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Gurgaon meet to mull over planning board
Two chain snatchers held, lid off 16 cases
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Proposal to hike power rates in Lutyens’ Delhi
Rs 1 lakh for Dadri blast victim
Traders feel the impact of market blasts
Create brand India design: Kalam
Residents to agitate against inflated electricity bills
Greater Noida city wins ISO awards
NIIC ordered to reimburse medical claim
Global peace centre planned to preserve Mahatma’s ideals
Tilak Vihar remembers its dead on Divali
Air-India asked to compensate shooter for baggage loss
S.P. Agarwal Secretary-General of Indian Red Cross Society
Fire in Noida shoe shop
Murderous attack on BJP leader in Loni
Scattered rains in Capital
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Gurgaon meet to mull over planning board
Gurgaon, November 3 The group has also asked for a special status for Gurgaon so that priority is given to the development of the city along international lines. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) from HUDA sectors came out in strength at the first meeting organised under this campaign in Sector 23 and agreed to develop Gurgaon. New Gurgaon areas extending from DLF to Sushant Lok and apartments as well as the Central Group Housing Societies (CGHS) colonies have all organised meetings in support of this campaign over the last month. Sudhir Kapoor, secretary general of DLF City RWA said, “Organised planning is the only hope for Gurgaon if it must come up to expectations of the people who have invested in this city. Right now, the city is a growing anarchy and nothing else”. Echoing the same feelings, Kishore Asthana, president, Sushant Lok-I D-Block RWA, lamented that they have approached the administration repeatedly to establish a simple traffic plan in Sikandarpur. It is shocking to see their inability to do a simple job like removing the division at the culverts for over a month or making an overbridge on MG Road. We have simply given up expecting anything from them. Major General Satbir Singh of Sector 23 added that the HUDA sectors require better policing, but the government was sleeping over a proposal to increase the police force while residents were being robbed and murdered. There was a total breakdown of governance in Gurgaon, opined Mr Singh. People’s Action has argued that all the ills of Gurgaon, including the shortage of water, electricity, roads, traffic, transport and crime have to do with the absence of a central authority over the city. “When there is no accountability, there can be no direction. This city is growing at its own expense and this is the same pattern that you see in Faridabad and Delhi,” says Shashi Sharma, convenor, People’s Action, Gurgaon. “The Gurgaon Convention will be a forum to decide our course of action now that the deadline given to the Haryana government is ending. We have to see if we want to settle back into our homes with whatever we have, or do we want what was promised to us all in the Millennium City,” he added. Over 100 RWAs, activists and NGO bodies are expected to attend the convention on November 6. We would discuss the issue of a special status for Gurgaon and the formation of a Planning Board for the city with immediate effect, concluded Mr Sharma.
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Two chain snatchers held, lid off 16 cases
Faridabad, November 3 A sum of about Rs 2 lakh has also been recovered from them.
It is claimed that they had been responsible for about 16 incidents that took place in the city, especially in the Sector-7 police station area. It is stated that the police have recovered Rs 2 lakh from the duo, which they got after disposing of the chains. More than 10 chain-snatching incidents have taken place in the past few days, of which about half a dozen took place on Divali, when most of the victims had come out for shopping in the markets. A 315-bore countrymade revolver is learnt to have recovered from the culprits. It is stated that due to a large number of chain-snatching incidents every year, the Sector-7 police station area has become quite notorious as 60 per cent of such cases have been reported from this area. The city has already become infamous for vehicle thefts. Dozens of vehicles are stolen from this industrial city every month. At least three vehicles have been stolen from various spots in the town during the past 48 hours. Several gangs of auto lifters and chain snatchers are reported to be active in the city and the district. They appear to strike at will, according to police sources. It is learnt that the police have yet to carry out any planned move to bust such gangs. No major operation has been launched in the past one year. “This has resulted in a steep rise in the crime rate. The new district police chief, who has taken over only recently, has to pull out all the stops to check crime,” said a resident here.
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Proposal to hike power rates in Lutyens’ Delhi
New Delhi, November 3 According to a senior officer of the NDMC, almost all modalities of this proposal have already been finalised. Now we have to just submit the proposal to the committee. “For more than three years, we are charging electricity bills at the rate of just Rs. 2.57 per unit. Now in the present circumstances, it is very difficult to continue any further as we are bearing heavy losses. Now we are planning to hike it up to Rs 3.50 per unit,” said the officer. According to sources, the NDMC had submitted such a proposal to the DERC sometime back but the proposal was rejected by the committee on the ground that it could not deliver satisfactory explanations as to proposed tariff hike. A senior officer of the DERC said, “leave aside other facts, even there was no clear mention regarding various tariff slabs proposed for the consumers. In support of the proposed tariff hike, they had mentioned huge technical losses and other big expenditures like the installation of transformers and other infrastructure development expenditures etc. We were not satisfied with their arguments and explanations so we asked them to come with a fresh proposal,” said the officer. According to the president of the NDMC Workers’ Federation, Mr Ganga Ram, there is no valid reason behind the proposed tariff hike. “Even the present tariff is unbearable to people like us. How could we cope with the new one,” he said.
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Rs 1 lakh for Dadri blast victim
Noida, November 3 The District Magistrate has announced Rs 1 lakh financial help to the family of the shopkeeper killed in the explosion. The SDM Dadri has been designated to hold an inquiry into the explosion. The local people had demonstrated in front of the police station and markets were closed yesterday in protest. Rakesh, son of Nand Kishore, had put up a crackers shop. When he was closing it at 9 pm, a strong explosion took place in the crackers kept in the shop. The blast was so powerful that the adjoining two shops also collapsed under its impact. After some 20 minutes when the clouds of smoke and dust subsided, some injured were found lying in the vicinity. They included some shopkeepers and customers of adjoining shops, eyewitnesses said. Shop owner Rakesh was killed under the debris. Another shopkeepers across the lane, Amit, Sachin, Praveen, Sanjay, Moolchand, Pawan, Daulat Ram and Deepak were all injured. They were rushed to Ghaziabad and Dadri hospitals. Rakesh’s body was pulled out after removing the debris. Alleging police negligence, the villagers gheraroed the police station next morning. Traders pulled the shutters down in Jarcha market while political leaders of the area, including MP Ashok Pradhan and MLA Nawab Singh Nagar also rushed to the site. The police pressed the dog squad into service for investigations.
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Traders feel the impact of market blasts
New Delhi, November 3 The market association of Sarojini Nagar, which bore the maximum brunt of the blasts, said not even 20 per cent sales took place there. Ashok Randhawa, president of S. N. Market Traders Association, said, “The traders bought extra goods taking loans. The effect is devastating on us. Many traders have incurred huge debts. Yesterday, people came to the market only to see the blast site. There were no purchases.” According to Randhawa, traders normally buy 10 per cent extra stock of goods and with sales touching its lowest level ever, heavy losses have been incurred. Randhawa, however, said those dealing in firecrackers did some business yesterday. Similar is the fate of Connaught Place market with the local New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) reporting 40 per cent lesser business this time. “The blasts had demoralising effect on Divali sales. Jewellery and crockery were the major trades that were the worst hit in CP,” said NDTA president Atul Bhargava. Bhargava said while jewellery was affected by 30-35 per cent, the impact on crockery was about 30 per cent. “Even on Dhanteras day, sales, which were supposed to touch it peak, were down. Many small traders who heavily depend on Divali sales reported heavy losses,” he said. “Till 6.15 pm on Saturday business was very brisk everywhere in the Capital. As the news spread by 7.30 pm, markets were deserted. This continued the following days also,” he said. He claimed that the extensive coverage of the explosions in the media, especially news channels, created panic in the customers, which in turn dampened the festive spirit and shopping. It would take at least ten days for the business to pick up, he said. Besides grievances over lesser sales, the market associations have other complaints. Randhawa said the blast-affected traders of the Sarojini Nagar market, to whom compensation has been announced, are in the dark on how to obtain it and urged the government to give information to them on the matter.
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Create brand India design: Kalam
New Delhi, November 3 “If we can marry the innate Indian art with technology, modern fashion design can emerge. Our aim should be to create brand India design, using our cultural heritage. The aim of such brand India design should be to penetrate the minds of men and women spread in all parts of the world, through our unique products,” Dr Kalam said. Laying emphasis on research and teaching, Dr Kalam said, “Any institute of national importance is judged by the level and extent of the original work it accomplishes… I would suggest the seven institutes of NIFT can undertake research and applications in seven different areas of lifestyle products relevant to global requirement and advise the industry partners so that they are prepared to foresee what will be the needs of the future market and deliver the right product at the right time in the right place. In addition, NIFT should also help emergence of more institutions under private sector as the country requires more such human resource.” Drawing attention to the aspects of capacity building in educational institutions, he said, “a good educational model is the need of the hour to ensure that the students grow to contribute towards the economic growth of a nation.” The capacities, which need to be built, are research and enquiry, creativity and innovation, use of high technology, entrepreneurial and moral leadership, he pointed out. The president went on to add, “every student in the institute should learn to know how to use the latest technologies for aiding their learning process. Institutes should equip themselves with adequate computing equipment, laboratory equipment, and Internet facilities and provide an environment for the students to enhance their learning ability.” He advised NIFT to consider creating a network of the seven institutes located in different parts of the country to have common classroom based on the core strength of the particular NIFT. He also advised to nurture the aptitude for entrepreneurship. “We must teach the fashion design students to take calculated risks for the sake of larger gain, but within the ethos of good business. I would like the students of NIFT to become employment generators rather than being employment seekers,” Dr Kalam said. Outlining the futuristic tasks, which can be taken up by NIFT for transforming fashion technology into wealth generating business, the President said there is a need to embed fashion technology into textile industry, which is very important for the Indian economy. “The NIFT can have a linkage with agricultural research and the farming community to specify the special qualities needed in the cotton production for making the Indian cotton competitive in the international market,” he pointed out. He went on to add, “I would like to link cotton production to garment and apparel export business, which is a low investment and large volume employment generator using the innovative ideas of fashion technology. NIFT may initiate missions to embed fashion in our textile industry - big and small - so that Indian textile products from yarn to garments carry innovative ideas for the final fashion.” Let me highlight the typical growth pattern of silk cotton industry in Kancheepuram. The President cited the story of the silk industry in Kancheepuram as one of the fastest growing industries in India. The industry currently employs more than 30,000 weavers in the art of saree making. He pointed out that the introduction of computerised jacquard borders in Kancheepuram silk saree has helped in the revival of the industry. The use of ICT has not only helped in creating new and complex designs but also reduced the time involved in the design.
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Residents to agitate against inflated electricity bills
New Delhi, November 3 The convention, which will bring together all the Resident Welfare Associations in the Capital, is expected to step up the agitation against the Delhi Government for its
“failures to address the problems faced by people, who have been paying inflated electricity tariffs for more than six months now,” a statement issued here stated. The issue of privatisation of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is also likely to be discussed at the forum. Highlighting the need for organising this convention, it was put forth that a portion of Delhi residents have been “subjected to a forced meter change while the other half remains with the electro-mechanical regime, creating a severe imbalance between the ones whose meters have been changed and others who continue to have the old meters.” The statement further states, “URJA members will convene to resolve steps to be taken in regard of these meters and the logical extensions of the satyagrah campaign designed to secure the truth about the DVB (Delhi Vidhyut Board) privatisation.” The convenor of URJA, Pramod Chawla, said,
“this convention will determine what the people of Delhi want as regards the power situation. Our feedback shows that there has been no tangible improvement in the situation and people continue to be harassed by high power tariffs and bills that have no relation with the real
consumption.” The members also denied that a 10 per cent roll back had alleviated the problems being faced by the people. “The roll back of the 10 per cent hike is not an improvement because it was never implemented,” alleged Mr D. M. Narang of the Rajinder Nagar RWA. Meanwhile, the North Delhi Power Limited has announced the appointment of Mr Arup Ghosh, as its new chief operating office. Mr Ghosh would be responsible for interface with various government bodies, statutory agencies, regulatory commissions and other stakeholders on all technical and operational matters.
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Greater Noida city wins ISO awards
Greater Noida, November 3 According to Greater Noida CEO and Chairman Rakesh Bahadur, Greater Noida Township could possibly be the first city in the country to win these awards, but it is definitely the first in UP. He said one year of planning and hard work by Greater Noida officers and employees had gone into preparation for the organization, winning these prestigious international awards. Internal system, management, customer relations and resolving problems according to the set norms are the criteria for
winning ISO 9001 award while unpolluted environment, modern technology and ground water reservoirs were the main yardsticks for the ISO 14001 award. The awards are presented by NAQSAR, a Switzerland-based international organization, Mr Bahadur said. The Greater Noida has computerized all its records while permanent records are kept safe and their accessibility is restricted. All public complaints are addressed in a timebound manner and the GNIDA has achieved 85% success rates in past six months in this regard. The Chairman said Greater Noida was launching a huge housing project, KP-5 for middle and lower income groups. Hundreds of single-storey houses with one or two rooms will be built on a 90 sq.mt area in a complex which will have a market, school, community centre, dispensary, a nursing home, swimming pool, a sports complex, etc. The total area of the project will be 100 acres and it will be completed in three years. A sports and recreation centre over 42 acres and at a cost of Rs 42 crore was also planned as part of this project with cricket ground, athletic tracks, swimming pool, basket ball, volley balls courts, football grounds, etc. Mr Rakesh Bahadur said 80 per cent of Greater Noida’s power problem will be solved by the commissioning of Pali Power house with a capacity of 400 KV by December 15, 2005. Besides two power stations of 132 KV in Knowledge Park-I and IT City will be commissioned by December 2006, the Chairman added.
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NIIC ordered to reimburse medical claim
New Delhi, November 3 “All the bills are attested. We do not agree that the complainant could approach the record
of the hospital and alter the year or month,” Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (North) headed by president K. K. Chopra said directing the company to pay an amount of Rs 90,000 and a compensation of Rs 10,000. The complainant, Sheela Goel, a resident of Pitampura, had subscribed to NIIC’s Mediclaim policy from August 10, 2001, for a period of one year, and renewed it further by paying the premiums on time. On May 14, 2003, she was hospitalised for severe pain in her limbs and was admitted in a hospital at Pitampura. She incurred a total expenditure of Rs 95,000 till she was discharged on June 24, 2003 after undergoing an expensive laminectomy operation. The NIIC denied the claim on the ground she suffered from the ailment even before subscribing to the policy. While the company contended that she even did not mention about the disease in the declaration book of the policy, the complainant said she was given the policy after due verification and medical checkup. The NIIC also alleged that the hospital bills were tampered, fabricated and manipulated. The forum also
ordered the company to pay Rs 1000 as the cost of litigation.
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Global peace centre planned to preserve
New Delhi, November 3 At a seminar organised to announce the details of the plan here today, several delegates, including Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and others welcomed this unique initiative and assured their support to make it a success. The renovated Delhi ashram will focus on Gandhi’s three important ideas: His doctrine of Sarvodya that promotes social justice; his commitment to social change and conflict resolution through ahimsa and his emphasis on dignity of labour. These three ideas have been incorporated into the programmatic segments that the Kingsway Camp Ashram proposes to build: Education and cultural segment; international peace and conflict resolution segment, and individual entrepreneurial segment. “Our goal is to create an international peace centre with teaching, conference and retreat facilities for propagating human values of non-violence, interfaith harmony and peace. The proposed centre will provide facilities and guidance to individuals and groups, who wish a quiet place for reflection and meditation,” says Dr Nirmala Deshpande, president, Gandhi Ashram Reconstruction Trust. The Gandhi Ashram at Kingsway Camp was established by the Mahatma
to oppose untouchability and to promote communal harmony.
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Tilak Vihar remembers its dead on Divali
New Delhi, November 3 In the Gurdwara Shahidan, the walls bear testimony of the hundreds of innocents who lost their lives. There are smiling faces that were laid to rest forever 21 years ago. And outside are survivors who are yet to recover from the shock of witnessing their friends and family brutally massacred. The trauma that came with the riots has resulted in many survivors resorting to drugs. While some resort to prayers at the Gurdwara Shahidan, others are angry. A disturbed state of mind, combined with illiteracy and unemployment have lured the youngsters to take refuge in crime and narcotics. Residents claim that the tendency to steal and involve in petty theft is the result of over-dependence on drugs. All around there are stories of depression and gloom. Survivors recall the heart-breaking scenes of violence and are quick to add that the experience has left many mentally disturbed to the extent that they have failed to pick up the threads of life Some of them even complain that the relief and rehabilitation of the victims was not adequate.
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Air-India asked to compensate shooter for
New Delhi, November 3 Enhancing the compensation awarded by a District Consumer Forum from Rs 5000 to 25000 to shooter Anu Raj Singh, the Delhi State Consumer Commission headed by Justice J D Kapoor observed that it would make “such airlines efficient and careful
in future in providing services and not taking the loss of baggage of the consumer casually by getting relieved from its liability by paying some meagre amount.” The Commission dismissed the appeals of AI and the Airport Authority of India filed against the order of a district forum, wherein AI was directed to pay up the compensation of Rs 5000 and US $ 400 to Ms Singh. Ms Singh had gone to Germany as a member of the national team to participate in a shooting event five years ago and lost her baggage and pistol while returning. Later, she filed a
complaint in a consumer forum after the airlines refused to entertain her claims.
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S.P. Agarwal Secretary-General of Indian Red Cross Society
New Delhi, November 3 Dr Agarwal has officiated twice as Secretary-General of the Indian Red Cross Society. He has also held other key posts as the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Director of the Shillong-based North Eastern Recipient of the Dr B.C. Roy National Award of Eminent Medical Person in 2002, Dr Agarwal was credited with quick control of two plague outbreaks in Hakkoti, Shimla and Uttaranchal.
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Fire in Noida shoe shop
Noida, November 3 The mouser had been donated to the Noida Fire Department a day earlier. The sparks from fire crackers being exploded in the market had started the blaze when quite a few shops were still open and doing a roaring business. Fire Officer R.P. Gupta said the new equipment had saved the day for them and the Noida people. There were, however, about a dozen minor incidents of fire in the city. Sectors 5, 71, 63, 60, 40, 12 and 22 had also reported the fire incidents.
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Murderous attack on BJP leader in Loni
Ghaziabad, November 3 In Panchpalli Colony, Loni, two youths had called at the house of Jaiten to offer him Divali sweets. They went inside, presented sweets and spent some time talking. After a while, as the BJP leader came to the door to see them off, they shot at him with a local revolver from the close range at 9.30 pm on Divali night and escaped.
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Scattered rains in Capital
New Delhi, November 3 The minimum temperature was recorded at 17 Degree Celsius, which was three degrees above normal. He said the cloud formation was the result of an upper air cyclonic circulation over north Rajasthan adjoining Haryana and Punjab.
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