New Delhi, April 14
It could be straight out of ‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not’: The employment exchanges run by the government of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi spent a whopping Rs 2.28 lakhs on a single placement.

This shocking statistic has been revealed by an NGO, Centre For Civil Society, in its latest publication ‘State of Governance: Delhi Citizen Handbook 2006’.

According to the Handbook, the 20 odd employment exchanges in the Capital managed to find placement for 902 people out of a total of 5,39,734 registered with them during the last five years while incurring an expense of Rs 20.6 crore in the process. This means that the Delhi government spent a sum of Rs 2,28,381 for a single placement.

Recommending immediate closure of the Directorate General of Employment and Training (DGE and T), which was initially set up in July 1945 for the purpose of resettling demobilized defence personnel, the NGO has suggested a better tie up with private job engines and NGOs.

Subsequently, the scope of DGE and T was expanded to cover employment services of all categories of job seekers in early 1948 and training services to all civilians in 1950. In 1952, on the recommendations of the Shiva Rao Committee, the day to day administrative control was transferred to the state governments and union territories on cost sharing basis. However, after 1969, full financial responsibility of running these departments was transferred to the state governments.

The Centre For Civil Society suggests in its handbook that there is an urgent need to reorient employment exchanges “to play a pro-active role in the present scenario in the context of economic liberalization, industrial restructuring and shrinkage of employment opportunities in the organized sector; by concentrating on career counselling and vocational guidance”.

It also recommends making available of updated and reliable labour market information.

Recommending the winding up of these exchanges since their functioning has been reduced to a mere formality, the NGO suggests that the existing resources can either be diverted to running better ‘self-help centres’ or paying private placement agencies to perform these functions more efficiently and professionally.

New Delhi, April 14
Stepping up his attack on the BJP, which he said was being run like a ‘private limited company’, former Delhi Chief Minister and suspended BJP leader Mr Madan Lal Khurana today said he would do everything in his power to ensure that the BJP did not return to power in Delhi.

While clarifying that he was firmly wedded to the philosophy of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Seva Sangh (RSS), Mr Khurana, at a press conference here, said: “I cannot bring myself to work under the current leadership of the BJP who consider themselves akin to managing directors and are running the party like a private limited company. Moreover, all those at the helm of affairs in Delhi BJP are ones whom I had groomed in the party. Now, how can I work under these people,” Mr Khurana told reporters.

Refuting the allegations that his protests stemmed from his greed for party posts, Mr Khurana said: “I have never been desirous of any post. If it were so, I would not have quit posts of Chief Minister, Governor and Minister in the Union Cabinet much before the completion of my terms.

While I quit as Chief Minister after just two years of my five-year term, I quit as Minister in the Union Cabinet after just 10 months and quit the Rajasthan Governor’s post after serving for just 10 months out of the six-year term.”

Describing as a falsehood the BJP’s allegations that the party lost the elections to the Delhi Assembly in 1998 due to his leadership, Mr Khurana dared the BJP to win from Delhi without him.

Hinting that he would contest the next elections in Delhi against BJP candidates, he said: “I will see to it that the party does not return to power in Delhi in the next elections to the Assembly.”

Mr Khurana also urged Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh for the issuance of an ordinance to halt the ongoing sealing and demolition operations in the national Capital and ensure passing of a Bill in Parliament to grant full statehood to Delhi.

Earlier, in a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Khurana called for strict action against big builders who he alleged colluded in the construction of unauthorised buildings in the Capital.

He also urged the Prime Minister to bring an ordinance in the next session of Parliament to halt the sealing and demolition of unauthorised dwellings on the lines of the legislation enacted by the Maharashtra Government to regularise unauthorised constructions in Ulhasnagar.

Mr Khurana also called for granting full statehood to Delhi so that the Delhi Government can take a decision on the lines of that taken by the Maharashtra Government.

Mr Khurana said a Bill to grant Delhi full statehood was presented in Parliament by the previous NDA Government at the Centre led by Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee and was referred to the Standing Committee of Home Affairs led by Mr Pranab Mukherjee which accepted it with some amendments.

He said the Congress, in its manifesto during the last Assembly polls, had promised to grant full statehood for Delhi.

New Delhi, April 14
“I was offering prayers when the blast took place. It was a loud sound and I then saw blood oozing out of my legs profusely. I fainted. On regaining consciousness, I found myself in the hospital surrounded by doctors and politicians,” said Sirajjuddin (39) who was sitting just next to the bag containing the bomb.

Screaming with pain, he said he did not see the person who had planted the bomb. Another injured, Mohammed Asif, said, “I was still offering prayers when the blast took place. I was a little away from the bomb and sustained fewer injuries. The entire area was engulfed with a thick blanket of black smoke and the devout started running around for their safety after the blast.”

The fire department officials said the blasts were of low intensity but the number of people injured was more as a large number of people were present at the time of blast.

The injured include Sirajuddin, Shakil Ahmed, Faizal, Iqbal, Mohammed Adiq, Mohammed Rehman, Mohammed Asif, Sadiq Raza, Amir Hasan, Manu, Rehman, Tahir and Maziha.

The Imam of Jama Masjid has appealed to the people to maintain calm and harmony.

The Delhi Police Commissioner, Dr K. K. Paul, has also made a similar appeal. 

Noida, April 14
Normal life in Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida seems to have come to a standstill due to prolonged power cuts for as many as 11 hours imposed by the UP Power Corporation.

What perturbs the people here is that there is never a schedule of power cuts. “Power officials and engineers make promises easily which are only broken later,” complain residents and industrialists.

The industrialists are having sleepless nights not so much because of heat but because of loss in production. Apart from affecting the industrial production, prolonged power cuts compel commercial establishments to use generators which add to the air and noise pollution.

In multi-storeyed flats, especially in LIC and MIG flats, residents are hit by poor water supply.

Last night, the power went off at 10 pm in most of the city and came back for a short while only.

During daytime, there have been power cuts for six hours at different times in several localities.

Even UP Power Corporation officers, including deputy general manager Rajesh Kumar are unable to give a satisfactory reply to residents.

Mr Kumar said it was on the instructions of headquarters in Lucknow that a 4-hour cut was imposed as the grid frequency had crossed the 48.2 level.

The electricity supply in towns and villages is even worse.

What makes the whole scenario dismal is that the Pali Power Project will be further delayed.

The CEO, Noida Authority, Mr Sanjiv Saran had claimed a few days ago that the much-delayed project would be commissioned by April 15. But it is now learnt that the deadline has been further postponed.

Faridabad, April 14
The state government’s proposal to start a model school here, the first of its kind in the district, seems to have gone sour as there is no proper strategy or coordination between the education department and the local authorities.

The school has failed to take off despite the fact that its building was constructed three years ago. The building, spread over about two and a half acres in Sector-21, has now been leased out to a private school, causing resentment among parents and social bodies, who have now asked the chief minister to intervene in the matter.

The Faridabad Abhibhawak Manch, a leading body of the parents, has sent a representation to him appealing him to take measures to ensure that the dream of setting up a model school comes true.

Mr Satyavir Sharma, vice-president of the Manch said that the response of the authorities in this regard had been unsatisfactory.

The Manch was told that the decision to lease out the building to a private school had been taken by the higher authorities in Chandigarh.

It may be recalled that the school building had been earlier occupied by the district administration to run the offices of the Deputy Commissioner, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Tehsildar, City Magistrate and others.

A model school follows the CBSE syllabus while other government schools follow the state education board pattern. 

New Delhi, April 14
The Delhi High Court has directed the police to probe the charges levelled by an advocate against internet service provider Sify Ltd for allegedly increasing the tariff rate without informing him.

Advocate Meet Malhotra had moved the High Court seeking direction to the police for the registration of an FIR against Sify.com which allegedly cheated him by increasing the tariff without proper information.
The court further directed the police to submit its report at the earliest before a magistrate who could pass appropriate orders in accordance with law.

Mr Malhotra further submitted that the service provider had duped its subscribers of crores of rupees as any information with regard to such increase in tariff would have led to migration by substantial numbers to another service provider.

As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) regulations, internet service providers are supposed to inform its subscribers about any information pertaining to increase in tariff through the newspapers.

Mr Malhotra also alleged that his account was being used up at a much faster speed than its actual use. On inquiry, the company had informed him that it was entitled to debit 12 minutes every time of logging on to the net as per the TRAI regulations, the petition said.
However, Sify had refuted the charges saying that they are “totally false and baseless” and the petition was filed to harass it and the entire matter was of a civil nature, not amounting to an offence.

The provider said that the change in its tariff plans in May 2002 was informed to all its subscribers including the petitioner through mail.
Sify Ltd had filed an appeal seeking quashing of the September 2005 order of the single judge for registration of FIR.

New Delhi, April 14
A consumer court has asked carmaker Tata Engineering to provide a customer, whose Tata Indigo car had manufacturing defects, with a new car and pay Rs 30,000 as damages and to reimburse repair costs.

“The car had problems and snags from the day it was purchased...the opposite parties are liable to replace the same with a new vehicle and fresh warranty and pay Rs 30,000 towards repair of the car,” Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (North) comprising President K. K. Chopra, Members Neeru Mittal and R. K. Prabhakar said.

Complainant Deepak Goyal, a resident of S. P. Mukherjee Marg, had purchased the car on July 2, 2003 and took its delivery four days later. The vehicle stalled on his way back home from the showroom and he had to take it the nearest authorised workshop for repair.

Mr Goyal had to put up with this state of affairs for almost two years before filing the complaint before this court.

During the hearing, Tata denied that the vehicle had any inherent manufacturing defects and said that repairs were done only after the vehicle met with an accident in 2005. It further argued that Mr Goyal had used the car for commercial purposes.

However, the court dismissed Tata’s contentions on perusing the repair bills, dating back to the day of purchase of the car, placed before it.

Ghaziabad, April 14
A shopkeeper selling artefacts and jewellery was stabbed in Sahibabad. The badly wounded shopkeeper was rushed to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital in Delhi where he succumbed to injuries last night.

Police said the attack was due to an old enmity. Police have started investigations after registering a murder case against unknown assailants.

Hemant Verma alias Minto (25), owner of Verma Jewellers in Gali No. 5 in Rajiv Colony on Delhi-Waziabad Road, was closing the shop last night when an unknown person came there and started arguing with Hemant Verma over some issue. The man suddenly lost his cool and attacked Hemant with a dagger and fled.

Hemant Verma was rushed to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital in Shahdara where he died during treatment. His father, Saresh Chand Verma, filed a murder report against an unknown assailant in Sahibabad police station.

Police said Hemant had got involved in an argument with the owner of the shop when the shutter was being fixed there some 20 days ago. Besides, electrician Sonu, alias Rohit, had a dispute with him over some monetary transactions.

Police are keeping both these facts in view during investigation. One person has been detained for interrogation.