New Delhi, December 20
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said the government would approach the High Court seeking more time to implement its order directing removal of unauthorised constructions in the city.

Speaking on a special motion in the state Assembly seeking to regularise all such constructions and stop the largescale demolitions, she said it would take a day or two to arrive at a solution as the government was talking with lawyers, the Centre and the Delhi Development Authority on the issue.

In the meantime, the government will request the High Court to stop the demolitions till a solution was found, Ms Dikshit said.

The Master Plan 2021 could take 6-8 months before it could be implemented, but the government would do its best to incorporate the required changes that would provide relief to the people, she added.

The state government, she said, would request the High Court to form zonal committees comprising court officials and representatives of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and DDA that would survey properties in their respective areas to suggest which properties need to be regularised and which need to be pulled down.

She said at present only big properties were being targeted and no small property or residential buildings were being demolished.

Also, no new encroachments would be allowed in the city, she added. Her comments came in the backdrop of a unanimous resolution passed in the Assembly today calling for an end to the demolition drive undertaken by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

In another development, the Centre has decided to hold a meeting with Delhi Lt Governor Mr B L Joshi, Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit and Lok Sabha MPs from the Capital to find a way out of the crisis triggered by MCD’s demolition drive on the orders of the High Court.

The decision to convene the high-level meeting was taken during deliberations Union Urban Development Minister, Mr Jaipal Reddy had with a Congress delegation of MPs led by its local unit chief Mr Ram Babu Sharma here today.

Sources said the high-level meeting, to be attended by MCD Commissioner, DDA Chief and Delhi Chief Secretary, could take place tomorrow.

Meanwhile the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today continued its High Court-ordered clean-up drive under heavy police protection.

MCD officials demolished, either fully or partly, over 100 commercial and residential structures in all the 12 zones of the national capital with the majority of the action coming in Civil Lines and Rohini areas.

The anti clean-up protest turned violent at Najafgarh, where an angry crowd pelted stones at MCD officials injuring an employee, while police detained a municipal councillor in Hari Nagar area of West Delhi.

In Civil Lines, 32 shops were razed to the ground in Derawal Nagar, while two structures were party demolished in Sakti Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar areas, MCD sources said here.

The clean-up drive was interrupted for a brief period here after former MP Vijay Goel protested against the drive, leading to a verbal duel between him and MCD officials. In Sadar Bazaar, a total of 15 structures – three commercial properties and 12 ‘pucca’ constructions on public land near Turkman Gate – were demolished while in Rohini 18 structures, including 13 shops, were razed to the ground.

In West Delhi, six illegal structures were pulled down in Rajouri Garden, two in Mayapuri and one in Hari Nagar while in south one property each were demolished in Arjun Nagar, Greater Kailash I and East of Kailash areas. Two properties were also sealed in Greater Kailash I.

MCD continued its operation against shopping malls and multi-storeyed commercial complexes as it demolished and sealed six such structures in Lajpat Nagar and Vikas Marg areas of Central and Shahdara South zones.

In Lajpat Nagar, two illegal structures were totally demolished while the unauthorised extension in one showroom was pulled down. One of them was a hospital cum showroom while the other was a shopping mall, the sources said.

On Vikas Marg, two huge multi-storeyed showrooms were sealed while four floors of a shopping mall were razed to the ground amid continuous slogan-shouting by traders and local residents.

In Karol Bagh, encroachments in 3,000 square feet of government land were cleared while three commercial properties were demolished in Shankar Road area.

Demolitions of unauthorised constructions also took place at East Patel Nagar, Africa Avenue, Rajendra Nagar, Mehrauli-Badarpur road and Pitampura, MCD officials said.

Despite protests, the civic body is planning to go ahead with it’s clean-up drive and areas like Paschim Vihar, Janakpuri, Greater Kailash I, Bhawana, Rohini, Lajpat Nagar, Shakarpur and Naraina are likely to see bulldozer action tomorrow.

The civic body is now primarily targeting illegal commercial establishments functioning in residential areas.

MCD had yesterday demolished 88 unauthorised constructions and sealed 16 others amid violent protests by the affected residents. It had pulled down eight structures on day one of the drive on Saturday.

In view of the violence witnessed in some areas on the first two days of the drive, the MCD has requested for additional police force to carry out demolitions of 18,000 unauthorised structures on the orders of the High Court. The court had taken a strong view of the civic body not acting against the illegal structures, observing that there was a strong nexus between MCD officials and the builders. 

New Delhi, December 20
A city court today convicted an Additional Public Prosecutor for taking a bribe of Rs 2,000 and four pillows from a woman to “handle well” the dowry death case of her daughter.

Special Judge Pratibha Rani convicted I U Babbar Khan after finding him guilty under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Shajahan Begum, whose daughter was allegedly killed for not bringing enough dowry by her-in-laws after two years of her marriage, had gone to meet Khan, an APP at the Karkardooma courts, with a request to handle the case well.

Khan demanded Rs 31,000 and four pillows for conducting the case. But Begum resisted the illegal demand asking him “why should I pay money when the government is paying you for this”.

The convict then threatened to spoil her daughter’s case after which the financially weak complainant reluctantly agreed to pay the bribe in instalments.

But suddenly she underwent a change of mind and decided against paying the bribe. She then reported the matter to the CBI.

Laying a trap, CBI arrested Khan red-handed from his residence at Ghaziabad on February 27, 2001 when he received the first instalment of Rs 2,000 and four pillows from Begum.

The agency also seized the bribe amount from his pocket and the four pillows from him which was produced in the court as “crucial evidence”.

The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence tomorrow.

In another case, two men were sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a co-worker following a squabble over a half-used tube of toothpaste and a bar of bathing soap.

Additional Sessions Judge S C Rajan handed down the prison terms and slapped a fine of Rs 2000 each on accused Ravinder Kumar and Raju after finding them guilty under sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

Both the accused were workers in a factory in Ranjeet Nagar in West Delhi. They also stayed on the factory premises along with their co-worker Shashank Gupta and supervisor Narendra Kumar, the victim.

Ravinder, a week before the day of murder on June 26, 1999, lost his toothpaste and soap and accused Narendra of stealing them. After a heated exchange of words, Narendra in a fit of rage slapped the accused.

Enraged, Ravinder threatened the deceased that he would kill him in a week’s time.

A week later, on the fateful night, Shashank returned to the factory from a visit to his relatives’ house to find the main door of the factory closed from outside.

Suspecting foul play, Shashank immediately called up the factory owner, who came and opened door to find Narendra dead on the floor with his throat slit open. 

New Delhi, December 20
More than a year after it asked affiliated schools to refrain from asking students to carry schoolbags from home to school and also scrap yearly examinations for the primary sections, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has written to schools to adhere to instructions or face consequences.

In a circular, the CBSE has asked the schools to ensure that students leave their bags back in school and also asked them to avoid homework up to class II. The board has asked schools to follow its initiatives to de-stress the learning process at the primary level. Schools have been asked to “facilitate students to leave their textbooks/notebooks in the school itself for classes I and II, avoid pass-fail system for these classes, find alternatives to homework for classes III to V and introduce continuous and comprehensive evaluation for classes I to V”.

It has also suggested “reporting through school achievement records reflecting five point grading, introduction of class libraries and emphasis on subjects like music, dance and fine-arts at the primary level to empower the emotional intelligence of the students”.

Expressing concern that some schools have failed to comply, the board has noted, “Some of the affiliated schools do not comply with these instructions in full measure. It is notified for the information of all affiliated schools that it is imperative for the schools to follow various initiatives taken by the board to make learning a joyful experience. The board will view seriously any violation or non-compliance of the above instructions”.

The board has also mentioned that adoption of the “no pass-fail” system does not exclude the conduct of any examinations/evaluation in the implementation of the curriculum. “The evaluation of the performance of the students is an integral aspect of curriculum implementation. However, it calls for a broad outlook, which is meaningful, diagnostic and acts as a positive input for the growth process of the learners. It also has to reflect the cognitive, the affective and the psycho-motor domains in the process of learning. This will further help in facilitating the development of multiple intelligence for the holistic growth of the learners,” the board has noted.

Heads of institutions have been advised to examine various inputs given in the book ‘Alternatives to Homework’ brought out by the board and devise strategies with the help of the teachers to develop modules that would help the parents to conceptualise and implement the spirit of the proposal which calls for effective inter-personal relationship between the parent and the child.

New Delhi, December 20
Noted Hindi film lyricist, script writer and poet Javed Akhtar today moved the Delhi High Court seeking to restrain movie production house ‘Magic Mantra Visions’ and music company ‘Sa Re Ga Ma India’ from using the lyrics of his latest film ‘Pyar Ki Dhun’ through CDs, cassettes or downloading it in any other form. The matter came up for hearing before Justice A K Sikri who refused to grant any ex-parte injunction in Akhtar’s favour. The court, however, issued notices to the defendants asking them to file their replies in four weeks and posted the matter for further hearing on February 7, 2006.

It also asked the defendants to maintain a proper record of the lyrics sold in different forms. In his suit filed through counsel Sudhir Chandra, Akhtar claimed that the film produced by the company ‘Magic Mantra Visions’ has no other right to exploit the songs of the films except using it for ‘cinematograph’ works in the movie.

He alleged that the production house had assigned the license right of the lyrical works in favour of ‘Sa Re Ga Ma India’ (previously known as HMV).

Contending that he enjoyed the copyrights for the lyrics, Akhtar complained that by making use of the songs of the said film in other forms like CDs, casettes and Internet downloads, the defendants were depriving him of the financial benefits and royalty he was entitled to.
The songs in the film for which he claimed copyrights are ‘Gum-Sum Si Ho’, ‘Meri In Aankhon Mein’, ‘Hum Hain Titliyan’, ‘Birhan Ke Nain Jale’, ‘Yeh Sare Din’ and ‘Umeedein Dil Mein Machalti Huyee’. 

New Delhi, December 20
The Delhi Police have arrested a woman for possession of 310 gm heroin. The police said the accused was a habitual drug trafficker and had been identified as Mobina, alias Baby (36), a resident of Welcome Colony in north-east district.

Officials of the Narcotics Branch of the Delhi Police said the accused was carrying heroin for retail selling to her clients. The police got information that the accused would be coming to the Kashmere Gate bus terminal. Subsequently, a trap was laid and the accused was nabbed from there. She was carrying the drugs in a bag, said the police.

In another case, the police have arrested six persons, including two Israeli nationals, from the New Delhi Railway Station area for allegedly dealing in narcotics. The police also claimed to have recovered more than 50 kg of charas from their possession.

A senior police official said the arrests were made on December 16 when the delivery was being made to the Israelis near the railway station.

The gang of four had come from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh and were to deliver the 52 kg ‘consignment’ to the Israelis, he said. 

New Delhi, December 20
A thick blanket of fog enveloped the national Capital early this morning, reducing visibility to as low as 200 metres, while intense cold wave conditions persisted with mercury hovering below five degrees Celsius.

The fog, which descended on the Capital around 5:30 a.m. thickened later and continued for over four hours, causing trouble to the early-morning travellers. However, rail and air traffic were not affected.

The Capital, however, did record a slight rise in the minimum temperature as compared to yesterday though the mercury was still four degrees below normal. The mercury today rose to 4.3 degree Celsius as compared to 3.4 recorded yesterday. The maximum temperature was 21.6 degrees Celsius. The rise in temperature is due to the easterlies that have set in since yesterday, because of which open areas in the Capital were experiencing early morning fog. —TNS

New Delhi, December 20
Mr Harvinder Singh Sarna, brother of Badal opponent Paramjit Singh Sarna, has been chosen the new head of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee administration despite Akal Takht directives to hold the vote next month.

Thirty-five members of the 50-member DSGMC elected Mr Harvinder Singh Sarna in a unanimous vote boycotted by Mr Parkash Singh Badal’s Shiromani Akali Dal over Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti’s directives.

The Jathedar, the highest-decision maker at the seat of Sikh temporal authority, had issued directions to Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna not to call for elections as DSGMC president yesterday.

Jathedar Vedanti, an appointee of the Badal-controlled Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), said the DSGMC should hold elections next month as originally announced.

But an overwhelming majority of DSGMC members, many of them switching sides overnight, turned up at the tightly-guarded office to choose their new leader in an election that kept Mr Badal’s SAD away from religious power for the fourth year in a row.

A former SAD leader, Mr Rajinder Singh Techno, was unanimously elected the general secretary of the powerful administration.

They elected Mr Joginder Singh Walia as the DSGMC’s new senior vice-president and Thekedar Surjit Singh as joint secretary. In attendance at the election hall were Congress legislator Tarwinder Singh Marwah and a gurdwara election board official.

New Delhi, December 20
It is a normal enough situation in India that you visit a chemist for a headache or a diarrhoea pill and end up with a bigger problem than the one you had to begin with. It is equally common to get admitted to a hospital for check-ups and a minor treatment and possibly end up with a coronary failure, a stroke or an equally terrible complications. The doctor in all such cases will say, “reaction happened”.

This is a common enough situation but for the person going through it and his family, it can be fatal or a living nightmare.

In India, where drugs are available off the counter and the drug reporting and monitoring system is most ineffective, the danger to the largely undiscerning and ignorant public is massive.

For instance, take Nimesulide, a drug which is banned in many countries is freely used in India. Nimesulide is very dangerous for children and could cause liver failure, while in adults it has to be used very cautiously and only after consulting a medical practitioner.

Nimsulide was originally a drug which was discovered in the USA but never got used there. It was synthesised by the American 3M Pharmaceuticals and has till date not been used in the US market. Nimesulide was sold to a Swiss pharma company, Helsinn. However, for a long time it was not introduced in the Swiss market and was sold to Italy. Only after human use and experience in Italy was Nimesulide introduced in Switzerland but only in tablet form. And the drug is still not used on children. However, in India, paediatric combinations of the drug are freely sold in the market.

Dr Wishvas Rane writes in an article in Health Action that, “If an unessential drug is not sold in its country of discovery or is banned or not approved for safety reasons in many advanced countries with good ADR (Adverse Drug Reaction) monitoring system, it is the moral and ethical and statutory duty of the DCGI (Drug Controller General of India) to first suspend the use of the suspected drug and then order review of the safety profiles of the drug.”

Nimesulide is not the only such drug floating around in the Indian market. Analgin, sold in India under the brand name of Novalgin, is another such drug and causes bone marrow depression. Novalgin is an extremely popular drug and is far better known to the general population than its cheaper alternative, aspirin. This drug had been recommended for banning by the Drug Consultative Committee in 1980 but till date is freely available and widely used.

The sodium sulphonate of amidopyrine component in the drug causes fatal diseases related to the blood. This chemical was banned in 1983. Despite the fact that Analgin was banned in 1995, its combinations with antispasmodics have been excluded from the ban and are available in the market.

The sorry saga of banned drugs and hazardous drugs in the Indian market is endless. What is really required is active monitoring of drugs sold on the market and at least restricting certain drugs from being available off the counter.

Bulandshahr, December 20
In a special drive launched by the Kotwali police, Bulandshahr and SOG, a retired Army Major has been arrested for smuggling foreign pistols and cartridges. According to the Circle Officer, the retired Major was allegedly involved in smuggling foreign weapons through a gang. The members of his gang were operating in different towns including Meerut.

On a tip-off a combined team of SOG and police had conducted a raid on the retired Major’s house in DS colony road and recovered a number of foreign pistols and cartridges. According to police, the Major was involved in smuggling of weapons in the neighbouring areas and he had his agents in towns like Meerut.

The CO Shikarpur, Mr Shashi Shekhar Singh, said that many important clues have been obtained during the interrogation of the accused.

Raids are being conducted for arresting his agents. The report will be registered after completing the interrogation.

New Delhi, December 20
A seminar on ‘India’s Foreign Policy: New Contexts and Contours’ was organised by the Delhi Political Science Association and the Department of Political Science, Hindu College on Monday.

The event was organised in memory of late Prof K. P. Karunakaran, a political scientist of international repute.

The seminar was inaugurated by Prof S. K. Tandon, Pro VC of Delhi University, who gave a fresh perspective to the issue. 

Ghaziabad, December 20
Colonies adjacent to Delhi in NCR have lately experienced a spurt in prices which was reflected in the auction of a group housing plot in Sector-V Vaishali on Monday.

An auction in Ghaziabad Development Authority’s hall here saw a stiff competition among bidders for a group housing plot on Monday.

A Delhi builder had procured a 6,025 sq metre plot for over Rs 12.50 crore.

In all, 30 realtors had come to bid for this group housing plot. Each one of them was made to deposit Rs 2.21 crore as security money. The bid, which started at a reserve price of Rs 14,400 per sq mt, went on well for more than an hour and went beyond Rs 20,000 per sq mt.

The Delhi bidder, RK Tele communications had given the highest bid to annex the plot. This was the highest rate offered in a bid for a plot in Vaishali, according to GDA officials.

The GDA will make a net profit of Rs 12.50 crore, they said.

For 107 sq mt plot No.G-9 in Sector-11 in Pratap Vihar, 17 bidders had contested. Starting at Rs 3,450 per sq mt, this plot was sold for Rs 26,000 per sq mt.

This spurt, according to GDA sources, is unprecedented and it may further rise. The plot was annexed by the highest bidder – Ramanuj.

New Delhi, December 20
The Delhi Minorities Commission’s Chairman, Prof Abu Baker, today underlined the need to take positive and practical measures for safeguarding the interests of minorities as per the spirit of the UN Charter. He said this in a seminar organised by the commission on the occasion of UN Minorities Rights Day. Commission member P. S. Bawa said the contribution of minorities was less than no one else. He emphasised that while discharging their duties towards the nation the minorities should always remain in front and should unite together to safeguard their rights. The minorities should never allow be reported the ghastly incidents like 1984 riots, Gujarat riots and Graham Staines murder. —TNS

Noida, December 20
The Sector-39 police have arrested three criminals and recovered cash and artefacts of diamond and gold worth Rs 4.50 lakh from them.

One of the thieves was nabbed when he tried to escape in a train. The thieves include a domestic servant also.

SO, Sector-39 police station, Anil Pratap Singh said Sonali runs a beauty parlour in D-144 in Sector-41. A domestic servant Manoj had run away with artefacts of gold and diamond a few days ago from Sonali’s house. On Sunday, when he was about to board a train for his village in Bihar, he was nabbed. He had concealed the costly artefacts in his undergarments, police said.

SO Anil Pratap Singh said in G-140, Sector-41, in the house of a manager in Vayu Yan Co, thieves had stolen some artefacts and Rs 2,800 on Sunday evening.

The police were able to nab two other thieves Sarfroz and Manoj during investigations in the same sector who have confessed to have participated in some other crimes in the area. Police are making enquiries about their criminal activities in the past.

Ghaziabad, December 20
A student of Rajkumar Goel Engineering College on Meerut Road, Mohd Irfan, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room No 209 on Monday.

A couple of his friends had come to greet him on his birthday yesterday morning. His death on the day of his birthday created a sensation in the hostel and college.

Mohd Irfan, a final year engineering student, was a topper.

A resident of Obra Thermal Power Centre in Sonebadder near Mirzapur, Irfan had been offered a job through campus placement system in a reputed company. Since no suicide note was recovered from his room, the police and the college management were not able to say anything about the cause of his death.

The door of Irfan’s room was broken open on director NP Paliwel’s orders and his body pulled down from the hook of the ceiling fan. Irfan hds used his belt as a noose for committing suicide.

The Sihani Gate police did not find any articles in the room which could throw light on the cause of suicide.

RKGIT Director B.K. Gupta said Irfan’s father MA Sabri had died in a road accident about two and a half months ago. However, Irfan had been selected for a good job which he was to join on July 6. Nobody could say if he was going steady with any girl. His family has been informed, the police said.

Ghaziabad, December 20
A man was killed when a truck rammed into a motorcycle near Mohan Nagar check post on GT Road in Sahibabad on Sunday. The wife of the deceased, who was also riding with him on the motorcycle, was seriously injured and rushed to a hospital.

According to the police, the deceased, identified as Mohinder and resident of Rajiv colony under Sahibabad police station, was returning on his motorcycle from Ghaziabad along with his wife.

Mohinder succumbed to his injuries on account of excessive bleeding while the woman was rushed to a hospital in a serious condition.

The police have seized the truck and started investigation. In another similar accident, a motorcyclist Vikas was rushed to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, Shahadara, Delhi. It may be mentioned that a number of accidents have recently taken place at the GT Road stretch from Hindon to Mohan Nagar. 

Meerut, December 20
Students today burnt the police in effigy in protest against ‘humiliation’ of couples studying in parks here for allegedly indulging in immoral activities and the U P Women’s Rights Commission has decided to probe the incident.

The students alleged that some boys and girls studying together were beaten up and abused by the police, including women constables, yesterday on the charge that they were having ‘illicit affairs’.
The Uttar Pradesh Women’s Rights Commission chairperson criticised Meerut Police in a statement and said “parks are meant for people to meet. There is no bar on girls and boys meeting”.

She said the Commission would institute an inquiry into the “abrupt” manner in which the police had beaten and abused students as well as married couples. 

Ghaziabad, December 20
There is no trace of 10-year-old girl Rakhi, who went missing on December 7 from Shanti Nagar under Vijay Nagar police station, Ghaziabad.

A report has been lodged with Vijay Nagar police station about the child who has been missing for 13 days now. Daughter of Dharmpal Singh in Mohalla Shantipur, Rakhi is a class 6 student in Govt. Girls College, Vijay Nagar.

According to family sources, the girl went missing while playing outside their house on December 7 morning. After checking with all relatives and friends, a report was lodged with the Vijay Nagar police about her disappearance. But even after 13 days, there is no trace of the child.

While the family is miserable, the only reaction of the police is that a search is on for the girl.

New Delhi, December 20
Four persons died and three of the same family were injured after they suffocated due to a coal fire in Dwarka in South West Delhi today. The three injured were admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital and their condition is stable, the police said.

Police sources said the family had lit a fire using coal but had failed to let in some ventilation. When the neighbours did not see anyone coming out of the house in the morning, they knocked at the door to wake them. As there was no response to their repeated calls, they informed the police who broke open the door.