The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

	Inflated power bill shocks consumer Bill amounting to Rs 14,913 has to be deposited by June 13 Tribune News Service Faridabad, June 11 Even as the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has failed to supply adequate power to the consumers, it has not lagged behind in sending inflated bills to them. To the shock of a consumer residing in a village here with a single phase meter, the department has sent a bill amounting to Rs 14,913. To make matters worse, this is the second occasion in the past six months when the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam has ‘overbilled’ this consumer. Most interestingly, there has been a glaring irregularity as the meter number and account number at which the bill has been sent exist in Daultabad village located in sector- 16- A, while the address mentioned on the bill was of a kothi (house) in sector- 15 here. The consumer, identified as Savitri Devi, a widow residing in a half built shed, has to deposit the bill by June 13. According to the complainant, this was the second time in the past six months when the Nigam had handed over such a ‘hefty’ bill. She claimed that the matter had been taken up with the officials concerned in December 2005, when the Nigam had sent her a bill of Rs 13,659. Further, the total unit consumed, as shown on the bill, had been just 100, according to the complainant. Meanwhile, according to reports, a high voltage cable supplying power to Daultabad village has been dangling ‘dangerously’ overhead, as the department is yet to put up the poles to carry the cable. “The employees of the Nigam had been asking the villagers to collect the money for the poles,” said a resident.
	Traders decry disparities in VAT laws States flout guidelines triggering ‘tax war’ on certain commodities: CAIT Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 11 Traders in the national Capital today strongly resented continued wide disparities and anomalies in the Value Added Tax (VAT) laws of different states which had jeopardised the trading activities in the country. In a statement here, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) alleged that though all the state Finance Ministers are members of the Empowered Committee, states openly flouted several important decisions, guidelines and directives of the committee, which was the major cause of disparities and anomalies in VAT Acts and had even led to ‘tax war’ on certain commodities between states. In a communication sent to Dr Asim Das Gupta, Chairman of the Empowered Committee, CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal, while demanding a ‘total review of VAT system’, lamented that the underlying idea of introducing VAT in India was to bring an end to ‘tax war’ and develop a harmonised taxation system throughout the country, thus transforming India to a ‘one-mandi concept’. Abolition of all other taxes except VAT and removal of trade barriers in inter-state trade was another commitment for introduction of VAT in India. Unfortunately, the present VAT Acts have totally failed in meeting the above objective, Mr Khandelwal said. The CAIT Secretary General said that the lethargic attitude adopted by the state governments on VAT had raised many eyebrows on the VAT system. “Though claimed to be a transparent taxation system, the formula to determine the tax rate on any commodity is yet to be made public. So far, it is the sweet will of the state government to levy any rate of tax that best suits them. “Steps to be taken to make VAT a uniform law throughout the country are yet to be decided. How Entry Forms or Road Permits in inter-state transactions will be eliminated is a million dollar question? These are some basic questions which need a clarification to make VAT system effective in the country,” Mr Khandelwal said.
	All certificates to include mother’s name: CM Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 11 Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said the decision to include mother’s name in all certificates, application forms and documents would be a befitting step towards empowerment of women. “Henceforth, voters I-cards, driving licences, ration cards, school certificates, birth certificates, death certificates and disability certificates, cutting across all sectors and departments, would also include the mother’s name,” Mr Dikshit said during her visit to an ‘Stree Shakti’ camp at Minto Road. The Delhi Cabinet had, in a decision taken on May 23, made it mandatory to include the mother’s name in all documents and certificates issued by the government of the National Capital Region. In the series of coordinated efforts made by the Delhi Government in the direction of women empowerment, all the nine districts of the Capital today witnessed thousands of women mainly from the economically weaker sections of society getting their health check-ups and obtaining counselling for literacy, skill development and legal aid at the ‘Stree Shakti’ camps. During her visit to the camp site, the Chief Minister was accompanied by senior officials of the Social Welfare Department. Since its inception in February 2002, ‘Stree Shakti’ camps at various locations have benefited more than two lakh women from the economically weaker sections of society. Organised by the Delhi Government’s Social Welfare Department under the Bhagidari Stree Shakti project in collaboration with the Health and Education Departments and the AIDS Control Society and Legal Aid Advisory Board apart from NGOs, these camps provide health check-up, counselling for skill development and self-employment and legal aid at a common destination. Comprehensive follow-up is also undertaken by various NGOs and staff to keep track of the women receiving treatment.
	Artscape The rediscovery of Indian artists in a globalised world Ravi Bhatia Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 11 The recent international auctions in which Indian art fetched enormous amounts have given a much-needed impetus to the art scene in the country with more and more multinationals and corporations jumping on the bandwagon eager to sponsor arts and artists. This new-found interest in art is also reflected in the sudden mushrooming of art galleries in the metropolitan cities and particularly in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, which are not only willing to provide space to artists to exhibit their creations but also help in providing financial help so that the artist can pursue his or her creativity without having to bother with the mundane tasks of earning a livelihood through daily grind. Another reflection of this growing interest in arts is the number of students opting for creative subjects in universities and colleges. Colleges and private institutions specialising in creative art education are reporting a tremendous response from the students. And these are not the students who have not done well academically. Most of them have secured high percentage in the class XII exams making them eligible to pursue any course they want to. Once considered a hobby of the “affluent and often bored memsahib”, art is now being pursued with the professionalism it deserves. This resurgence of interest in things creative has also percolated down to the publishers, who are now more than willing to bring out books on artists and arts. The first few months of 2006 have seen the release of several books on creative arts. The publishers feel that there is considerable market for these books given the recent boom in the art market. There are hundreds of Hussains, Tyabjis and Souzas in the country waiting to be discovered seems to be the refrain in the art circles these days. ‘Naturescape’ If you are interested in nature in all its glory then you should take time off to visit the Collector’s Stop, which is hosting an exhibition of paintings on nature by some of the prominent contemporary artists The exhibition, entitled, “Naturescape” is on till July15. Among the artists whose works are being displayed at the exhibition are Bhagat Singh, Ishan Bahuguna, RP Dabral, Ajay Kumat Samir, Indu Tripathi, Padmini, Sanchita Sinha Roy, Versha, Viky Arya, Kusum Jain, Manju Kak, Jaya Kalra and Akta. Bharatnatayam recital on June 15 Rajeshwari Sainath, disciple of Indira Rajan, will be presenting a Bharatnatayam recital at the India Habitat Centre here on June 15. Accompanying her will be Balakrishnan (vocal), Nagai Narayanan (mridangam), CK Vijayraghavan (violin) and Shiva Kumar (Flute). ‘Ghalib in New Delhi’ On June 10 and June 11, the Shriram Centre here regaled audiences by staging two comedy plays – Pierrot’s Troupe’s ‘Ghalib in New Delhi’ and Natsamrat’s ‘Kallu Nai, MBBS’. Photograph exhibition at IHC The India Habitat Centre is holding an exhibition of photographs of some of the prominent photographers, S Paul, Pablo Bartholomew, Manish Swarup, R Veeresh Babu, Sudharak Olwe and Jyoti Bhatt. The exhibition, called “Belong”, is on till June 12.
	Forced to run units on generators, industrialists feel the pinch Our Correspondent Noida, June 11 Industrialists have been ‘frustrated’ by failure of the government to supply adequate power supply to the units here. Forced to run their units on generators, there has not only been shortfall in production, but the cost of production itself has gone up. Consequently, they have failed to meet their commitments on time. It may be pointed out that there are three 33/4 KV substations, while the Noida authority is understood to be planning to set up a new substation to supply power to the industrial units here. The sector-6 substation supplies power to sectors 2, 6, 7. There are two 5 MVA and one 10 MVA transformers with this substation. However, the substation has an overload of 3 MVA. The substation in Sector-2 has a load of 350 MVA as against the capacity of 300 MVA, resulting in 2 to 3 hours of power cuts in sector 2, 6, and 7. According to the Executive Engineer, Mr A. P Singh, a new 20 MVA substation is being set up in the old compound of sector-6 substation. Though an estimate Rs 3.5 crore has been approved for this, the work is expected to start in the next two months. A new line of 33 KV from Sector-9 substation to Sector-16 substation has been already been laid, which is expected to start shortly. Further, old equipments including cables are being replaced, which will improve the power position soon, Mr Singh added.
	Dhaba owner shot dead by drunk motor mechanic Our Correspondent Ghaziabad, June 11 In a shocking incident, a motor mechanic shot dead the owner of a dhaba, for refusing to get his motorcycle cleaned by a waiter last night. The victim has been identified as Pawan Kumar, who was running ‘Pammi Dhaba’ in Transport Nagar, Sahibabad, for the last two years. According to the police, the accused, Shaukin, who runs a motor repair workshop a little distance away from the dhaba, was a regular at the dhaba. Last night, after finishing his dinner at 11 pm, Shauklin asked Pawan Kumar to get his motorcycle cleaned by one of his waiters. When the dhaba owner refused to oblige, as there was a rush of customers, Shaukin, under the influence of liquor, picked up a quarrel with him. He abused him and beat up Pawan Kumar, the police said. When some people intervened, Shaukin returned to his workshop. Later, however, he returned with a revolver and fired at Pawan Kumar. Pawan was rushed to the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, Shahdara, where he breathed his last.
	‘Diabetic patient prone to heart disease’ Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 11 Do you think diabetes and heart problems are two unrelated things? Not quite so, feels the experts. Chances are that if you suffer from diabetes, there is likelihood of acquiring heart problems. A one-day summer camp with two major hospitals gave the opportunity for the people of Delhi to meet and learn from the counsellors and specialists. A total of 300 persons were examined at a free medical check-up camp held by Escorts Heart Research Institute in association with a team of doctors from Sunderlal Jain Hospital at Geeta Bhavan Dharamshala in Kamla Nagar here today. Cardiologists Dr Gaurav Minocha, Dr Amit Jindal and Dr Ashim from Escorts and Dr Krishnamani Dr Anshul, Dr Dinesh Gupta from Sunder Lal Jain Hospital and physicians Dr Pritam, Dr Sanjay Gupta, Dr K L Bhasin and Dr B K Agarwal from Sunderlal Jain Hospital examined the patients. “Fifty per cent people who have diabetes can have heart complications. Moreover, a diabetic person stands 70 per cent more chance of acquiring heart disease. In diabetic patients, blood vessels become thin resulting in heart attack,” says Dr Chandraprakash, Chairman, Sunder Lal Jain Hospital, New Delhi. Twenty new diabetic cases were detected during the blood-sugar level tests and 190 had chronic diabetes out of which 50 faced numerous heart complications. A team of doctors from Escorts Heart Institute conducted 120 ECG tests which showed that hypertension and heart diseases were on the rise in West Delhi.
	Set up judicial probe into MCD scams, L-G urged Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 11 The BJP Delhi Pradesh president Dr Harsh Vardhan on Saturday urged the Lieutenant-Governor to institute a judicial enquiry in the bungling of Rs 18 crore in the MCD, recently uncovered by an audit report. He said the persons involved in the bungle were responsible for ‘appointment’ of 127 employees in the MCD’s Health Department on the basis of forged papers. These fictitious employees recovered lakhs of rupees in the name of salary. There was also a swindle of Rs 153 lakh in installing generator sets being run on diesel in the hospitals, he alleged. The insinuators installed for the disposal of garbage are of low grade and do not function. Rs 230 lakh spent on this account has proved to be of no use. There was need of only three insinuators, but 11 insinuators were installed. There was also a bungle in the construction of grade separator on Najafgarh Road near Tilak Nagar. The contractor was paid Rs 12 lakh in addition due to connivance with the authorities, he claimed. Similarly, the contractor was paid Rs 94 lakh for the construction work near Jakhira, but the work was not done. There was also a bungling of 25 lakh rupees in the construction of subway in front of the Red Fort. A bungle of Rs 2.26 crore was committed in the rehabilitation of J.J. dwellers in Narela. Dr Vardhan alleged that a flood of scams have started due to the approaching MCD elections. The corrupt persons are roaming freely. Public money is being looted with both the hands. In spite of the scams in slaughterhouse construction, muster roll, computer, dustbin, garbage transport, desilting of drain, sewer cleaning, textbooks, uniforms, truck purchases, no guilty person has been caught or anyone ever punished, he said.
	Nigerian held for carrying heroin, cocaine Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 11 The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has today arrested one Nigerian national for allegedly possessing heroin and cocaine. The accused has been identified as Kayush Ibrahim, alias Tony. The drugs cost Rs 42 lakh on the international market, said an NCB official. The accused was arrested from a West Delhi area, officials of the Narcotics Control bureau said today. He was allegedly possessing 415 grams of heroin worth Rs 41 lakh on the international market, 15 grams of cocaine and 20 Ecstasy tablets, officials said. Tony is believed to be a supplier of contraband and his interrogation is on to find out more details about the drug racket. Delhi Police had yesterday seized 600 grams of heroin, worth Rs 60 lakh on the international market, in two separate incidents and arrested two persons in this connection. The national Capital has witnessed several drug seizures in the last few days in the wake of the high-profile Rahul Mahajan drug abuse case.

	Psychological counselling at Noida Parmindar Singh Noida, June 11 In an effort to provide the much-needed counselling to people under stress, the Noida Medicare (NMC) has started a department of psychological assessment and life solutions (PALS). The modern lifestyle has ushered in tension, depression, worry and frustrations that NMC hopes to address through their new initiative. Even as people suffer from stress and frustration, they have little time to think over their problems, to say nothing of trying to find a solution or understanding each other’s concern. Two specialists, Dr Ranjan Arya and Dr Nivedita Singh, form part of a formidable team at the NMC to advise schoolchildren, college students, youths, executives, entrepreneurs and even housewives overcome their psychological problems. According to Dr Singh, all schools and colleges should have counsellors among their staff. Similarly, Dr Arya highlights the need for workshops, social courses, training and lectures to overcome the stress resulting from the fast-paced lifestyle.
	Two killed as canter rams car Noida, June 11 Two persons were killed in a collision between a car and a canter near VIT post on GT Road, Dadri. Two other occupants travelling in the Indica car were seriously injured. The injured were rushed to a local hospital while the bodies were sent for the postmortem examination by the police The ill-fated car was part of a marriage party from Ghaziabad to Jahangirabad. The police are trying to nab the canter driver who had fled after the accident. According to information, Ayub, Yunus, Wal Mohd and Fryam of Shahid Nagar, Jahangerabad were returning home in Indica car (HR 26M-6417) from a marriage party in Ghaziabad. The canter (UP14-U9049) rammed the car near the VIT post, killing Wali Mohd and Fryam on the spot. Yunus and Ayub were seriously injured.
	Bomb hoax in Rajdhani Express Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 11 Railway Protection Force personnel today conducted a thorough search of the Thiruvananthapuram-bound Rajdhani Express at Nizamuddin Railway Station here after an anonymous letter claimed the train would be blown up, officials said. Bomb squads and sniffer dogs carried out an extensive search of the Hazrat Nizamuddin-Thiruvanthapuram Rajdhani Express after the senior station master received the letter, RPF officials said. However, no explosive material was found on board and the train left the station as scheduled at 11 am, they said.
	Businessman’s bail rejected Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 11 A city court has rejected the bail plea of a Delhi-based businessman, who was arrested by the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on charges of allegedly evading a huge amount of customs duty. Patiala House Court ACMM Kamini Lau rejected the bail plea of Ahup Joshi on Wednesday. Joshi, the proprietor of two firms—Ashna Creations and Ashna Exports—was arrested by the DRI on May 22.2. The DRI alleged that the two firms were availing themselves of fraudulent benefits by submitting wrong declarations of the Customs and Excise duty.