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Remove illegal structures in
Jama Masjid: HC
Rain leads to fall in temperature
People try to save themselves from the rain on Friday.
Super specialty hospital for poor in need of treatment
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SC asks MCD official to surrender
Dhaula Kuan rape victim identifies accused in court
Industries in Noida shutting shop for want of power
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inspecting the relocation site of the displaced JJ dwellers at Savda Ghevra. Delhi Urban Development and PWD Minister
Dr A. K. Walia also accompanied her. — Tribune photo
Records destroyed after getting land compensation
IN PARLIAMENT
Deaf and dumb come together in hope of matrimony
Bill on demolitions challenged in SC
Two arrested for taking bribe from martyr’s widow
Report sought on child labourers’ rescue
Two held for bid to rape minor
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Remove illegal structures in
Jama Masjid: HC
New Delhi, May 19 A division bench of acting Chief
Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rekha Sharma asked the respondents
to file their replies to the allegations by August 25, the next date
of hearing. In a petition, Rafiullha, a resident of the walled city,
sought the direction of the court to the authorities to remove the
unauthorised structures from inside the premises which were damaging
the monument built by Mughul Emperor Shah Jehan 350 years
ago. “Issue appropriate orders directing the authorities not to
discriminate in the removal of unauthorised structures within and
outside the Masjid,” said the petition. The petitioner has also
asked the court to direct the Union Government to declare Jama Masjid
as a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological
Sites and Remains Act, 1958. Despite the High Court passing orders
since 2004, the authorities were not removing the illegal
constructions from inside and outside the Masjid in violation to the
mandate of the Article 14 of the Constitution. “The authorities
have discriminated in their approach while removing the unauthorised
constructions from outside the Masjid and did not even touch the
inside portion of the premises,” said the petition. In relation to
the beautification of the Jama Masjid, the High Court today directed
the Waqf Board to consult the Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) and
other authorities before constructing a commercial complex near Dargha
Kalihmulla. When counsel submitted that the Waqf Board was planning
to construct a commercial complex to rehabilitate the displaced shop
owners, the Delhi Government and petitioner Usha Kumar opposed
it. MCD counsel submitted an affidavit seeking four months’ time to
start the development project of the Masjid.
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Rain leads to fall in temperature
New Delhi, May 19 As much as 1.2 mm rain, which started
at about 6.30 am, was recorded till 8.30 am. It brought the
temperature down from 25 degrees Celsius yesterday to 23 degrees
Celsius this morning, which was three degrees below the usual recorded
this time of the year. The rain was attributed to western disturbance
by the weather office. After weeks of scorching heat with the day
temperature hovering around 40 degrees and the nights being quite hot
too, this week had brought some pleasant weather. Earlier, on May 15,
squalls with 88 kmph winds swept across the city and the minimum
temperatures dropped seven degrees below average to 19 degrees. As
much as 20.8 mm rainfall was recorded overnight. Again on May 17,
strong winds and light rain were experienced in many parts of Delhi,
resulting in a fall in night temperature. The mercury plummeted to
25.2 degrees. Yesterday, after three days of respite because of rain,
the day temperature had begun to rise again in the Capital. The
maximum was 39 degrees Celsius as against 36 degrees a day earlier,
though the maximum temperature was still two degrees below normal.
Temperature in city had touched the season’s highest of 44.5 degrees
on May 7.
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Super specialty hospital for poor in need of treatment
New Delhi, May 19 According to sources, for the past two years, the walls of
different wards of this hospital have started developing cracks.
Certain portions of various important wards are in a perilous
condition. “Anytime, these portions of the hospital can collapse. It
is ironical that 10 years after its construction the hospital building
is in such a deplorable condition. As an estimate, at least 2000
patients visit the OPD of the hospital every day. They are mostly
from the rural localities like Narela, Bawana, Alipur, Burari,
Samaypur Badali, Azadpur, Swarup Nagar and Adarsh Nagar. It is
unfortunate that a hospital constructed in the memory of a great
champion of the poor people, the late Babu Jagjivan Ram, for catering
to the growing health care needs of the rural population of the Outer
Delhi area, is facing such gross governmental negligence,” said a
local resident. An employee associated with the hospital, on
condition of anonymity, said the X-Ray Department situated on the
ground floor of the hospital building had been almost out of order for
months. “The toilets and canteen have been encroached upon by the
local people. Since the inception of the hospital, it has not been
maintained and repaired. The building has not even been
whitewashed,” he informed. A senior citizen and president of a
social service organisation, the National Development Forum, Mr J. N.
Dogra, said despite the existence of governmental organisations like
the Gramin Vikas Board in the Capital, no one was paying any attention
to the plight of this government-run hospital started specially for
the rural population. “Most wards of this hospital are not
functioning smoothly. Apart from infrastructure and equipment, the
hospital is facing an acute shortage of specialised doctors and other
supporting staffs. We have written many times in this regard, but to
no avail,” he commented. When contacted, the Medical
Superintendent of this hospital, Dr Ramesh Chug, said the hospital
building was being renovated. “The renovation work will be completed
by the end of July this year. For the upgradation of infrastructure,
equipment and manpower, we have put in a request to the Health
Ministry,” he said.
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SC asks MCD official to surrender
New Delhi, May 19 The
apex court directed that the JE should first surrender to the
authorities to serve the jail term. A special bench of Mr Justice B.
P. Singh and Mr Justice R. V. Raveendran told counsel for R. S.
Sherawat that there was no reason for passing an interim direction
against the HC order. Sherawat had challenged the order dismissing
his petition against his conviction alongwith another JE U. S. Chauhan
for filing a false affidavit to state that several unauthorised houses
had been demolished in Sainik Farms. The apex court, however, posted
further hearing in the case till May 23 with the condition that it
would only he heard if the engineer surrendered before the
authorities. The HC on May 10 had upheld the June 2001 verdict of its
Division Bench delivered against Sherawat and Chauhan which had also
imposed Rs 25,000 fine against each of them. One of the aggrieved
farmhouse owners had furnished the photographic evidence in the court
to prove that the farmhouses claimed to be demolished by them as per
the court order had not even been touched by the MCD. Rajeev
Malhotra, a resident of Sainik Farm, had alleged that MCD officials,
who collected huge bribes for permitting the illegal farmhouses to
stand, had adopted a pick-and-choose policy while demolishing the
constructions as per the court’s earlier directions. Though the
order of their conviction had been passed by the high court in 2001,
the two engineers had sought its review this year before another HC
Bench, which had rejected the same.
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Dhaula Kuan rape victim identifies accused in court
New Delhi, May 19 The victim’s statement was recorded during in-camera
proceedings, where she supported the prosecution case of Katiyar being
one of the four accused who allegedly forcibly intoxicated and
sexually assaulted her in a moving car in May, 2005. The case comes
up for hearing next on June 19. Katiyar, the sole accused arrested in
this case, has been charged with having committed the offences of
gangrape, abduction, intoxication with intent to commit offence,
criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy. According to the
charges framed by the court earlier, Katiyar, along with his three
co-accused who could not be arrested, conspired to gangrape the
college student in a moving car after intoxicating her. The accused
had allegedly forced the girl, studying in Delhi University, into a
car at about 2.15 a.m. on May 8, 2005 when she was walking to a
‘dhaba’ with her roommate near the Dhaula Kuan area in south-west
Delhi. Katiyar (28), a driver with a private company, whose features
were described by the victim, was picked up on May 13, 2005 from near
the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border.
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Industries in Noida shutting shop for want of power
Noida, May 19 There are a large number
of unit owners who seem to have decided to relocate elsewhere.
Uttaranchal, Himachal and Haryana are the options being considered by
them. According to Industries Association Noida Phase II, some 65
units had closed down last year The cost of diesel and operating gen
sets and captive power units also bothered them. “How long can we
survive on gen sets”, says Major Anup of Samson who seemed to be
voicing the common refrain of all entrepreneurs. Out of the 263 units
six years ago, only 94 have survived so far.
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CM visits relocation site for displaced JJ dwellers
New Delhi, May 19 The demarcation of plots,
levelling of ground, construction of lanes and roads and fixing of
poles had begun, it was mentioned. Ms Dikshit said all efforts would
be made to relocate the displaced families much before the onset of
the monsoon. She even assured that she would visit the relocation site
in the coming days to review the arrangements. The Delhi Jal Board
had been instructed to provide tankers for supplying drinking water to
start with and extend the pipeline from the Bawana plant in due
course. The Slum and JJ Department of the MCD had initiated action
to dig seven tubewells for providing water for use other than drinking
purpose. The department would also install ROs at tubewells to
supplement drinking water supply. The NDPL had been instructed to
install solar lights in the locality within the next few days apart
from providing floodlights. The DTC had been instructed to augment its
bus service and the Health Department would soon start dispensaries to
provide healthcare. Mobile public toilets had already been positioned
at the site of relocation. The Chief Minister was accompanied by
Delhi Urban Development Minister A. K. Walia, local MLA Bijendra Singh
and other senior officials of DJB, MCD and NDPL.
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Records destroyed after getting land compensation
Greater Noida, May 19 It has
come to the notice of the authorities that the criminals have
destroyed the revenue records containing the pages of the Khataunis
concerned after claiming and receiving the compensation of the village
Samaj land. The Khataunis of about 60 villages in Sadar Tehsil are
being examined by about two dozen lekhapals under Sadar tehsildar. The
pages from a number of Khataunis pertaining to the land record of many
villages have been found torn off or mutilated in such a way that they
have become illegible. The land sharks, it is learnt, had entered
into a criminal conspiracy with some employees of the revenue
department to damage the relevant record pertaining to the village
Samaj land which they had fraudulently claimed as their own to receive
the compensation. The Khataunis of 60 villages are being examined on
the orders of the Revenue Board member, Mr T George Joseph, as the
compensation for the village Samaj land in these villages had been
claimed by the sharks from the year 1995 to 2002. It is being
determined from the Khataunis of 1952 whether those who had taken the
payments of the village Samaj land were originally natives of these
villages. It is also being probed as to who those people were who,
despite being outsiders, had got their names entered in the revenue
records as natives of these villages so that they could claim and
receive the compensation. The pages of many Khataunis were found torn
and many pages were in such a mutilated state that they had become
illegible. This is perceived to be the handiwork of shrewd land
scammers so that it would be difficult to pin them down for want of
certain documentary proof. Some staffers of the revenue department
are believed to have connived with the criminal elements who had
claimed the village Samaj land as their own and then claimed and
received compensation for it from the government.
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IN PARLIAMENT
New Delhi, May 19 Answering a question, Minister of State for Urban Development Mr Ajay Maken told the Lok Sabha that between April, 2003 and March, 2006, action against 10 officials had been initiated by the DDA on corruption charges, which included forging possession letters, accepting bribes and having assets beyond known sources of income. Government quarters subletting: Mr Maken also said surprise checks to detect subletting of government quarters had led to the cancellation of 322 allotments in 2003, 215 in 2004 and 252 in 2005. Another 128 cases of subletting had been registered between January-March this year, leading to the eviction of people from 41 quarters, he added. Unauthorised colonies: Mr Maken said as on March 31, 2002, 1,432 applications from residents welfare associations and societies had been received for regularisation. Revised guidelines and norms on regularising them were being finalised, the minister added. Mr Maken also disclosed that between January 2001-December 2005, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi had reported 20,080 properties for unauthorised construction, of which action against 2,396 properties had been taken till May 9, 2006. Quake survey: To another question, the minister told the House that no study had been conducted in Delhi on buildings which were susceptible to quake shocks. However, the first level micro-zonation of the National Capital Territory of Delhi had been completed and five buildings had been chosen for a pilot study to assess seismic safety status, he added. Petrol pumps: Mr Maken informed the Lok Sabha that the Land and Development Office (L&DO) has reported that 35 petrol pumps have been found encroaching public land during inspections in Delhi. L&DO office has further stated that breach notices have been issued to all these pumps. The Minister said that in nine cases, their temporary leases have been cancelled for violation of lease provisions. Five cases have been reported to local body for removal of encroachment. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has, however, claimed that no specific complaint on the issue has been received in the recent past, and that it takes prompt action in such cases. Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Mr Namo Narain Meena told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that the chloride content in Yamuna’s water has been observed to be generally within the permissible limits of 250 milligram per litre, making it fit for drinking purposes. He added, that at some locations, chloride values were found higher than the prescribed limits by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Chloride usually finds its way to water bodies through domestic and industrial effluents. Under Phase-I of the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) launched by the Ministry in 1993 in the three states of UP, Haryana and Delhi, various pollution abatement schemes for tackling domestic sewage have been implemented, the Minister said. He said that the mandate of this plan is to ensure that the river’s water is fit at least for bathing purposes. A total of 256 schemes have been completed under this plan, including setting up of 34 sewage treatment plants for creating additional treatment capacity of 741 million litres per day (mld), of which 402 mld is in UP, 309 mld is in Haryana and 30 mld in Delhi. The industrial pollution on the other hand is tackled through the implementation of legal provisions under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Further, as per the CPCB’s report, no specific industries causing increase in chloride content have been identified in
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Deaf and dumb come together in hope of matrimony
New Delhi, May 19 As many as 37 girls and 27 boys from
different parts of the country registered themselves for the 14th
‘Pranay Milan Sammelan’, hosted by Delhi Foundation of Deaf Women
(DFDW). “So far, about 20 couples have tied the knot through this
programme,” says DFDW general secretary Renee Kuriyan. “But we do
not take part in the marriage arrangement, we only introduce them
through this programme,” she said. Ms Uma Ramachandran, executive
of DFDW, says that on an average about six couples find their partners
at every event. “The response from participants, parents and
well-wishers is very good,” she says. The event is organised
through media advertising and networking among different organisations
dealing with impaired people. “The main problems we have been facing
are communication since all participants are impaired. But now, with
most of them learning sign language the problem has lessened,” said
Uma Kapoor, president of DFDW. Participants and their parents shared
details about themselves on stage and revealed what type of person
they wanted as a partner. Four couples who tied the knot last year
through the event were also present to give encouragement to
participants. Speaking through an interpreter, Jatinder and
Jaswinder from Delhi, who tied the knot last year, said that it is a
“very good programme” for people like them. A beaming Kirti,
sitting with her husband Sachin, gave a thumbs-up sign when asked how
she felt about the event.
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Bill on demolitions challenged in SC
New Delhi, May 19 The PIL, filed by Delhi Welfare Residents
Association Joint Front (DWRAJF) and an NGO, Citizens’ Voice, seeks
to challenge the constitutional validity of the Bill passed by both
Houses of the Parliament. The petition has challenged the validity
of the Bill on the grounds that the Parliament has passed it to give
benefit to the land mafia and violators of law as well as encroachers
on public land at the cost of law abiding citizens. The petition
further alleges that the Bill amounts to adding premium to the illegal
acts of encroachment of public land as well as illegal construction
made by the builders mafia and other residents of Delhi, who do not
seem to have any respect for law. The petition also contends that the
Bill is a clear attempt by the parliamentarians to overreach the SC as
well as Delhi High Court. The sealing process is being carried out
as per the SC orders, and orders for demolition of unauthorised
construction, have been ordered by the Delhi High Court.
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Two arrested for taking bribe from martyr’s widow
Faridabad, May 19 The Head Constable had
sacrificed his life during the attack on Parliament on December 13,
2003. The president of the Front, Mr M.S. Bitta, was present at the
spot during the entire incident. The SSP, Mr Mahender Singh Sheoran,
confirmed the development and said three employees, including a JE and
draftsman, had been booked and would be arrested. He said an amount
of Rs 8,500 had been recovered while one employee fled after taking
the money. According to details, Mrs Jaywati, widow of Vijender
Singh of Delhi Police, had been among the beneficiaries of pump
allotment. The policeman had been working as driver of the
Vice-President. It is learnt that that while the allotment had been
made about four years back, the setting up process had been engulfed
in the officials files, and during this move, the employees of the PWD
office here reportedly sought a bribe from the applicant for doing the
needful. This matter was brought to the notice of the Chief of the
National Anti-Terrorist Front, Mr Bitta, who then decided to organize
a sting operation with help of the district administration. A camera
of a news channel based at Delhi was engaged to record the
proceedings. Members of the local and national newspapers based here
were also invited to witness the proceedings. It is reported that the
accused employees initially asked for a bribe of Rs 10,000, but later
settled at an amount of Rs 9,500 and asked them to hand over the money
to them in their office located here in Sector- 16- A here at about
10.30 am. As per the plan marked currency notes of the denomination
of Rs 500 were drawn from a bank in New Delhi and handed over to the
employees. As soon as the money changed hands, the front members and
some police officials entered the room and recovered the money taken
from the applicants. Some senior district officials, including a DSP
also reached the spot and announced that both of them had been
arrested and booked under the relevant Act.
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Report sought on child labourers’ rescue
New Delhi, May 19 The
NHRC sought the report after taking suo motu cognisance of news
reports that 55 children hailing from Bihar, UP and West Bengal were
rescued by the authorities with the help of activists of the Bonded
Labour Liberation Front. According to reports, the children have been
lodged at Ashray Kendra in the Capital. The NHRC has expressed
dissatisfaction with the arrangement to lodge the children there. It
has said that if the contents of the report are true it raises the
issue of bonded child labour which is the worst affront to human
dignity and an offence under the Bonded Labour Act.
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Two held for bid to rape minor
Greater Noida, May 19 As she raised the alarm, some villagers rushed to her rescue and managed to nab two of the criminals while the other two escaped. The captured criminals were later thrashed thoroughly by the villagers. The Kasna police have registered a case of molestation against the youths and are investigating the matter. All the four accused are reported to be employed in a car manufacturing company in Greater Noida and were living in a rented accommodation in Kasna town. According to police, all the four were heavily drunk and intruded into a neighbouring house where a 13-year-old girl was alone at home. The accused tried to rape her. Hearing her shrieks, some villagers rushed to her rescue. The two miscreants were caught and beaten up by the villagers.
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Light rain early this morning
and evening brought down temperature in the national Capital with the
mercury dipping by two degrees.
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