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Demolition men come knocking
House suspended thrice
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BJP for do-or-die movement on streets
Lid off land scam worth crores in Surajkund
Noida Board approves state-of-the-art parking lots
Public prosecutor gets one-yr RI for graft
Hospital stir: HC issues notice to Centre, Delhi Govt, MCD
RML Hospital, AIIMS to have trauma centres
Need to consolidate progress in IT sector stressed
Focus on Zaheer’s literary contribution
UGC announces list of awards
Appreciation course on environment
Urological disorders in women discussed
Student caught copying, threatens to immolate self
Man shot at by four unidentified assailants
2 killed in head-on collision in Dadri
Man gets life term for minor’s rape
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Demolition men come knocking for fourth day
New Delhi, December 21 MCD bulldozers today brought down 60 illegal structures in various parts of the Capital, including the upmarket Greater Kailash –I and Lajpat Nagar areas in South Delhi and Vikas Marg in the trans-Yamuna area. Illegal residential and commercial constructions in Shakarpur, Naraina Industrial Area, Janakpuri, Paschim Vihar, Bawana and Dilawar Nagar were also razed to the ground, MCD officials said. An MCD official said that out of total demolished properties 47 were of commercial and 13 were of residential nature. The complete demolition of unauthorised portions of commercial properties numbering two was taken. As many as 31 commercial properties were partly demolished whereas 13 residential properties were partly demolished. Fourteen properties of commercial nature were sealed. However, no incident of violence was reported today from anywhere in the Capital. 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 Delhi High Court. The Municipal Commissioner, Mr Ashok Kumar Nigam, in a notice issued today appealed owners of the buildings to vacate the illegal portion of their premises. These were to be demolished as a result of directions given by the Delhi High Court. Residential premises were also to be demolished. But the MCD’s first target was commercial buildings, he said. He said the civic body was now primarily targeting illegal commercial establishments functioning in residential areas. The high 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. The Delhi Government has already sought the Centre’s intervention to get the demolition stopped. The Delhi Assembly today adjourned after the opposition parties pressed the ruling party to intervene and protect the buildings being demolished by the MCD. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit yesterday said the government would approach the high court seeking more time to implement its order directing removal of unauthorised constructions in the city. Meanwhile, the Confederation of All India Traders has given a call for one day strike of Sadar Bazar in protest against the demolition drive launched by the MCD to demolish unauthorised construction in all parts of the national Capital. General secretary of the confederation Praveen Khandelval said that protest of the Sadar Bazar market association would continue till the demolition drive was stopped. Unauthorised construction did not take place in one day. It took months and everything was in the knowledge of the authorities concerned. Officials concerned of the MCD should be punished before taking action against the illegal constructions. The demolition drive had been launched only against the commercial buildings. Such constructions could be seen in the residences of the MLAs and MPs but no action had been taken against them. The market association will take an effigy of the Delhi Government and consign it to flames at Bara Tuti. This decision was taken in the presence of Sadar Bazar MP Jagdish Tytler who assured the traders that he would discuss the issue with the Union Urban Development Minister. Arguing the issue, the association members questioned that if the demolished buildings were unauthorised how were power and water connections given to them. House tax was also levied against these properties. The Delhi Government failed to table the details of all the constructed buildings. If the government was serious about stopping the demolition drive it should table the Malhotra Committee report before the court.
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House suspended thrice
New Delhi, December 21 Since the BJP demanded the state government should implement the resolution passed by the Assembly yesterday, no business could be transacted in the House today. Later, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly Jagdish Mukhi alleged that the government was enacting a ‘’drama’’ and accused it of being ‘’hand-in-glove’’ with big builders. He also that the BJP members would not allow the House to function till the demolition drive stopped and demanded the resignation of Sheila Dikshit government for failing to get the resolution implemented. Meanwhile, Delhi BJP President and MLA Dr Harsh Vardhan said the party would also take its protest to the streets. On the other hand, Congress members waved a newspaper report which quoted former Union minister and senior BJP leader Jagmohan supporting the ongoing demolition drive being carried out by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on the orders of the Delhi High Court. However, refuting the allegations made by the Opposition, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit denied any ‘links’ with the builder lobby or that the drive had anything to do with it. Though saying the issue was not within the state government’s jurisdiction, she assured that all efforts were being made find a solution to vexed problem at the earliest. Later, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ram Babu Sharma accused the Opposition of ‘’double talk’’ and criticised it for ‘’politicising’’ the issue. The Delhi Assembly had unanimously passed a special motion to immediately stop the demolition drive currently on against the unauthorised construction, including shops, in the Capital and ‘regularise’ such structures in the public interest. The resolution, moved by a member each of the Congress, the BJP and the NCP, was supported by all MLAs in the Delhi Assembly, including the Chief Minister and her Cabinet colleagues last night. On the first day of the five-day session, the House had been adjourned after passing obituary references but not before witnessing noisy scenes on the issue. The special motion against the demolition was listed on the official agenda but could not be taken up and was taken the next day when all other business was dropped for a discussion on it amid heated exchanges. All the while the motion was debated MCD Commissioner A. K. Nigam was present in the House. Meanwhile, Ms Dikshit today said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) would be approaching the high court in a day or two seeking more time with regard to its orders to demolish illegal constructions in the Capital. “The court has given a direction, a verdict to the MCD. We (Delhi Government) are helping the
MCD in finding ways on how to go to court. We are studying the matter and in a day or two we will approach the court,” she told reporters.
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FIR against MCD for demolishing illegal construction without notice
New Delhi, December 21 He stated in the FIR that a local MCD official had demanded Rs 10,000 bribe from him earlier for sparing his house. Satyanarayan Goyal further alleged while all 19 houses in his lane had illegal constructions the MCD took action only against his house. The complainant alleged the MCD personnel demolished three rooms in his house in the Janakpuri area on December 15 without having given any prior notice to him. He claimed the MCD personnel told him they would take action against all encroachments in the area but his was the only house where demolition took place. “We even asked the MCD personnel to show us a copy of the demolition order which they did not show us. We even told them that we had not received any notice from the MCD. But they went ahead with the demolition,” Goyal said.
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BJP for do-or-die movement on streets
New Delhi, December 21 Stating that the Delhi Government and the MCD should get all government officers and employees who had helped in the illegal constructions arrested, Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan has said that on the one hand the Delhi Government got a resolution passed for stopping the drive against illegal constructions in the legislative assembly and on the other hand the buildings continued to be demolished on the fifth day today. He also said Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had been misleading the people and should resign immediately. The decision to initiate a do-or-die movement against the demolition drive was taken at an important meeting of the party office-bearers, morcha and cell office-bearers and district presidents under the chairmanship of Dr Vardhan at the BJP
Pardesh headquarters. There was also consensus at the meeting that the Congress leaders with the connivance of builders’ mafia and the police authorities encouraged illegal construction and openly helped in increasing the price of land and buildings during the Congress rule. He also said that if the drive against illegal construction was not stopped immediately then the people of Delhi shall be compelled to commit suicide in large numbers for which the Congress would be fully responsible. Dr Vardhan also said the government had no right to deprive the people of their houses and employment when 40 per cent of Delhiites had no houses of their own even today. The government was demolishing houses even after the passing a resolution in the legislative assembly and it was clear that either the government did not want to stop this drive or it had lost control over the government machinery. The BJP has adopted a resolution to stop the demolition drive against illegal structures being done in an arbitrary manner, regularising all illegal structures by changing the land use through an amendment in the Master Plan 2021 Dr Vardhan also alleged that the drive had been started at the behest of Ms Dikshit and said she could have gone to the Supreme Court and got relief regarding the demolition of illegal structures.
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Lid off land scam worth crores in Surajkund
Faridabad, December 21 A criminal case has been registered in this connection. The Sarvadesik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, a leading Arya Samaj body, has demanded action into the case, alleging that some influential persons having political links were involved in the scam. According to reports, a gurukul, ‘Indraprastha’, started in 1912 by Swami Shraddhanand, is located on this land measuring about 217 acres near Anangpur village, bordering the national Capital. According to the head of the gurukul, Swami Mangturam, the gurukul was set up in 1912 after the ‘Aryavir Sabha’, Punjab, gave this land on 99-year lease to Swami Saktivesh. He said that even though he had got a stay from the court, some politically influential persons were trying to usurp the land with the help of the district and police administration. It was alleged that he had been threatened on many occasions in this connection. An inquiry by the flying squad had found our claim true, he said. The police have registered a case under Sections 406, 420 and 120-B of the IPC against several persons, he said. It was alleged that 20 acres of land belonging to the gurukul had been illegally given on lease in violations of the court order. According to sources, the Forest Department has already issued notices to several firms and individuals, including some of the State government departments, for building activities on forest land in violation of the norms. It was stated that a petition in this connection has also been pending in the Supreme Court.
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Noida Board approves state-of-the-art parking lots
Noida, December 21 Giving this information on Monday, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Noida Authority, Mr Sanjeev Saran, said that the Board was planning to build a five-tier parking in Sector-18 with capacity for 1000 vehicles. It would be a state-of-the-art parking area with the car token recording the drivers’ photo so as to reduce the chances of car thefts, he said. Located opposite the Radisson Hotel, the parking area will cost Rs 20 crore and will be completed within 15 months. It will include rest rooms, toilets and lifts. Mr Saran said that the Noida Authority has a plan to build about a dozen similar parking lots in different parts of the city. There are a total of 13 authorised parking contractors in the city at the moment. Mr Saran assured that the Noida Authority would ensure that trees and green belts are not damaged for creating parking lots. A cattle shed for stray cattle is also planned for which the Noida Authority has sanctioned Rs 20 lakh. Another decision was to equip all service vehicles of the Noida Authority with wireless sets so that they could be instructed in case of an emergency. In another major decision, the Noida Authority Board today decided to give the same privilege to farmers tilling ancestral lands in different villages. All such farmers would be paid 15 per cent additional amount as bonus (solatium) for the land acquired by Noida Authority for development purpose.
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Cold wave conditions abate
New Delhi, December 21 It was a relatively pleasant morning with a partly cloudy sky and the wind remaining calm, giving some respite from the cold wave conditions that persisted over the last weekend and early this week. The minimum temperature was 5.7 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal, and the weatherman has forecast light rain in some areas of the Capital this evening. The minimum temperature during the same period last year was nine degrees Celsius while the maximum was 25 degrees, the Meteorological Department said. The maximum temperature yesterday was recorded at 22.7 degrees Celsius. The Capital had recorded the coldest day in five years on December 12, when the mercury had dipped to 3.3 degrees Celsius. Delhi had recorded a low of 1.1 degrees Celsius on December 26, 1945.
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Public prosecutor gets one-yr RI for graft
New Delhi, December 21 “The convict has tried to extort bribe from the complainant for performing a job for which the state is paying him salary. Therefore, he does not deserve any leniency”, Special Judge Pratibha Rani said while handing down the punishment to I U Babbar Khan. Terming the officer’s offence as “serious”, the Judge said “his appointment in the sessions court was for successful prosecution of those committing crime while he himself ended up committing a crime”. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2000 on the convict found guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Shajahan Begum, a small-time pillow and mattress maker, whose daughter was allegedly killed by her in-laws for not bringing enough dowry, 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 when the government is paying you for this”. The convict then threatened to spoil her daughter’s case after which the complainant reluctantly agreed to pay the bribe in installments. But subsequently, she underwent a change of heart and decided not to pay the bribe. She then reported the matter to the CBI. Laying a trap, the CBI arrested Khan red-handed from his residence at Ghaziabad on February 27, 2001, when he received the first installment of Rs 2000 and four pillows from Begum.
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Hospital stir: HC issues notice to Centre, Delhi Govt, MCD
New Delhi, December 21 The notices were issued to the Chief Secretary, Mr S. Raghunathan, the Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Municipal Commissioner, Mr A. K. Nigam, the Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr P. Venugopal, and the president of the Joint Council for Health Employees’ Union, Mr Misry Lal. The vacation court of Ms Justice Gita Mittal issued notices in response to a PIL filed by Mr S. C. Jain through his counsel Sugriva Dubey complaining that medical services had been completely crippled in the Capital, putting the lives of many patients in grave danger. The petitioner recalled that the Supreme Court in 1996 and the Delhi High Court in 2002 had directed that there shall be no strike in hospitals as it was violative of the citizens’ fundamental right to life.
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RML Hospital, AIIMS to have trauma centres
New Delhi, December 21 Replying to supplementary, Dr Ramadoss said three old blocks in Safdarjung Hospital would be demolished and new ones built. “We are also trying to get more land around AIIMS and fill up the drain near the Hospital.” He said trauma centres would also come up at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and AIIMS and all government hospitals would have ICUs for neurology. Though he denied the central government hospitals in Delhi, namely Safdarjung Hospital, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College, and allied hospitals were not well-equipped with all required essential facilities, he said improving facilities and modernising hospitals was an ongoing process.
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Need to consolidate progress in IT sector stressed
Gurgaon, December 21 Speaking at an ‘Outsourcing Summit’, ‘Fuelling the next phase of growth: Are we prepared for it?’, organised here on Monday by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), speakers also sounded a note of caution that other countries were catching up India and a fair competition may be expected. The chairman, CII Haryana State Council, Mr Jayant Davar, and chairman of Hero Honda Motors Ltd, Mr Brijmohan Lall Munjal, were among those who spoke at the inaugural session. Among others who took part in the session included representatives from Infosys, Genpact, Access Intellect, WNS, Hero Mindmine and Ernst and Young. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Chandra Shekar Kakal of Infosys Technologies Ltd, cautioned that clients are now not just focussing on mere effectiveness but on efficiency as well. Mr Mohit Thukral of Genpact laid stress on customers’ risk management following new models of growth. The growing trend on Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) was stressed by Mr Amit Bhatia of Knowledge Service, WNS. A noted legal expert in IT sector, Mr Pavan Duggal, apprehended that the Union government’s proposed move to amend the IT Act in favour of ITRS providers will deter foreign firms to outsource the works.
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Focus on Zaheer’s literary contribution
New Delhi, December 21 Banne Bhai, as writer-professor Sajjad Zaheer was called, was a noted Urdu poet, a committed Marxist and a strong nationalist. With books like Roshanai, London ki Ek Raat, Pighla Neelam, Jikre Hafiz and Angare, he contributed some of the finest pieces of fiction and poetry to Indian literature. Wedded to the idea of political and social revolution, his writing focussed on poverty, social backwardness, decadent morality and political exploitation. Highly liberal in his approach, his literature is basically inspired by humanistic values in both prose as well as poetry. In an attempt to reassess the contribution of Sajjad Zaheer and celebrate his birth centenary year, Sahitya Academy organised a two-day international seminar on December 17 and 18 at India International Centre and Rabindra Bhawan, respectively. Inaugurated by former Prime Minister I. K. Gujral, the seminar focussed on Zaheer’s literary contribution and his association with the progressive writer’s movement. Prominent poets and writers of Urdu and Hindi participated in this seminar and paid rich tributes. Admiring his book, London Ki Ek Raat, Kamleshwar, Chairman of the first session said, “As good literature cannot be confined to one language, similarly, Sajjad Zaheer and his work cannot be restricted merely to Urdu. His approach was universal and so were his ideas.” No less than writers like Faiz Ahmad, Rasheed Jahaan, Makhdoom, Sahir Ludhianvi and Kaifi Azmi, he was singularly successful in striking a balance between art and ideas. Being a poet and a journalist, he combined in his writings themes of life, beauty and political ideas, which made them instrumental in promoting secular values. While his book Angaare, which is an anthology of stories, deals with explicit sexual reference and with attack on the decadent moral order, his other works
are also thematically interesting and technically innovative. “Sajjad Zaheer’s literature gives a chance to develop secular and national outlook. In the present Dalit and feminist movements in the literary field, it is necessary to avoid pitfalls of political dictates. Creative thinking and freedom of mind is therefore needed and Zaheer’s writings indeed reflect these
ideas,” said Gopi Chand Narang, President of Sahitya Academy. The inaugural session of the seminar was also graced by K. Satchidanandan, secretary, Sahitya Academy, Mushirul Hasan, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia, and Sheen Kaaf Nizam, convener, Urdu Advisory Board. Various speakers from Pakistan also participated in the discussion.
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UGC announces list of awards
New Delhi, December 21 The UGC National Hari Om Ashram Trust Award is given every year to outstanding scientists. The UGC National Swami Pranavananda Saraswati Awards, given every year since 1985, are for outstanding scholarly/scientific work which has made important contributions to human knowledge and has thrown light on the problems in a new manner. The UGC National Veda Vyas Sanskrit Awards are given every year to outstanding teachers for excellent contribution in teaching / research/ innovation/ new programmes and promotion of Sanskrit language. The Sir C.V. Raman Award in Physical Sciences has been awarded to Prof D. D. Sharma, Solid State & Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Homi J. Bhabha Award For Applied Sciences has been awarded to Prof N. Balakrishnan, Division of Information Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. The second recipient is Prof Sankar Kumar Nath, Dept of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Meghnad Saha Award in Theoretical Sciences has been awarded to Prof Rahul Pandit, Dept of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and to Prof Maithili Sharan, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology. The Jagdish Chandra Bose Award for Life Sciences has been bagged by Prof Vinod Kochupillai, Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (IRCH), AIIMS, New Delhi, and to Prof Mathur R. N. Murthy, Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. The Award for Outstanding Social Scientists/Scientists for Interaction between Science and Society has been given to Prof Ajit K. Kembhavi, IUCAA, Pune. In the field of education it has been given to Prof M. Anandakrishnan, former Vice-Chancellor, Anna University, Molours Institute of Development Studies, Chennai, Prof Amrik Singh, New Delhi, for Economics to Dr Vishwanath Pandit, Professor of Economics, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur (AP) and Dr Dilip M. Nachane, Dept of Economics, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai. In the category of Environmental Science and Ecology the winner is Prof R. Sukumar, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Prof K. Seshadari, C. Rajeshwar Rao Foundation for Social Progress, Kondapur, Hyderabad, and Prof. C.A. Perumal, Prof. Emeritus, Dept. of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras, Chennai, have been awarded for their contributions in Political Science. Dr. (Mrs.) Kamal Anand, Honorary Prof. (Sanskrit Literature) Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute, Hoshiarpur, Punjab; and Principal, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, University of Delhi has won National Veda Vyas Sanskrit Awards for 2004.
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Appreciation course on environment
New Delhi, December 21 Graduates in any stream are eligible for admission to the three-month course, he said. Prospects and application forms are available on payment of Rs 30 from IGNOU’s regional centres and sub-regional centres or by post by sending a demand draft for Rs 80. The last date for submission of applications is December 31.
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Urological disorders in women discussed
Gurgaon, December 21 A large number of urologists, gynecologists and surgeons from northern states of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir took part in the workshop-cum-continuous medical education (CME) on “Female Urology”. The workshop was organised by North Zone Urology Society. The chief guest on the occasion, Dr R. Senthel from Madhya Pradesh, asked the participants to create awareness among women towards different categories of urological disorders. Among those who spoke at the workshop included the president of North Zone Urological Society, Dr
A.L. Bhatt. The head of the Pushpanjali Hospital advocated intensive campaign to make women aware of the maladies. CME related problems like fistulae, stone diseases and injuries in urinary tract were discussed in detail. Five surgeries were also conducted on the occasion.
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Student caught copying, threatens to immolate self
Noida, December 21 The student threatened the squad that if any action was taken against her, she would immolate herself. In Knowledge Park-II, a student of GNRT institute in Greater Noida, when confronted with the proofs that she was copying, shouted and said she was innocent and unnecessarily being framed. If the flying squad persisted in its accusation, she would immolate herself then and there, she threatened. Peeved about her threats, the flying squad allowed her to get off scot-free. It just recorded that the copy notes found on her desk were not hers. The student was from another institute appearing at Knowledge Park-II centre. The same squad had caught and punished a number of students on Monday, who were engaged in unfair means. The flying squad had raided many examination centres and caught students on Tuesday. About seven candidates were caught while copying on Tuesday. A report has been sent to the university against these students for using unfair means in the examination.
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Man shot at by four unidentified assailants
Noida, December 21 Mr Sharma, a resident of Chaura Ragunathpur, was rushed to Kailash Hospital where he underwent an operation. Two bullets, one from the left shoulder and the other from the neck were removed. He is now said to be out of danger. His nephew, Rajesh Kumar Sharma, said another relative of Gyan Chand Sharma, Mr Chander Bhan Sharma, was shot dead by assailants in 1997 in similar circumstances.—OC
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2 killed in head-on collision in Dadri
Noida, December 21 In another accident, three persons were injured in a Santro car near Achheja village when the wheel of a truck got disengaged from its under carriage and hit a Santro car. The injured were rushed to Ghaziabad’s Yashoda Hospital. A motorcycle rider was crushed under wheels of a DTC bus in Sector-16 Noida. He died on the spot. On Tuesday midnight, Mahesh, Prakash and Vijender were coming to Secunderabad from Dadri in their tractor trolley. As they neared Luharli village, the tractor was hit by a roadways bus. The trolley was crushed due to the impact of the accident. Mahesh and Prakash died on the spot, while Vejinder was rushed to hospital in a serious condition. The driver had fled, abandoning the bus which was seized by the police. In the car truck accident near Achheja village, the wheel of a bus had hit the Santro bus injuring three occupants of the car. The young man, crushed by DTC bus, has been identified as Mohd Murfan, 35, of Harola. He was going to Naya Bans on his bike.
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Man gets life term for minor’s rape
Meerut, December 21 Additional District and Sessions Judge D K Nalwal also slapped a fine of
Rs 10,000 on accused Mool Chand after convicting him. According to the prosecution, the accused took the girl to a field on some pretext and raped her.
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New Delhi, December 21
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