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New property tax system favours the rich: Gupta
Birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh ji celebrated
Notices issued to DMs for ignoring Chief Secy’s orders
Dreaded criminal nabbed after encounter
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Insurance company directed to compensate consumer
Men respond enthusiastically to sterilisation camp
Govt, NTPC differ on payment mode for power plant
Work on Noida flyovers may begin again
City to get six new subways this year
MCD schools to impart computer education
‘Delhi Model’ of drug procurement system a hit
Police feels helpless against extortionists
Retd Brigadier’s house robbed in Noida
Japanese minister visits Maruti plant
Reconstruction of demolished structures: JE suspended
Pediatricians’ meet inaugurated
Student’s body found at Lodhi Estate bylane
Factories booked for power theft
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New property tax system favours the rich: Gupta
New Delhi, January 5 The leader of Opposition in the Standing Committee, Mr Vijender Gupta, alleged that the Delhi Government had undermined the power of the MCD by creating such “an unconstitutional” board for rural development. Highlighting a scandal in connivance with the officials, he alleged that the Education Department had purchased substandard cloth for school uniforms for students last year. Meanwhile, he alleged that the Unit Area Method (UAM) for house tax assessment had only benefited big house owners. Pointing out lacunae in the civic body’s revised budget proposal of 2006 and estimated budget proposal of 2007, he said that the corporation would be unable to meet its targeted collections of Rs 1,442 crore as it had only collected Rs 350 crore. The various government departments owe the MCD Rs 800 crore, he said. He said the MCD has to pay Rs 1500 crore as salary to its officers and employees and needs all its other revenues for the much-needed development work. Mr Gupta also blamed the Congress government’s non-implementation of recommendations of the V K Malhotra committee for the present situation arising out of demolition of unauthorised constructions in the Capital. “As per the Malhotra committee recommendations, buildings of various categories were allowed to make some additional constructions under the amnesty scheme suggested by it. The recommendations of the committee, notified in July, 1998, still remain to be implemented even though the MCD had immediately after the release of the report passed orders for their implementation. Had the committee recommendations been implemented, the present situation arising after demolitions would not have arisen,” Mr Gupta said during a discussion on the budget proposals of the corporation before the Standing committee of the MCD. Alleging that corporation’s revenue collections had been falling over the last year, Mr Gupta said the shortfall in revenues would have a direct effect on the various schemes announced by the MCD government. This was also evident from the fact that the
average spending on public facilities during the Congress regime had barely risen from Rs 1,181 per person to Rs 1,200 per person, the same had witnessed a sharp rise during the BJP regime, from Rs 697 per person in 1997-98 to Rs 1,181 in 2001-2002, Mr Gupta said. The shortfall in revenue on account of collection of property tax alone was Rs 4,600 crore, he said.
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Birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh ji celebrated
New Delhi, January 5 Meanwhile, the president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna, today demanded enhanced relief to the victims of the 1984 riots. Addressing a congregation on the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh ji, Mr Sarna demanded that the government ensure adequate payment of compensation and employment to at least one member of each affected family. The DSGMC also honoured the Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan, Mr Munawar Bhatti and the Visa Officers of the Pakistan High Commission with a Siropa. Sarna said that the Pakistan Government should consider the possibility of providing a special corridor for Sikhs to visit important Sikh shrines in Pakistan.
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Notices issued to DMs for ignoring Chief Secy’s orders
Ghaziabad, January 5 These district magistrates, including those of Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Bijnore and Saharanpur in West Zone, had failed to submit reports demanded by the state government with regard to modernisation of the district administration. In the entire UP, the district magistrate of Barabanki district was the only exception who had dutifully submitted the needed data to the Chief Secretary. A serious note has been taken of the working style of more than 50 District Magistrates who had taken the Chief Secretary’s communication lightly. They have been slapped with a notice to which they have to reply within 15 days, it is understood. Moreover, to impart speed to the development work in the state, the Chief Secretary, Mr R. Ramani, is also known to have banned tours outside the state by commissioners, district magistrates and collectors. He has asked the commissioners and district magistrates to personally monitor the development projects in their respective areas periodically. The state government has on the Centre’s initiative prepared plans for bringing about visible changes in infrastructure and the environment. All collectors in UP were asked to submit a three-point framework for development. Since the programme was on the central government’s initiative, the Chief Secretary had taken it upon himself to personally monitor the progress of the scheme. The three points that formed the basis of the scheme were the actual requirements of the districts from the point of view of development, the methodology of change and suggestions as to which institutions needed further investment. The collectors’ suggestions had been invited on all these points so that separate need-based development projects for all the districts could be finalised and work taken in hand. A district-wise status report demanded from each collector in October 2005 was to be submitted at the earliest. But only the Barabanki district magistrate had submitted the report to the Chief Secretary on time. The whole project is being looked after and monitored by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. Notices have now been issued to over 50 district magistrates and collectors, including those of Meerut, Gautam Budh Nagar, Bagpat, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, Muzzafarnagar, Bijnore and Jyotiba Phule Nagar. They have been told in the notices issued by the Chief Secretary on December 28, 2005, that it was extremely regrettable that the district magistrates had chosen to ignore the earlier deadline. The Chief Secretary has taken a serious view of the erring DMs’ non-compliance of the notice, it is learnt.
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Dreaded criminal nabbed after encounter
Ghaziabad, January 5 This gang is known to have committed a number of dacoities in Haryana, Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad. A motorbike, a local revolver and live cartridges were seized from the arrested criminal. The police had been tipped of by an informer that Bhupinder along with a few companions was going to the trans-Hindon area for a big dacoity. On being surrounded by the police team, Bhoop Singh fired on the cops but was eventually overpowered. On November 2, 2005, certain criminals had tried to rob Rs 15 lakh from steel merchant Anuj Jain in the Kavi Nagar police area when in confusion and in the resultant darkness as a result of a power cut one of the criminals, Mazhar, had by mistake been shot by the criminals. Later, Mazhar succumbed to his wounds in hospital during treatment. Mohinder has his own gang which comprises 10 criminals, including Satinder Jat and Bhoop Singh. According to the police, this gang had been engaged in dacoities in UP, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan for the past 10 years. This gang had committed a double murder in Ghaziabad, looted Rs 6 lakh from a petrol pump in Rewari, Haryana, and had also participated in a number of crimes along with the Naresh Bhatti gang. Satinder Jat is currently in a Delhi jail. The Delhi police had announced a Rs 10,000 award each on Bhoop Singh and Satinder, the Ghaziabad police said.
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Insurance company directed to compensate consumer
New Delhi, January 5 “The respondent (insured) was medically examined before issuing the mediclaim policy and to expect him to know what kind of disease he was suffering from, unless he was treated or hospitalised for the said disease, is too much and does not amount to concealment of any fact,” said Justice J D Kapoor, president of State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. The Commission rejected the company’s contention that it rightly repudiated the policy as the insured, who had undergone bypass surgery, had angina problem for last six months, which was not divulged to it at the time of insurance. “The basic tests which an insured can be subjected to by the company, which is pre-requisite of issuing the mediclaim policy are such that can easily detect a disease like angina, diabetes etc...insurance company can not be allowed to take advantage of its own acts of omission and commission,” Justice Kapoor said. The ruling came on an appeal filed by the company against an order of a District Forum, wherein it was asked to pay up Rs 2,33,124 to one O. P. Kapoor, who was denied the claim amount after his cardiac surgery at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here. Upholding the District Forum’s order, the Commission, however, found the compensation on the higher side and slashed the amount by Rs 30,000 and asked the company to pay Rs 2,03,124 to the claimant.
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Men respond enthusiastically to sterilisation camp
Faridabad, January 5 There had hardly been any response to the general drive earlier among the men. A majority of those who came to the civil hospital in the past few years for this purpose had been women. Perhaps this is for the first time that a special camp had been organised for sterilisation of men though the civil hospital claims to have the facility to do such operations round the year. It is reported that only a couple of hundred persons, mostly women, had visited the hospital here in 2004-05 to adopt permanent family planning methods. A report suggests that not one man took the benefit of the programme in the district last year though the total population in the district has swollen to around 22 lakh. However, there is no official confirmation of these figures. According to the district authorities, about 167 operations were done on the first day, January 3, at the camp while the number of registrations on the second and third day had been 120 and 165, respectively. It is stated that the officials have decided to extend the camp till January 8 in view of the response. The authorities have set up four operation theatres manned by four teams of doctors who discharge the patient after just 15 to 20 minutes of the operation. The incentive of Rs 1,000 was being handed over to the beneficiary immediately, said an official. The doctors will examine the beneficiaries again in April when they would be given certificates and an incentive of Rs 50 each. Experts believe that one of the major reason behind the success of this camp is the financial incentive being given by the government. They claim that the response could be even higher if the incentive was hiked and such a benefit was extended to the NGOs or volunteers. “The government should provide maximum incentives to couples having a girl child to adopt such measures as it would not only check population growth but also help in maintaining the sex-ratio which has gone awry in the district. The state should serve as a perfect agent to stop pre-natal sex determination tests, which had emerged as a major problem in both urban and rural areas,” said an official of Shakti Vahini, an NGO.
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Govt, NTPC differ on payment mode for power plant
New Delhi, January 5 The draft MoU for setting up the power plant is ready, but while NTPC wants payment to be made on Escrow basis, Delhi Government is for making payment through Letter of Credit, sources said. A meeting is being held tomorrow between Delhi Government officials and NTPC tomorrow to sort out the differences and finalise the MoU. Under Escrow account, NTPC would get the first right to withdraw money from government’s other revenue streams while in the Letter of Credit, the borrower (in this case Delhi Government) would give guarantee through a bank. NTPC is setting up a 500 MW power plant in its Dadri complex exclusively for Delhi, which is grappling with a power crisis. An in-principle agreement has already been reached between Delhi Government and the Union Power Ministry for the setting up of the power plant, which is expected to be ready in three years’ time. Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit had chosen the occasion of completion of her seven years in office last month to announce the new power plant.
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Work on Noida flyovers may begin again
Noida, January 5 On receipt of the report by the Noida Authority next week, the Authority is likely to restart the construction work of the flyovers which had been stopped by the Mulayam Singh Yadav Government soon after coming into power. The tenure of B.S. Mathur Commission, conducting the inquiry is also drawing to a close on January 22. The Authority officials are hopeful that the green signal from the state government will be given in January itself. Noida CEO Sanjeev Saran said the work on the construction of two flyovers on Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and the third near Film City trijunction had been stopped for a long time now. The Authority had requested the state government to allow the construction work to be started. The decision is still awaited from the government authorities. Mr Saran hoped that within a fortnight, the authorities in Lucknow would give its decision. The work on three flyovers, started during Ms Mayawati government was stopped by Mulayam Singh Yadav on August 30, 2003, and a vigilance inquiry ordered into the matter. First senior bureaucrat Mr T. George Joseph was entrusted with this enquiry, but later it was entrusted to a number of officers in parts. Finally in January 2004, it was entrusted to an inquiry commission headed by former D.G.P B.S. Mathur, who has since got his tenure extended seven times which is now coming to an end on January 22. The state government, it is understood, may not extend the tenure of the B.S. Mathur Commission.
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City to get six new subways this year
New Delhi, January 5 Six vulnerable points on important roads in the city have been chosen to build the subways, five of which will be constructed by PWD and one by MCD, Dr Walia told reporters after a meeting to review the progress of work on subways. A subway on Ring Road at Basidarapur would be commissioned by May this year, while another on Nigambodh Ghat would be ready by next month. Another subway is being constructed at Nangloi on NH-8, which would be ready by April, 2006, while subways at Shastri Nagar and Panchsheel would be operational by the end of this year. These five subways are being constructed by PWD, while a subway at Ganesh Nagar in East Delhi, being built by MCD, would be ready by the middle of this year, Dr Walia said. He said it has been decided that vigil will be kept on all subways to provide security to the pedestrians. “All the subways will have an aesthetic look and will be provided with proper lighting,” Dr Walia said. Meanwhile, Dr Walia has asked all concerned Chief Engineers to submit a detailed report on the use and present condition of the existing subways so as to find ways of making them more useful to the pedestrians. “We will have another meeting in which we will review the status of the subways based on the reports from the Chief Engineers,” he said. The meeting was attended by PWD Engineer-in-Chief and all Chief Engineers of PWD and MCD.
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MCD schools to impart computer education
New Delhi, January 5 But if the MCD’s project ‘Sharada’ is anything to go by, these underprivileged children can soon also boast of being computer savvy. The MCD claims that its ambitious programme for computerisation of its primary schools in the Capital is nearing completion, and that these children can now look forward to becoming ‘Net Savvy’ as well. Under the project, the corporation has introduced computer learning in schools run by it. While computer aided learning centres have already been set up in 752 MCD schools, another 246 schools will be covered under the programme. Keeping in view the fact that a majority of schools run by the corporation have Hindi as a medium of instruction, the service providers were asked to impart the computer aided learning in Hindi. While 246 schools in Karol Bagh areas and Central and South Delhi were covered under the programme in the first phase, 239 schools from Sadar, Pahar Ganj, Narela and Rohini were covered in the second phase and 267 schools from the Najafgarh and West Delhi covered in the third phase. The fourth and the last phase will include schools situated in areas like Shahdara and Civil Lines areas.
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‘Delhi Model’ of drug procurement system a hit
New Delhi, January 5 In 1996, the Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs introduced a centralised drug procurement system in government hospitals in the city. Under the initiative, it was found that only a limited number of basic drugs were needed for treatment in almost 90 per cent of the hospital cases. These basic drugs were then procured
centrally for supply to hospitals. As a result, the actual cost of drugs to these hospitals was cut by as much as half. Today, pooled procurement system is in place for all state-run hospitals and 150 primary health centres of Delhi. The pioneering effort through the years had been so successful that today it is popularly called the ‘Delhi Model’ and the World Health Organisation had recommended its extension to other states. The model is already being followed in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh. Moreover, WHO had also initiated components of the Delhi Model in countries like Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Kampuchea.
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Police feels helpless against extortionists
Gurgaon, January 5 Mr Lal said the reason why the police cannot go full steam against the crime of extortion is the lack of public support. Unless and until the public, especially the aggrieved persons, report crimes of extortion against them it became difficult for law enforcing agencies to take follow-up measures and nab the criminals. Referring to the recent arrest of a local lawyer on charges relating to extortion and conspiring with a dreaded criminal, he said it was the first major breakthrough in tackling the menace. The police taped the conversation between the gangster and a businessperson when the latter complained to them on being harassed for extortion money. The conversation throws light on the crime of extortion. The feeling in the higher echelons of the police is that extortions do take place in Gurgaon. But the police remain handicapped as the victims fight shy of reporting the matter to them. The police had been able to make decent progress in checking auto theft. Members of some gangs had been nabbed and many others were being pursued. These were inter-state gangs. The theft of vehicles and their sale in the markets was a major organised crime not only in Gurgaon but in the region, especially the developed areas. Taking a general view of the police effectiveness in Gurgaon Range, he said the police had been to push the criminals on the backfoot and they were now on the run. Dwelling further on the issue, he said in Mewat and other areas of Gurgaon Range a good number of criminals had been booked in the recent past. Some had left the areas in which they were operating in the past to avoid the police dragnet. He cautioned that the police would further increase momentum against the anti-social elements this year.
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Retd Brigadier’s house robbed in Noida
Noida, January 5 The
Brigadier and his family had gone to Goa on New Year. Seeing the house locked, the bandits broke into it and decamped with cash, jewellery. Sector-39 police have registered a case after inspecting the premises. In the second incident, Abhamanyu Chaudhary of Sector-71 had gone to Vishal Chambers in Sector-18. He went into the building after parking his bike in a parking lot in front of Vishal Chambers. On returning, he found that his bike had been stolen. The police have registered a case.
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Japanese minister visits Maruti plant
Gurgaon, January 5 He was accompanied by the Managing Director, Mr Jagdish Khattar, Joint Managing Directors S Takeuchi and H Nagao and other senior officials of Maruti Udyog. The Foreign Minister was taken on a short tour of the company. The ambassador of Japan to India, Mr Y Enoki was also with Mr T Aso. Maruti, a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan, is a successful Japanese investment in India. Maruti has sold about 5.3 million cars since it was set up over two decades ago. The company has been instrumental in developing the auto component industry. It has also ushered in Japanese management practices like Kaizen, 3G, 5S, open office and decision-making in India.
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Reconstruction of demolished structures: JE suspended
New Delhi, January 5 Satbir Singh was suspended with immediate effect for not informing his seniors about reconstruction activities in Kohat Enclave, Kapil Vihar and Nishantkunj areas of Rohini zone, an MCD spokesperson said here. The civic body had demolished unauthorised constructions in these areas between December 26-28, but affected people started reconstruction two days later, he said. Though Singh came to know about the incident and lodged an FIR, no action was taken against the building owners. He even did not inform his seniors about it or initiate steps to stop the activities, the spokesman said. “MCD views his conduct as dereliction of duty and he stands suspended with immediate effect,” he said. The Municipal Commissioner had issued a circular to all Deputy Commissioners in zones that no reconstruction should take place at demolished places. If any construction takes place, the area officers should take action.
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Pediatricians’ meet inaugurated
New Delhi, January 5 Organised by the Indian Academy of Pediatricians, the conference was inaugurated by Dr A K Walia, Delhi Minister of Finance and Urban Development. According to Professor A K Dutta, “The motive of this mammoth event is to discuss cutting edge research in clinical and basic sciences related to the field of pediatrics.” The Chairman of the Organising Committee, Pedicon, Dr K N Agarwal said, “We shall strive to achieve the best care for children of India to bring down the infant mortality and improve the overall child survival rate. We realize the importance of sharing our experiences.”
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Student’s body found at Lodhi Estate bylane
New Delhi, January 5 The body of Puneet Munjal, a 20-year-old student of Arena Multimedia Institute, was found at 7.30 a.m. in the back lane of Chowdhury’s official 76, Lodhi Estate residence, they said. It had a gunshot wound on the left side below the chest, they said. Munjal hailed from Panipat in neighbouring Haryana and was staying in Andrews Ganj area in south Delhi. “The incident has happened elsewhere and the body was thrown here later,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Anita Roy told reporters. She said there were no blood marks or proof of efforts of resistance at the site where the body was found. The tyre marks found at the site indicate that a small car was used to dump the body and the vehicle had reversed and left the site immediately, she said. Police had done rounds of the area till 2.30 a.m. but had found nothing wrong, Roy said.
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Factories booked for power theft
New Delhi, January 5 The units were being run under the name and style of M/s Baba Sutli Works, M/s Giriraj Plastics, M/s Rajinder Singh Electro Plating, M/s R Tayal Electro Plating etc. The BSES officials said that the factories included wire drawing factory, dye factory etc. which consume a lot of power which was allegedly being drawn directly from power
lines. — TNS
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