance and their execution, along with concerned members of the administration,” said Dr Ghosh. She went on to add, “we should insist that the contracts explicitly include the provisions of the minimum wages, housing and sanitation and medical facilities for construction labour and crèche for their children. It is desirable to initiate a literacy programme for the children of the labourers with the help of campus volunteers or an NGO”.

Pointing out that the administration too has a role to play in securing the rights of these children, she said, “the administration must ensure that housing, sanitation, crèche, and medical facilities are available on the campus for which the contractors may pay”.

“Absence of decent living conditions for these people on the campus are evidence of poverty, exploitation, lack of sanitation and gender discrimination about which so much is being said and written. But I am happy that there has been an overwhelming response from the faculty to the cause, ”said Dr Ghosh.

Calling for sustained efforts to make a difference to the quality of life of these people, she said, “there is always some construction activity going on in the campus and we need to think about fulfilling some basic conditions for engaging construction labourers.”

Faridabad, October 1
The Estimate Committee of the Haryana Assembly has sought details of all land deals and related activities of the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) in the past five years. The MCF has been given a month’s period to submit details.

The committee, led by Mr Karan Singh Dalal, MLA, held a meeting at the MCF auditorium here yesterday and took stock of various activities and the issues faced by the civic body expressing doubts and suspecting irregularities in the work of functioning and sale of land belonging to the civic body in the past five-year period. The committee asked to produce all records of the CLU (change of land use) and the building map permission granted in this period. It was the first tour and meeting of the estimate committee to the city and the district. The MCF officials promised to submit the relevant details by the end of October.

The civic body had been in the news in the past in connection with certain developments related to alleged corruption in various deals. A senior official of the Town and Country Planning Department of the MCF had been suspended and arrested for providing CLU and NOC to a private builder, who built a multistoried residential building on a plot of land partly belonging to the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and the Wakf Board in Sector 19 here.

An official of the Fire Department of the civic body had also been placed under suspension for providing an NOC to a building, which did not exist. Charges of rampant corruption against the civic body had been common and the department dealing with permission regarding building maps’ clearance had bee claimed as most lucrative for officials. A few years ago, Mr Dalal, who was in the opposition, had alleged the then district administration, including the MCF, had been hand-in-glove in providing an NOC and permission to a plot located in a prime commercial area near the Ajronda chowk for opening an automobile dealer showroom in an illegal manner. Mr Dalal alleged the plot occupied forcibly had been registered at a very low rate, while the market value had been in several crores. He had alleged the owner, a close kin of the powers that be at that time, had caused a huge loss of revenue to the state government through the registration process and had claimed certain officials had been responsible.

While describing it as a criminal activity, he had announced getting a probe done when the Congress come to power. While the estimate committee has sought details about the controversy over the alleged illegal building and construction activities in the Aravalli Hills, especially the Surajkund area, where the Forest Department has issued notices to owners and builders, including HUDA and the Tourism Department, regarding the violation, the state government and local civic authorities seems to be in a fix over the reply as the violations are still continuing, according to a report.

Noida, October 1
The Noida police have rescued a six-year-old boy Ashish, alias Aashu, kidnapped for ransom from Dharbanga, Bihar, today.

SSP Gautam Budh Nagar, Piyush Mordia told the media persons that Ashish, son of Basant Singh who was kidnapped from his house in Harola on September 8, has been rescued by the Noida police team sent to Bihar on September 30.

The kidnappers were Basant Singh’s neighbours, Vijay Kumar Singh, his wife Juli and her father Amar Singh, the SSP added.

Aashu’s father had lodged a report on September 8 with the Sector-20 police that his six-year-old son had been missing. On September 10, the report was changed into a kidnapping report as a ransom for Rs 5 lakh had been demanded.

In case the amount was not paid, the child would be killed, the kidnappers had threatened.

The father of the child suspected that his neighbours had kidnapped his son.

A police team was sent to Dharbanga in Bihar to rescue the child.

Mr Mordia said this was a good work done by the Noida police team. The police team, he said, was on its way back to Noida now with the child. The kidnappers have also been arrested, he added.

Noida, October 1
An IPS officer, former SP City Noida and now posted as district police chief in Ambedkar Nagar, UP, was at the receiving end at the hands of a conductor and driver of a private bus, plying between Delhi Railway Station and Noida.

The officer was on the way to his house in Sector-36 Noida. He had got down from the train at Delhi Railway Station. His car and orderly had waited at Ghaziabad, but the train did not have a stop there.

While travelling, he had advised the conductor against overloading. However, the officer soon got the taste of their foul tongue and was even assaulted by the driver Narender, conductor Arun and helper Anil of the bus No DLI-PK-0625.

When the IPS officer G.K.Pichaury, SSP Ambedkar Nagar, UP, told them that he was a senior police officer, they ridiculed
him openly.

On reaching Noida, the officer went to Sector-24 police station and narrated the entire incident. At first, the policemen also took his version with the usual indifference, but when he disclosed his identity; the driver, conductor and helper were arrested and booked. The police also seized
the bus.

Gurgaon, October 1
Gurgaon Chapter of National Productivity Council, an autonomous body headed by the Union Industry Minister, was floated here yesterday.

The former president of Gurgaon Industrial Association (GIA), Mr Jagan Nath Mangla, will be the president of the Gurgaon Chapter of the council.

At a function relating to the launch of the Gurgaon Chapter of the council, the president of the Haryana State Productive Council, Mr J.P.Tripathi said that the body was tripartite in nature as it has representations from the government, industry and trade unions. According to him, the body’s objective is to increase the industrial productivity. It provides training to all concerned to achieve its aim, he added.

The Labour Commissioner, Haryana, Ms Saroj Siwatch, who was the chief guest at the function, urged for excellence in the industry and maintenance of industrial climate in the state.

The function was presided over by the president of GIA, Mr V.P. Bajaj, and attended by the leading personalities of various fields.

Referring to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime which will be in place within two years, she exhorted the industry to face the challenge. The country will have to face greater challenge and the competition at the global level in future, she added.

Ghaziabad, October 1
A married woman was reported to have been strangled with a ‘dupata’ in suspicious conditions in Marteka Vihar, Khora Colony last night. Her husband has reportedly absconded.

The parents of the deceased had not allowed the police to take the body for autopsy as they wanted some senior police officer to arrive on the scene. The people of the colony feel it was a murder.

However, the police said the death of 23-year-old Kavita was a dowry death. She had married Ram Vinay of Shiv Park after a love affair five years ago. The couple had come back after spending two years in Delhi. As Vinay was facing financial problems these days, it led to frequent quarrels between the couple, culminating in Kavita’s death last night, the police said.